Chapter 28

In fact, what is called an exchange of skills is merely an excuse for a gathering. Today, everyone came to this Hundred Arts Workshop with the sole purpose of seeing the "Shangyang Terrace" scroll in Zhang Tianyuan's hands. The rest is just for show, or perhaps a warm-up.

Since that's the case, changing the exchange to a solo performance by Zhang Tianyuan would be fine. Perhaps for a few experts, this would be even more interesting. After all, the so-called evidence that even Old Li, Mr. Xiao, and Mr. Murong couldn't identify was spotted by Zhang Tianyuan, and they had a higher regard for this young man.

"Then I won't be polite!"

Zhang Tianyuan was also not one to back down. He wanted to show his skills in front of these experts, so he could deepen his connections with them in the future. Otherwise, if you have no real talent, people will look down on you.

Old Li took out a sandalwood box, but this was not the treasure to be appraised; the real treasure was inside the box.

Opening the box, there were two walnuts inside.

"Walnuts?"

"Walnuts!"

Xu Gang and Jia Zhengjing both exclaimed in surprise.

"Isn't this... Old Li, you're joking, right? Bringing two walnuts, is this just to make up the numbers?" Xu Gang laughed.

Jia Zhengjing glanced at Xu Gang and said in a professional tone, "What do you know, you country bumpkin? These must be porcelain walnuts or glass walnuts!"

Old Li snorted, "These are walnuts, walnuts that grow on trees!"

"Ha—! Hahaha!" Xu Gang couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Jia Zhengjing, Jia Zhengjing, you're really something! So sure, and then... Hahaha, you've killed me!"

"Xiao Gang, don't be like that. If someone doesn't understand, it's normal for them to make a fool of themselves," Zhang Tianyuan said.

"I'm the one who really doesn't understand, but this Mr. Jia is clearly pretending to know something he doesn't!" Xu Gang wouldn't give Jia Zhengjing any face.

Jia Zhengjing's face turned red, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. But this man had thick skin and eventually laughed, saying, "I was just joking, you guys took it seriously."

"Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing. Let's let our young friend Tianyuan appraise these two walnuts," Mr. Murong, who couldn't stand it anymore, quickly intervened.

Zhang Tianyuan didn't dwell on the matter. He smiled, nodded, and while playing with the two walnuts, said, "The collection and appreciation of walnuts have a long history, dating back to the Han and Sui dynasties, becoming popular during the Tang and Song dynasties, and flourishing in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Over more than two thousand years, this tradition has continued, forming a unique Chinese walnut culture."

"Throughout history, from emperors and generals to scholars and beauties, and from officials and clerks to common people, all have been proud to own a pair of exquisite, shiny walnuts."

"We call such walnuts 'literary walnuts.' Literary walnuts are walnuts selected and processed for their unique shape and characteristics, making them valuable for collection. The main difference between these walnuts and those used for eating lies in the selection, oiling, playing, collection, and trading processes."

"Really? Are these walnuts that impressive?" Xu Gang couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Tianyuan nodded, "During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the appreciation of walnuts was especially popular! Emperor Tianqi of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Youxiao, not only played with walnuts constantly but also carved them himself. Hence the folk legend, 'Playing with walnuts and forgetting state affairs, Zhu Youxiao carving walnuts at his desk.' Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty was also a great connoisseur of walnuts and is said to have composed a poem praising walnuts: 'The moon and sun spin in my palm, time seems to flow backward. My whole body is filled with energy, when will my hair turn white?' If even emperors played with walnuts, how impressive are they?"

"You've said a lot, but you haven't said whether Old Li's walnuts are real or fake yet!" Jia Zhengjing, unable to stand Zhang Tianyuan's smugness, urged.

"Mr. Jia, that's not the right question. Walnuts don't have a concept of real or fake. In walnut collecting, there's only good or bad, not real or fake," Zhang Tianyuan smiled.

Jia Zhengjing was silenced again. He realized that the more he spoke, the more he revealed his lack of knowledge and made a fool of himself.

Seeing that Jia Zhengjing was quiet, Zhang Tianyuan continued, "Literary walnuts are generally divided into three categories: iron walnuts, jujube walnuts, and horse chestnut walnuts. The first two are not very valuable, so let's focus on the horse chestnut walnuts, as the pair Old Li brought out is a type of horse chestnut walnut!"

"Oh? Which type is it?" Old Li asked with a smile.

Zhang Tianyuan nodded, "The main varieties of horse chestnut walnuts include Lion's Head, Tiger's Head, Official's Cap, Scholar's Cap, Chicken Heart, and Arhat Head. Their prices can range from thousands to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands! Among them, the Lion's Head is the most precious and rare, and it is highly favored by collectors. Old Li is a great collector and is very particular about his collection, so the pair he brought out is definitely a rare treasure, a priceless old Lion's Head!"

"How so?"

"The old Lion's Head walnut is the oldest type of literary walnut! It has a dignified and heavy appearance, with a full belly when viewed from the side! The base is upright! The base is short and thick! The tip is small and blunt! The patterns are deep and spread out! The bottom is large and solid, and the bottom is flat! The skin turns red easily when handled! The color when played with is beautiful! It is rare and expensive!"

"What do you estimate it to be worth?" Old Li asked.

Zhang Tianyuan scratched his head and smiled, "To be honest, Old Li, I'm not very good at valuation, but this Lion's Head walnut is truly a treasure, and it could date back to the late Ming or early Qing dynasty. The number of surviving pieces is likely not many, so I think it should be worth around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan."

Jia Zhengjing snorted, "A pair of walnuts worth 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, I wonder who has a screw loose."

Although his words were not directed at Old Li, they were still very low-level, and Old Li's face immediately darkened.

However, Old Li didn't have time to deal with this fool and instead looked at Zhang Tianyuan, "Whether your appraisal is correct or not, we'll set that aside for now. You should also appraise the items from Mr. Xiao and Mr. Murong."

Zhang Tianyuan knew that by appraising the imperial beads, he had won the favor of Old Dong, and by appraising the Lion's Head walnut, he had earned the praise of Old Li. Today was definitely worth it.

Mr. Xiao took out a gourd.

In the late Qing dynasty, there was a saying: "Scholars play with walnuts, warriors spin iron balls, the rich carry gourds, and the idle walk their dogs."

The rich carrying gourds indicates that gourds were also a luxurious collectible at the time.

In ancient times, the small mouth and large belly of gourds were believed to absorb the good energy of a home while inhibiting and blocking bad energy, creating a suitable living environment.

Therefore, wealthy families often kept several natural gourds in their homes, believing they had the power to dispel evil and bring good fortune. Many auspicious patterns in ancient times featured gourds, such as "Generations of Descendants" and "Eternal Prosperity."

Of course, there are many types of gourds, some are real gourds that grow on trees, while others are ceramic or jade gourds.

However, Mr. Xiao's gourd was clearly a real gourd that grew on a gourd vine.

But whether it had any collection value was another matter.

Zhang Tianyuan tried to infuse the gourd with earth energy but ultimately shook his head. He wasn't particularly knowledgeable about gourd collecting, but this gourd didn't seem to be anything special.

"What are you shaking your head for? Can a gourd be fake? If a pair of walnuts is worth 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, isn't this gourd worth at least 100,000 yuan?" Jia Zhengjing's words were filled with sarcasm.

Zhang Tianyuan shook his head, "If I'm not mistaken, this gourd was probably used by Mr. Xiao's child to carry water for play. It has little collection value, but it's good for children to play with."

Mr. Xiao laughed heartily, "You have a sharp eye, indeed! When I took this gourd from my grandson, the little guy cried his eyes out. I had to buy him a Transformer to make up for it."

This man was straightforward and directly confirmed that Zhang Tianyuan's judgment was correct.