Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Kong Shixian's voice suddenly rose eight octaves. Zhuang Rui realized that this guy was definitely a scoundrel, doing the same old tricks that Da Xiong and the monkey used to pull—if he couldn't fool them, he would force them to sell. His skills were far too low.
Zhuang Rui was getting impatient. There was a 900,000 yuan deal waiting to be discussed inside. He immediately took out his phone and said, "Fine, I'll call the police. You tell the officers how we've bullied you, okay?"
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he prepared to dial 110, his eyes sweeping over the dark brick again. Suddenly, he stopped what he was doing and said to Kong Shixian, who was packing up to leave after hearing that he was going to call the police, "You want us to buy it? How much do you want to sell it for?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zhao Hanxuan became anxious and quickly said, "Boss, this is just an ancient city brick. Although it may have been used as an inkstone, it's not very valuable. Please don't be fooled..."
"Old Zhao, just give him a couple of coins and send him on his way, it'll save you the trouble..."
Zhuang Rui lowered his voice and spoke to Zhao Hanxuan, but Kong Shixian could still hear him. Kong Shixian's face immediately showed a smug look. It seemed that the owner of this shop was also a timid and cowardly person.
"This is an antique inkstone, it's worth at least 30,000... no, 50,000 yuan..."
To be honest, even Da Xiong and the monkey standing to the side were now looking down on this descendant of Confucius. Wasn't he doing a rather sloppy job? He hadn't even figured out how much money he was asking for, yet he dared to come and extort money from them?
"Brother Zhuang, I'll just throw this kid out..."
Nobita stepped forward, moved his wrists and twisted his neck, and immediately a series of cracking sounds came from his bones.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand to stop Da Xiong, counted out twenty pink RMB bills from his handbag, threw them on the table where Kong Shixian had placed the ancient city bricks, and said, "Two thousand yuan. If you want to sell, take the money and leave. If you don't want to sell, just take the stuff and get lost..."
"2000 yuan? That's not even enough for the travel expenses from Zhonghai. Fine, I'll be lenient, 2000 it is..."
Before Kong Shixian could continue speaking, he saw the murderous looks in Zhao Hanxuan and Daxiong's eyes, so he quickly stopped talking, grabbed the RMB on the table, and tried to make a run for it.
"Wait, write a receipt before you leave..."
Zhuang Rui stopped him, asked Zhao Hanxuan for paper and pen, wrote a receipt, and had Kong Shixian sign and put his fingerprint on it. Of course, the receipt did not say "inkstone" but "city brick".
"Damn it, a bunch of idiots! I bought this piece of junk from Zhonghai for 50 yuan and resold it for 2000..."
After leaving "Xuanrui Zhai", Mr. Kong spat at the gate with a smug look on his face.
"Boss, that guy is a fraud. You actually paid for it?"
Da Xiong, with his sharp ears, heard Kong Shixian's cursing and was so angry that he immediately wanted to chase after him.
"Idiot? I think he's just a moron, trying to sell a treasure as garbage..."
Chapter 568 Brick Inkstone (Part 1)
"Idiot? I think he's just a moron, trying to sell a treasure as garbage..."
Zhuang Rui sneered, called out to Da Xiong, and picked up the heavy ancient city brick on the table, examining it carefully.
"Treasure? Boss Zhuang, it's quite common to make inkstones from city bricks, but this one shouldn't be, right?"
Before opening "Shuyazhai", Zhao Hanxuan had been in the business of writing implements for seven or eight years. He considered himself an expert on inkstones, Xuan paper and other items in the garden. But no matter how he looked at this inkstone, it didn't seem like an antique inkstone at all.
"Yes, boss, these city bricks and tomb bricks are pretty much the same. We have them at the Pengcheng antique market, thirty or fifty yuan a piece. Back when we were excavating the Guishan Han tomb, Xiong Ge and I even..."
The monkey, who was standing nearby, was about to speak when Da Xiong suddenly covered his mouth. This experience was not something to be publicized everywhere. Although they did not go to rob a tomb, robbing tomb bricks was not a good business either.
"You two rascals, hey..."
Zhuang Rui was amused by the monkey's words. He didn't expect that these two brothers had such rich experiences, even having worked in this line of work.
"Uncle De, come and take a look at this..."
When Zhuang Rui saw Uncle De accompanying Qi Zhu out of the inner quarters, he quickly handed over the brick he was holding.
"It's an ancient city brick, it's real. Wait, let me take another look..."
After Uncle De took a look, his initial judgment was similar to Zhao Hanxuan's. However, after rubbing the city brick for a while, his expression changed. He put the ancient city brick on the table, took out a magnifying glass and examined it carefully, almost pressing his face against it.
"This thing looks like an old item that's been renovated."
After examining the ancient city brick from all angles, Uncle De muttered to himself, "It doesn't make sense. Judging from the ink-grinding area, it must have been used to make an inkstone, but why hasn't it been polished at all? It couldn't have been made just for the ink surface, could it? And the patina isn't good enough; it's not that old..."
"Uncle De, what's the deal with this brick inkstone?"
Qin Xuanbing looked on with some curiosity. Old Master Qin often wrote calligraphy at home and had used inkstones and brushes, but she wasn't very clear about the origins of these things.
"Hehe, a brick inkstone is an inkstone carved from an ancient brick. Ancient bricks are very old and have high historical value. Because of the excellent quality of ancient bricks, the ink-grinding effect is no less than that of a famous inkstone made of Chengni clay. Moreover, the antique charm of ancient bricks adds a touch of elegant cultural atmosphere to a scholar's studio..."
Uncle De smiled and gave the people in the shop a lesson on ancient inkstones. Apart from Zhao Hanxuan, who knew a little, even Zhuang Rui listened with great interest. Although he had studied miscellaneous appraisal with Uncle De, the scope of miscellaneous appraisal was too broad, and inkstones were a niche collectible, so Zhuang Rui did not know the origin of brick inkstones.
In fact, brick inkstones first appeared during the Tang and Song dynasties and became popular during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods of the Qing dynasty. Most of them were carved by literati and scholars, some for practical use and some for appreciation. As long as the brick inkstones have been passed down from before the Qing dynasty, they are all valuable and sought after by calligraphy and stationery collectors.
The inscriptions on ancient bricks are similar in style to those on other bronze artifacts and stone carvings. Throughout Chinese history, many scholars and literati have compiled and recorded the unusual inscriptions on ancient bricks.
Especially in the late Qing Dynasty, the study of epigraphy and textual research flourished. Many literati and textual researchers took a different approach and became particularly fond of the inscriptions on broken and eroded bricks and tiles. They spent a lot of money to collect them and made great efforts to study them. As a result, "Qin bricks and Han tiles" became famous in the world.
"Uncle De, you're right. This thing really is an old object that has been remade into a new one. It was probably made during the war to prevent it from being lost..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and took the brick from Uncle De's hand, pointing to the ink-covered surface and saying, "This ink-covered surface is smooth and clean, so it must be frequently used, but it doesn't quite match the surrounding area. It's like jade; you can't really tell what's inside just by looking at the outer layer..."
Zhuang Rui held up the ancient city brick and talked eloquently, attracting the attention of everyone in the shop. Even some customers who were originally choosing calligraphy brushes and Xuan paper stopped and listened attentively.
Qin Xuanbing had no interest whatsoever in whether this thing was an ancient inkstone or an ancient city brick, but she was deeply captivated by Zhuang Rui's radiant appearance. It is said that men and women are most charming when they are working, and at this moment, in Qin Xuanbing's eyes, Zhuang Rui was a perfect man who was as handsome as Pan An and as talented as Tang Bohu.
"Excuse me, Mr. Zhuang, may I interrupt you? Can we trade these beads now?"
Qi Zhu, who had always addressed Zhuang Rui as "Boss," now called him "Teacher Zhuang." As the saying goes, there is no order of precedence in learning; those who are accomplished are teachers. Zhuang Rui's comments alone were enough for her to call him "Teacher."
"Oh dear, I forgot about that. Sister Qi Zhu, no problem, let's make the deal now. Do you want to transfer the money, or what?"
Upon hearing Qi Zhu's words, Zhuang Rui immediately stopped talking, much to the dissatisfaction of some customers in the shop. They were just getting into the conversation, so why did he suddenly stop?
"Please transfer the money. Your store should accept credit cards, right? This is my husband. Please transfer 900,000 to them..."
Only then did Zhuang Rui notice a middle-aged man standing next to Qi Zhu. Although he was handsome, he was very quiet. After hearing Qi Zhu's words, he took out a card from his bag and looked at Zhuang Rui.
Judging from Qi Zhu's husband's appearance, he might be a live-in son-in-law. Being a daughter-in-law in a wealthy family is tough, but being a son-in-law in a wealthy family isn't necessarily much easier; it's almost like being a follower.
"Old Zhao, could you handle this for them? That beaded flower, 900,000 RMB, transfer the money and then give them a certificate..."
This was Zhuang Rui's first visit since Xuanrui Zhai reopened after renovations. He had no idea where to transfer money, so he would probably have to ask Zhao Hanxuan to handle it.
"Ah? Oh, okay, fine..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zhao Hanxuan seemed to wake from a dream and agreed. He had been dumbfounded by the conversation between Zhuang Rui and Qi Zhu. They had only been inside for a short time, yet they had already made a deal worth 900,000 yuan, which was equivalent to several months' worth of his usual off-season revenue.
"Sir, let's transfer the money this way..."
When Zhao Hanxuan greeted Qi Zhu's husband, he still felt like he was in a dream. He now understood why Zhuang Rui had agreed to take over his shop so easily. It turned out that antiques were so profitable.
"Boss, tell me more about this brick. How is it considered a treasure?"
Some curious customers in the store couldn't help but ask.
"Okay, based on my judgment, this is an ancient city brick that was split in half, hollowed out, and then the inkstone was inlaid inside. However, I don't know why the ink grinding surface is left on the outside..."
Zhuang Rui was genuinely puzzled. His conclusion was based on the spiritual energy he saw in his eyes. It was clearly an ancient inkstone, brimming with spiritual energy. However, the city brick was clearly capable of holding the entire inkstone inside. He wondered what the person meant by leaving the inkstone behind.
"Xiao Rui, are you sure? There have been cases of people covering real paintings with fake ones for framing before, but I've never heard of anything like this happening to an inkstone..."
Uncle De frowned. He knew that before the liberation and during the ten years of the Cultural Revolution in China, many people tried every means to hide their beloved possessions. Perhaps Zhuang Rui had guessed correctly.
"Uncle De, look at this brick. With a magnifying glass, you can see marks from being polished. It's probably to cover up the seam between the bricks. Whether it's real or not, we'll find out by carefully chipping open this brick..."
Actually, the joints between the city bricks were handled extremely well; even with a magnifying glass, it was difficult to see anything. However, after Zhuang Rui's reminder, Uncle De paid special attention and did notice something amiss. He nodded and said, "The ancients used glutinous rice and paper pulp instead of cement, which had excellent adhesion. But this city brick doesn't seem to have been glued together with those things. Xiao Zhuang, be careful. It's best to soak it in water first, then scrape it open with a knife to check. If there's something inside, don't damage it..."
The stone used to make inkstones is usually quite brittle, and it can sometimes break if it is vibrated too much. That's why Uncle De said that.
"Hehe, Uncle De, why don't we just chisel it open from this side and take a look..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Uncle De was right, but he didn't have time to wait. He had just called Kong Shixian an idiot, and the people in the shop might still think he was a novice. Zhuang Rui just wanted to take out the inkstone inside and prove who the idiot was.
Zhuang Rui called over one of the shop assistants and asked him to find a small hammer. Since there was no chisel, he could only use a flathead screwdriver instead.
Zhuang Rui placed the brick on the ground, squatted down, used his spiritual energy to locate the gaps in the adhesive, aligned the flat end of the screwdriver with those gaps, and gently tapped the handle of the screwdriver with a hammer.
Zhuang Rui's movements were very gentle, as he was afraid that using too much force would damage the inkstone inside. However, the city bricks were fired rather roughly, and under the tapping of the screwdriver, a visible crack was revealed in the area that had been polished.
"Wow, it really is! Brother Zhuang, you're amazing..."
The monkey, who was squatting nearby staring intently at the city bricks, spotted the gap immediately and couldn't help but give Zhuang Rui a thumbs up. At this moment, the customers in the shop were more inclined to believe that the person selling the inkstone was a fool, and for the first time, they no longer guessed that Zhuang Rui was an idiot.
In this world, it is always easier to destroy than to create. Before long, the city brick had been broken in two by Zhuang Rui's violent cracking, and an ancient and elegant inkstone was revealed to everyone inside.
"This...this is actually a brick inkstone from the first year of the Huangwu era by Wu Changshuo..."
After the inkstone was revealed, Uncle De immediately recognized its origin.
Chapter 569 Brick Inkstone (Part 2)
Zhuang Rui didn't know much about miscellaneous antiques like inkstones. After hearing Uncle De's words, he just assumed that the inkstone had been used by Wu Changshuo and didn't care much about it.
Most antiques are things that have been handled and collected by famous people over a long historical period. Although Wu Changshuo was a master of calligraphy and painting in modern times, he was not enough to move Zhuang Rui. If this thing was used by Wang Xizhi to wash brushes and grind ink, Zhuang Rui might be surprised.
The others shared Zhuang Rui's idea, but Zhao Hanxuan was different. He was originally in the business of writing implements and knew a great deal about this inkstone that was recorded in the contemporary famous inkstone catalog. After hearing Uncle De's words, he almost rudely snatched the inkstone from Uncle De's hand.
"In the fourth month of the Renwu year, Jin Fu presented this to me. The Huangwu brick is firm and ancient. How remarkable is the piece of earth left by Sun Lang, which ranks fifth in my inkstone collection. Wow, heavens, it really is a Huangwu brick inkstone made by Wu Lao himself..."
After Zhao Hanxuan read aloud the words engraved on the side of the inkstone, his face was full of excitement. Zhuang Rui, who was standing next to him, also understood. It turned out that this thing was not collected by Wu Changshuo, but was made by that master of painting himself.
"Teacher Ma, could you tell us about the origin of this inkstone?"
Seeing Zhao Hanxuan's excited expression, Qi Zhu knew without asking that the inkstone was extremely valuable. His father was a scholar-merchant who had collected many jade artifacts over the years and also enjoyed calligraphy. Qi Zhu wanted to buy the inkstone and give it to his father as a gift.
"Hehe, Xiao Zhuang, you're really lucky to have found this item. It's been missing ever since Old Wu passed away. I never imagined it was hidden inside an ancient city brick..."
Uncle De sighed, saying that among inkstone collections, Wu Changshuo's brick inkstone would definitely rank in the top 10, with both great collection and practical value.
"This inkstone was originally a brick from the Eastern Wu period of the Three Kingdoms, in the first year of Huangwu. The Jin Fujiang mentioned on this inkstone was a man from Suzhou, Jiangsu. He was generous and chivalrous, and loved collecting antiques, especially ancient pottery and bricks. If he encountered an ancient brick or tile that he loved, he would borrow money to buy it even if he didn't have enough money, determined to get it."
Jin Fu learned that Mr. Wu Changshuo was a great lover of ancient bricks and considered him a kindred spirit. After being introduced to him by a friend, they became acquainted and exchanged rubbings of ancient artifacts. Their friendship deepened day by day and eventually they became close friends. It was he who gifted this city brick to Wu Changshuo.
In the eighth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, Mr. Changshuo presented Jin Fujiang with a horizontal scroll bearing the four characters "Dao Zai Wa Pi" (The Way is in the Tiles), which greatly pleased Jin Fujiang. A few days later, on the ninth day of the fourth lunar month, he reported this with an ancient jar from his family's collection. This jar was unearthed and dates back to the Zhou or Qin dynasty. The jar was unmarked, simple and charming.
Mr. Changshuo, who called himself "Old Jar" or "Old Jar Master," cherished this jar very much, and even after his death, he kept it in his mausoleum.
However, Jin Fu passed away not long after, causing Mr. Wu Changshuo great sorrow. When Mr. Wu was seventy-two years old, he used this brick inkstone to test the ink collected by Mr. Dongxin. Seeing the object reminded him of his friend, and tears streamed down his face. It can truly be said that the feelings of the brick inkstone were as deep as heaven and earth.
Therefore, the two most cherished objects in his life were that ancient jar and this brick inkstone that you see here..."
In fact, Jin Fu gave Wu Changshuo more than one ancient city brick. Another inkstone made from a brick from the second year of Jianheng in the Han-Jin period was also very famous. However, that one was not made by Mr. Wu Changshuo himself, so it is not as famous as this inkstone.
After Uncle De finished speaking, everyone looked at the brick inkstone and seemed to feel the deep friendship between the two friends more than a century ago. For a moment, the shop became quiet, and even the customers who were selecting stationery were moved by the story Uncle De told.