Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty Eight - Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty Nine
Chapter 438-Chapter 439 There is a Universe in the Belly
"Brother Li, can you show me this tooth carving first?"
Zhuang Rui didn't know what Li Yunshan was thinking, and he didn't know that Li Yunshan was afraid that the dead old man would scold him for betraying his father. He didn't feel bad about it. Zhuang Rui just simply liked this work, which could be called a large ivory Buddha statue, and wanted to get it.
Just playing around.
"Okay, of course. You'd better come over and take a look. This thing is not light in weight..."
This object is not small, and the ivory carvings are relatively fragile. Li Yunshan invited Zhuang Rui to come to his stall to have a look. He was still thinking about whether this thing should be sold, and if so, how much it should be sold for.
?
After hearing this, Zhuang Rui was not polite and stepped directly across the stall, walked to the box, took out the ivory carving that was almost as high as the box, and placed it on the ground.
In this way, the entire ivory carving ornament is completely displayed in front of Zhuang Rui's eyes. The King Kong figure on this angry-eyed diamond ivory carving has one foot on the ground and one foot slightly raised. The shape of the face is extremely exaggerated, and the mouth is wide open.
, with his nostrils facing the sky, his eyes glaring forward, holding a Vajra in his right hand, his chest exposed with strong muscles, and his clothes and belt fluttering in front, which is very beautiful.
Zhuang Rui once read some books about ancient Buddhist sculpture illustrations. This ivory sculpture should be a typical Buddhist statue from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It adheres to the exaggerated and freehand style of traditional Chinese sculptures and is in line with modern people's expectations of human body health and beauty.
Aesthetic.
I just don’t know how this statue, which should belong to my own country, ended up in Myanmar. It is said that in the past, only China bullied Myanmar, but Myanmar did not have the strength to go to China to burn, kill, and loot.
Observing the details carefully, Zhuang Rui can see that the sculptor of this work has extremely profound skills. The knife is in place without being sloppy. The lines are simple and smooth, the details are clear and natural. The most special thing is that the work is covered with knife marks, and there are no traces of it.
The carving marks were carefully polished away, and the ivory characteristics were fully revealed.
This kind of bare-faced and true-to-life treatment not only increases the power, magnanimity and appeal of the work, but also shows the author's full confidence in his own carving skills.
Zhuang Rui could conclude without using spiritual energy to identify that this ivory Buddha sculpture was definitely an old object. It should have been from the Qing Dynasty at the earliest, because not to mention the scarcity of ivory in modern times, even during the Republic of China, there were craftsmen with such skills.
Those are rare and can be called master-level craftsmen.
Zhuang Rui turned his back to Yang Hao and others and released spiritual energy towards the tooth sculpture. As expected, as soon as the spiritual energy penetrated into the surface of the tooth sculpture, Zhuang Rui discovered that it contained rich purple spiritual energy, "Ming Dynasty! At least the Ming Dynasty.
Item..." Zhuang Rui was extremely happy and wanted to take it into his bag.
"Eh? Why are there cracks?!"
Zhuang Rui did not use his spiritual energy deeply. He found a crack about five centimeters in size under the arm on the side of the ivory carving, and it extended inside. It seemed that it had been repaired before, and it seemed that a small circular door had been opened there.
, and then closed the door again.
"Damn, what is this?"
Zhuang Rui's eyes continued to look in along the small door, and he was suddenly shocked, because the chest of the Buddha statue had actually been hollowed out, and in that small space, there were two
A wax pill.
"Damn, what on earth is this?!"
Naturally, this thing could not withstand the perspective of Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy. The spiritual energy instantly wrapped the wax pill. Zhuang Rui found that inside the wax pill were two small paper balls kneaded together. This made Zhuang Rui dumbfounded. Even though he was powerful,
There was no way to tell what was written in the ball of paper.
At this time, Zhuang Rui felt like he had been scratched by a cat. It was extremely itchy. People are all curious. The things inside this Buddha sculpture were obviously hidden inside by future generations, and
This mystery must be inside the two wax pills. This secret that is right in front of you cannot be revealed, which makes Zhuang Rui feel uncomfortable.
"Boss Zhuang, you can sell it, but this thing has been in my house for many years. In our domestic terms, it is an antique. The price cannot be calculated according to the price of these handicrafts..."
After Li Yunshan struggled for a while, he decided to sell it. After all, this thing was kept at home and could not be used as food. Moreover, he grew up in an environment where he was surrounded by Chinese people, including his mother, who is also Chinese.
My daughter, unlike those Burmese people, does not believe in Buddhism, so she does not feel there is anything wrong with selling this Buddha statue.
If such a large and exquisite tooth carving was placed in a Burmese home, it would be enshrined like a treasure and worshiped day and night. However, in Li Yunshan's home, it was just kept under the bed for decades. The old man was bored during his lifetime.
When I was in school, I occasionally took it out to "remember those days".
"Well, Brother Li, there is no problem with this. Let me take a closer look. It seems that the tooth carving has been repaired..."
Zhuang Rui's thoughts at this time were all on the ivory carvings. According to the habit of bargaining for items, he answered casually. However, as soon as he said the words, he regretted it. If the stall owner saw any clues, then
You'll be at a huge loss yourself.
"Oh, you're talking about the cracked mark, right? It was there when I was a child. Maybe my grandfather accidentally cracked it before. This shouldn't affect it, right?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Li Yunshan couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Since he decided to sell, he naturally wanted to sell it at a high price. If Zhuang Rui used the crack as an excuse, Li Yunshan really didn't know how to negotiate the price. After all, he
I know nothing about antiques.
"It doesn't matter. The overall shape of this tooth carving is very good. It's normal to have a few flaws. I'll take another look. Brother Li, please estimate the price first and we'll talk about it later..." After taking a few deep breaths,
Zhuang Rui calmed down.
Zhuang Rui now focused his attention on the repair surface. He found that the repair surface and the materials used inside should be made of milky white silicone. After a long time, it would also turn slightly yellow. If it were not for the use of spiritual energy,
Seeing it, it is really not easy to detect it simply by looking at it with your eyes.
This made Zhuang Rui even more curious. You must know that latex was only popular in the early part of the last century. This material could not have been available in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The wax pill inside this ivory ornament is a unique method of transmitting secret messages in ancient China. It seems that since the Qing Dynasty, secret messages sealed with fire paint have been used. These two completely unequal things are combined in
At the same time, Zhuang Rui was also a little confused as to what secret was hidden in this.
"Let's talk about buying it..."
Zhuang Rui made a decision in his heart. He would never be able to recognize the fonts in the paper ball inside the wax ball with his aura alone. If he wanted to understand, he could only take out the wax ball, and first he had to let the ivory Buddha
Just make it your own.
"Brother Li, I won't hide it from you. This ivory Buddha sculpture should be an old thing from before the Republic of China. It can be regarded as an antique. I like this object very much. It would be good to have at home. Please give me a price. If it is suitable,
Let’s make a deal…”
Because of Li Yunshan's initial attitude, Zhuang Rui was afraid that he would no longer be willing to sell it. In order to show his sincerity, he bluntly said that this object was an antique. However, Zhuang Rui was a bit cunning about the age. He only said that it was from before the Republic of China.
But it did not say that this object was from the Ming Dynasty. Of course, the Ming Dynasty was before the Republic of China.
"This... I don't know much about it. If you really want it, little brother, just give me this price..."
After Li Yunshan lowered his head and thought for a while, he stretched out two fingers.
Seeing Li Yunshan's gesture, Zhuang Rui asked: "Twenty thousand dollars? This is a bit expensive..."
While talking, he frowned, but he was just pretending. He said that if this thing is verified in China, if its inheritance and origin can be found out, it would be normal to sell it for seven to eight million, but this is
Doing business requires bargaining, so Zhuang Rui naturally wanted to lower the price.
It's just that Zhuang Rui didn't notice that after he said the price of twenty thousand dollars, the pupils in Li Yunshan's eyes shrank for a moment. This is a normal reaction when people are surprised. Li Yunshan didn't dislike Zhuang Rui's lack of money, but the price.
He was frightened. What he meant by two fingers was only two thousand dollars.
You know, ivory carvings are very common in Myanmar. Although the ivory material of this ornament is not small, there are some larger objects than this in Myanmar, and the price is only one or two thousand US dollars, and Myanmar’s per capita income
It's very low, one to two thousand dollars, enough to cover a family's expenses for several years.
Li Yunshan sets up a stall here to do business, and the money he earns in a month is only a few hundred US dollars. If Zhuang Rui said it is 20,000 US dollars, it is also a huge sum of money for Li Yunshan.
"Little...little brother, it can be cheaper, if you want...otherwise, would you like to see 18,000 lines? My things were passed down from my grandfather. If my grandfather were still alive, I would not sell them...
…”
Li Yunshan was so excited that he stuttered a little. He was afraid that Zhuang Rui wouldn't buy it, so he took the initiative to lower the price by two thousand dollars and said that it was a relic of his grandfather.
"Eighteen thousand..."
Zhuang Rui muttered something in his mouth, then looked around the Buddha statue again, nodded heavily, and said: "It is fate to meet Brother Li. Eighteen thousand, just eighteen thousand, but
Brother Li, can this thing be taken out of the country? If I were confiscated by the customs again, I would be wronged..."
Zhuang Rui didn't know whether Myanmar banned the export of such items. If it was true, as he said, it would be really worthless to buy it and then have it confiscated.
"No, no, let's do this. Little brother, wait a moment, and I will help you issue an invoice for the handicrafts..." Li Yunshan actually didn't know whether the export of this thing was prohibited, but he knew that in Myanmar,
As long as you have an invoice issued by a state-owned store, you can definitely take out the gadgets you buy.
Li Yunshan greeted a familiar stall owner at the stall next to him and asked him to help take care of it, and then he happily ran to the state-owned store at the entrance of the Shwedagon Pagoda.
"Brother Zhuang, is it worth buying this thing for more than 200,000 yuan?"
Yang Hao saw Zhuang Rui caressing the ivory Buddha statue up and down, and asked with some confusion. In his impression, most of the things sold in these tourist attractions were fake. Zhuang Rui took out the
If you go out with 200,000 yuan, you might be killed by Li Yunshan.
As the saying goes: fellow countrymen, a shot in the back, most of the people who come to Myanmar for tourism are Chinese. If Li Yunshan would treat the Chinese differently, Yang Hao would not believe it anyway. Businessmen are chasing profits and slaughtering them.
Just one of our own people.
"It's worth it, of course it's worth it. Such large and complete ivory carvings are rare in China. The price of ivory carving crafts has also risen sharply in recent years. If you take it back, it might double..."
Zhuang Rui did not dare to say more. If he said that this thing was worth seven or eight million according to its age and inheritance, it would definitely scare Yang Hao. Zhuang Rui had a feeling in his heart that such a large thing
The objects will definitely be recorded in some domestic documents.
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, you have really good eyesight. It's so easy to make money..."
Yang Hao stuck out his tongue and said with envy that although he and Zhuang Rui had not known each other for a long time and had only met three times, every time they met, Zhuang Rui's net worth was like a rocket.
, rising suddenly.
While the two were chatting, Li Yunshan hurried back, holding a rectangular box made of bamboo. The size seemed to be just right to hold the ivory Buddha statue. This is a bamboo box special to Myanmar. This box is also
It cost thirty or forty dollars, so Li Yunshan bought it as a gift to Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui held hands and together with Li Yunshan, carefully placed the ivory Buddha statue horizontally into the bamboo box, and then stuffed sponges and waste newspapers around it. The bamboo box itself is elastic. In this way, even if something happens
Some collisions will not damage the objects inside.
"Little brother, take it..." After packing it up, Li Yunshan pushed the box to Zhuang Rui and handed over the invoice he had just issued. It was in Burmese and Zhuang Rui couldn't understand it. After taking the invoice, he handed it over
Gave it to Peng Fei.
Peng Fei glanced at the invoice, nodded, handed the eighteen thousand dollars that he had just counted to Li Yunshan, and picked up the box from the ground. This bamboo box has handles on it, and it is very convenient to hold it.
It's convenient.
…
Carrying this big box, there was no way to go shopping anymore. Fortunately, the tour of the Shwedagon Pagoda was already finished. Zhuang Rui, Yang Hao and Peng Fei took a taxi and returned to the hotel.
The Myanmar New Year Jade Sale is scheduled to open on January 1st, and most businessmen at home and abroad rushed to Yangon today. After Zhuang Rui walked into the hotel, he saw many familiar faces. The stone circle was so
Those are the big, well-known jewelry companies that are hard to come by.
After greeting the wool merchants from China, Zhuang Rui got into the elevator. He felt like he had become a giant panda. Everyone wanted to touch it. Just now, even a fat woman smelling of perfume wanted to give it to him.
A hug frightened Zhuang Rui.
"Peng Fei, you are not an honest guy. The boss was surrounded by people, and you didn't say anything about coming to the rescue..."
After bidding farewell to Yang Hao and returning to the hotel room, Zhuang Rui looked at Peng Fei dissatisfied and said, "This guy ran very fast with a box just now, but luckily he knew to wait for him at the elevator door."
"Hey, boss, according to my analysis, that woman has absolutely no ill intentions toward you..."
Perhaps because his sister has been resettled, Peng Fei talks a little more than before these days. He occasionally jokes with Zhuang Rui. He respects Zhuang Rui in his heart, but on the surface he doesn't call him boss all day like Hao Long does.
This is also Peng Fei's attitude after recognizing someone.
"Okay, stop talking nonsense, take out this tooth carving, I'm going to take a bath first..."
Zhuang Rui couldn't wait to reveal the secret of the tooth carving, but after going out, he felt sticky and uncomfortable, so he went to the bathroom to take a shower.
When Zhuang Rui came out, the ivory Buddha statue had been placed on the table in the living room, and Peng Fei was observing it carefully.
"You kid, you've been running for a long time and you haven't even sweated at all..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at Peng Fei with envy. The first time he saw him, it was several degrees below zero. The boy was wearing so thin clothes that he didn't feel cold. Now in this hot day, he didn't sweat.
"Brother Zhuang, is this thing really worth hundreds of thousands?"
Peng Fei had just walked around this tooth carving several times, but the shape was just a bit special. He couldn't figure out why this thing that couldn't be eaten or drank was so valuable.
"Hundreds of thousands? Haha, Peng Fei, I have to add a zero at the end..."
Zhuang Rui smiled proudly. As the saying goes, antiques from golden times in troubled times were worthless and cumbersome to carry around during times of war and chaos. But nowadays, they are priceless treasures. In short, Zhuang Rui would not take them away.
This thing was sold.
"How many...millions?"
Peng Fei's lips twitched, and he looked at the Buddha statue in disbelief. He knew where Zhuang Rui got his money. This was even more profitable than drug trafficking, and there was no risk. At this time, even Peng Fei
In my mind, I was wondering if I should also learn some knowledge about antiques. After all, I can't work as a security guard for a lifetime.
"Yeah, but I won't sell this thing. I probably won't be able to find a few pieces in China..."
Zhuang Rui had already focused his attention on the ivory carving at this time. He was thinking about how to open the patched "door" and take out the wax pills inside. Of course, Zhuang Rui didn't want to damage the ivory carving.
Buddha sculpture, otherwise just throw it on the ground and listen to the sound, then the thing will be taken out.
"Brother Zhuang, I heard that you went out and made some nice things and came back? You didn't say you called me to go with you..."
When Zhuang Rui was looking at the tooth carving with all his concentration, Song Jun's voice suddenly sounded in his ears. He looked up and found that Song Jun and Fatty Ma had entered the house at some unknown time. The doorbell had just rang and Peng Fei had opened the door.
Zhuang Rui actually didn't hear the sound at all.
"One of you is afraid of the heat, and the other is afraid of walking. I can't help shouting at either of you..." Zhuang Rui smiled bitterly, but he didn't say that he was still worried about being unsafe at that time.
"Good thing, really good thing. Such a large tooth carving is really rare. And judging from the shape and dentition, it should be something from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Brother Zhuang, you are not a little missed. What a good thing.
You've all touched me..."
Song Jun took a magnifying glass and looked around the tooth carving for a long time, then looked at Zhuang Rui with his eyes. This little brother of his is simply amazing. He can encounter interesting things wherever he goes. This tooth carving is obviously an old item in China.
, he could actually find it in Myanmar.
Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded by what Song Jun said, and replied angrily: "That's because you are lazy. Don't say it's me, even if you see this thing, you will definitely buy it. Brother Song, if you go to Daikin first
"Ta, maybe this thing will have nothing to do with me..."
"Shi Ye's fate is yours. No one can take it away. But Brother Zhuang, how about you transfer this thing to me? I will definitely like it when I see it..."
Song Jun rolled his eyes and wanted Zhuang Rui to sell this object to him. Seven to eight million was nothing to Song Jun. Some time ago, due to the old man's poor health, the Song family's industry made some adjustments.
, a lot of investment has been recovered, and now Song Jun has at least several hundred million in spare money.
"Brother Song, don't think about this. My courtyard still lacks these things. By the way, Grandpa Song likes calligraphy and painting. It has nothing to do with it. Please stop pulling tiger skins to make a banner..."
Zhuang Rui rejected Song Jun unceremoniously. He now regretted selling the manuscript and Tang Bohu's "Li Duanduan Picture" to Song Jun. Only now did Zhuang Rui realize how difficult it was to get those items again.
The domestic antique markets are all filled with fake stuff.
"You kid, forget it, but you must find the jade you promised me..."
"When did I promise you? Aren't you being unreasonable..." Zhuang Rui was a little helpless. This Song Jun is already in his forties, and his children are probably in high school. He can be considered a princeling.
When scoundrels come, they can’t even bear it.
"Okay, why don't I keep one for you if I can find one?"
Zhuang Rui said good things and sent these two people out of the room. He had no intention of quarreling with Song Jun now. The mysterious wax pill in the tooth carving really made him feel a little itchy.
"Boss, it doesn't look like this place is open to traffic, otherwise it wouldn't have such rules, right?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui looking at the armpits of the ivory figures, Peng Fei also moved over to take a look. His eyes were also very poisonous. Although the repair marks were very faint, Peng Fei could still see that,
This shape doesn't seem to be caused by collision.
"Huh? You can see it too? This really doesn't look like a crack, but rather something dug out. It's a bit like a small door deliberately opened. Ancient people often liked to hide treasures in the bellies of Buddha statues.
Do you think there might be something in here?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at Peng Fei and deliberately used words to guide him. Zhuang Rui didn't want to take out the contents without telling Peng Fei, so he had to have a suitable reason.
