LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 77 - 71: They are all Treasures
Chapter 77: Chapter 71: They are all Treasures
“`
The items in this crate were brought up by Gu Wenfeng in several trips. The crate for the paintings and calligraphy contained five sets in total, and as Lu Jiaxin had predicted, there were also Xuan paper, ink sticks, and ink stones. There were all kinds of ink and ink stones, including one carved with a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.
In ancient times, the Five-Clawed Dragon was an emblem of the emperor, who was referred to as the “Son of Heaven, the True Dragon,” believed to be the incarnation of the “True Dragon” from heaven. In feudal society, it was stipulated that only the dragon motif on the emperor’s personal items could have five claws, while other royals and ministers had to use dragon motifs with four or three claws, signifying the emperor’s supreme and unshakable power.
Lu Jiaxin thought that this ink stone was very likely a tribute for the emperor’s use. Some wealthy tycoons liked such symbolically significant items, and if she found the right buyer, it could fetch a high price.
Xue Mao looked at these stones, frowning, “Sis, can these things really sell for a high price?”
Why did it seem so mystical to him? He would not even bend down to pick up such things on the street, and even if given to him, he would find them cumbersome.
Lu Jiaxin, smelling the fragrance of the ink, said with a smile, “They might not sell for a high price now, but in the future, people won’t be able to buy them even with money.”
Antiques had not yet become hot, and the Mainland artifact traffickers were harsh in their bargaining, so to sell at a good price one had to go to Peng City. However, she only planned to sell one painting as startup capital, keeping the rest for her collection. She didn’t plan on getting any expert validation for these items just yet, as the news would spread once the items were revealed.
Gu Wenfeng said, “Miss Lu, you stay up here to keep watch, and I’ll help Xue Mao bring up the rest of the crates.”
Lu Jiaxin originally wanted to open the five sets of paintings, knowing only that one of them was a painting of court ladies, but she was unclear about the other four.
Setting aside the items in her hands, Lu Jiaxin smiled and agreed.
With Lu Jiaxin’s instructions, the two of them were very careful when carrying the crate with the porcelain, taking each item up to the entrance carefully. Though they didn’t understand antiques, they felt that such exquisite porcelain must be valuable.
By the time everything was brought up it was already evening. Gu Wenfeng wanted to build the stove bed overnight, but Lu Jiaxin didn’t see the need to rush.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲονǥ0.ƈο
Lu Jiaxin said, “When we were bringing up the items earlier, we were very quiet, and with the noise outside, people in the second courtyard couldn’t hear anything. But if we were to build the wall, the noise would be loud, and they would definitely hear it. Even if they think we need to rebuild the stove bed, they wouldn’t choose night time. They would get suspicious.”
Gu Wenfeng found her to be quite cautious and said with a smile, “Alright, then let’s build the stove bed tomorrow morning. Not just this one, but the other two beds need to be rebuilt as well,”
After covering the entrance with boards and stacking a few bricks on top, Gu Wenfeng and Xue Mao left.
Lu Jiaxin then took out the five sets of paintings, opening them one by one to look. When she saw the familiar painting of court ladies, she nearly reached out to touch it, but retracted her hand before touching the painting. Her hands were sweaty, and touching the painting would cause irreversible damage.
Besides the painting of court ladies, the other four were an Ink and Wash Painting, a Longevity Painting, a Hunting Picture, and a Flowers and Birds Picture. The pair of skylarks in one were lifelike, truly appealing.
When she saw the signature on the Flowers and Birds Picture, she was stunned. The author of this painting was the Song Dynasty emperor known for his unparalleled calligraphy. Although this emperor ended up a ruler of a fallen state, his artistic talents were extremely high. For this reason, his calligraphy and paintings were highly sought after in later generations, each commanding sky-high prices. Of course, this was only if they were authentic works; imitations were of no value.
As for the signatures on the other three paintings, Lu Jiaxin also took a close look, but unfortunately, she did not recognize any of the names. This did not mean the paintings were forgeries, but rather that her knowledge of ancient paintings was not deep. The reason she recognized the skylarks as the work of that particular fallen emperor was because she had heard a museum tour guide mention it. The other paintings’ signatures could be using their own characters or aliases, visible only to experts or those who had studied the subject.
After inspecting this crate, Lu Jiaxin opened another containing porcelain. There were twelve porcelain items in total, including a Blue and White Plum Blossom Porcelain Vase, a double-eared vase, a tripod incense burner, as well as painted bowls and celadon teacups.
Besides the blue and white porcelain, the rest were beyond her expertise. However, since she was collecting and not planning to sell, she would wait until she was capable of protecting these items before inviting someone to authenticate them.
“`
Lu Jiaxin was delighted and carefully put the items back into place. As for the eight boxes of ancient books, she didn’t look at them again. She had decided to donate them, fearing that looking at them again might make her reluctant and add unnecessary trouble.
Gu Wenfeng took a shower and came back. He sat down and asked, “How do you plan to transport these things back?”
Lu Jiaxin replied, “Brother Gu, these books should be of research value. I want to donate them all to the museum in the Forty-nine City. I’ll keep the five pieces of calligraphy and paintings, and we can divide the rest of the items equally among the three of us.”
Gu Wenfeng was stunned, not having expected Lu Jiaxin to divide things up like this.
Xue Mao immediately waved his hand and said, “Sis, I don’t want anything. You’ve given me the house, if I were to take these things as well, what kind of person would I be?”
Gu Wenfeng came back to his senses and also said, “Miss Lu, you really shouldn’t. The house is yours, so naturally, everything here is also yours.”
Lu Jiaxin joked, “These items will be very valuable in the future. If you don’t want them now, don’t regret it later!”
Xue Mao immediately stated that he would never regret it.
Gu Wenfeng rarely showed a smile and said, “Miss Lu, these things were yours to begin with, I have nothing to regret.”
One shouldn’t reach out for things that aren’t theirs. However, Gu Wenfeng was still pleased with Lu Jiaxin’s intention.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?”
Both men shook their heads, indicating they didn’t want anything.
After Lu Jiaxin took out the ink slab engraved with a Five-Clawed Dragon and the Plum Blossom Porcelain Vase, she said, “Since neither of you wants anything, I’ll keep these few items and donate the rest.”
Gu Wenfeng had no objections, but Xue Mao did, “No, that’s not okay. You can’t donate them.”
He didn’t oppose donating the books, as they weren’t valuable anyway. But these pieces of porcelain and ink slabs looked pretty valuable, and he couldn’t bear to part with them.
Due to Xue Mao’s strong opposition, only the eight boxes of ancient books and the Xuan Paper were donated. The rest were kept.
Gu Wenfeng then said, “If you want to donate these books to the Forty-nine City museum, I will contact a truck for you tomorrow. Once everything is arranged, we can ship these books to the Forty-nine City. Miss Lu, your items can also be sent back with them.”
Lu Jiaxin replied, “Brother Gu, I don’t want people to know that I’m the one donating these books.”
Gu Wenfeng understood her decision. There were many greedy people in the world who would think she had even more treasures if they knew she had donated so many ancient books. Even with the Xie Family’s protection, there was truth in the saying that you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can’t defend against a thief for a thousand days.
“Miss Lu, I can’t guarantee that,” he said. “If you want to be absolutely certain, you’ll have to ask a leader to arrange it.”
Without a second thought, Lu Jiaxin agreed. Such a small matter would not concern Xie Kaixiao; otherwise, his vision would be too narrow.