Shopkeeper Lü had only three items in front of him. When he saw Zhuang Rui approaching, he stood up and made room for Zhuang Rui to appraise them. Xu Wei, who was sitting next to Shopkeeper Lü, exaggeratedly moved his chair to the side and looked at Zhuang Rui with a playful expression. In his eyes, the young and inconspicuous Zhuang Rui dared to offend Miss Qin, and he was determined to take this opportunity to teach this young man a lesson.
Zhuang Rui paid no attention to Xu Wei's gaze. His attention was now drawn to the three objects in front of him. Zhuang Rui first picked up a wooden carving of a Guanyin statue about 20 centimeters tall and examined it. He couldn't tell what kind of wood it was made of, but the carving was very beautiful. The Guanyin's face was lifelike. The surface of the wood had a calm and quiet glow. Holding it in his hand, he felt smooth and pleasant. The patina was thick and revealed a warm, old-fashioned feel, giving people a sense of vicissitude.
In the past few days, Zhuang Rui had also read some books on antique appreciation. According to the books, based on the carving and patina of this wood carving, it should be an old object that is quite old. However, compared to his half-baked appreciation skills, Zhuang Rui was still willing to trust his eyes. He lowered his head slightly and released the spiritual energy in his eyes onto the wood carving.
"Depend on……"
After withdrawing his spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but curse under his breath. The spiritual energy he could see could only penetrate wooden objects by less than a centimeter. However, as long as the object contained spiritual energy, he could still absorb it. But after the spiritual energy entered, the wooden carving did not react at all, which greatly disappointed Zhuang Rui, who had originally wanted to replenish his spiritual energy. Although Zhuang Rui could not be sure that an object without spiritual energy was definitely fake, he still chose to believe the spiritual energy in his eyes.
Looking up at the wooden carving in his hand, Zhuang Rui said, "This wooden Guanyin statue is finely carved and has a thick patina; it looks like an antique..."
"Of course, from the carving to the patina, this Buddha statue is definitely genuine. I can tell without even holding it in my hand."
Before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, Xu Wei interrupted him. Xu Wei had also been observing the wood carving and was convinced that it was genuine. Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, he couldn't help but mock Zhuang Rui for being lucky and getting a bargain.
Zhuang Rui glanced at Xu Wei indifferently, ignored him, and continued, "However, I personally think that this thing was artificially aged later. To put it bluntly, this item is a fake."
Upon hearing this, everyone except Manager Lü, who remained unmoved, was taken aback. Xu Wei, in particular, turned red in the face and looked at Manager Lü, hoping he would refute him.
"Xiao Zhuang, there are two more items over there, take a look at them too..."
To everyone's surprise, Manager Lü didn't say much, but simply asked Zhuang Rui to comment on the remaining two items.
Chapter 039 Treasure Appraisal (4)
Hearing Manager Lü's words, Zhuang Rui felt much more at ease. The Guanyin wood carving was most likely a fake. Although his primary purpose in participating in this treasure appraisal event was to find an item that could replenish his spiritual energy, he did not want to embarrass himself in front of everyone, nor did he want to pay out of his own pocket to treat this group of people to a lavish meal at the Mingdu Grand Hotel.
Not satisfied with just absorbing a little spiritual energy from those chairs, Zhuang Rui was told by Manager Lü to keep looking, which suited him perfectly. He didn't refuse and picked up the second item in front of him.
The second item on the table was a snuff bottle, very small and exquisite, only seven or eight centimeters tall. If it were hidden in the palm of your hand, it would be hard to notice unless you looked closely. In the antique knowledge that Zhuang Rui had been cramming on a few days ago, he happened to see an article about snuff bottles in the miscellaneous category. He knew that this thing was somewhat similar to the cricket gourd. In the beginning, they both had their special functions, but later they became objects for some people to play with.
Speaking of snuff bottles, we must first talk about snuff. Snuff is made from high-quality tobacco through processes such as drying, fermentation, and filtration. It has the effects of relieving pain and eliminating fatigue, so it became popular among the royal families and nobles of various European countries in the 14th century. Later, at the end of the 16th century, Western missionaries introduced it to China.
From the Kangxi Emperor onwards, almost all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were fond of snuff. However, the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors were even more fond of snuff bottles than of snuff itself. As a result, the production of imperial snuff bottles continued uninterrupted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. During these hundreds of years, the manufacturing process of snuff bottles developed greatly, and many exquisite pieces emerged.
Among snuff bottles, the one with the greatest influence in later generations is the inside-painted snuff bottle. There is a little story behind this. It is said that a minor official from another province went to the capital on business and stayed at a temple. Because he had no money to buy more snuff, he used a snuff stick to pick out the remaining snuff stuck to the inside of the bottle. As a result, he drew many marks on the inside of the bottle. This scene was seen by a thoughtful monk in the temple. He then dipped a bamboo stick into ink, inserted it into the transparent glass bottle, and painted on the inside wall. Thus, the inside-painted snuff bottle came into being.
Folk legends have shrouded snuff bottles in a mystical aura, and the exquisite inside paintings have made many people fall in love with snuff bottles. In fact, inside-painted snuff bottles are made by craftsmen who use iron sand and corundum to shake and rub the inside of the snuff bottle, making its inner wall milky white and frosted, delicate and not slippery, with a texture even close to that of Xuan paper. Thus, they can paint freely, and it is not as mysterious as people imagine.
After the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, inside-painted snuff bottles reached their peak, producing renowned inside-painting masters such as Zhou Leyuan, Ma Shaoxuan, and Ye Zhongzhi.
Originally an imported product, snuff unexpectedly led to a great development in snuff bottle craftsmanship after it was introduced to China. Moreover, Chinese snuff bottles became popular in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming noble handicrafts that were given as gifts and collected by royalty and nobility.
The snuff bottle in Zhuang Rui's hand was a miniature vase-shaped, oval-shaped piece. The top and bottom were only the size of a little finger, while the body was half the width of a palm. This snuff bottle was an enamelware, painted with two Western figures wearing top hats and holding canes. The whole scene was brightly colored and realistically shaped, without a trace of age. If Zhuang Rui had seen this object in an arts and crafts store, he would definitely have thought it was mass-produced. However, after seeing the wood carving earlier, Zhuang Rui had little confidence in his judgment.
Alright, I shouldn't be so coy. I'll just use my spiritual energy to look. The brown glasses on Zhuang Rui's face effectively blocked other people's view. He focused his attention and his spiritual energy instantly reached the snuff bottle.
There was hope! When the spiritual energy penetrated the glass snuff bottle, Zhuang Rui immediately felt a cool breeze merging into the spiritual energy in his eyes. Although the breeze was very weak, only slightly stronger than the spiritual energy in the chair earlier, Zhuang Rui was still very satisfied. Even a small mosquito is still meat.
As Zhuang Rui placed the snuff bottle on the table and was about to speak, he suddenly remembered the spiritual energy he had absorbed from Liu Sanhe's gourd yesterday. The amount was almost the same as the spiritual energy he had absorbed from this snuff bottle. However, the spiritual energy he had absorbed from the couplet the first time was far greater than these two times, not to mention the spiritual energy he had absorbed from the manuscript. Compared to the latter, it was simply incomparable.
"Could it be that the spiritual energy contained in books is greater than that in other objects?"
Since the spiritual energy appeared in his eyes, Zhuang Rui has received four replenishments from external objects, including this one. Obviously, the spiritual energy absorbed from the couplets and manuscripts was far greater than the latter two. Is there any necessary connection between them? Zhuang Rui lowered his head and began to think. For a moment, he forgot about his own situation. Others were still waiting for him to give his opinion on this snuff bottle.
"Wooden head, wooden head, you're asleep! What are you spacing out for..."
Liu Chuan's voice rang in Zhuang Rui's ears, startling him from his reverie. He looked up and found Xu Wei sitting next to him talking animatedly about the snuff bottle he had just been looking at.
"If this were an object from several hundred years ago, the colors would definitely not be so vibrant. So I think this thing should be a modern craft. However, this is just my personal opinion. Let's hear Mr. Zhuang's opinion. Judging from Mr. Zhuang's thoughtful look just now, he must have a different view on this snuff bottle."
These were the words Zhuang Rui heard from Xu Wei after he regained consciousness. When he looked up, he saw Xu Wei's smug expression. He felt inexplicably irritated and wanted to punch that pretty boy's face. He hadn't provoked him, so why did Xu Wei always bring him up? With this feeling of disgust, Zhuang Rui's words became unpleasant.
"Mr. Xu is truly learned and talented. Not only is he well-versed in jewelry, but he is also quite accomplished in miscellaneous items such as wood carving and snuff bottles. However, I think this snuff bottle is genuine, and its age should be between the Kangxi and Qianlong periods. Hehe, don't worry, whether I'm talking nonsense or Mr. Xu is just spouting off, we'll find out soon enough."
When Zhuang Rui was halfway through his sentence, he saw Xu Wei trying to interrupt him again, but this time he didn't give him the chance. After finishing his sentence in one breath, he pointed to the last jade pendant and said to Manager Lü, "I can't tell the price of this item, so I won't embarrass myself by showing it. Let Brother Song and Brother Wang do it next."
This wasn't Zhuang Rui being modest; rather, his spiritual energy wasn't yet capable of breaking down and seeing through jade-like items. With just his eyesight, he couldn't even discern where the jade pendant came from, let alone authenticate its origin or authenticity.
Manager Lü looked at Zhuang Rui and laughed, a laugh that was somewhat meaningful. He was becoming more and more interested in this young man. Others might not know, but he knew his own possessions very well. Zhuang Rui had guessed both of his items correctly, which was something that could not be achieved by luck alone.
Chapter 040 Treasure Appraisal (5)
Zhuang Rui's attention was focused on contemplating the spiritual energy in his eyes, so the rest of the process proceeded rather uneventfully. Song Jun and Boss Wang each picked an item to appraise, and judging from their expressions, they were quite confident in their appraisal skills. Manager Lü simply picked an ancient jade thumb ring in front of Boss Wang and commented on it briefly. However, all three of them tacitly avoided Zhuang Rui's Wang Shizhen manuscript.
Therefore, today's treasure appraisal event will only involve Zhuang Rui's manuscript.
Manager Lü and the others exchanged glances. Song Jun first asked the waiter to remove the tea from the square table, and then said to Zhuang Rui, "Xiao Zhuang, open your manuscript. The three of us will look at it together. You know, Wang Shizhen's manuscripts are very rare. If your manuscript is genuine, it can fill a huge gap in the world of collecting. We will all benefit from it."
Zhuang Rui understood what Song Jun meant. In the world of collecting, reputation is important, and where does reputation come from? Naturally, it comes from having found a genuine item at a bargain price or having authenticated rare and unique pieces. For example, the famous collector Ma Weidu once spent 5,000 RMB to buy a Qing Dynasty Qianlong period enamel snuff bottle in 1992. Not long after, he took it to Hong Kong for auction and sold it for 60,000 HKD. Although the selling price was not very high, Mr. Ma Weidu's discerning eye made him famous in the domestic collecting world at that time.
Mr. Qi Gong, a renowned calligrapher and a leading figure in the world of collecting, is famous at home and abroad for his professional connoisseurship. He has personally appraised countless antiques. This is also the purpose of Song Jun and his group. Although the manuscript was acquired by Zhuang Rui, it would be a good story if they could authenticate it and spread the word.
Song Jun somehow found three pairs of white gloves and distributed them to the other two men, who put them on their hands to prevent their sweat from damaging the manuscript. Zhuang Rui, watching from the side, broke out in a cold sweat. Although he was careful with the manuscript, he always handled it directly. Liu Chuan, on the other hand, had handled the manuscript so much on the day he bought it that he almost completely tore it apart. Zhuang Rui still felt a little scared when he thought about it now.
If the actions of the three men as they flipped through the manuscript could be described as cautious, then their expressions during the appraisal were as if they were walking on thin ice. The cover alone, which had the words "Xiangzu Notes" written on it, was examined by the three men over and over for more than ten minutes. Various types of magnifying glasses, as large as mirrors and as small as fingernails, were laid out on the table, which broadened the horizons of the few laymen next to them.
At first, the faces of Manager Lü and the others showed only a cautious expression. But after the pages were turned, their faces showed a look of heartbreak. Zhuang Rui guessed that the damaged parts had obviously upset them. As their expressions changed, Zhuang Rui also deduced that the manuscript was probably in the handwriting of Wang Shizhen.
An hour passed quickly. During this time, apart from Xu Wei, who looked somewhat displeased, the others were all focused on the authentication process of Manager Lü and the others. The three experts had been authenticating the manuscript for more than an hour, and its authenticity seemed to be on the verge of being revealed. At this point, even the slow-witted Liu Chuan realized that his friend seemed to have stumbled upon another great bargain.
During this process, Qin Xuanbing's gaze frequently fell on Zhuang Rui. She noticed that Zhuang Rui's expression remained unchanged, lacking the excitement she had expected. It was as if the manuscript examined by Manager Lü and the others was not his. The calm and composed demeanor he displayed was something Qin Xuanbing had only ever seen in her weathered grandfather.
Qin Xuanbing had no idea that Zhuang Rui had already guessed the answer before the mystery was revealed, so naturally he wouldn't show his joy.
The temperature in the private room was around 26 or 27 degrees Celsius, which is the most comfortable temperature for the human body. Manager Lü and the others had sweat on their foreheads, but they dared not wipe it with their hands, for fear of getting the sweat onto the manuscript.
About ten minutes later, Grandpa Lü closed the manuscript, but the others' eyes remained fixed on it, unwilling to let it out of their sight.
The people nearby knew that the authentication work was finally completed. As for the authenticity of the manuscript, it seemed there was no need to ask any further questions; their expressions told them everything.
"Uncle Lü, is this tattered book really written by that Wang guy? How much is it worth?"
Seeing that no one was speaking, Liu Chuan felt a strong urge to break the silence in the room, so he carefully did so.
"A tattered book? Kid, you couldn't be worth a single page of this manuscript even if you sold yourself. Do you know this is a national treasure? Alas, it's a pity that the first half of the manuscript is so poorly preserved that many characters are illegible. Otherwise, the manuscript would be worth even more."
Upon hearing Liu Chuan's words, Manager Lü nearly lost his temper. He was full of complaints about Zhuang Rui, as if it was all Zhuang Rui's fault for not preserving the manuscript properly.
Just now, through their examination of the manuscript's font style, the age of the paper used, and the patina, they were able to basically confirm that the manuscript was an authentic work by Wang Shizhen from the early Qing Dynasty. Furthermore, the seals on the last ten or so pages of poems in the manuscript, including the bell-shaped seals, were all personal seals used by Wang Shizhen, further confirming that this manuscript was a genuine work by Wang Shizhen.
Originally, they wanted to find out Wang Shizhen's original intention in writing the manuscript by reading its contents. However, the handwriting on the first page of the manuscript had been damaged by insects and was severely eroded by sweat and water stains, making it completely illegible. This caused Manager Lü and the others great distress.
"Even national treasures have a price. What's the use of something you can't eat or wear?"
Liu Chuan was still unconvinced and muttered to himself that this guy had absolutely no interest in national treasures. If he had lived before the liberation, he might have been one of the tomb robbers of the Eastern Tombs.
"Mr. Lü, it's almost one o'clock. Let's finish appraising and commenting on those items from earlier."
Seeing that the room was now filled with a halo of light surrounding Zhuang Rui, Xu Wei felt a pang of jealousy and couldn't help but speak up. In his opinion, Zhuang Rui's confident appraisal of the wooden Buddha statue and snuff bottle was most likely wrong, and it would be good to use this opportunity to strike a blow at him.
Song Jun seemed to see through Xu Wei's intentions, and with a strange smile on his face, he said, "There's no rush. I also want to ask Xiao Zhuang if he's willing to transfer this manuscript."
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. To be honest, the biggest benefit of this manuscript to him was that it upgraded the spiritual energy in his eyes. As for the value of the manuscript itself, he did not care at the time, so he was prepared to lose money when he bought it.
However, after hearing what Manager Lü said, Zhuang Rui felt a little more hopeful. After all, he didn't come from a wealthy family, and his sister's family was even struggling financially. Zhuang Rui couldn't live as freely as Song Jun and others, collecting what he liked, selling his manuscripts, and earning more money to improve his mother's and sister's lives. That was his current goal.
Chapter 041 Treasure Appraisal (6)
Since returning to Pengcheng, Zhuang Rui has read a lot of books on antique appreciation. Combining this with some historical anecdotes he has read, he has discovered that collecting can bring a lot of joy, and thus Zhuang Rui has developed a great interest in the antique trade.
Previously, Zhuang Rui was not interested in collecting antiques, partly because he was short of money and didn't have the spare cash, and partly because he was living in another city and was under a lot of pressure, so he didn't have the time or mood to pay attention to such things. However, now, due to the need for spiritual energy in his eyes, Zhuang Rui had to get involved in this industry, but he did not define himself as a collector.
If you were to ask Zhuang Rui if he liked the manuscript and the gourd from Sanhe Liu that he sold yesterday, Zhuang Rui would definitely answer that he liked them very much. However, in Zhuang Rui's view, true collectors must have a strong financial foundation, like successful people such as Yang Wei's father. White-collar workers like him who have just solved their basic needs for food and clothing do not dare to dream of bringing all these good things into their possession.
Now that Zhuang Rui has this idea, he should naturally make the most of it and pursue maximum profit. Perhaps when he has the financial means, he can also consider collecting some items that interest him.
In fact, in the current domestic collecting world, there are indeed collectors who only buy and never sell, but they are extremely rare, one in ten. Many people, while collecting antiques, are also constantly selling or exchanging their collections with others. This is called "selling to support collecting." This practice not only allows various antiques to circulate well in the market, but also greatly alleviates the economic pressure on collectors.
Zhuang Rui didn't know much about the art collecting world, and he didn't realize that his ideas were actually the choice of most collectors. However, having studied finance, Zhuang Rui could naturally judge what would be most beneficial to him.
“Brother Song, when I bought this manuscript, I just wanted to help that old lady. Liu Chuan knows that I didn’t really look at the manuscript back then. Even now, I don’t know how much it’s worth. If you like it, Brother Song, just give it to me at the cost price I paid for it. Take it.”
Although he decided to sell the manuscript, Zhuang Rui didn't want others to see him as a greedy and unscrupulous person. After all, the people present didn't know his original intention in buying the manuscript. Besides, he had prepared himself to lose money at the time, so Zhuang Rui didn't mind portraying himself as a benevolent and charitable young man who embodies the spirit of Lei Feng in the new era.
Some might ask, if you want to sell it for a high price, why did you say you would transfer the manuscript to Song Jun at the price you bought it for? It's actually quite simple. Song Jun wasn't the only expert present. Even if Zhuang Rui were really willing to sell it to him for 20,000 yuan, Song Jun would probably be embarrassed to buy it. If he dared to take advantage of the situation, Manager Lü and Boss Wang would definitely not agree.
Moreover, after Zhuang Rui said those words, Song Jun's offer in front of those two must be higher than the market price, and not lower than or equal to the market price of the manuscript. Otherwise, it would be said that Song Jun is an unscrupulous person who cheats outsiders.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, everyone present looked at him differently. Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing knew Zhuang Rui's family background and couldn't help but admire him. Although they themselves didn't care much about money, if they were in Zhuang Rui's shoes, they knew they would never be able to so easily transfer this manuscript, which could be called a national treasure, to someone else at such a low price.
When Manager Lü and Boss Wang looked at Zhuang Rui, their eyes were full of undisguised admiration. They naturally wouldn't try to take advantage of Zhuang Rui, but even with their wealth, they couldn't match the carefree and magnanimous attitude that Zhuang Rui displayed.
Song Jun found Zhuang Rui increasingly appealing. To be honest, he entered the collecting business entirely because of his grandfather. Song Jun's grandfather came from a scholarly family and joined the army in his early years, becoming a renowned scholar-general. After retiring from the military, he developed a passion for collecting. Growing up with his grandfather, Song Jun also developed a love for the industry under his influence and became acquainted with many experts and fellow collectors.
Song Jun was different from Lü Wang. He was only temporarily residing in Pengcheng, and the properties in Pengcheng only accounted for a small part of his wealth. With his economic strength, a few million was nothing to him. What he admired about Zhuang Rui was his straightforwardness, which was enough for Song Jun, who grew up in a military compound, to regard Zhuang Rui as a close friend.
Of all the people in the room, Liu Chuan was the most surprised. However, he was not shocked by Zhuang Rui's righteous indignation, but rather because no matter how he looked at Zhuang Rui, he could not associate him with the perfect image in his mind. Others might believe Zhuang Rui's words, but Liu Chuan did not believe a single word of them.
Since fourth grade, this unscrupulous merchant had been encouraging him to resell stickers at school. In junior high, he even took their New Year's money to lend at high interest rates. Although this guy was loyal enough to take the punishment with him every time he was caught, Liu Chuan's motto for dealing with people, "It's a fool not to take advantage of a bargain," seemed to have been taught to him by this righteous and awe-inspiring brother in front of him.
Among those present were people who admired him, felt inferior, appreciated him, didn't believe him at all, and were extremely frustrated. That person was Xu Wei. He had originally wanted to change the subject and embarrass Zhuang Rui in front of everyone, but he didn't expect that his words would make everyone look at him differently. Even Miss Qin, who had always been indifferent to him, looked at Zhuang Rui differently.
"Wait until we comment on those items, then we'll see how you embarrass yourself," Xu Wei could only curse Zhuang Rui silently in his heart.
No one else would know Xu Wei's filthy thoughts. Song Jun wrapped up the manuscript and placed it back in front of Zhuang Rui, saying, "Brother Zhuang, as your older brother, I can't take advantage of you like this. Let's go by the market price and have Manager Lü give us a price. If you think it's reasonable, you can give it to me, how about that?"
Turning back to Manager Lü and Boss Wang, Song Jun said, "You both know that I enjoy collecting rare books and paintings. So, please, let me have this item today."
Manager Lü was into miscellaneous items, while Boss Wang mostly collected bronzes. Although they were also interested in Wang Shizhen's manuscript, they didn't share Song Jun's determination to acquire it. Besides, they knew that with their wealth, they couldn't possibly compete with Song Jun.
Manager Lü said, "This item is a good thing, everyone wants it, but the two of us can't afford it. It's a good deal for you, Xiao Song. Let's hear what Xiao Zhuang has to say first."
Zhuang Rui knew that if he insisted on what he had just said, he would seem a bit pretentious, so he readily said, "Let's not ask Manager Lü to name a price, Brother Song, you can just give us a price."
“Brother Zhuang, I appreciate your kindness and we’ve become friends. However, it’s not appropriate for me to set a price for this. Manager Lü, please set a price.”
Song Jun shook his head and said that he didn't care about spending more money; what he cared about was his reputation. In this industry, without a good reputation, the path for collectors to communicate with each other would be cut off.
Chapter 42 Three Million Eight Hundred Thousand
For a moment, everyone in the room focused their attention on Manager Lü. The others were also eager to know the market value of Wang Shizhen's "Fragrance Ancestor's Notebook," which the three of them had been calling a national treasure.