I could not stop myself from clicking my tongue. "How is something this small priced at 5,000 dollars?"
Heidi pursed her lips. "This starting price is considered low."
I was not sure about these things and looked at her, asking, "Why do you say so?"
Heidi took a deep breath. "This carver passed away a long time ago. The one on stage is his last artwork. He spent five years working on it, using all of his effort and skills to carve it. In the eyes of those who like carvings, this is simply a priceless treasure. The Fredericks are really capable for getting their hands o n this."
Hearing the sounds of bidding ringing out around us, Heidi sighed. "Hear that? Commoners like us may not appreciate this thing but the rich men care a lot about it."
I chuckled. "Mainly because they're rich."
It was precisely because they were too rich that they had the money to buy these priceless items as a way t o show off how rich they were.
The carving was finally auctioned off to an old woman for 9,000 dollars. Heidi looked at her and said, "I've
learned something, indeed."
The second auction item soon followed. It was a pair o f good-quality jade bracelets. It was said that the son o f the Fredericks had bought them from a fallen family. This pair of jade bracelets was the heirloom of said fallen family, and they were quite expensive too.
I was not interested in these auction items, and neither was Heidi. Hence, we started talking about other things.
However, Keith kept staring at the bidding stage, looking deep in thought.
It was not until the fourth item was auctioned that Heidi and I shifted our attention back on stage.
Heidi could not help but exclaim, "I really admire these collectors. They spend so much money to buy these treasures home and just place them there. It's so hard to understand the world of the rich."
I pursed my lips. "The price of just one item is enough t o sustain an ordinary citizen for several lifetimes."
Heidi was just about to speak when she suddenly caught sight of something. She grabbed my hand and said excitedly, "Look, the sandalwood box is here."
I looked at the auction stand and there was a sandalwood box on the cart. It was the exact same one as the one Mother gave me.
The host stood on the stage and introduced the origin of the sandalwood box in a manner that piqued one’s interest, "You must all be wondering why we're auctioning a box that looks extraordinarily normal in terms of its design, workmanship, and material, right?”
Someone off stage nodded.
The host said, "Actually, the value of this box lies in its story. This box looks extraordinarily ordinary, but if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that the material of this box is made of a 100-year old sandalwood sinker log. Its design isn’t as ordinary as what your eyes may see."
Having said that, the host showed the other side of the box to the audience.
He continued with a smile, "This box's design is intriguing because it can’t be opened with a key. Until today, no one knows what treasures lie inside this box."
"What can be used to open it, then?” a wealthy tycoon down the stage asked.
The host smiled. "There's another box exactly like this one. You have to put both of them together in order to open it. But sadly, we don’t know where the other box i s."
"It must be a pair with the one you have," Heidi said a little emotionally.
I nodded and shifted my gaze to the sandalwood box o n the auction table.
After taking a closer look, I noticed that this box did look exactly the same as the one Mother gave me.
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