Chapter 38

"It's a small oil dish, I got it from a stall selling porcelain fragments."

Su Xiaofan said casually, with a completely indifferent look on his face, as if the item in the bag could be discarded at any time.

He was putting on an act again. It was inevitable for Su Xiaofan, as he had secrets that couldn't be spoken of, and he couldn't be too showy.

Moreover, antiques are categorized in many ways, and the field is vast and profound. Many people spend their entire lives studying just one category, and only a few, like Jing Shizhen, are so well-versed.

Especially with miscellaneous items and porcelain, they are two completely different categories, and major ones at that. Given Su Xiaofan's age, it was absolutely impossible for him to specialize in both simultaneously.

Just by looking at the Ming Dynasty Chen Zisheng's huanghuali octagonal brush pot, Su Xiaofan had already made a big splash.

If the Song Dynasty Ding kiln brush washer in the bag was also a deliberate find, the collectors in the capital would probably grab Su Xiaofan the next day to study him, to see if he had golden eyes.

Originally, Su Xiaofan planned to make a fortune quietly, and after cooling down for a while, he would find a way to take out the brush washer. But now that Jing Shizhen's hand had already touched the bag, there was no way to avoid it.

So Su Xiaofan had to create an impression for those present that the brush washer was something he had obtained unintentionally, purely out of luck.

"You play with a wide range of things, buying miscellaneous items for the study, and you even dare to buy porcelain."

Jing Shizhen smiled and opened the bag. Because of the prevalence of porcelain fakes in the auction market, the field of porcelain fakes is the most rampant in the antique industry. With modern technology, many people can make fakes that are almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and the water is very deep.

When Jing Shizhen opened the bag and saw some porcelain fragments and a complete piece of porcelain together, he frowned.

"Xiao Su, didn't you know to wrap the porcelain properly?"

Jing Shizhen frowned and said to Su Xiaofan. Can porcelain fragments be placed with a complete piece of porcelain? Even a beginner shouldn't make such a common mistake.

"Oh? I just put it in the bag casually and then forgot about it."

Su Xiaofan knew that the more casual he sounded, the less likely others would suspect him. Who would treat a Ding kiln brush washer so carelessly if they knew what it was?

As for whether Jing Shizhen could identify the Ding kiln brush washer, Su Xiaofan thought it was very likely. After all, since Jingxin Hall dares to offer a tenfold compensation for fakes, the appraiser's eye must be extraordinary.

"What if it's a good piece and gets scratched?"

Jing Shizhen glared at Su Xiaofan, though he didn't think the item Su Xiaofan casually bought could be a good piece. The water in the porcelain field is much deeper than in the miscellaneous items.

"Hey, these porcelain fragments are all from the Ding kiln, you have a good eye."

Jing Shizhen first picked up a few porcelain fragments and examined them carefully. Ding kiln white porcelain has unique textures that are easy to recognize for experts.

"This thing?"

When Jing Shizhen picked up the Ding kiln carved brush washer, his brows furrowed again. Based on his experience, this thing was definitely not an oil dish, but a brush washer.

Experts sometimes rely on a feeling when looking at antiques. As soon as Jing Shizhen picked up the brush washer, he had a strong feeling that it was genuine.

Whenever Jing Shizhen had this feeling, the item was almost certainly genuine, though he had been wrong a few times, but very rarely.

"Wait a moment."

Jing Shizhen's expression became serious, and he put on a pair of gloves and glasses, then carefully examined the brush washer with a magnifying glass.

"Xiao Su, did you find another good piece?"

Zhao Zhengshan had known Jing Shizhen for over twenty years and often asked him to appraise items, but he had never seen Jing Shizhen so serious.

"How would I know?"

Su Xiaofan put on a confused look and shook his head, saying, "I just found it among a pile of porcelain fragments. I spent over 900 yuan for the oil dish and the fragments."

"You... How can you be so lucky?!"

Zhao Zhengshan's face was full of envy. He had been collecting antiques for about twenty years.

In such a long time, Zhao Zhengshan had also found some good deals, but the biggest one was a coin he bought for 50 yuan fifteen years ago, which was appraised at 20,000 yuan, and it couldn't compare to what Su Xiaofan had found today.

"Maybe there are more good things in Yanjing." Su Xiaofan just rubbed his hands and smiled, looking at Jing Shizhen with anticipation.

"I've been in Yanjing for almost ten years and haven't found anything as good as this." Zhao Zhengshan rolled his eyes at Su Xiaofan's words.

"Uncle Jing, what is this oil dish? Is it valuable?" Seeing Jing Shizhen put down his magnifying glass, Su Xiaofan quickly asked.

"What oil dish, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand."

Jing Shizhen glanced at Su Xiaofan and said, "Wait a moment, I need to appraise it further. I'll come out and tell you the result later."

Holding the brush washer, Jing Shizhen hurriedly went into the inner room. Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan looked at each other, not knowing what he was doing.

"Uncle Jing is going to use instruments to appraise it."

Tong Dongjie, who was standing nearby, knew a bit. The reason Jingxin Hall had such a good reputation and had never made a mistake in appraising items over the years was not just because of the experts' eyes, but also because they used instruments to ensure accuracy.

"Xiao Su, you have really good luck."

Tong Dongjie smiled and said, "I often come to Jingxin Hall and am quite familiar with Uncle Jing, but the items he uses instruments to appraise are very rare. I've only seen it twice, and this is the third time for your porcelain."

"The two items Uncle Jing appraised in the past were both worth over ten million." Tong Dongjie added.

"Can it be worth that much?"

Su Xiaofan's eyes lit up. Although he knew that Ding kiln porcelain must be expensive, he had never been exposed to such valuable items in the antique market, so he didn't know how much it could sell for.

"You'll know when Uncle Jing comes out."

Tong Dongjie smiled but didn't say more. Although the young man in front of him had found two good items, in Tong Dongjie's eyes, it was just good luck. True collectors look at the depth of knowledge.

Jing Shizhen didn't stay in the inner room for long. After about half an hour of tea, he came out.

"The appraisal is done. It's a Song Dynasty Ding kiln carved brush washer, over a thousand years old."

Without any unnecessary words, Jing Shizhen directly announced his appraisal result.

"Yes, this brush washer, though small, is in excellent condition with no damage. It's also made of the famous Ding kiln white porcelain, making it a small but high-quality antique porcelain."

Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan with a complex expression, "Finding such a piece of porcelain, even from an entire Ding kiln site, is extremely rare. The probability of finding one is lower than winning the lottery."

After appraising the Song Dynasty Ding kiln brush washer, Jing Shizhen felt very complex. He really couldn't believe that such a precious antique porcelain was found in the antique market.

"Xiao Su, which stall did you buy this from?"

Zhao Zhengshan asked, "Let's go back and look around to see if there are more."

"Enough, don't dream. Finding one is already a stroke of luck. Do you think you can find another?"

Jing Shizhen interrupted Zhao Zhengshan.

"The brush washer is too small and not very noticeable, so it's not easy to spot among other porcelain. But logically, the players in the capital shouldn't all be blind. There are many who know their stuff, so how did no one notice it?"

Jing Shizhen was puzzled, but the item was indeed just bought from the antique market by Su Xiaofan, and this couldn't be faked.

"Uncle Jing, I can tell you which stall, do you want to go check it out?"

Su Xiaofan was not at all nervous. He had already laid the groundwork when he bought the porcelain fragments, getting a white porcelain brush washer from the stall. Even if Jing Shizhen went to ask now, it would match.

"How much did you pay for this brush washer?" Jing Shizhen asked.

"Nothing." Su Xiaofan replied weakly.

"What?"

Several voices echoed in the room, even the usually calm Tong Dongjie opened his eyes wide.

"Xiao Su, didn't you say you spent over 900 yuan?"

Zhao Zhengshan asked, confused.

"Uncle Zhao, I spent over 900 yuan on the porcelain fragments. This brush washer, I asked the owner for it, and he gave it to me for free."

Su Xiaofan spoke softly, fearing that the people present might beat him. His actions today were a bit too showy.

"Free?"

Jing Shizhen didn't know what to say. Even in the 1970s and 1980s, things still needed to be paid for, and he had never encountered such a good deal.

"You little rascal!" Jing Shizhen smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I have to take back what I said earlier. This brush washer is the biggest find in the antique market this year!"

"Uncle Jing, how much is this worth?"

Su Xiaofan wanted to shift the focus, but more importantly, he wanted to know the price of the brush washer.

"Five years ago, in Hong Kong, a Ding kiln beast-faced brush washer was auctioned for 120 million yuan, but that beast-faced brush washer was much larger than yours."

Jing Shizhen thought for a moment and said, "Your white porcelain carved brush washer, with relatively simpler craftsmanship, I think could sell for around 18 million yuan if auctioned."

"18 million yuan?"

Su Xiaofan's eyes widened. Although he had some mental preparation, he didn't expect the brush washer to be worth so much.

Taking a deep breath, Su Xiaofan glanced at Tong Dongjie. This brush washer was even better than the brush pot, and Tong Dongjie should be interested, right?

"Cough, I don't collect much porcelain."

To Su Xiaofan's surprise, Tong Dongjie directly stated that he had no intention of buying the brush washer.

Tong Dongjie was also frustrated. Spending 4 to 5 million yuan to buy Jing Shizhen's favor was not cheap but not too expensive.

But if he bought the brush washer, at 18 million yuan, plus a 20% appraisal and commission fee from Jing Shizhen, and a substantial tax, it would cost nearly 30 million yuan. Even with his wealth, Tong Dongjie found it a bit overwhelming.