Chapter 16: Unimaginable

The evening wind blew lightly, and a few locust leaves came floating down.

Li Zhen reached out to catch one, twirling it gently between her fingertips, her mind recalling her mentor's slightly agitated expression:

Li Zhen, is it hasty? No.

You still do not realize what it means for a student to be able to apply for a design patent based solely on the appearance and styling.

You understand even less what it means that, based on just a few initial sketches, one can evoke empathy in others, allowing them to feel the weight of history, the continuity of culture, and the inheritance of civilization...

Li Zhen acknowledged Lin Sicheng's excellence, but she truly could not empathize: was Professor Shang being too emotional over just a few sketches?

But the task entrusted by her mentor had to be completed.

She thought for a moment about how to relay this to Lin Sicheng later without making Professor Shang seem overly impatient.

Then, she saw Xiao Yuzhu.

The thin sunlight passed through the leaves, stretching her beautiful silhouette into a slender shape. Her loose ponytail hung over her shoulders, covering her fair collarbone.

Her neck was stretched forward, her lips parted unconsciously, and with an "uh" sound, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

This is... she ate until she was stuffed?

Li Zhen looked behind her: "Where is Lin Sicheng?"

"Ah, Senior Sister Li? He had something come up, and Professor Lin picked him up."

Xiao Yuzhu held her stomach and walked over slowly, "I ordered too much food, and you didn't reply to my messages; I'm almost stuffed to death!"

Li Zhen was stunned and took out her phone:

Senior Sister, why aren't you here yet? I'm about to starve to death.

How about Lin Sicheng and I have a little something first?

Senior Sister, hurry up and come over. Lin Sicheng has to leave, and I can't finish it all by myself.

Senior Sister, you've killed me, I'm so full...

Li Zhen looked helpless.

An old Santana was parked outside the school gate, the car window cracked open, and wisps of smoke drifted up.

Lin Sicheng glanced at it and pulled open the back door.

"Sit in the front!"

Alright.

He poked his head in obediently and sat in the passenger seat.

Lin Zhangqing's expression was strange—a bit hesitant, a bit helpless, and it seemed there was something he found hard to say.

After a long while, he sighed dejectedly: "Forget it!"

Forget what, Professor Liu?

"Don't... a widower and a widow, it's only natural..."

"Smack~" Before he could finish, he got hit on the head.

Lin Sicheng held his head and chuckled: "I think it's actually quite suitable!"

"What do you know!"

How could he not know?

His grandfather had lived the latter half of his life for two words: "Grandson."

The key was that the family fortune was a bit thick; if he gave it away, he feared he was too young to hold onto it. If he didn't, and his grandfather found a second spring, it would inevitably lead to this or that trouble and dispute later on.

It wasn't about Professor Liu, but her children.

What, give it to his dad?

He was even less reliable than himself, which was why the old man was so hesitant.

Thinking this over secretly, Lin Zhangqing started the car and turned onto the main road.

"After retiring, I serve as a Consultant for several enterprises, and today we are going to one of them. Be sweet-tongued when we get there."

"Okay, Grandfather!"

Lin Zhangqing nodded, weighing his words: "If you don't want to pursue a master's degree and don't want to work in a unit like your dad, then you can join a company after graduation. Of course, whether you join or not is up to you; today is just to take you to learn about it..."

Lin Sicheng paused and sighed inwardly.

His temperament had been too stubborn before, making things too rigid, causing his grandfather to be cautious even when speaking to him.

"I understand, don't worry, Grandfather."

"Good!"

Lin Zhangqing focused on driving, while Lin Sicheng looked out the window as the streetscape flashed by.

Actually, on the night he returned home, he had already made a rough plan:

Accumulate capital in the early stages, simultaneously expand relationships to build connections, and do some light research and development in Artifact Restoration.

Once the capital was sufficient, he would decide what high-tech to pursue. If he had the energy, he would consider whether to start a business.

And when it came to early accumulation, what could be more suitable than flipping antiques?

Of course, nothing.

His eye for detail was sharp enough, his experience was sufficient, and his accumulation of professional knowledge was a cross-dimensional crush. There was truly no need to open up a new track and increase the difficulty for himself.

Thinking this over, the car slowed down and drove into the parking lot.

The building wasn't tall, just five stories, and a long plaque hung beside the door: Xijing City Cultural Relics Co., Ltd.

Lin Sicheng was stunned: This was the company his grandfather spoke of?

It was indeed a company, but its predecessor was the "Xijing City Cultural Relics Store," a public institution directly under the Cultural Relics Bureau.

Working here was no different from entering the Cultural Relics Bureau.

The old man is quite crafty.

The two stepped onto the platform, and a young woman came out to greet them. She was tall, with fair skin and a smile in her eyes.

"Hello, Professor Lin. General Manager Bai is waiting for you in the reception room!"

"Good!"

Lin Zhangqing nodded, and the girl walked quickly to press the elevator button. Her calves under her cargo pants were taut, and her high heels tapped against the floor, making crisp "clack-clack" sounds.

Upon reaching the fifth floor and entering the reception hall, eight or nine men and women stood up in unison.

General Manager Bai, in his early fifties, walked up quickly: "Professor Lin, I'm sorry to trouble you to come over so late! But without your expert eye, I really can't rest easy!"

"It's all in a day's work!" Lin Zhangqing introduced Lin Sicheng, "This is my grandson, a senior in college. I brought him along to broaden his horizons."

General Manager Bai smiled: "The young man is quite spirited!"

After a few pleasantries and mutual introductions, Lin Sicheng realized that apart from the two people in suits who were merchants, the other six were internal staff of the company.

They belonged to the procurement department, specializing in the acquisition of antiques and Cultural Relics, while also providing collections for museums and other cultural institutions.

Similar institutions exist everywhere—in the province, and even more so at the national level. The content and nature of their work are simple: rescue-style acquisition of important Cultural Relics to prevent the loss of precious cultural heritage.

The two Cultural Relics the procurement department bought from out of town were what they asked the old man to appraise today. In fact, all the necessary tests had been done, and relevant Experts had already appraised them; the old man was just performing the final check.

This also shows his importance; this Consultant title is well-deserved.

The old man got straight to the point: "General Manager Bai, where are the items!"

General Manager Bai gestured, and two people took out two boxes.

They were standard storage cases, transport equipment manufactured specifically for designated Cultural Relics, capable of shockproofing, drop-proofing, moisture-proofing, and dust-proofing.

The boxes were opened; one contained a Celadon pot, and the other a Painted Enamel Porcelain Bowl.

Lin Zhangqing put on his gloves and took out the Painted Enamel Porcelain Bowl first: "Look closely!"

Lin Sicheng responded, and the moment he lifted his eyes, he was stung by the "Kangxi Imperial Manufacture" in red regular script on the bottom of the bowl.

Looking at the pattern, he gasped:

The outer wall was painted with a palace-pink ground, surrounded by floral Openwork, decorated inside with blooming wheel-flowers, interspersed with chrysanthemums, with branches and vines connecting, flowers flourishing and leaves lush... Isn't this the Kangxi Imperial Manufacture Painted Enamel Porcelain palace-pink ground "Group of Flowers Offering Auspiciousness Bowl"?

As far as he knew: the Forbidden City had one, and the Taiwan Palace Museum also had one. In '22, Zhonghan Auction sold one for a transaction price of 11.5 million.

Then, in '24, Artron listed another one, starting at 15 million.

So which one is this, or is it perhaps the fifth one?

His heart was shocked beyond belief, but after opening his eyes wide and looking twice, Lin Sicheng felt relieved: it's an imitation.

Although the porcelain body was fine and uniform, it was slightly too thick, and the areas where the body was exposed were less white, with a slight yellowish tint.

The composition was quite vibrant and the colors were rich, but the glaze was too bright, lacking the "warm and moist" glass-like quality of the genuine article.

To put it bluntly: the era is too recent, and the "thief light" (new luster) hasn't faded.

The brushwork was excellent, but the lines were slightly too complex and lacked flexibility, not as vivid or natural as the genuine article. The coloring was a bit heavy, appearing slightly stiff and lacking depth.

The patina was quite old, but the "thief light" remained, appearing slightly harsh; it certainly wasn't as old as the "Kangxi" period. Lin Sicheng estimated it was at most about a hundred years old.

After looking it over, he had a rough judgment and Lin Sicheng said nothing more.

The old man looked very carefully, and it was nearly ten minutes later before he looked up.

"How is it?"

Lin Sicheng was concise: "An imitation!"

Lin Zhangqing paused slightly, smiled, and nodded: "How did you judge it?"

"The body is too thick, the whiteness is slightly low. The composition is overly cumbersome, the coloring is too heavy, and it lacks flexibility. The glaze is too bright, and the mark floats on the surface!"

"Give me the conclusion!"

"An Imperial Kiln imitation from the Guangxu period!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light passed through Lin Zhangqing's eyes, and the two people beside General Manager Bai "whooshed" and raised their heads.

They were the ones who bought the items and had run them through machines, so of course they knew whether it was an imitation, what era it imitated, and where it was imitated from.

Before retiring, Lin Zhangqing was the Person in Charge of the Xida Ceramics Research Center and an authority on ceramics appraisal in the province. He had the experience and the eye, so he could certainly identify it.

But what was his grandson's judgment based on?

General Manager Bai looked surprised: "Even if it is an imitation, why couldn't it be from the Tongzhi, Xianfeng, or even the Daoguang period?"

"Because none of those three periods fired Enamel-colored porcelain."

General Manager Bai became even more interested: "I really didn't know that, tell me in detail!"

"It's mainly because Enamel materials were all imported and the price was too high, so after the mid-Jiaqing period, there was little production of Enamelware in the palace. Especially after the Opium War: the Qing government had to pay indemnities to foreign powers and suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom internally, so they had to tighten their belts to get by.

It wasn't until the Guangxu period, due to the strong demand of Empress Dowager Cixi, that the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Kiln Factory resumed firing Enamelware, leading to a brief period of revival.

But because the inheritance was broken and the technology was lost, the level of craftsmanship dropped significantly, leading to the awkward situation where they couldn't even imitate the original properly.

However, even as an imitation, it was still produced by the Imperial Kiln, and it was fired by Cixi for her birthday by misappropriating funds from the Beiyang Fleet. So, just based on the First Sino-Japanese War, this bowl also has great historical value and commemorative significance!"

General Manager Bai's eyes lit up: why did he want to buy this bowl if not for its historical value and commemorative significance?

Now, there was actually one more point, and it was extremely significant?

He looked at Lin Zhangqing: "Professor Lin?"

The old man nodded: "Basically correct, this last part can also be written in."

General Manager Bai nodded, and the secretary hurriedly picked up a pen, added a sentence to the document, and finally handed it to Lin Zhangqing.

The old man signed his name with a flourish. Lin Sicheng glanced at it: purchase price: 450,000.

It wasn't high, but it wasn't low either; it was standard.

The old man was signing, and he was looking at the appraisal report, not noticing the other eight people's sixteen eyes constantly darting between the grandfather and grandson.

In just over ten minutes, he was able to judge that it was an imitation, accurately analyze the differences from the genuine article, and even explain the reasons with sound logic?

If this were Professor Lin, they wouldn't be surprised, of course. But for it to be his grandson... it was truly mind-boggling.

It couldn't be that he had seen the Identification Certificate in advance, could it?

That is nonsense; even Professor Lin hasn't seen it...