Chapter 715
Su Miao wrapped her light gray knitted jacket tightly around her, stuffed the fax into the deepest part of her bag, and slowly walked home.
The words on the fax kept replaying in her mind:
"... His family has a collection of celadon-glazed vessels. The glaze is like 'blue clouds after rain', smooth as jade, and the bottom of the foot has three sesame nail marks..."
This description can basically be confirmed as a Ru kiln from the Song Dynasty. Although it is still unknown whether it is authentic, Su Miao is deeply comforted that Hu Xiaodie can remember the characteristics of the Ru kiln that she had told her before. It seems that her popular science is still very valuable!
She remembered that in class, the white-haired old professor once held up a photo with trembling hands and said, "There are less than a hundred complete Ru kiln pieces in museums around the world, and each one is a priceless treasure."
Although Su Miao wanted to share this good news with Professor Wen as soon as possible, she had not yet received the photos sent by Xiaodie. In order to avoid being disappointed, she decided to wait until she received the photos.
This matter has always been on her mind, and she almost couldn't help but say it out loud after Professor Wen's class several times.
Even Professor Wen could see that she had something to say:
"Miao Miao, do you have something to say?"
"Uh...no."
"Really... no? If you encounter any difficult problems, feel free to tell the teachers and we will help you find a solution."
"There's just something that hasn't been finalized yet, and I'd like to ask for your help after it's finalized."
"Oh, is that so? Remember to tell me when you need me."
"Okay! Thank you, teacher!"
…
Three days later, the package sent by Hu Xiaodie arrived in Beijing. Su Yuanzheng picked it up on behalf of his daughter, drove it to the school, and called the message office of Su Miao's dormitory from the convenience store at the school gate.
About ten minutes later, Su Miao rode his bicycle out of the school gate and went straight to his father.
"Dad!! Why are you here?"
"I signed for the email you were waiting for so anxiously and sent it to you. I also packed some delicious food. You can eat with your roommates tonight. You don't have to go to the cafeteria."
"Yeah!! Dad, you're so nice!"
Su Miao was so excited that he rushed to his father and hugged him.
Su Yuanzheng was holding two thermoses in one hand and mail in the other, and said lovingly and helplessly:
"Okay, okay, why are our college students still acting like little kids?"
After saying goodbye to his father, Su Miao pedaled his bike as fast as he could and returned to the dormitory as quickly as possible.
It was lunch time and the roommates were sleeping. Su Miao took a deep breath at the door of the dormitory, calmed down a little, then opened the door and walked in quietly.
This is a piece of mail that has traveled across the ocean and taken a flight. It looks a little scratched on the surface, but fortunately it is not damaged.
In addition to a handwritten letter from Hu Xiaodie, there were also 10 photos.
Xiaodie has always used a very good camera, so the photos she takes are very clear.
Not only the front view was taken, but also the side and bottom views were taken.
Su Miao's hands were shaking as he moved closer to examine each picture carefully.
The celadon-glazed porcelain in the photo has a soft luster, and the fine cracks on the glaze are as natural as ice cracks.
What made her breathe faster was the close-up of the bottom, where three sesame-sized nail marks were clearly visible, exactly the same as the characteristics of the Ru kiln that Professor Wen had talked about in class.
But she soon discovered the problem. What Xiaodie said was one thing was actually not the same.
There are two saucers and two wine glasses, a long-necked bottle and a narcissus pot.
The shape, color, and age of the saucer and the wine glass are consistent. The long-necked vase and narcissus pot look fine when viewed alone, but in a full photo, when placed together with the saucer and the wine glass, there seems to be some difference.
Hu Xiaodie's handwritten letter contained much more words than the fax, describing in detail the information she had specifically inquired about at her alumni's home.
This alumnus named Charles is a fallen aristocrat. His parents are now ordinary doctors and teachers. The family's title was originally quite small, and now they have been thrown out of the core circle of the aristocracy for decades.
However, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. The ancestral castle and a whole room of collections are a reminder of their former glory.
These were basically passed down from their ancestors, but Charles and his father didn't understand or have any interest in them.
Especially Charles, he likes to explore new things and learn about things he has never seen before. He has advanced ideas and is curious, and he does not think the "old things" at home are precious.
When I took Hu Xiaodie to see it that day, there were boxes and pieces of things piled up, and there was a lot of dust.
When Xiaodie asked to take a photo, he even took a rag and wiped it casually and put it on the table.
Xiaodie had heard from Su Miao before that there are very few Ru kilns left in the world and they are priceless, and one piece can even be sold for millions of dollars.
Originally, she just wanted to share the discovery of the Ru kiln with her. After all, they didn't have that much money to buy it. But after seeing the attitude of Charles' family towards the collection, she suddenly felt that maybe she could bargain for a lower price.
She then paid special attention to Charles' family, and intentionally or unintentionally asked for information during the conversation.
I got some information from other classmates' sour words. They said that the castle was inherited from our ancestors, but you can't live there for free. The taxes and repair costs are very high.
At present, Charles' parents are just working class, and the family can maintain a relatively high standard of living mainly by relying on the savings accumulated by their ancestors.
It is said that there is not much money left, and the Charles family has a clear awareness of cutting back on financial spending.
Xiaodie asked her classmates in confusion, "Doesn't Charles have a lot of collections? Why don't they sell them?"
The classmate curled his lips and said:
"As for aristocrats, if they are so poor that they have to sell their belongings, can they still be called aristocrats? For those who are legitimate aristocrats in their prime, auctioning their collections is a way to spice up their lives.
As for those who have fallen on hard times, they are just trying to maintain their dignity. If they really start selling their belongings, they will lose everything.”
My classmates said that it was like cutting off one's own spine for a fallen noble to sell off their ancestral property, but they could barely afford to buy the lead for the castle roof!
Xiaodie couldn't understand this concept at all. Her family had a mountain of gold, but they were holding on to it just to save face... This...
"Miao Miao, can you imagine? My heart tightened when Charles wiped the porcelain with a rotten rag.
His father always wears a suit and leather shoes at home, but the enamel on the handle of the silver teapot has fallen off. Can you believe it? They still have 18th-century Persian rugs piled in the cellar, but they are worried about the taxes and maintenance costs for the castle in the second half of the year.
However, Xiaodie's complaints gave Su Miao a new idea. She definitely couldn't afford it at a normal price, but what if she could provide them with something they wanted besides money?
Such as fame and status?
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