Chapter 36

"Uncle Jing, this Dharma root carving should be a work from the late Qing Dynasty, and it was crafted by a master..."

Zhao Zhengshan clearly had great confidence in his judgment. Pointing to the Dharma root carving on the table, he said, "Let's talk about the material first. Uncle Jing, look at the grain, it's definitely huanghuali, right? And it's made from the root of a century-old oil li tree..."

"No wonder Jing Shizhen said that Uncle Zhao often makes mistakes when he finds a bargain..."

Su Xiaofan was drinking tea, listening to Zhao Zhengshan's serious analysis, but inside, he was laughing.

This object, though not obviously fake at first glance, was described by Zhao Zhengshan as a work from the late Qing Dynasty, which was a huge stretch.

[Restoration Value: 5 points!]

[Modern Red酸枝 Dharma Root Carving: Unrestorable!]

The information that appeared in his mind clearly told Su Xiaofan that this was a modern craft, and the material was completely different from what Zhao Zhengshan had judged.

"Zhengshan, you're not cut out for antiques and miscellaneous items. Your expertise in calligraphy and paintings is much stronger..."

After Zhao Zhengshan finished his detailed analysis, Jing Shizhen sighed.

"Uncle Jing, there are too few calligraphy and paintings at the flea market, so I can't really show off my skills. By the way, did I misjudge this root carving?"

Hearing Jing Shizhen's words, Zhao Zhengshan felt a sense of unease.

"Tell me how much you paid for it first." Jing Shizhen waved his hand.

"This... I paid 2,800 yuan. The seller originally asked for 8,000, but I negotiated the price down."

To be honest, Zhao Zhengshan spent the whole morning at the stall selling the root carving, haggling for nearly two hours before finally getting the item.

"You must have been listening to someone's story again."

Jing Shizhen shook his head, speechless. Spending two hours on such an item meant Zhao Zhengshan was likely duped.

"The stall owner said this was passed down from his grandfather, from the late Qing Dynasty. I thought the man was honest, so I believed him."

Zhao Zhengshan covered his head. He had judged the item to be from the late Qing Dynasty at most. If the stall owner had said it was from the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Zhengshan would have walked away immediately.

But the stall owner's story aligned with his judgment, which made Zhao Zhengshan feel validated. After being further convinced, he thought he had found a bargain and focused on negotiating the price.

"Smell it carefully. Does it have a sour and fragrant smell? Also, check the oiliness. Does it meet the standard of huanghuali?"

Uncle Jing didn't keep the suspense any longer. Pointing to the root carving, he said straightforwardly, "Look at the purple color, almost black. This is clearly not a characteristic of huanghuali. Although the grain is somewhat similar, this is just a piece of red酸枝. In terms of material, it's inferior to huanghuali.

Additionally, the carving, though well done, clearly shows traces of machine carving followed by manual finishing. Since you're not very knowledgeable about miscellaneous items, why do you keep making mistakes in this area?"

"Uncle Jing, then... how much is this worth?"

Zhao Zhengshan's face turned grim. He wasn't upset about the money, but he wanted to know how much he had been tricked this time.

"Keep it as a decoration at home. Five hundred and eighty yuan should be about right."

Jing Shizhen gave a price. In a market full of inferior and fake antiques, this item was relatively honest, at least made of red酸枝, not African huanghuali or something similar.

"Uncle Zhao, in the antique market, you can't just listen to people's stories."

Su Xiaofan chuckled. He himself was a storyteller, and although he couldn't sell his family's bronze artifacts as old items, he had helped Zheng Dajust sell many so-called "ritual objects."

"Don't gloat, kid. Show me what you bought. It might not be as good as mine." Zhao Zhengshan was不服气 (unconvinced).

Zhao Zhengshan had no other hobbies except for trying to find bargains in the antique market, but his level was too low, and he often made mistakes. The more he failed, the more he wanted to try, like a bad chess player who can't win but keeps playing.

So today, even though he was skeptical, he had to hold back when Jing Shizhen made the judgment. If it were someone else, he would have questioned the appraiser's expertise.

"I bought two items. One I'm not sure about, and I bought it for fun."

Su Xiaofan placed two bags on the table and took out the pen holder first. "I think this is pretty good. Uncle Jing, can you take a look?"

"Hmm?"

Seeing the pen holder with a dark purple color, Jing Shizhen's eyes lit up, but he didn't rush to touch it. Instead, he looked at Zhao Zhengshan and said, "Zhengshan, this is also a miscellaneous item. Do you want to take a look first?"

"Sure, I'll take a look." Zhao Zhengshan eagerly picked up the pen holder.

"The material is similar to my root carving, probably red酸枝."

Zhao Zhengshan picked up the magnifying glass and said, "But this pen holder is well-carved. Despite its small size, it has many intricate carvings of people, animals, and flowers. This is a good piece."

Although he didn't want to admit that Su Xiaofan's item was better than his, the carvings on the pen holder were clearly superior to those on the root carving, and Zhao Zhengshan couldn't say anything bad about it.

"How much do you think this pen holder is worth, Su Xiaofan?"

Jing Shizhen took the pen holder from Zhao Zhengshan with a smile, and he carefully examined it with a magnifying glass.

"Probably two to three thousand yuan."

Zhao Zhengshan said to Su Xiaofan, "We agreed that the price of the items we buy can't exceed three thousand yuan. Don't break the rules."

"Uncle Zhao, I didn't break the rules. This item is much cheaper than your root carving."

Su Xiaofan laughed. He had benefited from the restoration value.

If the pen holder hadn't been restored, the bottom would have been burned, and the overall condition would have been terrible. But after restoration, it was clearly a high-quality item.

"Su Xiaofan, did you really find this in the market?"

Jing Shizhen's expression became serious as he examined the pen holder. After more than ten minutes, he put it back on the table.

"That's unlikely."

Jing Shizhen looked puzzled, "In today's antique market, you can still find such items? Are so many people blind?"

"Uncle Jing, Su Xiaofan and I went to the market together. We were both empty-handed when we went."

Zhao Zhengshan thought Jing Shizhen was suspicious and quickly vouched for Su Xiaofan.

"That's not what I meant."

Jing Shizhen waved his hand and said to Su Xiaofan, "Tell me how you bought this item, how much you paid, and what you think it is."

"Ah, I bought it from a stall."

Su Xiaofan was a bit confused by Jing Shizhen's rapid questions but had prepared an excuse. "The pen holder was on a stall selling miscellaneous items, not very noticeable. The stall owner was selling bronze artifacts from our village as Tang or Song Dynasty items. I pointed out the mistake, and then I noticed this pen holder and bought it for 150 yuan."

"150 yuan?"

"150 yuan?"

Zhao Zhengshan and Jing Shizhen exclaimed simultaneously, clearly surprised by the price.

"Yes, 150 yuan." Su Xiaofan feigned confusion, realizing he often needed to act. Maybe he should audit some acting classes at the film academy.

"Uncle Jing, a guest needs to see you." Just as Su Xiaofan was acting, a staff member came to Jing Shizhen and whispered a few words.

"Is it Mr. Tong? Please bring him in."

Jing Shizhen waved his hand, his attention still on the pen holder and Su Xiaofan. "This year's biggest bargain, and you found it!"

Jing Shizhen still looked puzzled, "So many people couldn't see it. Are they all blind? I have to go to the antique market again."

At Jing Shizhen's level, he had long moved beyond the stage of finding bargains in the antique market. He hadn't seriously visited the market in about five years.

Because Jing Shizhen knew that since the antique market became popular, there was almost no room for finding bargains. But seeing Su Xiaofan's find today, he was tempted.

"Uncle Jing, I'm sorry to bother you." At that moment, a middle-aged man walked into the inner hall and greeted Jing Shizhen with a nod.

"Mr. Tong, please sit and have some tea. We'll discuss our business later." Jing Shizhen gestured for the guest to sit, and a staff member immediately served tea.

"Uncle Jing, please tell me what this item is and how much it's worth. I'm really anxious."

As a doctor, Zhao Zhengshan was usually very steady, but in his hobby of antiques, he was often impatient, ignoring the presence of the guest.

"Let him explain it himself."

Jing Shizhen pointed to Su Xiaofan, wanting to see if he was just lucky or had some knowledge of antiques.

"Uncle Zhao, I'm not sure how much this is worth."

Having been in the antique market for several years, Su Xiaofan was not intimidated. "First, I think this pen holder is made of huanghuali."

"That's not right. This pen holder is similar to my root carving, probably red酸枝." Zhao Zhengshan interrupted.

"Uncle Zhao, the oiliness is different. Look at the color of the pen holder. It's dark purple and black because of the heavy oiliness. This type of huanghuali is called black oil li.

Black oil li usually appears in the roots of old trees and has the strongest oiliness among huanghali. All black oil li sinks in water, and its grain is generally average, but its density and weight are the highest among huanghali."

Su Xiaofan had helped Zheng Dajust sell many beads, many of which were made of huanghuali. He was well-versed in the theory, and his explanation was convincing, making Jing Shizhen nod occasionally.