mtl008 Chapter 176 Auction
Chapter 176 Auction
It was already past seven in the evening when Ning Yuan, Ning Wei and a dozen or so friends went from Yard No. 2 to Lao Mo.
It was the peak time for customer traffic in the restaurant.
As soon as Ning Yuan entered the door, he started greeting the young hooligans from all directions.
It took him half an hour from the door to his seat.
The ten or so of them sat at two tables for six.
Ning Yuan was also very generous. After throwing the menu to his brothers, he told them to order whatever they wanted!
Ning Wei is different from Ning Yuan. He doesn't come to such high-end restaurants very often.
They ordered a random selection of dishes, including braised beef, meatloaf with cream sauce, pork chops in red soup, White Russian-style meat skewers, ice cream, and soda.
Ning Yuan followed his wishes and ordered all of these. The other young men also ordered some casually. After asking for a bucket of beer, Ning Yuan gestured for everyone to eat here first.
He went to Zhang Fengkai's office as if he was familiar with the place.
He didn't even close the door, Ning Yuan pushed it open and walked in.
Zhang Fengkai was on the phone. When he saw Ning Yuan coming in, he quickly motioned for him to sit down first.
After politely greeting the person on the phone, Zhang Fengkai hung up the phone carefully.
Then he quickly poured water for Ning Yuan.
"Brother Ning, are you here to talk to me, Old Zhang, about the matter we discussed last time?"
As Zhang Fengkai spoke, he walked to the office door and closed it.
"That's exactly what happened. I got a batch of old calligraphy and paintings. Go find someone who's interested in them. Remember to find a few talented people!"
Ning Yuan explained his thoughts to Zhang Fengkai in one go.
Now it was Zhang Fengkai's turn to be confused.
"Find a few more people? How many things do you have to sell? Besides, we can't make our business too blatant!"
Old Zhang said with a wry smile, it’s not that he couldn’t find so many people, but he also had his concerns.
The only use I have for Ning Yuan is these powerful customers. What if they really turn out to be like Professor Qiao last time?
Ning Yuan found the other person's residence directly and the two of them made the transaction right away.
Although Ning Yuan still gave him a symbolic sum of money, it was far from satisfying his appetite.
So he really didn't want to give away all his secrets.
Ning Yuan also understood Zhang Fengkai's concerns, so after a moment of silence, he spoke to Zhang Fengkai again.
"Old Zhang, stop worrying about these things! I'll give you a price. Just bring out all the big customers who are interested in these items!"
"I'm planning to hold a small, private auction every month. I'll give you a thousand dollars a month. What do you think? Of course, the prerequisite is that you have to bring all your powerful patrons with you. You are not allowed to keep any secrets!"
Ning Yuan had traded with Professor Qiao several times, and he always felt that he was at a disadvantage every time. After thinking about it, he understood the root of the problem!
Because this is purely a buyer's market between them, there is only one buyer, and Ning Yuan really has a bad grasp of the prices of these things.
The solution is to find more buyers and turn the buyer's market into a seller's market. He will take the initiative, which is good. Moreover, if Professor Qiao does not have sufficient funds, he can be invited to come and play the role of an appraiser.
Kill two birds with one stone!
After hearing Ning Yuan’s thoughts, Zhang Fengkai also pondered for a moment.
It has to be said that this method is a compromise idea for him.
Lao Mo's Restaurant is considered to be the largest news transfer center in the city.
There is a constant stream of young people from the compound or high-ranking officials coming here to eat every day, and they only talk about two kinds of news.
One is the various new regulations and new directions.
The second thing is all the major events in the old city.
During this period, Zhang Fengkai often heard the young people in the compound talk about the name Ningyuan.
When he heard about someone he was familiar with, he would naturally pay attention, which allowed him to know more about Ning Yuan’s “glorious deeds”!
And every time this guy enters Lao Mo's restaurant, countless gangsters greet him and toast him.
From this we can see the influence of this kid Ning Yuan.
If such a person is really determined to find some people who are capable and interested in collecting old items, it would probably not be a difficult task. It would be better to do a favor and get a share for himself.
So after thinking for a moment, Zhang Fengkai agreed.
"Brother Ning, when do you plan to hold this auction? Old Zhang, I'll explain everything to these guests in advance!"
Zhang Fengkai also figured it out. He realized that his worries should not be too high-profile, as they were purely unnecessary.
He had heard that this group of lawless young people actually dared to block the *** compound.
And it was Ning Yuan who took the lead.
This kind of person, what does he care about the bully picking on him? He is already the most arrogant person in the city!
So, just ask directly about the time and place. The rest is not something Zhang Fengkai should worry about.
After listening to Zhang Fengkai's question, Ning Yuan pondered for a moment.
"Let's set the date for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. From now on, on the fifteenth day of every lunar month, you will arrange for them to go to the fifth courtyard of Xiebian Hutong, Xizhimen!"
"Xizhimen, Xiebian Hutong, Yard No. 5! Okay, Brother Ning, I've got this in mind. After I'm done with my work tonight, I'll call and inform them one by one!"
"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing. Could you tell me, Old Zhang, what we have in this first auction so I can tell them?"
"Yeah, if they think there's nothing good and it's not worth the trip, then all our efforts would be wasted!"
Ning Yuan agreed with Zhang Fengkai's words after hearing them.
"Then tell them that this first auction includes a work by the Qing Dynasty court painter Lang Shining and a work by Zheng Banqiao, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. The other paintings are of similar value!"
He took out two pieces of calligraphy and paintings that he had originally planned to keep as treasures.
Ning Yuan had no choice. Since it was his first time, he had to produce some high-quality products to establish his reputation.
Zhang Fengkai is also considered a semi-expert, and he naturally knows something about these two famous painters.
After hearing what Ning Yuan had in his hand, he instantly became full of confidence.
"Alright, Brother Ning, with these two paintings, I, Old Zhang, can guarantee that I'll invite at least six to eight people. Don't worry about their abilities, Old Zhang has a good eye!"
After Zhang Fengkai patted his chest and said this, Ning Yuan also nodded.
This number is about right, and there are still a few days left.
Except for the ten or so paintings by court painters, the remaining works in Ning Yuan's space are basically masterpieces. This time he only plans to take out those two paintings as a gimmick, and the rest will be replaced by paintings by those court painters.
Besides that, let’s see if Chen Liangzi and the others can get some good stuff out of Guan’s family tomorrow.