Because the shop was dark, Snowy did not pay attention to her surroundings when she came in. It was not until her eyes adapted to the light and she was about to leave that she found a strange-looking cat squatting in the corner of the shop.
The cat was strong and its squatting posture was meticulous. Because of the light, its fur seemed to be pure black, but some parts of its body were faintly glowing with a golden light, as if it was squatting in the shadow and staring at her.
"Oh, little customer, you weren't scared, right?" The old man walked over from behind and laughed loudly. "I'm really sorry. I was planning to deal with it in a few days, but I didn't expect it to scare you. It's really my fault."
Snowy was really scared. She was so shocked that her face turned pale, mainly because the cat looked a little strange and appeared too abruptly. But when she took a closer look, it turned out that it was not a real cat, but just a cat statue. However, the carving was very lifelike, and the lack of light made her misunderstand.
"Well, can I have a look?" After calming down a little, she pointed to the statue and asked curiously.
"As you wish, dear customer." The old man walked a little closer and made a "please" gesture. "But this statue has not been cleaned for a long time. Be careful not to dirty your clothes."
Snowy got permission and walked over boldly to observe the cat statue from a close distance.
It was placed alone in the dark corner behind the red lacquer door. Compared with the other things in the shop, it seemed to be of a lower status, as if it was despised by the owner. However, Snowy didn't know if it was because of psychological reasons, but she felt that its expression was stubborn, as if it did not care about being ignored.
When it got closer, even with Snowy's limited knowledge of appreciation, she could see that the cat statue had an obvious exotic style, which was very different from the domestic statues. Although it was just a statue, it was the same size as a real cat, and its posture was so lifelike that it could easily be mistaken in the dim light.
It had a golden nose ring on the tip of its nose, and golden earrings in its ears. Other than that, its whole body was glowing with the unique coppery green color of bronze. According to common sense, all statues made of bronze, without exception, had a very ancient history.
Taking a closer look, the bronze green color was not uniform. Some places were darker, while others were lighter. It looked like it had been exposed to the wind, the sun, and the rain for many years, or it looked like it had been eroded after being buried underground for a long time.
The contours of the cat's face were very soft, and it could even be said to be feminine. Its eye sockets were charming and moving. No one would think that it was a male cat. What was particularly eye-catching was the carving of a beetle on its forehead. Correspondingly, there was an even larger beetle with its wings spread out on its chest. It was the dung beetle that was commonly known as the dung beetle. However, as a sculpture, it did not feel disgusting at all.
On its neck was a necklace with complicated patterns … or perhaps it was a necklace or a collar. In the center of the necklace was a nameplate of unknown meaning. The necklace and the nameplate were also engraved, and they blended well with the cat statue.
Snowy frowned and stared at the face of the cat statue. She felt that she had seen the statue's expression somewhere before … As the casting and carving process were relatively primitive, she could not accurately outline the fur and fur color. It looked like a cat without fur, so she could not recall where she had seen it.
When her gaze fell on the beetle relief on its forehead again, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she let out a small cry!
Wasn't this very similar to the golden cat in the Amazing Fate Pet Shop? The golden cat also had a beetle-like pattern on its forehead! After figuring this out, she looked at its face and posture again. The more she looked at it, the more she felt that it was exactly the same as the golden cat, except that it was not as beautiful as the golden cat. If the golden cat's fur was cut very short, it would probably look like the statue. Even its arrogant posture was the same!
The old man walked over from behind her. When he heard her soft exclamation, his face showed a touch of surprise, and he could not help but ask, "Little guest, do you like this cat statue?"
Snowy nodded. She had long forgotten the shock she had just experienced. She pointed to the face of the statue and said, "It is very beautiful, and very elegant."
The old man stroked his goatee and smiled, "Little guest, you really have a good eye!"
Snowy was very happy to be praised, although she did not know why she was being praised.
The old man stood the feather duster against the wall, walked to the back of the door, and pushed the cat statue out. Snowy only then realized that the cat statue was placed on a small specially made shelf, and there were four wheels under the shelf. No wonder it was so easy to push it … The statue looked like it was made of pure bronze. If it was not hollow, it would be really heavy.
Coming from the dark corner to the normal light, the bronze green color of the cat statue was more obvious, and the details were also clearly visible. At first, she thought that the pure black color was just a misunderstanding.
"Little guest, do you know where this cat statue came from?" The old man patted the dust on his hands, and picked up the feather duster to brush off some of the accumulated dust on the statue.
Snowy's eyes rolled, and she replied, "Is it from abroad?"
"Oh, it is indeed from abroad!" The old man clapped his hands and laughed. Snowy smiled embarrassedly.
When the laughter stopped, the old man exhaled and said, "I have not laughed so freely for a long time. It is really good to get along with young people."
"Hehe, I am stupid." Snowy patted her head and laughed at herself. "I am bad at studying, and I can't do other jobs well …"
"You are not stupid, but you are not scheming at all, and you still have a pure heart." The old man paused, and used his empty hand to touch the cat statue's forehead. He said, "As for its origin … have you heard of the Gayer-Anderson Cat?"
"No." Snowy did not dare to joke anymore, and listened attentively. Joking when the old man was talking seriously would make her look like she did not know when to stop.
The old man was calm and composed, and he said in a serious tone, "The original version of the Holy Cat statue was unearthed in Egypt, and it was cast about 600 to 300 BC. It was donated to the British Museum by Major Gayer-Anderson, and that is how it got its name. There is also a copy in the collection of the Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo. As for mine … "
He pondered for a while, and then said, "This is also a copy. Of course, it is not as good as the one in the Gayer-Anderson Museum, but I dare say it is quite close to the original."
"Wow! That's amazing! "Snowy exclaimed. She had felt that the cat statue was extraordinary, and it turned out to have such a great origin. Although it was only a copy, it looked no different from a real antique to her. Even if it was not as valuable as the original, it was not something that ordinary people could easily get their hands on.
The old man pointed at the chest of the Holy Cat statue, the thing that Snowy thought was the nameplate. "Do you know what this is?"
"Let me see." Snowy moved closer and looked at it carefully.
The old man waited for her answer patiently.
After ten seconds, Snowy shook her head blankly. "I don't know. I can't recognize what it is. It looks like a snake? And it looks like an eye? "
The old man expected that she would not recognize it, and explained, "It is normal that you can't recognize it. After all, it is so rare. This is a Wadjit amulet, which represents the Eye of Light in ancient Egyptian mythology. This amulet, as well as the nose ring and earrings, are all made of silver and gold, imitating the original. "
Snowy was secretly shocked. This old man was indeed a real nouveau riche who lived in seclusion in the city. Everything in the shop was a 100% copy of the Holy Cat statue …
The old man observed her expression and asked, "If you like this statue, why don't you buy it?"
"Eh?"
Snowy was stunned, and looked at the statue again.
She really liked it, but not to the point where she had to buy it. There were two other reasons. First, the statue was definitely expensive, and she might not be able to afford it, and she did not want to make a big fuss about it and alarm her parents. Second, she would not have a place to put it after she bought it, and if she brought it home, she was not sure if her mother would agree … The statue was beautiful, but it had a bit of Yin in it, and not everyone could accept this kind of feminine beauty. Besides, her father was old fashioned … Just thinking about it gave her a headache!
Uncle Jin would probably be interested, but considering the psychological trauma of Good-For-Nothing, she decided to forget it.
Speaking of which …
Snowy remembered that the Amazing Fate Pet Shop was about to reopen. She had caused trouble for the shop several times, and she was friends with Zhang Zian. This time, she had to bring some congratulatory gifts for the opening, or else it would be too rude. If she could bring this statue as a gift, that would be the best!
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