A few days later.
Under the tender care of Dong Xuebing, Yu Meixia, and Yu Qianqian, the 20 wild ginseng was almost dried.
Today is Friday, and Dong Xuebing checked the ginseng by the windows. Hmmm… looks good. There is only some moisture left and they will not rot easily. Now, Dong Xuebing had to think of a way to sell the ginseng and it will be a waste to sell all of them. He might need them as for himself or gifts in the future. These were good stuff and he decided to sell only 100 years old and the 90 years old ginseng as the rest are not as valuable.
But selling them had become a problem.
Dong Xuebing had dug these ginsengs and does not have any factory certification or product approval certification. The place he found the ginseng was also weird and no one will pay 1 million RMB for one of them. The wild ginseng sold by companies were placed in beautiful packaging and had certification from the proper authorities. So, Dong Xuebing checked the internet and found a company selling herbs in Beijing. He called them and spoke to the manager. “Hello, I have some wild ginseng and I would like your factory to package it and issue certification. How much will it cost?”
The person-in-charge was not surprised by Dong Xuebing’s request. In the past, wild ginseng was sold in boxes, and people don’t care about the packaging. But nowadays, people prefer to buy ginseng in beautiful packaging as they are giving out as gifts. Such requests were familiar with the company. “We need to look at the product first before we can quote a price. If you are thinking of using our company’s brand and serial number, we would need to conduct further checks on it. We need to be responsible to the consumers.”
Dong Xuebing could understand why this company has such rules. No one wants to be held responsible for some counterfeit goods. “Ok. I will bring my ginseng over. Let’s fix a time.”
“I will give you my number, and you can call me when you reach.”
“Oh, roughly how much do you charge for the packaging of one wild ginseng?”
“It has to depend on the year and grade of the Ginseng. Let’s talk about it when we meet.” Such deals were against the regulations, and the person-in-charge cannot talk about the prices over the phone.
Qu Yunxuan had called Dong Xuebing last night to inform him about their company’s first auction is about to start. Dong Xuebing had to make a trip back to Beijing to attend. Yes, after the wild ginseng was packaged and had certification, he could sell it at the auction. This will increase the reputation of their company and he could save on the commission.
Dong Xuebing nodded and went to Liang Chengpeng to apply time off. But Liang Chengpeng had gone to the hospital to visit his mother and was not around. So, Dong Xuebing just inform Hu Silian that he needs to go to Beijing and will only be back on Monday. He will also be driving the bureau’s Buicks. After returning home, he loaded his car with the ginseng and told Yu Meixia to stay home. He also called his mother, Liu Dahai, etc. to inform them.
After informing everyone, Dong Xuebing drove towards Beijing!
1 hour…
5 hours…
10 hours…
It was 7.05 pm when Dong Xuebing reached Beijing.
Dong Xuebing looked at the wild ginseng in expensive gift boxes in his rear passenger seats. Dong Xuebing had put in lots of effect on these ginsengs. He arrived at the factory late morning and after a series of checks, they were proven to be wild ginseng. The person-in-charge was shocked when he saw Dong Xuebing taking out so many wild ginseng and he asked for 300,000 RMB packaging fees. But after some bargaining, Dong Xuebing used a 30 years old wild ginseng as payment. Although he felt this was overpriced, he knew without the packaging and certification, his ginseng will not fetch high prices.
In the city area, Dong Xuebing drove around aimlessly. He still has not decided where to go.
When he drove onto the 3rd Ring Road, Dong Xuebing decided to pay a visit to his company. As the boss of the company, he had yet to visit his company. If Aunt Xuan is there, he can also spend some time with her.
South 3rd Ring Road, Shi Li He (Ten miles river).
There are lots of antique markets around, and Aunt Xuan picked this location for their auction company.
Dong Xuebing parked his car along the road and saw a big and bright signboard. Yun De Auction House. This name was picked by Dong Xuebing. Qu Yunxuan had wanted both their names for this company and call it Bing Yun Auction House, but Dong Xuebing does not like it. He preferred a more traditional name and used a word from Qu Yunxuan’s name and added a ‘De’ behind it.
The Auction House has two stories and the front door is open. A big hanging lamp in the center lit up the interior and it is still open.
Dong Xuebing thought for a while and returned to his car to bring the two wild ginseng. He entered the auction house and looked around curiously. Compared to Han Hai Auction House, Yun De Auction House’s renovation is not as lovely. This place was formerly a pawn shop, and Aunt Xuan did not change much of the interior as she wanted to save money on renovations.
A female staff approached Dong Xuebing. “Sir, how can I…”
Dong Xuebing smiled and waved the boxes in his hand. “I want to put something up for auction. Wild ginseng.”
“Wild Ginseng? Please wait for a moment.” The staff walked towards a middle-aged man having tea in the rest area. “Teacher Feng, can you help to evaluate something? Wild Ginseng.”
Teacher Feng nodded and put down his teacup. He turned to Dong Xuebing. “How old is your ginseng?”
Dong Xuebing smiled and did not answer.
Teacher Feng paused for a while and said. “Let’s go upstairs.”
The stairs and corridor were narrowed, and the 3 of them could barely walk side by side. Teacher Feng brought Dong Xuebing to a meeting room and said. “Can I take a look at your items?”
Dong Xuebing placed the two boxes of wild ginseng on the table.
Teacher Feng lifted the cover of one of the boxes and looked at the ginseng through the clear glass. He was shocked by what he saw. He looked at the certification symbols at the bottom of the box and was surprised to see someone wanting to sell this item.
Dong Xuebing looked at him. “Can I put this ginseng up for auction?”
Teacher Feng suppressed his excitement. “Of course. Our company does not only sell antiques. We also put up rare items such as liquors and items for auction.” He put down the box he was holding and opens the second box. He was shocked for the second time. Another wild ginseng which is almost 100 years old? From the authentication labels, it should not be fake!
Dong Xuebing asked. “How are the items?”
Teacher Feng replied. “These are priceless!”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “I heard the day after tomorrow will be this company’s first auction, and I hope I am still in time to put these two ginsengs up for auction.”
“Err…” Teacher Feng hesitated. “There might not be enough time to promote it.”
Dong Xuebing replied. “It’s fine. The pre-auction exhibition is considered a good promotion, and you can add in a banner on your website.”
Teacher Feng felt this person, and his request was weird and could not make the decision. “Let me check with my boss.”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “Is your boss around?”
“Ms. Qu had left earlier in the afternoon as she had to prepare for the pre-auction exhibition. Please wait for a moment. I will call her now.”
“Ok.”
Teacher Feng knew this young man is Yun De Auction House’s most significant customer to date and served him tea before leaving the meeting room to call Qu Yunxuan. “Hello, Manger Qu? We have a customer here who brought two wild ginsengs… these are not normal ginsengs. They are both almost 100 years old ginsengs. You might not know the current market rate for wild ginseng… these two boxes can fetch at least 2 million… yes. 10,000 RMB for 1 gram… yes… the customer wants to display it in tomorrow’s pre-auction exhibition. He sounds quite urgent… Then will our main auction item still be that Jade hairpin? Ok… Yes… I know. I will speak to him.”
Teacher Feng was in a good mood to see such valuable items. He smiled at Dong Xuebing when he returns to the meeting. “Manager Qu agreed to display your items in tomorrow’s pre-auction exhibition. Young man, it is getting late. Shall we sign the agreement now?”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “Sure. Prepare a copy of the agreement for me.”
Teacher Feng replied. “I will get someone to prepare it.”
After signing the agreement, Dong Xuebing left the two boxes of ginseng with Teacher Feng. He was pleased with his company’s customer service and efficiency. But he did not tell Qu Yunxuan about this and did not let her know that he had returned to Beijing. He wants to give her a surprise later.
