Chapter six hundred and ninety-three - six hundred and ninety-four
Chapter 693-694: Mountain Dwelling
Lao Li had a total of 36 pieces of "ancient jade" left. In less than five minutes, all of them were snatched up by some tourists and other counter owners.
500 yuan a piece, to be honest, it’s really not that expensive. Not to mention ancient jade, even new jade with good quality will cost thousands of RMB. If there is something like what Mr. Zhuang found, then
But you can make a lot of money.
Lao Li counted the stack of banknotes in his hand and found that there were as many as 18,000 yuan. He had almost made back the money he had defrauded by the "peasant" "laying landmines".
Now Lao Li is a little confused about whether he has encountered a scam, or whether that person is really a simple farmer? It is said that the person who committed the scam should also have some eyesight, so as not to confuse the Yin Shang ancient jade with these
Is it inside the fake thing?
Speaking of this, it only shows that Lao Li's ideas are too bad, and Zhuang Rui is so lucky. The ancient jade from the Yin Shang Dynasty that originally belonged to him was taken advantage of by Zhuang Rui.
The "props" used by the scammer were actually bought in packages at an antique market in another city. There were some jade in them, but they were wrapped in lumps of dirt.
The "farmer" was a liar, not a jade appraiser. He was busy mixing these items with mud to make them fake. He didn't realize that these "props" were mixed with two pieces of ancient Yin and Shang Dynasties.
Jade.
Although the probability of such things is relatively low, we still hear about it from time to time in the antique market. For example, if you go to a large house or a place where ancient tombs are gathered, people often come to look for objects. Over time, those locals have learned to be shrewd.
, also knows how to buy some fake gadgets to fool those city dwellers who think they are smart.
There once was a buddy from Beijing who went to Hebei to dig out an old house. The man was quite discerning and picked out seven or eight arrows with characters from a pile of dilapidated modern bronze handicrafts. Later, he went back to Beijing to identify them and found that they were from the Qin Dynasty.
The arrows made a profit of 70,000 to 80,000 yuan as soon as they were resold.
Therefore, when wandering around in an antique shop, what matters in the end is your eyesight. Otherwise, even if the treasure is placed in front of you, it may just pass by and you will not recognize the treasure.
"Old Zhao, why is the package so tight? I bought something good, why don't I share it with my brothers..."
After counting the money, Lao Li turned around and saw Lao Zhao, who had just scolded the most but was the one who bought the most, coming back from the bathroom. No need to ask, he must have used the faucet there to clean the jade.
"Fuck you, mother, it's just a piece of Kunlun Sapphire, it's not worth the money. Damn it, did you do it on purpose?"
After Lao Zhao heard what Lao Li said, he became very angry. He had just spent 2,000 yuan to buy 4 pieces of jade. Who knew that after careful selection, he found a piece of real jade, but the workmanship was rough and the quality of the jade was poor.
It's inferior. It's worth 20 yuan at most. But in a blink of an eye, I lost 1,980 yuan. Can Lao Zhao feel better?
"Yes, I said Lao Li, did you do it on purpose?"
"Old Li, what the hell kind of jade is this? It's just plastic..."
"Old Li, pay for it, damn it, I spent 1,500 to buy three pieces of glass, and my wife doesn't know what to do when I get home..."
The people who went to clean the jade now all came back, with unkind expressions on their faces. They originally wanted to try their luck at a bargain, but who knew that besides Lao Zhao, there was also a piece of jade, and the others were just like jade.
It doesn't matter at all.
This cannot help but make people suspect that Lao Li is passing on the risk and using everyone's money to cover the 20,000 yuan he lost. This is also true. The banknotes in Lao Li's hand are enough to prove that he has basically not lost anything.
How much money.
"Hey...hey, let me tell you guys, I may have never touched these things, but think about it, I can't just throw two pieces of ancient jade worth hundreds of thousands into them, right?
Besides, I have such a big reputation, why don't I ask Teacher Zhuang to set a trap for you? Damn it, if I work harder, those two pieces of jade will be mine..."
Lao Li originally wanted to explain a few words, but as he spoke, he became more angry and wanted to slap himself in the ears. You said that you had spent forty or fifty yuan on wiping and cleaning, so why couldn't you stick to it?
When everyone heard what Lao Li said, they felt relieved. They just spent one or two thousand yuan to buy a fake gadget, while Lao Li threw away millions with his own hands. To say it was aggrieved,
Lao Li is determined to be more aggrieved than anyone else.
Taking advantage of Lao Li's unlucky incident, everyone found a balance easily. At that moment, a few "kind people" came to comfort Lao Li. Of course, whether they were sincere or gloating about his misfortune, it's up to you.
"Teacher Zhuang, look, I made this decision without your consent. I'm really sorry..."
Zhuang Rui followed Manager Zhang and was now sitting in the manager's office of the Antique City. The air conditioning here was more abundant than outside, and there was much less sweat on Manager Zhang's forehead.
"It's okay, it's okay, Manager Zhang, just call me Xiaozhuang. It just so happens that I also want to see the collections of Zhengzhou collectors. It would be good for everyone to exchange experiences..."
Zhuang Rui took the water poured by Manager Zhang and said a few words in a polite and modest manner. He would open a museum in the future and would have to communicate with collectors from all over the country. Zhengzhou should be his first stop.
Besides the situation just now, if I hadn't agreed, I might still be surrounded on the first floor of the antique city.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Manager Zhang waved his hands repeatedly and said: "I don't dare to take that seriously. You are a nationally renowned expert. You must call me teacher. Teacher Zhuang, please sit down for a moment. I will go out for a while and I will be back soon..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "Manager Zhang, you can do whatever you want..."
After Zhang Li left the manager's office, he immediately took out his cell phone and made a call.
"Hey, brother, hurry up and bring the Kangxi blue and white piece from home, as well as the small box I hid under the bed. Yes, yes, come to the antique city..."
I bet the manager of this piece also had selfish motives. His brother Zhang Feng is also a well-known collector in Zhengzhou. His family has many old things that he has received over the years. However, with their professional level, they have a lot of things.
Neither can be dated.
Now that Zhuang Rui is sitting in his office, Manager Zhang is naturally the first to win.
Zhang Li was on the phone outside, and Zhuang Rui in the office also received a call.
"Boss Ren, didn't you explain something? What? Now?"
Boss Ren, I really can’t leave now. I’m in Zhengzhou Antique City. I was surrounded by a group of people just now who wanted to appraise the objects. Why don’t you come over and let’s have lunch together?”
The call was from Yu Zhenping. For some unknown reason, he suddenly wanted to meet Zhuang Rui. Zhuang Rui didn't understand Yu Zhenping's intention, but he still told the truth and told the other party his situation.
"Oh, forget it, I'll call Boss Zhuang tomorrow..."
Yu Zhenping licked his lips with his tongue. He hadn't eaten meat for almost half a month. He wanted to go to Zhuang Rui's invitation, but after thinking about it, safety came first, so he rejected Zhuang Rui immediately.
However, after hanging up the phone, Yu Zhenping immediately stood up, dressed up, and hurried out of the hiding place.
Zhuang Rui, who was sitting in the manager's office, thought for a while, took out another mobile phone, sent a text message to Jiang Hao, and explained the matter. He would not make any decisions this time, and if he had any questions, he would not think about it.
Put the hat on my brother's head.
"Manager Zhang, Manager Zhang, are Teacher Zhuang here? Hey, I'm still the first one?"
Zhuang Rui was drinking tea and chatting in the office. The door to the manager's office was pushed open from the outside. The old Qi just now, holding a scroll in his hand, rushed in like the wind. His clothes were covered with sweat.
It got wet.
"Hey, Lao Qi, how can you create a whole painting like you are playing with Gao Guyu? You must have a lot of good stuff at home..."
Zhang Li was very familiar with the tenants of this antique city, and he laughed and joked with Lao Qi.
"Manager Zhang, don't talk about me. I'm afraid your boss will be here soon, right?"
Lao Qi now no longer acted like he was embarrassing Zhuang Rui in the antique city. Others have opened private museums, and he can't compare with him. He should honestly save the appraisal fee.
However, Lao Qi is not an easy man. If he wants to be convinced, Zhuang Rui still needs to show some real skills. At least the painting he brought here for appraisal today is relatively unknown.
Zhang Li's office is relatively modern, with a glass coffee table and executive desk, which are not suitable for identifying objects. He immediately called a few security guards and moved an antique imitation red sandalwood long table from the wood crafts area on the first floor.
The executive desk is placed in the middle of the room.
"Lao Qi, you old boy can run so fast..."
"Lao Yu, you're not too slow. What are you holding in your hand?"
"I said, how many of your brothers are here?"
While talking, the people who had just separated from the antique city gathered together again. Not only was the office full of people, but the corridor outside the door was also crowded with collectors who came to appraise it.
Moreover, this number of people is much higher than those who left just now. Who doesn’t have a few relatives and friends these days?
Especially for collectors, almost everyone has their own small circle. The free appraisal by experts has long been spread throughout the Zhengzhou antique community, and everyone in Zhengzhou is rushing to get there.
"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet. Today I can invite Teacher Zhuang to our antique city as a guest. Would you like to express your warm welcome first?"
Zhang Li found a loudspeaker from nowhere, stood at the door of the room, and shouted loudly. Although there were many people, the people who entered the room were all well-known people in the Zhengzhou antique industry.
.
Other Tibetan friends queued up in a long queue "consciously". They had no choice but to unconsciously, and the security guard immediately pointed his electric baton at them.
"Okay, I won't waste everyone's time anymore. Teacher Qingzhuang will start the appraisal now..."
After the applause started, Manager Zhang wisely put away the speaker and sat down next to Zhuang Rui. Being able to watch experts appraising treasures next to him was also an opportunity to learn and improve.
"Teacher Zhuang, could you please take a look at this painting..."
Lao Qi was the first to arrive, so he was naturally the first to come up for appraisal. At this moment, Lao Qi had put away his pretense of being a "jade expert" and respectfully placed the painting in his hand in front of Zhuang Rui.
.
"Where did your object come from?"
As early as when Lao Qi entered the house, Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to observe the scroll in his hand and found that it contained extremely rich white spiritual energy, which should be the handiwork of a modern master.
"Haha, I went to Shanghai a few years ago and bought it from an old friend. I don't know much about landscape painting, so I showed it to Teacher Zhuang to see if it is an authentic work by Mr. Xiao Junxian."
Lao Qi smiled and took out this painting. Firstly, he bought it for 20,000 yuan, and he really wanted to identify the authenticity. Secondly, he actually used this painting to study Zhuang Rui's meaning.
Although Xiao Junxian is a famous painter in modern times, his name is not as famous as Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong, Qi Baishi and others. Generally, he is not a professional calligrapher and painter, and he has never even heard of this name.
After Zhuang Rui heard Lao Qi's words, he nodded. There was no expression on his face, but he laughed in his heart.
Zhuang Rui knew that his shortcoming was that he knew relatively little about the inheritance and origin of physical objects, so he thought of a stupid way to memorize the resumes and artistic styles of many famous people from ancient and modern times in his head.
Combined with his own eye discernment ability and his understanding of ancient and modern artists, Zhuang Rui is now definitely worthy of the title of "expert".
Zhuang Rui still has an impression of Xiao Junxian, and without opening the scroll, Zhuang Rui has already determined in his heart that this painting should be Xiao Junxian's original work.
Because although Xiao Junxian was from Hunan, he lived in Shanghai in his later years and made a living by selling paintings. This painting that Lao Qi obtained from Shanghai has already explained part of the problem.
After putting on his gloves, Zhuang Rui slowly rolled the shaft and spread the painting on the table.
This is a typical Chinese ink landscape painting. The painting style is very elegant and the distance is clear. When pushing forward layer by layer toward the distant view, it expresses a very high realm and shows the author's extraordinary painting skills.
"Teacher Zhuang, Teacher Zhuang, what do you think of this painting?"
It doesn't matter if it takes Zhuang Rui longer to make the appraisal, but there are still hundreds of people waiting for the appraisal outside the door. Manager Zhang couldn't help but call Zhuang Rui a few words in a low voice, asking him to make a comment quickly.
Zhuang Rui was immersed in this landscape painting when he was suddenly interrupted by the tension. He raised his head and said in a daze: "Ah? Not bad, not bad, it's Xiao Junxian's original work..."
It's just that Zhuang Rui's words are a bit unconvincing. Not only do you need to point out the problem if this antique is fake, but even if it is real, you also need to point out its style and characteristics. Of course, what more people here care about is its
price.
So as soon as Zhuang Rui said these words, Lao Qi and some experts showed a look of disappointment and contempt on their faces. Now no one confronts Zhuang Rui. Isn't it true and false that he just says casually?
After the previous jade-hunting incident, Lao Qi was no longer so rash and said politely: "Teacher Zhuang, can you give me a review?"
"Haha, let me just say a few words..."
Zhuang Rui's eyes were still on the painting, and he gently brushed the light areas of thick ink with his hand, and said: "Chinese landscape paintings are very particular about the outlines of light ink and burnt ink. Thick ink and light color should be used.
Just enough is enough, just the right amount.
The inking of this painting is very well done, and every stroke has a purpose, showing very solid basic skills.
To be disrespectful, modern masters such as Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian may not be as advanced in basic skills as Mr. Xiao Junxian.
As a modern painter, Mr. Xiao not only understands the essence of ancient paintings, but also adds his own thoughts and creations, and has his own unique artistic style..."
When Zhuang Rui said this, it was already so quiet below that you could only hear the breathing of everyone.
"Personally, I highly respect Mr. Xiao. Many friends may not know that Mr. Xiao Junxian was a very famous calligrapher and painter in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Moreover, Mr. Xiao once gave up his official position to become a teacher. This is
He was the first person at that time.
During his time as a teacher, Mr. Xiao also produced many Chinese painters from the Republic of China to the early days of liberation, such as Chen Shizeng, Lu Fengzi, etc., who were all students of Mr. Xiao.
This painting is Mr. Xiao's imitation of "Mountain Dwelling" by Ju Ran of the Five Dynasties. It can be said to be Xiao Junxian's fine painting and is of great collection value. Congratulations to you, brother..."
Zhuang Rui's words ranged from the painting style to the artist himself, explaining the truth in simple and easy-to-understand terms. Everyone who listened was mesmerized. Until Zhuang Rui finished his comments, everyone still didn't come back to their senses and felt that they still had some unfinished ideas.
After more than a minute, under the leadership of Manager Zhang, applause suddenly burst out and could not stop for a long time.
"Isn't Teacher Zhuang an expert on jade? How come he is so proficient in Chinese painting?"
"What do you know? These experts know everything. Otherwise, why would they be on CCTV?"
"What I'm saying is that Teacher Zhuang's words are so good. I really feel like I've learned a lesson..."
After the applause stopped, everyone started talking, but their voices were very low for fear of disturbing Zhuang Rui.
If Zhuang Rui just picked up the omission to prove his eyesight, there was also some element of luck, then this explanation truly revealed Zhuang Rui's profound theoretical knowledge.
There were many people playing calligraphy and painting present, and many of them did not know Xiao Junxian's name. After hearing this opinion from Zhuang Rui, a jade expert, they were all convinced.
"Teacher Zhuang, how much is this painting worth?"
After identifying the authenticity, price is naturally Lao Qi's biggest concern.
"Mr. Xiao Junxian's paintings have great collection potential, but the price of modern landscape paintings is not very high. I estimate it should be between 40,000 and 60,000 yuan..."
Zhuang Rui pondered for a while and gave the price. To be honest, he really wanted to get this painting in his pocket, because there are very few people who paint traditional Chinese landscape paintings in modern times. This painting can be said to be a representative one.
paintings.
Some friends may say, since it is representative, why is the price so low? This is also based on market demand. Didn’t Zhuang Rui say it before? There is great potential for collection. The main reason for the low price now is that it is
No one is hyping it.
Do you really think that the paintings by "Zhang Qixu" and others were so valuable from the beginning? It was not because they were given many names and then hyped that they became so popular in the art market.
If Zhuang Rui could accept this painting, display it in his museum, and inscribe it with the name of the first person in modern Chinese landscape painting, it would guarantee the value of this painting and it would be worth a hundred times immediately.
Someone who was familiar with Lao Qi knew the origin of his painting and immediately said: "Lao Qi, congratulations, you only bought this a few years ago, right? In just a few years, the price has doubled... …”
"Haha, this is for sale, I don't know if anyone will buy it..." Lao Qi said modestly.
"You want to sell?"
Zhuang Rui's heart moved and he said: "Is this Master Qi? I am currently collecting modern Chinese art. If you are interested in transferring it, I can offer you a price. Do you like it?"
Zhuang Rui's museum is currently short of modern calligraphy and painting. Although Xiao Junxian is not famous, his painting style is calm and elegant, representing a relatively high artistic standard in the late Qing Dynasty.
"Haha, Teacher Zhuang, if you like it, just give me a price..."
Lao Qi himself relied on selling to collect. He played with jade. The reason why he collected this painting was to sell it for money. Since Zhuang Rui wanted to buy it, he naturally had no reason not to sell it.
Zhuang Rui pondered for a while, stretched out the thumb and index finger of his right hand, gestured, and said: "Eighty thousand, Master Qi, even if this painting goes to auction, the price won't be higher than 60,000. I I wonder what you mean by offering 80,000 yuan?"
"Eighty thousand?!"
Lao Qi was stunned for a moment. He originally thought Zhuang Rui would offer a price of 40,000 to 50,000 yuan. Unexpectedly, Zhuang Rui offered four times the purchase price, which Lao Qi did not expect.
"Master Qi, if this painting of yours can be kept in my hands for another seven or eight years, it should be worth more than 80,000 yuan. However, in the current calligraphy and painting market, the price I offer is already the highest..."
Seeing that Lao Qi was hesitant, Zhuang Rui quickly added a handful of firewood. If this painting comes into his hands, it won't take seven or eight years, but within two years, Zhuang Rui will definitely be able to raise its price. He is a loss-making business. Can't do it.
"Okay, I'm selling. Manager Zhang, please issue a notarized certificate of sale..."
Although Lao Qi didn't know much about calligraphy and painting, nor did he know the specific prices of Xiao Junxian's works, he believed that Zhuang Rui would not dare to speak openly in front of so many people.
This antique business does not mean that you will be able to sell the object if you have it. It also depends on the right time, place and people to sell it at a high price. If you pass the village of Zhuang Rui, Lao Qi may not be able to find another place. The 80,000 yuan shop came, so he agreed so simply.
Not to mention that Zhuang Rui was busy with appraisals and transactions, but there was also an undercurrent surging around the Zhengzhou Antique City. After receiving Zhuang Rui's text message, Jiang Hao immediately coordinated with the Zhengzhou police and mobilized a large number of plainclothes policemen to enter the antique city. Inside.
