While Brian Carter was still in a daze, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed across Lee Grant's face. He thought Brian Carter's absent-mindedness was due to disbelief in his judgment, so he immediately put on a lecturing attitude and said,

"Damn! This guy is really self-absorbed. With this kind of character, no wonder Master thinks he's lacking in integrity."

This lecturing tone made Brian Carter feel a chill, and he cursed inwardly. In the past, when Uncle Fang said the other party's character was lacking, he hadn't really experienced it firsthand. After all, when Uncle Fang was around, Lee Grant's behavior was still decent—how could he have acted like this? But just then, the Old Bennett who had been standing beside them suddenly showed a hint of interest and turned to Brian Carter, saying, "Young man, could you let me take a look at that plate?"

As soon as Old Bennett finished speaking, Lee Grant's expression changed instantly. The previous arrogance and dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by a radiant smile. He respectfully handed the plate over, without even asking Brian Carter for permission.

"It's your honor to have Old Bennett appraise it for you. Old Bennett is a master in the antique world of Zhonghe Province." After handing the plate to Old Bennett, Lee Grant glanced at Brian Carter with a look of pride.

He felt a renewed sense of satisfaction—look at this rude kid, even Old Bennett can't stand him.

You don't believe what I say, but would Old Bennett deceive you? In the antique world of Zhonghe Province, he's absolutely a top figure. This time, he came to Xinchuan for some business, and after finishing, stopped by the Xinchuan Antique Market. Lee Grant had gone to great lengths to build this connection; otherwise, he wouldn't be serving so attentively.

While Lee Grant was lost in thought, Brian Carter across from him was suddenly startled. Zhonghe Province? Isn't that his hometown? But his hometown was just a rural village deep in the plains of a prefecture-level city under Zhonghe Province.

So this old man was actually a collector from Zhonghe. But even knowing they shared a bit of hometown connection, Brian Carter quickly suppressed his emotions and simply watched quietly as Old Bennett appraised the porcelain plate.

Old Bennett's appraisal was similar to Lee Grant's earlier—meticulous and cautious—but also quite different.

The main focus of his appraisal was the bottom of the plate, unlike Lee Grant, who had turned the whole plate over and over to examine it.

This immediately surprised Brian Carter again—this was someone who truly saw through it, worthy of being called a master.

Another difference was that Old Bennett's appraisal was very brief, much shorter than that of Brian Carter and Lee Grant. After just a few dozen breaths, as Brian Carter watched with slight anticipation and Lee Grant waited with a proud expression, Old Bennett gently closed his eyes, softly stroked the bottom of the plate, then suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Brian Carter, "Young man, are you thinking of selling this porcelain plate?"

"Ah!" With that one sentence, the previously proud Lee Grant was stunned, his mind filled with giant question marks. What was going on? This plate was just a new piece. Although he had noticed the base was a bit unusual and probably genuine, if you only considered the base, it was just a damaged blue-and-white porcelain.

Why would Old Bennett want to buy it? That didn't make sense. Blue-and-white porcelain was precious, but there were still plenty of Ming dynasty pieces around. A damaged one shouldn't have caught Old Bennett's eye.

On the contrary, it was at this moment that Brian Carter finally confirmed that Old Bennett had seen something special. He chuckled and said, "Old Bennett, would you mind telling me the origin of this blue-and-white base?"

"So you did notice." This made Old Bennett laugh in spite of himself. Originally, he had harbored a little hope, thinking Brian Carter might have missed it, just as Lee Grant said, so he offered to buy it. If the other party didn't recognize the base, he might have gotten a bargain.

But now, since the other party immediately asked about the base, it was clear he already knew where the true value lay.

Since the other party knew, there was no point in trying to get a bargain.

After all, getting a bargain means buying something cheaply when the owner doesn't know its value. But if the owner already knows, what's the point?

Maybe Brian Carter only knew the base was good but didn't know exactly why, or maybe he already knew but wasn't sure and wanted confirmation.

Either way, the other party definitely wouldn't sell easily. Since that was the case, Old Bennett didn't mind telling him the plate's origin. After all, even if he didn't say anything, as long as Brian Carter knew it was valuable, he could take it to other experts for appraisal. So he might as well be generous and leave a good impression—if the other party ever wanted to sell, he might consider him first.

With this thought, Old Bennett glanced indifferently at the still-stunned Lee Grant, his eyes full of exasperation.

To think he had put on such an air earlier, waiting to show off his skills when someone came for help. But in reality, the person he mocked for missing the mark was the one who found the real treasure with sharp eyes. He was the one who missed it.

Ignorance isn't scary; what's scary is when ignorant people think they're knowledgeable and love to show off and act important—that's the real problem.

That indifferent glance instantly left Lee Grant dumbfounded, making him realize just how badly he'd embarrassed himself.

Especially since he had embarrassed himself right in front of Old Bennett.