top appraiser

Chapter 70 Paperweight
Chapter 70. Paperweight
Along with the loud voice, a figure walked in from the side hall door, tall and imposing.

The butler behind him couldn't stop him, and kept pleading guilty while laughing with him:
"I'm sorry, everyone, this Mr. Wang must come in. We don't dare to neglect our distinguished guest, so we have to let him go."

The people in the side hall didn't pay much attention, they just glanced at the man casually, and then looked at Ren Ping:
"Leave him alone, little guy, go ahead and talk, but what?"

"However, this thing in front of me is different from others. If it is a birthday gift, although it is okay, there is always something wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"Form,"

Ren Ping blurted out, and then frowned slightly: "I thought it would be in the shape of a rabbit, but now it looks a bit like a tiger, which doesn't look like a birthday present."

Before the words fell, the 11 people sitting around the coffee table couldn't help but smile, especially one of the older, short and fat old men, his eyes were shining brightly, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly:

"Then tell me first, how did you find out that this thing is a 'paperweight'?"

"Is it difficult?"

Ren Ping smiled and said casually:
"Paperweights, also known as rulers and pressure rulers, are known as the fifth treasure of the study. In addition to pens, inks, paper, and inkstones, they are another indispensable utensil in the study of ancient literati. They are often used to press Xuan paper when writing and painting. "

"This kind of thing comes in various forms and can be valuable or cheap, but usually literati who have some personal possessions will make one to distinguish themselves from others. It is not only for daily play, but also to express their identity and express their feelings."

"Like this piece of jade, it's only about an inch in size. It's not like a decoration, or a jade pendant. Although it's in the shape of a tiger, it's very unique. It's not a standing tiger with teeth and claws, nor is it a vertical jumping one. A flying tiger, but a crouching tiger lying down and sleeping soundly,"

"This is interesting. There are many tiger-shaped artifacts in Chinese history, but there are very few crouching tigers in this form. Obviously, there is a special meaning for the owner. In addition, the bottom is deliberately smoothed, which does not look like a natural If it is worn out, it must be placed on the table, not hung on the body, "

"If you think about this kind of utensil carefully, there should be nothing else but paperweights."

The words were uttered in a clear and well-founded manner, which only made everyone in the side hall nod their heads again and again, feeling like a hero.

Even the person who just rushed in and interrupted couldn't help being speechless for a while, after thinking about it, he showed unwillingness:

"If you don't know, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. This jade is neither fish nor fowl. It's possible to say it's a casually carved thing, but it's a paperweight. Hmph, just based on what you just said, isn't it too far-fetched?"

Ren Ping knew that the other party would interrupt, but he didn't expect that there was no real content in his words, they were all ambiguous accusations, so he couldn't help but sneer:

"Then according to you, what is the origin of this thing?"

"Didn't I just say that? I don't know which craftsman is bored and polished such a thing at will, so there's no need to bother here?"

That person also looked at Ren Ping coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold snort suddenly came from the side, and when he turned his head to look, it was the short and fat old man.

The man was taken aback for a moment, as if he suddenly thought of something, his voice became softer:

"Dare to ask the old man, but Nanling Real Estate Tong admonishes Mr. Tong?"

"Don't dare, the surname Tong is too bored to go out for a stroll today, and I don't dare to ask others to give me advice."

The chunky old man said with a half-smile.

Even so, it was equivalent to acquiescing, and the man was immediately embarrassed. When he entered the door just now, he didn't think too much, he just wanted to embarrass Ren Ping, so he had no taboo about exiting.

But looking at the situation now, this tiger-shaped jade article seems to belong to this short and fat old man. If this is the case, isn't it already a crime?

What is Nanling Real Estate?
The largest local real estate company in the city was restructured from a former state-owned enterprise. Although it is not comparable to the comprehensive strength of Tahoe Group, it is also a powerful real estate company, and ordinary people cannot afford to provoke it.

Even Ren Ping, an ignorant second-generation playboy, knew that Tong Jian, the boss of Nanling Real Estate, and Tian Bingtai, the old man of the Taihetian family, were good friends, and it could not be more normal to appear here now.

"Mr. Tong, my servant..."

The man looked embarrassed, and wanted to make amends, but was interrupted by Tong Jian's fat hand:
"Needless to say, Tong is not interested in meeting you. You just said why do you think this thing is not a paperweight?"

"This, it's actually nothing,"

As soon as the man gritted his teeth, he could only bite the bullet and continue:
"I have played with these things before, and I know that the word elegance is the most important thing for this thing. No matter the material selection, carving, or inscription and painting, I strive to be elegant and refined, so as to match the bookish atmosphere of the study, and this thing, "

"You mean this thing is too vulgar?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean. What I mean is that even if we only talk about the shape, paperweights are usually long and long, but this one is square, and it seems to be too small. If you use it to press paper , it seems... how inconvenient."

The short and fat old man laughed angrily when he heard it:

"According to what you're saying, anything that's not large enough or long and ruler-shaped can't be called a paperweight?"

As he spoke, he glared and pointed at Ren Ping:
"Boy, tell him!"

Ren Ping said yes, and said lightly:

"Most paperweights are long and good, but that's because later generations used them as tools and deliberately shaped them. In fact, in ancient Chinese study culture, the concept of paperweights appeared relatively late. It was some jade decorations on the copy desks of the study at the earliest. Later, it was accidentally discovered that it could be used to hold down paper, and it gradually developed into a modeled paperweight.”

"Like this tiger-shaped jade, it belongs to the more precious Hetian jade. From the perspective of texture, it is about the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. The paperweights of later generations are not quite the same, so it should be taken for granted.”

As he spoke, he turned to the people in the side hall:
"If I'm right, when Mr. Tong found this thing at first, the other party didn't know it was a paperweight, and even Mr. Tong himself was not sure. It wasn't until today when I played with the seniors here that I got a clue. I don't know. Did the kid guess right?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

There was a burst of laughter, but it was the people in the side hall who heard the words, clapping their hands and laughing at the same time, their faces full of joy when they heard the joke.

"What? The kid guessed wrong?"

Ren Ping was slightly stunned. When he looked carefully, Xin Ran and Rong Qiancheng clearly nodded their heads in approval, but they looked overjoyed.

"It's not that you guessed wrong, it's because you think the old boy is too smart,"

After a while, he stopped laughing, and the middle-aged man on the main seat said slowly:
"This thing was not bought by Lao Tong, but it was originally his, but he didn't recognize it, so someone picked it up and bought it for 5 yuan. Later, it was sold at an auction and resold for 50 yuan. "

"I'm still childish, but I felt ashamed, so I tried everything possible to find the buyer, added 100 million, and then bought it back with 150 million. Once I went in, it was equivalent to a loss of more than 200 million. You said he missed it. Didn't you hit him in the face? Hahahaha..."

After another burst of laughter, Ren Ping finally figured out the whole story. He couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed and handed over to Tong Jianyi:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tong, the kid didn't mean to laugh at you, please forgive me."

"It's okay, it's not a day or two since this embarrassing story has been spread, you just don't know it,"

The Tong Jian looked like he had a big belly and waved his hands with a smile. Only when he turned to the person just now, his face turned cold with anger:
"You are as ignorant as my old boy, so that's all right, we are half a catty, and no one laughs at anyone, but this is a birthday gift I gave to an old friend. You said, 'I don't know which craftsman is idle. I have to polish it out of boredom', doesn't it mean that I bought a piece of trash for more than 200 million and used it to fool old friends?"

"No, Mr. Tong, I have absolutely no such intention!"

The man apologized repeatedly, and at the same time deeply regretted his slip of the tongue just now.

Tong Jian snorted coldly, and wanted to vent his anger by cursing a few more words, but saw that the other party said he was apologizing, but in fact he was not looking at himself, but at Ren Ping who was at the side, as if wishing he could swallow him alive, Can't help but be taken aback:
"What? You have a grudge?"

Ren Ping didn't answer, and stared at the other party with the same gaze, and smiled contemptuously:
"President Wang, your Ancient Spring Association is good at appraising ancient coins. That is your specialty. Don't show off like this kind of study room?"

"You brat, you recognize me!"

The man was shocked when he heard this.

"You and I don't know each other, but the guy standing behind you and outside the door is very familiar. Mr. Qiu, don't hide, come out!"

(End of this chapter)