Chapter 98 Esoteric Buddhist Statues
A thin mist drifted aimlessly, the morning sun cast golden rays, and the trident on the front of the car reflected a dazzling silver light.
The woman was thirty-five or thirty-six, wearing a dark trench coat that accentuated her slender shoulders. A few stray hairs clung to her cheeks, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were faintly visible as she furrowed her brow.
A girl, about twenty years old and slightly tall, stood beside me. The driver, a very strong man, stood on the other side smoking.
Suddenly, he threw away his cigarette butt: "Sis, she's here!"
The woman narrowed her eyes: A Corolla drove out of the school gate and stopped by the roadside. Shang Yan got out of the car with a young man.
student?
Shang Yan had specifically reminded her, and even though she was mentally prepared, the woman still hesitated for a moment: too young.
In a flash, the two walked over. The woman took two steps forward and extended her hand: "Professor Shang, thank you for your hard work!"
Shang Yan shook hands and introduced them from the center: "Lin Sicheng, this is President Fang Jingxian, and these two are President Fang's younger brother and sister... These are my students!"
Sure enough, it's a student!
But just by looking at the order in which Shang Yan spoke and her tone, one could tell who was closer and who was less so.
Fang Jingxian nodded: "Young and promising!"
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "You're too kind!"
With his hands clasped together, Lin Sicheng subconsciously looked up: his features were quite handsome, but his skin was a bit dry and dark. Although he had applied eyeliner, you could still see the faint blue under his eyes.
The key point is, how anxious must one be to have such sweaty palms on such a cold day?
After a brief introduction, the three siblings got into a Mercedes-Benz.
After fastening their seatbelts, the burly man and the girl exchanged a glance. Just as they were about to say something, the woman's face darkened: "Shut up!"
She is indeed very young.
But Shang Yan made it very clear on the phone: Fang Jingxian, don't worry about how young he is. If you think he's capable, I'll hire someone. If not, you can find someone else. That way, I won't owe anyone a favor.
After so many years together, the fact that Shang Yan could say something so definitive shows how important this "student" is to her.
With a sigh, Fang Jingxian looked through the car window at the school emblem on the rooftop: Xida University is a place where hidden talents abound, and perhaps this is an extraordinary person.
In a flash, she closed her eyes: "Let's go!"
The Mercedes drove off the tree-lined road, with the Corolla following behind.
Shang Yan drove, and Lin Sicheng sat in the passenger seat.
He thought for a moment and decided it would be best to ask: "Professor Shang, is Mr. Fang encountering any difficulties?"
"Huh?" Shang Yan was surprised. "How did you know?"
"Pale complexion, weak constitution, thin fingers... this is probably big trouble!"
Shang Yan was stunned.
"Lin Sicheng? Never heard of him. You've studied traditional Chinese medicine?"
"By the way!"
Lin Sicheng pressed on relentlessly after he casually replied, "Professor Shang, just tell me if you have it or not?"
"Yes!" Shang Yan nodded. "I was just scammed out of several million!"
Goodness: several million in 2007?
Lin Sicheng was taken aback: "Antiques?"
"certainly!"
Sure enough?
"Professor Shang, this kind of client is very difficult to deal with!"
Shang Yan remained silent.
In a sense, there's no difference between antique dealers and gamblers: they always want to make more money, there's no end to it, and they're never satisfied.
They always think they are one step ahead, even if they lose money, they will only attribute it to bad luck.
If you get so enraged by losing, you'll only become more enraged, and no amount of persuasion will help.
Don't assume that just because it's an intermediary authentication, there's no risk. Take, for example, Gu Ming's fiancée's father's business partner, who almost got a ten-year bonus for that fake Xuande incense burner at the police station's forensic center—it was just an intermediary authentication.
Just then, the traffic light turned green, and Shang Yan tapped the brakes: "No, I've known her for over ten years!"
Lin Sicheng shook his head inwardly: When people are desperate, they'll even betray their own mothers, let alone their friends.
"Is this a buy or a sell?"
"Of course we'll buy it!"
What type?
Tibetan Buddhist statues!
Lin Sicheng suddenly understood: So, with so many professors at the school, why did Shang Yan choose him?
Whether it's "wood carving" or "Buddhist archaeology," the school offers courses in both fields, but the main focus is on "Silk Road archaeology," which is westward from Chang'an.
Tibetan Buddhism, however, is absent from the curriculum.
Shang Yan certainly didn't know what happened in Baoli last week, but she definitely knew that she had spent a thousand yuan to buy a Tantric Buddhist statue at Xiaodongmen and eventually sold it for more than 300,000 yuan.
It wasn't Li Zhen who said it, but Wang Qizhi.
That day, the two were negotiating in the office when Wang Qizhi was pushed to the limit by Shang Yan: He may know about porcelain, but he also knows calligraphy, painting, bronzes, enamel, and even Tantric artifacts... What's ceramics compared to that?
But the meeting will be held, and how the assessment will be conducted will depend on the circumstances.
As if she had caught Wang Qizhi's influence, Shang Yan guessed seven or eight parts of the story just by looking at Lin Sicheng's expression: "Don't worry, whatever responsibility there is, the teacher will take it!"
Lin Sicheng waved his hand: "Professor Shang, it's not that exaggerated!"
An expert assessment is fine, but don't expect him to sign a single word. What responsibility can he possibly bear?
In a flash, the car arrived at the Bell Tower. Lin Sicheng glanced through the car window: Kaiyuan Mall?
Jewelry sales are booming here. Before being acquired by Yintai in 2018, it was the largest jewelry wholesale and retail distribution center in Northwest China.
Not surprisingly, this place also offers storage for valuables, claiming it's even safer than a bank.
But once inside, Lin Sicheng realized that he was just looking at antiques in a jade shop.
The shop's name, Wulongxuan, didn't ring a bell, but once inside, I was almost blinded by its sheer abundance of jade.
Looking at the store name again, it's clear: the world's largest source of raw jadeite, the Ulong River Jade Mine in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar.
Out of sheer curiosity, the shop assistant led the group into the back office.
The owners were a man and a woman who claimed to be husband and wife; their accents suggested they were from Yunnan. They were very hospitable, serving tea and fruit.
Fang Jingxian emphasized Shang Yan: Professor of the Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation at Xida University, and academic leader of the cultural relics appraisal discipline.
As for what subject it was and what kind of appreciation it taught, she glossed over it.
When it was Lin Sicheng's turn, he simply said he was a student. Fearing he might misunderstand, Fang Jingxian gave him a wink.
Lin Sicheng understood perfectly well: emphasizing Shang Yan was a way of making a show of force, while not introducing her was a way of secretly advancing his own plans; together, they were a feint to the east while attacking the west.
To be fair, although he was anxious, this Mr. Fang was at least not to the point of "losing his mind," and he was quite shrewd.
After a few pleasantries, we started looking at things, and the shopkeeper brought out a box that was half a meter tall.
Upon opening the box, a faint fragrance wafted into my nostrils. Lifting the lid further, a lifelike Buddha statue came into view.
Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: Wow... a huanghuali wood that's over two hundred years old?
This box alone is worth at least three or four hundred thousand.
The proprietress then brought out a Buddha statue: a typical old rosewood standing Shakyamuni statue, with the left hand holding a sutra and the right hand hanging down, its body slender and elegant, with simple and smooth lines.
The scriptures resemble bamboo slips and are fan-shaped, with elegant and clear Sanskrit script.
Upon closer inspection: it is still an extremely primitive palm-leaf manuscript.
It is old enough and the carving is excellent: the face is beautiful, the ushnisha is high, the eyebrows and eyes are slender, and the expression is serene and gentle.
It subtly exudes a sense of tranquility and restraint.
After taking a quick look around, Lin Sicheng frowned: It doesn't look like an artifact from Tantric Buddhism.
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