Chu Chen continued, "Let's start by looking at the 'color' of this blue and white porcelain jar. It's clear and translucent enough, but isn't it a little too pale compared to the gorgeous richness it should have? Now look at the bleeding—is it natural? Doesn't it seem slightly stiff? The glaze also feels a little too smooth, with very little of that uneven texture."
"Now let's talk about the bubbles. Genuine Sumaliqing, when viewed under a magnifying glass, has bubbles distributed in a star-like pattern, with varying sizes and irregular spacing. But the bubbles on this blue and white porcelain jar don't really look like that, do they?"
At this point, Qian Changxing began sneering from the side again. "I admit there's some truth to what you're saying, but the difference between these points and a genuine piece is far too slight. Maybe something went wrong during the firing? How can that prove this blue and white porcelain jar isn't genuine? I think you're just making assumptions! Hah, young people are still young people."
After saying that, he shook his head and put on an exaggerated expression of regret.
Seeing this, Chu Chen ignored him and said with a smile, "Mr. Qian, you're already so old. How do you still not know how to respect others? Can you let me finish speaking? Yes, the previous points were indeed ambiguous. But look at this place now. There shouldn't be any more doubts, right?"
With that, Chu Chen held the blue and white porcelain jar at an angle, its opening pointing downward, then had everyone use magnifying glasses to examine a spot he indicated on the inner neck wall. After everyone looked, they were all shocked and found it unbelievable. It turned out that two minuscule characters, "Huo Ni," had been carved there.
Earlier, after using his special ability to determine that this blue and white porcelain jar was a high-quality imitation from the Republic of China period, Chu Chen had immediately thought of Zhang Huo Ni. Then, based on Zhang Huo Ni's habits, he had indeed found this mark in an extremely concealed spot on the neck of the jar's inner wall.
When Qian Changxing saw the hidden mark, his face turned alternately red and white. Enraged and humiliated, he shouted, "You knew about this mark all along! Why didn't you say so earlier?"
With a smile on his face, Chu Chen said, "Mr. Qian, weren't you the one who said earlier that you would point out every place where it wasn't genuine? Besides, it seems you were the one constantly interrupting me just now. Why are you blaming me now?"
"You!"
"That's enough!" Zhao Qirui shouted angrily.
Seeing Zhao Qirui lose his temper, Qian Changxing remembered his position and immediately fell silent. However, his gaze toward Chu Chen was filled with venom.
Zhao Qirui turned around and said to Chu Chen with a smile, "The younger generation is truly formidable. I didn't expect you to have such excellent judgment at your age, Brother Chu. You can already stand on your own."
Chu Chen waved his hand bashfully. "Manager Zhao, you flatter me. I only managed to see through it because I was once fooled by Zhang Huo Ni. Otherwise, how could I compare with all the seniors here?"
"Hah, so that's why. You were fooled before!" Qian Changxing said disdainfully from the side again.
Everyone was speechless. They had never expected Qian Changxing to have such thick skin. Even after things had reached this point, he could still say something like that, behaving like a petty man who could not accept defeat. Even Zhao Qirui no longer wanted to bother with him.
At this moment, Zhu Dafu caressed the blue and white porcelain jar and asked Grandpa Li, "Old Li, could you sell this blue and white porcelain jar to me?"
Grandpa Li was stunned at first, then shook his head repeatedly. "No, no. This blue and white porcelain jar is my lifeblood. I'll never part with it, no matter what. Even when I die, I'll take it with me to the grave."
Everyone looked at one another after hearing this. If the blue and white porcelain jar were genuine, treating it as a treasure would make sense. But why was the old man acting this way over an imitation?
Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Grandpa Li began telling them the story of the blue and white porcelain jar with a sorrowful expression.
It had been more than twenty years ago when Grandpa Li first encountered this blue and white porcelain jar. Once, while visiting the home of a fellow collector, he saw the jar and was immediately awestruck. He swore that he had to obtain it. After making great efforts and offering a hefty price, he finally convinced the collector to sell it.
Although Grandpa Li had convinced the collector, he had not convinced his wife. The blue and white porcelain jar was worth a fortune, and buying it would have exhausted all their family's savings. His wife naturally refused. After all, they still had elderly parents and children to support. But Grandpa Li had stubbornly gone ahead and secretly bought the blue and white porcelain jar.
The matter should have ended there, at most leading to a quarrel between husband and wife or his wife threatening to return to her parents' home. Unfortunately, life was unpredictable. A month later, Grandpa Li's wife suddenly developed a serious illness that required a large sum of money for treatment. At that time, how could Grandpa Li's family possibly have that much money?
Grandpa Li had not been like he was now, with countless antiques in his home. Back then, he had only been dabbling in the trade. In the end, he had no choice but to prepare to sell the blue and white porcelain jar to raise money, only to discover that the collector he had bought it from had already moved away. Looking back, it was very likely that the man had known the jar was fake and had set a trap for him.
After going through a great deal of trouble, Grandpa Li finally found a buyer. However, the expert the buyer had invited took one look and also noticed the problems Chu Chen had pointed out earlier. With doubts surrounding it, the blue and white porcelain jar naturally could not be sold. Left with no other choice, Grandpa Li tried to sell his house, but by then it was already too late.
Some might ask why Grandpa Li had not thought of selling the house first. One had to remember that the country had only just begun its reform and opening up. Even if his house had been large, how much could it possibly have been worth? Besides, even wealthy people would not have bought a house in a place that was still considered the countryside at the time.
Moreover, people back then placed great importance on family. As the saying went, even a doghouse of one's own was better than a golden or silver nest. As long as there was any other option, no one would think of selling their own home to deal with an emergency.
After Grandpa Li finished telling the story, tears streamed down his face. Everyone sighed deeply after hearing it. This was how the collecting world was: when someone became excessively greedy, they were not far from losing both their family and fortune. Grandpa Li was relatively fortunate—at least his house was still there.
***
After transferring the money to the bank and Grandpa Li, Zhao Qirui prepared to bid everyone farewell because he still had matters to attend to in Jin Province.
Before leaving, Zhao Qirui took out a business card and handed it to Chu Chen. With a broad smile, he said, "Brother Chu, let's keep in touch from now on."
Chu Chen accepted the business card, somewhat flattered, then hurriedly took out one of his own and handed it to Zhao Qirui. "Of course, of course. Manager Zhao, if there's ever anything I can do to help, just let me know."
Zhao Qirui nodded with a smile. Then he greeted Uncle Wu and the others before walking toward his car. However, when he reached the door, he stopped and said to Qian Changxing beside him:
"Master Qian, thank you for your trouble this time. I'll give the labor fee to Master Dong. It's just that the place I'm going next is rather inconvenient, so I'll have to trouble you to return on your own. Don't worry—I'll reimburse your travel expenses." After saying that, he got into the car and drove away.
Qian Changxing stood where he was, his face filled with disbelief. Then he glanced at Chu Chen and the others, let out an angry "Hmph," flung his hand, and hurried away.
Zhao Xueyi looked as though he wanted to laugh. Shaking his head, he said, "It seems Manager Zhao has finally reached the limit of his patience with him. Unfortunately, Old Dong got dragged into it this time too. Manager Zhao used to always address him as Old Master Dong."
Everyone fell silent, feeling indignant on Old Dong's behalf. They truly felt that one rotten apple had spoiled the whole barrel.
Afterward, Zhao Xueyi patted Chu Chen on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, Xiao Chen. You've caught Manager Zhao's eye. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given you his business card. It'll definitely benefit you in the future."
Chu Chen waved his hands repeatedly, insisting that it had only been luck.
Zhu Dafu said with a smile, "Without ability, no amount of luck would help you recognize something. Xiao Chen, you could say you've graduated, but Uncle Fu has something unpleasant to tell you. Accept praise where it's deserved, but don't become arrogant or complacent. You must remember that the antiques trade is extremely deep."
At this moment, Chu Chen felt as though cold sweat had broken out all over his body. He had indeed become somewhat smug from everyone's praise. This reminded him of his mindset when he had wanted to buy the Tang Sancai earlier. Zhu Dafu's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly bringing him back to his senses.
Although he now had his special ability and possessed an innate advantage over others, without sufficient knowledge, finding valuable antiques would still depend on luck. His special ability had its limitations. After appraising the blue and white porcelain jar earlier, he had tested it and discovered that its uses could not be stacked. Therefore, he could only use it three times a day.
Chu Chen bowed to Zhu Dafu and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Fu."
Uncle Wu and the others laughed happily at this. Zhu Dafu said with a broad smile, "All right, all right. Don't be so serious. As long as you can take it to heart, that's enough."
Since Zhao Xueyi was familiar with the area, he arranged for the furniture to be transported. Afterward, everyone drove back toward the capital.
At ten that night, after six hours of arduous travel, everyone finally returned to Panjiayuan, exhausted. However, they had not eaten along the way and were now ravenously hungry, so after putting away the day's acquisitions, they found a nearby restaurant.
In the private room, after ordering the dishes, Zhu Dafu took a sip of tea and said, "Our old bones are practically falling apart from exhaustion. Next time we go somewhere far away, flying will be much more comfortable."
"Exactly. We're getting old after all. We can't compare with the energy we had when we were young."
Uncle Wu sighed, then turned around and said, "By the way, Xiao Chen, is there something wrong with that Buddhist statue of yours? I know my old friend never married in his entire life."
Seeing that Zhao Xueyi and the other person looked confused, he explained, "Xiao Chen is my old friend's adopted son."
The two of them suddenly understood, then both turned to look at Chu Chen.
Chu Chen chuckled. "I thought you weren't going to ask, Uncle Wu."
Uncle Wu looked both amused and exasperated. "Your Uncle Wu isn't that careless. I didn't ask earlier because I didn't want to distract you on the road."
Chu Chen gave an awkward laugh. "Uncle Wu really is attentive. That Buddhist statue isn't simple. There should be something hidden inside."
Hearing Chu Chen say this, everyone became eager to find out what had happened. That was also why Uncle Wu had not asked about it in the car earlier. Otherwise, during such a long journey, rushing to satisfy their curiosity might have caused an accident.
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