Chapter 181 The Taste Isn’t Right
A middle-aged man about the same age as Wei Lifeng walked up to the old lady in a flattering manner.
"Aunt, I've brought my whole family to celebrate your birthday."
Today was a big event, with many prominent people present. The old lady couldn't afford to quarrel with them, so she nodded slightly and said, "Please take your seats."
"No hurry, I haven't seen you for a few years, and I have a lot to say to you."
Wei Lifeng came over and said, "The banquet is about to begin. There are quite a few guests here today. Let's talk about anything after dinner."
When the other party heard this, a trace of annoyance and embarrassment appeared on his face, but he immediately restrained his expression, pretended not to understand, turned around and winked at the person carrying the wooden carvings behind him.
Meng Tang frowned. It was a medium-sized wooden sculpture of about 40 centimeters, and it took two people to carry it.
Either it is really valuable, or it is deliberately displayed to show off.
As expected, my cousin spoke again: "Aunt, this is something my old man collected at an auction a few years ago. I'm giving it to you today to bring you joy."
"This is an old item. Although it has been partially re-carved, it is also a masterpiece from the late Qing Dynasty. The craftsmanship is superb."
Meng Tang lowered his head, raised his hand to the tip of his nose and coughed.
Wei Chuan hugged her and asked, "What's wrong? Is your throat uncomfortable?
Meng Tang shook his head and whispered to him, "Uncle just said to take your seats. Is that a reminder?"
Wei Chuan nodded: "My family has fallen on hard times, and if you need help, you have to bring something that reflects your family's wealth."
"What's grandma's attitude?" Meng Tang asked, "Will she help?"
Wei Chuan shook his head: "No, but it's not easy to chase them away on an occasion like today, and the gifts they sent are not registered."
Meng Tang understood. She grabbed Wei Chuan's arm and said, "From what you said, are you willing to turn against me in public?"
Wei Chuan laughed: "That's about right. When my grandfather passed away, no one came even after I announced the funeral three times. My grandma hated me."
Meng Tang stood on tiptoe, obviously wanting to say something, and Wei Chuan cooperated by moving his ear closer.
"His crane and deer in spring dress must be fake."
"Fake?" Wei Chuan raised his eyebrows. "You could tell it right away? It was from such a long distance away."
Meng Tang whispered, "Because it's really at my house."
Wei Chuan was stunned for a moment: "How much does a genuine late Qing Dynasty piece cost?"
"Not much." Meng Tang said, "As far as I know, authentic pieces from different periods were sold to different collectors at auctions in the past few years. The one at my house was bought by my grandfather in his early years. It can't compare to the quality of the ones at auction. It would only cost about a hundred thousand now."
It was one of her most precious dowry.
In the early years, the Meng family was wealthy and powerful. Even if they lost the bet to Meng Huaizhang, they could still say that a lean camel is bigger than a horse.
At that time, all the valuable things in the old house were moved away. The old man had the foresight to hide a few treasures and never let them see the light of day for so many years.
However, Wei Chuan's cousin also put in a lot of effort. The crane and deer figurine in her house was indeed partially re-carved, and what he sent over should be a high-quality imitation.
Wei Chuan understood what was going on. After laughing, he took two steps forward and gave him a chance: "Uncle, how about we eat first?"
"Why are you, a junior, butting in on the elders? I haven't seen your grandma in a few years and I want to catch up with her."
Chu Yin rolled her eyes secretly and pushed Wei Lifeng, asking him to solve the problem quickly.
Wei Lifeng patted Chu Yin and said, "Now that your son is out, I'll just step back. It's okay for him to go crazy. At most, I'll just say that the child is ignorant. If I get into a conflict with him, it would be disgraceful."
Chu Yin didn't say anything else.
"My grandma got up early this morning and is hungry now." Wei Chuan went to support the old lady and said, "Grandma, can I take you to eat?"
The old lady laughed and was about to stand up when her cousin started dancing again: "Aunt, there are still a few children here that I haven't introduced to you yet?"
The old lady sat back down.
Wei Chuan didn't let him introduce it. He pointed to the ornaments on the table and interrupted him: "Uncle, is this a gift for my grandma? It looks nice. Where did you take the photo?"
"I got it when the old man was alive. It's been at home for a long time. My uncle was interested in wood carving when he was alive..."
As he was talking, the uncle started to cry. He held the old lady's hand and regretted it deeply: "Back then, both families had difficulties. Aunt, now I——"
"Meng Tang." Wei Chuan interrupted the mourning ghost at someone else's birthday party and turned to wave at Meng Tang. "Don't you like wood carvings? Come and take a look. They're authentic and rare to see."
My cousin hurriedly wiped away his nonexistent tears, blocked Meng Tang's approach, and said, "How can you young people understand wood carving? This kind of collection can only be admired from a distance."
"Uncle, you are being stingy. My girlfriend is good at carving. Authentic pieces are hard to come by. It's okay to take a look, right?" Wei Chuan laughed.
Chu Yin and Wei Lifeng looked at each other, feeling that there was something fishy going on.
Wei Lifeng gave her a look, and Chu Yin immediately smiled and said, "Yes, Xiaochuan's girlfriend's surname is Meng. Her grandfather is Meng Yuchun, a master of boxwood carving. You can show her a little bit, just as a way for young people to see the world."
The cousin hesitated for a moment and fixed his gaze on Meng Tang, without any threat.
What can a little girl like her figure out?
My cousin was disdainful and gave up his seat.
Meng Tang smiled gently at Wei Chuan and asked his cousin, "When did you acquire this wood carving?"
My cousin snorted and told the time.
"Four years ago..." Meng Tang feigned surprise. "I remember my grandfather told me about wood carvings with the theme of cranes and deer in spring. There were works from three Qing Dynasty periods that appeared at auction. An early one was indeed sold to a collector for 7 million RMB four years ago, and no one knows who bought it yet."
"The mid-term piece was auctioned exclusively for a Southeast Asian collector and appeared in a private arts and crafts gallery owned by a wealthy Singaporean two years ago."
"My cousin's piece looks like a late-period piece. Could it be from the 21st Donghu Wood Rhythm Millennium Auction?"
When the people around heard this, they all gathered around.
One of them, a middle-aged man in an iron-gray suit and glasses, asked, "Little girl, you really know your stuff."
Just one look can reveal so many things.
Meng Tang subconsciously raised her eyes, and Wei Lifeng raised his hand and introduced her: "A partner of Xutian Culture Company. Just follow Xiaochuan and call him Uncle Zhao."
Meng Tang nodded slightly and greeted him.
Zhao Xingyan became interested and asked his cousin, "Is it really like the little girl said, the auction at Donghu Muyun Millennium?"
"Yes." My cousin didn't feel guilty at all, after all, he had done his homework.
Zhao Xingyan gave Meng Tang a thumbs-up: "You're quite impressive. You can tell the period of authenticity at a glance."
Meng Tang felt a little uneasy. She was not that crazy. It just happened that there was a real one in her house.
However, there are indeed authentic wood carvings with themes like Crane and Deer in Spring from different periods, and the information about the auction is also real.
The early one was sold for 7 million, and the price has already gone up in the past two years. It is impossible for Wei Chuan's cousin to bring such an expensive item to celebrate his birthday.
The middle period piece is still in Singapore, and the only piece left is this slightly flawed late piece.
"Of course, it doesn't matter whose girlfriend she is." Wei Chuan took the opportunity to praise her, "Not only is she good at carving, she can also do restoration."
Zhao Xingyan was shocked: "Repair the city? How old are you?"
Meng Tang said modestly, "I just learned the basics from Grandpa."
"Then take a quick look at this Crane and Deer statue. Do you have any comment?" Zhao Xingyan said excitedly. "Oh, I mean, let's appreciate it."
Meng Tang pretended to be modest: "I'm afraid I won't say it well."
Wei Chuan chimed in: "It's just talk, nothing serious."
My cousin snorted in his heart. He didn't believe that a little girl could see anything.
Since he comes from a family of woodcarvers, it's normal for him to know some information about auctions.
Zhao Xingyan spread out his hands and made a "please" gesture to Meng Tang.
"Alright." Meng Tang said respectfully, "Let me take a look."
She said to Wei Chuan, "Go find me a pair of unused white gloves."
Wei Chuan responded immediately and turned around to take down the glass cover for her.
Meng Tang walked around in a circle, and everyone's eyes followed her involuntarily.
If I didn’t have a real one at home, I wouldn’t be able to tell it at first glance.
Meng Tang didn't speak for a long time, and the crowd began to whisper:
"What is she doing?"
"At such a young age, are you sure you can say something about things from the late Qing Dynasty?"
"Judging from his appearance, he doesn't seem to be a boastful person. Let's wait and see."
"It would be embarrassing if I couldn't tell it."
"It's just young people fooling around, just watch it for fun."
"Wei Chuan dotes on his girlfriend. It would be really embarrassing if he said something wrong."
"It's hard to say, the girl looks quite cultured."
There were more and more doubts, and Zhao Xingyan's heart was in his throat. He looked at Wei Lifeng, asking him if he wanted to help.
Wei Lifeng shook his head and signaled him to stay calm.
Another five minutes passed before Meng Tang straightened up and said, "It's strange. It doesn't taste right."
Zhao Xingyan forgot the purpose of asking Meng Tang to appreciate it, and subconsciously asked, "What's wrong?"
My cousin's face froze, and he said, "Isn't this the smell of all boxwood?"
Meng Tang shook his head and lowered his head to sniff:
"If it's from the Qing Dynasty, the wood would have oxidized for a hundred years and would have a faint fragrance, a bit like... the smell of old rice paper." Meng Tang paused, "There's also some stale wood resin. This smell means it's been stored for too long."
"But the smell coming from this figurine is like turpentine, and it's sealed with a thin layer of stiff wax."
Zhao Xingyan asked hurriedly: "What does this mean?"
Meng Tang feigned an awkward smile and said, "Uh... probably because he's afraid someone might notice something."
Wei Chuan brought over the gloves at this time. After handing them to Meng Tang, he smiled:
"Uncle, you haven't been deceived, have you?"
The uncle's face froze, and he pointed at Meng Tang: "Don't spit blood at me, whatever you say is what it is."
Wei Chuan blocked his hand with the back of his hand: "Uncle, isn't it impolite to point at the younger generation like this?"
Meng Tang put on his gloves, blinked innocently, then touched the wood carving and said:
"I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, I'll tell you."
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