Chapter 96

Chapter 96: The Battle Over the Celadon Hibiscus Washer

After dinner, Gu Ning returned to her room and turned on her phone before it was fully charged. The screen showed over a dozen missed calls. The first number wasn’t saved, but she knew it was Jiang Yu’s. The rest were all from her family.

A sense of foreboding washed over Gu Ning, and she immediately called back.

Gu Mama’s anxious voice came through: “Hey, Ningning! Why was your phone off? I couldn’t reach you, and I was so worried!”

Gu Ning replied, “My phone died. What’s going on?”

Gu Mama said, “Oh, did you leave something at home? That really pretty little green bowl?”

Gu Ning’s heart sank, and she interrupted urgently, “It’s not broken, is it?!”

“No, it’s not,” Gu Mama said.

Gu Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

But then Gu Mama continued, “Your cousin borrowed it.”

Gu Ning’s heart shot up again: “What do you mean she borrowed it? What for? Who said she could take it?!”

Gu Ning’s rapid-fire questions startled Gu Mama: “What’s wrong? Is it something valuable? She said she needed it for a show, and since your phone was off, I couldn’t ask you… Your dad got mad at me when he found out and told me to call you right away. Don’t worry too much; she said she’d return it in a day or two.”

Gu Ning felt a lump in her chest but held back from venting at her mom. She simply said, “I’ll call her,” and hung up.

“She hung up,” Gu Mama said guiltily, looking at Gu Dad.

Gu Dad glanced at her and said, “I told you not to touch Ningning’s stuff when she’s not here. And now you just let Jiang Yu take it? Remember when you gave Jiang Yu Ningning’s little bronze figurines as a kid? Ningning still remembers that. After all these years, you still haven’t learned. Don’t come crying to me when Ningning resents you.”

Gu Mama was also upset: “She went into Ningning’s room and took it herself. Once she had it in her hands, I couldn’t just say no.”

“Next time Ningning’s not here, just lock the room. And Jiang Yu, how could she just walk into someone else’s room and take things? That’s so rude,” Gu Dad said, frowning.

Gu Mama knew Gu Dad never really liked Jiang Yu, and she also felt she shouldn’t have let Jiang Yu take Gu Ning’s things, so she didn’t argue further.

Gu Ning dialed Jiang Yu’s number. The cheerful ringtone, usually pleasant, now felt unbearably irritating.

But after ringing for a while, the call went to voicemail: “The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

Gu Ning tried several times, but no one answered.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Gu Ning recalled Jiang Yu’s home landline and dialed it.

The phone rang four times before someone picked up.

Jiang Yuezhou’s voice came through: “Hello, who’s this?”

Gu Ning asked directly, “Is Jiang Yu there?”

“Looking for Jiang Yu? She hasn’t come back yet. She’s living elsewhere now. Who’s this…” Jiang Yuezhou looked puzzled as the call ended abruptly.

“Who was it?” Lin Meifeng asked.

Jiang Yuezhou said, “Not sure… sounded a bit like Gu Ning, but not quite.”

Lin Meifeng perked up at the mention of Gu Ning: “This Gu Ning, she’s back and hasn’t even come to visit. Really, are we supposed to go see her as elders?”

Jiang Yuezhou frowned: “Enough. Gu Ning just got back. Who knows what she’s been through out there. She’s my only niece. Can’t you say something nice? What’s wrong with us visiting her?”

Lin Meifeng sneered: “Oh, so the younger generation doesn’t visit the elders, and now the elders have to go see her!”

Jiang Yuezhou didn’t feel like arguing and called Gu Ning’s house to check on her.

After hanging up on Jiang Yuezhou, Gu Ning tried calling Jiang Yu again, but still no answer.

Gu Mama said Jiang Yu took the item for a show, but Gu Ning had no idea what show.

With no way to reach Jiang Yu, Gu Ning waited half an hour and tried again.

Still no answer.

Gu Ning was frustrated with herself but had no other options… After sitting for a while, she suddenly stood up, opened the door, and walked straight to Zhuang Chen’s room, knocking a few times.

Zhuang Chen opened the door, wearing a face mask, looking surprised: “Gu Ning? What’s up?”

Gu Ning got straight to the point: “I need to find someone, but their phone’s off. Do you have any way to help me track them down?”

Zhuang Chen smiled: “You’ve come to the right person.”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu was already at the TV station recording a show.

This treasure appraisal show was an upgraded version of an old one.

They had spent a fortune to bring in a top expert in the field, along with a new appraiser. The host, previously a dull and old-fashioned speaker, had been replaced by a witty, knowledgeable man. All these innovations had driven the show’s ratings to new heights.

One of the upgrades was to make the show more engaging by splitting the appraisal into several stages. First, experts would guess based on photos provided by the show, then the actual item would be brought out for closer inspection, and finally, they would handle it. At each stage, the experts would share their opinions, with the top expert having the final say.

To maintain suspense, the items were kept secret until the recording.

After the host’s introduction, the first item appeared on the big screen. Each item had five photos, shown for 20 seconds each, followed by a five-minute discussion among the experts before moving to the next item.

The Celadon Hibiscus Washer was the seventh and final item of the day.

The first five items were rather ordinary, and the experts seemed disinterested, offering only brief comments. The top expert sipped tea leisurely, occasionally glancing at the screen.

But when the Celadon Hibiscus Washer appeared, the previously relaxed experts sat up straight, leaning forward to get a better look. The camera zoomed in, capturing their shocked expressions, a stark contrast to their earlier indifference.

Even the top expert set down his tea and stared at the screen in surprise.

One expert exclaimed, “Isn’t this the Northern Song Ru Kiln Celadon Hibiscus Washer?”

Another, more composed, said dismissively, “There are only two known Celadon Hibiscus Washers—one in a British museum and one in Hong Kong. This is probably a fake.”

Hearing this, the other experts quickly masked their surprise.

A middle-aged man in a green robe sitting nearby sneered, “Li Yaoxian, you’re being too hasty. Just because there are two, doesn’t mean there can’t be a third. You’re calling it a fake based on one photo?”

The host chuckled, “Looks like we’ve got some early fireworks! For those watching, let me explain. This item is known as the Northern Song Ru Kiln Celadon Hibiscus Washer. There are only two known to exist—one in a British museum, and the other sold in Hong Kong in 2012 for a staggering 200 million Hong Kong dollars! That’s right, 200 million!”

The audience gasped, murmuring among themselves as they stared at the screen.

After the five photos were shown, the experts began their debate.

The man in the green robe said, “As we all know, Ru Kiln represents the pinnacle of Chinese porcelain, with a history of over 900 years. As the host mentioned, one Celadon Hibiscus Washer sold for over 200 million. If this one is genuine, I guarantee it would break the world auction record for Song Dynasty porcelain!”

Li Yaoxian scoffed, “We haven’t even determined if it’s real, and you’re already talking about its value. No wonder your antique business is thriving—you’re quite the businessman.”

The host laughed and turned to the other experts: “What do the rest of you think?”

Based solely on the photos, it was hard to say much, but as part of the show’s format, the others offered vague opinions before moving to the next stage.

The items were brought out by their owners.

The first five items didn’t excite the experts much, and their comments were perfunctory. The host’s jokes were the only highlight, making it clear the main event was the last item.

When Jiang Yu walked out holding a brocade box, everyone’s eyes lit up.

She wore high heels that accentuated her tall figure, her hair elegantly tied up, her skin flawless, and her makeup giving her a gentle, beautiful appearance. Her warm, confident smile made her instantly likable.

But the experts’ eyes were fixed on the box in her hands.