Two hundred and twenty-two chapters, sea fishing porcelain
Chapter 222, Finding Porcelain from the Sea
Wu Yuchong said in his ear: "The happiest thing is that I got to know you, brother You Fang. You are so capable and so cruel to me! I still wanted to date you, but it's a pity that you left later because of something."
What does dating mean? Although You Fang didn't know exactly what she wanted to say, but he had always watched American TV series, he quickly let go and said: "Go back to Yale to study, there must be many handsome guys who want to date you! When you are free,
Come back and play, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”
Wu Yuchong pulled You Fang's sleeve and said, "Brother You Fang, where have you been during this time? Have you returned to Chongqing?"
You Fang lied and said with a smile: "I have been staying in Yibin. I have visited all the places that your grandfather painted in the album. It didn't take long to return to Chongqing, less than ten days, and then I arrived
Beijing has come to give you a gift... The five picture albums I promised you will be handed over to you in six months. Then I will test your eyesight and see if you can tell the authenticity from the fake ones."
It's not that he deliberately wanted to hide anything, it was the instinctive caution of traveling in the world. If he followed the "tourist" itinerary, he and Hua Xiaoxian returned to Qiqi Guest House from Yibin ten days ago. Wu Yuchong replied with a smile.
: "Even if I could recognize him, I wouldn't say it. This will make Brother You Fang look smart! ... Maybe we can meet each other without waiting until the winter vacation."
You Fang was stunned: "Huh? You want to skip school? That's not good!" He instinctively thought that when Xiao Yu was in the UK, he skipped school and ran to Guangzhou, and was "taken in" by him for half a year under the guidance of Liu Li.
Then there were disagreements at home, and it was Liu Li who persuaded the Xiao parents to let her transfer to Guangzhou.
Wu Yuchong raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Brother You Fang, you don't understand Yale's credit system, right? I've been attending Yale for two years and have already completed the required credits for all thirty-six courses in three years."
You Fang: "Isn't there still one year left? Don't let it go to waste. Don't always think about sneaking out to play or picking up handsome guys. I regret it now because I didn't listen to your grandpa's teachings in school so much."
Wu Yuchong pouted and said, "I've asked about it, you're just cheating on me!"
You Fang smiled helplessly: "Yes, I am slacking off in class, but you are not. There is a stinging old saying in China, 'You cannot read a book unless you borrow it.' Don't do that."
Wu Yuchong: "I have the best grades in our class and study the hardest. The teachers all think I am a genius. Some people say it is because of my Chinese ancestry... Let's not talk about it anymore, brother You Fang, I will definitely learn it.
Came to see you."
When Wu Yuchong coquettishly pulled You Fang's sleeves and spoke, Xue Qinan stood patiently and watched, with an expression of elder tolerance and a little helplessness. Then he said: "Yu Chong, stop pestering You Fang."
, it’s time for us to go through the customs and security inspection, and we will have the opportunity to meet in the future... You Fang, please take care. After you get your degree, if you want to come to the United States, don’t forget to contact us."
The grandfather and grandson entered, and You Fang waved goodbye until no one could be seen, then he left with a sense of loss.
…
After more than a year, You Fang came to Panjiayuan again. It was still very lively with people coming and going, but for You Fang, an "old man", it felt much deserted than during the Beijing Olympics, especially the people on the roadside who were busy with their jobs.
There were obviously not as many customers stopping at the crowded bulk goods stall as before.
This is no wonder for others. In recent years, this place has simply become a distribution center for all kinds of fakes and counterfeit goods. People who want to come to Taobao have suffered more losses and were deceived, so naturally they come less often. But there are always those who have dreams of getting rich.
"Collectors" come here every day to keep the place from being too depressed.
You Fang walked through a group of stalls selling miscellaneous utensils and saw several "Zigang" jade plaques placed on each stall. He could only smile secretly in his heart. If the carvings were more detailed and the materials used were more sophisticated, the author would have condensed the
With real hard work, these things may not become real cultural relics thousands of years later. It's a pity... This is what Mr. Wu once told his father You Zuming.
On the way, he actually met a few acquaintances, who nodded and greeted him: "Young wanderer, are you back?" It felt like he had just met them not long ago, which gave him a long-lost sense of intimacy.
Unknowingly, I walked back to the shop where I used to work. The boss was not there, but the guy was a smart guy. But at first glance, he seemed too smart, and his eyesight was sneaky. In this line of work, he felt too smart.
It's not a good idea to buy antiques. Most people who hunt for antiques think they have a better vision than you and they will take advantage of it. This young man seems to have just started his career and hasn't learned how to act stupid yet.
As soon as the waiter saw You Fang coming in, he immediately came up to greet you enthusiastically: "Boss, what do you want to buy? We have new and good goods here."
You Fang smiled and said: "Brother, in a place like this, it is most taboo to say a new word. You should tell me that there are old things that have been hidden for a long time."
The guy was stunned for a moment. Someone came out after hearing the words. When he saw You Fang, his eyes lit up. Then he opened his mouth and exclaimed: "Young boy! Your appearance has not changed, but you seem to have completely changed. I'm surprised."
I dare not admit it! Have you made a fortune these years? You must have made a fortune. There are not many people in Panjiayuan who are as famous as you!... Come on, come on, come and sit in the back, let’s have a good chat, little one
Linzi, make tea quickly."
The boss has not changed, and it is still the same one named Ni. After You Fang left, Boss Ni often thought about his merits. Where can he hire such an outstanding and capable man as Xiao Youzi? With his ability, he can take all the capital he has.
It’s the boss. There was a natural sense of intimacy when I saw You Fang again, which made You Fang feel very comfortable. He went back to chat with Boss Ni.
Boss Ni asked You Fang what the two Nis did. You Fang replied calmly: "Going to study, learning some knowledge about history and archeology, recharging, and doing some collecting and selling."
Boss Ni praised: "Okay, young people should learn more and find a good position in the world. You and I have suffered a loss in this regard and can only stick to this store to earn a living."
.Look at those experts. They can usually make money by issuing appraisal certificates. We are no worse than them at this game, but no one will recognize you."
You Fang smiled and said: "You can't say that. Their level is no worse than you and me, and they have paid more back then. Their status in the world does not come in vain, and if they don't play well, they will easily ruin their own brand."
Boss Ni came over and whispered: "Young boy, since you are still doing this business, you suddenly came to Panjiayuan today. Are you looking for something to sell? If there is any good stuff, let me take a look first. I will definitely
I’ll give you a fair price so you don’t have to sew around.”
You Fang had no intention of doing business, but after hearing what Boss Ni said, he thought about it and said, "There's nothing good. I recently got two things that I want to sell. Please give me a price. I'm anxious to wait for the money." As he spoke,
Take out two gold bars and put them on the table.
Boss Ni looked slightly disappointed when he saw it, and then he smiled and said: "It turns out to be yellow croaker. It's a bit hard to say that this thing is an antique, but it does hold its value, and not many of them are seen nowadays. After liberation, almost all of them were given to the country.
Collected for gold reserves, most of them have been melted down long ago...How much do you want?"
You Fang: "I'll give you the real price, two 80,000 yuan."
Boss Ni: "Seventy thousand, you have to let me earn it."
You Fang: "Deal!" Then both of them laughed.
After the deal was completed, You Fang asked again: "Boss, what good stuff have you got recently?"
Boss Ni smiled mysteriously: "That's what you are asking. I still refuse to take it out for others. The guy I just collected is the real thing!" He went to the warehouse at the back and took out an inconspicuous kraft paper bag.
After opening several layers, I took out a cup. It was a light cyan cup with broken pieces of glaze. It was straight-cylindrical and had rust marks on the rim.
You Fang narrowed his eyes as soon as he saw this thing: "The Song porcelain from Ge Kiln, it's not that bright. It's not an eye-catching shine, nor does it look like the newly unearthed new shine. Why does it smell fishy when I look at it?"
?There are still two pieces missing from the glaze, as if it was torn off by force. What a pity."
Your boss nodded and said, "Brother You, you have really good eyesight. You can tell the truth. If you look carefully, what is the origin of this object? We never sold this kind of thing in our original shop."
You Fang started looking at it for a long time, and suddenly realized: "This is porcelain fished from the sea!"
The so-called salvaged porcelain refers to porcelain salvaged from ancient shipwrecks. Since ancient times, there has been a saying of the Maritime Silk Road. Merchant ships depart from the southeastern coast, pass through the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, and sell Chinese products to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and
Further afield. It is not so much the Silk Road as it is the Porcelain Road. After the Song Dynasty, the goods exported by ship were mainly porcelain.
Since the Song Dynasty, there has been specialized production of porcelain for export. The shape and decoration of such artifacts often have typical exotic characteristics, but the craftsmanship is standard ancient Chinese ceramic firing technology.
In ancient times, sailing on the sea was very risky, with piracy being the second most dangerous thing. The biggest danger was unpredictable wind and waves. However, people have been doing the business of beheading since ancient times. If there was a huge profit, many people would be willing to take the risk. Over the past thousands of years, there have been countless cases of porcelain laden with porcelain.
The merchant ships were swallowed up by the vast ocean and slept quietly on the seabed unknown to anyone. They were most distributed along the east coast of the Yangtze River Estuary, especially in the South China Sea.
With the advancement of modern science and technology, a variety of instruments such as sonar and magnetometers can be used to detect the seabed. Many people have also started to think about treasure hunting in the ocean. In the West, shipwreck exploration has always been the most popular thing for many explorers.
In recent years, this trend has also spread to China's offshore areas. Many people are doing these things in the name of scientific research, but it has not attracted enough attention so far. Moreover, it is also very difficult to manage the vast sea. The illegal excavations on the ground
Still can't catch it.
The cost of treasure hunting under the sea is high and the investment is large. It is not easy to find a sunken ship, but once successful, the harvest is quite large. Think about the batch size of a ship of ancient porcelain? At least no less than tens of thousands, many of which are still in use.
It is well preserved and as long as it can be fished out, its value is no less than opening an ancient imperial mausoleum!
Boss Ni chuckled: "Yes, it's porcelain fished from the sea. I heard that it comes from the Zhongsha Islands in the South China Sea. A group of them came here recently. It seems that one of the boats was plundered."
You Fang frowned and said: "The condition of this object is a bit damaged. Although it looks complete and unbroken, two small pieces are missing from the glaze. It's not a mark of a bump. It may be something like coral or oyster growing on it.
, I was not careful when cleaning it, how could I break it by force? This thing was not broken when the ship sank eight hundred years ago, but now it is dumped, but it was injured after it came out of the water!"
Boss Ni sighed: "Who says it's not the case? There are probably too many things coming out and not enough manpower to clean them up... But the good stuff won't fall into my hands. Brother, are you interested?"
You Fang looked at it for a long time and said: "I want it, please give me a real price."
Boss Ni: "There is nothing to talk about with you. I am unlucky to meet an expert, and the price is one hundred thousand."
You Fang took out another gold bar: "Add the two bars just now and exchange them for this cup."
Boss Ni: "Is it even close?"
You Fang smiled and shook his head: "I didn't bargain with you, so don't make me too harsh!"
Boss Ni patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, deal, we are old friends."
Boss Ni wanted to stay with You Fang for dinner before leaving. The two of them found a place nearby to have a few drinks, but You Fang left after finishing his "business". He had no intention of coming to see Boss Ni to catch up with old times, but just passed by and met him.
Already.
Before leaving, Boss Ni sighed and said: "There has been a lot of noise lately. Qiuyinzhai in the Antique City has been sealed with a note. There is a special task force investigating something. It is difficult to get in the unearthed things. Panjiayuan has been in the past few days."
The largest batch of genuine products is these porcelain fished from the sea.”
You Fang also sighed and said: "The trouble on the mountain has ended, and the trouble has spread to the bottom of the sea. Grave robbing has been so rampant these years, and the things in the soil are almost useless."
Boss Ni mentioned Qiuyinzhai. Its two previous owners, Kuanghu and Pan Qiaomu, both died at the hands of You Fang, and this shop was named after Li Qiuping and Lin Yin.
It has an inexplicable relationship with You Fang, but he has never been there before, so he should take a look, otherwise he will have no chance to see it again.
Qiuyinzhai is located in a large antique city not far from the main entrance of Panjiayuan. The antique shops in Panjiayuan range from high to low, including roadside stalls, greenhouse stalls, and pedestrian street shops. It feels similar to a vegetable market or a pedestrian commercial street.
The items sold are different. The most high-end ones are the shops in this kind of antique city. The rent is high, and only powerful merchants will open their doors to do business here, just like shopping malls or boutiques.
When You Fang was living in Panjiayuan, he rarely came here, and he didn't even enter this building very often. He was just a small gangster back then, and there weren't many opportunities for sewing work here. A shop like this, on the surface, has no business.
It is very "ruly". Most of the important products come with a certificate of authenticity, and many of them are indeed genuine. Even if they are fakes, they are very well imitated. However, the transaction price is very expensive, and it is not something that the original young wanderer can afford.
He came to the second floor of the antique city and saw Qiu Yin Zhai diagonally across the stairs. A very impressive official script plaque, with the signature and seal of the calligrapher next to it. It was handwritten by a vice chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association.
This shop is not small in scale, with a total of five storefronts connected together to form a large trading house. This shows that the owner is very powerful. However, now the doors on the left and right are sealed, and only the door in the middle is open. Through the glass,
You can see many people in uniforms busy counting something.
You Fang took a look and saw that there were at least three types of uniforms, including police, industrial and commercial law enforcement, and cultural relic inspection. He just came to take a look, maybe just for that sigh. He sighed in his heart as he walked past Qiuyinzhai. Unfortunately, he
They met a female police officer who walked out of the gate with a heroic temperament, an improved figure, and a beautiful appearance. Both of them were stunned, and neither of them spoke for a moment, and their expressions were a little strange.
She was once a girl and now she is a woman. This subtle transformation was witnessed by him personally. You Fang once thought about what would happen when we meet again? But he couldn't figure it out. He just didn't expect to meet again so soon. It seemed like
The sudden encounter may be because there is a force in the dark that affects his footsteps, just to bump into this place.
Maybe I thought too much before seeing her again, but when I actually saw her, the scene seemed different from what I had imagined before. Xie Xiaoxian's eyes were a little red when she saw him, she took a deep breath and then regained her composure, staring faintly.
She glanced at him and said with a pretty face: "Little wanderer, why are you here again?"
Seeing her appearance, You Fang was distracted for a moment, as if he had gone back in time and returned to the scene where he was accidentally caught selling CDs on the streets of Zhongguancun a few years ago. Looking at her carefully again, it seemed that she had no trace of anything.
Changes, and it seems that a lot has changed, and only You Fang himself knows the feeling of it.
You Fang also pretended to be calm and replied: "I'm going back to Beijing to see Mr.
Xie Xiaoxian pouted slightly: "I haven't gotten off work yet, but it's not as busy as Chongqing here. Can you wait for me for a while? I can leave in half an hour."
You Fang didn't say that he came to see her, and indeed he didn't come to see her, but when Xie Xiaoxian said so, he nodded like a ghost and said, "Okay, I'll just wander outside the building for a while, and you can take your time."
Are you in a hurry? By the way, what do you want to eat for dinner? It has been you for so long, and I just remembered that I have never invited you once."
By implication, he acquiesced that he was here to find her. Xie Xiaoxian lowered his head and said, "You are familiar with this place, and you have the final say."
…
Not sure if it was an accident or an expected dinner, You Fang found the most upscale restaurant in his memory near Panjiayuan. He ordered all Xie Xiaoxian's favorite dishes and asked for a quiet small private room. Two
When people sit down to eat, they are neither far nor close. Of course, they are not facing each other like ordinary guests. They are sitting side by side, but there is a distance of about a foot between them. They are within reach of each other, which is different from the last time.
Pretty much the same when eating in Chongqing.
The conversation between them was quite natural, as if nothing had happened, but there was something obviously wrong in their eyes. Careful bystanders would definitely be able to see some clues, and they might understand the meaning of pretending to be confused. You Fang asked first: "Recently?
Is the work going well? What are the gains from sealing Qiuyinzhai?"