Chapter 5

Following Old Ji, the plump Liu interjected, "Xiao Han, don't hide it anymore. We've been neighbors for almost ten years; who doesn't know who? If it's really something good, just explain it clearly. Your Brother Liu will make a big sacrifice this time, no matter how much it costs, I'll take it."

"Exactly, Brother Han! Since Xiao Chen will be mixing in our street from now on, if he lost a treasure, he'll find out sooner or later. You might as well tell us about those two books now," Old Ji said, ignoring Chen Qian's sullen face, and directly laid out the matter.

Plump Liu also kept egging on, urging Han Kongque to tell them, so they could broaden their horizons.

Usually, even if they were busy with business, they were willing to chat with the idle Han Kongque, because he would occasionally talk about his views on antiques and their appraisal methods.

Especially when Han Kongque was in a good mood, he would comment on the items in their stalls, which gave them a sense of enlightenment. Because of this, they had indeed made a lot of money over the years.

This time, it was clear that Han Kongque had gotten something good, which made them itch with curiosity.

But what they were doing this time was a bit too much, wasn't it?

Han Kongque looked increasingly abnormal. Normally, their relationship was quite good, but what they were doing now would make him offend Chen Qian.

"Xiao Han, we've all looked at Uncle Chen's two books, but we didn't see anything special. Could it really be ancient books from the Northern Wei period, as he said? If so, you don't need to hesitate to say it. If it's true, although Uncle Chen lost a treasure, he still has a chance to make up for it," Plump Liu said.

Han Kongque glanced at him. This guy might not be very smart, but he wasn't short of small cleverness.

Just by seeing Han Kongque's reaction, he thought of this. Those who have been in the antique business for a long time are not fools.

Han Kongque looked at Chen Qian again and found that he wasn't overly distressed. This indicated that he was also very curious about the origin of the two books, which made Han Kongque curious too. Could he have received such a treasure?

"Brother Han, could those two books really be from the Northern Wei period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties? If so, you'd be rich. Even Song Dynasty books are as valuable as gold. Books from the Northern and Southern Dynasties should not be cheap, right?"

During the Qing Dynasty, there was a saying, "One page of a Song Dynasty book is worth one tael of gold." The value of Song Dynasty books is self-evident.

Plump Liu stared hard at the two ancient books in Han Kongque's hands and said, "One page of a Song Dynasty book is worth one tael of gold!"

The "base price" of each page of a Song Dynasty book is at least 10,000 RMB. A scroll of about 300 pages would likely be worth over a million.

Plump Liu didn't pay much attention to the Han family genealogy. Even if it had been passed down from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was still just a genealogy and not very valuable.

But the "Medical Outline" was different. If it was really over a thousand years old, it should be very valuable, perhaps even more so than Song Dynasty books. The high value of Song Dynasty books is due to various factors, but just the time factor alone could make books from the Eastern Han period extremely valuable.

Plump Liu asked, "This one has over 300 pages, right? How much would it cost? At least three million, right? Each page is worth at least 10,000 RMB! Why didn't I buy it earlier! There are golden houses in books, the ancients were not lying."

Plump Liu's eyes were almost red with jealousy, but he lacked the expertise to recognize the treasure.

Han Kongque frowned and said, "It's not that expensive. Song Dynasty books are different from books from other dynasties. It's not that the older the book, the more valuable it is."

"Why are Song Dynasty books so precious?" Plump Liu asked with a smile.

Old Ji interjected, "The main reason is that Song Dynasty books are rare and scarce. They are close to ancient editions, beautifully printed, and carefully bound, which is why there's the saying 'one page of a Song Dynasty book is worth one tael of gold.'"

"Exactly, because they are rare and scarce, close to ancient editions, beautifully printed, and carefully bound."

Plump Liu turned and gave Han Kongque a hard look before continuing, "We've all seen this 'Medical Outline' before. It's definitely rare, and it's not an exaggeration to say it's extremely rare. It's an ancient edition, and even though it's not printed, no one can say that Zhang Zhi's regular script is bad. Describing it as beautiful is uncontested. As for the binding, for a book over 1,500 years old, the paper is still so pristine. Not using the term 'carefully bound' to describe it would be a crime against heaven and reason."

Plump Liu analyzed point by point, as if the book belonged to him, speaking with great enthusiasm.

"So, it's very valuable? Thank you, Brother Liu, for enlightening me. I need to go home; I haven't eaten breakfast and I'm starving." Han Kongque had no interest in chatting with them today, so he politely brushed them off.

"Don't go! You haven't told us how these books could have survived for over a thousand years without damage," Plump Liu said, unwilling to let Han Kongque go.

Old Ji added, "Today, I'll treat you to a meal, as a tuition fee. Just tell us the secrets of these ancient books."

When Han Kongque first got the books, he didn't think they were written by Zhang Zhi of the Eastern Han. He just assumed they were later copies.

After all, to have these books survive for a thousand years in such good condition is truly astonishing.

Han Kongque looked at the sullen Chen Qian and said, "Uncle Chen, these two books are indeed old. Since you managed to get these two, there might be more from the seller. Such a collection is unlikely to have only two books.

These two books can be considered your tuition fee to me. Since I've received the fee, I'll say a bit more. One of these books is indeed from the Northern Wei period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Han family genealogy.

The other is not from the Northern Wei period but is likely from the Eastern Han period. Whether it was copied by Zhang Zhi needs further research and verification.

The best way to confirm its identity is to compare it with genuine examples of Zhang Zhi's regular script.

However, that's difficult, and I don't plan to sell this 'Medical Outline,' so I won't waste time on verification."

Chen Qian said, "The paper of these two books is very white and looks new. Are you sure they are ancient books?"

Chen Qian had been in the antique business for over ten years. He had found treasures and lost treasures. Over time, he had adjusted his mindset, or he would have been depressed to death in this line of work.

Although today's incident was frustrating, he couldn't retract his sale to Han Kongque.

"Paper can last a thousand years if preserved properly, avoiding water, fire, insects, and war. Ancient paper can last much longer than today's machine-made paper, which only lasts about 100 years.

So, for these two books to be preserved so well, they must have been in a very favorable environment. The presence of the Han family genealogy suggests a well-constructed study or a clan temple of the Han family. Wherever it was, if there are these two books, there must be others."

Han Kongque explained clearly. If Chen Qian still didn't understand, he must be foolish, but that was unlikely. If there were no other benefits, anyone who lost such a valuable treasure would be devastated, not as calm as Chen Qian. His calmness suggested there was a significant temptation supporting him.

The preservation of books depends heavily on external conditions. They cannot be stored in a sealed environment, exposed to direct sunlight, in high or low temperatures, or in a humid environment. They must be protected from insects, fire, and damage. Preserving books for a thousand years is extremely difficult.

Even if someone loved books and passed them down through generations, they might not be well-preserved. The appearance of these two books in such good condition suggests a very favorable environment.

This place must have all the conditions necessary for preserving books, which is why these two books have survived to the present day.

Such a place is hard to find. If Han Kongque wants to keep these two books, he will need to ensure similar conditions.

Chen Qian looked at the eloquent Han Kongque in amazement. He no longer looked like a novice. Just a few words made Chen Qian feel a sense of illusion.

This isn't a patsy; this is a fox. How did he think Han Kongque was easy to deceive?

Chen Qian looked at Han Kongque with complex thoughts, while Old Ji and Plump Liu were also not calm. It seemed Chen Qian had hit a stroke of luck. If he could find more treasures, he wouldn't need to worry about appraisals.

Both of them looked at Chen Qian with glowing eyes, while Chen Qian looked at Han Kongque. This kid is so deceptive; he's really good at this job.

Old Ji seemed to know what Chen Qian was thinking, "This kid has lived here for ten years. We all paid our dues when we first came. You'll see, knowing Brother Han will be a good thing for you."

"Alright, I've said everything I should and shouldn't. I need to go home now. If you have time, come visit me," Han Kongque said, about to walk into the alley.

"Wait, Brother Han, I said I'd treat you. Are you refusing?" Old Ji pulled Han Kongque back.

Han Kongque looked at Old Ji and then at Plump Liu. Seeing Plump Liu's intention, he quickly guessed what was going on.

"Thank you, Old Ji, but I should go home and check on things. It's only ten in the morning. Even if I don't go back for lunch, I'll have to go home in the evening. Besides, going to eat now would be a waste of your business time."

Han Kongque looked at Old Ji and Plump Liu with gratitude. They must have seen his father go to his rental house. Living here for so many years, the biggest gain was knowing these neighbors. They were trying to help him by not letting him go in now.