Chapter 55

In ancient times, taking on a disciple was a significant matter, especially a closing disciple. But now, people are not so particular about it, and everything is simplified. A symbolic ceremony is held, and a group of like-minded people gather to witness it. This was exactly what Old Chang had in mind, and even the witness was only Old Yang. His seniority was too high, and he did not want Wu Di to enter the public eye too early, as he was still too young for this field.

Old Mr. and Mrs. Zhong arrived very early, just in time for breakfast. Wu Di’s two senior brothers arrived at a little past eight. Yang Linxue was a thin old man who looked older than Old Chang, being sixty-one years old. He was a researcher at the Palace Museum, a senior cultural relic appraiser, and an expert in porcelain and painting appraisal. Song Hongyan was not fat, forty-two years old, with a long face and a perpetually smiling expression, which left many wrinkles around his eyes, a side effect of his frequent laughter. He was the chairman of Hengjia Auction Company, vice chairman of the National Gem and Jade Association, a senior appraiser, and specialized in jade and miscellaneous items.

Yang Linxue was not talkative, like an old scholar. When he saw Wu Di, he just held his hand, gave a few words of encouragement, and then didn’t know what else to say. Song Hongyan, on the other hand, pointed at Wu Di and pondered:

“I must know you, at least I’ve heard your name. Let me think… I remember, Super Lucky Kid! Right?”

Wu Di smiled bitterly and nodded,

“That’s just what they call me.”

“No, no, that’s not just a nickname! Your first appearance, you opened a piece of glass-type imperial green jade at Fat Qian’s, which Tang Lao carved into two sets of jewelry; your second appearance, you opened a legendary three-stage transformation jade from a piece of rough that had been ignored for seven years at Fat Qian’s; on the same day, you opened a large piece of high-ice, high-celadon green jade from a stone that had once bankrupted Fat Qian; a few days ago, your third appearance, you opened a piece of fine-bean, high-celadon, and sunny green jade from someone else’s discarded rough, and I heard that the sky-high priced full-green glass-type jade that was auctioned on the same day was also yours! Ha ha, Master, thank you for finding me a great jade appraiser as a junior brother!”

He then leaned close to Wu Di’s ear and whispered in a voice everyone could hear:

“Junior brother, teach me your skills one day. My luck hasn’t been good lately.”

The few people present did not fully know Wu Di’s glorious achievements. Upon hearing this, they were somewhat shocked, especially Zhong Qi, who glared at Wu Di fiercely,

“Good kid, you went jade gambling behind my back and even got a sky-high priced glass-type jade! Well done!”

Wu Di shrugged,

“You’ve seen the fine-bean piece; at the time, it was considered waste. The glass-type jade I opened when I went back home.”

Zhong Qi gritted out two words,

“Pay up!”

“Ha ha, I’ll pay you back later, look at your stingy face! Didn’t your godmother stop you that day? If you had been more aggressive, go ask your godmother!”

Wu Di turned to make a phone call. He had planned to go to Jin City today, but it seemed he couldn’t. He asked Zhao Hao Ran to arrange for people to impersonate representatives from other companies to submit the documents at different times, and they would go the next day. He then called the procurement department head, Mr. Ma, of the Jin City project, rescheduling the meeting to the next day, when he would bring a complete operation plan for discussion.

Returning to the living room, it was almost 9:30. He chatted with Song Hongyan for a bit, and at 10:00, the apprenticeship ceremony officially began.

First, they paid respects to the ancestral master. Old Chang’s lineage had a long history, dating back to the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, lasting for hundreds of years without interruption. It was said that the ancestral master was an expert in tomb raiding.

Second, the apprenticeship ceremony was performed. Old Chang took his seat, and Wu Di performed the three-kowtow ritual, kneeling on one knee and offering tea.

Third, it was Old Chang’s turn to give a speech, mainly emphasizing respect for the ancestors, adherence to rules, integrity, and hard work.

In less than twenty minutes, the ceremony was over. Old Zhong hurriedly left, and the four master and disciples entered the study, leaving Old Yang, the old lady, Zhong Qi, and Chang Linlin outside.

“Brat, now you’ve found your organization, it will be harder to deal with you in the future.”

Old Chang led the three into the study and reintroduced them. The eldest brother, Yang Linxue, smiled and said,

“Master, I think the junior brother is smart and lucky, and he will surely carry on your legacy.”

Wu Di secretly observed and noticed that Yang Linxue’s smile was somewhat forced, probably because he rarely smiled. He now understood what his master had meant the night before, which was a precaution. Knowing that Yang Linxue’s attitude was not directed at him, he felt relieved and began to think aimlessly.

“This eldest brother’s build is suitable, but the second brother is just a slim version. Including myself, it turns out that among the four of us, only the master is fat! If I ever find a new wife for the master, I’ll make sure she’s slim. Oh, no respect, I must atone.”

Ignoring Wu Di’s random thoughts, the master and disciples continued their conversation,

“Your junior brother may not be particularly smart, but his luck is indeed astonishing. Just now, Hongyan talked about his glorious jade gambling achievements. Do you know about his achievements in collecting?”

“Please enlighten us, Master.”

“Let him tell you himself.”

Wu Di organized his thoughts and recalled,

“At first, I wanted to buy a brick inkstone as a gift for a client, but it broke. Inside was a painting by Shi Tao, ‘Landscape.’ Later, I went to a client’s place for a project and saw a small bottle on the table, which looked like an official kiln from the Song Dynasty. I bought it for 50,000 yuan, and it turned out to be genuine. Then, with the help of my brother, I bought a quadrangle courtyard. When we were dismantling it, we found a porcelain panel of Giuseppe Castiglione’s ‘Hunting Deer’ in the wall. Yesterday, I went to Jin City for a project and bought back a Qianlong cloisonné enamel openwork mountain landscape bottle, identical to the one in the Palace Museum. That’s all.”

“Linxue, you work at the Palace Museum, have you heard of the miracle?”

“I’ve heard of it and even saw the video.”

“It was this kid who opened it in front of me a few days ago! Wu Di, you tell them yourself, if I say it, I might not be able to resist beating you!”

Wu Di was counting his achievements on his fingers, and he hadn’t realized how many lucky finds he had made in the past two months. Oh, and he hadn’t mentioned the black jade go stones yet.

“A while ago, I went back to my hometown. A factory had an old rebel who died, and his three sons were dividing the estate. They had a large piece of ancient white jade that they couldn’t sell, so they asked me to buy it. I thought such a large piece of jade was rare, and it only cost a few ten thousand yuan, so I bought it. Later, I found it was hollow, and when I cut it open, I found the jade carving. Also, at home, I bought a set of fired agate go stones for Uncle Wen to play with, and inside, I found several black jade go stones and a few black jade ones.”

Wu Di was being deliberately mischievous, wanting to thoroughly impress them so they wouldn’t underestimate him. His master had asked him to list his achievements for this very reason.

“How long have you been in this field, junior brother?”

“Let me think, May, June, it started in June, when Uncle Wen recommended me to buy the Jin Yuan Kang brick inkstone.”

“This June?”

“Yes!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Heaven, don’t stop me, let me die!”

“Were these pieces of jade also opened in the past few months?”

Yang Linxue interjected.

“Yes.”

“Have you thought about what made your luck suddenly change? Was it an object, an event, or a person?”

Yang Linxue hit the core of the issue, and Wu Di was taken aback. He hadn’t realized how extraordinary his luck had been until he calculated it. Not only were there many instances, but they were all major finds! Fortunately, the Heavenly Book was invisible, or it would have greatly increased the risk of exposure.

“It probably started when I helped Minister Ou find his child. My luck has been incredible since then. Not only that, but I’ve also had divine assistance in negotiations, making deals quickly as if others were waiting for me.”

“You can’t say it like that. These things have always been there, why didn’t others find them?”

“I’ve thought about it and tried to find a scientific reason. As a salesperson, I observe things closely. Also, I’m cheap and tend to buy things at a low price, especially when I don’t know much. The fact that I opened jade from waste material proves this. In terms of antiques, to be honest, I was mainly focused on projects, using the purchase of antiques as a cover to give money, but it turned out differently.”

“There’s a necessity in what seems like chance! Truly worthy of the name Super Lucky Kid!”

Yang Linxue was amazed, and his expression became more animated.

“What kind of projects? I’m thinking of changing careers! This is better than robbing a bank!”

Song Hongyan’s eyes were bloodshot as he leaned in close.

“The Ruili public auction is in a few days. Let’s go together, and I’ll share your luck.”

“Wu Di will start with porcelain first. When your eldest brother has the chance, he will take you to the Palace Museum to see genuine pieces from different dynasties. Remember, appraising antiques is a process of deduction. Assume it’s genuine first, then look for counter-evidence to prove it’s fake. If you find one doubt, it’s definitely not genuine!”

Wu Di nodded in agreement.

“Hongyan, you and Wu Di will go jade gambling, and you’ll teach him about jade and jewelry, both ancient and modern. I’ll check your progress when you return.”

“Yes, Master!”