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Bai Tang left the Suihou Pearl with Zhang Feng without taking his money—mainly because Zhang Feng's gaze towards the Suihou Pearl was too intense, filled with a longing that resembled that of a lover facing life and death. Bai Tang felt as if he were becoming the stick used to beat a pair of mandarin ducks. To avoid being pierced by Zhang Feng's gaze, Bai Tang simply let the pearl stay with Zhang Feng for him to cherish. For this action, Zhang Feng was immensely grateful and regarded Bai Tang with greater respect. Not everyone has the courage to casually lend what could be considered a "national treasure" to someone else.
After two days, the colleagues Zhang Feng had called arrived in City D, a total of seven people, all prominent figures in the antique world. Among them were two elderly gentlemen with white hair, experts among experts, titans in the field of antiques and historical culture, known as Northern Dipper. Upon hearing the words "Suihou Pearl," these individuals disregarded their ongoing business trips, health concerns, or upcoming program recordings and rushed over without even packing their luggage.
Zhang Feng introduced Bai Tang to his colleagues. As the owner of the Suihou Pearl, Bai Tang received warm and friendly treatment from the experts. Among these experts, Bai Tang recognized a familiar face. Wasn't this expert featured on the treasure appraisal show that Bai Ma and Bai Dad watched every week?
"Zhang, where is the Suihou Pearl? Hurry up and bring it out," said Old Master Zhou, who was over eighty but still spirited. He anxiously asked for the pearl as soon as he entered Zhang Feng's room.
"Hurry up, hurry up," echoed another Northern Dipper expert, Master Zhu, who was also in his eighties but clearly not as healthy as Old Master Zhou. His family was worried about him coming alone and had sent his eldest daughter to accompany him. However, his daughter also worked in this field and had some renown in the circle.
Zhang Feng understood the feelings of the experts and called Yan Chun—the expert from television—to draw all the curtains closed while he took out the box containing the Suihou Pearl. When he opened the lid, a soft glow dazzled everyone's eyes. The room fell silent…
After about half an hour, Master Zhu was the first to speak: "There is a ninety percent chance it's real."
"One hundred percent!" Old Master Zhou declared firmly; his research in jewelry surpassed that of Master Zhu.
"What do you all think?" Zhang Feng asked the others.
The others nodded in agreement with the opinions of the two elderly experts. The pearl was simply too beautiful; its characteristics matched exactly with those recorded for the Suihou Pearl, so it should not be fake.
Zhang Feng was overjoyed and turned to Bai Tang: "Sister Bai, name your price!"
Bai Tang shook her head: "I am not selling the Suihou Pearl."
Zhang Feng's smile faded, filled with disappointment. He thought that if the Suihou Pearl were his, he would never sell it.
"Then Sister Bai, could you lend us the pearl for research?" Old Master Zhou and Master Zhu, along with a group of experts, all looked at Bai Tang expectantly.
Bai Tang smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang, the Suihou Pearl, like the He Shi Bi, is not just an ordinary piece of jewelry; it carries symbolic significance. I believe such treasures should not belong to individuals but to the nation. Therefore, I have decided to donate the Suihou Pearl to the Palace Museum. You experts should have a good relationship with the Palace Museum, right? If you want to study the Suihou Pearl, you can go there."
Not just good; all eight of them were named consultant experts at the Palace Museum.
Suddenly, Zhang Feng stood up and bowed deeply to Bai Tang, sincerely saying, "Sister Bai, I apologize for my earlier assumptions about you. Also, thank you for your selfless contribution."
Zhang Feng's actions inspired others; the two old gentlemen and the group of experts also stood up to bow and thank Bai Tang.
Bai Tang hurriedly stepped aside to avoid their luggage. "No need for that! I can't accept it!"
In the end, Bai Tang did not accept their gratitude. Seeing her insistence, everyone refrained from pressing her further. Old Master Zhou and Master Zhu accepted the Suihou Pearl on behalf of the Palace Museum and agreed to Bai Tang's request not to disclose the true name of the donor.
After sending off Zhang Feng and the two old gentlemen, Bai Tang began to pay attention to the news. Soon after, the Suihou Pearl finally appeared before the public through a broadcast by a national television station. The entire country was abuzz. Most people did not know what the Suihou Pearl was, but everyone was familiar with the He Shi Bi, which was known far and wide as one of the "Spring and Autumn's Two Treasures," representing royal authority. Such a treasure piqued everyone's interest. Discussions about it flooded online; turning on the TV or browsing websites revealed news about the Suihou Pearl everywhere. Crowds flocked to the capital to witness this legendary treasure in person, making an already burdensome Spring Festival travel season even more unbearable, with plane tickets becoming extremely hard to come by.
"I heard that the Suihou Pearl is the Spirit Snake Pearl given by the Dragon King to the monarch of Sui; it's truly amazing! Why don't we go to the capital and take a look?" Bai Ma said with great interest while watching the pearl on TV.
Bai Tang felt a bit regretful; she should have taken the pearl home to show her parents before giving it away.
"Now half of the country has rushed into the capital; why would you want to join in? It's just going to be crowded with people; you'll only see heads and won't be able to see the pearl," Bai Dad said leisurely while holding a teacup.
“Old Man, aren't you curious?”
“Curious, but I don't want to go out and suffer right now. Let's wait for half a year until everyone's interest in Suihou Pearl has faded, then we can go and take a good look around the capital. Neither of us has ever left the province in our lives, and now that our daughter is making money, we can take advantage of her and travel around.”
“Sounds good, let's go everywhere!” Bai Ma said happily. “First, we'll go to the capital, then to Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Huang... I also want to see Hong Kong; it's been almost twenty years since the handover, and we haven't been there yet. And then there's the gambling city; our daughter has money, so we won't be afraid of losing…”
Bai Tang chuckled, “Once you two have traveled all over the country, I'll help you sign up with a travel agency. First, I'll send you to Thailand and Southeast Asia, then to Korea and Japan, and after that, Europe and America—let's make it a world tour!”
“Great, we'll be counting on you.” Bai Ma and Bai Dad smiled so widely that their mouths couldn't close. Their daughter's filial piety made them exceptionally happy.
“Dad, Mom, I'm going to Red Mansion World soon. Is there anything you want?” Bai Tang cut a dragon fruit into three pieces and shared it with Bai Dad and Bai Ma while taking a piece for herself.
Is there anything they need? It seems not; modern times have everything they could want. Their daughter will naturally buy any ingredients they need; they can't think of anything they require.
“Bring back two festive pieces of silk for us; we can make cotton jackets to wear during the Spring Festival!” Bai Ma thought for a moment and said. The quality of modern silk can't compare to that of ancient times; back then, it was genuine material, unlike modern silk which is mixed with many other things.
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