Precious Furniture

It was fine at first, but it was just as the saying goes, "Walk too many night roads, and you'll eventually meet a ghost." In the end, he offended a rather powerful figure. Not only did he spend a year inside, but he also had to pay a large sum of money to finally settle the matter. At the time, this incident had a significant impact on the antiques industry.

After Qian Changxing was released, he disappeared. Rumor has it he went south. No one knows when he returned, but he became Zhao Qirui's appraiser.

Zhao Xueyi complained a little, "Old Dong is really something. He clearly knows Qian Changxing's character, yet he still protected him."

"Sigh!" Zhu Dafu sighed and said, "I know about this. Old Dong had no choice. Their families have been friends for generations, and during the turbulent times, Qian Changxing's father saved Old Dong's life. Can you really expect Old Dong to turn his back on him? Everyone has their own difficulties!"

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

Before long, two cars arrived at a house, one after the other. After getting out of the cars, instead of looking around, everyone stretched their bodies. They had been sitting in the car for over five hours, and their bodies were quite stiff. Fortunately, the two elderly people were in good health, otherwise, a typical sixty or seventy-year-old body would not have been able to handle it.

Zhao Qirui's group had three people in total, with the driver acting as his bodyguard. As soon as Chu Chen saw the driver's demeanor, he knew he must be skilled. Although he hadn't seen the legendary *** bodyguard, that driver was probably not far off. From this, it could be seen that Zhao Qirui's background was likely not simple.

Seeing Zhao Qirui and his group get out of the car, Chu Chen and the others stepped forward to greet him. During this time, Chu Chen took another careful look at him.

Zhao Qirui looked to be around forty-one or forty-two years old. He was burly with thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding a sharp aura. He didn't look like a pampered billionaire at all and seemed quite approachable.

Zhao Qirui and Uncle Wu were old acquaintances, and they greeted each other warmly with handshakes. However, when it was Chu Chen's turn, he felt Zhao Qirui pause slightly. Then, Zhao Qirui smiled and asked Uncle Wu and the others, "Who is this young man? He looks quite spirited. I haven't seen him before."

Chu Chen was 1.83 meters tall, also with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a straight nose. Due to years of boxing practice, he had no excess fat on his body, giving him an imposing presence. Coupled with his frequent smiles, he looked like a sunny young man at first glance, so many people had a very good first impression of him.

Uncle Wu quickly replied, "Manager Zhao, this is my nephew. He's learned a bit about porcelain from me and came along today to broaden his horizons. We'll have to ask for your guidance in the future."

Chu Chen quickly bowed, "Hello, Manager Zhao. My name is Chu Chen. I hope you'll guide me in the future."

Zhao Qirui's eyes lit up upon hearing this, then dimmed again. He then smiled and patted Chu Chen's shoulder, saying, "Alright, young man, you're quite good. I'll help in any way I can."

Everyone smiled knowingly. Chu Chen also thanked Zhao Qirui with a smile, but he didn't take it to heart, thinking Zhao Qirui was just saying it.

The atmosphere was harmonious for a while, but there was a discordant note. Qian Changxing, whom we mentioned earlier, had been standing reservedly beside Zhao Qirui from the beginning. There was a hint of resentment in his gaze towards Uncle Wu and the others, and he hadn't greeted them at all.

Qian Changxing was already quite short and had a shifty look, with a goatee. Chu Chen already had a poor impression of him, and now his opinion of him was even lower than when he first heard about him. Even if Qian Changxing didn't like them, a greeting would have been a good gesture.

Now, Zhao Qirui was chatting and laughing with Uncle Wu and the others, while you stood there motionless. Do you think you're of higher status than Zhao Qirui? It's no wonder Zhao Qirui would be displeased, and indeed, Chu Chen could clearly feel Zhao Qirui's dissatisfaction and distance towards Qian Changxing.

Afterward, everyone walked towards the house. It was only then that Chu Chen began to look around.

This house was a typical Jin merchant courtyard style. Although it wasn't as large as some of the truly massive courtyards spanning over ten thousand square meters, it was still over a thousand square meters. The courtyard walls looked particularly tall and grand, like a castle, and it was clear that its defensive capabilities were extremely strong.

Zhao Xueyi stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a moment, an old man opened it. The old man looked to be in his seventies or eighties but was dressed smartly. After opening the door, he cupped his hands towards everyone and said, "I sensed you were almost here. Please come in." He then gestured for them to enter.

After entering the courtyard, Chu Chen kept looking around. The architecture followed the characteristics of a Jin merchant courtyard, with the main houses having single-slope roofs. The courtyard was a rectangle, narrow from east to west and long from north to south. The entire courtyard layout resembled a simplified version of the famous Qiao Family Courtyard.

The old man's surname was Li. Zhao Xueyi mentioned that he was also a collector and had known Zhao Xueyi for many years. This trip was made at Grandpa Li's invitation.

Grandpa Li invited everyone to sit in the living room and then served them tea. He began, "This is your first time here, so I'll explain my situation first. Old Zhao knows about it. I've been collecting antiques for most of my life, but unfortunately, neither my son nor my daughter are suited for collecting antiques, and they've both emigrated abroad."

"I'm getting old now, and after I die, they'll eventually sell all these antiques. Since that's the case, I thought it would be better to transfer them to friends in the antique world, to avoid them being ruined by my children."

Zhao Xueyi nodded and said, "Old Li, I've already told my friends about your situation. Time is precious, let's go see the items first."

Grandpa Li chuckled and said nothing more. He led them to a storage room. When Chu Chen looked inside, it wasn't as he had imagined; there were no dazzling antiques displayed.

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Grandpa Li said, "Heh, I apologize, everyone. Some local collectors who knew I was looking to sell my items have already come by."

"Hey!" Zhao Xueyi said indignantly, "Grandpa Li, that's a bit unfair. We worked hard to come all the way from Beijing, are we supposed to pick up what others have left behind?"

Grandpa Li waved his hand with a chuckle, "Old Zhao, don't be angry yet. I've kept the good stuff for you. I guarantee you'll all find something."

After saying that, he led them to a square table and pointed to the table and two armchairs beside it, saying, "Take a look at these three items first. I'll bring out some more treasures later."

After Grandpa Li left, everyone immediately began to examine the table and chairs.

First, let's talk about the table. It was about 1.6 meters wide, 50 centimeters deep, and about 80 centimeters high. At first glance, the wood grain on the table was clear, flowing like clouds and water, very beautiful. Natural "ghost face" patterns could also be clearly seen. These are the basic characteristics of hain huanghuali.

Looking at the thick patina on the table's surface, it could be seen that this huanghuali table was quite old.

Zhu Dafu took out a handkerchief, wiped the table, and examined it closely with a magnifying glass. After a while, he said to everyone, "Yes, this should be a hain huanghuali table. Judging by the patina and craftsmanship, it should be a work from the late Ming or early Qing dynasty. It has great collection value."

Everyone seemed to have no objections and nodded in agreement. Only Qian Changxing stood aside with a blank expression, which made Chu Chen uncomfortable. He decided to stop looking at him, out of sight, out of mind.

Next, let's look at the chairs. At first glance, both chairs were five-panel armchairs made of rosewood.

Rosewood furniture is a classic piece of furniture made from rosewood, combining art and personality. Rosewood furniture has always held a high rank in China. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, only the emperor could use it.

Rosewood is an extremely precious wood. Because it grows slowly, it takes hundreds of years to mature, and large pieces are extremely difficult to obtain. The wood is hard and dense, suitable for carving various exquisite patterns. Rosewood objects, after waxing and polishing, do not require lacquer or oil, and the surface exhibits a satin-like luster.

The grain of rosewood is delicate and flowing, with infinite variations. Especially its deep color makes it appear stable, generous, and beautiful, hence it is considered the pinnacle of wood. Ten rosewoods are nine hollows, and the largest rosewood diameter is only about twenty centimeters. There is a saying, "An inch of rosewood is an inch of gold."

Rosewood could only be procured from Nanyang by royalty. It was also presented as tribute to the emperor by various countries. Ordinary people could not obtain it at all. Later, there was rosewood in some regions, but it was used by local princes and nobles.

Therefore, an exquisitely crafted antique rosewood piece of furniture is very rare. Now, two exquisite rosewood five-panel armchairs were displayed before them, which could not help but stir their spirits.

These two rosewood five-panel armchairs were almost identical. The backrests and armrests were made from whole boards pieced together into thick single boards, forming a five-panel screen. The armrests had beautiful curves, and the cresting rails were in a scroll style, arching significantly backward. The back panels were double-sided high relief carvings of "Fu Qing You Yu" (Blessings and Abundance), and the armrests were also double-sided high relief carvings of deformed dragon patterns.

The seat panels were flat-set, and no expense was spared in the materials used. The craftsmanship was meticulously carved. Judging by the patina and craftsmanship, they should be Guangdong-style furniture from the Qianlong period.

Guangdong-style furniture refers to furniture produced mainly in the Guangdong region. Its characteristic is that no expense is spared in the materials used, and no compromises are made.

Guangdong-style furniture emphasizes the consistency of the wood's nature, never mixing in other types of wood. Craftsmen select the best wood to create it. To showcase the beautiful grain, Guangdong-style furniture is not varnished, and the wood is completely exposed.

During the Qing Dynasty, the furniture in the imperial palace was made by master craftsmen from Guangdong. Even now, only the master craftsmen in Guangdong possess the most traditional and authentic techniques.

These two five-panel armchairs, in terms of their quality, are undoubtedly exquisite examples of Guangdong-style furniture, highly representative, and both are rare treasures.

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