"You silly child, joking with your mother like this. I haven't even asked you yet, where's that girl who came with us at noon? Why did she leave without even coming inside?"
Ouyang Wan laughed and scolded Zhuang Rui. Although she was very excited when she saw her parents at noon, she had not forgotten the girl who appeared next to Zhuang Rui. She just hadn't had a chance to ask Zhuang Rui about her until now.
"Oh, you mean Officer Miao? She's a friend I met in Zhonghai. She's been transferred to Beijing now. She also has some elders living here; they've gone to stay with her grandfather."
Zhuang Rui dared not hide anything from his mother, even though she and Miao Feifei were indeed just friends, and there was nothing he couldn't say.
"Surname Miao? Hmm, this girl is nice, and seems to have a good temper. By the way, Xiao Rui, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you should really start dating someone properly..."
Ouyang Wan nodded. She had a good first impression of the girl; she was pretty and seemed to be a good-tempered girl.
Zhuang Rui was both amused and exasperated by his mother's words. Miao Feifei had a good personality and was very straightforward, but her temper was definitely not good. It seemed that his mother had been deceived by her appearance.
"Mom, I have a girlfriend now. You've met Xuanbing before. She's working in England right now, and I'll bring her to meet you when she gets back."
Zhuang Rui was afraid that his mother would try to force him into a relationship. He felt that being friends with Miao Feifei would be much more comfortable than being lovers, so he immediately shut his mother up.
“You’ve always been independent, you can choose whoever you want to marry, I won’t interfere with that, but you must get married within three years.”
Thinking of her own experience, Ouyang Wan did not deliberately interfere in her son's love life, but she still set a deadline for Zhuang Rui to get married.
"Okay. Mom, by the way, I bought a courtyard house in the city. I might be quite busy these few days, so I won't be able to come to Grandpa and Grandma's place. Give me a call whenever you're planning to go back to Pengcheng."
Zhuang Rui needs to explain this to his mother. He's been thinking of bringing his grandparents to live with him once the courtyard house is renovated. It would be so much fun to have the whole family together. Zhuang Rui, who has only lived with three people in his family since he was a child, longs for the life of a large family.
"You bought a courtyard house? Hmm, I know. I'll talk to your maternal grandmother about it..." Ouyang Wan rarely interfered in her son's affairs, but her eyes lit up when she heard about the courtyard house. During her childhood, she lived in a courtyard house, except for the military compound. She still remembers it vividly.
"By the way, Xiao Rui, your grandfather's 90th birthday is in a little over three months. Help me prepare a gift, and put some thought into it."
Before leaving, Ouyang Zhenwu spoke briefly with Ouyang Wan about the old man's birthday celebration, something Ouyang Wan could only ask her son for help with.
"It's Grandpa's birthday, um, we need to find a good one. Mom, don't worry."
Zhuang Rui's mind raced for a moment, and he came up with a plan. However, he still needed to consult Old Master Gu about this matter. With that thought, Zhuang Rui stood up.
"Are you leaving now? Drive carefully..."
When Ouyang Wan saw her son get up, she quickly added, "There are so many cars in Beijing, it's nothing like Pengcheng."
"Okay, I'm off then. Mom, let me know when Grandpa and the others wake up."
Zhuang Rui agreed, walked out of the room, took out his phone, and called Miao Feifei.
Zhuang Rui planned to accompany Miao Feifei to Panjiayuan in the afternoon, then visit Old Master Gu in the evening, and then arrange to meet the professor tomorrow to look at the courtyard house. He also needed to find a reliable person to oversee the construction. Thinking about all these things, Zhuang Rui had a headache.
After picking up Miao Feifei, Zhuang Rui, following her directions, drove straight to Panjiayuan.
Panjiayuan Antique Market, located in the southeast corner of Beijing's Third Ring Road, is the largest antique market in China, open four days a week from Thursday to Sunday. It offers a wide variety of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, traditional Chinese stationery, porcelain, and wooden furniture, with over 3,000 stalls representing 24 provinces and municipalities across the country.
Moreover, many ethnic minorities sell their traditional products here, so the goods sold are incredibly diverse, except for food. Some people say it's like a museum. It's the cheapest flea market in Beijing, attracting a large number of Chinese and foreign tourists.
The most famous antique markets in Beijing are undoubtedly Dashilan, Liulichang, and Panjiayuan, with Dashilan boasting the most established brands. These include Liubiju Sauce Shop, which opened as early as the Ming Dynasty; Tongrentang, a famous traditional Chinese medicine shop that opened during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty; Majuyuan Hat Shop and Neiliansheng Shoe Shop, both opened during the Jiaqing era; and Ruifuxiang Silk and Leather Shop, one of the "Eight Great Shops" that later had four storefronts. Rather than simply an antique market, Dashilan is a microcosm of century-old shops.
Liulichang was originally a book market. During the Qing Dynasty, officials and candidates for the imperial examinations often gathered here to browse the books. Gradually, it developed into an antique and cultural market, but it was still mainly focused on calligraphy, paintings and books. Century-old shops such as Huaiyin Shanfang, Guyizhai, Ruichengzhai, Cuiwenge, Yidege, Li Fushou Brush Shop, and Rongbaozhai were all located here.
Panjiayuan is different from the two places mentioned above. Its fame stems from the "ghost market" mentioned earlier, and the name "ghost market" originated from Panjiayuan.
There's a story behind this. In its earliest days, Panjiayuan was an abandoned kiln site in a somewhat remote location. During the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, when the country was in decline and many high-ranking officials and nobles fell on hard times, they stole their antiques and came to Panjiayuan to sell them.
After all, this was a matter of low status, so the transaction could only be conducted at three or four in the morning with lanterns, because most of the items sold in this ghost market were of unknown origin and had unspeakable secrets, so they could only be sold at a low price.
Thus, the rumor that "good goods come from ghost markets" spread. Of course, nowadays there is no need to hide or conceal anything, but the tradition of opening the market at four in the morning has been continued.
After 1992, Panjiayuan gradually developed into a secondhand market, and in just a few years it became the largest distribution center for antiques and secondhand goods in the country. Antique furniture, stationery, ancient books and paintings, agate and jade, Chinese and foreign coins, shadow puppets, religious items, ethnic costumes, Cultural Revolution relics and even daily necessities. Except for weapons, drugs and people, you can find any valuable item you can think of in Panjiayuan.
Panjiayuan is now far more famous than Liulichang and Dashilan in the public eye. Many foreign presidents and dignitaries have visited it, and a huge commercial district has formed around it.
Panjiayuan is only open four days a week, and the weekend is naturally the busiest time. When Zhuang Rui parked his car under Miao Feifei's guidance and walked into Panjiayuan, he couldn't help but be slightly shocked by the scene in front of him.
This isn't an antique market at all; it's more like a bustling fair. There are people everywhere, and foreigners make up the majority. White and black people are everywhere, and all sorts of languages are being spoken. Zhuang Rui glanced over and saw a vendor with a pockmarked face, speaking fluent English, negotiating prices with a foreign woman.
"Zhuang Rui, what do you think? Didn't I tell you Panjiayuan is more bustling than the antique market in Zhonghai?"
Miao Feifei is an outgoing person who can't stay at home and doesn't like shopping for clothes. She used to come to Panjiayuan from time to time to wander around. Although she didn't buy anything, she was in a good mood because she interacted with people from all over the world.
Standing at the entrance of Panjiayuan, all you can see, besides people, are rows and rows of stalls, each displaying dozens or even hundreds of items: porcelain, bronzes, pottery, ironware, woodenware, including the Four Treasures of the Study, jewelry, and everything in between.
"It's lively, it is lively..."
Looking at the bustling crowd in front of him, Zhuang Rui murmured to himself. He remembered something Uncle De had once said: "If you want to find antiques in Beijing, you have to go to Liulichang." Only now did Zhuang Rui understand the meaning of those words.
There are over three thousand stalls, with a total of several million items. But the most crucial point is that although our country has a lot of antiques left behind, they can't withstand being displayed and sold like this. You don't even need to look at them to know that in other places, you might find one genuine item out of a hundred, but here, you'd be lucky to find one genuine item out of ten thousand.
Zhuang Rui now understands why Miao Feifei frequently visits the antique market, yet knows absolutely nothing about antiques. The chances of finding a genuine item here are probably no greater than winning the lottery.
Chapter 300 The Bustling Antique Market
In the bustling crowd, everyone wore a cheerful expression, waving the toys they had just bought and loudly calling out to their friends. There were two tall foreign girls, one wearing a Peking Opera mask and the other carrying a yangqin and erhu, which left Zhuang Rui speechless.
However, Zhuang Rui also realized that people who come here are just hoping to find something on Taobao. What they really enjoy is the lively environment and the unique Chinese cultural atmosphere.
While Zhuang Rui was still standing at the entrance of Panjiayuan, calculating the ratio of real to fake items, Officer Miao had already rushed in with great interest. It was too chaotic here; one wrong move and you could get separated from the group. Helpless, Zhuang Rui could only follow.
"Alright, let's just treat this as a sightseeing trip..."
Zhuang Rui could only console himself with this thought: it's impossible for Panjiayuan to have no genuine items; it's just that out of millions of items, finding a real one is pure luck, even for someone with spiritual energy.
You know, there are several, even a dozen, hands picking through things at each stall. Even if there's spiritual energy, it's useless, right? Is it really worth it for Zhuang Rui to cleanse those people's bodies for free?
"Once my own courtyard house is built, I can buy some high-quality replicas to put inside..."
Zhuang Rui followed Miao Feifei to several stalls, and to his surprise, he became quite interested. The high-quality replicas of porcelain and pottery here were exquisitely made. If you didn't hold them in your hands and use your spiritual energy to distinguish them, it would be difficult to tell the difference between the real and fake. Judging from the firing process, they should all be made according to ancient firing recipes and procedures.
In fact, some modern porcelain crafts have production processes that are no less advanced than ancient firing techniques, and they often surpass them in quality and artistic appeal. However, the appeal of antiques lies in their antiquity. Unlike jade, which is valuable simply because of its quality, antiques are not old objects with a rich history. No matter how exquisite they are, they are worthless if they are not old objects with a rich history.
After wandering around for more than half an hour, Zhuang Rui realized that Miao Feifei was a total attention-seeker, always crowding wherever there were lots of people. Once she squeezed in, she would just watch the excitement, making Zhuang Rui's life miserable. He wanted to pick out a few decent replicas, but he didn't have a chance.
"Zhuang Rui, come here, come help me..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was squatting on the ground trying to look at a snuff bottle, Miss Miao waved to him from about five or six meters away. However, a tall white man was standing next to her, and there were more than a dozen people watching the commotion from a distance.
"What's up?"
Zhuang Rui walked over and asked.
"I don't know either. This foreigner is trying to talk to people everywhere. He seems to be in a hurry. Why don't you ask him what he wants?"
It turns out Officer Miao is a helpful person, but his English isn't very good. He gestured and talked to the foreigner for a long time, but still couldn't understand what the foreigner meant.
Zhuang Rui suppressed a laugh and said to the foreigner, "Friend, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Oh, you speak English? That's great! I wanted to ask where the restroom is. Actually, my body language is quite good, but unfortunately this is a beautiful lady..."
The foreigner was quite humorous, even though he was in a terrible urge to urinate. He still managed to crack a joke at Zhuang Rui's expense. Zhuang Rui couldn't imagine what would happen if the foreigner made a gesture of urinating towards Miao Feifei; would Officer Miao make him unable to urinate from then on?
Seeing that Zhuang Rui was just smiling and not saying anything, Miao Feifei quickly nudged him and asked, "What are you laughing at? What does this foreigner want?"
"He was looking for the restroom, but I didn't know where it was."
Zhuang Rui casually replied that it was also his first time visiting Panjiayuan.
Miao Feifei blushed slightly upon hearing this. She was familiar with Panjiayuan and pointed out the location to the foreigner. The onlookers dispersed in a hurry. After this incident, Officer Miao became much more obedient and followed Zhuang Rui to visit each stall.
Surrounded by the crowd, Zhuang Rui quickly finished browsing through one row of stalls. It was just one row; with over three thousand stalls in Panjiayuan, there must be countless rows. Since he could only spend a few minutes at each stall before being pushed forward by the crowd, Zhuang Rui didn't find anything of value. He even used his spiritual energy to identify several items, all of which turned out to be fakes.
As Zhuang Rui turned the corner to enter the second row, he saw a crowd gathered in front of a shop. It was a dead end, and people didn't usually pass through there. Zhuang Rui was about to go check it out when he turned back to call out to Miao Feifei. But the young lady had already squeezed through. Zhuang Rui broke out in a cold sweat; dressed so provocatively, wasn't she afraid of being groped?
Zhuang Rui squeezed in and was somewhat disappointed. It turned out that the shop had set up several stalls at the entrance, displaying ceramics. Zhuang Rui wasn't particularly interested in these items; the truly valuable ceramics were displayed inside the shop. If they were placed outside in a crowded and messy environment and broke, who would own them?
"Boss, can you give me a discount on this?"
A somewhat strange voice entered Zhuang Rui's ears. The words were spoken as if they were being uttered one word at a time, but the pronunciation was very accurate and had a bit of a Beijing accent. However, it just sounded awkward no matter how you listened to it.
Zhuang Rui looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was a foreigner, a white man, whose nationality was impossible to discern. Looking around, he noticed that about half of the onlookers were foreign tourists.
"Fifty thousand US dollars, that's the lowest price I can offer. This was used by the emperor himself! By the way, like your country's queen, Elizabeth, yes, the one named Elizabeth used it. Is fifty thousand too expensive?"
The stall was run by a young man about Zhuang Rui's age, who immediately quoted a price of fifty thousand US dollars. He even gave the foreigner an analogy, but it was rather inappropriate. Britain has kings with penises, so why compare a queen without a penis to a Chinese emperor?
In the eyes of foreigners, China has always been known for its long history and mystery, and porcelain is their first impression of China. There's no way around it, since "China" means porcelain. So when these foreigners visit Panjiayuan, they pay special attention to porcelain.
However, Zhuang Rui was taken aback by the stall owner's exorbitant demands. Looking at the porcelain displayed beside him, he saw a blue-and-white porcelain covered jar with a landscape and figure design. The jar and lid were a complete set, and it was quite large. The jar had a straight mouth, a short neck, and a ring foot. The lid had a flat top, a slightly folded rim, and a ring-shaped knob.
The jar is decorated all over with blue and white landscape and figure patterns. The blue and white is delicate and vibrant, fresh and bright, with the artistic effect of ink painting. The picture has distinct layers and a three-dimensional feel. The figures of scholars, recluses, and old men fishing alone are vivid. Based on the shape, Zhuang Rui judged that this should be a copy of a blue and white figure covered jar from the Kangxi period.
Some friends don't understand why I say it's a fake. Isn't that obvious? A genuine Qing Dynasty Kangxi blue and white porcelain jar with landscape and figure design is in the collection of the Palace Museum. Would it be sold here? Besides, it's a national first-class cultural relic, prohibited from export. Even if this foreigner buys it, he can't take it out of the country. Zhuang Rui doesn't even need to use his spiritual energy to see that it's fake, at most a pretty good imitation. This stall owner is a complete con artist.
However, when it comes to antiques, it's all about buying and selling, and it's a matter of mutual consent. Besides, the stall owner was trying to fool foreigners, so Zhuang Rui simply watched the show from the sidelines. Most of the Chinese people gathered around probably shared the same thought as Zhuang Rui.
However, that foreigner must have been living in China for a long time, because he said without hesitation, "Two thousand dollars, buy it or leave it."
"Two thousand US dollars?"
The stall owner pressed for an answer, knowing full well whether it was true or not. If it could sell for two thousand US dollars, that would be more than thirty times the profit.
"The RMB, if it doesn't depreciate, is better than the US dollar..."
This foreigner was a shrewd fellow; his words drew roars of laughter from the surrounding crowd. Zhuang Rui and Miao Feifei were also doubled over with laughter. The two of them were hilarious; their discussion of prices sounded like a stand-up comedy routine.
"That won't do. Look at the firing process; it's absolutely top-notch. And look again..."
Although the stall owner made a huge profit selling it for 2,000 RMB, he was still a little unwilling to give up. Since it was a rare opportunity to fool a foreigner, he was determined to rip him off as much as possible. So he started talking to the foreigner in a conversation.
After listening for a while, Zhuang Rui got a little bored. He called out to Miao Feifei and prepared to continue shopping. He was planning to find a nice item to give to Grandpa Gu. He couldn't go to Grandpa Gu's place empty-handed that evening.
"Huh?"
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to turn around, his eyes fell on a ceramic jar placed in the corner of the stall, and he couldn't move his feet.
"Let's go, we're not looking anymore, that stall owner is a rip-off."
Miao Feifei, driven by a sense of justice, saw Zhuang Rui stop and, thinking he still wanted to watch the commotion, pulled him aside.
"Wait, I've seen something nice..."
Zhuang Rui said in a low voice, leaning forward again.
What Zhuang Rui had his eye on was a flat-bottomed earthenware jar that was entirely black and covered in dust and dirt. From the surface, it was just black, without any other glaze color, and the patina didn't seem very obvious. It looked a bit like an antique.
"Boss, let me take a look at that dark thing over there."
Zhuang Rui squeezed next to the pottery jar and spoke in a gruff voice in Pengcheng dialect.
"Come and get it yourself. These are all treasures here. If you break them, it's your responsibility."