Chapter 7

On Tuesday, July 17th, Chu Chen, feeling excited, woke up early, dressed neatly, bought breakfast, and strolled to Uncle Wu's shop, eating as he went.

Yesterday, apart from exercising and eating, Chu Chen spent the whole day at home. He had originally planned to restock, but thinking about the trip to the old house in Jin Province the next day, he decided to save the money, thinking it might come in handy.

Throughout the day, Chu Chen read through all the antique materials in the house. Compared to before, his knowledge of antiques had greatly increased, and he was only lacking practical experience. Unfortunately, most of the materials were about porcelain, with only a few about jade and other artifacts. However, in these two areas, he was still purely theoretical.

Chu Chen arrived at Uncle Wu's shop just after six o'clock. As expected, Uncle Wu had not yet arrived, but he had the key to the shop, so he didn't have to wait outside.

After entering, Chu Chen tidied up a bit and then turned on the computer to browse the web. His computer skills were now quite proficient, and it was hard to tell that he had only been learning for less than three days.

When Uncle Wu returned that day and saw Chu Chen operating the computer skillfully, he was very surprised and asked if Chu Chen had secretly learned before. Chu Chen flattered himself, calling himself smart and a genius, which made Uncle Wu envious and jealous, and he playfully hit Chu Chen a few times.

Uncle Wu arrived at the shop before seven o'clock, and after some preparation, he took Chu Chen to meet Zhao Xueyi.

When they arrived, Zhao Xueyi and an elderly man in his fifties were already there.

Chu Chen was familiar with this elderly man, who was the owner of "Yuebao Pavilion," a large antique shop in Panjiayuan, named Zhu Dafu. Zhu Dafu and Uncle Wu were old friends.

In the antique business, the circle is not very large, at least in places like Panjiayuan, where everyone knows each other. The industry values connections, and as long as there are no deep grudges, people generally get along well.

Although Zhu Dafu looked only in his fifties, it was because he took good care of himself and was also a master of Tai Chi. He was actually seventy-two years old.

After Uncle Wu and Chu Chen greeted them, Zhu Dafu smiled and said to Chu Chen, "Little Chen, I have a small request. I heard that you made a mistake with the Tang Sancai. I just want to learn from it."

Zhu Dafu was kind to Chu Chen, not because he had a request, but because Chu Chen's adoptive father had taught him traditional Tai Chi, which he had practiced diligently over the years. Chu Chen's skills in Tai Chi were quite advanced.

Chu Chen lived not far from Zhu Dafu. One day, while practicing Tai Chi in the park, they met by chance. Both practiced traditional Tai Chi, which focused on combat, making it difficult for Zhu Dafu to find people to exchange techniques with. Seeing Chu Chen's skills, he was delighted and immediately approached him after Chu Chen finished his practice.

Chu Chen had no prejudice and, given the modern era where martial arts were less relevant, was happy to exchange techniques with Zhu Dafu. They became close friends, and later, when Zhu Dafu learned that Chu Chen was Uncle Wu's nephew, their relationship became even closer, though Chu Chen was a generation younger.

Chu Chen clapped his hands and said, "Uncle Zhu, I thought it was a big deal. But why would someone as knowledgeable as you be interested in my Tang Sancai?"

"Little Chen, I told you not to call me Uncle Zhu. It makes me sound fat and old," Zhu Dafu said with a sigh. "Also, I'm not that knowledgeable. I just have a bit more experience. The techniques for making fakes are so advanced now that we have to be very careful. Zhang Huoni can be considered the master of these techniques, so his works are very instructive."

With the advancement of technology, there are many more fakes, especially high-quality ones. It's easy to make mistakes, so people in the antique business study these techniques to avoid being fooled.

Chu Chen nodded and said, "Alright, I'll bring it to your shop when we get back."

Then, Zhao Xueyi said, "Everyone's here, let's go."

Uncle Wu asked in surprise, "Just the four of us?"

Zhao Xueyi said as he walked, "There's one more, our old friend Mr. Zhao, but he's in Jinyang and will meet us there."

Seeing Chu Chen's puzzled look, Uncle Wu introduced him, "Mr. Zhao Qirui, the CEO of Whit Trade, a billionaire who loves antiques. He usually works through Uncle Zhao."

Chu Chen was surprised. Whit Trade was a well-known import-export company in the capital, and its CEO was rumored to be very influential. He didn't expect him to be interested in antiques.

The four of them approached an old Santana, and Zhu Dafu joked, "Little Zhao, you're worth millions, why don't you get a better car?"

Zhao Xueyi opened the car door and said, "This car is old, but I'm used to it. A new one would take some getting used to."

The others laughed, and they all got in the car and set off.

After a while, Zhu Dafu said to Chu Chen, "Little Chen, your energy seems different from before. Did you make a breakthrough?"

Chu Chen was taken aback and laughed, "Uncle Zhu, your eyes are sharp. I did just break through to the Small Circulation stage."

The traditional Tai Chi that Chu Chen practiced had three stages: Small Circulation, Great Circulation, and Pre-natal. While it might sound like something from a martial arts novel, it's not as exaggerated as flying or hurting people with leaves. However, reaching the Pre-natal stage could extend one's life to over 150 years.

Chu Chen's adoptive father had told him that no one in their lineage had broken through to the Pre-natal stage since the Qing Dynasty. As for whether there were higher stages beyond Pre-natal, no one knew.

Chu Chen's breakthrough to the Small Circulation stage was somewhat mysterious. Yesterday, as soon as he started practicing, he felt a change in his energy, a sign of the breakthrough. He was both surprised and puzzled, and he suspected it might be due to his special abilities.

Zhu Dafu laughed happily, "Great, Little Chen, you can now be considered a Tai Chi master. You're truly a rising star. I was forty when I broke through to the Small Circulation stage. If we were in ancient times, you would have reached the Pre-natal stage."

Chu Chen modestly said he didn't deserve such praise.

Zhao Xueyi, driving, asked, "This Small Circulation stage, is it really like in martial arts novels?"

Zhu Dafu chuckled, "Of course not. If it were like that, we'd all be superheroes. Martial arts wouldn't be in decline. But reaching the Small Circulation stage can extend your life to at least ninety years, and you can handle several grown men."

Zhao Xueyi said, "That's impressive, better than a special forces soldier. In our line of work, if we encounter a setup in an unfamiliar place, it's good to have some self-defense skills."

The antique business is full of tricks. "Bumping" and other scams have been common throughout history. One must be cautious during transactions to avoid being fooled. Situations like the one Zhao Xueyi described are not uncommon.

Zhao Xueyi then introduced the owner of the house they were going to. Chu Chen learned that this trip was not strictly a house clearance but rather the owner, an elderly man, wanted to sell his collection.

After that, Zhu Dafu and Chu Chen exchanged some Tai Chi techniques, and they shared some interesting stories about antiques. The car became quiet.

After four hours, they stopped at a service station for lunch and continued their journey. Uncle Wu took over the driving, as Zhao Xueyi was quite tired after four hours of driving.

Their destination was Qianxiu Town in Yunzhong City, not far from the service station. An hour later, they arrived at the meeting point with Mr. Zhao Qirui.

Mr. Zhao Qirui arrived in a Mercedes. Zhao Xueyi greeted him and then took over the driving. They set off for the destination, with Mr. Zhao Qirui following behind.

Zhao Xueyi, driving, said gloomily, "What bad luck, Mr. Zhao brought Qian Changxing this time."

Zhu Dafu was surprised, "Mr. Zhao usually has Old Dong appraise things. Why did he bring Qian Changxing this time?"

Uncle Wu said, "It's normal. Old Dong and Qian Changxing are good friends. Maybe Old Dong had something else to do, so he sent Qian Changxing."

Chu Chen knew why Qian Changxing was disliked. Qian Changxing had some skill in antique appraisal and had entered the Palace Museum through connections, working as an appraiser like Uncle Wu.

However, Qian Changxing had a bad character and had set up a scam to buy fakes. Uncle Wu discovered this, and although Qian Changxing avoided prison due to family connections, he lost his job and harbored a grudge against Uncle Wu.

During the early stages of the reform and opening-up, Qian Changxing used his skills to help people appraise or broker deals. If he had been honest, he would have been quite wealthy by now, but he continued to set up scams.