Chapter 94

Chapter 92: Han Jade

At this moment, without waiting for Old Li's instructions, Aunt Wu, who had served Liu Dong tea and stood by his side, immediately went out upon hearing the knocking at the door.

Soon, the hoarse sound of the gate opening could be heard from outside the courtyard.

"Is Old Li inside, Aunt Wu?" For some reason, listening to this voice, Liu Dong felt a sense of familiarity, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it before.

"He is, the old man is in the living room!" Aunt Wu's tone was warm, clearly indicating that she was very familiar with the visitor.

"Great, I'm holding something, so I'll go in first. Please close the door for me, Aunt Wu!" The voice was very young, and from his tone, it could be guessed that this person was quite familiar with Old Li and was a regular visitor here.

Just as Liu Dong was trying to figure out whose familiar voice it was, a young man in his twenties walked in. He was wearing an orange short-sleeved shirt, dark trousers, and brown leather shoes. He had a thin face with a small mustache on his chin and a slightly cynical smile on his face.

"Hehe, Old Li, I'm here to pay my respects. This is a pot of longevity flower I bought specially for you. I hope you will accept it!" After entering, the young man first bowed to Old Li and then quickly took out a pot of red-flowered green plant from his left hand.

The longevity flower, also known as the star flower, false Sichuan lotus, Christmas kalanchoe, and dwarf kalanchoe, belongs to the Crassulaceae family and the Kalanchoe genus. It is a succulent plant that forms a low, dense clump of large, shiny leaves, remaining green all year round. It blooms with bright and eye-catching flowers from December to April of the following year. Each flower stem can bear dozens of flowers, and the blooming period lasts for more than four months, hence the name "longevity flower." It is an ideal potted flower to give to friends and elders during New Year's and the Spring Festival.

However, Liu Dong was not familiar with this type of flower.

"Hehe, alright, I'll take it. But this time, you seem so considerate, is there something you need me to appraise again?" Old Li said with a smile.

After hearing his words, the young man's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but it quickly disappeared. "Hehe, you know me well. I found a nice jade pendant outside, and I hope you can appraise it for me."

"Alright, leave it with me! I need to go out now, and I'll take a look when I come back!" Old Li paused and then pointed to Liu Dong, introducing him: "This is Liu Dong, a sculptor with very good skills!"

After hearing this, the young man's face showed surprise. He had known Old Li for a long time and was familiar with the old man's character. Although he was not an expert in sculpture, as a renowned appraiser, Old Li's appreciation of sculpted works was excellent.

Now, for Old Li to say that someone's skills were good, that person's sculpting ability, while not at the level of a master, was certainly not inferior to that of a senior sculptor with over ten years of experience. More importantly, this person looked even younger than he did.

"It's you!?" The sunlight outside had been too bright, and the room was relatively dark, so when he entered, the young man's attention was mostly on Old Li, and he hadn't noticed Liu Dong's appearance.

"Hehe, I didn't expect to see you here again. Thank you for your help yesterday!" Liu Dong stood up with a smile. At first, he hadn't expected to meet an acquaintance at Old Li's place, though they weren't really acquaintances, just someone he had met once. Yesterday, at the Black Tiger Gang's casino, when Han Lei accused him of cheating, it was this young man who spoke up to help him. Moreover, the gambling seat Liu Dong had used was given to him by this person, so Liu Dong remembered him very well and recognized him as soon as he entered. He just hadn't greeted him in advance.

"Hehe, really! I didn't expect to meet you here! It seems we have a special connection!" Li Yunchong said with a smile. He also vividly remembered the person who had won 30 million yuan from Han Lei at the gambling table. So, when he suddenly saw this person here, he couldn't help but be surprised.

"Do you know each other?" Old Li, sitting in the main seat, asked with a surprised look.

However, before Liu Dong could answer, Li Yunchong quickly replied, "Yes! A while ago, when I came to Quancheng, I bought a jade carving from Brother Liu, and his skills are very good!" After saying this, he kept giving Liu Dong meaningful glances, clearly not wanting Liu Dong to reveal the truth about their acquaintance.

Seeing his expression and the pleading look in his eyes, Liu Dong smiled inwardly. Since the other party didn't want to say, and considering that he had helped him before, he should return the favor. So, in response to Old Li's inquiring gaze, he nodded lightly.

"Alright, since you know each other, I won't introduce you!" After saying this, he glanced at his watch and stood up, "Alright, it's about time. Let's go!"

"Old Li, my jade pendant!" Hearing this, Li Yunchong quickly said.

"Oh, right! I always forget things when I get old!" Old Li patted his forehead, showing a look of regret and annoyance, "Give it to me, I'll keep it for you and take a look when I come back!"

Hearing this, Li Yunchong's face showed joy, and he quickly took out a jade pendant wrapped in a white cloth from his shirt pocket and handed it to Old Li.

"Han Eight Strokes...!" After removing the white cloth and seeing the jade pendant clearly, Old Li became very interested. He immediately began to examine the jade pendant in his hand in detail, forgetting his earlier intention to wait until he returned to appraise it.

Seeing the old man's behavior, Li Yunchong couldn't help but chuckle to himself, as if he had expected this to happen.

Curious, Liu Dong also walked over. He was very fond of antiques, and as a jade carver, he had a particular interest in jade carvings, especially ancient jade carvings. He stood next to Old Li and began to examine the ancient jade in his hand.

Unlike the relatively intricate designs of ancient jades from the Song Dynasty and later, especially the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the designs of jades from the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties were influenced by the social productivity, people's preferences, and living habits of the time, resulting in a simple and grand artistic style.

This jade pendant was no exception. With just a few strokes, a semi-circular dragon shape was carved, and the dragon's body was engraved with uniformly sized scale patterns. On the back of the dragon, where the jade pendant's hanging loop was, there was a smaller chi dragon.

The entire jade pendant was a typical Han Dynasty jade pendant, simple and elegant, with smooth lines and a vivid image. As a jade carver, Liu Dong had long heard of the famous Han Eight Strokes. However, this was the first time he had seen a genuine Han Eight Strokes jade carving.

He was certain it was a genuine piece based on the appraisal results from his芥子空间 (Jiezi Space). Moreover, on this jade pendant, he saw the same red light that he had seen on the ancient crane painting from the previous day. However, the red light on the jade pendant was slightly dimmer compared to the crane painting.

Additionally, the jade pendant was about 14 centimeters wide and 10 centimeters high, with a thickness that Liu Dong estimated to be no more than half a centimeter. More remarkably, the jade pendant, in addition to its natural greenish-white color, had three types of patina: yellow, brown, and black.

Generally, the patina on ancient jades is formed due to the long-term burial of the jade in the soil, where the trace elements in the jade interact with the substances in the soil, causing color changes.

Due to the different substances in the soil and the varying burial times, the patina on the jade can vary, resulting in a wide range of colors. In the Qing Dynasty, Chen Yuanxin described the patina on jades in detail in his book "The Jade Record," stating: "The sources of various patina colors are difficult to determine, but they are generally referred to as the thirteen colors." Generally, the soil in northern China is alkaline, and the patina on jades is often yellow. In southern China, the soil is moist and acidic, and the patina on jades is often white. The blue-green patina on jades found in tombs is often due to the color of the clothing, the brown patina is often due to iron, and the black patina is often due to mercury.