Prodigal Son (Part 2)

Uncle Wu looked at Old Zhou's memorial photo, and couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness. He never expected that another childhood friend would pass away. With one friend abroad and two settled in other cities, there wasn't a single friend he grew up with left in Beijing. How could this not make him feel heartbroken?

After paying his respects to Old Zhou, Uncle Wu handed the three thousand yuan in funeral money to Little Zhou. "Uncle Wu can't help you much, Little Zhou. This money is for your father's paper money, and the rest is for you to manage as you see fit. You should find a job and live your life properly."

Little Zhou's eyes lit up as he took the three thousand yuan. He said to Uncle Wu, "Uncle Wu, you're the only one who can help me right now. My dad left behind a few pieces of calligraphy and painting. Could you please help me arrange to sell them?"

Hearing this request, Uncle Wu almost stormed off. This person was simply unreasonable. His father had only died a few days ago, and he was already thinking about selling off everything his father left behind. And the money he got would undoubtedly be spent on his unreliable ancient jade again. This person was truly beyond saving.

However, after a moment's thought, Uncle Wu sighed inwardly. If the price wasn't too high, he would buy them. If he didn't, there was a more than 90% chance they would be sold off cheaply. Rather than let them be wasted like this, it was better for him to buy them himself, preserving a memento of his old friend.

"Then take us to see them." Although Uncle Wu was already inclined to buy the calligraphy and paintings Old Zhou left behind, it was clearly impossible for him to have a good attitude towards Little Zhou. Therefore, his tone was somewhat unfriendly.

But Little Zhou didn't care. He didn't care about Uncle Wu's attitude as long as he could buy the calligraphy and paintings.

Next, he led them into a small room next door. As soon as they entered, a pungent odor hit them. Both men frowned and covered their noses. It took quite a while before they could slightly adapt.

This smell was none other than the chemical odor emanating from the fake ancient jade Little Zhou had bought. As we know, most fake ancient jade today is soaked in chemical agents to imitate natural erosion. This way, the jade will inevitably carry a slight chemical smell.

If the smell was faint, one might not notice it. However, in this small room, there were thousands of pieces of fake ancient jade. The accumulated chemical smell was bound to be pungent, wasn't it?

After Little Zhou led them in, he said proudly, "Uncle Wu, what do you think? Aren't my collections quite extensive?"

Seeing his self-satisfied demeanor, Uncle Wu was speechless and urged him, "Little Zhou, take out the calligraphy and paintings. It's getting late, and we have other things to attend to."

"Coming right up, Uncle Wu, please wait a moment."

Little Zhou took Uncle Wu's words to heart and walked towards a dark, damp corner, from which he retrieved three scrolls.

Seeing this, Uncle Wu felt both angry and heartbroken. We know that to preserve calligraphy and paintings, they must be kept in a relatively dry place. Such a humid environment is a major taboo for preserving them. Moreover, there wasn't even a box. In such a preservation environment, these three pieces of calligraphy and painting would definitely become damp and moldy within a few months.

Seeing Uncle Wu about to scold Little Zhou, Chu Chen quickly stopped him. There was nothing more to say to such a person. If he could listen, his mother wouldn't have been angered to death by him.

Little Zhou casually placed the scrolls on the table and said, "Uncle Wu, take a look and see if you're satisfied."

Before looking, Uncle Wu first took a deep breath to calm himself. He and Chu Chen walked to the table, carefully opened the scrolls, and examined them closely.

Among these three pieces, two were paintings and one was a calligraphy work. The authors were all well-known figures.

First, they looked at the calligraphy work. The entire piece was about five square feet in size, a work of running script written by He Yu in 1912.

He Yu was one of the sixty masters of the late Qing Dynasty's Shanghai School. He first studied under Hu Gongshou (Hu Yuan) and Ren Yi (Ren Bonian), and later became a devoted disciple of Zhu Menglu. He excelled at creating flower-and-bird paintings, preferring large and exquisite works with festive themes.

However, he made a living selling paintings for sixty years, leaving behind many works. Therefore, despite his skill, his fame did not command very high prices in the antique market, where rarity and exquisiteness are valued.

As for this running script work, it flowed like clouds and water, yet was steady and powerful. The characters conveyed the author's artistic conception at the time, and it could be considered a relatively good calligraphy work by He Yu.

Unfortunately, this work was not preserved very well. The paper already had some mold spots from dampness, affecting the overall quality of the piece. As a result, a work originally valued at six to seven thousand yuan could now only be worth around four thousand at most.

Seeing the condition of this calligraphy, Uncle Wu and Chu Chen couldn't help but worry about the next two paintings. However, they then thought that these three pieces of calligraphy and painting had only come into Little Zhou's possession the day before yesterday, so they should have been in this condition when they were with Old Zhou. Thinking this, they felt slightly relieved.

Next, they examined a landscape painting by Wang Xuehao. The painting was about three square feet in size, created in 1821.

Wang Xuehao was a moderately famous painter in the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, specializing in landscapes. His landscape painting techniques were directly inherited from the renowned Qing Dynasty court painter Wang Yuanqi. He initially studied under Li Yude and in his middle age also incorporated sketching, using light and elegant colors, claiming to have captured the free spirit of Yuan Dynasty masters.

The landscape painting before them still reflected Wang Xuehao's consistent vigorous brushwork, elegant charm, and masterful use of various textural strokes and washes, with an ancient and simple aura permeating the paper. However, this work was from his late period of stylistic change, incorporating broken brush techniques.

But this stylistic change was limited by the era. It neither revived the fresh painting style nor completely transformed itself, thus affecting the overall quality of the painting. Therefore, although this painting was considered one of his fine works, its quality impacted its price. Given its condition, the market value was estimated to be at most five to six thousand yuan.

The author of the last work was named Zhang Jian. He was also a moderately famous painter in the Qing Dynasty, living during the Kangxi period. He began studying at the age of thirty, truly a late bloomer, with exceptionally skillful calligraphy and poetry.

Zhang Jian was most adept at painting bamboo, and his works were highly favored by people from all walks of life, both domestically and internationally. The work before them was a painting of bamboo and rocks.

However, as they slowly unrolled the painting, Uncle Wu's brow furrowed. The painting paper clearly showed signs of water damage, and it looked like it had been dripped on not long ago. Seeing this, Uncle Wu glared fiercely at Little Zhou.

Little Zhou looked a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, "Uncle Wu, it wasn't intentional. I accidentally dripped water on it yesterday while looking at the painting. Besides, look, the water only dripped on the blank areas, didn't it?"

The water had indeed not dripped onto the ink of the painting, otherwise, the value of the painting would have been greatly reduced. However, even so, Xuan paper stained with water would develop yellow spots. If not removed promptly, it would become troublesome to clean later on. This painting would definitely need to be sent for mounting after purchase.

Hearing Uncle Wu explain the intricacies, Little Zhou was taken aback. He said weakly, "Uncle Wu, does that mean the value of this painting has decreased?"

"What do you think!" Uncle Wu retorted impatiently before turning his gaze back to the painting.

While Uncle Wu was talking to Little Zhou, Chu Chen had been staring at a water-stained area. He felt something was slightly off about that spot, as if there was a faint ink color, which sparked his suspicion.

However, it would be inappropriate to lean in for a closer look, especially with two other people present. Uncle Wu was fine, but Little Zhou was not only not one of them but also particularly annoying. Nevertheless, besides using his eyes, he had an extraordinary ability: his supernatural power.

Upon using his power, not only was his previous conjecture confirmed, but he was also overjoyed. A faint smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Bamboo, as everyone knows, is one of the Four Gentlemen, representing elegance, integrity, and uprightness. Therefore, how well a bamboo painting is executed, and whether it can embody its inherent qualities, is particularly important.

This painting did not disappoint Uncle Wu and Chu Chen. On the scroll, several clumps of bamboo grew among the rocks, their lengths varied and well-positioned, yet their density was appropriate. The brushwork was elegant and refined, possessing a graceful and lively quality. It truly embodied Zhang Jian's consistent style, depicting bamboo with a skeletal beauty and dense resilience.

Coupled with the seals, inscriptions, and collection seals on the painting, it could be confirmed as a genuine work by Zhang Jian. What was most precious was that this work was about fifteen square feet in size, which was quite rare among Zhang Jian's works, making it extremely valuable.

After examining the three works left by Old Zhou, they confirmed that all three were genuine. However, due to the authors' fame and the condition of the pieces, their value was not very high.

Uncle Wu asked Little Zhou, "Little Zhou, I've seen everything. They are indeed quite good. I can take all three pieces. Tell me, how much do you want for them?"

Little Zhou's eyes rolled, and he named his price: "Uncle Wu, you know I'm short on cash right now. Considering you watched me grow up, you can take these three pieces for forty thousand."

"You!"

Uncle Wu's anger flared upon hearing Little Zhou's price. The first two pieces combined were worth at most ten thousand. As for the last piece, although it was about fifteen square feet and rare among Zhang Jian's works, precisely because of this, his skill didn't make the painting look perfectly rendered.

Therefore, estimating based on the author's reputation, the artistic appreciation of the painting, and its condition, fifteen thousand yuan would already be considered good. Even at an auction, it would only sell for between twenty to thirty thousand.