Reborn Rich: Prices Dropped, My Savings Didn't novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Chapter 156: I Am Always the Most Important

It was another overcast, rainy day.

Cecilia Sterling accompanied Saul Thorne to an antique shop called "Hidden in the City."

"Well, look who it is!"

The moment they entered, the shop owner, who was sitting in a mahogany chair, saw Saul and stood up to greet him warmly.

Saul held Cecilia’s hand, casually placing his folded umbrella in the bamboo basket by the door before speaking. "It’s rainy and foggy. The drive was a little slow."

The shop owner said, "No problem," while his gaze fell on Saul and Cecilia’s joined hands. Then, he discreetly raised an eyebrow.

’He has a girlfriend?’

"Let me see the item," Saul said.

The shop owner nodded and turned to go into the back room.

Meanwhile, Cecilia began to wander around the small shop, her curiosity piqued.

She had never been in an antique shop before. This one didn’t seem particularly special; tables were piled high with a chaotic assortment of objects. Strings of beads were tangled around a teapot, and scrolls of calligraphy were stuck in a bronze tripod. You couldn’t tell which items were valuable.

In fact, they all looked rather worthless.

There were also some items arranged neatly, but Cecilia didn’t know anything about them and couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Saul followed beside her. Seeing her serious expression, he couldn’t help but remind her softly, a hint of a smile in his voice, "Don’t bother looking. Nothing you see out here is any good. You’ll see the real treasure in a moment."

Cecilia nodded and followed Saul to sit on the mahogany sofa.

A short while later, the shop owner came out, carefully cradling an exquisite box. "Take a look. Please handle with care."

Saul opened the box. Inside was a remarkably elegant tea set: one teapot, four teacups, and some strange-looking tools Cecilia didn’t recognize.

The shop owner began to explain, "This is the ’Green Red Sand.’ The pieces are from the Khaganate Dynasty. The teapot looks green now, but it turns red when heated. It’s because it was fired from a special type of sand. This technique was one of the Khaganate Dynasty’s legendary skills, a craft that made them famous for centuries. Modern technology can replicate it, but an expert can spot the difference between a fake and the real thing at a glance. You’re a connoisseur, so I won’t bore you with the details."

Saul picked it up and examined it for a moment before nodding lightly.

The set was old, so it certainly wasn’t flawless. But that was part of an antique’s charm. ’Weren’t its imperfections a kind of beauty in their own right?’

’Most importantly, Mr. Thorne is sure to love it.’

"200," Saul said slowly, starting the haggling process.

The shop owner gave him an ’are you serious’ look and shook his head. "Didn’t we agree on 220? You have to let me make a little profit!"

"You’ll still make plenty at 200. I’m not in a hurry. Think it over."

The owner pouted helplessly. ’Could he really say no?’

But Saul was right. He could still make a profit at 200. He had intentionally inflated the initial price because he knew Saul would bargain.

"Fine. Since it’s the first time you’ve brought your girlfriend here, I’ll consider it my congratulations to you," the owner said, showing his smooth-talking skills.

Cecilia smiled when she heard this and thanked him on Saul’s behalf. "Well, thank you very much, sir."

Back in the car, Saul carefully stowed the box away before turning to Cecilia and asking again, "Baby, are you sure you won’t come with me?"

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