Anomaly

As previously mentioned, this Tang Sancai Camel has its mouth open. When Chu Chen examined it closely with a magnifying glass, he spotted two minuscule characters on the upper palate of the camel's mouth: "Huo Ni." This discovery instantly stunned him, leaving his face ashen.

Huo Ni was the alias of a master forger from the Republican era. His surname was Zhang, but his given name is lost to history; he was generally known as Zhang Huo Ni, renowned for his skill in replicating various ceramics.

His forgeries were incredibly lifelike. His level of craftsmanship, if not the absolute best throughout history, was certainly among the top few. It wasn't just Chu Chen, who had some discerning skill, but even many renowned ceramic appraisal masters had been fooled.

Zhang Huo Ni would engrave his alias in unexpected places on each of his works. The two characters combined were smaller than a grain of rice, which itself spoke to his high level of skill.

Just like this Tang Sancai Camel, the inscription was on the upper palate. Most people would never think to look for an inscription there, and given how small the characters were, they were completely invisible without a magnifying glass, making them even less likely to be discovered.

Furthermore, after this camel replica was successfully made, it was reburied in the earth. The time it has been unearthed should not be very long, perhaps seventy to eighty years underground, further increasing the difficulty of appraisal.

The reason Old Liu and the others had doubts about this Tang Sancai was precisely because they had dealt with antiques and cultural relics for many years. They could, to some extent, sense the passage of time on ancient artifacts. No matter how lifelike this Tang Sancai was, the centuries of accumulated history could not be faked.

For someone like Old Liu or Old Qian, once they felt something was off, they would pretty much make up their minds. The next step would be to find the specific problem. However, this Tang Sancai was simply too realistic; the two elders couldn't find anything wrong with it in a short time, and thus couldn't make a definitive judgment.

After all, appraising antiques allows for no room for error. If you claim something is wrong, you must point out the specific issue. You can't just say, "I feel this item is wrong," or you'd make a complete fool of yourself.

The two characters "Huo Ni" in the magnifying glass were blindingly conspicuous to Chu Chen. Experiencing extreme joy and sorrow within three days, his mood plummeted like a stone. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his mind becoming completely muddled.

Chu Chen's heart turned to ash. He could only blame himself, truly proving the old saying: "Ignoring elders' advice leads to trouble."

Someone like Old Liu, his words carried weight, especially in the antique world. A senior like him wouldn't risk his reputation. If he were fooled, it would spread and greatly damage his standing. Could an item that such a person couldn't appraise accurately be without issues?

Yet, he had been foolishly convinced that his own eyesight was already superb. Could his eyesight, no matter how good, possibly compare to the vast experience of Old Liu, Old Qian, and the others?

Of course, ultimately, greed was the root of this disaster. Although he liked this Tang Sancai Camel, there was also a saying in the antique world: "To have seen it is to possess it." After playing with it for a while, he would definitely sell it. Given the condition and spirit of this Tang Sancai, it could easily fetch over a million.

If he hadn't been so greedy, would this disaster have occurred? His five years of savings had vanished just like that!

Considering that so many people had appraised it and couldn't find any issues, it should be fine to sell it. However, Chu Chen would never think that way.

Chu Chen's adoptive father had always taught him that whether doing business or living life, one must be honest and fair. Only then could business last. Since he came to Beijing five years ago to make a living, he had practiced this principle, which allowed him to establish himself in the antique street at such a young age.

If Chu Chen hadn't known this Tang Sancai had a problem, he could have sold it with a clear conscience. But now that he knew it was a fake, he certainly wouldn't sell it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Moreover, this Tang Sancai Camel was destined to be stuck with him. Because it was too perfect a forgery, if it were sold as a high-quality replica and bought by someone with ill intentions, who knew who else might be ruined. Wouldn't he bear some responsibility for that?

Thinking of this, Chu Chen let out a long sigh. It truly felt like self-inflicted suffering. He grabbed a bottle of Erguotou nearby and drank heavily, truly embodying the saying, "Drinking to drown sorrow only deepens it; the taste of it is all too familiar."

He downed three 750ml bottles of Erguotou. Even with his good tolerance for alcohol, the Tang Sancai Camel in front of him began to multiply.

Chu Chen pointed at the camel with his left hand, wanting to say something. Before he could utter a word, with a "bang," he collapsed onto the floor. Just before falling, his left hand brushed against the camel, causing it to fall as well. The camel followed suit, tumbling down.

With a "crack," the Tang Sancai Camel fell from the coffee table. Although the table wasn't high, the camel shattered into more than a dozen pieces. One shard sliced across Chu Chen's wrist, severing a vein. Blood gushed out instantly, soaking the floor. Most of the shards were stained with his blood.

Immediately after, a faint white light floated up from the pottery shards. Following the blood, it entered Chu Chen's wrist. Then, as if time were reversing, the spilled blood flowed back from the ground into his wrist. The wound healed, leaving his skin smooth and new.

Aside from the broken camel, the entire incident seemed as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, thousands of miles away in Moscow, International Olympic Committee President Samaranch announced:

"The Games of the 29th Olympiad in 2008 are awarded to the city of Beijing!"

Instantly, Beijing erupted. The entire city was like an ocean of joy. Fireworks blazed, and people poured into the streets, celebrating all night. No one slept that night!

The next morning, at six o'clock, Chu Chen woke up with his biological clock. He squinted, feeling his head heavy and groggy. The throbbing pain told him that the alcohol from last night was still ravaging his nerves.

He groaned, propping himself up with his hands to get off the floor. He inadvertently saw the Tang Sancai Camel, now shattered into over ten pieces.

"Ah! My treasure!"

Chu Chen immediately rushed to the shards, picking them up with a pained heart. Although this Tang Sancai was a fake, his affection for it hadn't diminished much. After all, its artistic merit was undeniable. As they say, art knows no true or false; even exquisite fakes have their unique qualities.

However, this camel was now completely in pieces. The possibility of repair was minuscule. Chu Chen felt a wave of despair. He stared at it for a long time, finally sighing inwardly. Perhaps it was for the best; it would sever his attachment and prevent him from being saddened by reminders.

Alas, dwelling on it was useless. Life had to go on. He hadn't eaten properly for days, and especially after getting drunk last night, his stomach felt particularly uncomfortable. He swept the shards aside, put on clothes with his dizzy head, washed up, and went out to buy some breakfast to fill his stomach.

As soon as he stepped outside, it was as if a festival was underway. The streets and alleys were decorated festively. Small red flags were planted in front of many houses, and the entire city's spirit seemed to have changed.

Chu Chen was puzzled. What happy event had occurred? After asking someone he knew, he learned that Beijing had successfully bid to host the Olympics.

The topic of the Olympic bid had filled the streets and alleys of Beijing for the past few days. Chu Chen had, of course, enthusiastically discussed it with others. However, he had been completely immersed in the world of Tang Sancai these past few days and hadn't had time to pay attention to such major events. Yesterday's drunkenness had caused him to miss this historic moment.

This news of national celebration invigorated Chu Chen. However, his joy wasn't solely for his country. He was also happy that with the successful Olympic bid, more people would come to Beijing for business and tourism. This would surely boost antique sales significantly, and perhaps he could buy a house in Beijing in less than five years.

This was, undeniably, a rather common, small-town mentality. However, it was understandable. Chu Chen had just been fooled, losing 400,000 yuan. He was currently penniless and his mind was solely focused on making money. Such thoughts were quite normal.

With this good news, Chu Chen's dejected heart was re-energized. After a hasty breakfast, he hurried back. For his money-making plan, he needed to carefully plan his future days.

However, on his way back, he encountered his landlady, Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang stopped him.

"Little Chen, next month will be August!"

Chu Chen was still a bit groggy when he first heard this. Once he understood, he felt a sense of impending doom. Looking at Aunt Zhang, he smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry. I have some things to take care of these few days. We'll renew the contract next Friday."

Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "Hehe, Little Chen, you're an old tenant. How could I not trust you? But you see, housing prices have gone up again recently, so shouldn't our rent also increase? But don't worry, since you're an old tenant, we'll only raise it by fifty yuan a month."

Chu Chen felt speechless. Aunt Zhang was good in every way, except she was rather sensitive about money, or rather, she was money-grubbing.

But it made sense. If housing prices rise, rent should naturally increase. Chu Chen was currently renting a one-bedroom apartment not far from Panjiayuan. The location was excellent, and he had lived there for three years, growing accustomed to it. Moving elsewhere would not only mean finding a place that might not be as good but also needing to adapt to a new environment, which was quite troublesome.

Chu Chen's current rent was 1,450 yuan per month. An increase of fifty yuan would make it 1,500, which was quite reasonable. However, their contract was a yearly renewal, and it also required a 3,000 yuan deposit. Fortunately, he had paid a 3,000 yuan deposit last year, so that fee would be waived. However, he still needed 18,000 yuan.

It would have been manageable before, but now, where would he find so much money? (New book released, please collect and recommend! Thank you, dear readers!)