Chapter 51: Main Text Chapter Fifty-One: Hundred Thousand Ancient Tombs

Main Text Chapter Fifty-One: Hundred Thousand Ancient Tombs

Hundred Thousand Ancient Tombs

Judging by the market situation at the time, this kind of small-foot embroidered shoe from the Ming dynasty, including the early Qing dynasty, is considered a decent item by many folklore enthusiasts and collectors; moreover, although there are not a few well‑preserved ones on the market, almost all of them are from the late Republican‑Qing period.

I asked Li Chunlai whether he could get the other shoe too; this one looks a bit lonely. In the antique trade, they say a set is best— the more complete a set, the more valuable it is. Sometimes one or two pieces seem insignificant, but if you can collect a full set, the price can skyrocket.

Li Chunlai looked embarrassed; the other embroidered shoe had long been lost, and he had only managed to bring this one to Beijing by keeping it hidden.

I said: "Let's do this—I'll be straight with you. I have a special fondness for peasant brothers; my father gave up his studies to join the revolution so that China's peasants could stand up and be liberated. He spent his whole life doing revolutionary work—cough, cough—I won't talk about him. Even the Chinese revolution succeeded by surrounding the cities from the countryside, so I can pat my chest and say I won't look down on you just because you're from the countryside and try to fool you. This shoe would sell for six or seven hundred on the market; any more would be hard to get. If you're willing, old brother, I'll take it for six hundred—let's call it making friends. From now on, if you have any other interesting items, just bring them straight to me. How does that sound?"

Li Chunlai exclaimed in surprise: "What? Six hundred? You didn't mishear, did you?"

I said: "How? Think it's too little? I'll add another fifty."

Li Chunlai waved his hands repeatedly: "Not too little, not too little—I originally thought it was worth at most three hundred."

I then paid him six hundred fifty; Li Chunlai counted the money over ten times and hid it securely on his person. I told him to be careful—after drinking so much, don't accidentally lose the money.

Afterward I chatted with Li Chunlai about his hometown a lot. His hometown is Ganyuan Gully, north of the Yellow River in Shaanxi Province—the poorest county in that area. Nearby there's Longxiang County, mountainous and rugged; it's said that in the past it was a state burial ground, with so many ancient tombs they can't be counted.

Just how many tombs does Longxiang County have? In an area the size of one mu, there are six or seven graves—and that's only what's visible on the surface; deeper down there are even more.

The Tang‑dynasty polychrome ware dug up from there can sell for tens of thousands each; many local farming families have a few pieces, having gotten rich by digging them up from the fields. Since the Republican era, lots of artifact dealers have gone there to buy them, and the decent‑looking ones have mostly been snapped up.

South of the Yellow River lie the Qinling Mountains, where it's said there are even more big tombs—but they're hard to find; the easy ones have already been looted clean. There's one particularly famous Han tomb whose surface is pocked with over two hundred eighty looter holes, and such holes have existed from ancient times to the present.

Many priceless treasures have also come out of there, but Li Chunlai isn't sure exactly what they are; he's only heard about them.

Seeing that it was getting late and Li Chunlai's buzz had worn off, he got up to say goodbye. As he left, he repeatedly urged me to visit his home whenever I got the chance; after exchanging pleasantries for a while, I finally saw him off.

Back at the antique market, Pangzi and Da Jin Ya were already impatiently waiting; seeing me return, they hurriedly asked what good stuff I had picked up.

I showed them the embroidered shoe; Pangzi cursed: "This old fox is like clutching a dog's‑head gold nugget—we've been fussing for half an hour, and all you've brought back is this single shoe?"

Da Jin Ya said: "Ah, this shoe is exquisitely made—Brother Hu, how much silver did you pay for it?"

I told him the price, and Da Jin Ya kept saying good things: "Brother Hu, your eye has really sharpened lately—this embroidered shoe could easily sell for two thousand, no problem."

I regretted it: "If I'd known it could fetch that much, I'd have given that old fellow more money—I thought it was only worth six or seven hundred; I misjudged it."

Da Jin Ya said: "Today's Monday, business is slow on Mondays; I think we three shouldn't waste time here. We haven't had hot‑pot lamb in ages—let's get ready and head to Dongsi."

Pangzi said: "Great minds think alike—I've been craving this too these past two days; how can you not get sick of it?"

It was the same old restaurant we used to go to in Dongsi; at exactly four in the afternoon there wasn't even half a customer, so we took a table by the corner window. The waiter lit the pot, laid out the ingredients, and when the dishes arrived we all gathered at the counter to shoot the breeze.

I took out a cigarette to light for Da Jin Ya and Pangzi, then asked Da Jin Ya: "Brother Jin, tell us both—what makes this shoe valuable?"

Da Jin Ya took the embroidered shoe and said: "This isn't just anyone's shoe—do you see? It's a peony. Since the Tang dynasty, peonies have been considered noble; although ordinary folk also embroider peonies on their shoes, they certainly don't do it like this, with gold‑thread embroidery. And look—there are six tiny pearls set into the flower's center. Though not terribly precious, they raise the piece's artistic value. Most important is the shoe's owner: that old fellow is from Shaanxi, where the people are simple and the old custom of foot‑binding never took hold. I'd guess the owner is either the family of an official transferred from another province, or a noble lady who married into a wealthy household from elsewhere—in short, someone rich or aristocratic. So the shoe has real collectible value. I said two thousand in the market because I didn't want to shout it out, but in my view it's worth at least six thousand, and if there were a pair the price could go up four‑ or five‑fold."

Pangzi and I stuck out our tongues in disbelief—I never imagined it could be worth so much. I made up my mind to go to Shaanxi sometime and make up some of the money to Li Chunlai; otherwise he'd be losing out badly.

As we ate and chatted, the topic somehow turned to the ancient tombs around Shaanxi.

Da Jin Ya said: "Although I've never personally been to Shaanxi, I've heard from fellow dealers who've collected there that the eight‑hundred‑li Qin River Plain is a land of literary and military excellence, the Three Qins region has deep, fertile soil, and the ground is buried with countless good things. Just Longxiang County alone has nearly a hundred thousand ancient tombs—in some places one tomb lies under another, with cultural layers stacked several levels deep. The Qinling and Daba Mountain areas are also said to have many big tombs. I've been thinking that if I ever get the chance I must go, to pick up some good stuff; even if I come up empty, it'd be worth it just to see the sights—but my health isn't great, so I've never had the opportunity."

I said: "I was just thinking about when I could find the time to go; why don't we all go together for a trip, pick up some interesting items along the way? You come with us two, so we can look out for each other on the road."

The three of us immediately agreed and began discussing when to set out. I'd long heard that the Qinling Mountains have many dragon veins; I wanted to go scout the area in person, and hopefully find a big tomb to rob—then I could pay off the high‑interest loan from that American girl. Living in debt is no fun.

But we had no definite target—just planning to see what's there when we arrive—so we didn't intend to bring much gear, only a military shovel, a wolf‑eye flashlight, a simple gas mask and a few other basics; that would be enough, plus some extra cash in hopes of bringing back a few treasures.

Da Jin Ya said: "The stuff dug up there is all traded in underground markets, with a set procedure already in place; outsiders find it hard to muscle in. If we want to collect valuable items, we have to go to the most remote spots—if there's nothing, oh well; if there is, we're sure to make a big profit."

Pangzi suddenly thought of something and said to us: "Shouldn't we bring more black donkey hooves? I hear that place is crawling with zombies."

I said: "Wearing a few wouldn't hurt—better safe than sorry—but we're not going there to rob tombs; we're just out for fun, to pick up some curiosities, so we don't have to worry about running into a big zombie."

Da Jin Ya said: "Brother Hu, you're an expert in geomancy—what's your take on why there are so many black and white fiends there, from a feng‑shui perspective?"

I said: "The 'fiends' can also refer to zombies; black and white indicate different kinds of corpse transformations. There's an old saying about 'grounds that raise corpses,' but I don't know the details. Since we're on the topic, I'll explain it from a feng‑shui angle."

(Two chapters will be updated tomorrow; see the side story for timing.)