Chapter 59

Song Hongyan arranged the jade material and made the first cut at the crack. Soon, the watermelon was split into two halves, and it was indeed full and very full! As expected, this was high-quality jade material with a thin skin, thick flesh, and plenty of water.

The cut surface was washed, but unfortunately, the crack had penetrated quite deep. Only a small, egg-sized area in the center was undamaged. However, this piece had reached the quality of ice jade, and it was a high-quality emerald green. It was worth the price.

Song Hongyan's skill in cutting jade was also very high. In about half an hour, he extracted the jade and handed it to Wu Di, who smiled and said, "Whoever cuts it, it belongs to them. Let's go; it seems there are quite a few good items in this market."

Song Hongyan knew Wu Di was a wealthy man and didn't argue. He smiled and put the jade in his pocket, "Hehe, you're bribing me in public, but I like it! You can come work for me later!"

"Senior Brother, are you trying to poach my talent? I have an auction company too!"

"Senior Brother? Lin Lin, some people should call me Uncle, right?"

"Damn! Each to their own!"

Wu Di glanced around the crowd and noticed that Xiao Baihua was indeed gone, feeling a bit melancholic. He then composed himself, thinking that if they were meant to meet again, they would. For now, it was better to focus on cutting more jade material.

Chang Linlin had the lotus jade that Zhong Qi had extracted in her pocket, Song Hongyan had the ice jade, Qian Pizi had recovered his costs, and Luo Quan was just a guest. What about Wu Di? His ice jade was still at the police station! But what did it matter? With his skills, he could turn any stone into gold! He wouldn't lack jade. Thinking this, Zhong Qi felt a bit relieved.

Zhong Qi continued to cut jade, and after cutting four pieces, he finally extracted an egg-sized golden thread jade, which made him extremely happy. Qian Pizi also tried once but failed. Song Hongyan had his eye on a large piece and sought Wu Di's opinion. Wu Di went to consult his "stone brother" and came back to say, "The stone said it has nothing inside, but the small one next to it is acting suspiciously, like it has something."

"Really?"

Song Hongyan, puzzled, picked up a yellow sand-skinned stone the size of an adult's fist, paid a thousand yuan, and started cutting it with a grinding wheel.

The skin was very thin, and almost all of the inside was jade. The quality was good, with clear yellow-green stripes in a light background, nearly reaching the quality of ice jade. It was a standard golden thread jade.

Even the shop owner's attitude toward Wu Di changed, "Brother, can the stone really talk?"

"Damn, do you really believe that?"

Zhong Qi remembered that the "stone talking" theory had caused a dispute yesterday. Seeing that Wu Di's choice of jade was indeed different, he was filled with doubt, "Why don't we find a quiet place and try it out?"

Chang Linlin laughed, "Haha, I heard the stone talking too. This little guy reported that the two next to it are problematic. Zhong Qi, catch them and cut them!"

Wu Di smiled inwardly, thinking that someone would have a sleepless night. Those two stones indeed had issues; one contained a small piece of sticky jade, enough to make a pair of pendants.

The results of cutting the stone made everyone suspicious. Chang Linlin raised her eyebrows at Wu Di, placed the jade in Zhong Qi's hand, and assigned a task, "Remember to get it carved. One for you, one for me, and mine should be bigger."

"Why should yours be bigger?"

"Because I want it to be!"

"..."

The morning's jade cutting ended with Zhong Qi's defeat. The plan for the afternoon was to visit the nearby antique street, so they chose a nearby restaurant for lunch.

It turned out that many small restaurants served food as good as large hotels. After a morning of excitement, everyone was indeed hungry and ate heartily.

After a few drinks, Song Hongyan mentioned his master's birthday, which was at the end of August. Wu Di suddenly remembered that he could go with the Zhong family, but as the master's youngest disciple, he should prepare a special gift. But was there enough time? He had nothing good on hand, and even if he found good jade in Ruili, it might not be carved in time. What should he do? Could he rely on finding a bargain? Thinking of finding a bargain, Wu Di's blood boiled. The secret thrill of a hidden treasure was addictive!

Wu Di was even more excited about the afternoon trip to the antique street. Although Kunming was far from the central region, it had a rich history and many cultural relics. Because of its remoteness, the antique market was less developed, and the level of expertise was limited, leaving many old items intact. With good eyes, the chances of finding a bargain here were much higher than elsewhere.

Wu Di eagerly explained his reasons, and Song Hongyan laughed, "You read that on a forum, right? Dialectics are powerful. Remoteness has its advantages, but with today's transportation and the popularity of collecting, do you think there's any untouched land left for you? Hahaha, Xiao Wu, I heard you have a business background!"

Wu Di scratched his head, embarrassed, and laughed, "I'm desperate, grasping at straws!"

"Xiao Wu, don't worry. Even if you don't find anything this afternoon, we'll return on the 20th. With your luck, I'm sure you'll find something in the major antique markets. Besides, Grandpa will be pleased to know you've been working hard for his birthday."

Wu Di stood up straight, "I, the super-lucky Xiao Wu, promise to get it done before the birthday!"

As they left the restaurant, they passed a group of people. Wu Di, preoccupied, didn't notice, but Meng Yao in the crowd saw his somewhat handsome dark face and nudged Wen Lan, whispering, "This place is really strange."

Wen Lan looked up and was speechless.

Kunming's antique street was a mix of antique shops and jade stores. After a while, Chang Linlin lost interest and said, "Xiao Wu, I'll support you in spirit," before leaving with Zhong Qi. Whether she was really tired or just found the others too bright, the silver ethnic jewelry around her neck that evening gave a hint.

Qian Pizi, uninterested in antiques, left with Luo Quan to find more "talking stones." Wu Di and Song Hongyan were left to browse the antique shops.

The antique market was more chaotic than the jade market, with counterfeiting, identifying fakes, and distinguishing fakes being the norm. Everyone relied on their own judgment.

Shuocifang was an old shop specializing in porcelain, with various shapes from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Even porcelain and pottery from the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties periods occupied a large display case. Song Hongyan, while browsing, explained to Wu Di, "This is the best classroom for beginners. Many antique learners have experience as apprentices in shops. Although these are imitations, they still capture some of the characteristics of the original craftsmanship. Most importantly, they are comprehensive, giving you a broad understanding of China's thousands of years of ceramic history and techniques. Xiao Wu, you should be prepared to work in an antique shop. The teacher is very strict about this."

Wu Di nodded and pointed to a moon-shaped bottle, "Yes, if you don't see the actual items, you won't realize how rich the shapes and colors of a single type can be. This can't be learned just from books or word of mouth."

"Exactly. This beast-ear gui looks similar to many other vessels. If you haven't seen it, it's easy to miss. Look, isn't there one right in front of us?"

In front of Wu Di was a row of Qing dynasty porcelain imitations. His eyes scanned and settled on a square white porcelain bottle with elephant heads on both sides, depicting landscapes and birds in light brown.

Wu Di carefully examined the bottle, first checking the base, which had no inscription. The body was slightly porous, suggesting signs of aging. The painted birds and landscapes were vivid, the brushwork bold and free, and the colors elegant. He said, "Light brown landscape and bird patterned elephant-ear bottle, late Qing dynasty, but whether it's genuine is hard to say."

Song Hongyan nodded and smiled. Wu Di continued to examine it for a while, then called the shop assistant, "How much is this?"

The assistant looked and smiled, "This is an elephant-ear bottle, with exquisite craftsmanship and painting by a master. You have a good eye."

"Ha, your praise won't help if we can't agree on the price."

The assistant's eyes darted between Wu Di and Song Hongyan, then smiled, "Not expensive, just 50,000 yuan."

Wu Di exchanged a knowing look with Song Hongyan. The shop's expert had likely made a mistake. This was a work by the late Qing dynasty porcelain painter Cheng Men, known as the Cheng Men light brown landscape and bird patterned elephant-ear bottle, with a market value of 120,000 to 150,000 yuan. The current price of 50,000 yuan was clearly too low.

Wu Di put the bottle back and smiled, "So you're not selling it? It looks old, but it's hard to tell if it's from the Republic of China or modern times. It has no inscription, and the body is a bit porous. It's not worth this price."

The assistant, an experienced hand, didn't panic and smiled, "To be honest, the painting on this bottle is similar to Cheng Men's style from the late Qing dynasty. Even if it's a copy, because it's old and well-made, the price won't be low. Why don't you make an offer, and I'll ask the boss if we can sell it to you?"

"An imitation is still an imitation. No matter how well-made, it's not genuine. I'll offer 10,000 yuan, just for fun."

The assistant looked distressed, "Sir, our shop is small and the profit is thin. We can't overprice. How about 45,000 yuan?"

"Let's make it 15,000 yuan, the most I can offer."

"15,000 yuan is really not enough. We paid more than that to acquire it."

"Then we'll look elsewhere."

"Please wait, I'll get the boss."

An elderly man in a long robe approached, bowed, and smiled, "It's an honor that you're interested in our items. I'll give you a fair price. If you agree, we'll make the deal. If not, you can look at other items."

"Okay, give us a fair price."

"Final price, 30,000 yuan."

Wu Di hesitated, "Sir, how about 26,000 yuan? It's a lucky number, and it will bring good luck for our trip to Ruili."

The boss thought for a moment, "29,000 yuan, for a long and prosperous future, wishing you success in Ruili."

"Ha, ha, ha, good, deal!"