Chapter 65

Professor Qin thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Yang, the old man has a few things to discuss today."

Yang Kang was taken aback. It was rare to see Professor Qin so serious, and he hurriedly said, "Professor, I'm not planning to sell the vase anymore."

Professor Qin was momentarily stunned, then realized he had been misunderstood. He immediately waved his hands and said, "Mr. Yang, don't misunderstand! I didn't come for the vase. It's like this—Lángyuàn is holding a summer antique and jewelry auction tomorrow. I specially came with an invitation, hoping you would come and enjoy the event. I hope you can do me the honor."

As he spoke, Professor Qin took out a large red invitation and respectfully handed it over with both hands.

"Professor, you're too polite!" Yang Kang hurriedly accepted it, opened it, and saw that he was invited to the antique and jewelry auction. "I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I'll definitely come to enjoy the event."

He remembered that Shao Wenmo had once said that he knew the owner of Lángyuàn and had a good relationship with him, so it was necessary for him to show up for such an event.

"The antique exchange starts at eight, and the auction begins at ten," Professor Qin said, delighted that Yang Kang agreed. "Come at eight, and we can chat, have a drink, and look at the items."

"Alright!" Yang Kang nodded, "I'll definitely be there at eight tomorrow evening."

"Besides this, does Professor have anything else?" Yang Kang asked.

"Regarding the last incident, it was my fault for speaking too quickly and causing you trouble," Professor Qin sighed. "So, I came to apologize today..."

"Don't say that, sir," Yang Kang interrupted before he could finish, "If it weren't for you, I would have had a hard time finding a... a tycoon to sell that Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain."

He had been hanging out with Fat Shao for a few days and almost blurted out "fool" because, in Fat Shao's eyes, anyone who liked antiques was a fool.

"Moreover, you helped me repair that Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain jar, and I haven't even thanked you. Why would you talk about apologizing?" Yang Kang said with a smile.

"As long as you're not angry, that's fine," Professor Qin said. "I wanted to come see you these past few days but was afraid you were still angry and didn't dare to come."

"It's fine, I'm not angry," Yang Kang said with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad you're not angry!" Professor Qin couldn't help but rub his hands together, then leaned in and whispered, "Young Master, since you're not angry, can I see your collection?"

Yang Kang hesitated for a moment but thought that he couldn't really blame Professor Qin for the last incident. Moreover, Professor Qin was very righteous, having repaired the porcelain for him without charging any fees. What more could he ask for?

"Professor, you can see it, but you mustn't tell anyone," Yang Kang said.

"Of course, I won't say a word," Professor Qin hurriedly promised.

"Alright!" Yang Kang closed the door and gestured for him to go upstairs, "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Professor Qin was very happy and followed Yang Kang upstairs into his bedroom. His eyes immediately fell on the blue-and-white porcelain vase with a white dragon pattern, and he couldn't take them off it. He even lunged forward to touch it.

"Damn, the display cabinet shouldn't have glass doors!" Professor Qin complained as he touched the smooth, clear glass. "Everyone knows that a display cabinet should have no back and no doors."

"Professor, if you want to touch it, I can open the door for you. Although display cabinets originally had no back or doors, furniture needs to evolve with the times," Yang Kang said, somewhat amused.

For such rare and valuable antiques, he couldn't risk not having doors. Even if it wasn't to prevent theft, a small mistake could lead to them breaking. He remembered how Fat Shao's "Mozi Rescues Song" Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain had broken due to a small mistake.

Moreover, without a back or doors, dust would easily accumulate. Ordinary items could be cleaned, but these rare antiques were best left untouched.

"Alright, I want to see the blue-and-white porcelain," Professor Qin nodded eagerly. "You're not being very honest, having such a blue-and-white porcelain and not mentioning it. No wonder you sold that Yuan dynasty blue-and-white so easily, hmpf!"

Yang Kang didn't mind, took out the key, and opened the display cabinet for him to see.

Professor Qin was extremely excited, holding the blue-and-white porcelain and examining it from all angles, completely entranced. After a while, he put down the blue-and-white porcelain with the white dragon pattern and looked at the coral red enamel vase with gold-painted lotus patterns beside it.

"This vase is truly beautiful!" Professor Qin, like Yang Kang when he first saw it, couldn't stop praising it.

"Professor, can you determine its age?" Yang Kang asked. "There's no date or signature on the bottom, and I can't really tell. Theoretically..."

"It's from the Qianlong era," Professor Qin said confidently. "It's definitely a court tribute, no doubt about it. By the way, can you get me a flashlight?"

"Huh?" Yang Kang was curious and hurriedly got a flashlight.

Professor Qin carefully placed the vase on the sofa and shone the flashlight at the bottom. The bottom of the vase revealed a faint white glaze inscription—Qianlong era.

"Why is that?" Yang Kang was stunned. He had never been able to determine the age of the vase because Emperor Qianlong was an extremely narcissistic emperor, and his court tributes would certainly have a date.

But if it wasn't a court tribute, how could it be so exquisitely crafted? It made no sense.

"I've only heard about it but never seen it in person. I thought it was just a rumor," Professor Qin explained. "It's said that this is made with a double-layer glaze, with the inscription inside. It can only be seen when light shines through. This technique only appeared briefly in history, like the Ru porcelain of the Song dynasty and the blue-and-white porcelain of the Yuan dynasty, both representing the pinnacle of their respective eras."

"Both of these vases are priceless treasures. What's remarkable is that these two vases are almost the same size and shape, making them a perfect pair. Together, they are truly breathtaking," Professor Qin said.

"The first time I saw these two vases, I forgot to breathe and almost suffocated," Yang Kang said.

He wasn't exaggerating; when he first saw the vases, he was truly amazed.

"I felt the same way!" Professor Qin said, carefully placing the coral red enamel vase back in the display cabinet and then looking at the Yuan dynasty blue-and-white "Diao Chan Worshipping the Moon" vase.

"Young Master, the best porcelain in the world might all be in your home," Professor Qin said with a sigh.

"Professor, don't joke around," Yang Kang shook his head. He admitted that the Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain vase with a white dragon pattern and the Qianlong era coral red enamel vase with gold-painted lotus patterns were both very beautiful, but they couldn't represent the best porcelain in the world.