Chapter 127: Better to Have None Than to Have Many
Xu Youyou generously handed over the photos she had taken on her phone for Wang Huaigu to see, then glanced at Lu Jingyao and said, “Mr. Lu paid for the birdcage.”
Wang Huaigu looked at the photo and said, “From its condition, I’d estimate it’s worth over 10 million.”
Xu Youyou nodded gently. “After tax, it’s 16 million.”
A look of regret surged on Wang Huaigu’s face once more. After all, he had almost been the one to own that birdcage. If he had spent an extra 10,000 yuan, he could have convinced Old Zhang to give him the birdcage.
“You young people have sharp eyes. You could tell right away that it was a treasure,” Wang Huaigu said, sighing. Then, he couldn’t help but laugh and added, “I’ll be sure to tell Old Zhang about this, let him know that while he’s trying to make money by tricking others, he ended up being the one who took the biggest loss!”
“Mr. Wang, there’s something here that I’d like you to take a look at,” someone suddenly came up to invite Wang Huaigu.
Wang Huaigu had wanted to speak more with Xu Youyou, but upon seeing the person who called him over, he had no choice but to apologize. “Miss Xu, we’ll talk more later.”
Xu Youyou nodded gently.
Wang Huaigu was pulled away into a room.
Seeing that more people were entering the yard, Lu Jingyao proactively said, “If you like porcelain, porcelain is generally found in Hall One.”
The private estate was divided into small rooms by the types of antiques, and Lu Jingyao was quite familiar with the place. He led her straight to the hall at the very front.
From a distance, she could already see people moving around inside.
Xu Youyou glanced up at the plaque above the door, which read: Sheng Xue.
“‘Jun’s white bowl surpasses the frost and snow, hurriedly sent to the humble cottage with pity.’ That’s a poem by Du Fu,” Xu Youyou said.
Lu Jingyao nodded. “Every time there’s an exchange event, the plaque is changed, but Hall One is always dedicated to porcelain.”
Xu Youyou asked, “Does the Lin family have a particular fondness for porcelain?”
Lu Jingyao replied, “The Lin family has a long scholarly tradition. It’s said that the family’s wealth began when their ancestor found a Ru ware piece at a street stall.”
Ru ware is one of the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty and has always been considered extremely valuable. The saying goes, “Even with ten thousand gold, nothing is worth more than a piece of Ru ware,” highlighting its rarity.
As soon as Xu Youyou entered the hall, she saw a crowd gathered around a display. Moving closer, she saw a porcelain piece under a glass case, placed alone in the center.
It was a piece with a delicate sky-blue glaze, so beautiful that words could not describe it.
“This is the Lin family’s Ru ware celadon with crackle glaze. It made their fortune back in the day. Later, when the Lin family became wealthy, they used a large sum of money to buy it back,” Lu Jingyao explained.
This precious collection was one of the signature exhibits of every antique exchange.
“Truly beautiful, isn’t anyone going to buy it?” Xu Youyou asked.
Lu Jingyao replied, “Some have offered astronomical prices, but the Lin family’s ancestor left specific instructions before passing away, and the family members are unwilling to go against his will. They refuse to sell it no matter what.”
Someone nearby, overhearing their conversation, took the initiative to speak up. “Every antique family has its own treasured heirlooms, and they are all kept carefully. Except for the He family, no one would just throw their family treasures around.”
Xu Youyou, curious, asked, “Throw their heirlooms around? Why?”
“Why else? They’re crazy! The He family is like that—always spouting nonsense and acting a bit crazy,” the person replied.
Xu Youyou could tell he didn’t want to elaborate, so she turned to Lu Jingyao for more information.
Lu Jingyao had heard of the He family but didn’t know much about them. “The He family, while now at the bottom of the four great antique families, has the longest history. They’ve never fallen out of the four great families.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Youyou immediately understood. While the He family wasn’t the strongest, they had always been quite powerful.
She became curious about another question. “What are the ‘Four Great Families’? Do they change over time?”
Lu Jingyao nodded. “The title is self-proclaimed. Whoever is the strongest is considered the top. In the past, there were even smaller families who were shouting about creating a ‘Ten Great Families.'”
Xu Youyou: …
The idea of ‘Ten Great Families’ suddenly felt very lowbrow.
“Look at this! A Qianlong period enamel color bowl—it’s so beautiful!”
Xu Youyou was startled to hear a commotion in the quiet exhibition hall.
Though Ru ware was beautiful, it was something that could be viewed every year. But the newly brought porcelain, which might soon be auctioned off, sparked much more excitement. People were naturally more interested in new treasures.
Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao inevitably turned their attention to the commotion. When they got closer, they saw that the object everyone was admiring was a small white bowl.
Its form was elegant, the body fine, with an intricate design depicting a spring scene with apricot trees and two swallows flying side by side. The design was full of life and charm.
On the other side, there was a poem: “Jade scissors pass through flowers, the rainbow robe returns with the moon.”
“This is a poem by Shen Shihang from the Ming Dynasty. It matches perfectly with the design on this bowl,” Xu Youyou said softly.
As she spoke, the person displaying the enamel bowl turned it over, revealing a blue inscription at the bottom: “Made in the Qianlong era.”
Xu Youyou wanted to handle it, but there was a long line of people waiting to do the same. Now that her porcelain identification skills were at an expert level, just a few more glances told her that the lively and intricate design couldn’t possibly be a fake.
“This is a genuine treasure,” Xu Youyou concluded.
Lu Jingyao nodded. “If you think it’s good, it’s definitely genuine.”
Xu Youyou asked, “Are you going to buy it?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head and pointed at a middle-aged man who was currently inspecting the porcelain bowl closely.
“With this gentleman around, no Qianlong-era porcelain will fall into anyone else’s hands.”
Xu Youyou asked, “A porcelain expert?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “He is an avid collector of Qianlong antiques.”
Xu Youyou thought about the Qianlong era’s aesthetic, and while the porcelain techniques from that period had reached their peak, much of the work was more about showing off skill, and the aesthetic tastes were subjective.
The man in front of them, who was so passionate about collecting Qianlong antiques, had a handsome face and a scholarly demeanor. His clothing was plain and simple, looking very much like the “handsome uncle” trend that had once been so popular.
Xu Youyou found it hard to imagine such a person sharing such a deep resonance with the Qianlong era. Judging by his appearance, he seemed more like someone who would appreciate the porcelain of the Yongzheng period.
“Qianlong-era porcelain, this one is especially elegant. It holds great collection value,” Xu Youyou commented.
Lu Jingyao nodded in agreement.
Xu Youyou continued looking at the other collections brought by the guests, but she quickly finished scanning them. Apart from the Qianlong enamel color bowl, there was also a Yongle blue-and-white jadeite vase.
Other than these, there were no other porcelain items in the small hall.
Xu Youyou looked at Lu Jingyao with a puzzled expression. With such a large hall, there were only a few porcelain items, which made the space feel a bit cold.
Lu Jingyao explained, “Better to have none than to have many. Every year, the porcelain pieces brought by the guests rarely exceed five. If they’re not top-tier porcelain, collectors won’t even bring them here.”
