Song Jun was pulled out by Fatty Ma. When they returned, Fatty Ma was carrying a long wooden box, which was obviously a painting, while Song Jun was carrying a light brocade box, which was beautifully packaged.
"Brother Zhuang, I'm not very educated, but I'm trying my best to become one. This is a painting called 'Osmanthus, Chrysanthemum and Mountain Birds' by Lü Ji of the Ming Dynasty, which I have in my collection. Hey young man, can you open this painting and take a look?"
Fatty Ma called out to Yang Wei, instructing him to hold one side of the scroll and slowly unfurl the painting.
"Brother, these birds, mynas, osmanthus, and chrysanthemums are all auspicious, symbolizing wealth, prosperity, good fortune, and longevity. I wish you and Miss Qin a long and happy marriage, and many children!"
Fatty Ma's words were met with cheers, and Zhuang Rui repeatedly clasped his hands in gratitude. The people present were all laymen and did not know the value of the painting, but Zhuang Rui understood it very well.
Lü Ji, courtesy name Tingzhen, sobriquet Leyu, was a court painter during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty. He held the official positions of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Deputy Commander, which was a very high and powerful position in the Ming Dynasty.
Lü Ji was renowned for his flower-and-bird paintings. His typical style was meticulous brushwork with heavy colors, but he was also skilled in meticulous brushwork with light colors and freehand ink painting. The subjects he chose were mostly imbued with auspicious and wealthy connotations, and in terms of form, he pursued a rich and beautiful aesthetic taste, with distinct characteristics of court art. His painting style had the greatest influence on Ming Dynasty court flower-and-bird paintings.
Lü Ji's painting style is exquisite and admired by later generations. There are not many surviving works, and the price has always remained high. The genuine work that Fatty Ma brought is about 100cm in height and 55cm in width. If it were to be auctioned, it would cost at least 5 million RMB. Fatty Ma's spending is quite generous.
"Alright, Fatty, move aside..."
Song Jun, standing behind Fatty Ma, pushed Fatty Ma aside, raised the brocade box in his hand, and said, "Brother Zhuang, can you guess what gift I'm holding?"
Chapter 558 Zhuang Rui's Engagement (Part 2)
"Brother Song, it's already a great honor for me that you and Brother Ma came. Brother Ma's gift is a bit too expensive, so please just give me a 200 yuan cash gift..."
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile. Fatty Ma was offering antiques worth millions, so the items the Song army brought out must not be too shabby. He was a little reluctant to accept them, as they were all favors.
"Bullshit, are you trying to slap me in the face? 200 yuan, how dare you even say that..."
Song Jun was both amused and exasperated by Zhuang Rui's words. If he were to actually give 200 yuan as a wedding gift, he would be too ashamed to show his face in public. These days, even a small family would spend more than 200 yuan on a wedding banquet. Song Jun really couldn't bear the embarrassment.
"That's not what I meant, Brother Song..."
"Alright, stop dawdling. This was originally yours, so here you are..."
Song Jun waved his hand to interrupt Zhuang Rui, and shoved the light brocade box in his hand into Zhuang Rui's hand. Zhuang Rui could only accept it with a wry smile.
"It's Brother Song from 'Xiangzu's Notebook,' this... this is too much trouble!"
Upon opening the brocade box, Zhuang Rui was stunned. This item had indeed once belonged to Zhuang Rui, and it was the first bargain he had ever found in his life. The 3.8 million RMB he received from selling it to Song Jun was also the first pot of gold he had ever earned.
"I know this is the first thing you've ever gotten by scavenging, so I got it back from the old man. Keep it for yourself as a keepsake..."
Song Jun is a collector, so he naturally knows that everyone has a deep memory of the first item they collect after entering this circle. Therefore, he specially picked it out and sent it back to Zhuang Rui.
Seeing this handbook, Zhuang Rui felt a pang of emotion. Although it had been more than a year, the scene from that time—the old woman standing in front of Liu Chuan's shop in the heavy snow—seemed as if it were right before his eyes.
"If I have the chance in the future, I should make it up to that old woman..."
Zhuang Rui thought to himself, it was because of this manual that he learned that spiritual energy could be used to distinguish antiques, which led him to enter this industry.
"Brother Song, thank you so much. I'll accept this..."
For Zhuang Rui, the commemorative significance of this manual far outweighs the value of the object itself. Coupled with Song Jun's sentiment, this gift is no less significant than the "Osmanthus and Chrysanthemum Mountain Birds" painting given by Fatty Ma.
"Don't waste my breath. My father is counting on you for his birthday gift. Just don't be unable to provide it..."
The Song army is now blaming Zhuang Rui for this; it's all because you showed off all the good stuff you got.
Zhuang Rui ignored Song Jun's comment and said with a grin, "Hehe, Brother Song, why don't you just return that painting of Li Duanduan by Tang Bohu to me as well..."
"Get out of here. I even stole this manual without the old man knowing. You can forget about that painting. Alright, Old Ma, let's go inside and have some tea. Let's not waste time arguing with this kid here..."
Song Jun glared at Zhuang Rui with annoyance, and under Liu Chuan's guidance, they entered the central courtyard. Today, not only Liu Chuan, but also Wei Ge and other classmates had become waiters, shuttling between the gate and the central courtyard to pick up and drop off guests.
"We have a guest!"
The third brother, who was standing outside the door, suddenly shouted in a gruff voice. Zhuang Rui peeked out and saw three people walking from the alley entrance. He quickly ran down the steps to meet them.
"Uncle De, Teacher Sun, Teacher Jin, why did you all come together..."
Zhuang Rui greeted the group, then turned to Qin Xuanbing and said, "Xuanbing, this is my teacher, Uncle De, and these are Teacher Jin and Teacher Sun. They are all senior figures in the antique trade..."
"Hello Uncle De, hello Teacher Jin, hello Teacher Sun, thank you all for coming to my engagement ceremony with Zhuang Rui..."
Qin Xuanbing followed behind Zhuang Rui and greeted the group with grace and poise.
"Good, good, a perfect match, a match made in heaven..."
When Uncle De heard Zhuang Rui's words about being a teacher, his old face beamed with joy. He felt that his efforts in teaching Zhuang Rui had not been in vain, and he had gained a lot of face in front of his old friends.
"Uncle De, please come in and rest for a while, have some hot tea..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Uncle De and Sun Dasheng had a very good relationship, but he didn't expect them to come together. He quickly called over the third brother and asked him to bring people into the central courtyard for tea.
Fatty Jin waved his hand, interrupting Zhuang Rui, and said, "No rush, Brother Zhuang. Today is your engagement, and I wanted to join in the fun. I brought you two items; let's take a look..."
Zhuang Rui then noticed that everyone was carrying something, and quickly said, "Teacher Jin, it's already a huge honor for me that you all came. We don't need to stand on ceremony..."
Zhuang Rui meant it sincerely. The people in front of him were all his mentors in the antique business, so he really didn't care about the gifts.
"Hey, the ancients said that passing the imperial examination and the wedding night are the greatest joys in life, so it's only right that we bring something..."
Fatty Jin chuckled and said, holding two long cardboard boxes. He first handed one box to Uncle De, then opened one of the scrolls and said, "Brother, this painting is one you once asked me to appraise. The result is in: this Guan Yu portrait is a copy made by Zhang Daqian in the 1920s or 30s..."
"A painting copied by Zhang Daqian?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. He had bought this small painting at the black market in Beijing last time. At the time, he saw that the spiritual energy in it was yellowish and thought it was a copy made by someone in the Qing Dynasty. He did not expect it to be the work of Zhang Daqian. However, thinking about it, some objects in modern collections also have a yellowish spiritual energy.
Zhang Daqian holds a pivotal position in the history of modern Chinese painting, which is why Zhuang Rui knows him very well.
It can be said that Zhang Daqian was a genius painter whose works "encompassed the strengths of various styles and combined the magnificence of the Northern and Southern schools." He integrated literati painting, professional painting, court painting and folk art, and was proficient in all aspects of Chinese painting, including figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, fish and insects, and animals, whether in meticulous or freehand style.
Zhang Daqian's painting style in his early and middle years mainly consisted of copying and imitating ancient works. He spent most of his life studying the works of the Qing Dynasty and the Sui and Tang Dynasties one by one, from copying to imitation, and then to forgery.
Zhang Daqian's painting style before the age of 30 can be described as "fresh and elegant," reaching "magnificent and majestic" at 50, and "deep and profound" after 60. After 80, his temperament became refined, his brushstrokes simple and his ink light. His unique splashed-ink landscape paintings are magnificent and beautiful, blending with nature. This enhances the appeal of the artistic conception and the overall effect of the painting.
In the 1920s, Zhang Daqian and his brother Zhang Shanzi were known as the "Two Heroes of Sichuan" in the Chinese painting world. In the 1930s, he was as famous as the great northern painter Pu Ru (Xinyu), and they were known as the "Zhang in the South and Pu in the North" in the Chinese painting world. He was hired as an art professor at National Central University. Xu Beihong once praised Zhang Daqian as "the greatest painter in five hundred years." Daqian Jushi was also one of the most prolific forgers among modern painters. His forgeries of ancient paintings were almost indistinguishable from the originals. Sometimes, after his forgeries were authenticated, they were worth more than his signed paintings, which can be considered a legendary story in the art world.
"Yes, this painting was authenticated by the teacher. It's definitely by Zhang Daqian. He rarely imitated ancient figure paintings. His portraits are very expensive. Although this painting isn't large, it would fetch at least 1.5 million RMB at auction. You've really gotten a great deal..."
Jin Pangzi knew that Zhuang Rui had bought the painting for 5,000 yuan, which is why he said that. Moreover, paintings that have been appraised and stamped by a master will have an even higher market value.
"Thank you so much, sir. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll definitely visit you to receive your guidance..."
Zhuang Rui truly respected Jin Pangzi's teacher from the bottom of his heart. He never expected that the painting he had found would be personally authenticated by the master.
"Alright, this painting is yours. Keep it and look at it slowly later. I brought you a piece of calligraphy, which happens to be written by Zhang Daqian. Consider it fitting for the occasion..."
Fatty Jin took out the calligraphy work he had given Zhuang Rui. It wasn't large, with only two characters: "Bamboo Fun." The characters were vigorous and elegant, soft on the outside but strong on the inside. The signature at the end read: "Zhang Daqian from Shu." Below were two seals, one reading "Zhang Yuan from Shu County" and the other "Guest of Wangshi Garden." "Teacher Jin, thank you so much. I'm really sorry to have troubled you..."
Zhang Daqian's paintings are much more expensive than his calligraphy. Nowadays, a calligraphy work costs about 30,000 yuan per square foot. This piece of calligraphy is less than two square feet, which is about 50,000 yuan. Given the friendship between Jin Pangzi and Zhuang Rui, this gift is already quite substantial.
“Mine is nothing. Look at what your teacher gave you. We asked him for ages, but Grandpa De just wouldn’t tell us. It must be something good…”
Fatty Jin waved his hand and handed the item to Wei Ge behind Zhuang Rui. Yang Wei knew the item was valuable, so he quickly took it to a room in the central courtyard. There was a table in the central room of the courtyard specifically for displaying gifts.
"You fatso Jin, trying to outmaneuver me with a painting by Zhang Daqian, huh?"
Uncle De smiled and pointed at Fatty Jin, opening the box in his hand. Inside were two jade pendants, one in the shape of a dragon and the other in the shape of a phoenix. The carving was exquisite, the jade was smooth and round, and the jade was colorful. At a glance, five or six colors could be distinguished. It was definitely an ancient jade.
"Uncle De, this is absolutely unacceptable! You've been collecting these two items for decades..."
When Zhuang Rui saw the item that Uncle De took out, he was immediately startled and waved his hands repeatedly to decline. The value of the item was secondary; the key was that it was something Uncle De had carried with him for decades and was deeply loved by him.
Not to mention Zhuang Rui, even Fatty Jin and Sun Wukong next to him gasped when they saw the two jade pendants.
Chapter 559 Zhuang Rui's Engagement (Part 2)
When it comes to ancient jade, the first thing to look at is the quality of the jade itself, followed by the patina. The more patina a piece has, the more valuable it is. Most ancient jade pieces at auctions nowadays have three or four types of patina, and their prices remain high. Jade pieces of slightly lower quality are generally priced at over a million.
The two jade pendants that Uncle De took out were carved from top-quality Hetian jade. The color was naturally smooth and rounded. After being handled by Uncle De for decades, they had become exceptionally smooth. The dragon and phoenix patterns were lifelike. When held in the palm of one's hand, the dragon and phoenix seemed to leap out.
Although Zhuang Rui was not very familiar with the market for ancient jade, he knew that the combined value of these two jade pendants was probably over ten million.
"Take it..."
Uncle De first took out a phoenix-shaped jade pendant from the box and handed it to Qin Xuanbing, saying, "Uncle De doesn't have much to give you, but this is just right for the occasion. I wish you two a harmonious and loving marriage, and um, that you have a big, healthy son soon..."
"Uncle De, you should leave this to the younger generation..."
Zhuang Rui gestured to Qin Xuanbing not to reach out and take them. He had seen Uncle De's collection in Zhonghai, and these two jade pendants were arguably the most valuable. If Uncle De were to give them to him, his descendants would inevitably be unhappy.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Uncle De immediately glared at him and said, "Why all the nonsense? Aren't you my junior? I can give my things to whomever I want. Don't be so pretentious, kid. Just for the fact that you called me 'teacher,' I'm not losing out by giving you this..."
"Uncle De, please don't be angry, I'll accept it, okay..."
When Zhuang Rui saw that Uncle De was really angry, he quickly nodded to Qin Xuanbing, signaling her to take the jade pendant. However, Zhuang Rui was still thinking to himself that he should find an opportunity to make amends to Uncle De. It seemed that Uncle De would be celebrating his 66th birthday this year, and he had to find a good gift to send him.
"Thank you, Uncle De..."
After Qin Xuanbing took the jade pendant, she smiled sweetly at Uncle De.
"Hmm, that's more like it. Is there any way to get back what Uncle De has given away..."
Uncle De finally smiled when he saw Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing accept the two jade pendants.
The reason why Fatty Jin gave Zhang Daqian's calligraphy was because Zhuang Rui had previously given his "girlfriend" a nice pearl necklace. It was a matter of reciprocity. And the relationship between Uncle De and Zhuang Rui goes without saying.
As for Sun Dasheng, his relationship with Zhuang Rui was just so-so. This time, he only brought an ordinary gift. After seeing the gifts of the other two, he didn't take it out to show off and casually handed the gift to Yang Wei, who was standing by the door.
"Uncle De, let me escort you all inside..."
"No need, no need, someone else can deliver it. You can continue with your work here..."
Uncle De waved his hands repeatedly.
"It's alright, Uncle De, Teacher Jin, Teacher Sun, please come in..."
This time, Zhuang Rui didn't let Wei Ge and the others send people in; for an elder like Uncle De, he had to send him in himself.
After entering the central courtyard, Zhuang Rui found his mother and asked her to accompany Uncle De for tea and conversation before returning to the entrance of the courtyard to work as a receptionist. ...
"Zhuang Rui, how much is that jade pendant worth? Is it very valuable?"
When Zhuang Rui returned, Qin Xuanbing asked him about it. Although she could tell that the two jade pendants were of good quality, she was not entirely convinced. She thought that the two pieces of jade were worth around 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, and that Zhuang Rui was making a big fuss about them.
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he held up one finger to Qin Xuanbing and said, "They are indeed very valuable. These are the two best items in Uncle De's collection. Sigh, this is a bit too much of a burden..."
"100,000?"
Qin Xuanbing asked, "The price is about what I expected."