"Tacky!"
Old Master Lü forced out a single word through gritted teeth, causing everyone in the room to look at Liu Chuan. However, this fellow was always thick-skinned and completely oblivious to the contemptuous looks from the crowd, still waiting expectantly for Boss Song's explanation.
Chapter 027 Sanhe Liu
After a moment's thought, Boss Song said, "If we're talking about the lineage of cricket gourds, it's not very long. The earliest cricket gourds appeared during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty. They were presented to the palace by local officials for princes and nobles to play with and appreciate. Back then, they were called 'official models'."
The heyday of cricket gourds was during the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns. As more and more people appreciated them, the production of cricket gourds actually developed rapidly and later spread to the common people.
Among the pioneers of folk gourd making, Liu from Sanhe is undoubtedly the foremost. His representative works include the tall monk's head gourd, the short monk's head gourd, the smacking-lip gourd, and the tooth-shaped gourd, etc., which are highly praised by later generations. Their value has even surpassed that of official molds. During the Xianfeng era, many nobles and eunuchs in the palace collected gourds made by Liu from Sanhe. It can be seen that Liu's works were rare both then and now. Collectors of miscellaneous items dream of owning a gourd from Liu from Sanhe. Brother Zhuang, you are really lucky.
Zhuang Rui smiled but didn't reply. He knew that if he said anything at this moment, others would think he was being pretentious, so it was better to remain silent than to say anything.
"In recent years, people's living standards have improved. In addition to growing flowers and plants, many people can also hear the chirping of crickets during the Spring Festival, which is a kind of fun. Not to mention, in our market alone, there are at least a hundred or eighty people who raise crickets. Now, there are more people raising crickets in Tianjin in winter than in summer. Whoever can raise crickets from summer and autumn until the Spring Festival is a 'big player'. The price of cricket gourds has also been rising all the way. But for fine ones like Sanhe Liu's, there is no market for them."
Mr. Wang, standing to the side, continued Mr. Song's words, making no attempt to hide the envy on his face. For collectors like them, the price of an item is only one aspect; more importantly, certain types of items are extremely rare, and often money alone cannot buy them.
What Wang and Song didn't mention is that with the increasing number of people playing with crickets, artificial breeding of crickets has flourished into an industry. Therefore, during the Spring Festival, raising crickets has become a common sight in many families in the Beijing-Tianjin area and surrounding areas, which also expresses the urban population's yearning for rural life. Naturally, the price of fine cricket gourds with age has risen accordingly. Even some people who don't collect things have a special fondness for some good cricket gourds.
"Hey, brothers, we've been talking for so long, how much is this thing actually worth?"
Liu Chuan listened intently for a long time, but still couldn't figure out the price of the gourd, so he finally asked.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Lü angrily said, "You only care about the price. You should know that this kind of thing hasn't appeared for years. I only saw one forty years ago. You can't buy it even if you have money."
Seeing that Liu Chuan still looked confused, Boss Song explained, "According to market prices, Liu's gourds from Sanhe are worth between 50,000 and 100,000 yuan. However, now that more people are playing with crickets, the price is still rising. It's hard to say what will happen in a few years."
"Oh, it's only worth a few tens of thousands of yuan. Just give me a straight answer, that's all. You're such a long-winded old man. By the way, Uncle Lü, Grandpa Lü, why did you only offer 100 yuan to that kid Da Xiong yesterday? If you had offered more, you could have bought it first..."
Liu Chuan finally understood the price of the item. Hearing that it was only tens of thousands of yuan, he didn't care much. Not only him, but everyone in the shop, except Zhuang Rui, wouldn't care about that amount of money. However, the market price doesn't fully represent the value of antiques. Liu Chuan didn't understand that if someone really liked the item, it would be normal for them to offer tens of thousands of yuan to buy it. As the saying goes, "A thousand pieces of gold can't buy what I like," which is exactly the point.
Liu Chuan's words seemed to have hit a nerve with Old Master Lü, making the old man so angry that his eyebrows shot up. He pointed at Liu Chuan and cursed, "You brat, get the hell out of here! I offered 100 yuan, that's a bargain, you know? It's all about having a good eye, doing business, and enjoying the experience. You're hopeless, you'll only ever sell dogs and raise cats in the future."
The two bosses, Song and Wang, nodded in agreement. The joy of collecting lies in the process. The sense of satisfaction you feel after successfully finding a bargain is something that outsiders cannot understand.
"So what if you didn't get the bargain and my brother beat you to it? Why are you getting so angry..."
Liu Chuan muttered to himself sullenly.
"Brother Zhuang, now that you know the origins of this cricket gourd, are you still interested in making a purchase?"
Seeing that the situation was a bit awkward, Boss Song spoke up to Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui was also pondering this in his heart. He had spent a lot of money during this period, and only tens of thousands of yuan were left. If he came across any good things, he might not have enough money to buy them. In any case, he had already absorbed the spiritual energy in the gourd, so he might as well sell it.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui said, "I bought this cricket gourd with the intention of raising the crickets inside, but I didn't expect it to be such a treasure. If you like it, Brother Song, I'll give it to you, but I'll keep the crickets inside."
"Hey, Xiao Song, I've had my eye on this thing since yesterday. You're not going to try and take it from this old man, are you? You know I'm into all sorts of things, and I've been looking for this for a long time."
Upon hearing that Zhuang Rui intended to sell the cricket gourd, Old Master Lü couldn't sit still any longer.
"Hehe, old man, please let me have this time. You have so many good things in your house that you can hardly fit them all. Why are you competing with us younger generation? Xiao Zhuang, I'll offer 60,000 for this gourd."
Although Song Jun was extremely respectful to the old man, he didn't hold back at all, even shouting out the price.
"I'll offer 70,000!"
Even Mr. Wang, who hadn't said much the whole time, started bidding. It wasn't that they were undermining each other; it's just that cricket gourds from Sanhe Liu are indeed rare, and this one, in terms of appearance, patina, openwork core, and sound-producing reed, is a masterpiece from Sanhe Liu. If you don't buy it now, you might never see this kind of opportunity again in your lifetime.
Although Grandpa Lü was furious, there was nothing he could do. As the saying goes, the marketplace is like a battlefield. Collectors are even less likely to let go of items they like. Some collectors will even pester sellers for years to get what they want. No one will care about respecting the elderly or caring for the young in such situations.
"80,000, Xiao Zhuang. I'll also give you a cricket gourd from the Republic of China era. It's not expensive, but it's still worth three to five thousand. What do you think?"
Not to be outdone, Manager Lü immediately added 10,000. In fact, considering the market value of this gourd, 80,000 would be considered a high price if it were traded privately among players. Of course, if it were promoted and auctioned off, the price would be unpredictable.
Upon hearing Manager Lü's offer, the two bosses, Song and Wang, hesitated. Their reasons for wanting to buy the gourd from Sanhe Liu were twofold: firstly, they genuinely liked it, and secondly, it was a rare commodity with potential for profit. Perhaps a cricket enthusiast in the north would take a liking to it, allowing them to make a fortune. However, at 80,000, the profit margin was already very small. Raising the price further would incur certain risks. More importantly, they weren't specifically interested in miscellaneous items; further price increases would smack of malicious competition.
The two men exchanged a glance and slowly shook their heads. Although Old Master Lü had won the gourd without any competitors, he was still very bitter. He was the one who had come across the item first. If he hadn't been so determined yesterday to let the gourd's original owner out of the way, it would have been his long ago. The price had increased nearly a hundredfold in just one day. How could he be happy?
"I'll offer 150,000..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to agree to the deal, Qin Xuan's icy voice rang out.
Chapter 28 Intervening
"I'll offer 150,000..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to agree to the deal, Qin Xuan's icy voice rang out.
Upon hearing this, everyone in the shop turned their attention to Qin Xuanbing. Qin Xuanbing ignored everyone's gazes and simply looked at Zhuang Rui, waiting for his reply. The focus, however, shifted back to Zhuang Rui, the owner of the item. Zhuang Rui, unsure of what the woman was planning, remained silent, and the shop fell silent for a moment.
"Miss, you...you also enjoy collecting these kinds of items?"
Grandpa Lü couldn't hold back any longer and asked, his face somewhat unpleasant. In his opinion, this delicate young girl didn't seem like someone in this line of work at all. Although Liu's gourds from Sanhe were rare and their prices had been rising year by year, the 80,000 RMB he had offered was already slightly above the market price. This girl had shouted out a price of 150,000 RMB, which was either a joke or a deliberate attempt to stir up trouble.
"Everyone can make an offer, why can't I? 150,000, Mr. Zhuang, you can consider it..."
Qin Xuan replied crisply, leaving the final decision to Zhuang Rui with just one simple sentence.
Qin Xuanbing's words were somewhat harsh, but there was no way to refute them. She was right; in business, the highest bidder wins. Since Zhuang Rui wanted to sell, she naturally had the right to buy. However, she didn't consider that her actions had already offended the others and were somewhat like throwing money at them.
Zhuang Rui frowned and pondered for a while before finally speaking, "Miss Qin, this was the item that Manager Lü first took a liking to. He's been looking for it for a long time. As the saying goes, a gentleman doesn't take what others love. What do you think..."
Although there was no explicit refusal, the meaning was clear: if Miss Qin couldn't give a reason, the item would still have to be sold to Manager Lü.
Hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Qin Xuanbing was slightly moved. She had been a guest at Zhuang Rui's home and could tell that his family was only of average means. More than 100,000 yuan was already a huge sum of money for an ordinary family in Pengcheng. What's more, he had obtained the gourd from Sanhe Liu so easily, and it had increased more than 150 times in a short period of time. She really couldn't understand why Zhuang Rui would refuse.
Another point is that, although Qin Xuanbing has never had everyone go along with her in all her life, being rejected by a young man of similar age is something she has never experienced before. This surprised or made her feel uncomfortable, and it also made her a little curious about Zhuang Rui.
What Qin Xuanbing didn't know was that after revealing this, Zhuang Rui was also in a dilemma. It wasn't that he didn't want to earn the extra 70,000 yuan; nobody in this world has too much money to spare. It wasn't that he didn't believe Qin Xuanbing couldn't come up with the 150,000 yuan; given her wealth, she probably didn't even care about those 100,000 yuan.
Zhuang Rui's dilemma was that Manager Lü had just stated that he had his eye on the gourd yesterday, and he hadn't used that to pressure others into lowering the price. Instead, he had given the most suitable price in the current market, acting with reason and evidence. If Zhuang Rui sold the gourd to Qin Xuanbing simply because she offered a higher price, he would definitely offend Old Master Lü and Boss Song Wang. In that case, not only would he be unable to establish himself in the Pengcheng antique collecting world, but Liu Chuan, who was doing business in this market, would also be implicated.
This outcome did not align with Zhuang Rui's original intention. He had initially agreed to transfer the gourd from Liu of Sanhe, partly because he was short of funds, and partly because he wanted to cultivate good relations with these big names in the Pengcheng art collecting world.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Grandpa Lü and the two bosses, Wang and Song, nodded slightly, their tense expressions easing. They secretly praised Zhuang for his good manners. They were both well-off and didn't care much about a few hundred thousand, but there were occasions where saving face was important. Wang and Song withdrew at 80,000, but Qin Xuanbing's bid of 150,000 was clearly a slap in the face. Naturally, the people who were still trying to raise the price for the gourd were quite uncomfortable.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's determined expression, which seemed to imply that he wouldn't sell the item to her unless she gave him an explanation, Qin Xuanbing finally spoke up, her delicate lips uttering softly: "My grandfather is from Tianjin. He went to Hong Kong before the liberation and has never returned to the mainland since. I've often heard him mention these things from old Tianjin, and I want to buy them to give to him."
Qin Xuanbing's words stunned Manager Lü and the others. Collecting is all about orderly inheritance and promoting traditional culture. Filial piety is the most important virtue, and Qin Xuanbing's reasoning was very convincing. Moreover, the price she offered also reflected her filial piety towards her grandfather. Filial piety cannot be measured by money, so there was no intention to use money to bribe people. Manager Lü and the others naturally had nothing to say, and this matter could not be blamed on Zhuang Rui. They could only blame their bad luck.
"Manager Lü, look at this..."
Zhuang Rui looked at Old Master Lü. Qin Xuanbing's reasons for buying the cricket gourd were sufficient, and he had no reason not to sell it, unless Shopkeeper Lü also had a grandfather to offer as a gift, but that was obviously impossible.
"Alright, alright, these days not many young people know how to respect their elders. Little girl, this old man won't fight you for it anymore. Okay, Xiao Zhuang, let's meet at Xiao Song's Jingxuan Teahouse at 10 a.m. tomorrow. We'll take our leave now..."
Old Master Lü was having a rough day, and he was so angry he had nowhere to vent. He didn't want to stay any longer, so he exchanged glances with Boss Song and Boss Wang, and then said goodbye to Zhuang Rui and the others.
As the group bowed and prepared to leave, Zhuang Rui grew anxious and quickly called out, "Manager Lü, brothers, ever since I obtained that manuscript, I've developed a bit of an interest in these rare ancient books. Tomorrow, we can't just look at my manuscript, can we? This tea tasting and treasure appraisal can't be too monotonous. Do you gentlemen have any good items you'd like to show me? Would that be alright?"
Zhuang Rui's main intention in readily agreeing to transfer the cricket gourd was to get these leading figures in Pengcheng's collecting circles to share their treasures, so he could take advantage of the situation and see if he could replenish his spiritual energy. However, Qin Xuanbing interfered in today's matter, and the result was not satisfactory, so Zhuang Rui had no choice but to shamelessly bring it up.
The group exchanged glances and nodded. Although they hadn't managed to acquire the gourd from Sanhe Liu that they'd seen at Zhuang Rui's place today, leaving them slightly disappointed, they still admired Zhuang Rui. At the very least, he was steady, not impetuous, and unmoved by money, which was enough for them to value him.
In today's society, young people in their early twenties are all obsessed with money. Let alone tens of thousands of yuan, they would sell themselves for even a few tens of thousands of yuan. Therefore, Zhuang Rui's qualities are highly regarded by some people who adhere to traditional culture. This is also why Uncle De of the pawnshop treats Zhuang Rui differently.
"Alright, since Xiao Zhuang has made the request, then everyone must not hold back tomorrow. Show off any good items you have. You two have been hiding quite a few good things, haven't you? You'll have to bring them out tomorrow..."
With these words, Grandpa Lü had essentially agreed to Zhuang Rui's request.
"But Xiao Zhuang, if I take a fancy to your manuscript tomorrow, you'd better give me, this old man, priority."
Old Master Lü's last words as he left the shop stunned Zhuang Rui. As expected, he was shrewd with age; the old man had suffered a loss today, but he was already thinking of making up for it tomorrow.
Chapter 29 Travel?
After seeing off Grandpa Lü and his group, Zhuang Rui, who had made a windfall, took Nannan out to dinner with Liu Chuan and the others. After dinner, Qin Xuanbing went to a bank and transferred 150,000 yuan to Zhuang Rui. Meanwhile, Nannan was completely captivated by the pets in Liu Chuan's shop and insisted on going back to the pet shop after dinner. Helpless, Zhuang Rui took Nannan to help Liu Chuan watch the shop, while Liu Chuan drove the two young ladies home.
"Leilei, how can Zhuang Rui be so hypocritical? When I first made my offer, he refused, but when I transferred the money to him just now, he didn't even bother to be polite and just took the money directly. This man is so stingy!"
Qin Xuanbing nestled on Leilei's bed, playing with the cricket gourd she had bought from Zhuang Rui, and kept complaining. Her initial curiosity about Zhuang Rui had now turned into anger. If the men who knew her knew that the usually aloof Miss Qin was behaving like this, they would be completely astonished.
Lei Lei looked at Qin Xuanbing with amusement and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Has our Miss Qin fallen for someone? I've known you for so many years and I've never seen you bring up any man on your own initiative. But speaking of which, apart from his average family background, Zhuang Rui is a very outstanding person. You should really consider him."
Lei Lei's words surprised Qin Xuanbing. Yes, growing up, apart from her father and grandfather, she had never paid much attention to her cousins. What was wrong with her today, constantly mentioning that hateful man? Qin Xuanbing felt that in front of Zhuang Rui, her proud appearance seemed unable to stir any emotion in this man, except for that chance encounter at the supermarket that day, which left Qin Xuanbing feeling very frustrated.
If Qin Xuanbing knew that Zhuang Rui was just good at hiding his true feelings, and that he had even had the urge to use his spiritual energy to strip her naked, I wonder if Qin Xuanbing would be proud of it or curse Zhuang Rui for being a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Qin Xuanbing, still furious, gritted her teeth at the thought of Zhuang Rui's faint smile. This hypocritical man, who clearly valued money but acted so indifferent, had made her the villain. On the way back, Liu Chuan explained what had happened that day, and Qin Xuanbing realized that by rashly offering a high price, she had broken the rules of the antique trade in a sense. This only deepened her hatred for Zhuang Rui.
"Leilei, let's go see their tea tasting and treasure appraisal tomorrow. I want to see if that hypocritical man can keep up this good luck. His manuscript must be worthless."
It seems that Qin Xuanbing can only regain her sense of superiority when she sees Zhuang Rui suffer misfortune.
Qin Xuanbing, who had studied upper-class etiquette and social skills at St. Mary's School for Girls in England for three years, was unaware that, from a psychological perspective, when a man can influence a woman's emotions, it often signifies that something extraordinary is beginning to happen. ...
"Achoo! Who's thinking of me again?"
Zhuang Rui rubbed his slightly sore nose, guessing that the guy was cursing him again.
Right now, he was sitting idly in Liu Chuan's pet shop, surfing the internet. If there's one thing Liu Chuan has to say about, it's that he's ashamed and then motivated. After learning how to get online, early on the third day of the Lunar New Year, this guy waited outside the telecommunications bureau, pestering them relentlessly and even pulling strings and giving gifts. He annoyed the old men at the telecommunications bureau to no end. In the end, he actually installed broadband for others that would normally take half a month to install in just two days.
Although Liu Chuan claimed that he wanted to align with the international and domestic pet markets and gain a faster grasp of information from various domestic pet markets, Zhuang Rui was very suspicious of the true motives of this guy who could type in game accounts a hundred times faster than typing Chinese characters.
At this moment, Zhuang Rui was browsing auction information from various auction houses in recent years on an auction website. One piece of information in particular made his heart flutter. Not long ago, an auction house in Beijing auctioned off a letter written by Wang Shizhen to a friend. The letter, which was only two pages long, actually sold for a high price of 280,000.
This made Zhuang Rui's mind wander. If the dozen or so pages of poems with the seal on the back of his manuscript were all in Wang Shizhen's handwriting, how much would they be worth? At the very least, in Pengcheng, a city with a relatively low cost of living, buying a villa wouldn't be a problem. Thinking of this, the 150,000 yuan in savings in his pocket didn't seem so important anymore.
"Hey, Wood, what are you doing? Still thinking about that ice queen? Let me tell you, it's hopeless. That girl was talking bad about you in the car just now. Even if I swear to Chairman Mao that you're a good person, it won't work."
As soon as Liu Chuan pushed open the shop door, he saw Zhuang Rui sitting at the computer, staring blankly into space. Based on his experience, this meant either he was sick or he was thinking about women, and this guy definitely fell into the latter category.
"Nonsense, don't say those things in front of the kids. Come and take a look. If that manuscript we received a few days ago really is Wang Shizhen's handwriting, then we two brothers will be rich."
Zhuang Rui glanced at his niece who was playing with a hamster, then glared at Liu Chuan and said.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chuan immediately perked up and rushed to the computer. When Zhuang Rui pointed to the auction information, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, you blockhead! Two sheets of paper are worth 280,000! Your booklet must have dozens of sheets, so twenty sheets would be 2.8 million. Uh, how much is forty sheets? 5.2 million? No, it's 5.6 million..."
Liu Chuan, drooling, started counting on his fingers, calculating the value of the manuscript by the piece. Zhuang Rui, watching from the side, was both amused and exasperated. This guy was good at everything, but when he got silly, it was really unbearable. It was rare to hear that the value of antiques could be calculated like that.
"Come on, stop dreaming. It's not even certain whether that manuscript is Wang Shizhen's handwriting. Even if it is, the price isn't what you're calculating. By the way... you said you wanted to see me this morning, was it about Old Master Lü and the others wanting to see the manuscript?"
Zhuang Rui patted Liu Chuan on the head, waking the guy who was still immersed in his sweet dream.
Liu Chuan looked up from the computer screen at Zhuang Rui and said, seemingly out of the blue, "You've had a lucky streak lately. You bought something for 1,000 yuan and sold it for 150,000. I've worked hard for half a year and only earned that much. And that manuscript, if it's real, all the money I've earned in the past few years combined doesn't even compare to what you've made."