Xianjin has the support of his mentor's coffin capital, so his reserve fund is very strong, but he also maintains the attitude of saving every penny when purchasing materials, and will never buy expensive ones if he can buy the right ones.
Apart from the boldness of purchasing three shops at one go, in terms of hardware, such as museum shelves, tables, bricks and tiles whose value can be seen at a glance, Xianjin must have bought expensive goods, but for some soft items, Xianjin basically adhered to the principle of "spending little money to pretend to be big".
For example, a dwarf pine tree in Shu is worth about one tael of silver.
The price shocked Zhang's mother: "I might as well just squat there and pretend to be a dwarf!"
These things that have no universal value are the most expensive.
In troubled times, these things cannot even be exchanged for a steamed bun; but in peaceful and prosperous times, wealthy families rely on these things to show off their wealth.
Xianjin doesn't want to spend so much money on these fake goods.
She wanted to buy dwarf pines, but she didn't buy those from Shu. She bought those from the border of Qianzhou and Shu, where the climate, soil, and species are basically similar. So it was destined that these two pine trees, except for their different origins, had no difference in leaves and stems. But in terms of price, the dwarf pine from Qianzhou only cost one tenth of that from Shu.
There are also the most mysterious calligraphy and paintings.
She couldn't afford famous paintings and calligraphy, as a painting would cost hundreds of taels - where would Director Qiao get so much money to save?
Therefore, the items hanging in the entire shop are basically from unknown artists.
Paintings and calligraphy are not signed or stamped, only the year and month are written on them. She will buy them regardless of their fame as long as the painting is good.
It just so happens that this kind of talented but unknown literati is a specialty of the capital, and there are as many of them as you want - oh, and there are also a few fine-brushed flower and bird paintings, which were given to me as a gift from Mr. Duan, the current head of the Chen family. Not only are they free, but Mr. Duan was also very considerate and provided they were delivered to my home.
As the largest shareholder, Qiao Fangzhi was invited to visit the newly renovated shop and, as the number one scholar in Wei, to help Xianjin take a look.
Qiao Fangzhi saw the Qingwu Junbai landscape painting on the east wall of the lobby. He leaned on his cane and pondered for a while: "This painting is good. The ink is splashed freely, the shape is even more vivid than the spirit. The brushwork is free and unrestrained, and there are mountains and rivers in his mind." He turned his head and looked at the signature: "Why is there only the year and month, but no source?"
Xianjin looked up and gave an accurate answer: "At the entrance of the alley at the east end of the city, painted by Old Monster Sun."
Qiao Fangzhi thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be Wuming?"
Xianjin nodded: "Yes. I took the examination for the title of scholar for 38 years but always failed. I bought it for 80 coins. The old weirdo even thanked me and said that he had found the money for the wine for the past two days."
Xianjin paused for a moment and then said, "Oh, Old Sun also said that when he gets drunk, he will paint eight or ten paintings for me. It won't be a problem."
Qiao Fangzhi nodded without saying anything, then turned around and looked at the sweet white glaze double-eared flower gourd on the shelf: "This gourd is also good, with even coloring, smooth glaze, complete kiln cracks and very freehand."
Xianjin said again: "I bought it for eighteen cents."
Qiao Fangzhi:? You might as well say I stole it, that would be more appropriate.
Xianjin brought a stool and stepped on it, then stood on tiptoe to lift up the double-eared flower gourd so that Qiao Fangzhi could see it clearly: "Look, there is a big crack at the bottom. It is a defective product. Suoer found it in the waste pile."
Qiao Fangzhi's expression was puzzled.
Xianjin put the gourd in the right position, jumped off the bench, and asked for advice with the sincerity of a newcomer: "No one can jump on it, pry up our bottle and see?"
Qiao Fangzhi was silent again: "...People in the capital may be under great pressure, but they are not that crazy."
Qiao Fangzhi took a look around and took a fancy to the red coral and small seals in the glass display cabinet. He looked at Xianjin with a tentative and inquiring look.
Xianjin said immediately, "The coral is real, the seal carving is not a famous product, I bought it for thirty cents from Mr. Zhang, the scholar next door to Old Sun, and I bought the stone myself."
Qiao Fangzhi nodded, and went out with one hand behind his back and the other hand leaning on a crutch.
Xianjin poked his head out and asked, "Master, don't you think it's too... a little cheap?"
Qiao Fangzhi stopped and frowned, asking in confusion: "What do you mean by cheap?"
Xianjin said honestly: "Some items are indeed not... expensive enough."
Qiao Fangzhi thought for a moment and said calmly, "After seeing this, I don't think it's cheap. I just think the store owner is very thoughtful and has unique taste. He doesn't follow the crowd and do the same thing to the masses, nor does he try to be unique by making things that are difficult to understand."
Qiao Fangzhi glanced at the shop's sleek painted door and said with a sigh, "Besides, reputation isn't necessarily real."
Xianjin smiled with raised eyebrows, looking very happy.
Qiao Fangzhi continued calmly, "Little girl, let me remind you that if you spend all your time looking for things in the scrap heap, you'd better give me a detailed list of your expenses. Although I'm not familiar with general affairs, I also want to know where our 2,700 taels have been spent."
Xianjin laughed even more happily. He knew Qiao Fangzhi was joking, so he answered loudly, "That won't work! I only spent 700 taels, and I used the remaining 2,000 taels to buy a house and land for myself!"
Qiao Fangzhi also laughed and handed over a four-meter-long piece of paper with the word "Xuan" written in capital letters on it. The running and cursive scripts were fluent and the brushstrokes were unique. Moreover, the signature and the date were all complete.
The same font was wrapped in a layer of red cloth the next day. Amid the whispers and the crackling sounds of firecrackers, one could see the blue sky and white sun under the eaves on all four corners.
"Xuan?"
After many free hot searches, the store finally opened.
The people gathered at the door were the same group from the past few days - people from the capital. They were under a lot of pressure, so they liked to meddle in other people's business and watch the fun. Even when two old men started arguing while playing chess, people would gather around them in three layers.
"Xuan? What Xuan?" A store name with only one character is rare and no one quite understands it.
"There's a saying in Zizhi Tongjian that each country should send an envoy with a copy of the document to the town - the copy here refers to the documents issued by the Privy Council... Could it be that there's someone in this shop who can get documents from past dynasties for us to study and refer to?" The person who said this was a scholar who was preparing for an exam. It was obvious that he was going crazy looking for reference books.
"One foot and three and a third of an inch is called Xuan - is it a surveying thing?" The person who said this was a minor official from the Ministry of Works, with comprehensive professional skills.
"You are all wrong——" "King of Understanding" appeared, "If I am not mistaken, this 'Xuan' should be the 'Xuan' of me announcing you."
Points will be deducted for puns, and get out.
Amid the speculation, someone with sharp eyes shouted, "Look! The person who wrote this inscription is... is... is Qiao Fangzhi, who just compiled the Great Wei Law, has 72 disciples serving as officials in the court, and won the third place in the imperial examination at the age of 27... is that Qiao Shanzhang?"
Everyone turned their attention to the signature.
"Written by Qiao Fang on August 28, Guimao—"
“Ahhhh!”
"It's Master Qiao! It's Master Qiao!"
"No matter what this store sells! Go for it! Go for it!"
"We must give Teacher Qiao some face! Teacher Qiao helped me get into high school, but that little bastard next door failed - ah - don't squeeze me!"
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