Chapter 3: The Grand Money Mold
"Hehe, Qin Hao, it seems you're just like your stupid old dad. It's bad enough that he made a mistake, but you still insist on saying it's valuable? If I bought it for fifty thousand, I'd really be a fool!"
Qin Hao didn't mind; he knew who the fool would be soon enough. Besides, even if Xu Yangzhi did offer fifty thousand, he wouldn't sell it to him.
The reason he said this was just to provoke him. The value of such an item wasn't something that could be dismissed with fifty thousand.
Qin Hao gave him a mocking look before turning to leave. But Xu Yangzhi's voice rang out again: "Today, I want to see which fool would spend fifty thousand on this fake!"
"If someone offers more than fifty thousand, will there still be buyers?"
"Hahaha, are you trying to make me laugh to death?"
Xu Yangzhi laughed, his smile filled with mockery: "Don't even talk about more than fifty thousand. If anyone offers five hundred or more, I'll immediately apologize to you!"
"You owe me already. Do you think an apology will solve everything?"
Qin Hao sneered: "I'll eventually take over the management of my family's store properly."
"Haha, let me remind you, Jupaozhai doesn't belong to the Qin family anymore; it belongs to the Xu family now!"
"Following what you said, I won't say anything about five hundred either. This way, if you claim I'm looking down on you later, it won't seem like I'm bullying the weak."
"Only if someone offers more than fifty thousand to buy it should you kneel and bow to your father!"
Xu Yangzhi's words made Qin Hao's mocking expression even stronger: "Very well, remember what you said. Don't deny it if you lose."
"Follow me."
After saying this, he turned and walked into another shop nearby. As neighbors, he naturally knew the owner.
The owner's surname was Xu, named Xu Guochuan. He was a good person but had one flaw—his fear of his wife.
Their relationship had always been good, and during his father's incident, he secretly gave Qin Hao fifty thousand to help him out.
Of course, his wife didn't know about this money.
Xu Guochuan was almost always at the shop, so he was naturally present at this time.
Sure enough, when Qin Hao entered the house, Xu Guochuan saw him and immediately came out from behind the counter: "Little Hao, why did you come here? Is your father still short on money?"
"I'll wait a moment. I have a private savings of ten thousand left. If you need it, I can give it to you first. However, as usual, don't let your aunt find out or I'll have to stay in the shop all night."
Saying this, Xu Guochuan reached for the money, but Qin Hao stopped him.
To be honest, Qin Hao was touched by this.
After all, no one in his family did this for him. Indeed, there's an old saying: "A distant relative is not as helpful as a close neighbor."
Moreover, not everyone in the world is as despicable as Xu Yangzhi; there are still many good people.
"I don't need Uncle Xu. I just received a small item and thought you might like it. So I wanted to show it to you and ask if you want it."
"Oh?"
Xu Guochuan's face lit up with a smile: "Little Hao, quickly show me what you've received."
As Qin Hao spoke, he handed over the copper coin he had bought for a thousand yuan.
Although there was quite a bit of rust on it, the characters 'Qianlong Tongbao' were still clear.
Seeing this copper coin, Xu Guochuan's expression became complex. Instead of rushing to examine it, he asked Qin Hao: "Little Hao, how much did you pay for this small coin?"
"Hehe, you might not believe this, but that fool paid a thousand yuan for it. I was right there when he said it and tried to convince him."
Xu Yangzhi also walked out at this moment with a mocking and sarcastic smile: "And he demanded five hundred thousand for this trash."
"Haha, forget five hundred thousand; even five yuan is too much for me."
Hearing this, Xu Guochuan looked at Qin Hao doubtfully: "Little Hao, is all of this true?"
"Yes."
"Ai... You child..."
Xu Yangzhi sighed: "Ai... You should know the market price of such an item. It's worth no more than twenty yuan at most. Not to mention all the rust..."
"Never mind. Consider it a lesson. If you decide to sell it, I'll give you two hundred yuan for it. Otherwise, if word gets back to your auntie, I won't be able to explain myself."
Qin Hao couldn't help but smile wryly: "Uncle Xu, this isn't just a common item; it's a money mold."
"What?"
Both Xu Guochuan and Xu Yangzhi couldn't help but gasp in surprise. They stared at Qin Hao in disbelief.
Money mold?
This...
How could this be possible?
Knowing that finding a mother money among circulating coins was already priceless, let alone a dragon and phoenix patterned Qianlong money mold worth hundreds of thousands...
Xu Yangzhi recovered and couldn't help laughing heartily. His face full of mockery: "Hahaha... Qin Hao, Qin Hao! You really know how to spread false rumors! If this is indeed a money mold, I'll kneel and call you grandpa!"
"Old dog, don't rush. I'll make you call me grandpa."
Turning around, he looked at Xu Guochuan: "Uncle Xu, do you have some clay?
I need you to fetch some and press the money mold onto it."
"A money mold is also called a mother coin. The requirements for making a money mold are extremely strict. Look closely at the characters 'Qianlong Tongbao'; they are deeply carved and written with strong strokes. Moreover, if you look carefully, there will be no signs of casting on them."
"Not only that; the color of the money mold is golden yellow. Since it is originally a mother coin, when pressed onto clay and then lifted off, there will be no sticky or blurred marks."
Hearing Qin Hao's words, Xu Guochuan eagerly went inside to find some clay.
Clay is used as raw material for ceramics; they usually have some in their antique shops because sometimes they need to repair broken ceramic items.
Soon enough, they verified Qin Hao's words.
At that moment, both men were staring at Qin Hao in shock.
Xu Guochuan muttered to himself in disbelief: "This... This is really a money mold?"
The value of a money mold could be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands if handled properly. Especially for Xu Yangzhi—who was completely stunned—his heart was filled with regret...