Clear Imitation Three-Fruit Pattern Bowl

Walking into the shop, Chu Chen saw Uncle Wu behind the counter, pecking at the keyboard with two fingers, clumsily "operating" an old computer, with a basic computer "operation" tutorial sitting beside it.

That computer was something Uncle Wu had gotten four months ago, spending two thousand yuan to have a friend scrounge up an old machine. He'd heard the central processor was something called a 586—anyway, it was a relic.

Back when Uncle Wu first got the computer, he'd been so excited he called Chu Chen over to show it off. Chu Chen found it curious enough, but he wasn't interested. In his words, what a waste of money—two thousand for that old junk.

"Uncle Wu, still tinkering with that TV of yours?"

Uncle Wu looked up from the screen and shot back, "You little brat, how many times have I told you? This is a monitor, not a TV. You ought to learn computers too. Our line of work needs to keep up with the times."

Chu Chen walked behind Uncle Wu and said, "Heh heh, I'm not interested in that stuff. Besides, isn't that what books are for? Reading a book is way more comfortable than staring at this monitor."

Uncle Wu turned to glance at Chu Chen with an expression that said "hopeless case," then pointed at a news headline on the screen. "How can a book compare to a computer? Look, does a book have market news like this? Can you chat with others in a book?"

Chu Chen leaned in to look. It was an auction notice—a late mid-Qing Dynasty White Jade Three-Boy Washer had sold for ninety-nine thousand at a Beijing auction. The page had clear photos and details, easy to take in at a glance.

"Oh! You can look up stuff like this on a computer?"

"Of course. Why else would your Uncle Wu have spent two thousand on this machine? There's also something called a forum where collectors can exchange tips. The place I got my last batch of goods was recommended by a fellow collector there."

Chu Chen's face showed surprise. "Really? But you don't know the people on the other end. Aren't you afraid of getting scammed?"

Uncle Wu put on a smug expression. "Who do you think your Uncle Wu is? With my sharp eyes, you think it's that easy to fool me?"

Chu Chen nodded helplessly, thinking Uncle Wu was starting to sound like one of those braggarts.

Uncle Wu continued, "Xiao Chen, I'm telling you, you still need to learn computers. If it's inconvenient to set up broadband at home, just come to my place. Look at me—since I got this computer, I've learned so much. Every time I think about it, I realize how brilliant my decision to buy it was."

Chu Chen grinned mischievously. "Uncle Wu, don't brag. Wasn't it Xiao Ke who made you buy it? Aunt Wu said you were so pained by the expense, it was like losing a piece of Ru ware porcelain."

Uncle Wu smacked Chu Chen on the back of the head. "You little rascal, always exposing my weak spots. All the love I've given you, wasted." He laughed at himself after saying it.

Then he smiled warmly and said, "Xiao Chen, Xiao Ke can graduate early next year and come back. How about I play matchmaker for you two? My Xiao Ke is both beautiful and gentle—she'll definitely be a good wife and mother."

Chu Chen shuddered at the thought. Wu Ke's tomboy personality—beautiful, sure, but gentle? That was a million miles off. He'd been teased by her more times than he could count. He waved his hands frantically.

"Uncle Wu, let's talk about that later. I'm only twenty-one, it's way too early."

Uncle Wu chuckled and didn't press further, knowing young people were thin-skinned and pushing too hard would just annoy them. He changed the subject. "Suit yourself. It's your generation's business anyway. But don't say I didn't warn you—miss this chance and it's gone. By the way, did you bring that Tang Sancai? Let me see it quick."

Chu Chen smiled and took out the newspaper-wrapped Tang Sancai pottery shards from his bag, placing them on the table.

Uncle Wu saw them and shot up from his chair, his face pained as he stared at the pile of shards.

"What? How did it break?!"

Seeing Chu Chen still smiling, he got a bit angry and pointed at him. "How can you still laugh? Tell me what happened! That was a whole forty-two thousand yuan!"

Chu Chen explained the whole story, pointing out the spot on the shard. "It's already come to this. Smiling is better than crying. Call it tuition."

Uncle Wu picked up the shard with the characters "Huo Ni" written on it, sat down, and examined it over and over with a magnifying glass. Finally, he sighed.

"Xiao Chen, even though Zhang Huo Ni's fakes are hard to spot, in the end, this was your greed. Look at the body again—it's slightly different from the genuine pieces I've seen. Of course, that's just me being wise after the event. If I didn't know it was a fake, that small difference alone wouldn't be enough to call it one."

"You, remember this: an old man's words are a young man's ruin, especially in our line of work. Age brings experience. But your attitude is better than mine. If it were me, I'd be ready to die."

Chu Chen looked at the slight difference but couldn't tell since he'd never seen a genuine piece. He filed it away in his memory, nodding inwardly. If it weren't for the ability he'd gained later, he wouldn't have such a good mindset now.

Uncle Wu then said seriously, "On one hand, learn from this lesson. On the other, don't let it scare you off. Our antiques trade demands boldness and care, but that's built on your knowledge. Coincidentally, one of the items I just got is very representative. Let's test your eye."

With that, Uncle Wu went to the storage cabinet on the north wall and brought out a Xuande glazed red three-fruit bowl. He set it on the counter and said, "This is the Xuande glazed red three-fruit bowl. Tell me what you think."

When it came to appraisal, Chu Chen's expression turned serious. He picked up the small bowl and examined it closely.

There was an unwritten rule in the antiques world: for fragile items like porcelain, the seller shouldn't hand them directly to the buyer. Instead, the seller placed the item aside, and the buyer picked it up themselves. Otherwise, if it broke during the handoff, responsibility was hard to assign.

The same rule applied during appraisal. Anyone with even a basic understanding of antiques followed it. Even Chu Chen and Uncle Wu, close as uncle and nephew, observed this caution.

Glazed red was a rare variety from the Ming and Qing Official Kilns. Though first fired in the Yuan Dynasty, the copper-red glaze was highly unstable at high temperatures, making success rare. It wasn't until the Yongle-Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty that a proper red hue was achieved, with very few pieces produced. By the mid-Ming, the simpler iron-red glaze largely replaced it, and production stopped entirely until the early Qing Dynasty, when it gradually resumed.

As soon as the bowl was in his hand, the ability in Chu Chen's left hand stirred, confirming it was indeed an antique. But he didn't absorb the aura first. He wanted to rely on his own skills to appraise it.

This Xuande glazed red three-fruit bowl had a flared mouth, deep curved walls, and a ring foot. The exterior was painted with glazed red motifs of pomegranates, persimmons, and peaches—auspicious symbols representing many children, everything going smoothly, and longevity.

The bowl had a thick patina, the glazed red was pure in color, vivid and rich. The base bore the six-character two-line regular script mark "Made in the Kangxi Era of the Great Qing," which appeared to be a Kangxi period mark.

At first glance, this glazed red three-fruit bowl seemed to be a fine official kiln piece from the Kangxi period, imitating the Xuande style of the Ming Dynasty. Bowls of this type were produced in both the Kangxi and Yongzheng eras, but Kangxi-era ones were rarer. If it were genuine, it would be highly collectible.

But when Chu Chen examined it closely with a magnifying glass, he spotted some issues. Then he used his ability to absorb the bowl's aura, which confirmed his judgment. He carefully placed the small bowl back on the counter.

Uncle Wu saw this and asked, "Done? Then tell me what you think."

Chu Chen nodded, organized his thoughts, and said, "This is a Qing Kangxi imitation of a Ming Xuande glazed red three-fruit bowl. The body, glaze, and pigment details suggest it's a rare fine piece. But some details show it wasn't actually fired during the Kangxi period."

Uncle Wu's eyes lit up. "Oh? Explain in detail."

Chu Chen chuckled and picked up the bowl again. "Uncle Wu, look. First, while the glazed red color is decent, if you look closely, it's not perfectly pure. There's a bit of blackness. If it were truly from the Kangxi era, it would be unlikely to survive in this state."

"Second, look at the body. Though it's been refined as much as possible, it still falls short of Kangxi-era standards—not as thick, dense, or fine. Still, it's much better than late Qing Dynasty bodies."

"Third, look at the mark. It resembles an official kiln piece, but with a magnifying glass, you can see the character 'zhi' isn't as neat as official kiln work."

"Finally, the patina. It's warm and smooth, but not as thick as Kangxi-era pieces. It doesn't even match Qianlong-era ones."

"In summary, this imitation of a Ming Xuande glazed red three-fruit bowl was likely made by a folk kiln in the late mid-Qing Dynasty. The craftsman was certainly skilled. Even though it's not from the Kangxi period, the piece is still quite beautiful and has considerable collectible value."

Chu Chen could confidently conclude thanks to his ability. Absorbing the aura from the three-fruit bowl gave him the certainty he needed.

"Good, not bad. You've pointed out all the features of this bowl, and your judgment is spot on. Xiao Chen, it seems you've been working hard." Uncle Wu clapped in approval.

Hearing Uncle Wu's praise, Chu Chen rubbed his head sheepishly. "It's all thanks to your teaching, Uncle Wu. But I still have a lot to learn. I'll need your guidance going forward." (Please collect and recommend!)