Charles Foster stared at him with piercing eyes and said, “Naturally, this painting—how much can it sell for?”

　　“I suppose it could fetch several hundred taels of silver. Although this is a famous work by Zhao Yuan, Zhao Yuan only passed away not long ago, so compared to the sages of old, it still falls a bit short.”

　　Charles Foster’s spirits lifted, and he slapped the table, saying, “Sell it.”

　　“This... this... you want to sell this too...” David Thompson’s ‘tiger body trembled’ as he looked at Charles Foster in astonishment.

Chapter 0004: Squandering the Family Fortune

　　Before David Thompson could recover from his shock, Charles Foster seemed to have discovered a new continent and pointed at the tables and chairs, saying, “What about these tables and chairs?”

　　“They’re excellent, made of chicken-wing wood, clearly the work of a master craftsman. Though they’re a bit old, there are quite a few collectors who love this sort of thing in the market...”

　　“How much silver?”

　　“For this whole set?”

　　Charles Foster said excitedly, “More than that! Come, come, let’s go take a look. Our The Foster Family has plenty of good things. Come on, come on.”

　　He grabbed David Thompson by the arm and led him out of the parlor.

　　William Carter happened to be bringing in tea and nearly bumped right into Charles Foster. Charles Foster said, “Little William, come, lead this... whoever he is, show him around our house.”

　　David Thompson felt like he was going mad.

　　What an eye-opener! This prodigal is planning to sell off the entire The Foster Family in one go. Is he really this short on silver? Did he lose a fortune gambling, or...

　　He didn’t have time to think further before Charles Foster dragged him off, starting to ‘admire’ each room one by one.

　　“This is the Autumn Mountain Scroll, quite valuable—probably needs three hundred taels.”

　　“There’s so much chicken-wing wood furniture! Young master, this bed is extraordinary, clearly crafted by a skilled artisan. Look at these mortise and tenon joints—absolutely seamless. This whole set, I’d say, is worth at least a hundred and fifty taels of silver...”

　　William Carter was dumbfounded. Young master, you’re even selling the beds...

　　Suddenly, Charles Foster remembered—right, there’s still the study...

　　He immediately dragged David Thompson over, and when they reached the study, David Thompson’s eyes lit up, his gaze fixed on the display shelf.

　　The shelf was filled with all kinds of bronzes and blue-and-white porcelain vases. David Thompson, being from the pawn business, had some knowledge. He stepped forward excitedly, holding a blue-and-white vase and said, “This is a sky-blue glazed string-patterned zun from the Ru kiln of the Song dynasty... my goodness, let me take a closer look...”

　　“Enough looking.” Charles Foster grabbed him. “They’re all genuine. Would the The Foster Family display fakes? Just tell me the price.”

　　David Thompson looked around, dazzled, and said, “If all of these are genuine... I’m afraid... I’m afraid, adding in the land, paintings, and furniture from before, at the very least...” He swallowed hard before continuing, “At the very least, they could sell for a hundred and ten thousand taels of silver. There are quite a few rare treasures here—things you can’t even buy on the market, young master... truly... truly...”

　　“Young master...” In Charles Foster’s ear came a shrill wail, and he saw William Carter suddenly throw himself to the ground, hugging his legs and crying out, “Young master, you can’t! Young master, you’re even selling the tables, chairs, and beds—where will you and the old master sleep in the future? And these, these are the old master’s beloved treasures! When the old master was home, he would carefully wipe them every day. These are family heirlooms, passed down for generations...”

　　Charles Foster had long since had enough of William Carter. Before, he complained that he wasn’t rotten enough; if he acted even a little normal, William Carter would go tattling and have people come stick needles in him. Now that this young master has returned to his prodigal ways, what are you crying for!

　　Charles Foster pointed at William Carter and said, “This one—how much is he worth?”

　　“Ah...” David Thompson was stunned for a long time.

　　Charles Foster gritted his teeth and said, “I mean this fellow—would the pawnshop take him? How much could he fetch?”

　　David Thompson, being a professional, looked William Carter up and down as he rolled on the ground, then patted his own big belly and said with a grin, “He’s still young, but his skin is a bit rough. I’m afraid the inner chambers of ordinary households wouldn’t want him; he’s too skinny, probably doesn’t have much strength. Even for carrying loads or odd jobs, he wouldn’t be much use. Other than eating, he’s not good for much—worthless, worthless, at most three taels of silver.”

　　Charles Foster immediately looked disappointed. Only three taels? Forget it, this young master is a man of great ambition—selling him for three taels isn’t worth it. I’ll just keep him around for now.

　　He quickly smiled again. “Take a look—see if there’s anything else valuable. Don’t be shy, just tell me.”

　　David Thompson was already frightened. In fact, he wanted to back out. Although this deal could be very profitable, he’d never seen a prodigal like this before. He even began to wonder if this was some kind of trick.

　　But Charles Foster’s next words dispelled his doubts: “We’ll discuss the price further. Once we’re about there, I’ll have people come move things. Tomorrow, I’ll get an official from the Jingzhao Prefecture to act as witness and sign the contract. You get the silver ready. I know, for such a large sum, you’ll need time to gather it. That’s fine, no rush.”

　　David Thompson breathed a sigh of relief and said with an awkward smile, “Young master, you truly are... truly are...” Always smooth-tongued, he found himself at a loss for words, and after much effort, finally managed to squeeze out a description: “A truly rare character.”