"Oh, wife, I'm more wronged than Dou E..."
Zhuang Rui immediately cried out in protest, then said, "My museum's business license has been issued, so you'll be the boss's wife from now on. Aren't you happy?"
Qin Xuanbing didn't seem particularly happy to hear this, but Xu Qing, who had been secretly laughing, frowned and said, "Zhuang Rui, where's your fourth brother? He just called me and said he's busy with the museum stuff for you..."
"Oh dear!" Zhuang Rui was so busy explaining to Qin Xuanbing that he forgot that this young lady was also there. His head suddenly started spinning. But there was no other way. If he didn't help Ouyang Jun cover up the lie, he probably wouldn't be able to ask that young master for favors in the future.
"Sister-in-law, I asked Fourth Brother to ask Brother Bai if he has any antiques he wants to sell. You know, my museum is dirt poor right now, and it can't function without some impressive items. Fourth Brother has a lot of connections, so I asked him to help me inquire..."
"real?"
Xu Qing thought it made some sense, but she knew her husband's character all too well, so she still found it hard to believe.
"Of course it's true, I'll call him if you don't believe me..."
Zhuang Rui was inwardly groaning, but he had to put on a brave face. As he spoke, he took out his phone and pretended to dial a number.
Xu Qing waved her hand to stop Zhuang Rui's actions and said, "Never mind, he's just busy with important business. He probably won't be back until he's had enough to drink..."
"Hey, maybe it's Fourth Brother calling..."
As Zhuang Rui was speaking, the phone in his hand rang.
"Hey, Lao Zhao, what's up? Still at the shop so late? Sister-in-law, we can talk about this later..."
After Zhuang Rui answered the phone, it was Zhao Hanxuan, the head manager of "Xuanrui Zhai". Zhuang Rui quickly greeted Xu Qing and Qin Xuanbing and went to the side to answer the phone.
"Hey Lao Zhao, your call came just in time. What's up?"
Zhuang Rui has absolutely no sense of being a boss. He hasn't been to the store for almost half a month, and the first thing he asks is what's going on.
"You're such a boss, tsk tsk, can't even my little buddy call you?"
Zhao Hanxuan laughed heartily on the other end of the phone. Zhuang Rui knew it was probably nothing serious and replied, "Come on, you've sold out all your old stock. You're making just as much as I am now, Lao Zhao. What's up? I just got back to Beijing..."
Zhuang Rui was still thinking about Ouyang Jun's matter. He had to let that person know first, otherwise, if the truth came out, the couple might make up after a fight, but the big star would definitely hold a grudge against him.
"It's nothing serious. It's like this, Monkey's always out there dabbling in things, you know. A few days ago he brought some people to the shop and brought a few bronze artifacts. They look quite old to me, but you know how I get ripped off on these kinds of things, I'm not sure. I figured you'd be back in a few days, so I called you and asked you to come and take a look yourself..."
Zhao Hanxuan had thrown away his millions of dollars on a cast iron "bronze bodhisattva". He had never been very friendly to these door-to-door salesmen, but since Monkey was brought by Zhuang Rui and was in charge of the jewelry and antique business, he couldn't say much.
In addition, Zhuang Rui had previously acquired a valuable brick inkstone at the store, which showed that the items brought by those who came to sell antiques were not necessarily all fake. That's why they made this call to Zhuang Rui.
Chapter 672 Bronze Goblet (Part 1)
"Fourth Brother, what's wrong with your phone? I can't get through." Zhuang Rui kept calling Ouyang Jun as soon as he left the courtyard, but the other party's phone was always switched off. It wasn't until they were almost at Panjiayuan that Ouyang Jun finally turned his phone on.
"Of course I was busy. Can you turn it on?"
Ouyang Jun replied irritably. He didn't pretend in front of Zhuang Rui; his words immediately revealed what he had been doing.
"Hey, I was just saying your sister-in-law called, and when I told her I was with Xiaobai, she hung up. What happened? You didn't say anything, did you?"
Ouyang Jun was puzzled. Usually, when he said he was with Xiaobai, his wife would never speak to him kindly. But just now, she was speaking softly and gently, asking him to help Zhuang Rui get things done. It was true that he came here to get things done, but what kind of "things" were they?
"What? You're really with Brother Bai?"
Zhuang Rui was speechless upon hearing this, then continued, "I told my sister-in-law that you went to Brother Bai's place to help me rummage through antiques. Well, you're in charge, Fourth Brother. If you don't bring back a few antiques, I won't be involved in your messy affairs next time..."
"Alright, it's just some old antiques. I'll bring you a few back later..."
Ouyang Jun replied impatiently and hung up the phone. Bai Feng had been asking him for some real estate work these past few days, so asking for some things was easy enough, right? However, Ouyang Jun wouldn't just ask for it directly. He would let Bai Feng donate it himself once the Zhuang Rui Museum opened.
Zhuang Rui shook his head, parked the car in the parking lot, got out, and walked towards his shop.
It was already afternoon, but the bustling crowds at Panjiayuan showed no signs of abating. It had become a scenic spot in Beijing, with people coming not only to hunt for bargains but also to experience the rich cultural atmosphere.
After squeezing along the wall for a long time, Zhuang Rui finally arrived at "Xuanrui Zhai". He was probably the only one in Panjiayuan who owned such a place. People who frequented Panjiayuan probably didn't recognize him.
"Brother Zhuang, you've arrived..."
The monkey, with its sharp eyes, spotted Zhuang Rui immediately and rushed out to greet him. Da Xiong, on the other hand, was much more composed. He nodded to Zhuang Rui but didn't come over; he continued to attend to customers who wanted to buy things.
As for Zhao Hanxuan, he wasn't in the shop at the moment. Master Ge was busy in the corner carving seals, and the other two shop assistants were also serving customers.
"Monkey, I told you to run around and broaden your horizons, not to rummage through the shop. Don't you know that bronze ware is subject to state control over its trade?"
Zhuang Rui glared at the monkey as soon as he entered the door. Anyone in business would rather avoid trouble. If those bronzes were truly national first-class cultural relics, he would be lucky to get a three- to five-year sentence if he bought them.
Although many private collections in China contain some exquisite bronze artifacts, these are all privately traded. Who has ever seen a bronze artifact classified as a first-class cultural relic auctioned in a Chinese auction house?
In the classification of bronze artifacts before the Han Dynasty, most of them were classified as national first-class cultural relics, which were strictly prohibited from being bought and sold by the public. If you did not want to hand them over to the state, you could only keep them at home as family heirlooms. The current cultural relics market has not yet opened up the buying and selling of bronze artifacts.
Moreover, according to national regulations, regardless of the grade of the bronze artifact, newly unearthed items are strictly prohibited from being traded. A slight mistake could lead to trouble.
Zhuang Rui knew of such a story: a collector from Hebei once brought several fragments of bronze artifacts to Beijing to attend a course on the restoration of bronze artifacts. During the course, he restored the fragments he brought.
However, he ran into trouble on his way back. He was caught during a routine check when he got off the train, and since he couldn't explain the legal origin of the item, he was unjustly detained for fifteen days.
Zhuang Rui could buy bronze artifacts, but he absolutely couldn't buy them from this shop. If those things were genuine, their origins were definitely not legitimate; they might have just been "unearthed." If anything happened later, he would definitely be investigated.
"Brother Zhuang, I... I brought it here for you to see, but I don't even know if it's real or not..."
The monkey, who had been beaming with excitement, was stunned when he heard Zhuang Rui's words. He stammered and couldn't speak. He had been hoping to help Zhuang Rui find some good stuff, but his attempt to flatter him had backfired.
Both Monkey and Da Xiong came from humble backgrounds. When they were in the Pengcheng antique market, they made a living by swindling and cheating, so they naturally didn't take national laws seriously.
Putting everything else aside, when these two brothers were in Pengcheng, they once carried a shovel and prepared to dig up a Han Dynasty tomb. If it weren't for the fact that the skill required was too low and they spent several days just helping farmers loosen the soil, they might be in jail right now.
When they arrived at Panjiayuan, Da Xiong was fine, spending his days learning about stationery from Zhao Hanxuan, while the monkey went wild, hanging out with those old hands all day and becoming even more slick.
Fortunately, the monkey still had people it respected. When it saw Zhuang Rui's stern face, it immediately became obedient.
"Monkey, I told you to go outside and chat with those people who set up stalls, not to lure people into the shop. Some things are private transactions. Putting them out in the open is just asking for trouble, understand?"
Zhuang Rui sighed. This monkey looked clever, but he was still a bit muddle-headed. Zhuang Rui had no choice but to give him a few more pointers.
Sending monkeys out to learn these tricks is to ensure that when neither he nor Zhao Hanxuan are around, someone in the shop can see through some of the schemes and avoid being "trapped." Of course, they can accept good things, but they absolutely cannot involve "Xuanrui Zhai." Zhuang Rui considers himself a legitimate and honest businessman.
"Brother Zhuang, I understand. If this happens again, I'll call you directly..."
Zhuang Rui has made himself so clear. If the monkey still can't figure it out, he might as well buy a block of tofu and smash his head against it.
"Hmm, let's meet at a teahouse outside later to look at some things. Go and book a private room..."
Zhuang Rui nodded and didn't say anything more. Since he was here, he should naturally take a look at the items. If the items were of dubious origin, he could simply refuse to accept them. Looking at the items wasn't illegal.
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, I'll take care of it..."
The monkey agreed, took his phone, and walked out of "Xuanrui Zhai" to make a call.
"Master Ge, how are you doing? Are you settling in well here?"
When Zhuang Rui entered the shop, Master Ge was busy and he didn't disturb him. Now that he saw Master Ge put down his carving knife, he quickly went up to greet him.
Master Ge took off his reading glasses and replied with a smile, "It's a habit, it's a habit, Xiao Zhuang, it's been a few days since I've seen you..."
Master Ge used to be a street vendor carving seals; he was a pure craftsman, and he was exposed to the elements all the time. Now he sits in his shop with heating and air conditioning, which is a completely different story from before.
"You went abroad for a few days, Master Ge. How's business?"
If an outsider overheard this conversation, they would definitely think that Master Ge was the owner of the shop. What kind of owner is that? He's running his own business, yet he's asking his employees how things are going.
"Sure, why not? Xiao Zhuang, I got this amount last month..."
Master Ge knew that Zhuang Rui didn't care about anything in the shop, and Zhuang Rui probably didn't even know how much money he made last month. So he held out his palm, spread his thumb and forefinger, and waved it in front of Zhuang Rui.
"Eighty thousand?"
Zhuang Rui was genuinely startled. He had initially agreed that Master Ge would receive a commission of 300 yuan per character. This 50,000 yuan amounted to nearly 300 characters. Assuming each seal had three characters, this meant that over 100 people had chosen to have Master Ge carve the seals by hand.
"Yes, that's because we're too busy. We still have over 200 people to have seals made, and it'll probably be next month before they're finished..."
Master Ge's face was full of smiles. He never dreamed that he could earn such an income by carving seals.
"That's a good thing, haha, Master Ge, now you know that 500 yuan a word isn't much, right? We earn our money through our skills..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this, feeling somewhat smug. It seemed his initial decision had been correct; the mere gimmick of this master craftsman's hand-carved seals could bring in fifty to sixty thousand yuan in revenue for the shop each month.
"Xiao Zhuang, I think this commission is a bit too high. How about we have the store take 300 and I take 200..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Master Ge hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and spoke out what he had been thinking about for a long time.
Although no one complains about earning more, the sudden increase in monthly income to nearly 100,000 yuan after only being unemployed the previous month was a bit too much, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
In addition, Master Ge also knew that he earned more than Zhuang Rui, which meant that the employee made more money than the boss, which made him a little uneasy.
Zhuang Rui smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Master Ge, don't say that anymore. You should still take 300. It's only right that you earn a living with your skills. In fact, the shop has benefited from your success..."
"Master Ge, I told you he wouldn't agree, so you can just do it without worry..."
Before Zhuang Rui finished speaking, Zhao Hanxuan walked into the shop. Master Ge had mentioned to him several times that he wanted to reduce the commission, but Zhao Hanxuan had not agreed. Firstly, it was Zhuang Rui's decision, and he had no right to change it. Secondly, in Zhao Hanxuan's opinion, Zhuang Rui was not short of a few dollars.
Moreover, Master Ge's craftsmanship has indeed brought a lot of business to "Xuanrui Zhai". Many people who like to be cultured buy paper and brushes for writing and painting at "Xuanrui Zhai" after having their seals made here. In the past month or so, the sales of stationery in the store have increased significantly.
Chapter 673 Bronze Goblet (Part 2)
Master Ge was an honest man, and after hearing Zhao Hanxuan's words, he still hesitated and said, "This...isn't this inappropriate?"
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Master Ge. In a few decades, many people might not even know how to carve seals anymore. If you have time, take Monkey and Da Xiong with you; it’ll be a way to pass on this skill…”
Zhuang Rui waved his hand to interrupt Master Ge, and then said, "Let's leave it at that, don't mention it again. Old Zhao, where did you go wandering around just now?"
Zhuang Rui's words were not meant as a question. He had never considered Zhao Hanxuan as an employee; it was just a casual question.
"Let's go inside and talk..."
Seeing that there were quite a few customers in the store, Zhao Hanxuan pulled Zhuang Rui into a private room.
“I asked around at a few other shops, and it turns out there’s a group of people selling bronze artifacts lately, and judging from their provenance, they seem to be from ’raw burial’ sites…”
Zhao Hanxuan and Monkey interacted on different levels. Monkey mostly dealt with the owners of small stalls, while Zhao Hanxuan knew people who had shops in Panjiayuan, so the information he gathered was naturally different.
The "raw burial" he refers to refers to bronze artifacts that have been buried underground for a long time. Due to various chemical reactions, the surface undergoes qualitative changes, naturally developing layers of rust that form green, red, blue, purple, or a combination of these colors. This rust is solid and has a natural, varied feel.
Players generally use the term "freshly unearthed" to describe bronze artifacts, meaning that the bronze artifact was unearthed not long ago.
"Old Zhao, are you sure?"
Zhuang Rui pressed for an answer. To be honest, he really didn't trust Zhao Hanxuan's judgment. This guy actually managed to buy a piece of junk made of cast iron coated with copper as if it were a bronze Bodhisattva from the Yongzheng Palace workshop. It was really hard to believe.