Chapter 2

As mentioned earlier, the mouth of this Tang Sancai camel was open. When Chu Chen carefully examined it with a magnifying glass, he saw the words "Huani" (fire mud) on the upper palate, which made him instantly dumbfounded, his face turning as white as snow.

Fire Mud was the name of a master forger from the Republican era. His real surname was Zhang, but his specific name was unknown, and he was generally called Zhang Huani, known for his exceptional skills in forging various ceramics.

His forgeries were extremely realistic, and his level of craftsmanship, though not the best in history, was certainly among the top. Even many ceramic appraisal experts were fooled. Chu Chen, with his limited expertise, was no exception.

Every piece by Zhang Huani had his name carved in an unexpected place, the two characters being smaller than a grain of rice, which also demonstrated his high level of skill.

For example, on this Tang Sancai camel, the name was carved on the upper palate, a place where most people would not notice. The characters were so small that without a magnifying glass, they were almost invisible, making it even more unlikely for anyone to discover them.

Moreover, after the camel was successfully forged, it was reburied in the ground. The time it had been buried was probably around seventy to eighty years, which added to the difficulty of its appraisal.

The reason why experts like Mr. Xiang had doubts about this Tang Sancai was because they had long been dealing with antiques and artifacts, and thus had a certain sensitivity to the age of these items. No matter how realistic this Tang Sancai was, the thousand-year-old patina could not be faked.

Experts like Mr. Liu and Mr. Qian, once they felt something was off, would almost immediately have a sense of it. Then they would try to find the problem. However, this Tang Sancai was so realistic that the two experts could not find any issues in a short time, and thus could not make a definitive judgment.

After all, appraising antiques allowed no room for error. If you said something was wrong, you had to point out the specific issues. It would be a big joke to say, "I feel this is wrong."

The words "Huani" in the magnifying glass were so glaring to Chu Chen. In just three days, he experienced extreme joy and sorrow. His mood plummeted, as if he had fallen into an icy pit, and he became dazed and confused.

Chu Chen felt utterly despondent. He could only blame himself, as the old saying goes, "If you don't listen to the elders, you will suffer in the end."

A person like Mr. Liu, whose words carried weight, especially in the antique world, would not risk his reputation. If he was fooled, it would greatly damage his reputation. If such a person could not identify an item, how could it be without any issues?

Chu Chen, however, was blinded by his own arrogance, thinking his expertise was already very good. Could his expertise really surpass the rich experience of Mr. Liu and Mr. Qian?

Ultimately, the problem was caused by greed. Although he liked this Tang Sancai, there was a saying in the antique world: "Seeing is owning." After playing with it for a while, he would definitely sell it. With its quality and charm, it could easily fetch over a million.

If he had not been so greedy, this disaster would not have happened. Five years of savings were now gone!

Even though many experts had not found any issues with this Tang Sancai, Chu Chen would never think of selling it. His adoptive father had taught him from a young age to be honest in business and in life, which was the key to long-term success. He had been practicing this principle since he came to Beijing five years ago, which was why he had established himself in the antique street at a young age.

If Chu Chen did not know this Tang Sancai was a forgery, he could have sold it with a clear conscience. But now that he knew it was a fake, he definitely would not sell it, as he could not live with the guilt.

Moreover, this Tang Sancai would only end up in his hands because it was too realistic. If it were sold as a high-quality forgery, it might cause someone to lose everything, and he would be partly responsible.

Thinking about this, Chu Chen sighed deeply, feeling that he had brought this upon himself. He picked up a bottle of Erguotou and drank it heavily, truly "drinking to forget sorrow, but sorrow only grows."

After drinking three 750ml bottles of Erguotou, even with his good tolerance, the Tang Sancai camel appeared as multiple images before his eyes.

Chu Chen pointed at the camel with his left hand, trying to say something, but before he could speak, he heard a "bang" and fell to the ground. Before he fell, his left hand knocked the camel, which followed him and fell as well.

With a "clunk," the Tang Sancai camel fell from the coffee table. Although the table was not high, the camel broke into dozens of pieces. One of the ceramic shards cut his wrist, breaking a vein, and blood gushed out, instantly wetting the floor. Most of the shards were stained with his blood.

Then, a pale white light rose from the shards, following the blood and entering Chu Chen's wrist. The blood that had flowed out from his wrist returned to it, and the wound healed, leaving his skin smooth and unmarked.

Apart from the broken camel, the entire process seemed as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, thousands of miles away in Moscow, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch announced:

"The Games of the 29th Olympiad in 2008 are awarded to the city of Beijing!"

Instantly, Beijing erupted in joy. The entire city became a sea of happiness, with fireworks lighting up the sky. People flooded the streets, celebrating all night long. No one slept that night!

****************************************

The next morning at six, Chu Chen woke up with his biological clock. He squinted his eyes, feeling a dull, throbbing pain in his head, which told him that the alcohol from the night before was still affecting him.

He groaned, using his hands to support himself as he tried to get up. He saw the Tang Sancai camel, now broken into dozens of pieces.

"Ah! My treasure!"

Chu Chen immediately rushed to the pieces, picking them up with a heavy heart. Although this Tang Sancai was a forgery, his affection for it had not diminished much. After all, its artistic value was undeniable, and there was a saying that art has no true or false, and even a forgery can have its unique charm.

However, the camel was now completely shattered, and the possibility of restoration was slim. Chu Chen felt dejected, staring at it for a long time. Finally, he sighed, thinking it was better this way, as it would help him let go and avoid being reminded of his loss.

Sighing, he realized that life must go on. He had not eaten well for several days, especially after the heavy drinking last night. His stomach was very uncomfortable. He swept the pieces to one side, changed his clothes, and washed up, then went out to buy some breakfast to ease his hunger.

As he walked outside, it felt like a festival. The streets were decorated with red flags, and the entire city seemed to have a different spirit.

Chu Chen was puzzled. What was the cause of this celebration? After asking a familiar person, he learned that Beijing had successfully bid for the Olympics.

The topic of the Olympic bid had been a hot topic in Beijing for the past few days, and Chu Chen had also discussed it enthusiastically with others. However, he had been completely absorbed in the world of Tang Sancai and had no time to pay attention to such big news. Last night, he was too drunk to notice this historic moment.

The news of the successful bid lifted Chu Chen's spirits. However, he was not just cheering for his country; he was also excited because the success of the bid would bring more people to Beijing for business and tourism, which would boost the antique business. This way, he might be able to buy a house in Beijing in less than five years.

This was a typical small-town mentality, but it was understandable. Chu Chen had just lost 400,000 yuan and was now in a state of poverty. His mind was filled with thoughts of making money, which was a natural reaction.

With this good news, Chu Chen's dejected heart was reinvigorated. After a quick breakfast, he hurried back, eager to plan for the future to make more money.

However, on his way back, he encountered his landlord, Aunt Zhang, who stopped him.

"Chen, it's going to be August next month!"

Chu Chen was a bit confused at first, but then he realized the implications and felt a sense of urgency. He smiled at Aunt Zhang and said:

"Don't worry, Aunt. I have some things to take care of these days. We can renew the contract next Friday."

Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "Chen, you're an old tenant. I trust you. But you see, the housing prices have gone up recently. Shouldn't the rent go up too? Don't worry, as an old tenant, I'll only raise it by fifty yuan a month."

Chu Chen was speechless. Aunt Zhang was generally a good person, but she was very sensitive about money, to put it bluntly, she was greedy.

However, it made sense that with rising housing prices, the rent would also increase. Chu Chen was renting a one-bedroom apartment not far from Panjiayuan, which had a good location. He had lived there for three years and was used to it. Moving to a new place would be troublesome, and it might not be as good.

Chu Chen's current rent was 1,450 yuan per month. A fifty-yuan increase would make it 1,500 yuan, which was reasonable. However, they signed a one-year contract, and he needed to pay a 3,000 yuan deposit. Fortunately, he had already paid the deposit last year, so he didn't need to pay it again, but he still needed 18,000 yuan.

Originally, it would have been manageable, but now, where could he get so much money in such a short time? (New book release, please follow and recommend! Thank you all!)