CH 037

TL: Moonlit

The competition has size requirements for the submitted artworks, so Qi Yuyu’s ordinary paintings done in his leisure time cannot be directly submitted. He happened to be planning to paint a new one.

After careful consideration, Qi Yuyu gave up on oil painting and decided to paint a traditional Chinese painting instead. He set aside some time to go buy painting paper, and Lin Hanchuan accompanied him.

Regular painting paper can be purchased online, but for Chinese painting, the older the xuan paper, the better. The older the paper, the rarer and more expensive it becomes. Regular stores don’t usually have it; you can only find it in the antique street.

The antique street in Qingzhou City was built in a very ancient style, with stone brick paving the ground and buildings on both sides of the street made of unified redwood. Decorative lanterns hung from the eaves, giving the feeling of traveling through time.

Perhaps due to it being a workday, there were few pedestrians on the street, and those passing by had clear objectives.

“This shop has been open for many years and sells both antique paintings and some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.” Qi Yuyu was one of the pedestrians with a clear purpose. “Their things are a mix of genuine and fake; it all depends on your eyes.”

It sounded like a shady shop. After thinking for a while, Lin Hanchuan recalled a memory from Yi Qinglou.

The ecosystem of the antique street was different from other places. There was no distinction between real and fake; there was only a question of worthiness. A Tang Sancai1Sancai ceramics were particularly popular during the Tang Dynasty in China (618-907 AD). replica that was genuinely made recently could be considered fake but also genuine. If you acquired it at the price of a replica, it would be considered worthy. If you were deceived and bought it at the price of a Tang Dynasty piece2Sancai ceramics were highly valued and considered luxurious during the Tang Dynasty, so maybe, super expensive…?, it would be considered unworthy.

“Since you’re a regular customer, he won’t deceive you, right?” Lin Hanchuan was curious.

Qi Yuyu shook his head. “He deceives regular customers just as well.”

He might even deceive regular customers more easily.

Lin Hanchuan fell silent for a moment, looking at the unassuming little shop in front of him, slowing his pace.

The shop was empty, with no signs of life. The shop owner sat in a lounge chair, playing with his phone. He barely looked up when he sensed someone entering and greeted half-heartedly, “Welcome, look around and pick whatever you like.”

Lin Hanchuan leisurely looked around the shop. The jade stones were neatly displayed in a glass counter, and another glass case held exquisitely crafted and antique trinkets that appeared quite genuine at first glance.

Although Lin Hanchuan had little knowledge of antiques and jade, when he glanced at the paintings hanging on the wall, he began to doubt the authenticity of everything in the shop.

Qi Yuyu got straight to the point. “I want to buy xuan paper, the older the better.”

The shop owner’s hand paused while gaming. The character he was controlling was quickly killed by a boss. He clicked his tongue and put his phone back in his pocket. “I have some sheets of old paper that I’ve kept for years and couldn’t bear to sell. They’re from Cao’s family in Jing County, 70 years old.”

To think such a small shop still had such treasures. Lin Hanchuan became interested and said, “Bring them out, let’s take a look.”

Xuan paper from Jing County was renowned, and among them, Cao’s family was the best. The Cao family had been making paper for generations and was a famous family of xuan paper. A few years back, Cao’s family’s xuan paper was even directly presented to the imperial palace, making them genuine purveyors to the emperor.

In modern times, Cao’s handmade paper had been snatched up by big shots in the industry, and it was rare for ordinary people to get their hands on it. Considering its age, if it were genuine, it would be a rare treasure.

The shop owner glanced at Lin Hanchuan and didn’t mind the absence of employees in the shop. He turned and entered the back room. Several minutes later, he returned holding two wooden boxes.

Opening the wooden boxes, only a faint scent remained from the boxes themselves, which quickly dissipated. The xuan paper itself had no odor.

Lin Hanchuan touched the xuan paper. It felt smooth but not slippery, and when shaken, it had a slight resilience, indicating it was indeed high-quality xuan paper. However… he carefully felt it again, and his brows furrowed. “This texture feels like it’s no more than fifty years old.”

The shop owner’s expression slightly stiffened. “Sir, what makes you say this is fifty-year-old paper…”

Lin Hanchuan, who usually didn’t care about prices when buying things, was taken aback. Qi Yuyu stepped forward with a cold expression and began negotiating with the shop owner.

As they talked, Lin Hanchuan took a step back and looked outside the shop. Suddenly, his gaze paused as he saw two familiar figures in the opposite store.

Father Qi, carrying a box, was followed by Qi Fenghua. They politely bid farewell to the young man in front of them and were about to leave. When they turned their heads, Qi Fenghua met Lin Hanchuan’s gaze.

Qi Fenghua was taken aback, his expression momentarily blank.

Following Qi Fenghua’s line of sight, Father Qi also noticed Lin Hanchuan. His brows furrowed, as he wasn’t satisfied with this former “son-in-law.” Father Qi couldn’t imagine Lin Hanchuan, who had no talent in painting and nothing remarkable about him, being a suitable match for his talented son. If it weren’t for Qi Fenghua’s plea for a marriage alliance, Father Qi would never have allowed Qi Fenghua to marry Lin Hanchuan.

Moreover, this dissatisfactory person even dared to suggest a divorce and abandon his son.

Disgust filled his eyes, and Father Qi coldly snorted. “Let’s go.”

Qi Fenghua lowered his gaze, feeling a mix of emotions in his heart.

He had always known that his heart belonged only to his first love, Yi Wusheng. The only reason he married Lin Hanchuan was because Lin Hanchuan had the exact same face as Yi Wusheng.

Over the past two years, Qi Fenghua subtly guided Lin Hanchuan to adopt Yi Wusheng’s style. He could feel that in their daily interactions, the seemingly unfeeling Lin Hanchuan had gradually been moved, and everything was developing in the direction he had hoped for.

However, in recent times, the situation had taken a sharp turn. The other party somehow discovered the truth and proposed a divorce, destroying all the hard work of the past two years.

Lin Hanchuan decisively moved out, leaving everything behind and blocking all contact with Qi Fenghua.

In the home he had meticulously arranged, Qi Fenghua looked at everything familiar to him. This place was originally his dream love nest with Yi Wusheng, but… he strangely found himself missing Lin Hanchuan.

Father Qi called out, but Qi Fenghua seemed to be unaware, lost in his own thoughts.

When Yi Wusheng passed away, Qi Fenghua had no outlet for his inner pain. It was only after marrying Lin Hanchuan that he found the courage and support to rebuild his life. Gradually, he also discovered that aside from their appearance, Lin Hanchuan and Yi Wusheng had nothing in common.

Lin Hanchuan, who appeared cold-hearted, was actually easily moved. As long as you showed him a little love, he would open his heart. Sometimes, Qi Fenghua himself didn’t know if he was treating Lin Hanchuan as a substitute or if he couldn’t help but want to treat him well.

He had secretly been involved with Yi Wusheng for half a year, but they had actually spent less than three months together. On the other hand, he had genuinely spent two years with Lin Hanchuan.

Emotions swirled in Qi Fenghua’s heart, and he looked at Lin Hanchuan again, his eyes carrying a hint of resentment, resenting how Lin Hanchuan could be so heartless.

“Why are you here?” Qi Yuyu, who had finished negotiating with the antique shop owner, heard the commotion and walked to the entrance, where he saw Father Qi and Qi Fenghua. He paused for a moment and couldn’t help but ask.

Father Qi should have been busy with the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, while Qi Fenghua studied oil painting, which had no connection to the antique street. How did these two end up here?

Upon seeing Qi Yuyu, Father Qi, who was originally displeased with Lin Hanchuan, felt his anger rise. He coldly looked at Qi Yuyu and said, “Did you hear the news and come here to snatch the painting?”

Qi Yuyu was taken aback and didn’t understand what Father Qi meant.

However, Father Qi misunderstood and thought that Qi Yuyu was tacitly admitting to his accusation. He waved the locked box in his hand and said, “Unfortunately, I have already secured this painting. Do you think Qi Family Gallery cannot survive without you? You dare to threaten us in this way.”

After Qi Yuyu left Qi Family’s business and assets behind, Father Qi had to take over the family’s affairs. It took him a considerable amount of time to familiarize himself with the work at hand and the artists working under him. The busier he became, the more infuriated Father Qi felt about Qi Yuyu’s actions.

In his eyes, Qi Yuyu left home out of resentment for his parents’ favoritism toward his younger brother. In addition to his anger, Father Qi found the situation somewhat amusing.

Qi Yuyu was already in his late twenties, yet he acted like a child with his recent actions. Father Qi thought it was childish. When Father Qi thought about everything Qi Yuyu did to regain his parents’ attention, some of his anger dissipated.

Father Qi came to the antique street because he received information that an authentic painting by the Tang Dynasty’s Painting Sage had emerged. The owner of the painting claimed that it was a family heirloom passed down through generations and was forced to sell it due to family circumstances.

Upon hearing this, Father Qi had a thought in mind. If he could obtain the painting before the auction or secure the right to sell it, he could make a substantial profit. So he used his connections and brought Qi Fenghua, who had knowledge in art, to negotiate with the owner. After carefully examining the painting and confirming its authenticity, Father Qi spent a whopping 20 million to purchase it.

From Father Qi’s triumphant tone, Qi Yuyu learned the background of the situation. His eyebrows furrowed as he said, “There is a lot more to ancient paintings. Even the most professional experts can make mistakes. Without a professional appraisal, you spent 20 million on this painting…”

If it was indeed an authentic painting by the Painting Sage, 20 million would not be considered expensive. It could even be considered cheap, as it could be sold for at least 50 million at auction. If the painting had some fame and a larger size, it could potentially fetch several hundred million or even over a billion.

But Qi Yuyu, who had been in the business for many years, had handled countless ancient and modern paintings. He understood better than anyone else that in this trade, they were not selling paintings but rather their discerning eye.

He did not believe that Father Qi had the expertise to appreciate ancient paintings, and as for Qi Fenghua… Qi Yuyu’s brows furrowed even tighter. Qi Fenghua specialized in oil paintings, and he was not particularly knowledgeable about traditional Chinese paintings, let alone ancient ones.

“What do you mean?” Father Qi, however, misunderstood Qi Yuyu’s intention and became angry. “The seller is a descendant of a prestigious scholar-official family with deep heritage. If it weren’t for a sudden family illness, this authentic painting by the Painting Sage would never have surfaced!”

“Do you think I would fall for a scam?”

After a brief silence, Qi Yuyu proposed, “Show me the painting. Let me take a look.”

20 million in cash was a significant amount for the Qi Family, enough to damage its foundation. Even though Qi Yuyu had left the family, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Since the transaction had just concluded, and the seller hadn’t gone far, he wanted to have a look. If he found something amiss, he could report it to the authorities and retrieve the money in time.

“I have had more experience in life than you have eaten salt. If I cannot see any problem, neither can you,” Father Qi replied curtly. Then he lifted his chin and commented, “You are just too cautious and overly focused on preserving what you have, making it difficult to expand your business.”

Qi Yuyu had been in control for so many years, steadily making progress. There were few instances where he made mistakes and incurred losses. However, there had also been no instances where he had made significant gains. The matter was already settled, and Father Qi had been blinded by greed. No one could advise him otherwise. Qi Yuyu sighed lightly. He could only hope that Father Qi hadn’t made a mistake, and that the painting was indeed an authentic work by the Painting Sage. Otherwise, the Qi Family would suffer a severe blow.