Chapter 26: Give Me a Reason

Lin Sicheng gripped the steering wheel; the Audi drove fast and steady.

Hao Jun was listless, slumped in the passenger seat clutching the pot, his mind replaying the words Lin Sicheng had used to remind him.

Each and every word was like a Needle, stabbing into his heart:

"Senior Brother Hao, this pot is a pretty 'authentic' imitation!"

"It's Blue Sand!"

"At the very least, it's from the mid-Qing Dynasty; the artistic level is very 'high'!"

"It's Blue Sand!"

"It has very unique characteristics and is of great 'value' for Artifact Research!"

"No matter how valuable it is, it's still Blue Sand... No, wait, Lin Sicheng, whose side are you on?"

The repeated reminders, the hints given over and over, and even the key words had been spoken with special emphasis.

He had practically stood by his ear and roared: Senior Brother, this is a massive steal, hurry up and make your move.

But he himself—as if his judgment had been blinded by filth—had fixated on only three words: It's Blue Sand.

So what if it's Blue Sand?

Even if it were a pile of dung, as long as it was carved by a master, it would be worth a thousand gold.

Thinking back to his conversation with Lao Song at the shop, Hao Jun wanted to slap himself twice.

Who said there were no Purple Clay Teapot masters who weren't from Yixing?

Weren't Chen Mansheng and Yang Pengnian exactly that?

Both men were from Zhejiang; not only were they not from Yixing, they weren't even from Jiangsu.

Who said that Purple Clay Teapots not produced in Yixing had never produced famous pots?

Wasn't the Mansheng Pot exactly that?

Chen Mansheng was an official his whole life, and Yang Pengnian followed him everywhere. The two of them had been to Ganyu, Liyang, and Huaian, but they had never been to Yixing.

Therefore, by any stretch of the imagination, the Mansheng Pot had nothing to do with Yixing.

But why hadn't he thought of that? It wasn't until Lin Sicheng explained it that he felt enlightened.

One can only say that the prejudices in a person's heart are like a great mountain: If it isn't produced in Yixing, what kind of Purple Clay Teapot is it? If you aren't from Yixing, what kind of Purple Clay Teapot master are you?

Oh right, it wasn't just him who thought this way; one had to include Lao Song.

The son of a bitch, if he knew this was a Mansheng Pot, his guts would probably turn green with regret: a treasure worth several million, shoved away by him like trash.

Huh, thinking about it this way, he felt much better.

Seeing him recover and a smile appear on his face, Lin Sicheng nodded inwardly.

You have to admit, Senior Brother Hao's ability to build his own psychological defense is quite strong.

He smiled: "Senior Brother, this pot is quite rare!"

"Of course, although there are many Mansheng Pots in existence, that is only relative to the Mingyuan Pot!"

"It's also quite valuable."

"Nonsense, if it goes for two million, I'll cut my head off... wait, no?"

Hao Jun paused abruptly, eyeing him sideways: "What are you trying to say?"

Lin Sicheng's expression was very solemn: "Senior Brother, this pot has high value, not just for Artifact Research, but also extremely high artistic and scientific value.

Not to mention anything else, just considering it as the 'first Blue Sand pot of the Qing Dynasty,' it can be counted as a rare treasure, or even a unique piece. Let it settle for a few years, then operate it a little, and doubling or tripling its value isn't impossible..."

How much is two or three times two million?

Four million, six million?

"Two or three times is fine then!"

"The key is, this pot is also..."

"Alright, don't say any more!"

Hao Jun waved his hand to interrupt, his expression also very solemn, "Lin Sicheng, if you can call me Senior Brother, then we are honorable people; let's not disparage each other! Besides, there are many days ahead, what are you rushing for?"

Thinking about today, from beginning to end, was there any word Lin Sicheng said that was misleading? No.

Had he reminded him?

More than just reminded; he had practically shouted it.

And if he had reminded him any further, it was hard to say if he would have woken up, but Lao Song would have definitely been the first to wake up.

Therefore, Lin Sicheng had already done his utmost; it was only right and proper that he picked up this steal today.

The reason he was annoyed was that he was annoyed at his own thick-headedness; even with Lin Sicheng pointing it out like that, he hadn't been able to wake up.

Besides, if he didn't let Lin Sicheng pick it up, should he have let Lao Liu and that guy surnamed Wu pick it up?

If those two bastards had really picked it up, he would have regretted it for a lifetime.

Of course, to put it another way: in terms of emotion and reason, Lin Sicheng really should have shared a bit with him, but did he, old Hao, lack that little bit?

What he lacked was a friend like Lin Sicheng.

Look at those bastards around him, like Lao Liu. Then look at Lin Sicheng; the difference is clear at a glance...

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Good!"

Since things had reached this point, to talk about sharing or not sharing would be pretentious.

Just as Senior Brother Hao said: time reveals a person's heart.

"Then Senior Brother, are we still going to the hospital?"

"Since we're already here... oh right, stop at the entrance, I need to buy something!"

"Why buy anything? Just put this pot in front of him and say you brought me to pick it up; I guarantee Grandfather will be grinning from ear to ear."

"Lin Sicheng, stop spouting nonsense!"

Business is business; coming to the hospital to visit a patient empty-handed, what kind of behavior is that?

Hao Jun did not listen to Lin Sicheng; he picked out some fresh fruit and took two high-quality gift boxes as well.

The two went up to the sixth floor and heard hearty laughter from afar. Upon entering, they saw Lin Zhangqing and Director Guan sitting by the window, chatting and laughing happily.

"Eh, Director Guan, didn't you go back to the office? You move pretty fast, don't you?"

"What, am I sold to the office? Can't I even get off work?"

The two exchanged a joke, and Hao Jun greeted Lin Zhangqing: "Professor Lin, I heard from Junior Brother Lin that you were ill, so I stopped by to see you!"

"Sorry to trouble Secretary-General Hao. Mingzhi, pour the tea."

One could tell from the tone of voice that the two were merely nodding acquaintances. That was why Hao Jun hadn't directly asked his grandfather for help, but had instead taken a detour through his own connections.

And yet, the result was that the favor hadn't been done, but the pot had become his own?

Lin Sicheng helped his father pour the tea. When he turned around, Director Guan took the box from Hao Jun's hands and weighed it twice in his hands: "Looks like a porcelain pot. Where did you dig this up?"

Hao Jun took the Tea Cup and said unhurriedly: "Director Guan, take it easy, this is a Mingyuan Pot!"

Director Guan was startled: "What pot?"

"Chen Mingyuan's Mingyuan Pot!" Hao Jun's tone was indifferent, revealing a hint of pride amidst his reserve, as if he had picked the pot up himself, "It cost eighty thousand!"

"Old Hao, you're ugly, but your dreams are beautiful!" Director Guan let out a "Pfft" sound, "Forget eighty thousand, even eighty times a hundred thousand is impossible."

"I didn't say I was the one who paid the eighty thousand? Besides, why don't you open it and see for yourself?"

Opening it was also impossible.

Director Guan stood on no ceremony and found a pair of scissors.

It wasn't just Director Guan; Lin Zhangqing also felt it was impossible. On a whim, he reached out to help.

In a few moments, the tape was cut and the cardboard box was opened. The moment the spout of the pot was revealed, both men were stunned: it looked a bit like... old purple clay?

Looking closer: it wasn't like it, it was old purple clay.

Just looking at the color of the clay and the tea patina, it had to be at least two hundred years old.

But to say it was a Mingyuan Pot... that was absolutely impossible.

Their movements became much gentler. After tearing away the foam, the pot was revealed in its entirety.

After a brief moment of shock, Guan Xingmin leaned back abruptly: "Chen Mingyuan?"

Lin Zhangqing's eyes narrowed slightly, and his pupils could not help but constrict: "Chuanxiang Pot?"

The former was looking at the inscription, the latter was looking at the form.

Immediately, the two spoke in unison, though not in agreement:

"Fake!" Guan Xingmin said decisively.

"A replica!" Lin Zhangqing looked disappointed.

It was, of course, not strange that Professor Lin could tell.

Hao Jun looked at them and raised an eyebrow: "Lao Guan, where is it fake? Give me a reason!"