Not only did Zhuang Rui not believe what Boss Zhao said, but even Miao Feifei, who was standing next to him, curled her lips. If it was something that Li Hongzhang had used, that would be somewhat possible. As for the reluctance to sell, it was probably because they couldn't agree on a price.
After examining the inkstone for a moment, Zhuang Rui said, "Let's look at other things first. Mr. Zhao, could you help me pick out some good Xuan paper, as well as some good ink and a brush? We can discuss the price after we've chosen what we like."
Zhuang Rui could accept the price of this inkstone. He had troubled Grandpa Gu so many times, so giving him an item worth tens of thousands of yuan was nothing. You know, if Gu Tianfeng had charged a fee for the few jade pendants that he carved for Zhuang Rui, Grandpa Gu wouldn't have taken the job for less than tens of thousands of yuan.
When Mr. Zhao was making the initial offer, he had been secretly observing Zhuang Rui's reaction. Seeing that Zhuang Rui still looked nonchalant after hearing the price of 120,000, he knew that he had met a big customer. He then carefully selected several other items for Zhuang Rui.
Writing brushes are fragile and difficult to preserve, so very few ancient brushes have survived to this day. Boss Zhao didn't have any, so he provided Zhuang Rui with an ivory brush with wolf tail bristles. Of course, the price was also quite high, with Boss Zhao asking for 12,000 yuan right off the bat.
Chapter 305 Coincidences Make History
Of the Four Treasures of the Study, paper is the least valued. Yet it is also the most important, because without paper, no matter how good your calligraphy or how high your skill, your work cannot be passed down to posterity.
These days, anything even remotely related to culture can be counterfeited, and Xuan paper is no exception. Many unscrupulous merchants use calligraphy and painting paper to impersonate Xuan paper in order to make a profit.
Calligraphy and painting paper is just an ordinary paper with ink-absorbing properties and has a very short lifespan. In contrast, well-preserved calligraphy and painting treasures, ancient books, documents, and seal albums from various dynasties can last for thousands of years without decaying. This is the best proof of Xuan paper's characteristic of "paper lasting a thousand years." The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.
The finest Xuan paper is still made using the traditional bamboo screen filtering and paper-making method, then dried over a heated wall and manually peeled and pasted. Each sheet is inspected individually by sight and hand. Its production process and price are incomparable to mass-produced calligraphy and painting paper.
Although the ancients were particular about the use of Xuan paper, they did not understand the production process of Xuan paper. However, several modern masters of calligraphy and painting have left behind this beautiful story.
A large number of calligraphy and painting masters, including Liu Haisu, Yin Shoushi, Wu Zuoren, and Li Keran, made special trips to Xuan paper manufacturers during their lifetimes, despite their advanced age, poor health, and long distances, to learn about the Xuan paper production process.
Liu Haisu once lamented: "We have used Xuan paper all our lives, but we do not understand how it is made. Therefore, we must come and see it before we die. Firstly, to fulfill our wish, and secondly, to express our gratitude to the Xuan paper workers. The Xuan paper workers are our bread and butter. Without good Xuan paper, there would be no good calligraphy and painting works."
The masters expressed their gratitude for Xuan paper by writing inscriptions and creating paintings, which became a well-known story in the calligraphy and painting world. Since then, people have paid more and more attention to the use of Xuan paper.
Mr. Zhao selected five reams of top-quality Xuan paper from Shaoxing, Zhejiang for Zhuang Rui. This type of paper is pure white in appearance, and according to Mr. Zhao, it can be cut at will, has strong ink absorption, and will not deform when exposed to moisture.
Zhuang Rui touched it and felt that it was soft yet tough to the touch. He found it difficult to tear even with light force, so he nodded in agreement to the price of 1,000 RMB for this six-foot-long sheet of Xuan paper. People say the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts; if everyone followed Zhuang Rui's standard, the saying would probably be reversed.
"Mr. Zhao, I'll pick out a piece of ink myself..."
Just as Boss Zhao was selecting ink blocks for Zhuang Rui, Zhuang Rui suddenly spoke up because he discovered that on the shelf where the ink was displayed, there was actually an ink block that contained spiritual energy. Obviously, this ink was quite old. Zhuang Rui walked over and picked up the oval-shaped ink block.
When Boss Zhao saw the ink Zhuang Rui had chosen, a slight look of surprise appeared on his face. He said, "Young man, you're not an amateur. This pine soot ink is quite old. I acquired it from that old man's clansman many years ago..."
"The shopkeeper's clansmen?"
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and couldn't help but laugh. These scholars always speak in circles. Why don't you just say you bought it from the Manchus?
"Yes, brother, the person who sold me this pine soot ink was your master back in the day..."
"Bah, I am now my own master."
The shopkeeper laughed and spat at Boss Zhao.
The two seemed to have a good relationship. Boss Zhao said with a smile, "Please don't spit on me. He is a descendant of Prince Gong. This pine soot ink was also preserved from the Prince Gong Mansion's inventory. It is made from soot from the right pine of Zhongnan Mountain. There are not many inks made this way now."
Zhuang Rui nodded, casually handed the pine soot ink to Boss Zhao, and said, "Okay, I'll take this ink. Boss Zhao, could you calculate the total price? I'll take all these items."
"You want that ancient inkstone from Yishui too?"
Boss Zhao asked, "When I introduced that inkstone earlier, Zhuang Rui's attitude was noncommittal. I didn't expect this unassuming young man to be a wealthy man."
"Yes, please calculate it."
"The inkstone is 120,000, five reams of fine water-patterned Xuan paper is 5,000, the ivory and wolf-hair brush is 12,000, and the Zhongnan pine soot ink is 9,000. Young man, that's 146,000 in total. I'll round it down to 145,000 for you. How does that sound?"
Mr. Zhao took a calculator, quoted a price, and started calculating. After he finished, he looked up at Zhuang Rui.
"Okay, that's the price Mr. Zhao quoted. Can you pay by card?"
Zhuang Rui had no objection to the price; he hadn't been hoping to find a bargain when buying these items. Although there are many hidden gems, the shop owners had already thoroughly researched their own collections, making the chances of finding a bargain in an antique shop very slim.
The shopkeeper was a little disappointed after hearing Zhuang Rui's straightforward reply. He had introduced Zhuang Rui to this Shuyazhai shop partly to help his old friend make money, and partly because the stationery sold here was a little more expensive than in other shops. The shopkeeper had even thought that if Zhuang Rui couldn't afford it, he might consider selling the Longshan black pottery piece. However, this plan had obviously failed again.
After buying the set of calligraphy and painting supplies, it was already past 5 p.m., and Zhuang Rui was no longer in the mood to shop around. Since Miao Feifei had to go to work the next day, Zhuang Rui took her home, called Grandpa Gu, and drove straight to the courtyard house where Grandpa Gu lived.
After parking the car outside the alley, Zhuang Rui carried the set of stationery towards the old man's house. The old man had just told him on the phone to come over for dinner.
"You little rascal. Didn't I tell you last time not to buy anything? This old man doesn't need anything."
When Zhuang Rui entered the courtyard, he found that the once quiet place had become lively. Several children were chasing and playing, and Gu Lao was sitting under a tree, playing Go with a man in his thirties. When he saw what Zhuang Rui was carrying, his expression turned somewhat displeased.
Zhuang Rui chuckled and placed the box next to the chessboard, saying, "Uncle-Master, please take a look at what this is before you speak. And who is this gentleman?"
"Hello, my name is Gu Yun. You must be Zhuang Rui, the one my dad often mentions?"
The man stood up, shook hands with Zhuang Rui, and took the opportunity to shuffle the chessboard.
"You little rascal, you always pull this trick when you're about to lose..."
Old Gu chuckled and scolded his son, then casually opened the things Zhuang Rui had bought.
"Hey? Xiao Zhuang, you have good taste! You actually managed to buy such a nice item?"
The old man was immediately attracted to the Yishui ancient inkstone. Forgetting what he had just said, he picked it up and started playing with it. The inkstone's design was simple yet had a touch of childlike fun, making it a fine example of Yishui inkstones.
Gu Yun also reached out and took out the wolf-hair brush, then squeezed the pine soot ink in his hand, and said to Zhuang Rui with a smile, "Brother Zhuang, you really know how to give gifts. My old man loves this kind of thing. But this set of writing materials must be quite expensive, right?"
Before Zhuang Rui could reply, the old man said, "Well, this set is worth over ten thousand, but since young Zhuang is rich, I'll accept it. Hmm, young Zhuang, please have a seat. Take good care of this, otherwise it would be a pity if these little devils broke it..."
As he spoke, Gu Lao put the Yi Shui inkstone back into the box, then hurriedly walked into the house with the box. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but chuckle; this way of catering to his tastes was indeed effective.
"Brother Gu, you know about this stuff too?"
Zhuang Rui sat down and chatted casually with Gu Yun. It wasn't surprising that the old man could tell that the item was valuable, but Gu Yun also recognized it at a glance, so he must be a player as well.
"I'm just messing around. That's all I know, and I learned it all from my old man..."
"What have you learned from me? You brat, you gave up a perfectly good university lecturer job to become a foreman, what a good-for-nothing!"
Before Gu Yun could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Old Master Gu, who came out of the house with a look of disappointment on his face.
“Dad, haven’t you heard? Even professors are selling tea eggs now. We junior lecturers should naturally follow the trend and try our luck in the business world…”
Gu Yun wasn't angry. He kept bantering with his dad. That's a common habit among Beijingers. Putting everything else aside, their verbal skills are absolutely top-notch. When Zhuang Rui first came here, he was almost fooled by the taxi driver.
"Brother Gu, what are you doing right now?"
Seeing that the old man was about to say a few more words, Zhuang Rui quickly changed the subject. He was also a little curious. In previous years, he had often heard of university teachers going into business, but he never expected to see one sitting in front of him.
Gu Yun glanced at his father's expression, which didn't seem genuinely angry, and said with a smile, "Hehe, I'm just doing a small business. My former mentor was a domestic expert in ancient architecture, and he often had ancient buildings that needed repair. There weren't any professional construction teams like that in China, so I started a company that specializes in ancient building repairs..."
"What? Brother Gu, you're in this line of work?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui was amazed. It was truly an incredible coincidence! He had been looking for such a company, and now it had come to him without any effort at all.
"What's wrong? We're earning our living through our own abilities, there's nothing shameful about it!"
Gu Yun assumed that Zhuang Rui, like his father, looked down on his job, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Zhuang Rui waved his hands repeatedly and said, "No, no, Brother Gu, please don't misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I mean, it's such a coincidence. I just bought a courtyard house a few days ago, but it's a bit dilapidated and needs a lot of renovation. I was just worried about not being able to find a suitable company..."
"Oh? This courtyard house is inhabited year-round, so some parts are quite troublesome to repair. Let's take a look first."
Gu Yun's expression softened after hearing Zhuang Rui's words.
"Okay, I wonder if Brother Gu has time tomorrow?"
Zhuang Rui wanted to settle this matter as soon as possible, otherwise, what would he do if he spent 60 or 70 million to buy a house and just left it there as decoration?
Chapter 306 Guests
The restoration of ancient buildings is something that most people don't know much about. After all, there aren't many ancient buildings left in cities these days. Apart from some historical cities, there are probably only temples that are far removed from the world.
However, the profit margin for ancient building restoration is quite high, much higher than that for ordinary house renovation. This is because the industry requires not only professional knowledge but also specific channels to purchase antique-style building materials. These materials are several times more expensive than ordinary building materials, which allows for many shady practices.
Gu Yun's ancient architecture company has developed very well in recent years. Because they once took on the renovation work of the Palace Museum, they are quite famous in Beijing. Now their business is not only the renovation of ancient buildings, but also undertake some antique building projects requested by clients.
"Brother Zhuang, how big is your courtyard house? How much are you planning to spend on renovations?"
To be honest, Gu Yun wasn't really keen on taking Zhuang Rui's job. There were many restrictions on construction in the city, especially with courtyard houses. The project wasn't large, but it required a lot of effort, and the client was his father's junior. He was also too embarrassed to resort to any shady practices like cutting corners. If it weren't for his father's relationship with Zhuang Rui, he wouldn't have even bothered asking the question.
"Brother Gu, I know absolutely nothing about renovations, and I can't estimate the exact cost right now. You'll have to see it for yourself to know. The yard isn't very big, maybe a little over two thousand square meters..."
Zhuang Rui wanted to build the courtyard house to a high standard, but he didn't care much about the money. He had over 20 million yuan on hand, which should be enough to spend however he wanted.
"Hmm, over two thousand square meters, that's not very..."
Gu Yun continued following Zhuang Rui's words, but before she could utter the word "big," she suddenly snapped out of her daze, staring at Zhuang Rui with wide eyes, and exclaimed, "A courtyard house of over two thousand square meters?"
After seeing Zhuang Rui nod in confirmation, Gu Yun was somewhat dumbfounded. After a long while, he said, "Alright, I'll go to the site with you first thing tomorrow morning. Brother Zhuang, you're really something else! This duplex courtyard of over 2,000 square meters isn't cheap. It'll probably cost at least 80 million..."
Gu Tianfeng had mentioned Zhuang Rui to his son, but he hadn't discussed Zhuang Rui's wealth. He only mentioned that Zhuang Rui had an extraordinary intuition and talent for appraising jade. That's why Gu Yun reacted so strongly when he heard that Zhuang Rui's courtyard house was over 2,000 square meters. Since he deals with houses every day, he naturally knew how much Zhuang Rui's courtyard house was worth.
"Hehe, not that many. Oh, by the way, if I'm going tomorrow, I need to make plans with someone..."
Zhuang Rui remembered the ancient architecture expert his uncle had found for him, and quickly rummaged through his wallet to find the business card. He was going to look at houses tomorrow, and he wasn't sure if the other person would be available if he made an appointment with them today.
Gu Yun, who was sitting closer to Zhuang Ruijin, leaned over for a look and quickly asked, "Hey? Brother, where did you get this business card?"
"Someone introduced me to an expert in ancient architecture, saying he's very famous in China. I'd like him to take a look at the overall layout. Brother Gu, I hope this won't conflict with your plans?"
Zhuang Rui thought that Gu Yun was afraid that Professor Zhou would take the job away from him, so he quickly explained it to him.
"Well, Professor Zhou is my master's supervisor. I must say, you have quite the connections. My supervisor never helps private individuals with house viewings or drawing up blueprints."
It's truly a coincidence. Zhuang Rui was somewhat surprised to hear Gu Yun's words, but it was a good thing. After all, Gu Yun's son wouldn't try to cheat him, right? As long as the quality of the renovation was guaranteed, Zhuang Rui didn't care much about spending a little more money.
However, after hearing what Gu Yun said, Zhuang Rui was a little unsure whether he could invite Professor Zhou. After the call connected, he quickly gave his uncle's name. Fortunately, Professor Zhou checked his schedule and agreed.
Zhuang Rui quickly called Ouyang Zhenwu again and explained the matter. He knew that Professor Zhou's quick agreement was not because of his own face.
After Zhuang Rui finished his call, Old Master Gu was somewhat displeased and tapped the table. He said, "Hey, you two lads, are you ever going to stop? Do you come here to talk business like this?"
"No, that's not true, Uncle Gu. I came to deliver that set of writing implements to you. If you're not satisfied, I can just take it with me later."
Zhuang Rui felt a similar connection to Uncle De; both were genuinely protective of him, which is why Zhuang Rui spoke very casually.
"You brat, isn't it only right that I take your set of writing materials? But you're better than my son. All he does is give me things like Brain Gold and Brain Supplements. He never gives his old man anything he likes. He's not filial at all..."
"Dad, you've wronged me..."
Gu Yun cried out that he was wronged by what the old man said. "It's all for your health, old man!" Gu Yun exclaimed. "How come it's become unfilial in the old man's mouth?"
"Dad, dinner's ready."
Just as Gu Yun was about to continue protesting his innocence, his wife came out of the kitchen. Zhuang Rui quickly stood up and greeted her as "Sister-in-law." Gu Yun's wife was also a teacher, currently teaching at a university. After greeting Zhuang Rui, she went to gather the children who were running wildly in the yard and brought them to the dining table.