"What's wrong, uncle?"

"Look at the bottle in your arms!"

Feng Yucai explained to Li Xiangdong that he wanted to see the bottle in his arms.

Li Xiangdong generously placed the bottle he was carrying on the counter for the old master to see.

Anyway, the money was exchanged and the middle-aged man had already left, so the bottle was his now.

Let the old master see it if he wants; it's a good opportunity to confirm whether his judgment is accurate.

The old master squinted and carefully examined the glaze, the mouth of the bottle, and the foot. "The foot is covered with sand, the exposed clay is delicate like powder, the glaze is bright, the color is deep, and the luster is contained within. It has the appearance of a drooping mouth and foot."

He gently stroked the plum vase with his hand, "Little Nong, you bought it for thirty yuan, it's truly an amazing deal!"

Translator Feng dutifully translated for the Li siblings, "The old master said, 'Young man, your luck is truly incredible!'"

While translating, he wondered to himself, "Could it be that Li Xiangdong didn't just buy randomly, but really found a treasure?"

Li Xiangdong was delighted. The old master's description of the "flowing glaze at the mouth and foot" refers to the phenomenon of glaze flowing at the mouth and foot of Yuan Dynasty celadon glaze due to the increased firing temperature.

The young man who had just refused to buy the plum vase came out from behind the counter, looking quite displeased.

The old master pointed to the plum vase and told the young man, "This is a Yuan Dynasty blue-glazed plum vase with a white dragon design. Yuan Dynasty blue-glazed vases are very rare. Even if you buy this pair of vases for three thousand yuan, it's not a bad deal."

The young man's face turned pale instantly. He lowered his head, at a loss for what to do. Then, as if he remembered something, he glanced at Li Xiangdong and whispered to the old monk.

The old monk sighed, "Do you think he's the kind of person you could trick into giving you the bottle with just a few words?"

For such a young outsider to find such a great bargain, besides luck, must also be due to his keen eye and financial resources.

Li Xiangdong couldn't hear what the two were saying, but he happily wrapped up the bottle and left with Li Ping and Feng Yucai.

This place has so many great things!

After walking past two rows of counters selling pianos and watches, one counter was noticeably deserted, with a few drab little items displayed in a glass case behind it.

"There aren't many people here!"

Li Ping sighed, "It's rare to find a quiet place; everywhere else is packed with people, like a human pyramid."

"It's a rhinoceros horn eagle!"

Li Ping asked, "What is a rhinoceros horn carving?"

Li Xiangdong was very happy to broaden his younger siblings' knowledge and experience, and he hurriedly shared everything he knew.

"Rhinoceros horn carving is an object carved using a rhinoceros horn."

The ancients regarded rhinoceros horn as a "treasure among things," comparable to a luminous pearl. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, rhinoceros horn was extremely rare and valuable, and rhinoceros horn carvings were even more precious.

The top of a rhinoceros horn is sharp, while the bottom is larger and hollow. In ancient times, craftsmen were afraid of wasting rhinoceros horn material, so they mostly made wine vessels according to the shape of rhinoceros horn.

Rhinoceros hide was used as armor during the Spring and Autumn Period, while rhinoceros horn is a medicinal material with the effects of clearing heat, tonifying yang, warming and nourishing, and benefiting the liver and relieving hangovers.

Carving rhinoceros horn into wine cups was not only to make the best use of the material, but also because people at the time hoped that the medicinal properties of rhinoceros horn would dissolve in the wine, and that long-term use would have the effect of curing diseases and prolonging life compared to drinking alcohol.

There is also an unofficial historical account that rhinoceros horn, when in contact with arsenic, can immediately produce white foam as a warning.

Do you think the Emperor wouldn't like it?

These words left Li Ping and Feng Yucai stunned. Good heavens, they can even test for drugs!

Looking at the huge glass cabinet, which contained only two or three rhinoceros horn carvings, Li Xiangdong felt a pang of sadness.

Our country had quite a few rhinoceros horn carvings in ancient times, but most of them were looted by the Eight-Nation Alliance, and there was also the burning, killing, and looting by the Japanese next door, who stole so many rare treasures!

Inside the cabinet was a plain rhinoceros horn cup, 15 centimeters tall, and a rhinoceros horn carving of landscapes, pavilions, and figures, 20 centimeters wide.

Upon closer inspection, the plain cup is priced at 600, and the mountain-shaped one at 750.

"Comrade, I want to see those two harpy eagles!"

The sales clerk turned around, took out two horn carvings, and gently placed them on the plain cotton tray. "Look!"

The plain cup in front of me is brown, and the body of the cup appears to have very coarse straight lines. Upon closer inspection of the bottom of the cup, there are tiny particles on the cross-section that look like fish roe. This is called "millet pattern" or "fish roe pattern" in the antique trade.

"Distinct fish roe pattern, pure black and opaque"—this describes the characteristics of rhinoceros horn carving.

However, rhinoceros horn cups are rarely plain and uncarved, so this plain cup is quite rare.

Looking at the mountain sculpture again, it is dark brown, with the landscape, pavilions and towers carved in exquisite detail, the lines are smooth, and the facial expressions of the figures are lifelike.

After reading it, Li Xiangdong didn't say anything else. He immediately took out the last thousand yuan or so in his pocket and paid the bill without hesitation.

Just as the sales clerk finished wrapping the two rhinoceros horn carvings in cotton cloth and tissue paper, an old man came running over, panting.

His eyesight wasn't very good anymore. How could he see Xiao Liu wrapping that mountain-shaped piece of clothing from afar? He had finally managed to scrape together the money, and he was afraid that someone would snatch it away from him!

As he prayed silently, the old man ran even faster, calling out, "Little Liu, where's Shanzi?"

Xiao Liu shrugged and pointed to Li Xiangdong's bag, "It was just sold."

"How could you sell it? Didn't I say I'd save enough money by this month?"

The old man's voice trembled. Ever since Huaiguo acquired this mountain last year, he had come to see it whenever he had time, and he had long considered it his own.

"Young man, could you... could you part with it?"

The old man was a little embarrassed, but he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll give you an extra 10 yuan."

Feng Yucai thought it wouldn't hurt to resell the product to the old man since he could earn 10 yuan in just a few minutes.

But Li Xiangdong is not him. Although he feels sorry for the old man, he cannot give him up.

"Sir, my elders also like this horned eagle. I'm sorry."

Grandma Jiang once told Li Xiangdong that in the traditional world of antique collecting, there are six types of items that are worth appreciating but not seeking, and that are rare to come across but not to be missed.

Why is it said that something can be admired but not sought after?

This needs to be explained by starting with what the six categories are: "black, white, red, claws, bones, and teeth".

"One black" refers to rhinoceros horn, "two white" is ivory, "three red" is arsenic, "four claws" is pangolin claws, "five bones" is tiger and wolf bones, and "six teeth" is tiger and leopard teeth.

Everyone knows what rhinoceroses, elephants, tigers, and leopards are, but what we really want to talk about here is "red cap," which has nothing to do with poison or cranes. "Red cap" refers to the head of the helmeted hornbill.

The helmeted hornbill's large head is reddish in color with distinct texture. Its waxy structure allows the carved landscapes and figures to come to life, making it a favorite among master sculptors.

Grandma Jiang believed that these six types of animals were all living creatures, and people should not kill them all for their own amusement, as that would be against the natural order.

Therefore, it is something to be admired but not sought after.

However, these six types of surviving artworks are all of considerable artistic value, so Li Xiangdong was told that they were rare opportunities and should not be missed.

Rhinoceros horn carving of landscapes, pavilions, figures, and mountains

Rhinoceros horn carved plain cup

Caviar pattern on rhinoceros horn

The coarse vertical stripes on the surface of a rhinoceros horn

rhino

Helmeted Hornbill

Arsenic