mtl008 Chapter 281 This is practically robbery
Chapter 281 This is practically robbery
Early in the morning, a shout pierced the quiet village, waking Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun from their sleep.
"Time to exchange pots and bowls! We collect all kinds of antiques: bronzeware, wood carvings, old paintings and calligraphy... Don't hoard your old stuff, you're really missing out on pots and bowls! New pots are durable and beautiful, while old things just take up space!"
The sound came from afar, carrying a unique rhythm of rural street vendors' calls.
Li Xiangyang suddenly opened his eyes, the shouts of those collecting old items stirring up certain memories in his mind.
As a reborn individual, he naturally understood how valuable the things he collected now would be in the future.
His heart was pounding wildly in his chest. He slapped his thigh hard, hissing in pain, but the excitement on his face didn't diminish at all.
"Xiaoyun, did you hear that? The old objects collectors are here." Li Xiangyang jumped up, quickly walked to the window, and lifted the curtains to look outside.
Li Xiaoyun rubbed her eyes and yawned: "Yeah, I heard you. What's wrong? Why are you so agitated?"
"My goodness! The God of Wealth has come knocking! Let's go out and take a look." Li Xiangyang quickly put on his clothes, his eyes sparkling with a light that Li Xiaoyun rarely saw.
Infected by her husband's enthusiasm, Li Xiaoyun quickly got up, dressed, and followed him outside.
Outside the courtyard, a man in his forties was pushing a flatbed cart loaded with all sorts of new basins and bowls, and parked it in front of Aunt Zhang's house.
Several villagers, holding various old items, surrounded the man, haggling over the price.
As Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun approached, they saw Aunt Zhang take out an old copper brazier and exchange it with the man for two enamel basins and a set of bowls.
"This old copper brazier is all rusty, it takes up space and doesn't work well. Replacing it with two braziers and a set of bowls would be a steal! Anyone else want to trade? Hurry up, we don't have much cargo on the truck today..."
Seeing that he was actually exchanging valuable new basins and bowls for junk, the enthusiasm of the people around him instantly soared, and they all rushed home, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
Seeing this, Li Xiangyang shook his head inwardly.
He knew very well that in later generations, that bronze brazier would be worth at least several thousand, or even tens of thousands.
But in this era of scarcity, practicality is what people value most.
"Brother, you don't need anything else, and I've already helped you promote this, so could you give me something else?"
Aunt Zhang asked, somewhat displeased, when she saw that the man didn't want any of her other things.
“Okay, why not? Here, have a teacup. It’s a fine porcelain one.” The man then took a blue-and-white porcelain teacup from the car and shoved it into Aunt Zhang’s hands. “Is this alright now?”
Aunt Zhang took the teacup, nodded in satisfaction, and went home.
Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward: "Master, I also have some old items at home, do you think they're valuable?"
The man sized Li Xiangyang up and down, a professional smile spreading across his face. "Alright, young man, what good stuff do you have at home? Why don't you show it to me?"
Li Xiangyang turned to Li Xiaoyun and said, "Wife, go and bring out the wooden box my father left behind."
Although Li Xiaoyun was puzzled, she still turned around and went back into the house.
A moment later, Li Xiaoyun came out carrying a shiny black wooden box.
This is one of the belongings left by Li Xiangyang's father. He rarely takes it out, and the box is quite heavy.
Upon seeing this, the man's eyes lit up: "This box is nice, isn't it made of rosewood?"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, it was passed down from our ancestors, but unfortunately it wasn't well preserved and has cracked a bit."
The man examined the box carefully, then said, "The items are nice, but they take up too much space. Do you have any other old things at home?"
“Of course, but we’ll have to discuss that at your home.” Li Xiangyang nodded and asked, “What’s your surname, Master? You must have collected quite a few good things along the way, right?”
"My surname is Zhao, just call me Old Zhao." Upon being asked this, the man immediately became alert: "What, young man, why are you asking this?"
Li Xiangyang lowered his voice: "Master Zhao, to be honest, my father also enjoyed collecting old objects, and he taught me a thing or two about them. You must have collected quite a few good things along the way, right? I'm really curious, could you let me take a look?"
Old Zhao hesitated for a moment, then looked Li Xiangyang up and down: "You kid...you really know your stuff?"
"I know a little bit," Li Xiangyang smiled slightly. "Why don't we go inside and talk? There are no outsiders in my yard."
Old Zhao pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, but it can't take too long."
Seeing this, Li Xiaoyun quickly said, "I'll go make some tea." She then turned and went into the house.
After looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, Lao Zhao pushed his cart into Li Xiangyang's yard.
"Take a look," Old Zhao said, taking several tightly wrapped bundles from under the car after entering the house. "These are all collected along the way."
Li Xiangyang helped open the bundle and was immediately shocked by what was inside.
A dazzling array of bronzes, porcelains, jades, and calligraphy and paintings.
From his perspective before his rebirth, at least five or six of these items were genuine antiques, and although the rest were not authentic, they still had considerable collectible value in later generations.
"Goodness!" Li Xiangyang couldn't help but exclaim, "Master Zhao's trip was definitely worthwhile."
He carefully picked up a blue and white porcelain bowl, with the words "Made in the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty" faintly visible on the bottom.
These days are nothing like later generations, where counterfeiting is rampant and it's hard to distinguish between the real and the fake.
It was bought from a fellow villager, so there's no need to check it at all.
Seeing Li Xiangyang's obvious delight with the bowl, Old Zhao, convinced the young man truly knew his stuff, lowered his guard: "I got this bowl in exchange for two new enamel basins from a fellow villager. He said they were family heirlooms, but unfortunately, they weren't well preserved and have a large crack."
Just as Old Zhao said, it's a pity it wasn't well preserved; it's almost in two pieces now, otherwise this blue and white porcelain bowl would be worth a fortune.
Of course, even with this character, its value should not be underestimated.
Li Xiangyang also showed a look of regret on his face, and then picked up an inkstone to examine it.
The inkstone is jet black and shiny, with exquisite landscape patterns carved on it.
What's even more remarkable is that it's well-made and perfectly preserved.
"This inkstone is quite nice," Li Xiangyang said softly. "Is it a Duan inkstone?"
Old Zhao's eyes lit up: "Young man, you have a good eye! It seems you really know your stuff. Indeed, it's a Duan inkstone."
Li Xiangyang's heart was in turmoil; this inkstone would be worth at least tens of thousands in later generations.
Even if Old Zhao only got this one item, he'd still make a killing on this trip.
Next, Li Xiangyang saw a scroll. After carefully unfolding it, he found it to be a landscape painting, signed with the words "Shixi".
Upon seeing this, Li Xiangyang's heart raced instantly.
Goodness, Old Zhao's luck is just too incredible!
This is a work by Kuncan, one of the "Four Monks" of the early Qing Dynasty, or a relatively good imitation.
In any case, its value is quite astonishing.
"How about it? Envious? I traded this inkstone and painting with an old schoolteacher. He was starving, so I gave him twenty yuan plus a new pot."
Seeing that Li Xiangyang was so fond of these things, and that he had finally met someone who knew about them, Old Zhao couldn't help but show them off.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyang secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.
To buy two priceless treasures for just twenty yuan is practically robbery.
Of course, these things really don't have a market in this day and age.