Chapter 302: Going Against the Grain

Panjiayuan on the weekend is like a pot of boiling bean juice: bustling, scorching, clamorous, and permeated with the unique Fire Qi of old Beijing.

The crowd surges through the aisles between the sheds, stall owners drawl out their hawking, mixed with the din of bargaining.

Lin Sicheng stands under the archway, the sunlight cutting across at an angle, a faint golden glow appearing on his face. His gaze, like a probe, sweeps over those old objects that are either new or fake.

"Hey, Cousin Lin!"

A lean figure squeezes through the crowd, carrying the scent of scallions from a pancake. Jing Zeyang holds up a plastic cup, "Have a sip!"

A smell like a sour dishcloth darts into his nostrils, and Lin Sicheng's brows knit slightly.

He has discovered that Beijing natives all love to urge outsiders to drink bean juice. Ye Anning is like this, and so is Jing Zeyang.

But Ye Anning does it to trick him, while Jing Zeyang genuinely wants him to have a taste: "Yin San Bean Juice, a century-old brand; counting across all of Beijing, this one is the most authentic..."

A century is a stretch, but it is indeed the most authentic; of course, the taste is also the weirdest. It's not like Lin Sicheng didn't taste it in his past life, right?

He shakes his head firmly: "Brother Jing, I'm not used to drinking it!"

"After you live in Beijing for a long time, you'll slowly get used to it..."

Jing Zeyang doesn't urge him further, inserts a straw, and takes a bite of pancake in one hand and a sip of bean juice in the other.

Lin Sicheng is fine, but Fang Jin covers his nose and hides seven or eight meters away.

As they walk, Jing Zeyang notices something wrong: "Where is Squad Leader He?"

"There was a temporary task at the unit, so he didn't come today!"

Jing Zeyang bites his pancake, speaking indistinctly: "He should have stopped coming long ago. This is Beijing, not abroad, right?"

Lin Sicheng nods: Although it is not as safe as it was after the 19th National Congress, Beijing is the capital after all; it's not the best, but it's better than many places.

Besides, he isn't so precious that he needs someone specifically assigned to protect him.

He mentioned it several times, and Dean Zhang and Dean Ma also felt it was a bit too tense; furthermore, they were busy before the holiday, so they withdrew Squad Leader He...

"Then wherever you go in the future, just call me directly!"

"Thanks, Brother Jing! Although Squad Leader He didn't come, another driver was arranged!"

Jing Zeyang nods: "That's true!"

Talking as they walk, the three of them enter the market.

Just as he crosses the archway, Jing Zeyang stops abruptly, his eyes bulging outward.

Not far away, just ten or so steps, two figures stand at a stall selling ancient books.

One of them is particularly striking: a high ponytail is neatly tied behind her head, revealing a full, smooth forehead. Her neck is fair, her brows and eyes are like a painting, and her posture is as upright as a pine.

At a glance, her whole person exudes a sense of crisp efficiency.

Suddenly, Jing Zeyang feels the bean juice in his hand is no longer tasty; he hesitates, muttering to himself: "Enemies are bound to meet!"

Lin Sicheng takes a look: it really is a coincidence; it's Xu Qin and Tang Nanyan.

He suppresses a laugh: "Brother Jing, what are you afraid of? For no reason at all, would she pin you down and beat you up?"

"Cousin Lin, you don't understand! Fang Qing stayed abroad for a year, felt it was boring, and ran back. During this time, she's been contacting me in roundabout ways..."

Jing Zeyang sighs mournfully and points at Tang Nanyan not far away, "The key is, this woman is too meddlesome. You tell me, can I not hide?"

Understood, a good horse doesn't eat the grass it has turned back from.

When it involves romantic matters, outsiders shouldn't interfere. But since they've run into each other, they definitely have to say hello.

Lin Sicheng walks over, and sensing someone stopping behind her, Tang Nanyan turns her head subconsciously.

Their eyes meet, and a trace of imperceptible surprise flashes in her pretty eyes: "Oh, Teacher Lin?"

Xu Qin also turns back, unable to help but be stunned: Is this too much of a coincidence?

Panjiayuan is so big, yet they could bump into each other on the same day, in the same aisle.

Actually, it's not a coincidence at all: they are all here looking for a National Arts Old Manual. Although the market is large, the area where ancient books are concentrated is just this one spot; it's not strange at all for both sides to meet.

"Officer Tang, Section Chief Xu."

Xu Qin is very surprised: "Teacher Lin, what a coincidence!"

"It is indeed a coincidence!" Lin Sicheng nods with a smile, "Is Section Chief Xu also here to hunt for things?"

Xu Qin feels a bit guilty: "Nan Yan and I don't really understand much, we just had a whim and are walking around casually!"

A whim?

Lin Sicheng glances casually at the stall in front of them: it's all old books.

Comic books, newspapers, picture books, martial arts novels... at the edge of the stall closest to the two of them, an open old boxing manual is placed prominently.

Lin Sicheng understands immediately, but he doesn't point it out.

"Then you two go ahead and look!"

Just as Xu Qin is about to nod, Tang Nanyan takes a step forward: "Teacher Lin, wait a moment... that... that... that..."

After saying "that" several times, she sees a Jade stall not far away and has a sudden flash of inspiration, "Sister Xu and I have taken a fancy to a piece of Jade, but we haven't been able to confirm if it's real or fake. Could we ask you to help us take a look?"

Lin Sicheng knows at a glance that she is making it up on the spot, but he isn't repulsed: he borrowed an ancient boxing manual from them only yesterday; he can't pretend not to know them after just one night.

Furthermore, these two coming here today must be to hunt for old boxing manuals; their goal is nothing more than to ask him for some advice. When it comes down to it, they still want to help him.

With this thought in mind, he smiles: "Of course, where is the item?"

Tang Nanyan points casually: "There!"

"Alright, let's go take a look!"

The five of them walk over together, Tang Nanyan constantly winking.

Xu Qin understands her meaning: helping him hunt for boxing manuals is to deepen the relationship, and asking him for help isn't that also deepening the relationship?

Regardless of whether it's a white cat or a calico cat, a cat that can catch mice is a good cat.

Thinking about it carefully, it really is that kind of logic.

The sun rises higher, the air floats with the unique musty scent of old objects, and the group stops in front of a Jade stall.

The stall was filled with a dazzling array of goods: bracelets, necklaces, jade hairpins, earrings, White Jade, Agate, Jadeite, crystal... all sorts of things, everything one could imagine.

The stall owner was a lean, middle-aged man with lively eyes: "You folks, looking to see something?"

Tang Nanyan swept her eyes over the stall and pointed: "Teacher Lin, that one, the thumb ring!"

Lin Sicheng took a look: near the center, several Jadeite thumb rings were displayed, gleaming in the sunlight.

They were not very green, nor very translucent, falling somewhere in between, with a slight yellow tint in the green.

For this type, there is a professional term in Jadeite grading called "Tea Green," which is a green, clear-water color with a hint of yellow. It is slightly better than bean green and slightly worse than clear-water green.

If it were in a jewelry store, it certainly wouldn't count as special, but at a street stall in an antique market, this could already be considered a good piece.

"The luster is quite rich, isn't it?" Jing Zeyang leaned over to look. "The quality is not bad, and it looks quite old, too?"

The stall owner immediately piled on a smile: "Boss, you have a sharp eye. It's a genuine Old Pit Tea Green Variety, a treasure passed down from my ancestors. If it weren't for an urgent need for money at home, I wouldn't take it out even if it killed me... Just look at this luster, this color..."

Xu Qin curiously leaned in closer: to be honest, she hadn't examined much Jadeite, and although Lin Sicheng had just conducted training, she really didn't have much confidence when it came to applying it in practice.

Looking at this piece again: the base color was green and translucent, with a slight yellow tint, like the clear sky after Rain.

Surely Tang Nanyan couldn't have just pointed randomly and actually picked out a real item?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Lin Sicheng squatted down and picked up the thumb ring. He glanced at it casually for a moment, then put it back.

"It's alright!"

Two short words, the tone steady, the manner indifferent.

Having rolled and tumbled in the antique trade for half a lifetime, reading expressions was just a basic skill. The stall owner's face changed slightly, and he squeezed out a smile: "Would you like to look at others?"

"Thanks, no need!"

Lin Sicheng stood up and left immediately. Jing Zeyang and Tang Nanyan had the exact same expression: looking back every three steps.

Even after turning the corner, Tang Nanyan was still tilting her head, reminiscing: "I thought it looked quite real?"

Jing Zeyang let out a "Hmph": "If it can be brought to this place, which item doesn't look real?"

"Fine!" Tang Nanyan sneered, "Then you tell me, what was wrong with that one just now?"

Jing Zeyang was speechless: what could he possibly say?

Actually, he also thought it looked quite real, but since Lin Sicheng walked away after just one glance and didn't even want to look longer, it meant there was definitely something wrong with the item.

"The fluorescence is too fake; it's a B-Grade piece filled with glue, a material that has been etched with strong acid and then filled with resin. It looks quite real to the naked eye, but one shine with a purple light and you can see the flaws."

Lin Sicheng's voice was not loud. "You can see it with the naked eye too. Look at it under sunlight with a Magnifying Glass: the 'emerald nature' of natural Jadeite is very random, appearing in flakes of varying sizes. That piece just now had a grid pattern so regular it looked like it was drawn with a ruler..."

Tang Nanyan was stunned for a moment: "But just now, Teacher Lin, you didn't use a Magnifying Glass, nor did you shine it in the sun?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "A feeling!"

No expert relies on feelings when authenticating. But it involved too much professional knowledge to explain in a sentence or two. Besides, even if he explained it, Tang Nanyan might not necessarily understand.

The evasion was so obvious that Tang Nanyan could naturally tell, and she couldn't help but purse her lips.

Jing Zeyang laughed with schadenfreude, but fearing a beating, he didn't dare to laugh out loud.

Lin Sicheng and Xu Qin walked at the very front:

"Section Chief Xu, Officer Tang has my phone number; I can leave it for you again if you like. If you want to discuss anything, you can call me anytime. I am young, and there is still much I need guidance on from my seniors..."

Lin Sicheng was making it clear: he wasn't as serious as they imagined, nor as arrogant as they imagined. If they wanted to ask something, they didn't need to specifically look for an opportunity.

A hint of awkwardness appeared on Xu Qin's face: "I'm just afraid of troubling you!"

"It's not a trouble, nor is it asking for advice; we are just exchanging ideas."

"Teacher Lin, thank you!" Xu Qin looked slightly grateful, "Then I won't disturb you further today."

"You are too polite!" Lin Sicheng smiled, "If you aren't busy, we can walk around together."

The words were simple, yet just right, and subtly revealed wisdom: it neither put Xu Qin in a difficult position nor made her feel embarrassed by pointing out her intentions.

It felt as if Lin Sicheng was not at all like a young man in his early twenties in the prime of his life, but more like a wise man who had drifted for many years and seen all the vicissitudes of life.

Tang Nanyan followed at the very back, the more she thought, the stranger it felt.

Subconsciously, seeing Jing Zeyang behind her, her heart stirred, and she fell back a step: "Jing Zeyang, are you not going to your shift at the song and dance troupe?"

Jing Zeyang curled his lip: "Is that any of your business?"

"Right, of course it's none of my business!" Tang Nanyan sneered, "But Fang Qing is quite concerned; she even said last week she wanted me to accompany her to the song and dance troupe to find you."

Why the hell would she look for him?

Jing Zeyang gritted his teeth: "Tang Nanyan, can you mind your own business less?"

"I can, it just depends on whether you can speak properly!"

Motherf...

Seeing Tang Nanyan feint a punch, Jing Zeyang immediately deflated.

He couldn't beat her, and he couldn't exactly go tell the adults, could he? If he really told them, he might end up getting another beating: a young man in his early twenties, getting pummeled by a girl every day—aren't you ashamed?

He took a deep breath: "Fine, ask!"

"Didn't I just ask, why aren't you at work?"

Hmph, you might as well be direct: why am I following Lin Sicheng around all day?

"Wang Sanshu arranged it!" Jing Zeyang didn't mention Qin Ruozhi or his cousin, and pointed at Lin Sicheng, "Didn't expect that, did you: 'Great teachers produce brilliant students!'"

Who, Wang Sanshu, Wang Qi Zhi?

Tang Nanyan was stunned for a moment, a flicker of suspicion crossing her eyes: that doesn't seem likely, does it?

According to the elders: among the Wang Clan, the third one is the least reliable, a total loose cannon. He does whatever he wants, cares about nothing, and follows his own whims.

Of course, he is certainly much better than Jing San'er, at least he doesn't indulge in debauchery and dissipation. But to say he could teach a student like this, it just feels unlikely.

Not to mention anything else: why didn't the bureau just invite Wang Qi Zhi directly for the training instead of inviting his student?

That is one point; the second is: personality.

If you magnified the personality of the Jing Zeyang before her by two, that would be Wang Sanshu in his youth. With such a personality, he couldn't teach such a calm and restrained student.

While pondering, the group passed through the crowd and turned past several porcelain and old book stalls.

After a quick scan, seeing nothing on the stalls he wanted, Lin Sicheng did not stop.

Wandering slowly like this, as he walked, a faint, elusive medicinal scent drifted into his nose. Lin Sicheng paused, his gaze sweeping over an inconspicuous little stall in the corner.

The stall was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and a Rhino Horn Cup with an archaic design and a faint, warm luster was mixed in with a pile of junk.

The cup was not large, a deep brownish-tan color, with fine, intricate patterns carved into the body and a thick layer of patina covering the surface, giving it an air of antiquity.

The key was that faint, elusive medicinal scent.

More importantly: how was this one any different from the Chixia Cup unearthed from Ming Dingling (the tomb of the Wanli Emperor) and now treasured in the Forbidden City?

Lin Sicheng sighed and looked at the old man curled up in a lounge chair, seemingly dozing but actually observing them through the slits of his eyes.

"Boss, may I take a look at this cup?"

The old man lifted his eyes slightly and stroked his goatee: "Pick it up yourself?"

Quite casual, aren't you?

But don't doubt it; he is playing reverse psychology on you.

Lin Sicheng nodded and took the Rhino Horn Cup into his hand.

Of course he knew this one was fake; he was just curious: why could it look so similar?

After tapping it once he had it in hand, Lin Sicheng was certain: so it only looks very similar?

Whether it was the tactile feel, the scent, or even the sound, they were worlds apart. But that was under the premise that he had seen the genuine article and studied it quite deeply.

To an ordinary person, or even a semi-expert like Zhao Shixiong or his teacher, it would look like genuine rhino horn at first glance.

With that same single glance, Lin Sicheng put it back.

The boss, who had been extremely calm and sitting as steady as Jiang Taigong on his fishing platform, opened his eyes: "Didn't like it?"

Lin Sicheng was noncommittal: "It's alright!"

Upon hearing "it's alright," the old man sat up straight.

Elsewhere, "it's alright" might still mean "it's alright," but here, it was a clear way of telling you: this item of yours is not right.

This was rare; the number of people who had seen this item was countless, but this was the first time he had seen someone so confident and so certain.

He stood up and pulled out a cigarette case to offer one. Don't say, the cigarette was quite good: Hard Pack Zhongnanhai.

"Young man, tell me, where is it just 'alright'?"

Lin Sicheng sighed.

Even though the man was a swindler, he knew how to learn and understood the importance of keeping up with the times.

Even if he was thinking: this kid is wet behind the ears, what does he know? He still held the mentality of "better to kill a mistake than let one slip": what if this kid really saw something?

As the saying goes, having many skills is never a burden; next time he makes a replica, he would at least know how to improve it...

With these thoughts, he waved his hand and pointed at the cup: "The nitre is too heavy when firing, it has a smell."

"Eh?"

The old man froze, taking a long time to come back to his senses.

He solemnly cupped his hands in a salute and brought over a folding stool: "I must ask for your guidance!"

But Lin Sicheng did not move.

The old man thought for a moment and took out his wallet: "Need to pay tuition, right?"

Everyone's eyes widened, including Jing Zeyang, Xu Qin, Tang Nanyan, and Fang Jin.

It was no exaggeration: they really had never seen anything like this before.

Lin Sicheng was torn between laughter and tears: how far down in the world must one be to bother giving pointers to a fake-making swindler?

He shook his head, "I'll ask for guidance first: where did this donkey hoof come from, why is it so big and so long?"

The old man leaned back sharply, looking as if he had seen a ghost, his eyeballs almost popping out: "In the trade?"

"People who do this don't end up here; I'm just purely curious!" Lin Sicheng pointed at the cup again, "You tell me where this donkey is from first, then I'll tell you two flaws."

The old man was convinced.

To be able to tell at a single glance that this was a donkey hoof and not water buffalo, yellow ox, or yak horn, this person was definitely an expert among experts.

Afraid of being overheard, he lowered his voice and spat out one word: "Tibet!"

After a moment of thought, Lin Sicheng suddenly realized: Good heavens, Tibetan wild donkey?

The cost alone for forging such a cup was over a hundred thousand. No wonder he kept it half-hidden, playing hard to get, and placed it in the middle of a pile of junk?

He nodded: "The sour smell is too heavy, it was fired too hard, the Ice Crackle patterns are too deep, the bamboo-thread patterns (unique to rhino horn) are too coarse... it wasn't soaked long enough, and the dye is uneven."

"Also, it was only boiled for one full cycle, not thoroughly enough: the rank, gamey smell is too strong, and there's even a smell of urine and donkey dung!"

The boss was shaken to his core, finding the man's insight divine.

These flaws did indeed exist, but he dared to guarantee: let alone collectors or hobbyists, if you called ten Experts who specialize in appraising horn artifacts, eight of them would at most be able to spot one or two of these.

The remaining two might see them all, but definitely not this quickly. If he calculated a short time for him: less than an hour, the boss would dare to chew this cup and eat it.

He hurriedly reached into his sleeve, pulled out a string of milky-white beads, and bowed again.

The beads were quite large and white, just a bit new.

Not an old object, it counted as a handicraft: Giant Clam.

Although domestic harvesting had long been banned, Southeast Asia had not banned it. So it wasn't very expensive; such a string cost about eight hundred to a thousand.

Lin Sicheng smiled: "How could I accept this?"

The old man was all smiles: "Please, help me out."

"I certainly don't have a method, at most I can point out a few more things for you!"

The old man bent his waist even lower: "Please, go ahead!"

Lin Sicheng took the beads in his hand: "Stop soaking it in Laifeng Vine; this stuff does have a high flavonoid content, and it can indeed fool ordinary collectors into thinking it's genuine rhino horn prepared by ancient imperial physicians."

"But give it to an old practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and they could see through it at a glance: this thing wasn't discovered until the eighties, and it wasn't listed in the traditional Chinese medicine catalog until the nineties... How could there be such a thing in ancient times?"

The old man was suddenly stunned: as someone who made fake Rhino Horn Cups, how would he know what was new traditional Chinese medicine and what was old?

To even know about Laifeng Vine, he didn't know how much tuition he had paid or how much effort he had spent.

He stood dazed for a long time, and only when Lin Sicheng turned and left did the boss come back to his senses.

Looking at Lin Sicheng's back, he cupped his hands and bowed again, his waist bent at a ninety-degree angle.

This was more than just an expert; this was a damn master...

Lin Sicheng was rolling the beads, while the eight eyes looked back at him from time to time, then looked at Lin Sicheng again.

Only then did they realize: that Rhino Horn Cup was faked with donkey hooves. But there were too many flaws, and Lin Sicheng had seen through them one by one.

That boss was impressed to the point of prostration, and grateful for his guidance, so he gave him a string of beads.

To tell the truth, except for Fang Jin, the other three had visited Panjiayuan many times, but they had truly seen this kind of scene for the first time today.

Looking at the old man again, even though they had walked more than ten steps away, he was still cupping his hands and watching Lin Sicheng leave.

For a moment, Tang Nanyan wanted to speak but hesitated, not knowing whether she should ask.

After following for a long stretch, she finally couldn't hold back: "Teacher Lin, the donkey hooves they used, were they poached from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?"

"To make a fake antique on the edge of the law, it's not worth taking such a big risk. It's strictly regulated domestically, but it's a total mess abroad, just like this string of Giant Clam pearls... The hooves he used to make that cup were likely obtained by hiring people to hunt in India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and processed on the spot..."

After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng smiled, "That shouldn't be what Officer Tang wanted to ask, right? Are you wondering why I gave pointers to a swindler?"

Having her thoughts laid bare, Tang Nanyan smiled embarrassedly and nodded.

It was truly because the impression Lin Sicheng left on her was too profound: someone who could venture into a tiger's den alone, who hated evil as much as a personal enemy, and who could be selfless enough to teach the police his bottom-of-the-box secret techniques—it was impossible for him to teach a swindler how to cheat more people just for a string of beads, right?

She couldn't wrap her head around it for a moment: the contrast between before and after was too great; he couldn't have a split personality, could he?

"Rest assured, those problems, he knows them even without me saying. The key is, he can't solve a single one of them!"

Lin Sicheng turned the beads, "The reason a Rhino Horn Cup has medicinal effects lies in the fact that it is cut while alive. Donkey hooves naturally have no medicinal effect, but if you want a fake to have blood secretion penetrating the stratum corneum like rhino horn, it also needs to be cut while alive, and it must be processed immediately after cutting..."

"On the plains, of course, it doesn't matter, but in high-altitude areas, boiling water only reaches ninety degrees at most. Never mind boiling it for twenty-four hours, even if he boiled it for a month, he wouldn't be able to get rid of the fishy, gamey smell."

"Secondly, the color of donkey hooves is too dark, basically all black. And the darkest rhino horn is only close to dark brown. To make the color of the fake lighter, you must burn it with acid. But no matter what kind of acid it is, it will inevitably leave a smell, and it will inevitably cause coarse, deep cracks, rather than natural bamboo-thread patterns and Ice Crackle patterns..."

Tang Nanyan suddenly realized: Lin Sicheng wasn't giving pointers at all, but doing the exact opposite, leading that stall owner toward a dead end.

The more that person believed it to be true, the more he would ponder it deeply. And the deeper he pondered, the falser his cup would become...

Haha... so it could actually be done this way?

Suddenly, her beautiful eyes began to shine...

(End of this chapter)