Chapter 9

These two chairs, just by their craftsmanship, can immediately catch one's eye, but they still need to be verified to see if they are indeed made of rosewood.

First, one must observe their color and grain. We know that the surface of rosewood furniture is a noble purple-red or purple-black, with a neat grain and very few or almost no patterns. Golden stars, golden threads, or fine, S-shaped curly cow hair patterns can be seen.

If viewed with a 60-100 times magnifying glass, the tube holes are filled with golden rosewood essence, like a starry sky with twinkling stars.

Although these two chairs are works from the Qing Qianlong period, it can be seen from their condition that each generation of owners has preserved them quite well. Although the surface has turned slightly grayish-white, the aforementioned characteristics can still be discerned.

Furthermore, the fine, curly patterns and the smooth, skin-like texture of rosewood furniture are impossible to replicate with other woods, so it can be concluded that these two five-screen armchairs are indeed made of rosewood.

In this case, both the pear wood table and the rosewood five-screen armchairs are of considerable value, and since the three pieces of furniture form a set, their value increases even more.

At this moment, Old Li returned with two large and small brocade boxes, smiling and asking everyone, "How do you like this set of furniture?"

Everyone exchanged glances. The items were indeed excellent, but Old Li wouldn't sell them separately, which made things a bit difficult.

At this point, Zhao Qirui coughed and said with a smile, "Don't mind me; I'm not interested in furniture this time. You all discuss it among yourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere among the group relaxed. Zhao Xueyi was just a mediator and didn't need to be considered, and although Uncle Wu liked the items, he couldn't gather the money quickly and was primarily involved in porcelain, so he lacked the confidence to compete with others.

Therefore, it was no surprise that the set of furniture went to Zhu Dafu.

However, Chu Chen noticed a small episode. After Zhao Qirui spoke, Qian Changxing, who was standing next to him, seemed to have the intention to buy as well, but he was silenced by a glare from Zhao Qirui.

Afterward, Qian Changxing appeared somewhat resentful, though the expression was fleeting. Zhao Qirui, being the CEO of a large company, had a keen eye and noticed it, and his gaze toward Qian Changxing became even more displeased. However, Qian Changxing seemed unaware of this.

Chu Chen thought to himself, "This Qian Changxing is truly a fool, too self-important. No wonder he is disliked by Uncle Wu and the others."

While they were discussing the price, Chu Chen took the opportunity to look around the room.

This room was where Old Li kept his antiques, and it was very clean. However, apart from the three pieces of furniture, it was empty, as Old Li had mentioned earlier that the other items had been taken by other collectors.

When his gaze swept over a corner of the wall, Chu Chen noticed a Buddha statue, which piqued his curiosity. However, the lighting was dim, and he couldn't see clearly from where he stood, so he walked over to take a closer look.

Upon closer inspection, Chu Chen felt very disappointed. The statue was about forty centimeters tall, depicting a Buddha sitting on a lotus pedestal, carved from ordinary camphor wood with very ordinary craftsmanship. Judging by the patina and carving technique, it was likely a late Qing to early Republican period item, which explained why it was placed in the corner.

However, since he had already taken a look, he decided to examine it thoroughly. As Chu Chen tried to turn the statue, he felt a sudden movement in his left hand, sensing two auras within the statue.

One aura was undoubtedly from the statue itself, while the other made Chu Chen speculate that there might be something hidden inside the statue.

With this thought, Chu Chen didn't hesitate and immediately used his ability. Indeed, two auras were drawn into his left hand. One was short and very weak, while the other was long and extremely strong, the strongest he had ever felt.

This immediately invigorated Chu Chen, and he began to examine the statue carefully. However, he found no issues, which was normal; if it were that easy to spot, it wouldn't still be in this corner.

However, the price was almost settled, and if they saw his current actions, they might suspect something was wrong with the statue. Therefore, he had to act quickly. If he couldn't find the issue, he would have to get the statue first.

Perhaps luck was on his side. Using a magnifying glass, Chu Chen soon noticed a very fine, almost invisible seam at the junction between the statue and the lotus pedestal. This was likely the issue. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and carried the statue over to the group.

At this point, Zhu Dafu had already agreed on a price with Old Li. In the end, Zhu Dafu bought the set of valuable furniture for 450,000 yuan, a price that both parties seemed satisfied with, as evident from their smiles.

After placing the statue on the ground, Chu Chen scratched the back of his head and said to Old Li with a simple smile, "Old Li, my mother is a Buddhist, and I don't have the money to buy her a good statue. I saw this one here, and I think she would like it. Could I take it home to show my filial piety?"

Everyone was taken aback, especially Uncle Wu, whose eyes flashed with a strange look, and Zhao Qirui appeared somewhat disappointed. Then they began to examine the statue. The material was ordinary camphor wood, and the craftsmanship was also ordinary, but it was a late Qing period item, so it was still an old piece, suitable for household worship.

Old Li looked at the statue and then at Chu Chen, and said, "This statue was obtained by my grandfather." He paused, then looked at Chu Chen, who still had a simple smile on his face, showing no signs of anything unusual. Old Li felt somewhat disappointed, thinking he might have overthought it.

He then smiled and said, "But since no one in our family believes in Buddhism anymore, and you are so filial, you can take it home."

Chu Chen immediately felt relieved. When Old Li was staring at him, he was so nervous that he almost showed his emotions, but he managed to control himself. Suppressing his excitement, Chu Chen thanked Old Li with a simple smile and bought the statue for 1,000 yuan.

At this moment, Qian Changxing sneered and said, "Wu Ziping, your nephew has poor taste. He would even want such an ordinary statue. Has he never seen anything better? Should I introduce you to a better one?"

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere became extremely awkward, and everyone felt a surge of anger.

Chu Chen and the others, who already had a poor impression of him, were especially offended. First, he had insulted Old Li, who had just mentioned that the statue was obtained by his grandfather. How could Old Li not be angry?

Zhao Qirui was also angry at Qian Changxing for speaking out of turn. If they were in a different setting, he could have confronted him, but now, as a guest invited by Zhao Qirui, he represented Zhao's stance. Speaking like that would only cause unnecessary trouble.

Realizing he had become the target of everyone's anger, Qian Changxing quickly understood the problem with his words. He felt a wave of frustration, wondering why he couldn't control his temper after not seeing Wu Ziping for a few years. Was Wu Ziping just not compatible with him? What bad luck.

Seeing this, Qian Changxing awkwardly retreated to the side.

Zhao Qirui coughed to break the awkward silence and said to Old Li, "Ha, Old Li, what treasures are in these two boxes? Let us have a look."

Old Li smiled and chatted for a moment before opening the boxes. Everyone immediately gasped in amazement.

The smaller box contained a doucai bowl.

Doucai, also known as dòu cǎi, is a ceramic decoration technique that combines underglaze blue and overglaze colors. It was created during the Ming Chenghua period in the Jingdezhen kilns. Known for its novel patterns and delicate colors, it is a significant achievement in Chinese ceramic history.

It combines underglaze blue and overglaze five colors on the same piece of porcelain, creating a vibrant and artistic visual effect.

This doucai bowl has a blue and white border with Sanskrit and dragon playing with pearls on the inner and outer rims. The center and outer walls are decorated with doucai lotus and mandarin ducks, and it is accurately named a doucai lotus and mandarin ducks pattern bowl.

Judging by the patina, body, painting, and glaze, it is a doucai bowl from the Qing Kangxi period, imitating Ming doucai porcelain.

The larger brocade box contained a magnificent white jade eight auspicious pattern ruyi, which caused everyone to exclaim in amazement.

A ruyi is an ancient Chinese symbol of good fortune, evolving from an itch scratcher. The earliest ruyi had a handle shaped like a finger, symbolizing that it could scratch where the hand could not reach, hence the name ruyi. Later, it evolved into a notepad (also called a court notepad) and finally into a purely ornamental item, becoming the modern ruyi.

This ruyi is about forty centimeters long, carved from a single piece of white jade, with a large and lustrous body, a gentle and curved shape, and exquisite craftsmanship. It is a rare and valuable piece.

The head of the ruyi is in the shape of a lingzhi mushroom, with a raised edge following the shape. Inside, a shallow relief of the character for longevity is surrounded by the four treasures: the parasol, the lotus, the endless knot, and the goldfish.

The raised areas on the handle contain the three treasures: the white canopy, the vase, and the conch. The tail of the handle has a wheel and a bat. The handle is adorned with alternating cloud patterns, flowing and free. The ruyi is intricately carved with clear and auspicious patterns, embodying the style of courtly items. (Please follow and recommend!)