antique masters in modern times

When Yanyou said this, Old Ying really became interested: "Oh? What's the matter, tell me quickly and listen."

"Once upon a time, there was a master who specialized in restoration of ancient paintings. He was very skillful, especially good at restoration of bird pictures. Some people said that the eyeballs of the birds in the ancient paintings restored by him were as real as they were, and even more beautiful than the original ones." But the master was unwilling to pass on this craft to others, not even to his son. Because he felt that even if he was full of knowledge, he was only a craftsman in the eyes of others, so he let his son study and go to official career, so that he would have a bright future. Promising. But he was reluctant to cut off the inheritance of craftsmanship, so he quietly wrote this experience and hid it in a safe place."

Hearing this, not only Ying Lao was fascinated, but Murong Hui, who was throwing peanuts to feed the scholars, also stopped his movements, and guessed enthusiastically: "What happened later? Did his son get the book?" Book, have you learned the craft?"

Yan You smiled slightly, and did not answer, but continued: "Unlike the father's expectations, my son's mind is not on studying, but more playful. One day, I met a bad friend with ulterior motives, and I listened to him for a long time, saying that he The father didn't even reveal the handicraft handed down from his family, so he must have hated him. At first, the son refuted it, but after listening to it a lot, he couldn't help but believe it, and complained to his father. When he came out, he was very angry with his father. The son thought it made sense, and went to his father's room to rummage for a few days. As expected, he found the book and handed it to his bad friend excitedly, preparing to watch his father's good show. As everyone knows, the real purpose of the damaged friend was the book, and he disappeared without a trace after he got it. Not long after, people said that a new restoration expert appeared in a certain place, and his level was comparable to that of the old master. Son Only then did I realize that I had been deceived.”

"This son is so confused, he was fooled so easily!" Murong Hui said contemptuously: "We are all a family, and he knows best how his father treats him. He actually hated his father after listening to a few slanderous words from outsiders. Stupid is too ignorant."

Hearing this, Yan You glanced at him in surprise: I didn't expect this person's thoughts to coincide with his own.However, his purpose of telling this story was not to criticize his son's actions, but to test the old man's attitude, so he asked: "Although people tend to misunderstand the good intentions of those close to them, I have the same opinion as Murong Hui. Elder Ying, what do you think? How do you think the master should handle this matter?"

After pondering for a moment, Old Ying suddenly said: "Xiaoyan, I'm afraid what you're telling is not a story, but a real person."

"...Huh?" Yan You was stunned: In order to cover up, he had already fabricated another identity for the protagonist, and covered it up heavily.At this point, Old Ying can still tell, is it true that he is really old and smart?

Fortunately, Lao Ying didn't mean that: "The allusion that Song Huizong painted birds with raw lacquer to make them so lifelike was told to me by your master. Probably, he heard it from the story of this master who restored ancient paintings. You and Little Murong is right. This son is really wrong. He has let down his father's painstaking efforts. Not only has he violated filial piety and made his father chill, but he has also broken the rules of the industry. Generations of craftsmen know that The way is not passed on lightly, and some even pass it on to the daughter-in-law and not to the daughter. It seems unreasonable, but it is actually to prevent outsiders from learning the unique skills from the daughter-in-law. Give your hard work to outsiders. If I were that father, hehe—"

Elder Ying didn't finish his sentence, but that meaningful smile was enough to explain a lot.

Seeing the resolute attitude of the old man, Yan You feels at ease.In this way, he will be free to deal with this matter.What I'm most afraid of is that Mr. Ying will always be a person who doesn't distinguish between black and white and protects his weaknesses.

He didn't intend to tell the old man about it right away.After all, Elder Ying just had an illness just now, if there was another blow, it would be tantamount to adding more weight to the situation.He decided to take care of it in his own way, and when the dust settled, he would tell the whole story to Yinglao.

While thinking about it, Yanyou's eyes moved slightly.Yinglaolao was dazzled and didn't notice it.Murong Hui, who had been paying attention to him all the time, could see it clearly, and couldn't help secretly thinking about it.

Having achieved his goal, Yan You stopped dwelling on this topic, and took advantage of the situation to chat with Elder Ying about other anecdotes.Murong Hui didn't know much about antiques, but because he heard a lot of old stories from his grandfather before returning to China, he knew some anecdotes about that period, so he was able to talk to him.Ying Lao hadn't chatted with anyone about the past for a long time, and he was also very interested.

The three of them were happily chatting, the dishes on the table were barely touched, and the few fried fruits that went with the wine were all fed into the scholar's stomach, which made him unable to stand upright, and lay lazily on the table.

Unknowingly, the sunshine outside the window has changed from the warmth of noon to the gentle sunset.After chatting for several hours, the old Ying, who was gradually recovering from the excitement, inevitably felt tired.Rolling up his sleeves and looking at his watch, he said in surprise, "It's already four o'clock, and we've had this meal for five or six hours."

The two juniors hadn't answered the conversation yet, when the scholar who had almost eaten away heard the word four, he immediately regained his energy, fluttered his wings, jumped up and sang: "The fourth watch is quiet and the night is quiet, my sister is soft and fragrant. No. My brother refuses to stay~ It’s because you and I are not married~~”

It is sung melodiously, quite a bit of a famous artist, but the word is so gaudy no matter how it sounds.

Yan You originally raised the teacup to moisten his throat, but when he heard the libretto, he shook his hand and dared not bring it to his mouth, for fear of accidentally spraying it all over the table.

Seeing the person he liked looking at him strangely, Murong Hui quickly pinched the bird's beak again: "As I said, this is a bird raised by my grandfather. He has no other hobbies, except for practicing martial arts, he just likes to listen to little songs." Son."

Murong Hui's grandfather, according to Mr. Ying's description, is a generous old man who doesn't care about fame. He never thought that he would have such a hobby in private... Could it be that Murong's family's inconsistency is hereditary?Thinking of this, Yan You was speechless for a moment.

But Murong Duan's old acquaintance, Ying Lao, was much calmer: "Hey, I said that the country is easy to change and the nature is hard to change. That old boy has been shameless for most of his life. How could he get into the coffin so fast that he changed his temper and taught the parrot to read "Dream of Red Mansions." I think he is a drunken man who doesn't care about drinking, what he reads is not books, but music."

In order to save some image, Murong Hui is pouring tea for Yan You graciously.The scholar who had regained his freedom heard the familiar vocabulary, and sang lively again: "The cardamom flower blooms on March [-]rd, and a bug burrowed into it~ It burrowed for a long time—squeak!"

Mr. Ying, who successfully blocked the scholar's mouth with the last fried cashew nut, wiped the oil on his hands, hiding his merit and fame: "Don't teach Xiaoyan to failure."

"Uh... I'll pay the bill, pay the bill." Putting down the teapot, Murong Hui smiled dryly, and decided bitterly that he must get rid of the scholar's stupid hair when he went back.

Ying's hometown is near the school. It is a very elegant European-style small second-floor building.The dazzling green ivy grows just right, and the gray and white exterior walls are densely covered, making it feel cool and comfortable to look at.

Desiring to let the old man take a rest, the two juniors tacitly declined the old man's offer to stay for tea, and left after a few words to the nanny.

In August, the sun is poisonous, and even in the evening, the residual air from the road can easily penetrate the soles of rubber shoes, making people frizzy from the palms to the whole body.

Yanyou was thinking about building a bathroom in his new house so he could take a bath, and tomorrow he would go to Chen Boyi to take the order to earn some money, and then try to—

Without thinking about it, Murong Hui, who was walking side by side, suddenly patted him on the shoulder: "Hey, what's your idea?"

"Ok?"

"Don't hide it. I saw it at the restaurant just now. You said that story must have a purpose. What do you want to do? Tell me, I promise not to say it." Murong Hui felt that he was too witty, and wanted to agree There is no better way for individuals to get closer than to share the same secret.

This kid is very sensitive.Yan You was a little surprised again.

He wasn't going to tell anyone about his plans.But his eyes turned around on Murong Hui's conspicuous and unusual attire, and when he remembered the identity of this person, he suddenly hesitated: Although he knew a lot of ways, he couldn't do it alone.If there is a helper, the efficiency will be much higher.

Seeing that there seems to be a door, Murong Hui hastened to strike while the iron was hot: "I have learned a lot from the book Xie Lao Er handed in recently. If you have any difficulties, maybe I can help."

It was this sentence that made Yan You make up his mind.Thinking about it again, although this person is out of touch, he still has a warm heart, and the elders are still old with Ying Lao.After looking around, he couldn't find a more suitable helper than him.Then he reminded: "This matter involves Elder Ying, and it has a great relationship. It would be great if you are willing to help. But I want you to promise not to speak out, can you do it?"

"Of course it's okay, whatever you say is what you say."

Murong grinned happily and hooked Yanyou's shoulders, and was about to speak, but his stomach let out a few untimely growls.

He rubbed his stomach in embarrassment, but he couldn't go against his biological will: "Well, I was just chatting and didn't eat. Let's find another place to have dinner and talk while eating, how about it?"

"Okay, let's go to Dongxing Tower."

Half an hour later, sitting in the private room of Dongxing Building, enjoying the super-fast service of the chef Lao Li, Murong Hui excitedly picked up the fried chicken shreds with his chopsticks, and then disappointedly said: "Why didn't it taste delicious that day— — Regardless of this, Xiaoyan, what is it about Grandpa Ying?"

On the way, Yanyou had already sorted out his arguments, and now he briefly explained how he discovered Xu Shinian's strange behavior, and that the tomb robber, Brother Wang, might be aiming at Yinglao's collection.

"So Xu Shinian is that idiot's son—what are you going to do?"

"Solve this matter from the source, try to catch Brother Wang first, and then make him give up his mind. By the way, how skilled are you? Tomb robbers usually act in groups. If you alarm Brother Wang's accomplices, That would be a big trouble." Yan You was most worried about this.

"It's okay to deal with the siege of a few Lianjiazi. However, maybe it would be better to use outsmart?"

"Outsmart?"

Murong Hui leaned close to Yan You's ear, murmured for a long time, and finally looked at him with a face full of credit: "I learned these things recently, how about it?"

"No reason!"

"……what?"

"How can you do this? You should follow the path of the tomb robber and lure him into the trap. This way—this way—is right."

"So that's how it is." Murong Hui listened humbly for a long time, and said in his heart that he couldn't tell that Yan You was gentle and gentle, but he was so courageous and his methods were fierce.However, he loves it!

Yanyou himself didn't think there was anything wrong with this plan.He never considered himself a gentleman, as long as he kept his heart, he could do extraordinary things in extraordinary times.It would be unimaginable to treat a villain with the way of a gentleman.

Now that the discussion was settled, the two split up to prepare.

Standing outside the Dongxing Building and saying don't go away a few steps, Murong Hui suddenly turned around and called Yan You: "Xiao Yan, you have to be careful."

When the lanterns first came on, the young man's face was reflected with an unreal beauty.

Yan You couldn't help sighing at the Creator's preference, and then said, "You too."

If at the beginning, he just wanted to find an opportunity to have sex, after hearing the whole story, the sense of justice in Murong's heart began to burn, and he felt that even if there was no Yan You, he would still be in charge of this matter.He couldn't wait to see the moment when the plan was successful: "Don't worry, I'm fine, see you then."

"Goodbye."

Early the next morning, a man with a straw hat pressed very low went to Guchen Zhai.After drinking tea with Boss Chen for nearly an hour, he came out with a few things.Everyone in the neighborhood thought that Professor Chen had made a good deal early in the morning and opened a good business, and they were all envious.

After eleven o'clock, Panjiayuan became more and more crowded.The street stall area is even more crowded with tourists. Although it is not up to the level of waving your sleeves, it is still bustling and crowded.

The stall owners who put out the stalls basically spread out the canvas, put the goods full on it, and match it with warm greetings, attracting buyers to stop from time to time.

But there is a stall that is different: it is located in the most inconspicuous corner, and only one thing is placed in a small square drawn by white paint.The stall owner sat in a small maza with most of his face buried in his arms. He neither took the initiative to solicit customers nor introduced anyone who stopped.When I met a careless person, I thought it was someone who was tired from shopping and was just resting.

But gold always shines.There will always be buyers in Panjiayuan who are familiar with illustrated books, know all kinds of treasures handed down from generation to generation, and hope to find buyers with the least amount of money.In less than an hour, several groups of people have come to this alternative stall, including polite middle-aged people and slovenly old people, all kinds of people.

After seeing the things on the stall, they basically all reacted in the same way: frowning, astonishment, ecstasy, looking carefully, half-belief.

No matter what expressions they make, the stall owner will never look at them directly.If you ask about the origin of something, you will only get a cold answer with a taste of the suburbs of Beijing: "At home."

For the sake of good things, the guests will not care about his indifference.But when they asked about the selling price again, the guests couldn't stand up anymore: "Eight thousand, I won't sell it for a penny less."

Not to mention the street stalls these days, even the things in the shops rarely have this price.The people who originally had the heart to pick up the leak shook their heads and dispersed, but they were not too reconciled.I often turn around and come back to watch endlessly.Some tried to bargain again, but all they got in return were blank stares and silence.

Such a stall owner with personality, such a treasure that looks like the real thing, became famous in Panjiayuan in less than two days.Not only the customers, but also all the shops came to join in the fun, making this deserted little corner as bustling as a park.

But no matter how many people come, the stall owner's answer will never change.At most, when asked whether it’s true or not, I would say one more sentence: “This business is all about voluntary buying and selling, and no regrets afterwards. If you don’t want to buy, no one will force you.”

The more stall owners have this kind of attitude, the more people can't give up.There are several buyers who are optimistic about the object, but suffer from the high price, the stall owner refuses to give any money, and they are too shy to make up the sum, but they are not willing to miss this treasure.I don't know who spread the news first, but rumors began to spread in Panjiayuan, saying that someone was planning to join forces to buy the ancient relic, and then share it equally after it changed hands.

There have always been people who have heard of partnerships in business, but have not heard of partnerships in buying antiques. This is even more novel.For a time, there was an uproar in the garden, and people could hear people talking about it wherever they went.

On the third day, after the owner of a certain store finished trading with his old acquaintance, he threw a cigarette to the other party, touched the newly received things cheerfully, and said, "Recently, a good thing appeared in the garden, but because of The asking price is too high, and although the reputation has become more and more famous, no one has taken it. Now they are all guessing the origin of the item. Some say it was an accident at home and sold it for emergency, and some say it came from a former rich family. Tsk tsk It's ridiculous to hear these words, and I have no eyesight. The stagnation on the old object is so obvious, without the luster handed down from ancient times, and it still has soil stains. It is obviously a newly unearthed artifact—just the same You are the same."

Hearing this, a light flashed in the eyes of the thin man who had just finished counting the money: "Boss, be careful."

"Ah, that's right, look at me, I got carried away for a while. But it's really a good treasure. If the turnaround time is not too long and I don't have enough money to put it on, I really want to take it and sell it abroad Go, make sure to make a fortune."

After several years of dealings, the man was quite convinced by the boss's vision, and immediately asked with interest: "What is it?"

"Blue-glazed Gold Swallow Ear Zun." The boss let out a mouthful of smoke rings: "There is one in the Huaxia Museum. This one is probably the same style fired in the same official kiln. The color, pattern, and texture are exactly the same. But I don’t know why it was used as a funeral object and spread to the present world. I have seen it with my own eyes, and it will never be fake. It’s really bold to say that this person sells artifacts secretly, but he is open and honest. Selling at a high price. The voice sounds very young, and I don’t know where he came from. Have you ever heard of this person?”

"No." The thin man answered briefly, but his mind was thinking rapidly.

He has heard of the famous name of the blue-glazed golden swallow ear statue, and it is a treasure that only the royal family and nobles are eligible to collect.Those who can use it as funeral objects are either rich or expensive.Since the ignorant boy dug such a good tomb by luck, he might have other good things in his hand.

Even if there is no one, Yan Er Zun alone is precious enough.He is bound to get the collection in Yingsheng's hands, but if there are other things, he will not refuse them.After all, the price given by the foreign boss is really fair, much higher than domestic ones.The only regret is that people only want treasures, not ordinary goods.Otherwise, why would he sell the pile of things just now at such a low price.

The water in Panjiayuan is deep, and there are many hidden people.He decided to go over and have a look right away. If it was really a good thing, he would definitely get the stuff of that stupid boy before others!