Siheyuan: Pretend to be a Pig and Eat the Tiger

Han Chunming looked at Chen Jianjun with a half-smile. This kid is a talent, but unfortunately, he made a mistake. If it weren't for the hard pen, he really wouldn't have noticed this flaw!
It is common knowledge that there were no fountain pens during the Song Dynasty. Chen Jianjun actually used fountain pen handwriting to sign his name. I really don't know what to say. Is he ignorant and incompetent?
"What kind of pen?"

Su Meng stared blankly at Han Chunming. What was a pen? What was Han Chunming talking about? It was hilarious!

"A pen is just a fountain pen!"

Han Chunming rolled his eyes, as if to say, "Are you sure you went to university? Don't you know that a fountain pen is a type of hard-tipped pen?"

"Where did fountain pens come from in the Song Dynasty? Mr. Li, are you joking?"

Uncle Su Meng had to admire Han Chunming's sharp eyes. He had noticed such a tricky question. You know, that was the inscription inside the porcelain vase, which was unfathomable!

Li Huaide examined the inscription on the inside of the bottle closely. It was indeed written with a fountain pen and then engraved. Even someone who knows nothing about calligraphy can recognize the difference between fountain pen writing and brush writing, let alone the people present!

"Sir, we all make mistakes sometimes in this line of work, Han Chunming. Look at the others; they can't all be fakes, can they?"

Li Huaide laughed awkwardly. Chen Jianjun, that idiot, why didn't he think about when fountain pens first appeared when he was making the copy? He made me look so foolish.
The first item is a fake, so people will have to examine it very carefully. Today's transaction is likely to encounter some problems!
Chen Jianjun slammed his left hand against his right. He had been careless. When he was making it, he needed to write the characters with a brush. In order to finish the work quickly, he wrote them on the brush and then carved them. Who knew that Han Chunming would see through it? He had been careless!

"No need to look anymore, none of them are right. These things look like brothers and sisters, made by the same person. Look here... and look here again...;
"Su Meng, I don't think that's right. Of course, I might be mistaken. Believe it or not, I'm off!"

Han Chunming shook his head slightly. "You can't just have one person do all the deception. These all look like they're made using the same method. No two leaves are exactly alike. The works made by one person will all have the same habits and techniques. How can you still deceive people like this? Stupid!"
"Han Chunming, I'm acquainted with your master. It's going too far to call all these items fakes as soon as they're displayed."

Li Huaide's expression changed drastically. "At least take a look at it! You just put it out and you're already calling it a fake? How am I supposed to do business with you?"

Besides, if you're going to call them fakes, you have to give a reason, right? You can't just say they're siblings; some are from the early Qing Dynasty, some from the Ming Dynasty, and some from the Yuan Dynasty.

How did you become my brothers and sisters? Isn't this blatant sabotage of my business? One or two items would be one thing, but this is my entire stock, dozens of items!
"Director Li, let's be frank. I've been working with antiques for quite some time now, and your items are indeed very well made. However, every craftsman has their own habits, here and here."
Have you noticed they're the same? This artwork is indeed very realistic, but each person's handwriting has its own style, and so does the artwork;

So, these items are all fake. Even Republic-era imitations could be worth something, but now, they're worth less than a penny each. Goodbye!

Han Chunming left with a smile. He needed to deliver a message outside; he didn't have time to waste arguing with them. His master insisted that Chen Jianjun's presence be confirmed before making any arrests.

Now that everyone is here, when is a better time to send the signal? Of course, the next step of stabilizing the situation will be left to Su Meng and her uncle. That should be fine, right?

"Hehe... Mr. Li, I trusted you so much, and now it turns out they're all fakes. You're just making fun of me, aren't you?"

Su Meng's uncle sneered, "Li Huaide, Li Huaide, last time I was too blind to tell the difference. This time, let's see what you have to say. They're all fakes!"
"Sir, you're too old to listen to a young upstart, are you? As the saying goes, 'A young man with a green hat is unreliable.' I admit that what he said about the first item was correct—the inscription was indeed done with a pen—but what about these? He declared them fake without even looking at them. What kind of appraisal is that?"

Li Huaide still wanted to try and get his hands on it. What if this fatso bought it? He had been scheming for so long, and even though the customers from Hong Kong hadn't gotten anything in Shanghai, he could only hope to make a quick buck off this fatso!

"Mengmeng, what's your opinion?"

Su Meng's uncle seemed to be wavering and instead asked his niece for her opinion!
“Uncle, I can’t tell, but I trust Han Chunming. That guy has been exposed to these things since he was a child, and he’s also Grandpa Guan’s last disciple. An expert always has more say than a layman, right?”

Su Meng hesitated for a moment, but still reminded her uncle not to buy it. "They've already said it's a fake, what are you still hesitating for?"

"Miss Su, is it possible that the young man wanted to buy them but didn't have the money, and after keeping you in check, he wanted to buy them all from me at a low price?"

Seeing the two's skepticism, Li Huaide was overjoyed. There was hope! It seemed he needed to give them a push. This woman had always liked that boy, but Han Chunming was married.

The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit; who knows, these two might agree to the deal?

“Mengmeng, what Mr. Li said makes sense. Besides, didn’t you say that Mr. Li was the former director of the steel rolling mill?”
They're a respectable person, they wouldn't cheat us for such a small amount of money, would they? Besides, we've found out Teacher Song's location, so Mr. Li isn't worried..."

Su Meng's uncle seemed to be moved by Li Huaide's words. After thinking for a moment, he looked at his niece tentatively.
"Uncle, Han Chunming isn't that kind of person. If it were Chen Jianjun, I might actually believe it, but it's impossible for Han Chunming to be like that."

From childhood to adulthood, Chen Jianjun has been unscrupulous, despicable, treacherous, and utterly shameless in his pursuit of goals, with no moral compass whatsoever.
Han Chunming has always been upright and honest, even willing to give the best things to others, always the one who suffers a loss. I don't believe Han Chunming would lie to me, so forget it!

After pondering for a long time, Su Meng finally looked at her uncle firmly, as if to say, "I believe Han Chunming won't lie to me!"

"Miss Su, you're talking about when he was a child, not now. This involves hundreds of thousands of dollars, and you're making millions of dollars in one go. Even if Han Chunming is upright, he can't resist the temptation of such a big deal, right?"

Li Huaide wished he could grab Su Meng and ravage her. The deal was about to be made, but this wretched woman ruined it. If this transaction failed, it would be much more difficult next time!

As for Chen Jianjun on the side, if it weren't for his cousin Li Huaide holding him back, he would have broken down immediately. "You're almost my fiancée, and you're still making such a fuss about me."

What exactly is so better about that bastard Han Chunming than me? Me, despicable, shameless, treacherous, and vile? So that's what you were saying behind my back? Utterly despicable! (End of Chapter)