Chapter 235: Feeling So Damn Unbalanced Inside
“Cao Ye, you can question my character, but you can’t question my craftsmanship!” Lan Gui was obviously unconvinced, pointing to the chair and saying:
“I just made this chair not long ago, and it hasn’t experienced much wind and sun exposure yet.”
“Don’t judge it by how it looks now. After a while, just apply some potion and fumigate it occasionally, and in less than three months, you’ll see!”
“If you haven’t been immersed in this trade for years, you definitely wouldn’t spot the flaw!”
“Oh? There are so many intricacies here.” Cao Weida seemed to have gained some knowledge, nodding with great interest.
Actually, having watched TV series, he still had a tiny bit of impression about these things.
Moreover, after being purged by the modern information explosion, especially during a period of antiques craze, although he didn’t understand deeply and knew little, he wasn’t completely ignorant.
His earlier words were mainly to pave the way for what was to come.
“Since you say so, then show me an antique that you think others can’t tell is fake.”
“Alright, since you’ve spoken, I can’t let you down.” On a table under a shed not far away, there were various porcelain vases placed; he picked and chose from them, took out an amphora vase, and came back,
“Take a quiet look at this one.”
“Why give it to me? I don’t recognize it. Give it to Fifth Brother.”
“Here, give it to me.” Fan Wu Ye had a cigarette in his mouth, took the amphora vase, and examined it as if he knew what he was doing.
After a good while, he clicked his tongue in amazement and said: “This one is also made to look old?”
“Let me see.” E Ye nearby was envious, took the vase and examined it for a bit, then hesitantly said: “Why does this vase feel real?”
Hearing this, Lan Gui immediately became smug,
“E Ye, Fan Wu Ye, you’re experts. When appraising porcelain, where do you look?”
“Look at the base!”
This was basic common knowledge for appraising antiques. Although neither was proficient, they still had this bit of common sense.
“Exactly!” Lan Gui laughed, smugly explaining: “This base is real, but the upper part is fake.”
“I glued them together, then fired it in the kiln, and finally applied glaze. If you can spot the fake, it’s on me!”
Hearing this, E Ye cursed grumpily: “You bunch of bastards, you really know how to come up with wild ideas!”
Obviously, this reminded him of his past painful experiences.
How did he fall from grace?
Wasn’t it because he was scammed too many times by these counterfeiters!
Feeling unhappy inside, his words naturally weren’t polite either. Looking at the shabby clothes on the other man, he mocked: “Look at you, coming up with all these wild ideas, but I don’t see you getting rich!”
“I think so too.” Fan Wu Ye shook his high-quality fabric clothes, showing off: “I reckon it’s just like that. Better to take the righteous path.”
Faced with such blunt words, Lan Gui didn’t take it to heart and said self-mockingly:
“You’re not wrong. Getting rich isn’t that easy.”
“Even with good craftsmanship, you have to live in constant fear of being caught by the patrolman.”
“Besides, making the thing is just the first step.”
“No matter how realistic the thing is made, it still needs a buyer to purchase it.”
He shook his clothes, smiling bitterly: “Look at me. Do I look like someone from a wealthy antiques family? If I tried to sell it, I’d definitely get caught on the spot.”
“That’s why I came to cooperate with you, E Ye. Right?”
“That’s right.” E Ye smugly stuck out his neck. “This is our style, not something anyone can learn. Back in the day, we were people who had seen silver. Seeing that shiny silver, I just didn’t feel a thing!”
“Just like those clods in your courtyard.”
Lan Gui rolled his eyes inwardly: “That’s because you had too much silver, burned!”
Think about it: he had practiced his craftsmanship for so many years just to earn trifles, and had to live in constant fear every day. The bitterness involved was indescribable.
But look at him: although down and out now, he used to live extravagantly, enjoying everything.
Comparing like this, he felt so unbalanced inside.
Both born to parents, how could the gap be so big!
Cao Weida, sitting there, chuckled inwardly. You know, it really was money burning a hole in his pocket.
He didn’t know what there was to boast about in such prodigal behavior. These Bannerman descendants, tsk, all a bunch of odd talents!
“Fifth Brother, if that’s the case, is the authenticity of that amphora vase imitated very realistically?”
Fan Wu Ye replied: “It’s indeed very real. Anyway, I couldn’t tell if it was real or fake.”
“That’s good.” Hearing this, Cao Weida felt relieved.
He beckoned: “Lan Gui, come, take a look at this. Can you restore it?”
A painting?
Lan Gui’s heart stirred. Could it be that the reason the other man sought him out was for this?
He hurriedly took the handed-over black cloth strip. With one touch, he knew it was a scroll painting!
Pulling it out, sure enough, even without unfolding it, he knew the approximate era from the paper material: “Cao Ye, this painting should be from the Song Dynasty, right?”
Although it was a question, his tone was very certain.
“Huh? You knew it was Song Dynasty without even unfolding it?”
“You’ve seen through me. In our line of work, these are basics.” Having roughly figured out why the other man sought him, the big stone in Lan Gui’s heart fell more than halfway, and his tone relaxed a lot:
“For appraising antiques, besides the artwork itself, one key point is judging from the paper’s era.”
“For example, mainstream Tang Dynasty paper was hemp paper, tough in texture with long coarse fibers, and the surface often has obvious laid lines, commonly ‘fish roe pattern’ or ‘gauze pattern’.”
“In the Song Dynasty, besides hemp paper, there was bamboo paper. Bamboo paper has finer fibers, light and thin paper quality, pure white, smooth surface, suitable for fine brushwork.”
“By the Yuan Dynasty, bamboo paper became mainstream, but for painting, parchment paper was often used, which is more flexible and durable.”
“This painting, at a glance, I know it’s made of bamboo paper, and craft-wise, it’s slightly inferior to Yuan Dynasty, so I deduce it’s a Song Dynasty painting.”
“In our line of work, if you don’t even know this, you’d be a laughingstock. After all, if I were imitating a Tang Dynasty piece but used bamboo paper or parchment paper, wouldn’t it be obviously fake at first sight?”
“Eye-opening, really eye-opening today. You’re the real deal! Two words: professional!” Cao Weida couldn’t help giving a thumbs up. No wonder he’s professional—quietly spouting professional knowledge!
No wonder: in any trade, you need knowledge. Without knowledge, you can’t even counterfeit properly.
“Then I’ll trouble you to check if this painting can be restored.”
“Alright, let me take a look!” Lan Gui didn’t get carried away by Cao Weida’s few words of praise, but responded respectfully, then slowly unrolled the scroll painting.
Counterfeiters like them were like mice in a hole, hiding and dodging every day, afraid of being exposed to sunlight and stomped to death.
Today was a rare opportunity to befriend someone like Cao Weida, who had connections and status. He had to seize it!
If he could get on good terms with Cao Ye, the benefits would be endless!
That’s why he had shown off so much earlier.
Was he someone who liked showing off?
No!
Counterfeiters like them knew best how to write the word “low-key”!
So why did he show off just now?
Of course, to show Cao Weida his usefulness!
He knew all too well: without value, people wouldn’t even glance at you!
Slowly unrolling the scroll painting, a landscape painting appeared before his eyes.
His eyes lit up immediately, and he exclaimed: “This painting is pure Song! Great brushwork! Just this surface skill, it’s clearly a good piece!”
“Let me see, let me see!” E Ye, who had suffered big losses on antiques his whole life, eagerly crowded over. “Come on, let me help you unroll it!”
A painting’s length is quite long, and without putting it on the table, one person really struggles to unroll it fully.
He stepped forward to help, praising nonstop at first, but as he fully unrolled the painting, his expression suddenly froze.
At the bottom, where the signature should be, there was a big hole exactly at the signature spot, and many places were rotten.
Lan Gui was also looking. Seeing the condition at the end, he said regretfully: “What a pity! If it weren’t rotten, this painting could sell for a good price!”
“Who stored it like this? Too careless!”
As soon as he said it, he immediately realized and dryly laughed at Cao Weida: “Cao Ye, I didn’t mean it that way…”
“It’s fine. Even if you did, it doesn’t matter. After all, it’s not from my family ancestors, nor did I store it.” He threw the last bit of cigarette on the ground and stomped it out, saying straightforwardly:
“Just tell me if you can restore it.”
Lan Gui thought he fully understood why Cao Weida sought him and immediately patted his chest, guaranteeing: “Cao Ye, rest assured, this is my trade!”
To boost credibility, he started showing off again:
“Let me put it this way: at a glance when unrolled, I know this is definitely a painting by Dong Yuan!”
“Dong Yuan is the founding ancestor of landscape painting, with pioneering status in landscape painting history, and his authentic surviving works are extremely scarce!”
At this point, he paused, seeing Cao Weida listening with interest, then continued:
“Not to brag, but counterfeiting and aging calligraphy and paintings isn’t for amateurs. Even after ten or eight years of learning, you might not become an expert.”
“The difficulty in calligraphy and paintings lies in the brush intent and artistic charm!”
“Without hard work, without copying countless calligraphy and paintings, without unique techniques, it’s simply impossible!”
“I have a bit of talent. Apprenticed at eight, started learning at ten, graduated at sixteen. Now at forty-two, I’ve been immersed in this trade for over thirty-two years.”
“I dare not say everyone would be fooled by what I make, but it’s definitely beyond ordinary people to discern!”
“Give me ten days—no, seven days, and I’ll definitely give you a satisfactory result!”
Originally he planned to say ten days, but to show his capability, he squeezed it to seven himself.
Wasn’t it just working overtime, burning the midnight oil? To connect with Cao Ye and gain his recognition, this bit of hardship was nothing—go for it!
