"Hey Langjie, we didn't come here to see this disgusting stuff. Let's get something real."
Old Xie seemed to know the origin of the shawl, and his eyes were full of contempt as he looked at the fat boss. He then spoke to Lang Jie.
"Okay, I believe everyone will like the next item."
Langjie wasn't angry. He gestured to the young man next to him, who quickly walked to the isolated area inside the tent. This time, he didn't put the item he took out on the plate, because there was simply no room for it. It was a bronze artifact that was about 70 centimeters tall and about 20 centimeters high on the base.
The young man held the bronze artifact in his arms, walked around the crowd once, and then placed it on the table in the middle of the tent.
"I believe everyone is familiar with this. It is a money tree from the Han Dynasty. A money tree that is so well preserved is probably not even found in some major museums. The starting price is 180,000 RMB. If you are interested, you can come up and take a look."
Langjie is very skillful in his speech. If you are interested in buying, then come up and take a look. Otherwise, you might as well sit down and have some tea. The reason why Langjie's black market is famous is not because of the number of people participating in it, but because most of the items that come out of his black market are of high quality. Of course, there are also fakes and counterfeits, and buyers can only admit that they are not good at judging.
"Money tree? Hey, that's a good omen."
The fat man struggled to his feet, his carrot-like hands giving the voluptuous woman's breasts a hard squeeze before he staggered toward the table where the money tree stood.
"A complete disaster..."
Old Xie, who was sitting not far from Zhuang Rui, muttered a curse under his breath and got up to go forward. However, he was holding a magnifying glass and a small file that looked like nail clippers.
"Zhuang Rui, what is a money tree?"
Liu Chuan nudged Zhuang Rui and asked in a low voice.
"Nonsense, a money tree is a money tree. Didn't you hear the story of the money tree when you were a kid?"
Zhuang Rui's reply nearly made Liu Chuan furious. That was nonsense; he was asking about the origin of the money tree.
However, there was no need for him to ask any more questions, because the two people who had moved their chairs away to avoid Liu Chuan were also talking about the money tree. The middle-aged man, who was about forty years old, was explaining the origin of the money tree to the young man who came with him, which Liu Chuan and Zhuang Rui, who were also confused, heard clearly.
"The money tree, also known as the money tree or the divine tree, was widely popular in the southwest region during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is the most exquisite and outstanding expression of the divine tree art in Chinese mythology. This kind of money tree has only been unearthed in Sichuan and Hubei. This object was mainly used as a precious decoration offered by powerful officials and nobles to their family shrines, or as a special item for burial in the homes of powerful families. It is a symbol of power, status, wealth, and good fortune. If Langjie's object is real, then I wonder which prince's tomb in Sichuan has been robbed."
The middle-aged man spoke very logically, explaining the origin of the money tree in great detail, and even speculating on the origin of the bronze money tree in front of him, much like a university professor lecturing to his students.
"Nonsense, tell me how much it's worth."
Liu Chuan, that rough fellow, muttered in dissatisfaction after hearing it.
After the middle-aged man spoke, he also got up and went forward to check. Even the Japanese man took out a magnifying glass and surrounded them. Zhuang Rui looked around and saw that it seemed that only their small group of three and the woman wearing sunglasses showed any interest in this money tree.
Aside from the fat man, who pretended to stroll around the money tree before returning to his chair, the others examined it meticulously, scrutinizing every inch from the leaves and branches to the ground with a magnifying glass. Old Xie, with Lang Jie's permission, even scraped a bit of powder from the copper branches and ceramic base of the money tree with a file, then tasted it, making Zhuang Rui and the others shudder.
Since there were few people and they were all regular customers, Langjie let them appraise it without setting a time limit, because he had already determined the authenticity of this bronze money tree.
The price Langjie paid was only 15,000 yuan. Moreover, when the seller handed it to him, it was in pieces that had been disassembled for easy carrying. He had to piece it together himself, confirming that it was undoubtedly a Han Dynasty bronze artifact.
Therefore, even if only one person among those present makes an offer for this item, as long as it can be sold for 180,000, he will still make a profit. This black market event was not in vain.
They spent a bit too long identifying the money tree, and it was already past noon. Langjie had someone put the freshly roasted whole lamb, beef, cold yak tongue salad, steamed buns, and drinks such as sweet tea, milk tea, and yogurt on a food cart and pushed it into the tent for everyone inside to choose from. Several bottles of liquor were also provided.
Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan were both hungry at the moment, so they didn't care about anything else and ate and drank to their hearts' content. Zhou Rui, on the other hand, didn't touch the food. Instead, he broke up the crushed biscuits he had brought from the car and put them in his mouth. He also drank the water he had brought himself.
Not only Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan were eating, but the fat man was also eating with his mouth full of oil, though he didn't drink any alcohol. Only the woman in sunglasses and her companion were eating what they had brought, and they didn't touch the food provided by the black market.
After everyone below had eaten and drunk their fill, the few who had gone up to make the appraisal returned, their complexions unchanged from when they first went up.
Liu Chuan scrutinized them for a long time, but couldn't discern the true nature of this "money tree" from their faces. He couldn't help but mutter sullenly, "A bunch of old foxes."
"Everyone, would you like to eat something first to fill your stomachs, or shall we start now?"
After Langjie and the others sat back down, they asked.
"Skipping one meal won't kill you, let's get started."
Old Xie glanced at the fat boss, whose mouth was greasy, and replied irritably.
"Alright, let's begin. As you can see, what I, Langjie, have brought out are all top-quality items. This Han Dynasty bronze money tree has a starting price of 180,000. Please make your bids."
Anyway, this wasn't an auction house, so Lang Jie didn't forget to encourage Zhuang Rui and the others who hadn't gone up to have their items appraised. However, after he finished speaking, the tent became quiet, and no one bid.
Lang Jie wasn't in a hurry. He waited there calmly. He knew that in 1993, a Han Dynasty bronze money tree was auctioned overseas for $2.5 million. Although that bronze tree was a large piece, more than 2 meters tall, if his bronze tree were put in a regular auction house, the final price would definitely not be less than 3 million RMB. His starting bid was only 180,000 RMB. He didn't believe that the veteran players present wouldn't be tempted.
"Eighteen thousand..."
Finally, someone spoke up; it was the middle-aged man who had just told the story of the money tree.
"Two hundred thousand..."
Someone took the lead, and before Lang Jie could even speak up and encourage them, Old Man Xie also set a price.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand..."
"Two hundred and eighty thousand..."
"Three hundred thousand..."
Prices were rising rapidly, and even General Manager Jiang had made an offer. However, everyone in the tent could tell that he must have received instructions from that Japanese man, since he hadn't even gone up to check earlier.
What was most surprising was that Mr. Ma, who was the first to run up, sat calmly in his chair without making any move to speak.
Chapter 91 The Grassland Black Market (6)
Everyone crowded around to examine the money tree, so Zhuang Rui didn't have a chance to use his spiritual energy to identify it.
Since his eyes were upgraded in the Jokhang Temple, Zhuang Rui's eyes have undergone great changes. Although he can no longer absorb the spiritual energy from objects, the distance at which he can release spiritual energy has increased. Now he can easily see through objects within ten meters.
Most importantly, after his encounter at the Jokhang Temple, Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy not only recovered automatically, but his ability to see through things also increased. He could use his spiritual energy to distinguish various minerals, such as iron, copper, and gold, including stones. To conduct experiments, Zhuang Rui even went to a gold and silver jewelry store to verify this.
Seeing everyone blushing and arguing over the price, Zhuang Rui looked up and carefully examined the bronze money tree about seven or eight meters away from him. However, he did not immediately release his spiritual energy, but first observed the style and characteristics of the money tree.
The base of this bronze money tree is likely made of pottery and is shaped like a large mountain. It has three parallel circular holes at the bottom, and the surface is engraved with lotus and persimmon calyx patterns. A monkey-shaped human figure sits atop the petals. At the top of the monkey-shaped figure's head is a vertical circular hole, into which the bronze tree trunk is inserted.
The trunk has six sections. Judging from its appearance, it should be made of bronze. Each section is roughly the same in shape, flat and round, with a hollow upper part that has a cross-shaped slot for hanging branches and leaves. On the front of the middle section of each trunk, there is a relief sculpture of a deity dancing with a snake. The deity is in a crouching position, with clear facial features and hands holding a snake.
Zhuang Rui looked very carefully. This money tree was divided into six layers from bottom to top. Each layer of branches and leaves were inserted into cross-shaped holes in the trunk. The lower layers were decorated with phoenix patterns. On the sixth layer, there was the image of the Queen Mother of the West standing, wearing a magnificent crown and looking straight ahead. To her left stood a green dragon, to her right a white tiger, behind her a black tortoise, and above her head stood a vermilion bird.
The entire money tree was exquisitely crafted. If Zhuang Rui hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably would have found it hard to believe that it was made by ancient artisans, since there weren't as many advanced tools back then.
"Four hundred and seventy thousand..."
The auction inside the tent continued, and the price kept rising. However, the initial bids of 20,000 had now become 10,000. The person who bid 470,000 was the middle-aged man sitting not far from Zhuang Rui.
"Four hundred and eighty thousand..."
Mr. Jiang from Sichuan was equally unyielding, raising the price by another 10,000. At this point, only the two of them were bidding, while the hot-tempered old man, Mr. Xie, seemed to have withdrawn from the competition.
"Damn it, I thought bringing 300,000 was a lot, but now I realize that it's just a lot of noise when we throw this money in."
Liu Chuan, who was initially stunned, has now become somewhat numb. Although Zhuang Rui's manuscript sold for 3.8 million, that was a fixed price, far less exciting than what he is seeing now. When these people shout out 10,000 yuan, it's as casually as paying a few cents more when buying cabbage, without batting an eye.
"Looks like this thing is real. Damn, even if it is real, it's just a few pounds of scrap metal. Is it worth that much money?"
Liu Chuan's words had a sour grapes vibe to them.
"Alright, you rascal, stop complaining. Let's just treat this as an opportunity to broaden our horizons."
Seeing this scene, Zhuang Rui also felt that the 300,000 yuan he brought was indeed a bit insufficient.
Slightly narrowing his eyes, Zhuang Rui released his spiritual energy. Just as his spiritual energy left his eyes, the little white lion in his arms seemed to sense something, making a "woofing" sound and desperately climbing onto Zhuang Rui's shoulder.
Zhuang Rui grabbed the little guy, both amused and exasperated. In the past two days, in order to test the self-regeneration of spiritual energy in his eyes, Zhuang Rui had poured a lot of the spiritual energy that he used to treasure into this little guy, so that the little guy could actually sense it every time he used spiritual energy.
Having dealt with the trouble in his arms, Zhuang Rui turned his attention back to the money tree. When the spiritual energy came into contact with the money tree, a transparent money tree appeared before Zhuang Rui's eyes. It was transparent because the branches and leaves of the money tree had disappeared, and what appeared to Zhuang Rui was just a tree-shaped object constructed of purple spiritual energy. Of course, only Zhuang Rui could see this.
On this purple, transparent money tree, there are many places where spiritual energy cannot circulate. Zhuang Rui noticed that most of these points are where the bronze leaves and branches connect. However, there are also some connection points where spiritual energy can circulate. After thinking about it for a moment, Zhuang Rui understood that these points must have been repaired later, but the technique was so skillful that it was not visible from the outside.
Having reached this conclusion, Zhuang Rui felt a slight surge of excitement. With such a keen eye, he would be virtually invincible when searching for bargains on Taobao. However, his first priority was to read extensively about antiques. Otherwise, even if he could discern the spiritual energy within an object, it would be useless if he didn't know how to date it, its provenance, or its market value. For example, if Zhuang Rui saw an old item, bought it for 200,000 yuan, and then found out it was genuine but only worth 100,000 yuan, he would have suffered a loss due to a lack of knowledge.
"580,000, Mr. Jiang has offered 580,000. This bronze money tree is in such good condition, it's very rare. Although it's a little smaller than the ones that were unearthed, its intricate and exquisite workmanship is even better. In China, you absolutely can't find another one like it. Mr. Li, this is a rare opportunity."
Lang Jie had been shouting for a while, and his voice had become a little hoarse, but he was still very energetic. Seeing that Mr. Li seemed to be backing down, he quickly started to persuade him.
"Six hundred thousand. Anything higher would be Mr. Jiang's. This item is nice, but it has signs of repair. I can only offer a maximum of 600,000."
Upon hearing Mr. Li's words, Zhuang Rui broke out in a cold sweat. He had originally thought that only he knew that the money tree had been repaired, but now he realized that there were many experts in this world. If this unassuming middle-aged man could tell that, then the few people present who hadn't bid were probably not to be underestimated either.
After hearing what Mr. Li said, Mr. Jiang hesitated for a moment. This item was commissioned by Takeuchi to buy, and to be honest, the price was already quite high. After glancing at Takeuchi, Mr. Jiang still shouted, "Six hundred and one thousand."
"Okay, Mr. Jiang has offered 610,000. Are there any other bidders?"
Lang Jie was already quite satisfied with the price. You see, even if this money tree were put in a regular auction house, the final price would not exceed 2 million RMB. The reason is that several bronze leaves are severely damaged. Although Lang Jie put a lot of effort into repairing them, it still couldn't fool some discerning people. Besides, items like this that are obviously from tombs cannot be put in regular auction houses in China.
As for whether Takeuchi buys it for his own collection or puts it up for auction at an international auction house, that's none of Langjie's business. Perhaps those present will call to report it as soon as they leave the tent. In any case, Liu Chuan is already thinking about it.
"Alright, since no one else is making a bid, this Han Dynasty bronze money tree, worth 610,000, belongs to..."
"Seven hundred thousand, I'll offer seven hundred thousand RMB..."
A voice rang out, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It was none other than Boss Ma. After calling out a price of 700,000, he was busy eating an orange that the glamorous woman next to him had peeled, as if he hadn't just called out that price. But no one noticed that deep in the eyes of this fat Boss Ma, whose eyes were reduced to slits, a shrewd and cunning look would occasionally appear.
"Seven hundred thousand, Mr. Ma is indeed extraordinary. His first offer is seven hundred thousand. Mr. Jiang, this item is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Langjie took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly. He had originally thought the deal would be settled for 610,000, but he didn't expect this Fatty Ma to be so rich and powerful. It seems that inviting him this time was the right decision.
Actually, it was quite by chance that we were able to invite Fatty Ma. This wealthy man was traveling in Lhasa with his mistress when Langjie learned from a friend in Shanxi that this big boss had been indulging in refined pursuits in recent years, frequently visiting auction houses and similar venues. So, Langjie gave him a call, and to his surprise, he actually managed to invite him, which was such a pleasant surprise.
After exchanging a few words with Takeuchi beside him, Mr. Jiang from Sichuan shook his head at Lang Jie, indicating that he was giving up on bidding. Lang Jie was not disappointed. His original price for this money tree was 500,000, but Fatty Ma's intervention had truly turned it into a money tree that could produce RMB.
"Congratulations, Mr. Ma. Having this in your home is a real status symbol. Please come forward and make the transaction, Mr. Ma."
“It’s worth hundreds of thousands, why all this trouble? Xiao Zhao, go and get that thing, and give them 700,000.”
The fat man, his mouth stuffed with food, waved his hand impatiently, signaling the young man behind him to go and make a deal with Lang Jie.
"Alright, the next item is today's third item, Tang Yin's 'Li Duanduan' from the Ming Dynasty. If you are interested, you can come up and admire it, but please do not touch it."
The matter of trading the money tree was naturally handled by someone else. Lang Jie had already started the auction of the third item, which was a work by Tang Bohu that had once made Yang Wei's father a laughingstock.
To Zhuang Rui's surprise, after Lang Jie announced the item for auction, no one came forward to take a look, and the scene became deserted.
Chapter 92 The Grassland Black Market (7)
"Hey Langjie, what's going on here? It's either a shahtoosh shawl or a painting by Tang Bohu. What's with this? Alright, let's move on to the next item."
Old Xie was clearly in a bad mood because he didn't manage to photograph the money tree, and he broke the silence in the tent with his words.
"Ahem... ahem, Mr. Xie, let's see the item first. Although this painting, 'Li Duanduan,' by Tang Bohu, is not an authentic work by Tang Bohu, the level of the forgery is quite good. It's worth collecting and appreciating."
Lang Jie coughed twice and explained that he knew that this so-called Tang Bohu "Li Duanduan Picture" was a complete fake. Regardless of the painting skills, you could tell from the scroll's shaft and the paper that it was definitely not from the Qing Dynasty. It was probably a copy from the Republic of China period.