Zhuang Rui knew that Peng Fei was unwilling to talk about the past, and that even though he had left that unit, he still had to follow certain disciplines, so he gave Peng Fei a random title.
Peng Fei, listening from the side, frowned. His ancestors for eight generations were all farmers, yet they went to Tianqiao to watch martial arts performances. His boss was really talking nonsense.
"Here, Teacher Ma, this is plum wine that we made at home. It won't make you drunk. Why don't you try some?"
After all the dishes were served, Old Wang took a bottle of liquor that was in a mineral water bottle and placed it on the table.
The Jiangzhe region is famous for its plums, and most families that grow plums will make their own. However, that usually happens in April or May. The plum wine that Old Wang brought out, on the other hand, was left over from last year.
"Uncle Wang, I'm really sorry about what happened today. We've rented the room they left behind. By the way, let's set the rent at 200 for both..."
Feeling a little embarrassed about fighting in someone else's house, Zhuang Rui quickly stood up and apologized to Old Wang when he saw him coming over.
"No need, no need. Look at what you said, 120 is 120, food and lodging are included. If that kid had tried to cause trouble again, I would have shot him out with my hunting rifle..."
Old Wang waved his hand repeatedly, pointing to a hunting rifle hanging behind the door, indicating that he wasn't exaggerating.
"Hehe, Brother Wang, you can still go hunting in the mountains, we're in for a treat..."
Uncle De chuckled and pointed to the dishes on the table, saying to Zhuang Rui and the others, "These are all farm-style dishes. This stewed free-range chicken, wild boar, wild rabbit, farm-style potato pancakes, and stewed pork with dried bamboo shoots—you can't get these outside. Brother Wang personally went up the mountain to hunt them. Come on, everyone, have a taste..."
As people get older, they are most afraid of being told they are useless. Uncle De's words really hit the nail on the head, making Old Wang smile from ear to ear.
Farmhouses don't have as many rules as city dwellers. Old Wang loudly called out to his wife, insisting on adding a few more dishes, and then sat down to drink with Uncle De.
After a few rounds of drinks, Uncle De casually asked, "Brother Wang, did you find any good materials when you went up the mountain last year?"
Chapter 576 Bloodstone (Part 1)
The mining of chicken-blood stone is similar to that of jade mining in Xinjiang. In fact, it is even more chaotic. Since most of the chicken-blood stone exposed on the mountainside has already been mined, it is necessary to use explosives to blast holes and then dig deep by hand or machine to extract the chicken-blood stone buried deep underground.
As a result, many outside forces got involved, but many locals of Yuyan Mountain were still able to collect some good quality chicken-blood stone from the mountain with their rich experience, which is why Uncle De asked this question.
"Hehe, I do have a few. I'm planning to take them to the market to sell tomorrow. I'll show them to you after we finish eating..."
Old Wang smiled broadly after hearing Uncle De's words.
"Uncle Wang, you've also been mining in the mountains?"
With a piece of Tujia chicken stuffed in his mouth, Wei Ge asked indistinctly. As a city kid, he always thought mining was a very mysterious thing.
"Brother Wang has done more than just mining; he's also been featured in newspapers and on Zhejiang TV..."
As Uncle De spoke, he gave Old Wang a thumbs-up. Old Wang just chuckled and busied himself pouring plum wine into the empty glasses of the group.
"Oh? Uncle Wang, tell me, tell me quickly..."
Uncle De's words piqued everyone's interest. There was nothing much to do in this mountain valley, so enjoying the mountain breeze, drinking a little wine, and listening to stories was a great pleasure in life.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, don't listen to Brother Ma..."
Old Wang's face was beaming like a chrysanthemum, but the simplicity of a mountain dweller prevented him from speaking of it; he simply waved his hands repeatedly.
However, the reason why Old Wang was able to build such a house, which is similar to a small villa, was because of some chicken blood stone he collected from the mountain. At the end of the last century and the beginning of this century, he even did something that caused a sensation throughout the country.
"Let me tell you, we already knew each other back then, right? It must have been around 1999..."
Uncle De was quite happy after drinking his old friend's plum wine, and he told Zhuang Rui and the others about this sensational event.
It turns out that not only does chicken-blood stone exist on Yuyan Mountain, but there are also stones similar to Tianhuang stone. Of course, they are only similar. After research and demonstration by experts, it was found that the value of the "Tianhuang" stone on Yuyan Mountain is far less than that of Tianhuang stone from Fujian.
One spring at the end of the last century, Old Wang had collected a yellowish stone from the mountain and kept it at home. A merchant from Fujian who collected chicken-blood stone saw it and, after examining it repeatedly, determined that it was a high-quality "Tianhuang" stone. So he spent 100,000 yuan to buy it.
Rural areas are not like cities, especially in these remote mountain valleys. Unless you're lucky enough to find a piece of bloodstone, you can't earn much money in a year. Once this news got out, everyone in the surrounding villages was green with envy.
They stopped farming and doing any other work. Everyone with arms and legs who could climb the mountain carried their tools up Yuyan Mountain and began a thorough excavation on the small hillside where Old Wang had found the stone.
The felling of trees and destruction of vegetation on that hillside at the time undoubtedly attracted great attention from the news media, and Zhejiang TV and Hangzhou TV both reported on it.
This report, unexpectedly, became an advertisement for Yuyan Mountain, attracting Taobao sellers from all over the country. Some even began hoarding this "Tianhuang" stone, hoping to make a fortune through "futures trading."
For a time, a small, inconspicuous stone could cost nearly a hundred yuan, or even several thousand yuan. Out of a desire to protect resources, the Lin'an Municipal Government sought help from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, requesting that the yellow stone be scientifically identified.
After careful analysis of the mineral composition and comparison of the growth environment and external characteristics of Tianhuang stone, experts concluded that Changhua stone does not possess the "six virtues" of Tianhuang stone: "fine, clean, warm, moist, condensed, and smooth." It would be absolutely unscientific to name it Tianhuang stone.
It is important to know that the formation of Tianhuang stone is the result of tens of millions of years of "field soil" nurturing, the nourishment of stream water and the infiltration of organic acids, which gives it that smooth, chicken-fat-like color and delicate, soft radish-like texture. However, the yellow stones from Changhe River have no "field" to go to at all. They just live under the soil on the hillside and rely solely on rainwater to "quench their thirst," which is far from meeting the growth environment required for "Tianhuang stone."
Therefore, experts concluded that these stones were simply waste from earlier mining of chicken-blood stone. Although some were originally exposed stones, their secondary formation in the soil would not exceed the history of the Changhua stone mining. Fortunately, the quantity of these yellow stones was already limited, and the "treasure hunt" yielded increasingly less. The Lin'an municipal government also implemented measures to protect the area by closing off the mountain. Before the name "Changhua Yellow Stone" was even finalized, this "gold rush" was thwarted.
However, this adds another "fake" to the ranks of those counterfeiting Tianhuang stones, undoubtedly creating another problem for Tianhuang stone collectors, because good Changhua yellow stones can be almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Because of this incident, Old Wang became famous and used the 100,000 yuan to build a small house.
Because this is the forefront of chicken-blood stone mining, almost every day people from other places come here to buy chicken-blood stones. By providing food and lodging and occasionally going up the mountain to try their luck, Old Wang's life has gradually become richer, which has led to every household in the village starting agritainment businesses.
With the influx of people, this small mountain village has developed into a market for chicken-blood stone, spontaneously organized by the villagers and mine owners.
"Uncle Wang, you're really amazing! You're a trendsetter!"
Wei Ge chuckled and joked with Old Wang.
"No, there it is, just a broken rock I picked up randomly. I was just lucky..."
Old Wang waved his hands repeatedly, but a smug look appeared on his face. Although some people in this small mountain village had later found valuable chicken-blood stone on the mountain, he was the one who made his first fortune. In particular, starting a farmhouse inn was his proudest achievement.
"Eat quickly, eat faster, let's go see Uncle Wang's treasures..."
Yang Wei was itching to go quarrying stones himself after hearing the story. If it weren't for the delicious farm-style food today, he and Qin Xuanbing would probably have asked to go see the stones first.
Zhuang Rui and Uncle De were both insiders in the business and had seen a lot. So they were drinking and eating at a leisurely pace until Yang Wei and the others urged them on. Only then did they finish their last drink, wipe their mouths, and follow Old Wang to another room.
"Here, all the stones we picked up last year are in there. Go take a look..."
This is a room used for storing miscellaneous items, including plows, rakes, and other farm tools. In one corner of the room, there are twenty or thirty stones of various sizes, but the largest is only the size of a ball, much smaller than the jadeite rough that Zhuang Rui gambled on.
This isn't to say that there aren't large pieces of chicken-blood stone. The chicken-blood stone that Zhuang Rui appraised during the Spring Festival treasure appraisal weighed several hundred kilograms. Of course, it wasn't entirely chicken-blood stone; it also contained some other types of stone.
The reason Old Wang doesn't have any large items here is probably because he hasn't encountered any, or perhaps it's too difficult for him to carry them up the mountain by himself.
Wei Ge was the most enthusiastic after entering the house. As soon as Old Wang pointed, he rushed over and started fiddling with the pile of broken stones. But less than two minutes later, Wei Ge looked up at Old Wang with a disappointed expression and asked, "Uncle Wang? These are the chicken-blood stones? Are there any others? You can't hide all the good stuff away..."
From Wei Ge's perspective, these stones were no different from the ordinary road stones he had come from.
Moreover, he originally thought that bloodstone would definitely have large areas of red, but after searching through all the stones, he did not see the red bloodstone he had imagined, and he was very disappointed.
However, some stones do have a few red lines, but they are still far from the bloodstone in Yang Wei's mind.
"Hehe, all the stones we mined last year are here. I don't know if there's any bloodstone. You'll have to ask Brother Ma; he's an expert in that..."
After hearing Yang Wei's words, Old Wang shook his head repeatedly, but a hint of peasant cunning flashed in his eyes.
"Brother Wang, are you testing my eyesight?"
Uncle De smiled and walked over to Yang Wei, then continued, "Chicken blood stone isn't entirely about chicken blood showing on the surface. Those kinds of chicken blood stones don't even need to be identified. Most chicken blood stones are similar to jadeite rough stones, with a stone skin, which is where you have to use your eyesight to distinguish them..."
"How could anyone tell? They're all the same kind of stone. Who knows if there's chicken blood inside..."
Wei Ge tried his best to identify the stones as Uncle De had instructed, but he gave up after not seeing either of them. Apart from their size and shape, he couldn't tell the difference at all.
"Xiao Zhuang, come and take a look. I watched that treasure appraisal show. You're right, but that was a finished piece of material. You've probably never seen chicken-blood stone with its outer skin before, have you?"
Uncle De beckoned to Zhuang Rui, wanting to see what unique talent his disciple possessed in gambling on stones.
Old Wang was a very kind person. Unlike Zhuang Rui, who made the room extremely dark when looking at jade in Pingzhou, his storage room was equipped with a 100-watt light bulb. If you put a stone under the light, you could clearly see the patterns and the direction of the blood vessels on it.
"Uncle De, Uncle Wang, then I'll make a fool of myself..."
Zhuang Rui didn't stand on ceremony. He pushed Wei Ge aside, squatted down next to the pair of stones, and picked up a fist-sized stone to examine it.
Chapter 577 Bloodstone (Part 2)
There are three famous stones used for making seals in my country, collectively known as the "Three Treasures of Seal Stones". Among the three treasures, the eldest is Tianhuang stone, which is the most precious variety of Shoushan stone. As early as the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, it was selected as a tribute to the imperial court and was highly appreciated by the emperor. When Emperor Qianlong worshipped Tianhuang stone in the Heaven Offering Ceremony, its value increased a hundredfold, and it ascended to the throne as the "King" among stones!
It can be said that it is what everyone expects.
The third-ranked stone is hibiscus stone, also known as white Shoushan stone. Although its development started much later than that of Tianhuang and chicken-blood stones, it has won the hearts of scholars and literati with its pure, bright, and clean character. Under their admiration, it has joined the ranks of the "Three Treasures of Seal Stones" and is known as the "Gentleman among Stones". Moreover, the main characteristics of hibiscus stone are its condensed, oily, delicate, and pure texture. It is also the easiest to develop a "patina" with handling. In recent years, it has been highly regarded and has a large number of collectors.
Chicken blood stone needs no introduction. With its bright and vivid colors, it ranks second among the three treasures of seal stones and has been known as the queen of seal stones since ancient times.
The "Three Treasures of Seal Stones" are the mainstays of miscellaneous collections. As the second of the three treasures of stones, chicken blood stone naturally receives much attention and love from collectors.
When Zhuang Rui was learning the appraisal of miscellaneous antiques from Uncle De in Zhonghai, he put a lot of effort into the appraisal of chicken-blood stone. So when he heard that Uncle De was going to test his appraisal skills, he stepped forward to appraise it without hesitation.
Changhua chicken-blood stone and jadeite actually have a lot in common. The only difference is that the color in jadeite is called "blood" in chicken-blood stone, while the names of the "ground" are the same, divided into four categories: frozen ground, soft ground, hard ground, and solid ground.
As for the blood, it is divided into bright red, true red, dark red, purplish red, etc. The shape of chicken blood can be block red, strip red, star red, rosy red, etc. It is best if it is fresh, congealed, and thick, deep and thick, deeply penetrating into the stone, and has a cluster or even distribution of chicken blood spots.
Based on the color and texture of chicken blood stone, it can be divided into several types, such as Da Hong Pao, Glass Jelly, Tianhuang Jelly, Mutton Fat Jelly, Ox Horn Jelly, Cinnabar Jelly, Lotus Root Powder Jelly, Five-Color Jelly, Peach Red Jelly, Bean Green Jelly, Agate Jelly, Wood Grain Jelly, Fish Brain Jelly, Fish Roe Jelly, Snake Skin Jelly, and Snowflake Jelly.
Completely red or six-sided blood-red is considered the finest. Bloodstone that is red and translucent is called "Big Red Robe," just like the imperial green in jadeite. It is a rare gem among stones and is hard to find without a certain opportunity.
The "frozen" quality in chicken-blood stone is equivalent to the "glassy" or "icy" quality in jadeite.
In chicken-blood stone, pieces with less than 10% blood content are considered ordinary, less than 30% are mid-range, more than 30% are high-end, more than 50% are rare, and pieces with more than 70% blood content are extremely precious and rare.
Besides the red "chicken blood" color, chicken blood stone also has basic colors such as black, white, yellow, green, blue, gray-brown, purple, and cyan. In addition, various colors of different shades blend together naturally, forming beautiful natural patterns without the need for artificial carving.
Those with black and white backgrounds and chicken blood colors are called "Liu, Guan, and Zhang," which are also wonderful items, with beautiful colors and endless variations.
Of course, these top-quality chicken-blood stones, like top-quality jadeite, are mostly legendary and rarely seen, even once every few years or decades.
While recalling his knowledge about chicken-blood stone, Zhuang Rui examined the stone in his hand. However, to his disappointment, the blood color seeping from these chicken-blood stones was not right and was too scattered. The possibility of chicken blood inside was very small. Even if there was blood, it was mostly dark in color.
After examining the pile of stones with his eyes, Zhuang Rui, fearing he might have missed something, used his spiritual energy to sift through them again. Sure enough, just as he had predicted, there were no good stones among them. The best one was only slightly reddish under the stone skin, and it was a thin, small piece with little value.
From the Ming Dynasty to the present, over the past few hundred years, the bloodstone has indeed been almost completely mined out. Zhuang Rui shook his head slightly, stood up, and stretched his legs, which had become numb from squatting.
"Uncle Wang, I can't see through these materials you found. Let's take them to the market tomorrow and have someone else take a look..."
Although Old Wang was an outsider, Zhuang Rui was still quite tactful in his speech. These were the fruits of Old Wang's hard work over the past year, and he couldn't let Zhuang Rui erase them with just a few words.
Moreover, that piece of material with red inside looks pretty good on the outside. If you take it to the market to gamble, someone might be willing to pay 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. In that case, Old Wang's year of hard work won't have been in vain.
"Old Wang, it's not surprising that the kid can't tell, he's inexperienced. Let me take a look..."
Uncle De was afraid that his old friend would be angry, so he quickly added a sentence. However, this was also what he really thought. Although Zhuang Rui had some knowledge of chicken blood stone, he had never seen this kind of material before, so it was normal for him to see some discrepancies.
"How could that be? This young man has a good eye. Almost all the exposed bloodstone on the surface of Yuyan Mountain has been mined out. The ones I picked up aren't any good quality..."
Although Old Wang claimed he didn't understand, he had lived at the foot of Jade Rock Mountain his whole life. He had never eaten pork but had seen pigs run. How could he not understand chicken blood stone? At least what he just said was jargon.