(Ah Yang: Just a heads up, the antiques I'm about to mention were found online. Some are already in private or national collections, so this is just a borrowed piece! This is fiction! Do not associate it with reality! Enjoy! Below is some background information, so please don't accuse me of padding the word count! (Poor thing.))

Song Nian became insecure after being talked about, but under Mr. Su's guidance, he gradually accumulated knowledge in this area.

You can learn more by combining theory with practice.

Song Nian spent a long time choosing, and finally selected a painting and a bronze vessel.

Grandpa Su glanced up and asked casually, "Have you made your choice?"

Seeing Song Nian nod, he then said, "Tell me about the two things you chose."

Song Nian picked up the painting, studied it carefully for a while, and then slowly said, "This should be the third volume of 'The Grand Review of the Army' by court painters such as Jin Kun and Liang Shizheng of the Qing Dynasty, titled 'Reviewing the Battle Formation'."

After speaking, Song Nian glanced at Old Su somewhat guiltily, after all, he was really scared of being scolded just now.

He was even more scathing in his insults than his grandfather.

Old Su frowned and glanced at him. "Still not confident now? Continue."

Having received Elder Su's reply, Song Nian calmed himself down and spoke slowly.

After hearing what was said next, Old Master Su straightened his expression, but still looked nonchalant.

At this moment, Song Nian paid no attention to the gazes and actions of others. He was completely absorbed in the moment and continued, "A colored and gold-painted silk handscroll, 68 centimeters high and 15.50 meters long."

"This scroll is one of the two extant scrolls of the four-scroll 'Grand Review of the Army.' From this picture, it can be seen that it depicts the grand scene of Emperor Qianlong personally inspecting the army in the camp."

“From right to left, the flags are arranged in the following order: Plain Blue Flag, Bordered White Flag, Plain White Flag, Bordered Yellow Flag, Plain Yellow Flag, Plain Red Flag, Bordered Red Flag, and Bordered Blue Flag, forming eight square formations and two wing formations.”

"The Grand Review Picture brought together all the elite troops of the Manchu and Han Eight Banners Imperial Guards, including the Vanguard Battalion, the Guard Battalion, the Elite Cavalry Battalion, the Firearms Battalion, and the Emperor's Guards."

"According to the type of troops, they can be divided into: elite cavalry, artillery cavalry, cavalrymen armed with cannons, cavalrymen armed with muskets, antler infantry, musket infantry, artillery units, etc."

Wearing white gloves, Song Nian pointed to a person in the picture and said, "The one riding a white horse in the crescent-shaped formation during the Qianlong Emperor's inspection of the Eight Banners Imperial Guards is the Qianlong Emperor."

Grandpa Su nodded in satisfaction, "That's quite right. It seems your old rascal has put in some effort. The items he chose are correct, but his knowledge is still too shallow. He should go back and study more."

As soon as Grandpa Su finished speaking, he waved to the people next to him, and then the other items on the table were removed, leaving only the two items that Song Nian had chosen.

Su Ran looked at the things she had taken away, her eyes momentarily turning serious, but the expression vanished in an instant.

Grandpa Su spread his hand and pointed to a bronze object next to him, "Tell me about this thing."

Song Nian put down the painting in his hand, picked up the bronze vessel next to him, examined it carefully, and slowly said, "There is a four-character inscription in regular script on the bottom: 'Made by Jingweitang'."

"The workmanship and materials of the bronzes should be from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. During the mid-Qing Dynasty, a large number of bronze and porcelain pieces in the style of ancient bronzes were made. The materials were exquisite and the craftsmanship was superb, making them highly collectible."

"Therefore, this bronze vessel should be a pair of antique bronze gilt deer-ear vases."

As soon as Song Nian finished speaking, he placed the object in his hand steadily on the table, his eyes filled with affection for it.

Su Ran sat to the side, listening to Song Nian's introduction and observing the object in Song Nian's hand.

After listening, Grandpa Su did not speak immediately. He looked Song Nian over and then turned to Su Ran, saying, "Do you, little girl, have any thoughts on this?"

Su Ran didn't know why Old Master Su asked her this for no reason, since she was only able to come here because of the Song family's connections. But she immediately replied, "What opinions could a junior like me have? I'm just here to broaden my horizons with Song Nian."

Grandpa Su stared at Su Ran, and the room fell silent for a moment. After a while, Grandpa Su looked away and turned to Song Nian, saying, "You brat, you do have some skills, but not many."

“You got such a big shipment from your grandfather, but instead of coming yourself, you sent this greenhorn kid.”

Grandpa Su shook his head with considerable disdain, looking at Song Nian with barely suppressed disgust in his eyes, "You did get the right goods, but you missed out on the good stuff."

"You're going to suffer a great loss if you act like this. You're ignorant and have poor eyesight."

Su Ran sat quietly to one side, and Song Nian didn't regret it. After all, as long as the goods were right, the price was secondary.

Grandpa Su didn't say anything more, just waved his hand, and the man in the Zhongshan suit next to him went down.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman followed the man in the Zhongshan suit. She brought over a tea set, placed it on the table in front of Old Master Su, and then bowed and withdrew.

Song Nian was confused, and Su Ran was also unsure. Looking at these utensils, she originally thought that Grandpa Su was about to see the guests off, but unexpectedly he was quite leisurely brewing tea.

Old Master Su sat up straight, looked at the tea set in front of him and said, "I have a rule here: as long as I don't get a fake, this old man will brew a pot of tea. This is a rule that the Su family has set over the years."

While saying this, Grandpa Su's hands never stopped moving as he cleaned the tea set. Su Ran noticed that the tea Grandpa Su took out was "Water Golden Turtle".

Shui Jin Gui is one of the "Four Famous Herbs" of Wuyi Rock Tea.

Produced on the cliffside below Niulankeng Shegezhai Peak in the Wuyi Mountains, it gets its name from the dense, shimmering tea leaves that resemble a golden tortoise.

Shui Jin Gui is a semi-fermented tea, possessing the mellow sweetness of Tie Guan Yin and the refreshing fragrance of green tea. It is characterized by its freshness, mellowness, elegance, and aroma, making it a precious tea.

Harvested in mid-May each year, mainly with two or three leaves, the leaves are green with a reddish tinge, sweet in taste, and have a high aroma.

Even when strong, it has no bitterness and its color is a lustrous, bluish-brown.

Grandpa Su's smooth and flowing movements—preparing the utensils, warming the tea, taking the tea, brewing, and rinsing the teapot—were a delight to behold.

He poured the tea, savored its aroma, and finally, Grandpa Su pushed the brewed tea over.

"Let the two young people try the skills of our older generation."

Song Nian acted directly, picking up the teacup and slowly sipping the tea. Su Zai looked at the brewed tea with an unreadable expression, after all, the old master Su's tea-brewing technique was all too familiar.

Su Ran picked up the teacup, brought it close to her nose to smell the aroma, then took a small sip and said naturally, "If the heat is a little too high, it should be kept at 60%, so that the aroma of the tea can be fully preserved."

As soon as Su Ran finished speaking, the entire pavilion fell silent. Song Nian stared at himself in shock, while Old Master Su looked at Su Zai with a scrutinizing gaze.

Su noticed the atmosphere and frowned.

I got used to it when I was learning tea from the old man; after all, when I was learning tea on my own, that little old man really treated me terribly.