Beipai Tomb Raiders Notes

Chapter 622 Bo Mei

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, I was pinned down in my seat by this woman for half a minute. I didn't want to forcefully push her away, as that would seem impolite.

"I'm sorry," the girl said with a smile.

"It's ok."

After I finished speaking, I moved to the left.

Xiao He then introduced, "My cousin's surname is Zhao, you can just call her Bo-mei. Don't underestimate her, she's also an expert, specializing in pre-Qin and Song dynasty versions. She came along with me to collect some items this time."

I glanced at the woman again. The pre-Qin period is very complicated, and the inscriptions on many knife coins and square-footed cloth coins are difficult to decipher and verify. Many of them are even incomprehensible to me. The Song dynasty version is even more complicated. This woman is so young yet knows all of this, which makes me look at her with even more respect.

Bo Mei... that's probably not her real name, but it's a very common and easy-to-understand name.

I said, "It's not that I'm not giving Meimei face. The fact that I came to see you is already a favor to her. But the gap between us is too big. It seems we can't reach an agreement."

Xiao He said sincerely, "The price I offered is quite reasonable. If these coins were auctioned, they would only fetch seven or eight hundred thousand at most, because nobody recognizes them. Just like that Yongle iron coin, they can only circulate and be used within a small circle."

"Yongle iron coins...you know quite a lot about them," I said.

Xiao He looked slightly embarrassed. He smiled.

I said, "Although they are just a few small coins, not a big deal, there is no reference price for this kind of item. You could say it's worth seven or eight hundred thousand, or I could say it's worth three or five million, right?"

He nodded, indicating that he agreed with me.

There's another reason I'm unwilling to budge: I don't have a good feeling about him. I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just a gut feeling, like I'm some kind of shrewd, unsettling hunch. Does he think I'd be tempted by millions in cash? He's seriously underestimating me.

After talking in the car for a few minutes, seeing that I wouldn't budge, he said, "Hey bro, it's lunchtime, let's eat first. There was a terrible sinkhole in Faku last year, you probably don't know about it, let's talk while we eat."

We found a private room in a restaurant, ordered a few dishes and a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor). While he was telling me about something that happened in Faku last year, he had his cousin frequently toast me.

After two drinks, I couldn't help but say, "What, are you trying to get me drunk?"

Xiao He immediately laughed and said, "Not at all. Boss Mei speaks highly of you, brother. Although I don't know you well, I know that your abilities and background are extraordinary. I've been thinking of befriending you. Even if we can't reach an agreement in the end, we can still be on good terms even if the deal falls through."

The girl named Bo Mei raised her glass and smiled, "Yes, I also think you're quite extraordinary, brother. Let me toast you again. I'll drink first."

She drank it all in one gulp.

I drank it too.

Let alone one bottle, even two more bottles wouldn't bother me. I'm not worried about Xiao He putting drugs in my drink, unless he doesn't want to work in this industry anymore.

As for forcibly taking it, that's even more impossible. They are both ordinary people who don't know martial arts. If they start fighting, they won't even be able to touch me. Although I am still recovering from a serious illness and my strength has been damaged, I am still at about the second level in the martial arts world thanks to the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada and Refining Essence into Qi.

The only way to get me to agree is to offer a price that satisfies me.

Just then, Xiao He's phone rang.

Xiao He gestured for us to talk first, then got up and went to the door to answer the phone.

"Is he really your cousin?"

"Yes, why, doesn't it look like it?"

I shook my head: "It doesn't seem like it. You're his girlfriend, aren't you?"

She chuckled; her eyes were watery from drinking quite a bit.

She stroked her chin and said, "No, he really is my brother. I've never had a boyfriend before."

Looking at her flushed cheeks, I touched my nose and thought, "You little vixen, trying to mess with me? If you've never had a boyfriend, then I've never eaten. Whether it's a honey trap or a honey trap, bring it on."

"Smoke?"

"Thanks, brother, but I don't know how."

I lit a cigarette and said, "Who taught you your pre-Qin and Song dynasty versions? Have you ever handled a three-hole cloth?"

She nodded: "I've handled one San Kong Bu before. Most of the time I've been self-taught based on my hobby. Last year I found two great bargains. I sold a Yinyang Er Jin for 800,000, and I found a Huang Song Tong Bao in a garbage dump. My brother wouldn't let me sell it, but now someone has offered 400,000."

I frowned and asked, "What do you mean by 'two jin'? Is it a Wei coin? How can a Huang Song Tong Bao be worth 400,000? Is it in the Nine-Fold Seal script?"

She shook her head: "It's not the Nine-Fold Seal script, it's just a different type of coin. Including the one I found, there are only two of them in existence right now."

I clicked my tongue in amazement as I listened, recalling my teenage years when I used to study Song Dynasty editions of books, spending a penny or two to buy them from classmates and then comparing them with other books. Now, I look down on those things. No matter what kind of coins they are, they are too small compared to bronze artifacts. A single ancient coin selling for hundreds of thousands is considered a top-tier rare item, while rare bronze artifacts start at millions, and many are priced over a thousand.

The two talked a lot about this. She also knew about the Yongle coins I sold to Meimei and gave her own judgment. She believed that they were minted by the rebel army back then. There were two reasons why they only appeared in the world after hundreds of years. One was that the mintage was too small due to the rush at the time, and the other was that they may have been seized and melted down by the Song Dynasty.

This woman is no ordinary person; her knowledge of ancient coins is no less than Meimei's.

Xiao He made a phone call that lasted for more than ten minutes, then ate for more than twenty minutes before going out to take another call. This time he made another phone call that lasted for more than ten minutes. During this time, Bo Mei mainly kept me company, chatting and drinking. I guess Xiao He wanted to create some time for the two of us to be alone? Or maybe he wanted to use this woman to lower the price?

"Sorry bro, the food's getting cold. I just got all these calls at once. Can I take another look at those coins of yours?"

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I took it out and put it on the table.

Xiao He opened the wrapped paper, looked at it carefully again, and said, "Okay, I'll add one more, one hundred and one hundred."

"No."

"One hundred and twenty!!"

"No fun. How about this, for the sake of your cousin and this meal, the minimum is two hundred and sixty."

Suddenly, Bo leaned against me. Her face was flushed, her eyes were unfocused, and she seemed to be drunk.

Xiao He immediately said, "It's normal for business to fall through once or twice. My cousin is drunk. Why don't you help me take her to a hotel?"

I pulled away instantly, causing Bo-mei to almost fall to the ground.

"Qiandao Lake is a small place, there are no hotels, only guesthouses, so I'm going back now."

After saying that, I picked up a few Mani coins from the table, rewrapped them, and left the restaurant.

Xiao He chased after him, still hoping to win him back.

I couldn't hold back any longer and yelled, "Damn it! Who do you think I am? Don't talk nonsense if you haven't brought enough money! Don't tell me your girlfriend isn't worth a million in my eyes; even if she were, I wouldn't be interested!"

Saying that was tantamount to tearing off all pretense of civility. I had originally planned to have dinner with him to give him a chance and see if we could negotiate a two million deal! But in the end, I discovered that he had no intention of paying that much at all!

Xiao He looked pale, and he couldn't smile anymore.

I gave him a cold look, then turned and left.

Back at the hotel, my friend asked me where I had been. I told him I ran into a friend on my way to buy something and we had a few drinks.

The boss didn't ask any more questions, just told me to get some rest and wait for the payment from Zhuji to arrive tomorrow.

I went back to my room, soaked my feet, and threw those Manichaean coins into the drawer.

I was lying in bed looking at my phone for a while when I suddenly felt something was off.

I found a few ancient coins and examined them again and again under the light.

Then, I found a small scale and weighed the coins one by one.

When I saw that the displayed weight was 4.2 grams, my heart sank.