Chapter 93

Chapter 91: A Second Visit

While they were eating, Liu Dong, who was already familiar with the route, had already ridden his old bicycle to the antique city. First, he went to Taiyi Pavilion to greet Uncle Long and left his bicycle there. After buying some things from the shops on the street, he walked to the back yard of Chenxiang Pavilion.

Last time, he went there empty-handed because it was a sudden visit and he didn't have time to prepare. This time, he definitely wouldn't do that. Moreover, he had specially consulted Uncle Long for advice.

"Knock knock!"

After knocking on the door, Liu Dong soon heard footsteps from inside.

"Creak!" With a somewhat hoarse sound, a plain-faced middle-aged woman, around forty years old, poked out most of her body.

"Aunt Wu, it's me, I'm here to visit Old Li!" Liu Dong, who had been here three days ago, was already familiar with the nanny who took care of Old Li's daily life.

"Oh, it's Mr. Liu, come in quickly! The old man has mentioned you several times!" Aunt Wu, who had a good impression of this polite young man, spoke in a very friendly tone.

Hearing this, Liu Dong politely responded and then stepped over the threshold. He was already very familiar with the scenery of the small courtyard from his previous visit, but seeing the serene environment again, he couldn't help but genuinely like it.

"Uncle Liu, you're here, did you bring a gift for Nannan?" Perhaps hearing the commotion at the door, as soon as Liu Dong rounded the screen wall and entered the courtyard, a little girl with two braids, wearing a white princess dress, about five or six years old, ran out from the house, hugged his leg, and asked in a childish voice.

Seeing her innocent and adorable face, Liu Dong quickly took out the sugar figurine he had bought on the way. "Uncle Liu bought this for you, do you like it?"

Seeing the sugar figurine in his hand, the little girl's eyes lit up, and she quickly took it, examining it in her hands. Her round face showed delight as she exclaimed, "I like it!" Her cute appearance made Liu Dong pick her up.

"Xiao Dong is here?" At this moment, Li Renfang, who was originally in the inner room, also came out. "Nannan, Uncle gave you a gift, do you know how to say thank you?"

"Thank you, Uncle Liu!" The little girl was very well-behaved.

Patting her little head, Liu Dong smiled and praised her, "Nannan is so sensible, I'll bring you a gift every time I come!"

"Hehe, Xiao Dong, don't spoil her!" He paused, "Nannan, come down, Grandpa needs to talk to Uncle, go play by yourself!"

Hearing this, the little girl nodded, struggled a bit, and after Liu Dong put her down, she happily ran off with the sugar figurine in her hand.

"Old Li, knowing that you like tending to flowers and plants, I bought a pot for you. But I'm not very knowledgeable about this, so I'm not sure if you'll like it!" As he spoke, Liu Dong held the pot of flowers in his left hand up to his eyes.

After hearing his words, Li Renfang didn't refuse, took it, and looked at it, then smiled and asked, "Was it Uncle Long who told you?"

Hearing this, Liu Dong naturally knew what the old man meant. So, he touched his nose, a bit embarrassed, and smiled, "Yes!"

"Hehe, Xiao Dong, you're thoughtful! I really like this pot of orchids!" As he spoke, Li Renfang didn't hesitate to accept it. Since he had given Liu Dong the book summarizing his lifetime of experience in antique appraisal, although he hadn't agreed to take him as a disciple, their relationship was already akin to that of a master and apprentice. Therefore, Li Renfang didn't treat Liu Dong formally, otherwise, it would have seemed distant.

This time, Liu Dong came to thank Li Renfang for the gift of the book, so he specially consulted Uncle Long and learned that Li Renfang liked tending to flowers and plants, especially orchids. Therefore, he went to the antique city's potted plant shop and spent over ten thousand yuan to buy this pot of spring orchids. Now, seeing that the old man liked it, he felt relieved, thinking he hadn't made a wrong choice.

Following Li Renfang, Liu Dong entered the house. After looking around, he realized that the layout of Li Renfang's living room was completely different from modern decoration styles and was more similar to traditional Chinese home decor.

First, upon entering, one would see a large hall with the phrase "As fragrant as orchids, forever unchanged; as steadfast as orchids, never wavering" written on it. Above the hall was a plaque with the four large clerical script characters "Valuable in Knowing Each Other." Below the hall was a traditional Chinese eight-person table and two armchairs.

Behind this set of table and chairs was a long table about three meters long, slightly higher than the eight-person table. On the black long table were some blue-and-white porcelain and some green plants. On both sides of the living room, against the walls, were four armchairs. The entire hall was decorated in an ancient and elegant style, not luxurious but full of charm.

Liu Dong, who had been by Uncle Long's side for many years, could immediately tell that these classical Chinese furniture pieces were almost all made by the old man himself, with top-notch materials and craftsmanship.

"Sit anywhere, Xiao Dong! Aunt Wu, bring some tea!" After placing the orchids on the long table behind the eight-person table, Li Renfang sat down in the main seat and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Liu Dong quickly said, "No need to trouble yourself, Old Li!"

"It's fine, sit down! You don't need to be formal here!" After a pause, seeing Liu Dong sit down again, he asked, "By the way, have you read the diary I gave you?"

"Yes, I've read some of it! But the content you recorded is too profound, so I read it very slowly! And many things require repeated research to understand!" Liu Dong answered, somewhat embarrassed.

Hearing this, Li Renfang nodded, not only without getting angry but also with a satisfied look on his face.

He knew the content of the book he had written. As Liu Dong had said, the appraisal knowledge recorded in it, although all golden rules in antique appraisal, was not comprehensive.

If someone deeply versed in antique appraisal read his diary, they would naturally find it invaluable, and their appraisal skills would improve rapidly. But for someone like Liu Dong, who was just starting in antique appraisal, it would be more challenging.

The diary mainly recorded appraisal knowledge. For example, for a piece of Ru kiln porcelain, the diary would list the characteristics and appraisal methods of Ru kiln porcelain but wouldn't explain what Ru kiln porcelain is, its period of origin, or its evolution. Of course, this was unavoidable. If all this content were to be recorded, even a hundred more diaries wouldn't be enough, as the history and culture of China over thousands of years are too profound, and the number of valuable cultural relics is countless. Even a person who spends their entire life might not fully understand one category of antiques.

What Li Renfang was most satisfied with was Liu Dong's attitude towards antique appraisal and the diary. He didn't just memorize the appraisal content in the diary but bought books and researched, gradually improving his appraisal knowledge. This made Li Renfang feel that he had indeed chosen the right person. Liu Dong was an excellent successor.

After casually asking Liu Dong a few questions and seeing his fluent and thorough answers, Li Renfang's satisfaction grew even more.

"Alright, let's have some tea and wait a bit. When one more person arrives, we'll go!" After taking a sip of tea, Li Renfang said.

However, before he could finish speaking, a loud knock on the door was already heard from outside.

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