Chapter 406: Where Did So Many Experts Come From?

Three layers deep inside and three layers outside, the shop entrance was packed tight.

Everyone was talking at once, a cacophony of voices and endless debate.

"This thing, why does it look a bit like a Sky Blue Glaze from the Song Ru Kiln?"

"It's not just a bit like it; it's extremely like it."

"How strange, to actually see this thing at a street stall, and in such complete condition?"

"Get it straight, this is Panjiayuan! What's a Ru Kiln? I've even seen the Imperial Jade Seal..."

"Really?"

"If it were real, would I be standing here?"

A group of onlookers were bragging, but Jing Zeyang's eyelids were twitching: Good heavens, a Song Ru Kiln?

He had lived this long and had truly never seen one.

Li Zhen and Xiao Yuzhu were both stunned for a moment, a trace of suspicion flashing in their eyes.

They had actually seen one; when the Research Center opened, General Manager Zhao brought two fragments. Although they were only two fingers wide and half a finger long, in terms of value, they were not below a Qing Dynasty Lang Kiln Red or a Tang Kiln Red Bottle.

The reason they were surprised was that Lin Sicheng had explicitly stated: of the Ru Kiln pieces currently in existence, those confirmed as genuine and relatively complete do not exceed two hundred.

Eighty-seven of them are in major Museums: seventeen in the Forbidden City, ten in the British Museum, eight in the Shanghai Museum, and twenty-four divided among fourteen foreign institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Art.

There are also collections among the public, but the known, surfaced genuine pieces only total about thirty-something. Of course, there are certainly some that haven't surfaced; if you add those, eighty pieces is the absolute limit.

Adding all these together, two hundred is definitely the ceiling.

But here, one suddenly popped up, and was displayed openly on a street stall?

Amidst their suspicion, the two exchanged a look, then looked at Lin Sicheng.

Seeing what the two were thinking, Lin Sicheng didn't speak, just smiled.

He had indeed said that confirmed genuine Ru Kiln pieces did not exceed two hundred, but unconfirmed ones numbered more than two hundred thousand.

Not to mention small collection institutions or private collectors, just looking at auction houses: every year, the number of Ru Kiln pieces put up for auction is at least several tens of thousands, and it is not rare for the transaction price to reach tens of millions.

Regarding this, Lin Sicheng could only say: the benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom.

To take a step back: the reputation of Panjiayuan was definitely not blown out of proportion, nor was it the case that good things had never appeared there, or that no one had ever picked up a bargain. On the contrary, quite a few people had picked up bargains.

Therefore, the appearance of a Song Ru Kiln was not strange; the difficulty lay in whether one had the eye for it.

Just like that manager standing on the steps: half surprised, half suspicious.

Combining this with the previous conversation between him and the middle-aged man in the gray, worn-out cotton jacket, Lin Sicheng guessed most of it: the seller had asked inside the shop, the manager wasn't sure, and then found an excuse to send the person out.

As for whether it was real or fake, he would have to see it to know...

Lin Sicheng didn't crowd forward, just watched from afar.

Jing Zeyang wanted to get closer to look, but there were too many people, and he couldn't squeeze in even if he tried. He wasn't tall either, and even on tiptoes, he still couldn't see anything.

"Cousin Lin, is it really a Ru Kiln?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "It certainly looks like one!"

Since even Lin Sicheng said it looked like one, one could imagine how much it resembled the real thing.

Jing Zeyang was even more curious: "If it's real, how much is it worth?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, held up a hand, and gestured.

Jing Zeyang gasped: Could this be fifty thousand?

It must be five million, enough to buy an apartment on the Second Ring Road.

"So expensive?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Of course!"

Not to mention the distant past, just look at the last three years:

In 2005, at the China Guardian Autumn Auction, a Ru Kiln Powder Blue Glaze Washer from the Song Dynasty was sold, looking like this:

The key is, it was a damaged piece, only repaired using traditional methods, not even counting as Seamless Restoration. Guess what the final transaction price was? Five million seven hundred and seventy thousand including commission.

In the spring of 2006, at the Qingdao Art Auction in Shandong, a Ru Kiln Washer from the Song Dynasty, looking like this:

This piece was in much better condition, but due to reasons like promotion, the transaction price wasn't much higher: six million two hundred thousand.

And this one, in the autumn of 2006, at the Shanghai Bohai Autumn Auction, a Song Dynasty Sky Blue Glaze Lotus Leaf Washer.

This piece had some flaws, and the transaction price was much lower, three million four hundred thousand.

Look at this one again, in the spring of 2007 at the Suzhou Oriental Spring Auction, a Song Ru Kiln Sky Blue Glaze Brush Washer, transaction price seven million eight hundred thousand.

Also, in the summer, at the Tianjin Haitian Ceramics and Miscellaneous Special Auction, a Northern Song Ru Kiln Washer, transaction price two million six hundred thousand.

The reason this piece was so low was simply because the glaze color was too deep, falling outside the category of "Sky Blue Glaze" and infinitely approaching Blue Glaze. Now look at this piece on the stall:

If you only look at the condition, it's not worse than the first three, if not better. If it's genuine, five million is considered low.

Therefore, there were a great many people asking.

The seller was also very straightforward: two million at the lowest, cash on the barrelhead.

The reason he was selling it so cheaply was because his wife had fallen seriously ill and needed surgery urgently; the surgery fees alone were over a million.

Saving a life was paramount, so he had to offer a rock-bottom price.

When asked where the item came from: ancestral.

Of course, there were many who doubted and few who believed.

The crowd was chattering away, discussing endlessly, and what they discussed most was, of course, the authenticity of the item.

But strangely, they were all just talking, yet no one stepped forward?

The more Jing Zeyang watched, the stranger he found it: "Cousin Lin, why is no one handling it?"

Lin Sicheng looked at him strangely: "Brother Jing, he wants two million!"

Jing Zeyang suddenly realized: two million, enough to buy an apartment on the Fourth Ring Road. In this day and age, how many people could take out that much money at once? The key was: those who had seen what a real Ru Kiln looked like were even fewer than those who had two million.

Without a bit of certainty, who would dare to handle it?

"Can't I even take a look?"

"Of course you can!"

But not everyone's curiosity is as heavy as Jing Zeyang's. On the contrary, anyone with a sound mind would wonder: why is an item like this displayed so blatantly on a stall?

Someone asked directly: "Master, why don't you take it to an auction? It would fetch at least four or five million, wouldn't it?"

The man glanced at him: "My wife is in a hurry to save her life!"

That was true.

Auctions aren't held just because you want them to be; you have to wait.

Someone else shouted from behind: "Then go to a big company! There are so many big shops in Beijing."

The man sighed and pointed behind him: "Is Rao Yu Zhai big enough?"

The onlookers were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter with a "Boom."

Rao Yu Zhai isn't considered very large, but it isn't small either; it has a bit of a reputation in Beijing, with three or four chain stores.

And the larger the scale, the more formal it is, and the more they seek stability: they don't ask for how much profit they can make, but at the very least, they cannot afford to lose.

Therefore, the more they encounter a high-end, authentic item, the more cautious they are. They will certainly invite a professional Expert to Appraise it, and might even send it to a professional institution for machine testing. Going back and forth, it would take at least ten days or half a month. If the man really is waiting for money to save a life, he certainly can't afford to wait.

The manager was standing right there, being mocked by the man, but he didn't get angry; he just watched from afar.

Jing Zeyang felt as anxious as if a cat were scratching at his heart, his two eyeballs darting around, but he stubbornly held back and didn't make a sound.

Xiao Yuzhu was like a spring, bouncing up and down. Fang Jin was equally curious, stretching his neck hard.

Only Li Zhen stood quietly beside Lin Sicheng: "Do you want to go in and take a look?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Alright, let's take a look!"

This place doesn't have much else, but it has the most people setting traps and schemes, so he had to be on guard no matter what. Besides, having just suffered a major loss, Lin Sicheng deliberately waited a while.

He had been observing for a while now, and this person at least didn't seem like a scammer.

Thinking this over secretly, he nodded. Just as he lifted his feet, a shout rang out from outside the circle: "Make way, the boss wants to see the goods, brothers, make way!"

Looking in the direction of the voice, a young man wearing a cotton hat and a military-style cotton-padded coat was shouting loudly.

It was only early winter, far from the time to be bundled up so tightly. One look and you knew: he was a stall owner from nearby.

Behind him followed three people: the one in front was tall and sturdy, the one in the middle was a pot-bellied middle-aged man in a suit. The man behind him was slightly younger, in his early thirties, wearing glasses.

The appearance of these three was exactly like a "bodyguard + boss + secretary" combination. The onlookers immediately cleared a path.

Since he was close by, Lin Sicheng also followed, trailing behind the three.

Just as they stood still, the young man in the cotton coat pointed forward: "Boss, look, this is the one!"

The man in the suit glanced at it and nodded. With a "swish," the bodyguard pulled out a bright red banknote and handed it over.

Just for leading the way, he earned a hundred yuan for nothing; the young man smiled and tucked it into his pocket.

Then, the man in the suit pulled up his pant legs, smoothed his sleeves, and squatted down.

After sizing it up for a few moments, it was clear this person wasn't short on money. The seller's eyes lit up: "Boss, feel free to look!"

The man in the suit didn't commit himself, stretching his neck to stare at the Brush Washer, looking at the left side for a few moments, then the right side for a few moments.

After looking around, he extended a thick, short finger and poked it lightly. "Creak," a soft sound, and the Brush Washer on the blue cloth slid backward. He pulled it back, examined it for a good while—about two or three minutes—before picking up the Brush Washer.

Jing Zeyang was baffled and lowered his voice: "Cousin Lin, what is this Pangzi doing?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "He is checking to see if there is glue on the bottom of the base."

Upon hearing "glue," Jing Zeyang suddenly realized: for other items, or even other porcelain, one can basically get a general idea at a glance: whether it is damaged or intact, new or old, whether it has been repaired, or whether someone has Handled it.

But for this kind of crackle-glazed porcelain, which is covered in cracks, a clever craftsman can install some tricks, and those without enough keen eyes truly cannot tell.

This Pangzi was afraid the seller was a scammer, which is why he looked again and again, and poked it again and again.

Jing Zeyang looked curious: "I couldn't tell, is he an Expert?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: Not only an Expert, but a master.

He took a few more looks: "Antique dealer, from Taiwan!"

Jing Zeyang blinked his eyes in astonishment: In his view, Lin Sicheng definitely counted as a top-tier Appraiser. If he met a peer, he would more or less be able to discover some similar characteristics, such as the gesture of holding things or the order of looking at things.

But to say this person was from Taiwan... he really didn't understand how Lin Sicheng could tell.

Just as he was suspicious, Fang Jin leaned in closer: "Brother Jing, Junior Brother Lin can read fortunes!"

Jing Zeyang was stunned for a moment: Isn't that nonsense?

Even a fortune teller on the street has to feel your bones, measure your characters, and ask for your zodiac sign first, right?

Lin Sicheng just took one glance?

Seeing him squinting, Fang Jin was adamant: "Brother Jing, don't disbelieve it: Junior Brother Lin can tell what you're thinking just by looking at you..." That, damn it, is called mind reading.

But that's even more nonsense?

Jing Zeyang sneered. Just as he was about to say something, he paused abruptly.

When they were young, no matter how rowdy or bad the boys in the compound were, no one ever dared to bully Ye Anning.

Family was one aspect, but the most crucial thing was: no matter what bad schemes they thought of, they couldn't hide them from Ye Anning. Eight times out of ten, they would end up lifting a rock only to drop it on their own feet.

Over time, the label "Demon King" became Ye Anning's tag.

Come to think of it, Lin Sicheng was of that same breed.

No wonder they could see eye to eye?

While he was secretly pondering, the man in the suit straightened his waist, holding the Brush Washer in his hands: "How much for this basin?"

Jing Zeyang was suddenly startled: The man was speaking Mandarin, with clear pronunciation and distinct tones, but if you listened carefully, there was a clear Minnan accent in his colloquial speech: weakened word endings and tongue-leaf articulation.

So, he really was from Taiwan?

But he didn't ask, and Lin Sicheng couldn't spare the time, because the two of them had already started bargaining.

The seller gestured: "It's not expensive, two million!"

"Two million and it's not expensive?" The man in the suit looked astonished, "Make it cheaper, cut it in half, one million!"

"Can't cut it!"

"How could you not cut it?" The man in the suit held the basin with one hand and tapped the rim with a finger of his other hand, "This is a Ming Imitation!" The seller's expression changed, and his tone became somewhat dissatisfied: "If you're not buying, put it down!"

"Fine, I'll put it down!" The man in the suit put the Brush Washer back, "But think it over, once this village is passed, there won't be this shop."

The seller paused and shook his head.

The man in the suit didn't pester him either; he turned and walked away.

Both were very straightforward; from beginning to end, it only took seven or eight minutes.

Even fewer words were spoken; between the two of them, they only said five or six sentences.

The crowd cleared a path, and the man in the suit left the crowd with his bodyguard and secretary.

The onlookers started clamoring again: "That man said this Brush Washer is an imitation?"

"What would a Hong Kong bumpkin know about antiques?"

"What kind of ears do you have? That person is from Taiwan!"

"It's all the same!"

"But if it's an imitation, why would he still offer one million?"

"The Taiwan Pangzi said it's a Ming Imitation, he probably offered money based on an Official Kiln piece from the Ming dynasty!"

"So is it an imitation or is it real?"

"Who knows? This is my first time seeing what Ru Porcelain looks like..."

The group kept talking, and Jing Zeyang was eager to try: "Cousin Lin, shall we take a look?"

Looking is just looking.

Lin Sicheng nodded, and just as he was about to step inside, a voice came from the side: "Master, can I handle this plate to take a look?"

Following the voice, a man and a woman squeezed in. Both were around forty, dressed brightly, and looked energetic.

"Of course!"

The seller replied, and the two squatted down.

Having been beaten to it again, Jing Zeyang felt a bit depressed and stared at the backs of the two people.

Suddenly, he remembered something and said half-jokingly: "Cousin Lin, can you tell where these two are from?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Fujian!"

What the heck?

Jing Zeyang tried hard to recall: although she said one sentence, the woman spoke standard Mandarin, and he couldn't hear any accent at all. As for looking at their figures and skin tone... he had never heard of judging where someone is from by that.

Just as he was suspicious, Lin Sicheng added: "The woman is an expert, an expert Scavenger of Broken Pieces!"

Jing Zeyang was stunned: another expert?

Where do all these experts come from?