Sourness

The old cat asked him, "Keep shopping? Or go back?"

"I also want to see that store called 'Lao Zhang Ji'," Mi Yue pointed to the other side of the long street, "it's next to 'Fu Yuan Hao'."

Anyone who has been to this street knows Fuyuanhao, because it is the largest store on the street with the most elegant appearance.

When the old cat passed by the entrance of "Fuyuan" just now, he saw several plaques hanging on the entrance of the store, such as "Antique Collection Association", "XX Auction House", etc., I don't know if it is true or not.

Passing by the entrance of "Fuyuan" again, the old cat noticed the long row of brass signboards at the entrance of the store, and saw that the sign in the middle was marked "Time Auction House".

In the past few years, urban construction has been carried out everywhere, and the ancient cultural street has also undergone several large-scale renovations.Especially on the main street, not only the pavement has been widened, but also the shops on both sides have been planned and modified in a unified way. The size and format have maintained a unified style, and even the door faces and plaques have been made to the same size as required.

As the largest antique store on the whole street, "Fuyuanhao" has about three to four normal-sized storefronts, and the upstairs and downstairs are all connected. First of all, it shows an air of dominance on the outside. .

When Mi Yue passed by the door of "Fuyuan", she noticed that the counters, tables and chairs in the store were all made of mahogany furniture, and she was indeed rich and powerful.

Under such circumstances, "Lao Zhang Ji", which is also a time-honored brand, is like an angry little daughter-in-law. Although it is next to "Fu Yuan", the hardware conditions do not seem to be as good as others, and the products it sells are not as good. Great style, all small pieces.Unlike the "Fuyuan", standing on the street, you can see all kinds of shiny porcelain and gold and jade carvings placed in the counter, which are rich and stylish.

The area of ​​"Lao Zhang Ji" is not large. Except for the glass display cabinets at the entrance to the street, the other three sides are placed against the walls to display different products.On one side are all kinds of musical instruments, on one side are gold and jade jewelry, and on the other side are various small miscellaneous items.

The counters in the store are also slightly different.It looks like old things collected from different places, not only in different materials, but also in different sizes.The boss doesn't seem to care, instead using different counters to display different products is considered ingenious.

When the old cat saw all kinds of musical instruments hanging on the walls of the store, he understood why Mi Yue had come back. It is estimated that this store has the most complete musical instruments on this street.

Mi Yue was still looking around to check the layout of the store, when the old cat leaned into his ear and asked, "Are these all antiques? Why don't they look like it to me?"

Mi Yue couldn't help hiding for a while, feeling that the distance was too close, he could feel the air flow from his breath on his ears.

By the way, do they know each other that well? !

He didn't pay attention to what the old cat said, but the clerk who passed behind them heard it.

The clerk was in his thirties, of medium height, with a friendly smile all over his face.He said to the old cat: "This gentleman is right. These hanging pianos are all second-hand. The longest one is only more than 20 years old. They are not considered antiques."

It was only then that Mi Yue realized what the old cat had just asked.He followed the old cat's line of sight, and saw that the wall where the musical instruments were placed was covered with dark velvet, and there were many musical instruments hanging on it in a patchwork pattern, including lutes and guqin, and they all looked quite old. old stuff.

"If you want to talk about antiques, this is it." The clerk said, pointing them to look at the erhu placed in the counter, "This is a family heirloom of our boss, at least it has a history of two or three hundred years."

The old cat couldn't tell how old this thing was, but the wood and python skin looked well maintained, and there were no obvious signs of damage. It really looked like an antique.

He leaned closer to Mi Yue again, and asked him in a low voice, "Erhu existed two or three hundred years ago?"

Mi Yue couldn't help but dodged to the side again, and glanced at him helplessly, "This thing was first called Xiqin, which originated in the minority areas in northern China in ancient China. There are 'pipa, huqin and Qiangdi' in Tang poetry. Here The huqin refers to the erhu."

The old cat clicked his tongue, "It's so early?"

Miyue ignored his layman's words, carefully looked at the erhu in the counter, praised it for its well-maintained condition, and began to talk to the clerk, "Are there any other antique musical instruments?"

The clerk shook his head regretfully, "Musical instruments are not easy to preserve. We have also received some antique musical instruments in our store, but they are all damaged to varying degrees. It will cost money to repair them. Even if they are repaired, they cannot be used for playing. The main reason is that the price cannot be sold..."

Mi Yue nodded, expressing her understanding.

Musical instruments are not a popular choice in the collection market, and the cost of restoration is not low. Those who open a shop and do business will not be willing to do this kind of loss-making business.

Mi Yue asked him again, "Is there any decent pipa?"

The clerk pointed to the wall behind him, "Just these two."

Mi Yue did not show any disappointed expression, "I saw a paulownia lacquer pipa from someone else before. The painting on the body of the lute is Chang'e flying to the moon. The painting is very delicate. The head of the lute is also inlaid with jewels..."

The clerk shook his head, saying that he had never seen such a collection.

Mi Yue was originally here to insinuate, so she didn't feel too disappointed when she heard such an answer.

I didn't get the news I wanted, and other things in the store, such as women's rouge boxes, jewelry, etc., were not so attractive to Mi Yue.

The old cat also noticed it, and asked him in a low voice, "Let's go?"

Just as Mi Yue was about to nod her head, her footsteps stopped again.The old cat followed his line of sight, and it turned out that he was attracted by a sculpture in the display cabinet beside him.

The old cat didn't know much about these things, so he asked casually, "Is this crystal?"

The carving is not big, more than 20 centimeters high and [-] to [-] centimeters wide. The black and white translucent material is carved into bunches of grapes.Black branches and vines, white translucent fruits, and a few clusters of green among the branches and leaves, quite vivid and interesting.

"It's agate." Mi Yue walked over and looked it over carefully.He doesn't collect, and he doesn't have much interest in these things.The reason why he stopped was not because he was attracted by it, but because he saw a shallow plate next to it, and there were a bunch of small things in it. This is what he looked at.

However, seeing the agate carvings, he suddenly remembered that there were several similar things in Qin Han's study.There is also a black and white Hetian jade paperweight on the desk.This old man seems to like little things with black and white patterns very much.

The positioning of "Lao Zhang Ji" is lower than that of "Fu Yuan" next to it. The carvings themselves are not ancient relics, and the materials are barely considered to be above average. It is all up to the carver to support the price.Customers who come here for antiques will not buy such things, but ordinary tourists will not easily buy them at five-figure prices.

"Are you really buying it?" Seeing his inquiry, the old cat leaned over and asked him in a low voice, "It doesn't look like an antique."

"It's not an antique." Mi Yue got used to being approached to talk by him repeatedly, but this time she didn't think of avoiding it, "Buy it back and give it to the elders."

Lao Mao felt that he needed to get to know this little researcher who drove a broken pickup truck again, "You are quite rich."

Mi Yue shook her head, "I have no money."

All his money was saved penny by penny.

Mi Yue usually stays at the research institute for food and lodging, so her living expenses are not large.Besides, there is nothing to spend money on the mountain.In addition, he will also take on some antique restoration work through Lin Qingshan's relationship, and the income in this area is higher than his salary.

Besides, this is to buy a gift for the uncle, after he returns to the mountain, he can still grind Lin Qingshan to reimburse him.

Mi Yue chuckled twice, and then asked the clerk, "Can you show me what's on this plate?"

The clerk carried the plate to the counter.

These odds and ends are not easy to sell, and it’s rare to meet someone who is interested, and the clerk can’t wait to pack them up and sell them to him. The more beautiful pieces of porcelain have been bought one after another. That’s all that’s left.”

The old cat also leaned over to look, "What is this? It looks like the handle on a musical instrument?"

Mi Yue corrected him, "The peg."

"Yes, yes, pegs." The old cat was stunned, and reached out to pick up one to have a look. "It feels smaller than the ones on ordinary musical instruments. Why are there three?"

"It's not a complete set." The clerk said helplessly, "It's all odds and ends... If you want it, I'll give you a cheap price..."

The old cat picked up a peg, and felt that its texture was a bit like the horn of some kind of animal. It was brown and black, and there were some faint tendons when viewed against the light.

The old cat remembered that what Mi Yue was looking for was a musical instrument.If Mi Yue was a person who knew musical instruments, this thing would not be a spectacle for him, maybe what he was looking at just now was not agate carvings, but these small parts.

Small parts are worthless, and Miyue spent 200 yuan to wrap them up.

When he walked out of "Lao Zhang Ji" with two boxes in his hands, he couldn't help showing a bit of joy, "I've been looking for a peg of this size for a long time, and its material is also very valuable, do you have it?" Notice that there is a ruby ​​embedded in the top of it? I took a rough look just now, and the quality should still be very good."

"Which one?!" The old cat's eyes widened instantly, "Isn't there just a broken stone embedded in the peg?!"

Two of the three pegs are of the same size, and seem to be dismantled from the same musical instrument, and are made of darker wood.The other one was slightly smaller. He had seen it just now and thought it was the horn of some kind of animal.There is a finger-sized stone embedded in the top of the peg, which is covered with a layer of dirt and looks dusty.

Mi Yue smiled narrowly, "It's the one you just muttered about not washing."

The old cat covered his chest, "...is it expensive?"

Mi Yue smiled and said, "This quality... is very expensive."

"I still think people's house is dirty." The old cat held his forehead, consciously being hit, "It turns out that I was born poor..."

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