Chapter 13

"Look, the plum blossom pit sky-blue rain beats on the banana leaves, the old pit cultivated eyebrow-patterned She inkstone, the old pit willow leaf green dragon phoenix facing the sun Tao River inkstone, the Shandong Qingzhou nine-dragon turtle Cheng mud inkstone, and there are also pine flower stone inkstones, red silk inkstones, black gold inkstones, green stone inkstones... You can take your time to look."

"Bro, you're pretty familiar with the business, no stuttering at all."

"Hehe, I rely on the kindness of all the folks to earn a bowl of rice."

"Any brick inkstones?"

"Have you been to our shop before? You hit the nail on the head with just one question. Haven't been here before? No problem, we do have a brick inkstone, guaranteed to be old and authentic."

The young man walked over and whispered a few words to Wen Yajiu, who was reading a newspaper. Then, Wen Yajiu got up and walked toward Wu Di. After a few steps, he clearly recognized him, his face turned from surprise to a broad smile, and he greeted from a distance:

"Little brother Wu Di, you came to see your old brother? You're so clever, even doing an incognito visit. What's up?"

The young man behind Wen Yajiu looked disgruntled, realizing that Wu Di was a friend of the boss. No wonder he asked for a brick inkstone right away; all the previous effort was wasted.

Wu Di went up and held Wen Yajiu's hands but spoke to the young man:

"Don't be mad, little brother. I really need to find a brick inkstone; I'm not here to play with you."

Then he smiled at Wen Yajiu:

"Old brother, I didn't get enough stories on the train last time. I'll have to get more from you later. How about it? Did you get any good stuff last time?"

"Haha, haven't you heard that fakes are everywhere, and forgeries are as numerous as dogs, while genuine items can only be found underground? These days, it's getting harder to find good stuff, and there are landmines everywhere."

"I don't understand."

"The boss means that to find genuine items, you might have to go to certain places. When you go to collect items, the worst thing is to encounter landmines. City and rural illegal dealers collude to transfer fake antiques that look like genuine ones to rural farmers' homes, or even bury them in graveyards. This is called 'burying landmines' in the trade."

The young man saw that Wu Di really didn't understand and chimed in.

"Xiaogangzi, go get a cup of water for Brother Wu."

The young man grumbled and walked away. Wu Di faintly heard him say that the boss was bullying him, and that he wasn't a eunuch, so he didn't need to add 'zi' to his name. Wu Di couldn't help but smile and said:

"Mr. Wen, your shop is very cozy."

"Every day, I face a bunch of dead things, some of which are dug up from the ground. It's hard to create an atmosphere, but it's necessary. Come, let's go upstairs."

The second floor had three offices, and the rest was an exhibition hall. There weren't many items, but they were arranged quite elegantly. Seeing Wu Di looking around, Wen Yajiu couldn't help but smile:

"Most of the items on the first floor are new, while those on the second floor are old. Want to take a look?"

Wu Di nodded excitedly and took the lead.

"Old brother Wen, this isn't a bowl, right? It looks a bit like the thing Tang僧 used to fetch the scriptures..."

"That's a pen washer."

"Hey, I recognize this. Xiaogangzi just mentioned it; it's called a garlic bottle."

"Let me correct you, it's called a garlic head bottle."

"Damn, this is all cracked. You're putting it out for sale? Aren't you afraid it will fall apart one day?"

"This is an imitation of a Ge kiln. This is called crazing, and this is called gold thread and iron line! Go sit down, are you here just to annoy me?"

Wu Di followed Wen Yajiu to the office, looking aggrieved:

"I just don't understand, can't I ask?"

Wen Yajiu acted as if he didn't hear, refilled his cup, pointed to the paper cup Xiaogangzi had brought for Wu Di, and sat comfortably in his chair before asking:

"Why did you suddenly become interested in antiques?"

"I was interested on the train, right? Think about it, when you go to the countryside to collect antiques, you usually go to places with history, right? You get to travel and make money at the same time, how great is that? Not to mention finding a bargain, which can increase in value by hundreds or thousands of times!"

"Ah, another kid who's been fooled. What about if you make a mistake?"

"Make a mistake? I'll treat it as a tuition fee."

"Have you learned? Wu brother, your attitude isn't suitable for collecting. There are too many tricks in this field, and sometimes you can lose everything."

"I just talk the talk. Mainly, a customer likes brick inkstones, and I want to find one for him. I don't trust others, so I thought I'd come to you, old brother."

"Wow, you're so straightforward. Aren't you afraid I'll rip you off?"

"I trust my gut!"

"Bullshit gut! You're just flattering me. I don't have any brick inkstones, go look elsewhere. I can only help you with an appraisal."

"Isn't there a fee for appraising? I'll just buy it from you to save the fee."

"Are you here to cause trouble? Get lost, I don't know you."

"Ah, there are just a few days each month... I feel bad, too much pressure. Thanks. But I really want to buy a brick inkstone. You have one, right? And it's guaranteed to be old and authentic. Just give me a good price."

"Are you really in sales? What makes you qualified for sales?"

"My enthusiasm, sincerity, our company's products and culture, and..."

"Whatever, meeting a sucker like you is a waste. What price are you looking for?"

"Below 80,000. I've only been working for two years, so I don't have much money. Oh, even if I want it, I won't have the money until next month; I've invested it all in projects."

"Your company makes salespeople invest their own money? What a lousy company, quit it."

"No, no, it's not like that..."

"Enough, no more excuses. I'll tell you straight, the item is old, but I'll have to cut the price."

"Hehe, just don't be too harsh. I only weigh 130 pounds."

"Come, let's look at the item. I'll tell you its name, and you can look it up when you get home."

"I trust you."

"Get out, or I'll kick you out if you keep saying that."

Wen Yajiu asked Wu Di to wait, then brought in a wooden box, opened it carefully, and took out a black brick, placing it on a cloth on the table.

The black brick was nearly square, with a slightly yellow wooden lid on top. One side had inscriptions, the adjacent side had a large cross, and the other two sides were bare. Wu Di opened the lid and saw a shallow, sloping ink pool, the deepest part being about 2 cm and the shallowest part less than 0.5 cm. The edges were uneven. When he picked it up, the bottom had a border, and the edges were also uneven. The middle was inscribed with characters, but Wu Di couldn't recognize many of them, so he put it down.

"What do you think?"

"So this is a brick inkstone. It really looks like a brick."

"What do you mean 'like'? This is a brick. This inkstone is called the Zhang Tingji Jin Yuankang Brick Inkstone. Zhang Tingji is the maker, a Qing dynasty expert in epigraphy, and Jin Yuankang is the year of the brick. This inkstone was collected by Lu Xinyuan in the Qing dynasty and by Tang Yun of the Dashi Studio in modern times. It is recorded in Lu Xinyuan's 'Thousand Brick Pavilion Ancient Brick Illustrations and Explanations,' making it a well-documented and culturally significant item."

"Oh, so 'well-documented and culturally significant' comes from 'well-documented and culturally significant.'"

For some reason, Wen Yajiu felt angry looking at Wu Di's silly face. He glanced at him and said weakly:

"Forget it, look for yourself. I'm too lazy to explain."

"Hey, old brother, I'll be quiet and just take notes. Can you give me a quick lesson?"

Wen Yajiu glared at him, holding the brick inkstone lovingly, and said after a while:

"Look, this brick is as hard as iron, with a smooth patina. Holding it and touching it makes you love it. The inkstone has a redwood lid, made to fit the shape of the brick, simple and natural, complementing the ancient brick. The inside is coated with lacquer, and the lid, after years of handling, has a rich patina, showing a golden yellow satin-like luster.

This inkstone is a perfect object with blood, flesh, and spirit!

Look, the side of the brick reads: 'Jin Yuankang Sixth Year, August Ding Chou, made by Maoshan Li.'

The bottom of the inkstone has the inscription of the maker, Zhang Tingji: 'Maoshan Li bricks have different shapes. The Hundred Kiln Tower has a horizontal one. Xu Qiu (Xu Fu) consulted the Comprehensive Mirror, and the day Ding Chou should be in July, or perhaps the characters for August were mistakenly omitted. This text is rare in its thin and hard style, making it difficult to copy. Why not carve it into a wide inkstone field, and use it to write books in the horse tent. Made for Mr. Fufeng on the 21st day of the twelfth month of the Renyin year of the Daoguang era, Zhang Tingji of Jiaxing, aged 75.'"

Wen Yajiu spoke with enthusiasm, but when he looked at Wu Di, he saw a blank, stupid face and became angry:

"Repeat it, and if you get it wrong, I won't sell you the inkstone."

"Ah, if I get it right, will you sell it to me cheaply?"

"You!"

"Hehe, just a joke, just a joke. I'll repeat it, old brother, see if I get it right."

Wu Di recited it almost word for word, and Wen Yajiu was shocked. Could this silly guy have a talent for this?

Wu Di smiled:

"When it comes to convincing customers, I can usually remember it after one time."

Wen Yajiu was speechless but asked:

"Have you really never dealt with antiques before?"

"Never, I've never even been to the Palace Museum. This is the first antique I've handled. By the way, how much is this? I can't afford it if it's too expensive."

"I bought this for 10,000 yuan. I'll sell it to you for 80,000, as you asked. Not expensive, right?"

"Not expensive, not expensive, as long as it's authentic."

"Little Wu, are you really in sales?"

"Absolutely, people like us can be recognized in a crowd because our faces say 'sales.' In a few years, people like me will be as common as locusts on the streets."

"This inkstone is currently estimated to be worth between 50,000 and 70,000 yuan. If it goes to auction and collectors bid, it could fetch 200,000 to 300,000 yuan. I was planning to keep it, but if you want it, I'll sell it to you for 80,000."

"Okay, but I won't have the money for a month and a half."

"Can't tell, you don't even haggle. You're a tough cookie, I might have made a mistake."

"Hehe, a gentleman's word is his bond. I'll come to pick it up within a month and a half! Do we need to sign a contract, with a deposit and all?"

"Get out!"

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