Du Ruo took out five yuan from her pocket and put it on the stall. She stood up with the scroll in her hand. Ling Yun helped her up and said, "What do you need this thing for?"
Du Ruo didn't answer and kept walking forward. She didn't walk fast and seemed to be very interested in these daily necessities, but nothing that caught her eye appeared.
When you reach the corner deep in the alley and turn a corner, you will see another kind of goods being sold.
There are all kinds of antiques on the stalls, all placed on cloth mats, arranged in a messy manner, depending on the mood of the stall owner.
There are indeed a lot of people looking at antiques, shoulder to shoulder, and there is an endless stream of people.
Ling Yun was squatting on a small stall, looking at a ruby bonsai in a copper-gilt pot with a longevity character carved into it. He whispered to Du Ruo, "It should be from the Qianlong era."
Du Ruo used the light of the flashlight in Ling Yun's hand to look at the bonsai. It was a plum tree with extremely delicate workmanship. It should be something from the palace and not available among the common people.
Ling Yun made a gesture, and the boss stretched out his hand and made a gesture as well. Ling Yun shook his head and put the things down.
Du Ruo also felt that the price was a bit high, and seeing that the boss had no intention of lowering the price, the two of them stood up and left.
As I passed two people nearby, I heard one of them mutter, "A bronze jar with four beast rings inlaid on it? Why are there so many of them? They're the same ones we saw at the antique market yesterday. Which one is real? Which one is fake?"
The man next to him mused, "Maybe none of this is true."
The man looked back hesitantly and said, "It's a bronze artifact from the Spring and Autumn Period. It's only sold for this amount. If it's real, it's quite worth it."
The other person stopped, looked back hesitantly, lowered his head and thought for a while, then walked back quickly.
Ling Yun and Du Ruo looked at each other, then slowly walked behind the two men, and looked at the bronze artifact on the ground with the help of the light in their hands.
The shape of the vessel is not too big. The bronze jar is an ancient wine container and was very popular during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The rust on it is also very natural, with no obvious signs of aging.
These two people were obviously experts. One of them took out a silver needle from his pocket and gently scraped off a little rust from the surface of the bronze jar. The other one took out a lighter from his arms, and with a "ding" sound, a flame began to dance.
The man brought the lighter close to the silver needle, and the rust on the tip of the needle was engulfed in the flames.
This is a common method for identifying bronze artifacts. Ancient bronze rust is not easy to burn, and rust crystals will only produce sparks under high temperatures. However, bronze rust forged using modern technology will emit a pungent odor during burning, and you can clearly smell glue and plastic.
After burning for a long time, the copper rust on the needle tip did not emit any strange smell. The two men looked at each other with a solemn look in their eyes.
The man inserted the silver needle into the area with copper rust, but it was very hard and there was nothing unusual about it.
Ling Yun whispered, "Real bronze rust is incredibly hard, and a needle can't penetrate it. If it's fake, it will hold the needle tip because it has glue inside."
Du Ruo nodded, so that's how it is.
The man was still worried, so he took out a magnifying glass from his pocket, and another person shone two flashlights on the rust spot. No matter how they observed, they found nothing unusual.
The two men lowered their heads and discussed for a long time, then made a gesture to the stall owner. The stall owner shook his head, indicating that he would not bargain.
The two men were a little hesitant now. No matter how they looked at it, it looked like a genuine item. They were reluctant to leave, but it was too expensive to buy it.
The stall owner took one look at Ling Yun and Du Ruo. With the dim light of his flashlight and his experience, he concluded that they were two wealthy people. He said to them impatiently, "If you want to buy, hurry up. If not, make room. Don't you see they're still waiting?"
Although the stall owner spoke rudely, no one can resist money. The two men looked at each other and moved aside, apparently intending to wait and see.
If Ling Yun and Du Ruo took the things away, they would just accept it, because they didn't have as much money as the others.
If Ling Yun and Du Ruo fail to buy it, the price can still be negotiated.
Ling Yun ignored the others. His face was not as relaxed as usual. With a hint of solemnity, he reached out and slowly turned the bronze jar, and took out a small box from his pocket. There was a row of delicate and small objects in the box, and no one knew what they were used for.
Du Ruo had seen Ling Yun use it before and knew that it was an identification tool passed down in their family.
Ling Yun took out a small hook-like object, which was made very delicately and exquisitely, and gently scraped off a little bit of residue from the bottom of the bronze jar. It looked neither like rust nor like dirt, and he had no idea what it was.
Ling Yun placed the flashlight on the hook tip in his hand, observed it for a while, then put the hook tip to his nose and sniffed it carefully for a long time. The corners of his mouth unconsciously showed a hint of coldness.
Ling Yun tucked the flashlight under his arm, put away the tools and put them in his pocket, then reached out to open the bronze jar. He didn't look down, but just half-closed his eyes and touched the edge of the lid with his fingers in circles. Suddenly, his fingertips paused and he bit his back teeth.
Ling Yun put the lid on the bronze jar, made a gesture to the boss, and then gave a price.
The boss' pupils shrank sharply. He looked at Ling Yun in surprise and suspicion, then stood up suddenly. He narrowed his eyes and was about to speak when he saw several black-clad bodyguards following Ling Yun not far behind.
The boss' words were already on the tip of his tongue. He frowned and looked at Ling Yun for a long time, then nodded slightly at him.
Ling Yun didn't waste any words. He stood up, took Du Ruo's hand and turned to leave. The bodyguard behind him quickly stepped forward, paid the money and held the things in his arms.
Du Ruo glanced at Ling Yun quietly: "Really?"
Ling Yun gritted his teeth and nodded, then whispered in Du Ruo's ear, "It's his handwriting. There's his mark on the inside cover."
Du Ruo couldn't help but admire Ling Yun's father. What a great man! Those two people just now were also experts. They used so many methods, but they didn't find anything unusual at all. It is said that even if they took it to a museum, they would not be able to find any abnormalities.
It was exposed back then because someone was curious and accidentally saw the mark on the inner cover with a magnifying glass, only then did they realize it was a fake.
What’s even more amazing is that this mark is none other than the two words “Ling Feng”, which is extremely arrogant.
But this matter was suppressed by Ling Yun's grandfather with thunder-like means, and Ling Feng was expelled from the house. Although the Ling family's business also suffered a heavy blow, not many people knew about it.
Since this bronze jar has Ling Feng's mark on it, it must be a fake. I just don't know if it is from the previous batch or the one circulated recently. It seems that Ling Feng is still alive?
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