The last time Chen Xia came to Peking for a major sweep, he spent nearly 800,000 RMB because time was urgent.
Because he is from another place, even though the items are authentic, the prices are definitely seriously high.
This time, Ying Yuanyue stayed in Peking for a long time, so he had plenty of time and patience to slowly look for good treasures and then slowly bargain for the price. Therefore, although he acquired more antiques and a richer variety, he spent less money.
Moreover, as a shopkeeper in the old society, his specialty was to be good at greeting all kinds of people. After a few months, all the antique dealers in the city, whether openly or secretly, and even the "local scholars" had become familiar with him.
Many times, when people have good treasures to sell, they come directly to Meiyuan to find him, and no longer need him to search for them from stall to stall. This has greatly accelerated the pace of antique acquisition.
Ying Yuanyue took out a piece of porcelain and said:
"Last time you asked me to pay attention to Yuan blue and white porcelain. This is the plum vase with the image of Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon that we bought for a huge sum of 5,000 yuan. How is it? Is it the kind of Yuan blue and white porcelain you want?"
Chen Xia's heart was beating so fast that he almost wanted to take a metoprolol pill. "Hahaha, yes, yes, that's it. I don't even dare to take it. Put it there and let me take a good look at it."
The Yuan Dynasty blue and white plum vase depicting Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon has become very famous in later generations. Not only is Yuan Dynasty blue and white figure portraits rare, but there are also only three Yuan Dynasty blue and white plum vases in the world. The auction price in 2011 reached 840 million Hong Kong dollars.
So even if Chen Xia has nothing now, he can become a billionaire just by relying on this plum vase. How can he not be excited? He doesn't love money, but he didn't say he doesn't love antiques.
Ying Yuanyue kept introducing the porcelain in the main room, such as the Qing Dynasty Qianlong period's pink-glazed hollow "Auspicious and Abundant" revolving vase, the "Longevity" gourd vase, the Northern Song Dynasty Ru kiln sky blue glaze sunflower washbasin, the Ming Dynasty Chenghua Doucai chicken-glazed cup, etc.
These were the few precious porcelains that Chen Xia knew about. Ying Yuanyue completed the task very well and bought almost all of them.
"The most expensive piece here is a Ru kiln from the Song Dynasty. This brush washer cost 6,000 yuan. I had to visit the seller three times and raise the price bit by bit before he finally succumbed. The cheapest piece is this revolving vase. Although the Qianlong-era famille rose is beautiful, it's not highly valued in the antique world because the colors and patterns are too bright."
Chen Xia thought to himself, what do you know? The voluptuous things that Qianlong liked were naturally looked down upon by cultural people and intellectuals, but they were loved by the nouveau riche later on.
It's just like when people buy the most beautiful car, the most fancy clothes, and the secretary must have big breasts.
As for porcelain, in their eyes, the more colorful and exaggerated the shape, the better it looks.
"Master Ying, since Qianlong famille rose porcelain is so cheap, you should keep an eye out for it. As long as it's porcelain from that period, you can buy as much as you can, but don't buy it all at once. Also, keep an eye out for Qianlong's grandfather's Twelve Flower Gods Cup."
Next, Chen Xia went to another room and took a look. The whole room was filled with huanghuali and red sandalwood furniture, and all of them were sets.
The prices of these furniture are even lower. A complete set of tables and chairs only costs a few hundred yuan.
In the 1980s, the prices of Ming and Qing furniture, or rosewood furniture, were not hyped up. Ordinary families in Beijing treated them as daily necessities. When they heard that a set of tables and chairs could be exchanged for hundreds of dollars, no one was unwilling to sell them.
Tang Seng's wife also purchased a large amount of rosewood furniture during this period, and later became the famous "Queen of Rosewood" in the antique circle. With the sudden appearance of Chen Xia in this life, she probably was still a step too late, right?
Um, I wonder if "Li He" from "My 1979" is still riding his tricycle around the alleys collecting antiques? I'd love to meet him and make friends.
Tell him again that Zhang Wanting will change her heart after going abroad and will cheat on him. This woman is not a good person, so you must be careful.
That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Chen Xia put all the antiques into the Space Hospital. Now the sixth floor of the Space Hospital's outpatient department is full of antiques, filling every room and even the corridors.
Many national treasures are not worthy of having their own dedicated storage cabinets, and they are just lying on the ground in a mess. Chen Xia does not have the time and energy to sort them out one by one.
He is a little depressed now. With so many antiques, how long will it take to sell them all?
The next morning
The temperature outside is minus 10 degrees Celsius, and the Shichahai Ice Rink is already open.
When Chen Xia pushed his bicycle out of the courtyard, the beach was very lively. All kinds of gangsters and masters from the old city had come out to play. Well, if they were gangsters, they should have eaten the peanuts that were cracked down on in 1983, right?
He watched from the shore for a long time but didn't dare to go down to skate. Southern kids don't know how to do it and can't afford to get hurt. It would be troublesome if someone cut his handsome face with an ice skate.
He has a mission today. He has to think of a foolproof way to deliver the "gifts" he got from Japan, so he has to go and check it out first.
In 1983, should the Ministry of Machinery Industry or the Ministry of Ordnance Industry be in charge?
Chen Xia was already confused by the name of this era. This showed how important it was to streamline the organization. For a patriotic and caring person like him, it was not easy to send some good things. He couldn't even find the temple gate with a pig's head in his hand.
He rode his bicycle eastward along Di'anmen Street until he arrived at Donghuangchenggen Street, where the Ministry of Machinery Industry was located.
At that time, government agencies were still relatively friendly to the people. There were no big iron gates, nor were there any soldiers in green military uniforms standing guard. There were just ordinary gates open, and the security guards were staring at suspicious people with wide eyes.
Who is Chen Xia? He's the epitome of shamelessness. These days, if you stop your bike, take out a cigarette, and politely say, "Sir, I have something to ask your minister. Could you please help me contact him?"
Don't even think about it, the arrogant security guard can kick you onto the street and no one will care about you, a country bumpkin.
But Chen Xia was wearing a woolen coat, a big hat, a big mask, a big scarf, and his cotton-leather shoes were polished to a shine. He looked like no ordinary citizen, so when he passed by the guard, he didn't stop his car at all.
He even rang the bell a few times in a very arrogant manner, asking the people blocking the way at the door to move aside a little, without any hesitation.
Then when passing by the security guard, he didn't slow down at all, didn't even raise his eyelids, and rushed in.
"Hey, Lao Zheng, who just went in?"
"He's dressed so ostentatiously, he must be Dai Aiguo from the General Office, right? I heard his grandfather is this guy, his family is well-off, and he wears high-end clothes all day long."
"Oh, Dai Aiguo, I know. No wonder you didn't even say hello."
The two security guards had already imagined everything, and it was also thanks to Chen Xia's attire. If he had worn patched clothes and carried a rag bag today, he would have been lucky not to be deported as a migrant worker.
Chen Xia rode his bicycle around a building and saw that there was no one around. Then he patted his chest. If he was caught by the security guard, things would be difficult.
So no matter when, high-end clothes + thick skin are invincible.
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