Chapter 40 - The Eight Loves of Scholars

Chapter 40 The Eight Loves of Scholars

“Although the texture of the black pear is a little worse than the yellow pear, it’s still rare and valuable for such an old object that has been passed down for hundreds of years.”

After talking about the material, Su Xiaofan cut off the generation of the pen holder.

“This should be an object from the late Ming Dynasty, and the carving was also made by a famous master. Looking at this patina, it must have been put in the study room for appreciation in the early years, and I don’t know how it ended up in the antique market.”

“Well said!”

Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan in surprise, clearly not expecting him to be so accurate in dating.

The customer with the surname Tong, who had been sitting next to him without saying a word, was now looking at Su Xiaofan in a strange way. Su Xiaofan was too young, so young that he didn’t look like someone from an antique store.

“Then can you tell me what this sculpture is?” Jing Shizhen’s consideration was not over yet. To be able to identify the material and the date, one had to rely on their eyesight. Although Jing Shizhen would be surprised, he would not be shocked.

If Su Xiaofan could tell what the patterns on the brush holder represented, it would be a manifestation of its cultural heritage. Jing Shizhen wasn’t very optimistic about Su Xiaofan’s understanding of the brush holder’s culture.

“Uncle Jing, if I’m not mistaken, this brush holder should be called the high embossed eight love pattern brush holder, right?”

Su Xiaofan said with a smile. Even without the information in his mind, he could tell the carving technique.

The so-called high embossed sculpture referred to the engraving method where the pattern of the carved pattern protruded out of the bottom. It was commonly seen in pen tubes, incense tubes, and longevity Mountain Stone carvings also used high relief.

However, Su Xiaofan didn’t understand the word ‘love’ at first. Later, he secretly checked on his phone and found out that love was the love of eight famous historical figures.

Tao Yuanming loved chrysanthemums, Meng Haoran loved plums, Su Dongpo loved inkstones, Wang Xizhi loved geese, Zhou Dunyi loved lotus, Mi Li loved stones, Li Bai loved wine, and Lu Yu loved tea. These eight people were known as the eight loves of scholars.

The embossed on this brush holder was the eight loves of scholars. On this small brush holder, exquisite knife skills were used to carve eight figures and their loved objects. This kind of carving skill was definitely the work of a master.

that’s right. The full name of this pen holder should be called the late Ming Dynasty yellow pear embossed eight love pattern pen holder.

Jing Shizhen clapped for Su Xiaofan. “Xiaofan, you’re amazing. Who did you learn all this from?”

In the antique trade, the key was to pass down the knowledge in an orderly manner. Usually, only the apprentices of the masters would have such a deep understanding of this knowledge. Otherwise, very few people would know such obscure knowledge.

“Uncle Jing, I learned it from Brother Gang.

Su Xiaofan couldn’t say that he was lying to Jing Shizhen, because he had indeed learned the literary games like the yellow pear beads from Zheng Dagang, but the deeper knowledge had been learned by Su Xiaofan himself.

“From Gang Zi?”

Jing Shizhen shook his head repeatedly. “You don’t have to lie about that kid. If he knows what the eight loves of scholars are, I’ll even give him this Jingxin Hall.”

“Little Su, what’s the matter? Can you continue? Can you find the author of this pen holder?”

“Uncle Jing, please spare me. You’ve already emptied my stomach.”

Su Xiaofan shook his head with a wry smile. He could still guess who the ancient calligraphers were since there were only a few of them, but the brush holders were too niche. Most of them were made by craftsmen and were not even famous.

“Then let me tell you.

Jing Shizhen said, “Although there’s no signature, if I’m not wrong, this brush holder should be made by Chen Zisheng at the end of the Ming Dynasty.”

“Chen Zisheng had once carved a Lanting Xuya carved brush holder. The craftsmanship was very exquisite. Chen Zisheng was a man of integrity and was very famous among the scholars during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.”

“So far, we only know that Chen Zisheng’s pen holder is that ivory pen holder, and this is his second pen holder work. It has a very profound meaning…”

Jing Shizhen proved the origin of this yellow pear pen holder from several aspects. First of all, the style of carving on this pen holder was very similar to the one that was engraved with the tooth inscription of the orchid Pavilion. Moreover, Chen Zisheng was from Qiong province, so he had the means to get the old root of the yellow pear. However, he didn’t know how the yellow pear brush holder would end up in the antique market of Yanjing after hundreds of years.

“Uncle Jing, how much is this pen holder worth?”

Su Xiaofan asked. With his current wealth, he couldn’t afford to collect antiques. At best, he was just a trader selling antiques. “Chen Zisheng’s evaluation in history was quite high. After the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, he did not serve the Qing Dynasty and lived a poor life until his death. If his things were auctioned, many people would approve.”

Jing Shizhen thought for a while, and said: “A few years ago, there was an auction in Xinjiang for a piece of yellow rosewood pen holder from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It sold for two million Yuan! Although it was not as good as yours…

“I Jing Shizhen muttered to himself for a moment before continuing, “According to my estimation, if this pen holder is auctioned, it will not be worth less than three million. If you meet an interested buyer, it can be sold for more than five million!”

Jing Shizhen had said that Su Xiaofan had picked up the biggest bargain of the year because of this. An item bought for 150 Yuan could be sold for three to four million Yuan in an auction. That was ten thousand times the profit. It was incredible for the antique market today, which was relatively mature.

Of course, in the 1970s and 1980s, this kind of thing happened quite often.

At that time, people had just eaten their fill. No one would collect antiques. Famous people’s calligraphy and paintings were sold as waste paper. A yellow rosewood table and chair cost five Yuan. Today, some of the big collectors in China, including Jing Shizhen himself, were the beneficiaries of that era.

“The lowest price is three million, and the highest is five million?”

Su Xiaofan was dumbfounded. He had really made a fortune. He only had a hundred thousand left in his pocket, and now he had a few million more. Of course, he had to sell the pen holder first.

“Your surname is Su, right?”

Just as Su Xiaofan was thinking about how to get the five million, a voice came from the side. “I quite like this brush holder. How about this?

I’ll offer four million. Are you willing to sell it?”

“And you are?”

Su Xiaofan followed the voice and saw the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa. “My surname is Tong, Tong Dongjie, and I run a tourism and cultural company. This pen holder of yours is relatively rare. I want to collect it. I wonder what you think, Little Su?” The middle-aged man was talking to Su Xiaofan, but his eyes were on Jing Shizhen. “Uncle Jing, what do you think?”

Su Xiaofan also looked at Jing Shizhen. This was Jing Shizhen’s meditation hall, and if the two of them were to make a deal, it would be a bit overpowering.

“Little Tong, you should know my rules.” Jing Shizhen’s face was expressionless, and he only said to the man, “Since I’ve appraised the item and it was sold in the Jingxin hall, I’ll take 20% of the transaction price. This money should be paid by you, little Tong. As for the tax, you two can discuss how to pay it.”

“Uncle Jing, I understand the rules. The four million is little Su’s, and the eight hundred thousand is Jingxin Hall’s. I’ll be responsible for all the taxes. What do you think?” The middle-aged man said with a respectful attitude.

“It’s so easy to earn money in this Jingxin Hall.”

Hearing Jing Shizhen and Tong Dongjie’s conversation, Su Xiaofan was left speechless. He didn’t pay a single cent and charged 800,000 Yuan for just an appraisal. He was simply getting something for nothing. “It’s not mine. It’s up to little Su to decide if he wants to sell it or not.”

Jing Shizhen didn’t seem to like Tong Dongjie very much, and his attitude didn’t seem to be the way he treated a guest. “Uncle Jing, since this Mr. Tong likes it so much, I’ll let him have it.”

Su Xiaofan didn’t even hesitate before he made his decision. If this thing went up for auction, who knew when it would be sold? Four million was not a small amount, and the money would only be his once he had it. “Alright, I’ll get someone to prepare the contract. You guys can sign it later and transfer the money after you’re done.”

Uncle Jing waved his hand and called over a staff member to give some instructions. There was a ready-made electronic template for such contracts in the store. It could be used after some changes.

Of course, Uncle Jing didn’t take the 800,000 Yuan for nothing. He had to be the middleman. If there was a problem with the item in the future, people wouldn’t look for Su Xiaofan, but Jingxin Hall.

So while they were preparing the contract, someone took a digital camera and took photos of the pen holder from different angles.

There was a digital photo developing equipment in the store. After the photos were developed, both parties had to sign and press their fingerprints. This was also one of the means by which Jingxin Hall prevented others from exchanging the fake photos for the real photos and seeking revenge.

Jingxin Hall had its own set of procedures for antique trading, and there were people in charge of it. In about ten minutes, the information before the transaction was prepared.

Su Xiaofan and Tong Dongjie signed the contract and the photo respectively. Tong Dongjie went out to call a subordinate in and transferred the money to Su Xiaofan’s bank account on the spot according to the contract. Just the on-site transaction alone cost Tong dongjie 4.8 million. This did not include the taxes he had to pay later. The total price was definitely more than five million.

This also showed Su Xiaofan how rich people bought antiques.

Su Xiaofan’s mouth was dry from all the wind and sun in the antique market, and he could sell his wares for three to five hundred only Yuan a day.

But now, Su Xiaofan was drinking tea in Jingxin Hall with air conditioning, and in just a few sentences, he had settled a business deal of three to five million Yuan. They were both doing business, but the difference was like the difference between heaven and earth. “Uncle Jing, what do you think about that matter? Do you have time to make a trip?” After trading the pen holder with Su Xiaofan, Tong Dongjie asked someone to put the pen holder away. He didn’t seem to care about the item as much as he said. “You have a request?”

Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan looked at each other. They understood what was going on. Tong Dongjie must have seen that Uncle Jing appreciated Su Xiaofan, so he gave Su Xiaofan a good deal through the sale of the pen holder and gave Jingxin Hall a Commission of 800,000 Yuan for free. He had done everything well. “Don’t worry, let’s not talk about this for now. Little Su, what’s in the other bag? Don’t tell me you’ve picked up another good deal?” Jing Shizhen didn’t seem to want to talk to Tong Dongjie in front of Su Xiaofan and the others, so he looked at the other bag on the table.