Li Xiangdong's impression of his older sister was already very faint.

The eldest sister, Li Lan, is ten years older than her. She is twenty-four years old this year and married the son of a master distiller at the Yongxing County Baijiu Factory when she was eighteen.

As the saying goes, "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes," so Li Jin's family returned to Huichuan, while Li Lan stayed in Yongxing.

In her previous life, before Li Xiangdong could make his fortune, Li Lan followed her husband back to his hometown in Henan Province. The two never contacted each other until Li Xiangdong died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

I didn't think about it much in my past life, but after pondering it carefully in this life, I feel like something's not right.

Henan Province and Zhao Province are not far apart, and transportation and communication are very advanced in later generations, so why didn't my eldest sister contact her family in her previous life?

Li Xiangdong's thoughts returned to their original state, and he was momentarily stunned. Feng Yucai nudged him, "Look! Someone is selling porcelain bottles!"

When I came to my senses, I saw a middle-aged man holding a pair of dark porcelain vases in front of the porcelain counter, urgently speaking to a young man inside the counter.

As they approached, the young man waved his hand and said, "Look at your bottle, it's pitch black and dull, worthless! We won't take it, you can take it!"

Sweat beaded on the middle-aged man's nose. "These bottles are my family heirlooms, passed down for generations. They were hidden in the stove before to prevent them from being smashed. Really! Take a good look, just give me 30 yuan!"

Thirty yuan is this middle-aged man's monthly salary.

Upon hearing this, the young man looked at the bottle in disbelief, thinking to himself, "This doesn't seem like a bottle with any history!"

However, he still picked up a white rag and carefully wiped the bottle twice, but the black and greasy residue was impossible to remove.

"No, no, it's worthless!"

The middle-aged man pleaded, "Please let the old master take a look!"

The implication is that you are an apprentice and may not know the value of something.

The young man grew even more impatient and gently pushed the bottle towards the middle-aged man. "Why don't you go to Jing'an Temple and see? Maybe they can take it!"

The middle-aged man picked up his two bottles in frustration and walked out. He had been to Jing'an Temple before, where they only gave him 18 yuan.

Oh well, it's 18 yuan it is!

"Uncle, uncle!"

Li Xiangdong called out to the middle-aged man.

"Zusar?"

"May I take a look at these two bottles of yours?"

What do you want?

"Let me take a look first?"

The middle-aged man put the bottle on the ground, and Li Xiangdong picked one up and examined it carefully.

This is the rule in the antique trade: goods don't pass through your hands before being sold, to avoid situations where the responsibility for the item is unclear if it gets damaged.

Although the bottle is dirty, it has smooth lines and a beautiful shape. It has a small mouth and short neck, a flat rim, a full shoulder that gradually tapers down to the bottom and flares out slightly.

It is a typical plum vase shape.

Li Xiangdong took out a handkerchief and rubbed the bottle vigorously. To his surprise, a shimmering sapphire blue was faintly visible beneath the black and gray surface!

It looks like a celadon glaze!

Looking at the black marks on the handkerchief, it seems that these bottles must have a significant history, as someone actually applied such even ink to the porcelain bottles to cover up their original color!

Before he could examine it more closely, the middle-aged man picked up the plum vase and was about to leave. This little rascal definitely didn't have the money to buy it, and delaying any longer would just be a waste of his time. He might as well go to Jing'an Temple sooner.

Li Xiangdong quickly grabbed him, "Uncle, 30 yuan, I'll buy it."

The middle-aged man was a little incredulous. "You really want it?! 30 yuan!"

Li Xiangdong pulled out three ten-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man never expected things to turn out this way; he actually managed to sell it!

Sigh, there are five children at home waiting to be fed. Hopefully, our ancestors can forgive him for selling off the family heirloom!

"Buying a pair of black bottles for 30 yuan," Feng Yucai gave Li Xiangdong a thumbs up, "You're really burning money! What a spendthrift!"

Li Xiangdong's mind was entirely on the pair of plum vases. He wiped the vases clean with all his might, turning the entire handkerchief black.

"Second brother, this bottle is blue! And it has white patterns!"

Li Ping pointed to the cleaned bottle and said, "Really? Let me see!" Feng Yu leaned closer to look.

The bottle was indeed a crystal-clear deep blue, with a white dragon chasing a flaming orb on it.

"It's not good-looking!"

"It's not good-looking!"

It was rare for Feng Yucai and Li Ping to agree on something.

They share similar tastes; they both think flowers and blossoms are prettier.

Li Xiangdong ignored the warnings and was secretly thrilled, thinking that he might have gotten a great deal this time!

The dragon chasing a flaming pearl, commonly known as the "dragon chasing a pearl" pattern, is the most representative design on Yuan Dynasty plum vases.

The dragons chasing pearls on the belly of these plum vases have their heads raised, their horns turned back, their eyes dotted with blue glaze that are bright and piercing, their mouths open to reveal sharp teeth, their necks slender, their back patterns full of dynamism, and their limbs strong, giving them the imposing presence of a giant dragon dominating the wind and clouds and soaring thousands of miles into the sky!

Yuan Dynasty Blue Glazed Plum Vase with White Dragon Design

When making the blue glaze, craftsmen add an appropriate amount of natural cobalt as a colorant to the lime-alkali glaze, and then fire it with the clay body at a high temperature of 1300 degrees Celsius in one go.

The blue glaze originated in the Yuan Dynasty, reached its peak during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, and was produced even more extensively during the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, there is another important feature that makes Li Xiangdong so certain that this pair of plum vases are from the Yuan Dynasty: the dragon patterns of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are different.

The dragon in the Yuan Dynasty has raised horns, a flowing mane, an open mouth revealing sharp teeth, and wide-open eyes, making it look very fierce. It has a large head, a thin neck, and a body that gradually thickens from head to tail, making it appear strong and powerful.

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