Upon seeing Zhuang Rui waving at him, Li Dali immediately stepped forward and said, "Mr. Zhuang, let me get in your car. I've been looking into that Mr. Xu's background these past few days, and I'd like to tell you about it..."
Mr. Li has been having such a wonderful time in Beijing these past few days that he almost doesn't want to go back to Hebei. The young actresses at the clubhouse in the suburbs of Beijing are all so beautiful and youthful that Mr. Li is almost tempted to switch careers and go into the entertainment industry himself.
Of course, Li Dali's wallet has also shrunk considerably in the past few days. Just one night of "emotional" conversation with a minor celebrity who appeared on a few TV shows and had only a few lines cost him more than two million yuan in sponsorship fees.
"Mr. Zhuang, speaking of that Mr. Xu, he really is a legendary figure..."
After getting into the car, Li Dali didn't beat around the bush and directly told everyone what he had found out.
Chapter 785 The Prodigal Son (Part 1)
"Oh? Tell me about it..."
Zhuang Rui was filled with curiosity about this Mr. Xu. The Tang tri-colored pottery with the character "Xu" on it was the only antique fake that Zhuang Rui could not find fault with. If it weren't for that character, Zhuang Rui would not have dared to break it open rashly and could only use carbon-14 dating to determine its authenticity.
"President Zhuang, you would never guess that this guy surnamed Xu is such a spendthrift..."
Li Dali smiled and continued, "Mr. Zhuang, the person you are looking for is named Xu Guoqing. He is forty years old this year. His ancestral home is Cixian County, Handan, Hebei Province. In the mid-1960s, Xu Guoqing, who was just born, moved to Gaoyi County, Shijiazhuang with his parents to settle down..."
In the 1980s, our country began to encourage private entrepreneurship. Xu Guoqing's father had a skill in firing ceramics, so he opened a ceramics factory. By the end of the 1980s, he had become a well-known multi-millionaire in Shijiazhuang...
Xu Guoqing's father passed away due to illness in 1990, and the factory was handed over to Xu Guoqing.
This man, however, did not do any proper work. He neither went out to do business nor cared about the production in the factory. As soon as he took over the factory, he built a research institute and spent all his time there fiddling with antique porcelain.
Normally, there's nothing wrong with studying ancient porcelain, but Xu Guoqing is different. He actually smashed several Tang tri-color pottery pieces that he bought from abroad at great expense. Many people know about this, and it has become a joke.
In the 1980s, there were relatively few private enterprises, and Xu Guoqing's factory had little competition, so business was quite good. However, he didn't know how to maintain relationships, and in the 1990s, various private factories sprang up one after another, and his ceramics factory was quickly eliminated...
"Look, in just over a decade, Xu Guoqing has almost ruined the family business. The factory is practically defunct now. President Zhuang, don't you think he's a spendthrift?"
"Heh, this guy is interesting..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head. From the Tang tri-color pottery that Xu Guoqing had fired, Zhuang Rui could see his superb skills and understand why he smashed the genuine tri-color porcelain. However, Li Dali's description was not wrong. This man was indeed a complete spendthrift.
It's important to understand that back in the 1980s, having tens of millions in assets was a remarkable achievement, far more valuable than being a billionaire today.
Taiwan's richest man today, Mr. Guo, who claims to have a net worth of tens of billions, was only worth a million in the late 1980s, and had fewer than a hundred employees.
If Xu Guoqing had even a little business sense, he might not be a billionaire now, but he could at least have secured a place in the ceramics industry. Li Dali's assessment of him as a "spendthrift" was absolutely correct.
However, this person also made Zhuang Rui even more curious. Why would someone abandon a business worth tens of millions to specialize in making counterfeit Tang Sancai? Zhuang Rui couldn't figure out what this person was up to. If he was making and selling fakes, he wouldn't have lost so much money that his factory was about to go bankrupt.
"By the way, Mr. Zhuang, I originally arranged to meet this guy in Beijing, but he's planning to sell his factory and can't get away right now, so I'm troubling you to make this trip..."
Li Dali suddenly remembered this matter and quickly explained it to Zhuang Rui. In President Li's heart, Xu Guoqing was not even as important as Zhuang Rui's little finger. Logically speaking, the fact that he hadn't summoned Xu Guoqing to Beijing to meet Zhuang Rui meant that he had already failed to handle the matter properly.
Zhuang Rui smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It doesn't matter, it's not far anyway, it's good to go and take a look..."
Zhuang Rui also wanted to see what kind of environment this Master Xu was in that he could imitate Tang tri-color pottery that even many experts could not see through.
It is important to know that to reproduce ancient ceramics, not only must the firing process be completely in accordance with the ancient ceramics process, but also the ancient firing formula must be used. The materials used and the temperature and heat during firing must be exactly the same. Sometimes, even a degree too high or too low can ruin an entire kiln of porcelain.
In ancient kiln sites that have been unearthed in recent times, a large number of broken ceramics are often found. These are not the broken pieces of intact porcelain that have been broken after so many years, but rather pieces that were broken by the kiln workers after they were fired.
In ancient times, the production of ceramic utensils for the royal family was extremely meticulous. If there was even the slightest flaw, the item had to be broken and discarded. Sometimes, it would take more than ten kilns to produce a single masterpiece. That's why the fragments scattered all over the ruins are from this process.
The Tang Dynasty is more than 1,000 years ago, and the secret recipe for firing Tang Sancai has long been lost in the long river of history. What Zhuang Rui was wondering was how Xu Guoqing managed to recreate this technique.
Shijiazhuang is located in the heart of the North China Plain. It is the core city of the third pole of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area, an important national center for pharmaceutical and textile industries, one of the important modern service industry and bio-industry bases, and an important commercial port in North China.
After more than three hours on the highway, Zhuang Rui and his group arrived in Shijiazhuang. However, they were still more than 50 kilometers away from Gaoyi County. Li Dali originally wanted to entertain Zhuang Rui in Shijiazhuang, but Zhuang Rui declined and drove directly to Gaoyi.
Around noon, the two cars exited the Beijing-Shenzhen Expressway one after the other. At the expressway entrance, there was another car waiting there. Li Dali greeted Peng Fei and signaled him to stop.
"Old Yu, you didn't handle this matter properly this time..."
After Li Dali got out of the car, he punched a middle-aged man who got out of the car hard on the shoulder.
The man, with a pained expression, took Li Dali's punch and said with a frown, "Hey, Mr. Li, I was asked to do this by a friend, I really had no choice. Well, since you're here today, it's my treat. Let's go eat first, and we can talk about it this afternoon..."
"Yes, we have distinguished guests today, Lao Yu. Let's forget about that matter. But if we don't treat these guests well, our friendship of over ten years will be over..."
Li Dali himself was involved in shady dealings, and his black market auctions were shady business. He was used to this kind of thing and didn't blame Lao Yu for asking him to help sell counterfeit goods.
"Oh, Mr. Li, Brother Li, don't worry about it. You're not leaving my turf if you don't drink properly. Let me tell you, I've arranged for several young girls to keep you company while you drink. You can do whatever you want with them..."
When Lao Yu saw that Li Dali wasn't angry, he immediately smiled, though his expression looked quite lewd.
Old Yu and Li Dali have known each other for over ten years. Knowing that Li Dali likes this kind of thing, Old Yu contacted several nightclubs yesterday and found a few nice girls to come and make sure Mr. Li is well taken care of tonight.
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Li Dali nearly jumped up in fright. He quickly lowered his voice and said, "Call and cancel it right away, don't do this..."
After Li Dali went to Beijing and spent a few days in a club in the suburbs, he no longer looked down on the ordinary women in these small places.
According to Mr. Li's thinking, based on Zhuang Rui's performance at that club, wouldn't he be able to sleep with whichever celebrity he wants?
"You don't want it anymore? I've already paid for it..."
When Lao Yu heard Li Dali's words, he was stunned for a moment. This old friend usually liked this the most. When the big cities were cracking down, he would often come to his place to have fun. Why was he acting so strangely today?
Besides, Lao Yu called eight girls today and paid 1,000 yuan to each of them. It would be a shame not to do anything with them.
"The guy in the car only hangs out with big stars; he wouldn't look down on this kind of thing. Don't make things worse. Hmm, I'm not leaving tonight. Let's make arrangements for tonight..."
Mr. Li was no saint either. After hearing what Lao Yu said, he immediately changed his mind and arranged to spend the evening with the prostitute.
"Alright, lead the way. Tell those girls to leave. Remember, don't try to get them to drink later. That girl isn't in our league..."
Li Dali then gave Lao Yu a few more detailed instructions.
You know, when friends come over for dinner in the North, it's unacceptable not to drink. And once they start drinking, they're bound to drink too much. They won't be hospitable if they don't get you drunk. Li Dali was afraid that Lao Yu might say something inappropriate and upset Zhuang Rui.
"I understand, Mr. Li, don't worry..."
When Lao Yu saw Li Dali repeatedly emphasizing the importance of the people in the car, he became more serious. He glanced at Zhuang Rui's Audi, and seeing that Zhuang Rui didn't get out to greet him, he turned and got into his own car.
After Li Dali got back into Zhuang Rui's car, he said, "President Zhuang, Xu Guoqing's factory isn't far from the county town. Let's go eat first; it's almost lunchtime..."
"Okay, Mr. Li, please make the arrangements. As long as I can see Xu Guoqing this afternoon..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. He had only had some porridge in the morning and was a little hungry. After the cars drove into Gaoyi County, they stopped in front of a restaurant that looked somewhat upscale.
"Old Yu, this is General Manager Zhuang from Beijing. General Manager Zhuang, this is my old friend Yu Zhengjun. This batch of goods came from him..."
After getting off the car, Li Dali introduced the two to each other. Yu Zhengjun was also a very perceptive person. After exchanging a few polite words with Zhuang Rui, he led him to a private room in the restaurant.
"Mr. Zhuang, these are all local specialties of Hebei: Shijiazhuang braised chicken, Ma Jia Lao Ji Pu braised chicken, Bohai prawns, Qinhuangdao sea crabs, and Steamed Wild Game Eight Delicacies. Come on, Mr. Zhuang, how do you like them?"
Yu Zhengjun had already ordered the dishes. There should have been a few girls at the table to keep the atmosphere lively, but they were all removed. Remembering Li Dali's words, Old Yu didn't dare to urge them to drink.
The dishes on the table were all quite good, especially the Steamed Wild Game Eight Immortals. When the lid of the steamer was lifted, the room was immediately filled with a wonderful aroma, making everyone's mouths water.
"This dish is good, thank you for your thoughtfulness, Boss Yu..."
Zhuang Rui had no idea about the dirty dealings between Lao Yu and Li Dali. He picked up a piece of wild game with his chopsticks and immediately began to praise it highly.
"Hehe, Mr. Zhuang, please eat more. This restaurant is called Baxianguan, and it's a long-established brand. The main ingredients for this dish are roe deer meat, pheasant breast, rabbit, lamb, Shafeng chicken, winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and green peppers. These ingredients are steamed in a steamer. This dish was personally prepared by the owner..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Lao Yu quickly introduced the dishes on the table to Zhuang Rui. Apart from not drinking alcohol, the meal was enjoyed by both host and guests.
Chapter 786 The Prodigal Son (Part 2)
After the meal, Zhuang Rui learned more about Xu Guoqing. It turned out that this Boss Yu was Xu Guoqing's neighbor before, and the two could even be considered childhood friends.
The Xu family's rise to prominence in the 1980s led many locals to get rich as well. Although Xu Guoqing made a mess of things after taking over the factory, many people still became wealthy. Some even started ceramic factories. Boss Yu, on the other hand, started a transportation business in the 1980s and now owns a sizable fleet of vehicles.
As for dealing in antiques, that was Mr. Yu's side business, and this story has to start with Xu Guoqing.
Although Xu Guoqing's business wasn't doing very well, he always had a good relationship with Yu Zhengjun. In the early 1990s, Xu Guoqing would casually give away the ceramic items he made, and Yu Zhengjun was one of the people he gave them to.
Yu Zhengjun started his transportation business with just his own truck. He traveled all over the country and made many friends. Once, a customer from the south came to his house and saw the Tang tri-colored pottery displayed in the living room. He was immediately captivated by it. Yu Zhengjun knew whether it was valuable or not, so he casually gave it to the customer.
It was from this customer from the south that Boss Yu learned what antiques were. Later, when he traveled to other places, he paid attention to them. In the 1990s, antiques were not so popular, and he really found a lot of good things.
However, Yu Zhengjun is a very principled person. Although he made money in the antique business, he continued to run transportation and even set up a transportation company. His business gradually expanded, and in this small county, he can be considered a successful person with a net worth of tens of millions.
Over the years, Yu Zhengjun has developed a keen eye for antiques. Later, he met Li Dali and traded a lot of genuine and fake items from all over the country to Li Dali, making him a semi-insider in the antique circle.
After explaining these things to Zhuang Rui, Yu Zhengjun said to Zhuang Rui seriously, "Boss Zhuang, although my brother Xu is a bit slow-witted, he's definitely not a bad person. This time, I wanted to help him borrow some money. It was my decision, so please don't make things difficult for Qingguo..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Mr. Yu, you've misunderstood. I'm here simply to get to know Mr. Xu, nothing more. By the way, you said Mr. Xu is having some cash flow problems right now?"
When Zhuang Rui mentioned this, Boss Yu's face immediately showed worry. He sighed and said, "Sigh, he's not even in a cash flow situation anymore. He's completely broke. His wife has run back to her parents' house, and I'm the one who paid for the kids' college education..."
"How could this be? Doesn't Mr. Xu still have some savings?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. So this master had already reached the end of his rope?
Yu Zhengjun sighed and said, "Old Xu doesn't know how to run a business. A few years ago, he was swindled out of more than three million yuan. For three or four years, the factory had no output value. At that time, he still had to support a bunch of people... In addition, he often spends money to buy raw materials for firing porcelain. He even sold the house his father built. Now the workers have left, and he has moved into the factory to live. I just don't understand. Although this stuff is made to look real, it doesn't sell for much in China. Why is he so obsessed with making this stuff?"
"Mr. Zhuang, please don't think I'm being dishonest. Qingguo and I are childhood friends, we've known each other since we were toddlers. But there's nothing I can do to help him with this. It's a bottomless pit, and I can't fill it..."
After hearing Yu Zhengjun's explanation, Zhuang Rui realized that Xu Guoqing never sold the things he made; he gave them away to whoever liked them, and who knows how many of them had been lost over the years.
However, the cost of making these items is extremely high, with each one costing nearly 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, not even counting the ones that are ruined. He can't keep living off his savings like this, no matter how rich he is.
Xu Guoqing's wife used to be very supportive of his hobby, but seeing his pockets getting emptier day by day, she tried to persuade him several times but he wouldn't listen, so she simply ran back to her parents' home.
Now that Xu Guoqing's factory is almost running out of electricity, he has come to his senses and has gathered dozens of exquisite ceramic pieces that he has made over the years, entrusting Yu Zhengjun to sell them.
Yu Zhengjun recently met a Japanese client who took a liking to Xu Guoqing's factory. However, Xu Guoqing refused to sell it, and the meeting ended badly. It was because of this incident that Xu Guoqing handed over dozens of his treasured works to Yu Zhengjun to sell.
However, Xu Guoqing's original intention was to sell these items as modern handicrafts. He didn't expect Yu Zhengjun to immediately resell them to Li Dali. If they hadn't ended up in Zhuang Rui's hands, these items might have actually been auctioned off on the black market.
"Mr. Zhuang, this is Old Xu's factory. Now quite a few people are eyeing this land..."
After lunch, led by Yu Zhengjun, the group drove towards Xu Guoqing's ceramics factory. His factory wasn't far from the county town; after about twenty minutes, they could see the factory's perimeter wall, which covered a considerable area. It seemed Xu Guoqing's factory had truly reached its end; the lime and cement on the outside of the wall had crumbled, revealing the red bricks from the 1980s underneath. Weeds grew rampant at the base of the wall, giving it a dilapidated appearance.
Xu Guoqing's father chose this place to build the factory because it was surrounded by farmland and the land was cheap. However, now that there are residential areas and streets all around, the factory seems a bit out of place.
"Old Xu, Old Xu, open the door quickly..."
After parking the car at the factory gate, Yu Zhengjun started banging on the rusty gate. A few barks came from inside, but they quickly turned into low whimpers after hearing Yu Zhengjun's voice.
"This guy can barely afford to keep his dog anymore, sigh..."
Yu Zhengjun, holding the leftovers he had just packed, gestured to Zhuang Rui, who then understood why Boss Yu had asked the waiter to pack up the leftovers after finishing his meal.