Panjiayuan Old Goods Market was one of the largest antique distribution centers in the capital. Every day, countless people would go there to search for treasures, dreaming of getting rich overnight. Of course, this place was also filled with a large number of fakes. Even experienced collectors would often be fooled.
Xia Ruofei had been in the capital for a few days and had been thinking of going there when he had the time. Of course, he wasn't trying to get rich, but he was wondering if he would be lucky enough to find a Boundary Stone here.
The Boundary Stone, which was extremely precious to him, was just an ordinary black stone in the eyes of ordinary people.
Every day, Panjiayuan had all sorts of strange things. Perhaps some peddlers would find a Boundary Stone outside and put it up for sale at their stalls without knowing what it was for.
Therefore, Xia Ruofei was still looking forward to it.
The three of them took two separate cars and headed straight for Panjiayuan Old Goods Market.
Panjiayuan Old Goods Market was located near the East Third Ring Road in the capital. It occupied a very large area and was said to have a few thousand merchants. There was also a large area of stalls.
After coming out of the parking lot, Xia Ruofei felt a little disappointed because the jade talisman he was wearing didn't sense the existence of a Boundary Stone. It didn't even show any signs of heat.
However, Panjiayuan occupied a very large area and the jade talisman's sensing range might not cover the entire area. Moreover, he had come here with the mentality of trying his luck. It would be best if he could find something. Even if he didn't, he wouldn't be too disappointed and would just treat it as a pastime.
Today was the weekend and the entire market was open. There were many people shopping here and it was bustling like a temple fair.
After entering, the three of them walked all the way in. Xia Ruofei had a direct understanding of Panjiayuan's mix of good and bad people.
In a short one to two hundred meters, Xia Ruofei was lucky enough to see a few "Yuan Dynasty" blue and white porcelain, as well as Xuande burners, chicken cups, etc., as well as a large number of "authentic" works of Zheng Banqiao and Qi Baishi …
As for the authenticity of these items, it went without saying.
Along the way, she often heard the vendors telling all kinds of bizarre stories to Taobao customers, such as how Cixi's personal eunuch secretly brought them out of the palace, or how their relatives in the countryside happened to dig up an ancient tomb and found them. Moreover, these vendors deliberately lowered their voices and looked mysterious.
If an antique didn't have a few twists and turns in its story, it would be embarrassing to sell it.
There were also some rather crude conspiracies, such as pretending to be a buyer who wanted to buy it at a high price, or purposely arguing with the "customer" and accidentally revealing information about the treasure, and so on.
Zhao Yongjun was obviously a frequent visitor to Panjiayuan. He was very familiar with these tricks to fool tourists. As they walked, he explained to Xia Ruofei.
Xia Ruofei didn't have the intention to take advantage of the situation, so he just laughed it off and treated it as a show.
Soon, the three of them passed through the messy street area and came to the commercial area. There were shops on both sides of the street, most of which were decorated in an antique style, and their names were quite ancient.
These shops also sold a variety of goods, such as the four treasures of the study, ancient books and paintings, old books and periodicals, antique jade, bamboo and wood carvings, religious tokens, and so on.
Xia Ruofei walked all the way. Although he didn't enter the shops, he felt that it was an eye-opener when he saw the dazzling variety of goods.
After a while, Zhao Yongjun led Xia Ruofei and Song Rui to the door of an antique shop called Boya Zhai. Zhao Yongjun should be very familiar with this place. He greeted a young man at the door who was soliciting customers and walked straight in with Xia Ruofei and Song Rui.
Zhao Yongjun didn't stop at the shop. Instead, he went straight through the hall and went up to the second floor of the shop from the back stairs.
The decoration of the second floor was very ancient. There were all kinds of calligraphy and paintings, plaques, hanging screens, bonsai, porcelain, antiques, screens, antique shelves, and so on. The style was very elegant. A lot of the decoration was made of mahogany materials, and the color was also very noble.
Zhao Yongjun was very familiar with this place. As soon as he went upstairs, he shouted, "Qiangzi! What's the good stuff again? "
On the second floor, there were two big windows facing the street. There were several people sitting around the root carved tea table next to the windows. When they heard Zhao Yongjun's voice, they immediately turned to look.
One of the men in his early thirties saw Zhao Yongjun and immediately showed a warm smile. He stood up and said respectfully, "Brother Jun, you're here!"
The others also said hello to Zhao Yongjun.
Zhao Yongjun nodded casually and said, "Qiangzi, I brought two good brothers to see the fun. This is Xia Ruofei, and this is Song Rui!"
Then Zhao Yongjun said to Xia Ruofei and Song Rui, "This is the boss of Boya Zhai, Xu Qiang. You can call him Qiangzi."
Xia Ruofei smiled and said to Xu Qiang, "Boss Xu, nice to meet you!"
Song Rui also nodded lightly.
Xu Qiang hurriedly said, "You flatter me. Xia Shao, Master Song, you can call me Qiangzi."
Xu Qiang was in his early thirties. He was older than Xia Ruofei and Song Rui, but in front of them, Xu Qiang didn't dare to be negligent.
Although Zhao Yongjun was forthright and had many friends in the antique circle, almost none of them could be called good brothers by him. Xia Ruofei and Song Rui looked extraordinary, so Xu Qiang also knew that they were most likely the same as Zhao Yongjun, young masters in the upper circle of Beijing.
Then Zhao Yongjun introduced several people to Xia Ruofei and Song Rui.
One of them was an old man in a Tang suit. He had white hair and a beard, and he looked like an immortal. His name was Guo Ruchen, and he was the vice president of the Beijing Antique Association. He was also quite famous in the antique circle.
There was also a stout man in his forties. He was wearing a linen short-sleeved shirt, with a gold string bracelet on his hand and a pipe in his mouth. He squinted his small eyes and seemed to have a smile on his face all the time, just like the Maitreya Buddha.
According to Zhao Yongjun's introduction, this stout man was An Deming, an antique dealer in Jingang City. He had done business with Zhao Yongjun and Xu Qiang several times. In the industry, he was known as "Fatty An".
The last person was dressed in a rustic way, and he looked very reserved. He didn't even know where to put his hands.
According to Xu Qiang's introduction, this rustic middle-aged man was called Wang Xingshui. He was a distant relative of Fatty An in the countryside. This time, the item was found by Wang Xingshui in his old house in the countryside.
When Xu Qiang introduced him, Xia Ruofei's eyes stayed on Wang Xingshui for two seconds.
Wang Xingshui looked like a farmer. In the magnificent hall, he looked quite restrained and a little timid. However, Xia Ruofei always felt that his evasive gaze didn't seem to be entirely due to restraint. Moreover, the rustic clothes on him always gave a sense of incongruity.
However, Xia Ruofei was purely here to watch the fun, so he didn't say anything.
After a simple introduction, Zhao Yongjun casually asked, "Qiangzi, where is the item?"
Without waiting for Xu Qiang to speak, Fatty An said with a smile, "Brother Jun, this is the incense cabinet. My relative found it in his old house in the countryside. Can you take a look at it for Brother Qiang?"
Fatty An's age was much older than Xu Qiang and Zhao Yongjun. However, when he called them "Brother Jun" and "Brother Qiang", it was very smooth. There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation.
Zhao Yongjun's eyes fell on a small wooden cabinet placed on top of the root carved tea table. Xia Ruofei also looked over.
This cabinet was about eighty centimeters tall. It looked dignified and simple, revealing a sense of antiquity.
Zhao Yongjun made a sound of surprise. He walked closer to take a look. He even took out a small flashlight that he carried with him and carefully examined it.
"Oh! This is an old gall wood item? "Zhao Yongjun couldn't help but reveal a hint of surprise.
Fatty An said with a smile, "Brother Jun, you really have a good eye! This was passed down from my distant cousin's family. Cousin, tell Brother Jun about the origin of this item! "
The rustic Wang Xingshui stuttered a little and said, "This item … was passed down from my ancestors. I … I heard my grandfather say that it has been passed down for seven or eight generations! There used to be a matching Buddhist shrine, but I don't know when it was lost when we moved … "
Fatty An also said, "Brother Jun, Brother Qiang, I saw that Buddhist shrine when I was young. I still have an impression of it. It should be red sandalwood! If it was kept until now, it would be worth a lot of money! "
Xia Ruofei's eyesight was better. Although he didn't look closer, he had already seen the small incense cabinet more clearly.
He saw that there were some patterns on the wood of the incense cabinet. It was a bit like the big wavy patterns on the Gold-Rimmed Zhennan wood that he sold to Tang He last time.
When he heard Zhao Yongjun say "gall wood," Xia Ruofei roughly guessed that, in fact, the various patterns on the Gold-Rimmed Zhennan wood were also formed by the galls produced by the disease of the tree trunk. He guessed that the gall wood that Zhao Yongjun mentioned was the same.
At this time, Xu Qiang smiled and asked, "Brother Jun, can you take a look at it?"
Zhao Yongjun curled his lips and said, "I'm not very good at appraising wood objects. I can only make a rough guess. Qiangzi, you've found the wrong person to look for me! By the way, what's Mr. Guo's opinion? "
Guo Ruchen, who looked like an immortal, smiled and said, "President Zhao, my research on wood objects is not very deep, but this item looks like an old item."
Zhao Yongjun nodded and said, "Well, on the surface, it looks like an object from the Ming Dynasty. If it has been passed down for seven or eight generations, then it should be about the same time."
Xu Qiang showed a trace of joy and asked, "Brother Jun, so this cabinet is reliable?"
Xia Ruofei noticed that Fatty An and Wang Xingshui's eyes quickly met, revealing a trace of hidden joy.
Although it was only for a short moment, Xia Ruofei was keenly aware that Wang Xingshui's eyes did not have a trace of ignorance at that moment. Instead, there was a sly light in them.
Xia Ruofei was even more suspicious, but he did not change his expression. He secretly used his spiritual thoughts to contact Xia Qing in the space.
Xia Ruofei did not know much about antiques. He wanted to ask Xia Qing if he knew about this.
Xia Ruofei and Xia Qing communicated with each other through their spiritual thoughts, so no one in the room could detect it.
Soon, Xia Ruofei released the restrictions of the space, allowing Xia Qing to see the situation of the small cabinet through the space.
As the owner of the space, Xia Ruofei had absolute control over it. It was naturally easy for him to let Xia Qing receive the situation outside.
Xia Qing checked it while communicating with Xia Ruofei through his spiritual thoughts. A meaningful smile gradually appeared on Xia Ruofei's face.
When Zhao Yongjun heard Xu Qiang's words, he couldn't help but look at the small cabinet again. Then, he said cautiously, "Qiangzi. It looks like an antique from the Ming Dynasty. This kind of thing is made of gall wood. It's quite rare. However, I don't have much contact with wood, so I can't judge it accurately."
Xu Qiang listened to Zhao Yongjun's words, and his heart was very tangled. On the one hand, his heart was itching, and he was afraid that he would miss a good thing. On the other hand, he was worried that he would make a mistake. Fatty An had offered two million yuan for this thing. Although Xu Qiang could afford it, if it was eye-catching, it would not be good for his reputation.
When Zhao Yongjun saw Xu Qiang's expression, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Qiangzi, since you can't judge it accurately, you should find an expert to take a look. You can ask Mr. Guo and me to come over. We don't specialize in wood. What advice can we give you? "
In fact, Xu Qiang also knew this. However, he was just looking for psychological comfort. In fact, he was already very inclined to buy it. He just wanted to hear Zhao Yongjun and Guo Ruchen's opinions.
If Zhao Yongjun and Guo Ruchen also thought highly of it, then Xu Qiang wouldn't hesitate.
Xu Qiang smiled bitterly and said, "I originally wanted to ask President Chen to help me judge it, but he happened to not be in Beijing. I heard that an antique made of Jinnan appeared in Yubei Province …"
When Zhao Yongjun heard this, he curled his lips and said to Fatty An, "Boss An, why don't you wait a little longer? Qiangzi definitely wants to buy it, but he still wants President Chen to help him take a look. "
Fatty An smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Jun, it's not that I don't want to give face to Brother Qiang, but my distant cousin is also in trouble at home. He urgently needs money, so he has no choice but to sell the family heirloom."
Wang Xingshui also said nervously, "My youngest son has leukemia. The medical expenses are hundreds of thousands! I'm just waiting for the money to save my life … "
Fatty An then said, "Brother Qiang, if you can't make up your mind, why don't you just let it go? Mr. Xue in the north of the city is also very interested in this incense cabinet. My cousin and I will go and talk to Mr. Xue again. "
When Xu Qiang heard this, he quickly said, "Boss An, don't say that! I didn't say that I don't want it. Everything has to be first come, first served! I haven't even checked it yet. Why are you going to Xue Mazi? "
Xue Mazi in the north of the city was also a famous figure in the antique circle, and he had some conflicts with Xu Qiang. The two of them had always been at odds.
Xu Qiang was originally very interested in this gall wood incense cabinet. In addition, Fatty An said that he wanted to sell the incense cabinet to Xue Mazi. Naturally, Xu Qiang became anxious all of a sudden.
Fatty An said with a smile, "Brother Qiang, I know the rules! To tell you the truth, Mr. Xue has already offered 2.1 million yuan, but I have already promised you in advance. Didn't I come here to show it to you first? But if you don't want it, you can't stop me from selling it to Mr. Xue! "
Xu Qiang said, "That's for sure. Old An, wait a little longer … "
"Okay, okay, okay. Brother Qiang, take a good look." Fatty An smiled and said, "But Mr. Xue is also urging you. You'd better make a decision as soon as possible …"
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xu Qiang's forehead. Obviously, he was also having a fierce psychological struggle.
However, in fact, he had already wanted to buy this incense cabinet. Under Fatty An's urging, Xu Qiang quickly made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Boss An, this incense cabinet, I … "
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