Picking Up Sesame Seeds and Losing the Watermelon (Part One)

The ink sticks in the box came in various shapes—long, round, and square. Four of them looked like old ink sticks with considerable age. They had been made at least a hundred years ago.

Chu Chen had reached this conclusion because regardless of what kind of finish had originally been applied to an ink stick, after a century, the damage from collection, wear from handling, and corrosion from the air would naturally cause an antique "color" to emerge on its surface. The older it was, the more aged, dark, and subdued its color would become.

In appearance, new ink had a grayish "color." Though dense, it lacked clarity and luster. Old ink was pure black and glossy, with a rich color. New ink was often mixed unevenly with glue, making its "color" vary in intensity and thickness. Old ink was made with greater precision, and after such a long time, its glue had naturally become even and solid. Its "color" was smooth and did not cling to the brush hairs.

Thus, Chu Chen could tell at a glance that these few pieces were all more than a hundred years old. Of course, although the ink was old, the old man's son could not possibly have used particularly fine antique ink to compensate Chu Chen. These were merely ordinary late-Qing ink sticks worth two or three hundred each.

Apart from these four late-Qing ink sticks, the remaining one left Chu Chen somewhat puzzled at first glance.

This ink stick was rectangular, about ten centimeters long and five centimeters wide. One end showed signs of use, while nearly all the gilt decoration and inscriptions on its surface had fallen away. For a moment, it was difficult to make out what had actually been written on it.

The reason Chu Chen found this