Free Web NovelChapter 114: Chapter 99: Holy Cow, Assembling the "3 Ancient Divine Artifacts
The central courtyard of the siheyuan.
The branches of a large tree hung low, completely enveloping the pavilion in shade. Occasionally, a few slivers of light would filter through the leaves, dappling the stone table inside.
Su Chen was lounging lazily on a deck chair, flipping through an unfamiliar book filled with illustrations and descriptions.
Every now and then, he would reach for the pastries and fruit on the table, savoring a rare moment of leisure.
"Sir, you have visitors," Jiang Hui said, stopping at the entrance to the pavilion.
"Hm?" Su Chen lowered his book and tilted his head. "Who?"
Jiang Hui took a red calling card from his pocket and presented it with both hands.
Su Chen was a little surprised. An amused smile touched his lips. "Well now, aren’t we formal? I’m curious to see who it is."
He took the calling card, but a glance at the names left him speechless. ’What are those two up to?’ He casually tossed the card onto the table and said to Jiang Hui, "Go on, show them in."
Soon, Jiang Hui led two men in through the Hanging Flower Gate.
The visitors were none other than Yu Qian and Wu Jing, both carrying several bags and boxes.
Once the two were seated, Su Chen picked up the calling card and flicked it a couple of times. "So, whose idea was this?" he teased. "Are you trying to make me look bad?"
Yu Qian and Wu Jing exchanged an awkward glance. Finally, Yu Qian spoke up to explain, "Ahem... we just thought that since it’s our first time visiting your home, this would seem a bit more proper!"
In truth, neither of them knew what had possessed them to come up with such a stunt.
But it was understandable. Both men had been navigating the circles of the Imperial Capital for years and had seen their share of prestigious households. They naturally knew that the Imperial Capital was a place of many formalities, where you couldn’t even get through the gate of some places without a proper calling card.
It was just that times had changed so quickly in recent years, and many customs of the older generation had been swept away by the tide of modernity.
Su Chen was just curious and had no intention of blaming them. Glancing at the items they were holding, his eyes showed a hint of confusion. "What’s all this you’re carrying? So many bags and boxes!"
The two men quickly placed their things on the stone table. Thankfully, the table was large enough, or they wouldn’t have been able to fit everything.
There was a long box, a short box, and a square one.
Su Chen could tell at a glance that the long box contained something like a scroll. He took it and opened it. Sure enough, inside was a painting.
Judging by the color of the scroll and the paper, he could tell it was an antique. It had to be authentic; otherwise, Yu Qian and Wu Jing wouldn’t have brought it as a gift for him.
Su Chen didn’t unroll the painting, mainly because he didn’t know much about calligraphy or antiques. He didn’t want to open it, fail to recognize it, and make a fool of himself.
Opening the other two boxes revealed a folding fan and a beaded bracelet.
"What’s the story behind this painting?" Su Chen asked, his right hand gently brushing over the box as he turned a curious gaze to Yu Qian.
As for the other two items, Su Chen had some idea. He wasn’t familiar with their value, but he knew something of their provenance...
The fan was likely due to Yu Qian’s profession; he was known to have an extensive collection. Su Chen had heard that a fan Yu Qian once gave his partner, Old Guo, was worth a hundred thousand yuan.
The bracelet was a similar story, as Yu Qian’s habit of constantly playing with beaded bracelets was well-known in their circles.
Yu Qian took the scroll from the box and, with Wu Jing’s help, slowly unrolled it. An exceptionally beautiful floral painting appeared before Su Chen’s eyes.
The artwork was so stunning that if Su Chen hadn’t been certain it was a painting, he would have mistaken it for a modern high-tech print.
But Su Chen soon noticed something was amiss. The painting seemed incomplete... it was missing the artist’s signature and seal.
Just as he was about to ask, Yu Qian began his explanation.
"Mr. Su, this is a work by the late-Ming, early-Qing dynasty painter Yun Nantian," Yu Qian explained. "It’s a sister piece to the ten-panel floral album treasured by the Shanghai Museum. Unfortunately, this one is missing the signature and seal." As he said this, a look of regret crossed his face.
If it had the signature and seal, it would be considered a treasure-grade antique, without a doubt.
Su Chen nodded in satisfaction. Even without the signature and seal, which cut its value by more than half, all that mattered to him was that it was beautiful.
He waved over Jiang Hui, who was standing outside the pavilion, and had him put away the painting and the fan. He gave special instructions for the painting, telling Old Jiang to find time to have it properly mounted.
As for the beaded bracelet, Su Chen picked it up and started rolling it in his hand.
"Old Wu, what is it?" Yu Qian had just sat back down when he noticed Wu Jing seemed distracted. He quickly reached out and tugged his arm.
Wu Jing gestured with his chin toward the reception hall, his expression complicated as he looked back at Su Chen.
It took Yu Qian a moment to catch on, but he followed Wu Jing’s gaze. When he saw the two bronze animal heads displayed in the reception hall, his jaw dropped.
But he was a man who had seen the world, and he quickly collected himself. He asked, a little apprehensively, "Mr. Su, are those two treasures in the reception hall... are they authentic?"
Su Chen took a sip of his tea before answering, "Of course they’re real. You think I’d display fakes in my own home?"
"May I go have a look?" Yu Qian asked, his face full of anticipation. For collectors like him, the greatest dream was to reclaim all the lost treasures of their ancestors.
Of course, there were also plenty of scoundrels among them who sold the nation’s precious artifacts to foreigners.
