Chapter 82

Tushou held the painting that Zhang Tianyuan had copied, carefully examining it. He looked at it again, seemingly still unsure, and even took out a magnifying glass to examine the painting inch by inch on the table.

After a long while, Yang Yijun became impatient and said, "Old Tushou, this is just a copy. What’s there to look at? You’re wasting everyone’s time. We still have other items to auction."

Tushou ignored him and continued to examine the painting. After a long time, he raised his head and muttered to himself, "Strange, strange, it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t make sense at all!"

"What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?" Yang Yijun asked.

Tushou glanced at Yang Yijun with a sidelong look and said irritably, "Yang, Yang, I’ve told you many times to learn more about the appraisal of calligraphy and paintings, but you never listen. Now you’re making a fool of yourself, aren’t you? Have you really looked at this painting?"

"I’ve looked at it, so what?"

"What do you mean, so what? Let me tell you, if you say Mi Fu has come back to life, I would believe it after seeing this painting." Tushou said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean? I mean exactly that! The precision of this copy is unparalleled in the world. I’ve been appraising calligraphy and paintings for many years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a perfect copy. It’s as if Mi Fu himself is alive! Who is this Zhang Tianyuan? I must meet him. He’s truly remarkable, not only for the flawless copy but also because there’s a hint of divine aura in the painting, which is truly hard to fathom." Tushou spoke with great conviction, and everyone in the room heard him clearly. Those who had no interest in the painting before now looked over, while the Japanese bidder who had made an offer earlier was sweating and looked helpless and regretful.

He knew that after Tushou’s comments, it would be impossible to get the painting for 15,000.

"Can’t be, is it really as amazing as you say?" Yang Yijun was also sweating. He actually believed Tushou, even though he didn’t like him, he admired Tushou’s appraisal skills.

"Can’t be? There are many calligraphy and painting appraisal experts here, and many have seen the original by Mi Fu. Let them all come and take a look. That will settle the matter." Tushou said calmly.

Some of the experts who considered themselves skilled in appraising calligraphy and paintings and had seen the original came forward. They began to carefully examine the painting.

At this moment, Tushou nagged, "Be careful, don’t damage the painting. This is a masterpiece, even though it’s a copy, it’s no different from Mi Fu’s original. The person who painted this might have only been able to create one such masterpiece in their lifetime, and it might have been the culmination of their life’s work."

In the audience, Xu Gang whispered to Zhang Tianyuan, "Is what he said true?"

"The copying skill is real, but I can basically paint one like that in a night. It’s not that impressive. But the more you make, the less valuable they become. Rarity is what makes things valuable, you understand? So if they ask me later, I’ll definitely go along with what Old Tushou said to highlight the value of the copy." Zhang Tianyuan smiled.

"Damn, when did you become so economically savvy?"

"I’ve always been smarter than you, you just didn’t notice." Zhang Tianyuan said smugly.

At this point, the calligraphy and painting experts had finished their examination. With the tone set by Old Tushou, they examined it carefully and all gave a thumbs up.

"Though it’s a copy, it’s a masterpiece among masterpieces, truly a rebirth of Mi Fu! A stroke of genius!"

This evaluation was undoubtedly the highest praise for a copy, similar to calling a doctor a reincarnation of Hua Tuo.

Yang Yijun was dumbfounded. He thought it was a crude and shoddy item that no one would want if placed on the street. Who would have thought that a young man who looked to be in his twenties could have such high artistic skills?

He looked at Zhang Tianyuan and said to Tushou, "Old Tushou, this person has a condition that his identity must not be revealed during the auction. If you want to meet him, you’ll have to wait until after the auction."

"Is that so? That’s a pity, but I’ll wait. Let’s auction this painting now. I’ll bid 100,000!"

Hearing this bid, Yang Yijun was stunned again. After a while, he came to his senses and said, "Old Tushou, the starting price is only 10,000, and the previous bidder offered 15,000. You’re jumping to 100,000. Who else will bid?"

"That’s none of my concern. I’m determined to get this painting!" Tushou’s attitude was firm.

At this point, Xu Gang in the audience was overjoyed. He kicked Zhang Tianyuan and said, "You’re something, selling a painting for 100,000. You’d better take good care of those hands."

Although 100,000 wasn’t a huge amount for Xu Gang and Zhang Tianyuan, the significance was that this was the price for a painting by Zhang Tianyuan.

Just as they were celebrating, another voice rang out, "I’ll bid 150,000!"

"Hey, Xiao Zhao, why are you bidding like this? That painting is mine." Zhang Tianyuan saw that it was Zhao Liangde and couldn’t help but whisper.

"Ah? It’s you! No wonder the signature matches your name. I thought it was just a coincidence." Zhao Liangde said in surprise, "But, Brother Zhang, you’re not being fair. If you had this skill, you should have told me. My girlfriend has always liked that painting, but you know, I can’t give her something so valuable, and my father wouldn’t agree. So I wanted to get a copy, but the painters I hired could only copy the form, not the spirit. I couldn’t be satisfied, let alone my girlfriend who studies traditional Chinese painting."

"Xiao Zhao, don’t bid anymore. If you want it, I’ll paint another one for you privately. We don’t want people to say we’re bidding up the price among ourselves, that wouldn’t be good." Zhang Tianyuan whispered.

"Brother Zhang, can you really paint at that level? I heard Old Tushou’s description, and it sounded incredible." Zhao Liangde was worried.

"Don’t worry, I can definitely do it. Old Tushou doesn’t know me, so he doesn’t understand." Zhang Tianyuan smiled.

"Alright, then I won’t bid anymore." Zhao Liangde was relieved.

He couldn’t retract his bid, as that would reveal the identity of the painter, which Zhang Tianyuan didn’t want.

Zhao Liangde was worried that his bid of 150,000 might be too high and no one would follow, but just as he thought this, another voice rang out. It was the Japanese bidder.

"170,000!"

The Japanese bidder gritted his teeth, determined to get the painting.

However, at this moment, Yang Yijun’s psychological strategy worked. Due to patriotic sentiments, no one wanted the painting to fall into the hands of the Japanese.

Thus, this painting, which no one had cared about before, began to see a frenzy of bidding.

PS: I’m really frustrated. The power went out yesterday and hasn’t come back yet. I had to write in the dark and upload it using my phone’s internet. The most annoying thing is that the Qidian author system is also down. I was supposed to upload this at around 7 PM, but it’s been delayed until now. The word count is a bit short, but I’ll make up for it when the power comes back. Thanks for your support.

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