Therefore, Xu Wei indirectly befriended Old Master Lü of Jiyaxuan through some connections. He was able to attend this small gathering today because Old Master Lü mentioned it when he invited him to dinner yesterday, and Xu Wei took the initiative to come. Xu Wei is not usually so superficial, but after seeing Qin Xuanbing today, he was amazed by her beauty and his heart was in turmoil.
Zhuang Rui was quite annoyed. He hadn't offended that young lady; he usually kept his distance from her. Why was she tripping him up now, praising his high comprehension? This wasn't flattery; it was downright sabotage. And that Xu Wei—he was a complete scoundrel. Wanting to pick up girls was fine, but he shouldn't have done it by stepping on his buddies.
However, since everyone's attention was now focused on Zhuang Rui, he couldn't avoid it. After thinking hard for a while, he finally spoke up: "The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi once wrote a poem that said, 'The room is fragrant with the scent of herbs, and the warm steam rises from the tea basket.' When ancient people tasted tea, they emphasized four realms: 'beautiful environment, beautiful water, beautiful utensils, and beautiful art.' Brother Song's environment here is beyond words. It is quiet, elegant, and full of ancient charm, truly deserving of the title 'beautiful environment.'"
The water used to brew the tea is spring water from the Yunlong Mountain stream, which has a clear and sweet taste. The tea brewed with it is mellow and rich, like drinking wine, with an endless aftertaste. It perfectly brings out the fragrance of the tea, and the word "beautiful water" is well-deserved.
I don't know much about Yixing teapots, but judging from its shape, this teapot exudes a rustic and dignified elegance, revealing the artist's ingenuity within its simple and robust form. Since Brother Song could produce something like this, it must be something extraordinary.
Zhuang Rui paused here. He had read these words in some history books. In fact, the quality of Yixing Zisha teapots can be summarized in five words: "clay, shape, craftsmanship, inscription, and function." However, each of these words has profound meaning, so he will not elaborate on them here.
Picking up the freshly filled teacup and taking a sip, Zhuang Rui continued, "The most demanding skill is naturally in tea ceremony. The young lady who poured our tea had perfect control over the ratio of tea to water, the temperature, and the timing, which brought out the full essence of the tea. So, although I don't understand the tea ceremony, sitting in this environment, I have also gained some insight into what Master Lü just said about the three flavors of tea: the first flavor is bitter like life, the second flavor is sweet like life, and the third flavor is bland like life."
I once read a quote that seems to encapsulate the essence of tea: "Brewing a pot of fragrant tea nurtured by the timeless beauty of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, lighting a stick of sandalwood incense imbued with Zen wisdom and Buddhist tranquility, and sitting with a few close friends to discuss philosophy—that's enough for a lifetime. This is just my personal opinion; I hope you'll forgive my humble opinion."
Zhuang Rui racked his brains and finally managed to piece together the knowledge he had about tea tasting from his memory. If he were asked one more question, Zhuang Rui would probably be speechless with astonishment.
What's wrong with them?
After he finished speaking, Zhuang Rui noticed that the people present were looking at him strangely, including Qin Xuanbing, whose gaze was different from usual.
"Could it be that everything I said was wrong? And so wrong that it was ridiculously so?"
Zhuang Rui scratched his head in distress. He thought to himself, "I've really embarrassed myself this time."
Chapter 036 Treasure Appraisal (1)
"Well, I was just saying that casually, please don't laugh at me."
Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy under the gazes of the crowd. You might not feel anything if one person was staring at you, but when several or a group of people are staring at you, it really tests your mental fortitude.
Just like some company interviews, several interviewers are arranged to sit opposite you, which naturally puts psychological pressure on the interviewee. Those who can withstand the pressure and talk fluently are often the final winners. Although Zhuang Rui doesn't care much about other people's opinions of him, he still feels a little nervous being watched by these eyes.
“Well said. I’ve been drinking tea all my life, and I might not be able to say what you’re saying. Xiao Zhuang’s words are full of Buddhist wisdom, every sentence a Zen principle. These young people today are remarkable, truly formidable…”
It was Old Master Lü who broke the silence in the room. Although he was praising Zhuang Rui, he kept shaking his head, as if lamenting that he was getting old and no longer had the courage he once had.
Song Jun was also quite engrossed in listening. He stood up, walked over to Zhuang Rui, and patted him hard on the shoulder, saying, "Brewing a pot of fragrant tea nurtured by the timeless beauty of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, and lighting a stick of sandalwood incense imbued with Zen wisdom and Buddhist tranquility—that's well said, very spirited. Brother Zhuang, from now on, your meals will be free when you come here. I'll give you a card later. You can use this private room anytime. But let me make it clear first, don't take away these precious chairs of mine!"
Song Jun's words made everyone laugh, but Zhuang Rui didn't want to take advantage of the situation, so he quickly said, "Brother Song, I appreciate your kindness, but let's forget about the free service. It's only right that you open the door to welcome customers and I pay for my meals. However, today's meal will be on your tab."
Zhuang Rui was thinking that he wouldn't be staying in Pengcheng for very long in the future, and he probably wouldn't have many opportunities to come here again. Even if he did have the chance to come again, he could afford the expenses for one or two visits. If he agreed to come, he would inevitably owe the other party a favor, which would not be good.
Song Jun, however, objected, saying, "What do you mean by 'opening the door to customers and charging for their purchases'? That sounds so awkward to me. This is a teahouse, not a brothel. Brother Zhuang, I'm not giving you a free meal for nothing. I'll have someone write down your words and carve them on both sides of the door as a reward from me. A card is nothing. Even if you come every day, you won't eat me out of house and home."
"Brother Song, I didn't say that. Don't worry, anyone can use those words, and no one will hold you accountable."
Zhuang Rui replied, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"I've never heard anyone else talk about tea culture or tea ceremony all the time, but I've never heard anything like what you're saying today. Stop dawdling, just take it. A grown man doesn't take back what he's given away. I have some businesses in the city, and this card is valid for all of them."
Song Jun glared, took a golden card from the waiter who had just entered and handed it to Zhuang Rui, and stuffed it into Zhuang Rui's hand, looking like he was saying, "If you don't accept it, I'll make things difficult for you." He also made a few sarcastic remarks about Boss Wang sitting to the side.
"Hey... Wood, Song-ge is giving this to you, just take it. I've never seen a card like this before. I bet even Grandpa Lu doesn't get this kind of treatment."
Liu Chuan suddenly appeared, snatched the card that Song Jun had shoved into Zhuang Rui's hand, and examined it closely.
"Da Chuan, you're even more of a bandit than me. I know you two brothers are close, but let me tell you this upfront: don't bring any shady characters. Sometimes I have some rather special guests here..."
Boss Song seemed a little worried about the card ending up in Liu Chuan's hands, and gave him special instructions.
Seeing that Liu Chuan had taken the card, Zhuang Rui didn't say much. He admired Song Jun's straightforward temperament and thought it was worth making friends with him.
"Da Chuan, just take this card. Come here often to enjoy tea with Brother Song and learn about self-cultivation..."
Zhuang Rui never even considered taking the card back from Liu Chuan; it didn't matter which of the two brothers had it.
"Okay, I'll eat here for all three meals from now on, and I promise I won't save Brother Song any money. By the way, Wood, what kind of weird poem were you reciting just now? I think Miss Qin was completely stunned by you."
Liu Chuan has always been outspoken, and he's been joking around with Qin Xuanbing quite often these past few days.
"Alright, go watch your TV. If you say another word, give me the card."
Zhuang Rui said irritably, "I finally managed to get rid of the previous topic, but this guy brought it up again. I don't want to provoke Miss Qin again, even though I once had a fleeting thought of using the spiritual energy in my eyes to see certain scenery."
When Zhuang Rui glanced at Qin Xuanbing, he saw that she didn't seem to be paying attention to Liu Chuan's words. He breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little disappointed.
"Alright, never mind. You can continue enjoying your tea..."
Liu Chuan smiled broadly and happily put the card away. Zhuang Rui could tell that this card was definitely not simple; otherwise, given Liu Chuan's habit of not easily owing favors, he wouldn't have asked him to accept it.
Seeing that Zhuang Rui and Boss Song had finished declining the offer, Old Master Lü said, "Young Zhuang, you've given us quite a few surprises these past two days. I wonder how your manuscript is? Can you give us another surprise? You know, if your manuscript is indeed Wang Shizhen's handwriting, then buying it for 20,000 yuan would be an incredible bargain. Alright, the tea tasting and treasure appraisal are over. Everyone, please bring out the items you brought and show them off."
After hearing what Manager Lü said, Liu Chuan also pulled Lei Lei over. His purpose in coming today was to see what the tattered book Zhuang Rui insisted on buying that day was worth. Logically speaking, he had found money on the street far more often than Zhuang Rui since he was a child. Could it be that this kid's luck has improved over him as he grew up?
Seeing that everyone else was taking out their belongings from the square table and preparing to open them, Zhuang Rui also reached out and took out the Incense Ancestor's Notebook wrapped in satin from his pocket. Just as he was about to open it, he was stopped by Old Master Lü.
"Xiao Zhuang, you should open that last. Don't make the suspense disappear from the start. Also, I want to clarify that since this is an appraisal, there will naturally be genuine and fake items among these objects. Apart from these two girls and Liu Chuan, each of us will appraise one item today. The one who makes the most outrageous mistake will treat everyone to lunch at the Mingdu Hotel. What do you all think?"
It was almost 11 a.m., and everyone nodded in agreement. Liu Chuan, who could eat for free, naturally agreed wholeheartedly. Only Boss Song frowned and said, "Old man, aren't you blatantly ripping me off by treating me to a meal in Tiandu? I'll treat you to lunch this time!"
Manager Song was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "I forgot that you also have shares in Tiandu. You don't need to pay today. Whoever loses pays. It's settled then."
Zhuang Rui was somewhat surprised when he heard their conversation. Although he had not lived in Pengcheng for many years, he knew that the Tiandu Hotel, which had just opened, was the first five-star hotel in Pengcheng and was rumored to have a very powerful background. However, he did not expect that Song Jun was one of the owners of Tiandu.
Liu Chuan was also stunned for a moment, clearly unaware of this. He took out the golden card, gasped, and asked with a drooling look, "Brother Song, can this card be used in Tiandu?"
Before Liu Chuan could finish speaking, he jumped up. Lei Lei's small hand subtly pinched the soft flesh of Liu Chuan's waist hard, and she whispered in Liu Chuan's ear, "Look at you, so pathetic."
Chapter 037 Treasure Appraisal (2)
At this moment, everyone took out their belongings. Apart from Qin Xuanbing, even Xu Wei took out a small box and placed it in front of him. Song Jun's table was also full of things. Zhuang Rui glanced at them and couldn't help but smile bitterly. There were many items among them that he didn't even know the names of, let alone appraise. It seemed that he would have to treat everyone to lunch.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Manager Lü said, "Xiao Xu and Xiao Zhuang are both novices in this field today, but since Mr. Xu is a guest, let's have him choose an item to be appraised first. What do you all think?"
"Then Mr. Xu is really getting a good deal. You can pick any item, and as long as you can tell the difference between the real and fake, and can roughly tell its origin and heritage, you'll pass the test."
Song Jun was somewhat displeased with Xu Wei's behavior at the teahouse entrance, but since Xu Wei was someone brought by Manager Lü, he had to give him some face, so he spoke up.
Xu Wei nodded, stood up, and began to examine the items on the table. He only had some knowledge of jewelry and precious minerals such as jade, but his level of appreciation for pure antiques was not much different from Zhuang Rui's.
However, since he was already there and there was a beautiful woman beside him, he felt he had to make a good impression, or at least not embarrass himself in this situation. So Xu Wei looked very carefully, hoping to find something related to jewelry.
"Um?"
Xu Wei, who had almost circled the square table without finding anything suitable, suddenly had a bright idea. He saw a red bracelet among the items in front of Song Jun. It was bright and shiny, and from a distance, it looked like it was made of coral or jade. Xu Wei was secretly delighted. In order to stand out in his family, he had put in a lot of effort to learn about jewelry appraisal and had handled many precious jewels. He should be able to tell if the bracelet was made of coral.
Having found something he was good at, Xu Wei felt much more at ease. He sat back down in his chair and said, "Mr. Song, how about I appraise your bracelet?"
"Can……"
Song Jun picked up the bracelet in front of him and handed it to Xu Wei.
Xu Wei took the bracelet and examined it carefully. The bracelet was made of dozens of round beads strung together. It had a smooth surface and a bright red color, but the colors varied in shade. Upon closer inspection, there were also some evenly distributed patterns on it.
Xu Wei was now certain that this was indeed a bracelet made of red coral. After thinking for a moment, he took out a magnifying glass about the size of a thumb from his suit pocket and examined the bracelet again. This time, he discovered that within the red of the beads, there were faint black spots and some small black holes that looked like bubbles.
Zhuang Rui was sitting quite a distance from Xu Wei, so he couldn't see clearly what kind of bracelet it was. However, judging from the people present, he estimated that in terms of appreciation skills, only Xu Wei and he were on par. But when he saw Xu Wei take out a magnifying glass, Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy. Carrying this thing around—that's what professionalism is!
However, Zhuang Rui didn't know that Xu Wei used the magnifying glass to cover up his true intentions when inspecting the company's jewelry stores. He would pretend to appreciate the jewelry with the magnifying glass in front of his beautiful subordinates, and listen to their flattery. This would satisfy a man's vanity. It was just a case of putting a scallion in a pig's nose and pretending to be an elephant.
Xu Wei was somewhat hesitant. Based on the theoretical knowledge he had learned from books and his observations, the characteristics of the bracelet's material perfectly matched those of red coral. Moreover, Song Jun, the man in front of him, was a man of status. He wouldn't be collecting a worthless fake, would he? Besides, Song Jun couldn't possibly know that he would choose this bracelet for authentication and bring a fake one. Thinking of this, Xu Wei looked up at Song Jun and found that Song Jun was also staring at him, with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Xu Wei, having solidified his judgment, put the magnifying glass back in his pocket and said, "Mr. Song's bracelet is made of pure red coral. The texture is fine and slanted, with some naturally formed flaws. Overall, it has a bright, warm, and translucent luster. It is made of top-grade red coral. Wearing it close to the skin can also promote blood circulation. In recent years, due to over-exploitation of the ocean, red coral has become increasingly rare. In the market, its value is calculated by the gram. Mr. Song's bracelet should be worth between 20,000 and 30,000 yuan."
Xu Wei's eloquence was truly remarkable. He not only authenticated the red coral bracelet but also explained the benefits of wearing it. The people around him felt that this jewelry store owner was indeed quite knowledgeable. Liu Chuan was completely confused until Xu Wei finally announced the price, at which point he realized that Xu Wei had authenticated the bracelet as genuine.
"Hey, it looks like my brother is going to lose. I just don't know if he'll still be able to use this card after he finishes eating in Tiandu."
Liu Chuan had also lost confidence in Zhuang Rui at this point, and muttered to himself while wiping the card in his pocket.
After Xu Wei finished his appraisal, he returned the bracelet. Song Jun took the bracelet and smiled. Just as he was about to speak, Old Master Lü spoke first, "Little Song, this is yours. Don't say whether it's real or fake yet. Let's evaluate it together after everyone has finished appraising an item."
Song Jun nodded noncommittally, his smile unwavering. Xu Wei interpreted Song Jun's smile as an affirmation of his earlier words, which made him even more smug. His eyes involuntarily drifted to Qin Xuanbing sitting opposite him, only to find that Qin Xuanbing had taken the bracelet from Song Jun and was examining it closely. She seemed impressed by his description, so Xu Wei said, "If Miss Qin is interested in this type of jewelry, I can introduce it to you sometime."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xuanbing raised her head, put down the bracelet, glanced at Xu Wei, and a rare smile appeared on her face. She said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Xu. I believe that with your discerning eye, your company will surely prosper and flourish."
Qin Xuanbing was usually cold and aloof, but when she smiled, all the men in the room felt as if spring had returned and the sun was shining brightly. The fleeting charm that Qin Xuanbing revealed made Xu Wei, who was facing her, sway his heart and soul, and he looked like a lecherous man.
"Alright, now it's Xiao Zhuang's turn..."
Grandpa Lü was not influenced by Qin Xuanbing and insisted on continuing the appraisal event.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui also stood up. In fact, while Xu Wei was appraising the bracelet, he had already begun to examine the items on the square table. To his dismay, there were no paintings or calligraphy among these items. Moreover, the Boss Wang and Song Jun, who were sitting relatively close to him, had brought out bronze, ceramic, or jade items, which were exactly the kind of things that his spiritual energy could not penetrate.
After observing for a while, it seemed that he could only make out the things that Manager Lü had brought.
Chapter 038 Treasure Appraisal (3)
To be honest, asking Zhuang Rui to appraise antiques is like forcing a duck onto a shelf; it's a bit of a stretch.
Zhuang Rui had known Uncle De for a long time and knew that the antique business wasn't something you could just start doing after reading a few books and knowing some theoretical knowledge. It required a lot of accumulation and hands-on experience with real objects. But even then, you would still often be fooled.
As the saying goes, "Gold is valued in times of chaos, and antiques are valued in times of prosperity." Whenever antiques become popular, fakes and counterfeits also increase.
In modern China, the early years of the Republic of China were a golden age for antiques. At that time, warlords such as Sun Dianying and Zhang Zongchang looted the tombs of Emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, and Empress Dowager Cixi, unearthing a large number of precious cultural relics. In addition, Puyi and others also embezzled, and many rare treasures flowed out of the palace. For a time, private collecting flourished, and even many foreign speculators came to China to buy up cultural relics. Forgery and imitation of antiques also became popular at that time. The famous painter Zhang Daqian was a master forger who was good at imitation. His imitations of Shi Tao's paintings were so good that they were indistinguishable from the real ones, which can be called his masterpiece.
In the following decade or so, China was plagued by disasters and chaos. Although a very small number of people were still concerned about protecting some precious national treasures, people were struggling to even have enough to eat, so who would care about these things? During this period, a large number of precious cultural relics were lost overseas, which later caused great distress to some experts in China.
In the 1990s, the spring breeze of reform and opening up swept across China, people's living standards improved day by day, and their entertainment and cultural life gradually became richer. The antique and art craze, which had been out of the public eye for nearly half a century, began to slowly heat up again. By the end of the century, the number of people who loved collecting had risen sharply. The annual transaction amount in domestic auction houses alone was over several billion yuan, not to mention that most of the finest pieces were sold abroad.
Marx once said, "With a 10 percent profit, capital begins to stir; with a 100 percent profit, capital becomes arrogant; and with a 300 percent profit, it is capable of anything, even hanging itself."
Seeing how popular the antique trade is, many criminals have also set their sights on it. Those tomb raiders who had been dormant for more than half a century have returned to their old ways. Some people with special skills have even started to fake antiques. As a result, all kinds of fake antiques have flooded the market. Moreover, the people who fake antiques are so skilled that they can almost pass for the real thing. Even some highly skilled experts often find themselves being fooled and losing money.
The renowned private collector, Mr. Ma Weidu, once said that in the early 1980s, the old furniture shops in Beijing were filled with sandalwood and rosewood tables and chairs. They were cheap then, only five yuan each, and you could pick and choose whatever you wanted, with delivery to your door. However, by the late 1980s and early 1990s, the antique market was flooded with fakes. Mr. Ma paid quite a few lessons in his life, which shows how sophisticated the counterfeiters were.
Zhuang Rui knew all this thanks to Yang Wei, whose father was an antique enthusiast. He was called an enthusiast rather than a collector because he had collected quite a lot of things over the past ten years, filling a whole room, and he had spent a lot of money on them, throwing in millions of dollars.
To be honest, Yang's father's professional appraisal skills were not very good, but he especially liked to go to the market to find bargains. Over time, he accumulated a considerable collection of items. However, when he invited a few experts to his home to appraise them, they found that none of the miscellaneous antiques in the room were genuine.
Whether it was because he didn't care about the money or because he had a good attitude, Yang's father didn't give up his hobby. However, he rarely appeared in the antique market after that, but he appeared at auction houses much more often. Nevertheless, he became famous in the antique world of Zhonghai. People who felt that they were good at aging the items in their hands would often visit the Yang family. And the old man would occasionally be involved in some anecdotes about being fooled.
As the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet." Even those who have been in this business for decades often make mistakes. Zhuang Rui naturally didn't think that he could distinguish the authenticity of the objects piled on the table just because he had read a few books on antique appraisal at home a few days ago. He still relied on his eyes. However, what he needed to do now was to find an object that his eyes could see through, and then judge whether it was genuine or fake by whether it contained spiritual energy.
The items that Boss Wang and Song Jun brought out were mostly bronze or jade, which Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy couldn't penetrate yet. So he moved to Manager Lü's side and examined them closely.