The middle-aged man who collected scrap, though he looked lazy, was actually very agile. He grabbed the coin still flying in mid-air, wiped it with his unwashed clothes, and stared at it for a long time before carefully placing it in his pocket.
After finishing all this, he lit the cigarette behind his ear, took two deep puffs, and then hummed "Eighteen Touches" as he slowly left.
The old man dressed as a secretary stood to one side, watching everything as if it were a monkey show. Only when the man had walked far away did he sneer, turn around, and bow to the Zhong family father and son, saying coldly:
"I wonder what good things you have to sell? If you don't have anything, don't waste my time!"
"Are you doing business like this?" Before the anxious Zhong father could speak, the secretary heard the child loudly shouting, the dissatisfaction in his voice obvious to anyone.
"Child, don't talk nonsense!" Zhong father lightly tapped Zhong Shi's little head, signaling him not to speak rashly. After warning Zhong Shi, he said a bit embarrassedly to the secretary:
"Sir, please don't take it to heart! My son grew up in the countryside, so he's a bit wild..."
"Hehe, how could I be so petty? Gentlemen, please come inside and talk!" The secretary's cunning little eyes turned, and he put on a fake smile. He had indeed looked down on this father and son dressed as farmers, but after the child's words, he felt a bit embarrassed and could only force a smile.
After saying this, he led the way to the collection station filled with waste paper and scrap. Zhong father glanced at Zhong Shi, who was still pouting and sulking, pinched his little face, and then held his white and tender little hand, closely following the secretary.
After passing through the cluttered collection station, the secretary pushed open a dusty dark door, leading the Zhong family father and son to an independent courtyard. The courtyard was very tidy and had an ancient and elegant appearance, completely different from the outside, clearly indicating that there was more to this place.
Zhong father had never seen such a delicate courtyard. He moved cautiously, afraid that the dust on his cloth shoes would dirty the shiny stone slabs. On the contrary, little Zhong Shi paid no attention to the surroundings and even showed a look of disdain.
After entering a small and exquisite pavilion, the secretary sat down in the main seat without any courtesy and asked boldly:
"May I ask the gentleman's surname? What do you think of my courtyard?"
Although he was speaking to Zhong father, his eyes were on the child who had plopped down in a chair and was pretending to sleep. The words the child had spoken earlier were clearly not appropriate for his age, and the secretary vaguely felt that this father and son were actually led by the child.
As soon as the three of them sat down, a simply dressed person came out of the room, served each of them a cup of tea, left the teapot on the coffee table, and then silently retreated.
"My surname is Zhong, this place is quite nice! Quite nice!" Zhong father had just sat down when he heard the secretary's question and saw someone serving tea. He had to stand up again and praise it absentmindedly. Even if the courtyard was very delicate, it wouldn't make him feel so uneasy, but the scene of the servant serving tea reminded him of the old landlord's style, which confused him.
"Ha ha, it's just an ordinary courtyard. To get such a large courtyard, you must have spent a lot of money!" Zhong Shi patted the chair under him and said casually.
The main hall had an old-style layout. On the wall opposite the main door hung a copy of "Snowy Mountains Early Morning," and on either side were calligraphy couplets by Zhuge Liang: "Without a calm mind, one cannot have a clear purpose; without tranquility, one cannot achieve great things." Below were two large armchairs facing north and south, and on either side were two redwood chairs, with a square coffee table in the middle.
"Young brother, you have good knowledge. I have never seen such a smart child in my life! Ha ha, let's get to the point. What good things does Mr. Zhong have for me to appraise?" The secretary picked up the teacup, pretended to taste the tea, closed his eyes to savor it for a long time, and then asked.
"Rubbish, of course I'm here to sell antiques, not to taste tea and appreciate paintings!" Zhong Shi sneered, jumped off the chair, placed the package on the coffee table, and carefully unwrapped it layer by layer. He had long been annoyed by the secretary's pretentiousness and was not very polite in his words.
Zhong father couldn't interject and could only laugh awkwardly, sit down, and drink tea absentmindedly.
When Zhong Shi placed the white porcelain bowl on the coffee table, the secretary, who had been calm and composed, was stunned. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and said sarcastically:
"Is this just a broken thing? Are you playing a trick on this old man?"
He spoke angrily and sternly, scaring Zhong father almost to drop his teacup. His words were very straightforward, showing the old-style manner.
"Tsk! Do you even know the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty? Let me tell you, this is a porcelain from the Ding kiln! With your level, how can you be a shopkeeper?" Zhong Shi, hearing this, couldn't help but feel angry and couldn't resist slapping the chair and loudly mocking.
In his previous life, he was a proud and unyielding person, and when dealing with rich people, he maintained a dignified attitude. Now, encountering a small old man in a small county who first put on a high and mighty attitude and then dared to speak to him like this, how could he not be furious!
However, he forgot that he was just an unremarkable eight-year-old child, and his nominal father was just a submissive farmer. It was natural that they were not taken seriously by others.
"Oh? Ding kiln? I must take a good look!" The secretary, scolded by the child, lost his composure and sarcastically replied.
"Feel free, but let me warn you, this bowl is worth 400,000. If you don't follow the rules of appraisal and something happens to this porcelain bowl, even if you give me your entire courtyard, it won't be enough!" Zhong Shi was not to be outdone and reminded him without mercy.
In the antique circle, the rules for handling fragile items like porcelain and jade are that under any circumstances, one must not reach out to take them without permission, nor pass them hand to hand. Only after the other party has placed them securely can one reach out to take them. This is for safety and to clarify responsibility if any damage occurs. During the appraisal, one generally holds the item with one hand, supports it with the other, and places it on a soft surface. For particularly valuable items, most people choose to only observe without touching.
As the secretary was putting on gloves, he paused at Zhong Shi's words. Then he threw the gloves, took out a pair of reading glasses from his pocket, and found a magnifying glass from somewhere. He approached the white porcelain bowl and examined it carefully.
"Scared?" Zhong Shi picked up the teacup and savored the tea.
The secretary was furious, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood. But he had lived for more than half a century and had seen all kinds of storms. He had survived the three years of natural disasters that killed millions, the repeated purges, and the ten years of nationwide chaos.
What was wrong today? He had been provoked by this child's few words and lost his composure. The secretary thought back and realized what had happened. His previous tactics to lower the price had been seen through by the child, and he had unknowingly been led by this little brat, which made him even more angry.
Once he understood, the secretary regained his calm, and his face became expressionless. After examining it carefully for a long time, he said coldly:
"This bowl is in good condition and generally meets the characteristics of the Ding kiln, but I am not well-versed enough to determine if it is genuine. If you want to sell it, I can offer you 1,000 yuan. Otherwise, you can find someone else to look at it."
He was already 70-80% sure, but he was still using the tactic of lowering the price.
"1,000 yuan?" Zhong father's hands trembled again, and the teacup and saucer clattered together.
"This tea is really hard to drink, so bitter! I wonder if there's any coffee?" Zhong Shi ignored the secretary's words and instead criticized the tea he had been drinking for a long time.
In his previous life, he had lived in the United States and Hong Kong for many years. He didn't care whether his daily diet was Chinese or Western, but he was used to drinking coffee to stay alert. Drinking tea required a calm and relaxed state, which he rarely had in his previous life, so he rarely drank tea.
"This is pre-rain Longjing, very precious. Many people can't even get it!" The secretary smiled bitterly and said helplessly. After ten years of nationwide turmoil, few people knew or cared about traditional culture, and only old-fashioned people like him knew the value of such things.
In the future, various famous teas would be everywhere, but only those who had been drinking tea for many years could distinguish the subtle differences. Zhong Shi only knew that tea was bitter and could keep him alert, but he knew nothing else.
Pre-rain Longjing was famous, but in Zhong Shi's view, it was just more bitter tea. Moreover, he was skeptical of what the secretary said. Pre-rain Longjing was so famous that it had already been divided among various levels of government, so how could it end up in a small county?
Like the few mother trees of Mao Feng on Huang Mountain, which produced only a few pounds of tea each year, they were already confiscated by the local government and became a special supply for certain people.
Zhong Shi was wrong. The pre-rain Longjing the secretary had was genuine, given to him by his big boss. His big boss, in turn, received it from a local official. The secretary's big boss had businesses in Jiangzhong Province, Xiujiang Province, and Lihai City and was a guest of the United Front Work Department in these provinces.
"1,000 yuan? Secretary, you are really generous. I said 400,000, and I won't budge a cent! If you can't make the decision, tell your boss about this bowl and have him come to talk to me!" Zhong Shi finished the water in his teacup and said boldly.
"400,000? Not a cent less?" Zhong father, hearing Zhong Shi's words, couldn't hold the teacup anymore and dropped it on the ground, shattering it.