Qingxin Xiaozhu (清心小筑)

The people took their seats one after another.

Wang Guoqiang sat in a chair, with two assistants behind him holding a box containing Fan Lao's calligraphy and painting.

Wang Guoqiang said, "Miss Qingxin, right? Since Chen Tao introduced it, I won't keep you in suspense. I'm not sure if this painting is actually an authentic work by Master Fan, but since the asking price is 888,000, it means I'm keeping it uncertain. You can have it appraised. No matter what the appraisal result is, it's a fixed price. Whether you buy it or not is up to you."

Chen Qingxin said, "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Wang. To be honest, this is a newly opened shop of mine, and it needs such a good omen. So I won't stand on ceremony."

He said to Master Li, "Master Li, please!"

He then looked at Guan Feng and said, "Brother Guan, please take a closer look."

Master Li nodded and said, "No problem!"

He clearly recognized Wang Guoqiang and said with a smile, "Mr. Wang, I've never heard that you have this treasure!"

Wang Guoqiang laughed and said, "I hadn't heard that the appraisal expert Miss Chen invited was you. If I had known it was you, I would have just come to my residence for appraisal. Ah Da and Ah Er, bring out the calligraphy and painting."

The two assistants then carefully took the calligraphy and paintings out of the frame.

Only then did everyone see her true face.

A traditional Chinese ink painting of Tingxi.

Mountains, water, blue sky, white clouds...

This is Mr. Fan's forte: landscape painting.

Wang Guoqiang said, "The painting is right here; you can appraise it."

Master Li picked up a magnifying glass and began to examine it bit by bit.

Guan Feng stood to the side and quietly turned on his smart glasses.

His smart glasses have a zoom function, while a magnifying glass is essentially just a zoom lens, and a fixed-focus one at that, which is far inferior to his smart glasses.

Master Li caught a glimpse of this scene and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Chen Qingxin assumed that Guan Feng was there to provide support and that they should wait until Master Li finished reading before proceeding, so she did not urge him.

At this moment.

Both of them began to observe.

Master Li is indeed quite skilled. He stares at the calligraphy and paintings, sometimes frowning, sometimes relaxing his brows, and sometimes stroking his beard as if he is deep in thought.

Seeing this, no one dared to disturb them.

Looking at Guan Feng's side, things were much easier.

He just stared at the calligraphy and paintings, examining them closely.

Wang Guoqiang asked with a smile, "Miss Qingxin, this gentleman isn't from the antique business, is he?"

Chen Qingxin nodded and said, "No! Brother Guan is my friend. He came here on the side to visit, but mainly to help me gain some popularity."

Wang Guoqiang laughed and said, "I knew it! But to be Miss Chen's friend, this Mr. Guan must be someone of considerable status."

Chen Qingxin nodded and said, "Yes! Brother Guan is indeed no ordinary person."

"oh?"

Wang Guoqiang memorized Guan Feng's appearance.

......

And at this time.

Guan Feng was staring intently at the painting.

Words and paintings are interconnected!

Generally speaking, if someone writes well, their painting will also be quite good; and vice versa.

This is because the techniques of moving the brush, stopping the brush, and pausing the brush are all universally applicable in calligraphy and painting.

Although Guan Feng had crammed before coming and studied Master Fan's traditional Chinese paintings at the last minute, he was not actually very proficient.

Therefore, he did not take the conventional approach and start from a macro perspective. Instead, he used the method of brushstrokes to study every detail and whether every brushstroke conformed to Fan Lao's habits.

He studied it little by little and was surprised to find that the painting matched perfectly.

"An authentic work?"

Guan Feng was puzzled.

If we can really buy the original for 888,000, then that money will definitely appreciate tenfold.

It should be noted that no more than thirty of Fan Lao's authentic works are currently in circulation, and each painting is worth more than ten million.

Chen Qingxin could absolutely be kept as the store's prized possession.

Guan Feng did not jump to conclusions but continued to observe.

After a moment, he was fairly certain that, judging from the handwriting, it was indeed the other person's painting.

He then looked at the upper right corner.

There is an inscription there, which reads a poem: "A winding stone path leads up the cold mountain, where houses stand amidst the deep white clouds; I stop my carriage to admire the maple forest at dusk, where the frosted leaves are redder than the flowers of February."

This is a short poem by Du Mu, a poet from the late Tang Dynasty. It is written with a refined and elegant style, which is quite in line with the artistic conception of this painting. Especially when it is inscribed next to the white clouds, it gives it an even more otherworldly feel.

However, there is a typo on it.

Where white clouds rise!

Rather than deep in the white clouds.

This is Du Mu's adaptation of Li Bai's line "There are houses deep in the white clouds" from "Taihua Temple," changing the word "houses."

Was Mr. Fan doing this on purpose?

Guan Feng continued reading.

This one look immediately revealed its significance.

The brushwork used in this short poem is completely different from that in the painting.

Whether it's the initial stroke and the final pause, or the overall flow of the writing, the writing habits are completely different.

Could it be a fake?

Guan Feng was filled with confusion. The key point was that the calligraphy was truly excellent, with vigorous and powerful strokes, fully deserving of the title of a master.

Guan Feng started searching using his smart glasses.

Search! Search the internet for similar handwriting to see if there are any!

He couldn't believe that such a font could be created by an unknown person.

really!

As he searched, several pieces of writing appeared in the frame that only he could see.

"This is... an inscription by Mr. Zhongshi? No wonder! I knew his calligraphy was powerful and vigorous, not something an ordinary person could write!"

Guan Feng was somewhat surprised.

Mr. Zhongshi is a renowned master of calligraphy and painting, both at home and abroad. He has won the highest honor in the Chinese calligraphy and painting world—the Lanting Preface Award, which is comparable to the Mao Dun Literature Prize in the novel world and is not something that ordinary people can obtain.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!