Actually, Feng Yu didn't know what kind of antique this incense burner was, but he was certain it was an antique. What he most wanted to know was which dynasty it was from and how much it was worth.
Fu Guangzheng, after hearing Feng Yu's words, awkwardly laughed, "Ha ha, Mr. Feng, don't joke around. Since you already know, why did you put it in the corner?"
Feng Yu's eyes darted around, "I haven't had time to put it away yet. I haven't even cleaned it. A history professor said it's worth a million, and a doctoral supervisor said it's worth two million. I don't know how much it's worth, but how much is it worth in Hong Kong?"
Fu Guangzheng's previous words indirectly acknowledged that the incense burner was worth at least several hundred thousand. Feng Yu wanted to hear how much Fu Guangzheng would offer. If the price was really that high, he wouldn't mind selling it now.
Feng Yu had no interest in collecting antiques. Why were antiques becoming increasingly popular and their prices rising in the future? It was because of the efforts of enthusiasts. Some collectors and auction houses hyped up the value of antiques from historical, cultural, and economic perspectives, which was supported by the players in the market.
Some people didn't collect antiques for the sake of collecting; they did it purely for economic gain. They would auction antiques under the name of a company, then convert them into office supplies to reduce profits and lower taxes. After five years of "depreciation and amortization," the value of the office supplies would become zero.
When the value became zero, it could be transferred from the company's books to their own pockets. During these five years, the value of the antiques would actually increase. Not only would they avoid a large tax bill, but it would also be a stable investment. In times of urgent need for money, they didn't necessarily have to sell the antiques; they could use them as collateral for a bank loan.
In the future, such situations would become more common, and the government would eventually introduce policies to regulate this market, but there would still be many loopholes to exploit.
Feng Yu had no intention of playing with antiques; he didn't understand them at all. Hadn't he heard many examples of people being cheated in his previous life? Besides, he made investments that guaranteed more profit than trading antiques.
Fu Guangzheng put on gloves again and even took out a small brush and a magnifying glass from his bag. He always carried these items with him; he just hadn't taken them out earlier.
After Fu Guangzheng's cleaning, the three-legged Xuande incense burner regained its luster. Fu Guangzheng's eyes showed a look of fascination as he kept touching the incense burner, as if caressing a lover's body.
"One million, one million Hong Kong dollars, Mr. Feng, would you be willing to part with it?"
This thing is worth one million? And in Hong Kong dollars, which are more valuable than RMB!
This price had already exceeded Feng Yu's expectations. He originally thought that if he could recoup the several hundred thousand he spent on Wang Cui, it would be a good deal. Now it looked like there would be a decent profit.
Wang Cui definitely didn't know this was an antique. If he did, he would have come to Feng Yu long ago. He never expected that an unintentional action would earn him another profit.
"Mr. Fu, do you think I would sell it?" Feng Yu smiled at Fu Guangzheng.
Unless Fu Guangzheng offered two million, he wouldn't sell it. Next year, he could use this incense burner to get a loan from the bank. With a bit of manipulation, he could at least get a loan of five million. In a year, he could turn five million into over twenty million. If he got one million now, he couldn't turn it into five million in a year.
Fu Guangzheng showed a regretful look. It seemed that Feng Yu was keeping it for his collection. If he offered a higher price, he wouldn't make a profit.
"Mr. Feng, you also like collecting. Do you have any other collections at home? Show me and let me see?" Fu Guangzheng said while taking off his gloves and putting them aside, then took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his hands.
Feng Yu waved his hand, "I just started, I don't have many collections yet. But Mr. Fu seems to be an expert and has collected quite a few good things, right?"
He wasn't just starting; he had never collected anything. However, he was a bit curious about this field. At least he thought antiques were better than art.
In the future, some people who hyped up art were proven to be doing it for profit; others did it to launder money. You could take a worthless piece of art to an auction, give your money to the other party, and they would buy your art at a high price, making your money appear to come from a legitimate source. Some people were just following the trend, buying art at high prices, but unable to sell it, and they would be the ones to suffer in the end.
When Feng Yu mentioned wanting to see his collections, Fu Guangzheng's face lit up with pride. Although he wasn't a collector, he had made a lot of money this year.
He said that this time in Bingcheng, he had found a few old houses and acquired some good items.
In the hotel, Fu Guangzheng showed Feng Yu his acquisitions: snuff bottles, porcelain, seals, jade pendants, hairpins, and ancient books.
Feng Yu looked for a long time but didn't think they were that great. They were pretty, but he wouldn't spend a high price on them.
Seeing Feng Yu's indifferent look, Fu Guangzheng said with a hint of bitterness, "Of course, these can't compare to your Xuande incense burner. Yours is likely a genuine Xuande incense burner, and its price will definitely increase several times in a few years. But even these items, if I take them back to Hong Kong, will at least double in value."
"Are there so many people in Hong Kong who collect antiques?"
"There aren't that many in Hong Kong, but there are many in Southeast Asia."
Feng Yu understood. At that time, Hong Kong was the economic center of Southeast Asia established by the British. Just the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia included hundreds of billionaires, and they alone could prop up the price of antiques.
"Mr. Feng, are you interested in doing business with me?" This was Fu Guangzheng's real intention. He didn't have much capital, making it hard to do big business. Feng Yu clearly had capital and connections to the Soviet Union. If he could bring back some European oil paintings, it would definitely be highly profitable.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in this. Buying the Xuande incense burner was just to help a friend. Is Mr. Fu from the Fu family in Hong Kong?" Feng Yu suddenly asked.
"You know the Fu family? Has Mr. Feng been to Hong Kong?" Fu Guangzheng looked at Feng Yu curiously. A person from the northernmost provincial capital of China knew the Fu family in Hong Kong. How did he know?
"I heard about it from a friend. The Fu family is a prominent family in Hong Kong, and every member is an elite of Hong Kong's upper society. Which generation of the Fu family is your father?"
Fu Guangzheng was even more surprised. Feng Yu even knew their family's generations, so he must already know his background.
"My father is Fu Rongjin."
Feng Yu thought for a long time but had no impression. The most famous member of the Fu family was also from the Rong generation, and at his peak, he could stand on equal footing with Li Ka-shing, but his name wasn't Fu Rongjin.
On the surface, Feng Yu still showed a look of amazement, which made Fu Guangzheng quite satisfied. Although he wasn't very favored by his father, when he needed to use his father's name for business, his father never stopped him.
This time, he wanted to show his father his ability to make money with this batch of second-hand luxury cars!