After leaving Zayufang, the middle-aged woman did not go far.
"Sister, please stay!" Shen Yu shouted to her loudly.
"Oh, what can I do for you?" the middle-aged woman responded casually.
"I want to buy this jade plaque of yours, but I wonder if you still want to sell it?" Shen Yu asked, pointing to the jade pendant held tightly in the middle-aged woman's hand.
When she heard that Shen Yu wanted to buy something of her own, the middle-aged woman's face suddenly became a little happy, but then she showed a hint of caution.
Seeing this, Shen Yu quickly explained: "Don't worry, I happened to be in the store when you were selling things just now. I went to the antique shop to buy things, and I bought a lot."
As he spoke, Shen Yu raised the cardboard box in his hand.
"But these are just ordinary accessories. I don't like any other jade items in the store. But I like your jade plaque very much, so I ran out to stop you."
"So that's it!"
The middle-aged woman looked at Shen Yu and saw that Shen Yu had a fair and handsome face, a strong bookish air about him, and did not behave like a bad person. Her highly nervous mood gradually relaxed.
"You really want to buy this piece of ancient jade from my family? But you have..."
Shen Yu smiled and said, "You think I'm too young, right? To tell you the truth, my family owns an antique shop, but it's not in Dongjiang but in Chuzhou.
"As for money, you can rest assured, I have money."
"My jade is very valuable, costing tens of thousands." The middle-aged woman still looked worried that Shen Yu would have no money.
Shen Yu had no choice but to patiently explain again, and opened his shoulder bag to let the other party see the cash in the bag.
"My name is Shen Yu. I would like to ask, eldest sister, what is your surname?"
"The surname is Wen."
"Okay, then I'll call you Sister Wen. It's not convenient to talk on this street. There is a teahouse in front of you. How about we go inside and talk? Don't worry, I'll treat you."
Sister Wen showed a trace of hesitation, but finally nodded. This Zayuzhai was the third jade shop she had entered. Although she paid 500 yuan more than the previous one, it was still far away from her own psychological price. Not even close.
Now even she herself is a little doubtful whether this family heirloom jade is actually a good piece of jade.
Also, there were so many people in the teahouse that even if the young man in front of him had any bad thoughts, he would not dare to take his jade medal by force.
……
"Xiangming House" is the only century-old teahouse on Liutiao Antique Street in Qingniuguan.
Cornered eaves, carved beams and painted buildings.
The sign of this store is very conspicuous.
Of course, the iron paintings, silver hooks, and the three gilt characters written vividly are not conspicuous even if they are not conspicuous.
This is the inscription by Li Qingshan, the famous calligraphy master of Dongjiang.
When you enter the door, the antique decoration immediately gives people a very warm feeling.
Generally speaking, teahouse business is booming in the afternoon, and there are not many people in the morning.
But Xiangming Pavilion is the only business nearby. It is almost full in the morning, and the tea tasting hall is full of people.
Shen Yu originally wanted to choose a seat by the window.
In this position, it is best for two strangers to talk.
But now you can only choose a private room. Anyone who comes here to drink tea is considered an antique connoisseur. Don't do this stupid thing of treating yourself while others buy treasures.
Under the enthusiastic guidance of the waiter, Shen Yu and Sister Wen entered a private room on the second floor.
The waiter first asked the two of them to sit down, and then brought them a plate of free dried fruits. At the same time, he took out a beautifully framed tea list from the drawer and placed it in front of Shen Yu with a smile.
Shen Yu didn't look at the tea list and directly ordered a pot of black tea Lapsang Souchong.
Unlike grandpa Zhonglou who only drinks black tea, Shenyu likes all black tea, green tea and herbal tea.
Black tea warms the stomach, this is specially ordered for Sister Wen.
Then Shen Yu ordered four more plates of exquisite dim sum that he thought tasted pretty good.
Sister Wen has never been to a place with such luxurious decoration. She looks very restrained and her sitting posture does not look comfortable.
Seeing this, Shen Yu smiled and said: "Sister, there is no need to be so formal. We paid for it. You can sit however you feel comfortable."
"I just saw that this pot of tea costs more than two hundred yuan, am I right?" Sister Wen straightened her body slightly.
Shen Yu explained with a smile: "The tea leaves in this teahouse are all new. They refresh the mind, relieve fatigue, nourish the stomach and benefit the body. The price is acceptable.
"Besides, making a pot of tea requires half a tael of tea leaves and costs thirty or forty yuan.
"Moreover, the rent in this area is very expensive. We often hold free treasure appreciation tea parties, calligraphy and painting competitions, Go games, chess games, etc., plus labor costs, water and electricity bills, we have to make people make money, right?"
"It's really costing you money. Since we are all here, you should take a look at this jade sign first."
Sister Wen opened the wooden box and carefully handed the jade plaque to Shen Yu.
Shen Yu took out a pair of white gloves from his shoulder bag and put them on before taking them with both hands.
"This jade pendant was left to me by my mother. According to her old man, this jade pendant was passed down to her by my grandmother. I will not sell it unless I have to."
Maybe she was thinking of her mother, maybe it was her current predicament, Sister Wen couldn't control her emotions for a moment, tears burst out, and two lines of hot tears fell down her cheeks.
The jade tablet is square in shape and can be held in your hand. Once you hold it, it is warm and delicate, and the overall coating is mellow.
There are frames on both the front and back, and the weight is about 30 grams.
The jade color is light green and has no variegation. It is very clean and free of dirt and grime.
The engraving technique on the head of the tablet is substantial, with Ruyi patterns and holes for stringing.
The composition is not complicated. There is an ancient pine with lush branches carved in the front frame. Under the pine is a cute-looking boy with hanging sideburns playing with insects and birds among the flowers and grass. There are a few auspicious clouds floating overhead.
The overall meaning is very auspicious, including pine trees, birds, children, and auspicious clouds, which together mean sending blessings and receiving auspiciousness, or receiving blessings and welcoming auspiciousness.
On the back border are four words engraved: Wealth, Gui Xiang and Xiang.
The carving is not exactly fine, but it is not rough as the crew cut man would say.
The veins of the stamens and leaves as well as the whisker wings of insects and birds are all clearly carved and visible.
The polishing is even more exquisite, showing an excellent warmth and delicacy, as well as a soft yet firm grease luster.
It is very rare for such a small jade plaque to integrate painting, calligraphy, sculpture and other classical culture into one square inch.
Shen Yu observed it for more than a minute and already knew in his mind that the jade plaque was from the Ming Dynasty.
To say that this object is a jade medal is actually not strict. It should be called a Ming Dynasty card-shaped pendant.
Most of the card-shaped pendants of the Song Dynasty did not have borders.
Although the card-shaped pendants of the Yuan Dynasty began to have borders, their internal decorations were often higher than the borders.
The card-shaped jade pendants of the Ming Dynasty are slightly thicker and heavier than those of previous dynasties. They usually use a shallow concealment technique to highlight the main decorations, and then leave a narrow border around them.
This brand-shaped jade pendant is from the middle to early Ming Dynasty, at least before Lu Zigang became famous.
The decorations on the pendants after Lu Zigang have changed a lot compared to the past, and there are a number of decorations depicting literati's landscapes and poems.
The popular decoration at that time was to carve the landscape paintings of famous calligraphers and painters such as Dai Jin, Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, Qiu Ying, Chen Chun and others on the front of the ornament.
Then the poem and seal are engraved on the back.
This elegant and refined approach pushed the brand-shaped jade pendant to a new artistic level, attracting people at that time to rush to wear it.
Among them, Lu Zigang's brand-shaped jade pendants are the most famous, and their skills are unparalleled. Later generations called them "Zigang brand", and they were also respected as the ancestors by many jade craftsmen in future generations.
"I wonder what difficulties you have encountered?"
Sister Wen wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, "I won't hide it from you, little brother. My family used to have very good conditions, but my husband had a traffic accident while driving a truck and injured his waist, causing the family's financial situation to plummet.
"My father couldn't do physical work, so the couple had to set up a breakfast stall. There was not much traffic in the town, but the competition was huge. We had enough food and clothing, but we didn't have much savings.
"We only have one daughter, and her family's financial situation is not good. Last month, our grandson had a heart problem and he will have to have an operation this month. However, the operation fee will cost 50,000 yuan. We really can't afford it. After much deliberation, we can only Sold this ancient family heirloom jade..."
Shen Yu listened attentively and nodded in agreement from time to time.