Chapter 61: Sixty-one, theory Chapter 61: Sixty-one, theory Song Yan Ning squatted down and picked up a piece of porcelain again. “Fencai Hundred Deer Double-Ear Vase, decorated with a hundred deer amongst mountains, forests, streams, lingzhi mushrooms, flowers, and other sceneries. Under the green pines and cypresses, the deer ran, snuggled, or rested, each in different poses. In the painting, mountains and leaves are mostly rendered in green. The color application is rich and thick. The deer and branches are painted with ochre and black, making the deer come alive and the branches appear robust. The brushwork is lively and delicate. Take a look at this piece of porcelain, did you notice its deer head?” She had read the introduction of the Fencai Hundred Deer Double-Ear Vase, so it left a deep impression on her.
The young man took the porcelain shard and carefully examined the deer head, and soon his face turned ugly, “I’m going to have it out with the merchant, selling me a forgery. Little girl, thank you! Could you come with me?” It was fortunate that the vase had broken; otherwise, if he had gifted this vase to Xu Bowen, he would have been truly humiliated. A loss of face is a trivial matter, but if it affected his father’s illness, his regret would come too late.
“We will accompany you,” Song Yan Ning had not spoken when Yang Lisheng already had. Regardless of whether the vase was real or fake, breaking it was his responsibility.
“Thank you, sir! I’m really sorry about before,” the young man looked at Yang Lisheng apologetically.
Yang Lisheng waved his hand dismissively, “No worries, it was my fault for not watching where I was going.”
“I am also to blame; I was walking too fast,” the young man sheepishly said. If he hadn’t been so focused on getting home fast, he wouldn’t have bumped into the other person.
“Young man, you just said you bought this vase for two hundred thousand?” Yang Lisheng pointed at the shattered pieces on the ground.
“Actually, it wasn’t that expensive,” the young man said with an embarrassed chuckle, took off his jacket, squatted down, and carefully gathered the broken pieces inside his garment. He was going to confront the boss, so he naturally needed to bring these broken porcelain shards.
Seeing this, Yang Lisheng and Li Meixiang also squatted down to help.
Song Yan Ning shook her head and squatted down to pick them up. Even if he went, the boss would not compensate him for his loss.
“Xiao Ning, don’t pick them up; you might cut your hand,” Li Meixiang quickly intervened when she saw Song Yan Ning helping. The porcelain shards were sharp, and if Song Yan Ning cut her hand, she would be distressed.
“I’ll be careful,” Song Yan Ning playfully winked at Li Meixiang. With her current physical strength, these shards couldn’t harm her.
After picking up all the porcelain pieces from the ground, Song Yan Ning and the two others followed the young man to the antique store where he had bought the vase.
The boss was tallying accounts when he heard footsteps, looked up, saw the young man approaching, and quickly greeted him with a smile, “Young Master Wu, are you here to buy more antiques? I can assure you of their authenticity,” he had made a tidy sum of money from this Young Master Wu today. In shops like his, they preyed on rich naïve heirs like him.
Wu Tingfeng scoffed and threw his jacket, still holding the porcelain pieces, onto the table, “I trusted you so much, and you sold me a fake. Refund me, or this isn’t over.”
The boss’s brow furrowed, and he smiled, trying to appease him, “Young Master Wu, how could I sell you a fake? Didn’t you have someone help you verify it?” The person who had helped Wu Tingfeng verify the vase was someone he knew well, and he had promised him a commission as long as Wu Tingfeng bought the vase from their store.
Wu Tingfeng opened the jacket that wrapped the porcelain pieces and took out the base shard that Song Yan Ning had shown him earlier, “You still claim this is authentic? Take a look at the mark on this, do you think I don’t understand anything?”
The boss did not take the shard but just beamed at Wu Tingfeng, “Young Master Wu, the vase is broken now, how can I know whether this vase is the one I sold you?”
“You!” Wu Tingfeng glared angrily at the boss, grinding his teeth with rage.
“Moreover, when I sold you the vase, I also told you that once you leave the store, goods are strictly non-refundable and non-exchangeable. You agreed to that yourself, didn’t you?” The boss sneered at Wu Tingfeng. Of course, he knew that the vase he sold was a fake, but so what? The antique industry had its own rules. Even if the other party went to the police, it would be useless. Once they’ve left his shop, who’s to say if it was still the same vase? He could claim they switched it and then came back to extort him.
“You’re so despicable!” Wu Tingfeng trembled with anger, yet he was helpless. Because he had indeed agreed when the boss had said it.
“Boss, how much for this painting?” Song Yan Ning’s attention had been drawn to a painting on the wall as soon as she entered the shop. There were many items in the shop, but few authentic ones, apart from this painting, there was only one brush in the display case.
The boss gave Song Yan Ning a quick up and down and a flicker of contempt flashed in his eyes, “You can’t afford this painting. Don’t touch it carelessly; if you damage it, you’ll have to pay.” He had bought the painting from an old man who collected scrap. He had it appraised, and they told him the painting wasn’t worth much.
Though the painting was old, it wasn’t made by a famous artist, and it lacked any signature, as if it was just a casual piece of work. He hung it up in the store, intending to deceive those who didn’t understand antique paintings. There were many shops selling antiques on this street, but few were genuine; deception was the usual way of business.
“How do you know I can’t afford it?” Song Yan Ning raised an eyebrow at the boss.
The boss chuckled, “This is an original work by the Ming Dynasty painter Song Xu. If you can come up with 100,000, I’ll sell it to you.”
Yang Lisheng, Li Meixiang, and Wu Tingfeng all looked at the painting on the wall. The painting was old and tattered; even if it were left on the side of the road, no one would give it a second glance. To ask for 100,000 was obviously a rip-off. It was downright unscrupulous.
Song Yan Ning was slightly startled, clearly taken aback. After a while, she regained her composure and turned to Yang Lisheng, “Grandpa, I like that painting. Should we buy it?”
“That painting is old and torn, maybe we should pick something else,” Yang Lisheng felt it was truly not worth spending 100,000 yuan on a tattered painting.
“Grandpa!” Song Yan Ning looked at Yang Lisheng with a coaxing gaze.
Unable to resist Song Yan Ning, Yang Lisheng shook his head reluctantly, “Alright then.” After all, that money was earned by Xiao Ning.
“Grandpa is the best!” Song Yan Ning beamed at the boss, “Boss, I’d like to buy that painting. Could you throw in something else for me?”
“Do you really want to buy that painting?” The boss was somewhat incredulous. Although 100,000 yuan was not a lot of money to the average person, buying that painting really wasn’t worth it.
If the painting had been genuine, it would be a different story, but he was certain that the painting was a forgery. Never mind 100,000, it wasn’t even worth 100. A young girl couldn’t possibly understand antiques; she probably just naively thought that old things equated to antiques. But the fact that her grandfather had agreed was a surprise to him.
“Mhm.” Song Yan Ning nodded affirmatively.