Chapter 450: A Deal for the Ages!
National Museum. Foreign Visitors Service Desk!
“Comrade, you… what did you just say?” the woman asked, her face filled with shock.
“I said I’ll take all these paintings. Name your price!” Li Yi said calmly.
“Um… you’re not joking, are you? What on earth would you do with so many paintings?”
“That’s none of your concern. I imagine a deal this big is beyond your authority as an ordinary staff member. Go get your supervisor—let him talk to me!”
“Well…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the commission goes to you!”
Li Yi immediately saw why the woman was hesitating and cut straight to the point.
“Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll go get our director right away!”
With that, the woman hurried out of the exhibition hall, running as if a wolf were chasing her.
Once the woman had left, Jiang Xue finally snapped out of her shock and looked at Li Yi, asking, “Are you really going to buy every single painting in here?”
“That’s the plan!”
“What on earth are you going to do with so many paintings? They’re neither edible nor drinkable!”
It was true. Although Jiang Xue had returned to the Jiang family, deep down she was still that small-minded woman with a peasant’s mentality.
“They can’t be eaten or drunk, that’s true, but they’ll appreciate in value!”
“Appreciate in value? You mean these paintings and calligraphy will go up in price?” Jiang Xue whispered.
“Exactly. While we have some spare cash, we can buy a few things for our son and daughter. Don’t you think so?”
Li Yi knew that his son and daughter were definitely Jiang Xue’s biggest weakness. No matter what the issue was, as long as it involved them, even the biggest problem would surely become no problem at all.
“Well… do as you see fit, but try not to spend too much!”
“Alright, I know my limits…”
Just then, a potbellied middle-aged man “burst” in, accompanied by five or six men and women.
Upon seeing Li Yi, the middle-aged man exclaimed excitedly, “Comrade, are you the one looking to buy paintings from our organization?”
“Yes. How many paintings do you have here in total?”
“Less than ten thousand!”
“That’s too vague. A thousand is less than ten thousand, but nine thousand nine hundred is still ten thousand. Be more specific!” Li Yi said.
The middle-aged man replied, somewhat awkwardly, “Then please wait a moment. I’ll have someone check the records to see exactly how many are left!”
Just then, the woman who had greeted Li Yi earlier suddenly whispered, “Director, we have 9,768 paintings left here, including 13 with minor damage and 2 with severe damage!”
Li Yi couldn’t help but glance at the woman again, then said, “I’ll take all of these paintings. Name your price!”
“Com…rade, y…you really want them all?”
“I’m not lying! If the price is right, we can close the deal anytime!” Li Yi said.
“Nearly ten thousand paintings, including masterpieces by renowned artists like Master Qi and Master Zhang…”
“Don’t go on about that. Just tell me the price, and I’ll see if I can accept it!”
“4… 400,000. What do you think?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Yi didn’t hesitate—he grabbed Jiang Xue’s hand and turned to leave.
Seeing this, the portly director hurried forward and said, “Comrade, in business, it’s all about haggling—you name your price, and we’ll negotiate. If you think our price isn’t right, you can always make an offer!”
Li Yi stopped immediately and replied, “Business is all about sincerity. Do you have any idea what 400,000 means? You could buy several cars with that!”
“Besides, you’re selling me less than 10,000 paintings for 400,000 yuan. That averages out to just over 40 yuan per piece. Do you know what kind of masterpieces you can buy for 40 yuan on the market? With a bit of luck, you could even snag works by masters like Old Qi or Old Zhang. Do all the paintings here meet that standard?”
The portly director was rendered speechless by Li Yi’s retort. After a long pause, he finally said, “Comrade, how about this: you name a price you’re willing to accept, and we’ll see if we can work it out.”
Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “I don’t want to take advantage of you. My final offer is 200,000 yuan—that’s just over 20 yuan per painting. Go discuss it among yourselves!”
“Could you add a little more?”
The portly director said with some hesitation. 200,000 yuan for so many paintings really wasn’t a high price; selling them off like this would mean taking a bit of a loss.
But given their unit’s current financial situation, which was indeed quite dire, if they could use this batch of paintings to secure 200,000 yuan to tide them over, it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.
“I won’t pay a single penny more, and I have one additional condition!”
“What condition?”
“It was this young lady who welcomed my wife and me just now, and she was the one who convinced us to buy the paintings. So you must pay her every penny of the commission she’s owed—otherwise, the deal is off!” Li Yi said.
“Well… all right, I’ll check with my superiors!”
“Hmm, go ahead!”
While the portly director was consulting his superiors, Li Yi asked the young woman to help him retrieve the original files for these paintings.
When Li Yi opened the thick file, he immediately felt a pang of regret. Inside, there were over a hundred works by Old Qi listed.
Now, fewer than thirty remained; the rest were marked “sold.”
In addition, there were several dozen works by the late Zhang Daqian, but fewer than twenty remained here; the rest had all been sold.
In fact, one had even been sold just this morning; if he had arrived a few hours earlier, that painting would have been his.
In addition to the paintings by Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian, the records listed quite a few other masters.
Although these artists are currently only moderately well-known, they will all become the backbone of the Chinese painting world in the future—true masters—and each of their works is worth a fortune.
In short, if he could secure this collection, he would absolutely make a fortune!
Just as Li Yi was carefully examining the original files for these paintings, the portly director returned, drenched in sweat.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said, “Comrade, our leadership has approved the sale. They’ve agreed to sell you this collection for 200,000 yuan. When would be a convenient time for you to finalize the transaction?”
Li Yi glanced at his watch and replied, “In an hour. I’ll go to the bank to withdraw the money now. In the meantime, please pack these paintings. Remember to pack the works by Master Qi and Master Zhang separately.”
“Alright, no problem!”
“Also, we’ll need to sign a formal contract, and you’ll have to provide me with a certificate confirming that this batch of paintings was sold to me by your museum!” Li Yi said.
“Of course!”
With that, Li Yi opened the briefcase he carried with him, took out a stack of unopened 100-yuan bills, and said, “This is the deposit!”
“All right, all right… I’ll write you a receipt right away!” the portly director said hurriedly.
After receiving the receipt for the deposit, Li Yi left the National Museum with Jiang Xue.
What Li Yi did next was even more shocking. He rushed to the bank, withdrew 200,000 yuan, and then hurried back to the National Museum without a moment’s delay.
Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone present, he signed the 200,000-yuan contract with the National Museum’s leadership, completing this unprecedented deal.
After signing the contract, the National Art Museum was very accommodating. They knew Li Yi had only driven a Jeep and couldn’t possibly transport so many paintings.
They immediately dispatched a stretch limousine—the kind used to transport foreign dignitaries—to help Li Yi transport the collection back to his courtyard house!
With that, the transaction was finally and completely concluded, and both parties breathed a sigh of relief!