Chapter 489 The Prodigal Ancestor is Still a Good Person
"He is not my uncle." A girl's weak voice sounded. She was Song Xiaomi, the granddaughter of this family.
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw the little girl who was speaking. She was wearing a floral dress and had two pigtails. She was quite cute, and compared to the group of dirty children around her, she was clean and fair.
"Xiaomi, Ajun, go play somewhere else!" In the yard, the energetic Grandma Song came out and waved to the children who were watching to leave.
The children started to make a fuss and left, but Gao Mingcheng knew that they just made a circle and then lay down on a slightly lower wall.
A few little heads popped up on the dilapidated low wall.
"Here, the things are right here." Grandma Song pointed to an old, paint-chipped box. The lid of the box was gone, and it was covered with only a few old newspapers to keep out dust.
Grandma Song lifted up the old newspaper, and the contents immediately appeared.
There were two old-style pipes inside. This kind of pipe was not used to smoke tobacco, but to smoke opium.
In addition to the two pipes, there were also several books, a pocket watch with a broken chain, an inkstone, several brushes and half an ink stick.
Seeing these things, Gao Mingcheng couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
It seems that these things are most likely from the Republic of China.
It is quite new and not a rare item, so it is not worth much.
Gao Mingcheng didn't even bother to do anything, and asked directly: "Grandma Song, do you have any other bottles and jars at home?"
Porcelain is valuable. Even ordinary official kiln porcelain from the Qing Dynasty is worth as much as this box of tattered pieces.
Grandma Song frowned and said unhappily, "You haven't seen it yet!"
Gao Mingcheng said: "No need to look at it, it is from the Republic of China at most, and it is not a good thing, not worth much."
Grandma Song was unhappy and asked, "Then how much do you think this box of things is worth?"
Speaking of money, Gao Mingcheng squatted down and reached into the box to search.
Both pipes are of ordinary quality and have no collection value. The brush looks like a Wengang brush from Nanchang, but the hair has lost its luster over time and will fall off if pulled.
The chain of the pocket watch was broken, so the pocket watch inside was naturally broken and had spots of rust on it.
As for those books, they are "Thousand Character Classic", "Three Character Classic", "Three Heroes and Five Gallants", and "The Story of the Stone Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai".
The book "The Story of the Stone Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai" caught Gao Mingcheng's attention. Although he was not well educated, he knew that The Story of the Stone was The Dream of the Red Chamber, which was one of the four great classics!
A few years ago, he bought some books for Xuanmei in a bookstore, including "Journey to the West" and "Dream of Red Mansions", but those books were only published in recent years.
And this book "The Story of the Stone Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai" is from the Qing Dynasty!
And it’s the Jiaxu edition!
Gao Mingcheng picked up the book "The Story of the Stone Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai" and flipped through it. The paper had turned yellow. After opening it, he could smell a musty smell, and the cover was also very old.
But these shortcomings prove that this is indeed an ancient book! It is an ancient book with research and collection value!
Gao Mingcheng calmly put the book down, shuffled the things in the box, and then picked up the inkstone.
When Gao Mingcheng saw the scenery carved on the inkstone, he immediately recognized that it was the scenery of Mount Lu. In other words, this inkstone was most likely the Lushan Jinxing Inkstone. Although the Lushan Jinxing Inkstone is not among the four famous inkstones, it is also one of the famous inkstones in Jiangxi.
It is said that the first inkstone was made by Tao Yuanming in the Jin Dynasty. In the History of Inkstones by Mi Fu of the Northern Song Dynasty, it is said that "the bluestone inkstone of Mount Lu is roughly the same as that of Tanzhou Gushan." "It is blue with patterns, like a tangled silk curtain. It makes a sound when you knock on it. It absorbs ink quickly, the ink is shiny, and there are golden stars on it. It is smooth and fine when you touch it."
This evaluation is very high. In ancient times, many students in Jiangxi used Jinxing inkstones.
This inkstone has not been used for a long time and is covered with dust. Gao Mingcheng wiped the dust with his hands and felt that the stone under his fingertips was tough, delicate and felt very good.
Moreover, the carving technique is also good, the lines are smooth and the scenery is highly recognizable.
Look at the half-broken ink stick next to it. The ink looks ordinary and half of it has been used up, but when you smell it, you can smell a medicinal fragrance!
This is medicinal ink!
Ink is called medicinal ink because medicine is added to it. Although Gao Mingcheng cannot identify all the medicinal materials in the ink, this kind of medicinal ink was very expensive in the past and also has certain collection and research value.
All in all, this box of things are indeed antiques from the past.
It seems that the owner of these things should be a former landlord, and the reason for his downfall is clear: those two pipes.
Anyone who gets involved in smoking will naturally suffer bad consequences.
When Gao Mingcheng was checking things, he remained calm the whole time and showed no special emotions. Grandma Song, who had been staring at him, didn't notice anything either.
After checking, Gao Mingcheng said, "Grandma Song, have you heard the story of buying horse bones for a thousand gold coins? Although these things of yours are not worth much, you are the first one in the village to sell things to me. I will give you a good price. This box of things, fifty yuan in total! Do you want to sell it?"
"You have to think carefully. Look at this brush. It will fall apart if you pull it. It's almost rotten. Look at this pocket watch. It's from the Republic of China at most. The chain is broken and rusty. And these books are all yellow, musty, and have holes bitten by insects!"
"I would have offered twenty, which would have been fine, but you're the first person to sell to me. If you're willing to sell it for fifty, I'll take it. Otherwise, forget it."
Gao Mingcheng's series of words put a lot of pressure on Grandma Song. Seeing that Gao Mingcheng pulled the brush casually and the brush became bald, Grandma Song's eyelids twitched wildly.
After Gao Mingcheng finished speaking, he stood up and pretended to leave.
"I'm already losing a lot of money at this price. If you don't sell it, I'll go look somewhere else."
Before he could really leave, Grandma Song called him and said, "Sell it if you want! Give me fifty dollars first!"
After the deal was done, Gao Mingcheng handed Grandma Song fifty yuan.
He picked up the wooden box and was about to go out.
Finally, Grandma Song called him back. She held the fifty yuan in her hand, smiled, and said, "You're a nice person. How about this? Don't leave yet. I have two things to give you."
As she spoke, Grandma Song went into the house again, but this time she came out quickly. When she came out, she was holding two things in her hands, one was an exquisite snuff bottle and the other was a scroll painting.
Grandma Song reluctantly handed the snuff bottle to Gao Mingcheng and said, "Take a look at this."
Gao Mingcheng took the snuff bottle and was attracted to it at first sight, because it was in the shape of a pastel gourd, with bright colors and a compact shape. It was the right size to play with in the hand. Then he unscrewed the lid, and there was a small spoon on the lid. This spoon was used to scoop out the snuff in the gourd so that it could be sniffed into the nasal cavity.
My goodness, this family first smoked snuff, and then they started smoking pipes, so there is nothing wrong with their decline!
Gao Mingcheng could only sigh that such a family could actually leave something behind.
Looking at the inscription on the bottom, there are four words: Made in the Qianlong Period.
When Gao Mingcheng saw these four words, he became energetic!
This is an antique with a large door!
After looking at the snuff bottle, Gao Mingcheng looked at the scroll again, and his expectations for this scroll suddenly increased.
Grandma Song wanted to sell something, so she naturally opened the scroll.
The scroll is not big and has been framed. The picture looks relatively clean. As soon as the scroll is opened, a fish appears on the paper.
On the entire painting paper, apart from a fish, there is only the artist's signature and seal in the upper right corner.
It’s just that people who engage in art don’t follow the beaten path. It took Gao Mingcheng a while to identify who the painter was.
This person's signature is difficult to recognize, but it is easier to recognize if you recognize the shape of the characters. If you see that the first two characters of the signature look like the characters "cry" and "laugh", and the last two characters look like the character "之", it is really funny.
Then you should know that this is a painting by Bada Shanren, a famous painter in the Qing Dynasty!
Bada Shanren is not a collective name for eight people, but a nickname for one person, Zhu Da, who was also called Zhu Daolang and nicknamed Liangyue. In his later years, he changed his name to "Bada Shanren".
During this period, he made a living by selling paintings, so there are still many paintings of his that have survived, and this was also the time when his artistic attainments were profound.
Zhu Da was originally a royal relative of the Ming Dynasty, but when he was 19 years old, the Ming Dynasty fell. Heartbroken, he shaved his head and became a monk, hiding his identity and becoming a monk.
At the age of 36, he gave up being a monk and became a Taoist priest. He founded the Qingyunpu Taoist Temple in Nanchang and lived in seclusion there. In his later years, he lived alone in a shabby room outside Zhangjiang Gate, making a living by selling paintings. He spent his later years in loneliness and poverty.
When Gao Mingcheng thought about the life of this painter, he couldn't help but think of Van Gogh again.
It's not easy for people who are engaged in art. They are poor during their lifetime, but their paintings are sold at sky-high prices after their death!
Unfortunately, it is difficult for the painter himself to obtain this honor.
I have to say that Grandma Song has good taste. The two things she took out later are both top-quality items!
After looking at the items, Gao Mingcheng said calmly, "Grandma Song, you think I'm a good person, and I think you're a good person too. I like both of these items. One has a nice color, and the other has a good meaning, which means abundance every year! So I'm willing to buy them for 100 yuan each. Do you want to sell them?"
"One hundred yuan each? There aren't many left?" Grandma Song hesitated. She touched the pastel gourd snuff bottle, her face full of reluctance.
She said: "This snuff bottle is my grandfather's favorite snuff bottle! But my father later smoked opium and rarely used this snuff bottle."
Gao Mingcheng said: "Although this snuff bottle looks good, it is small! Look, it is only this small, and it is worth a hundred yuan, which is already good!"
What Gao Mingcheng said is pure nonsense!
Where can you find a big snuff bottle? And the porcelain has to be judged by its workmanship, glaze, age and place of origin. It is not that big is valuable, nor that small is worthless.
The ancestors of this Grandma Song must have been landlords in this area, and their family was wealthy. Unfortunately, due to the family's decline and the times, Grandma Song seemed to be illiterate.
Otherwise, she would not have put the book "The Story of the Stone: Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai" in the wooden box.
Gao Mingcheng continued, "Grandma Song, look at this painting again. It's not very big, and there's only one fish! There's not even a single color on it, it's just painted with ink! If it didn't have a good meaning, how could it be worth a hundred dollars? Don't you think so?"
Grandma Song's eyes twitched again, and she couldn't help but say, "This painting is also one that my grandfather likes very much. It used to be hung in my grandfather's study!"
Because this snuff bottle and painting were both the favorites of Grandma Song’s grandfather, Grandma Song was a little excited.
Gao Mingcheng wanted to retreat and move forward, but this time Grandma Song did not stop him. Instead, she said resolutely: "Three hundred yuan! If you agree, I will sell it to you!"
"Three hundred yuan?! Three hundred yuan for these two little things..." Gao Mingcheng bargained out of habit.
All businessmen are dishonest.
But seeing Grandma Song's face full of reluctance, he finally agreed to the price. After all, these two items are very valuable!
Of course, three hundred yuan is a lot of money in the village!
This is what is called information asymmetry, and many people make money by relying on information asymmetry.
Gao Mingcheng said, "Okay, okay, it's not easy for you, so three hundred is fine! Grandma Song, your ancestors smoked snuff and opium, so they must have squandered all their wealth, right? It's not easy for you to keep these things."
After selling it for 300 yuan as she wished, Grandma Song smiled and said, "Oh, it's all thanks to my dad who squandered all the family fortune, otherwise we would have suffered a lot in those years!"
Seeing her relaxed tone, which seemed quite proud, Gao Mingcheng couldn't help but smile.
It seems that Grandma Song's father squandered all the family fortune before a critical period, and then suddenly became a poor peasant from a rich peasant!
Grandma Song continued, "After my father started smoking opium, he started selling the family's land, livestock, and the things my grandparents had saved. Later, my mother felt that this was not a good idea, so she secretly picked up a few things and started selling them. Alas, my father had almost squandered all the family property by then, and my mother looked around and only found these few things to hide."
Grandma Song sighed.
These things had been hidden underground for more than ten years. It was only a few years ago that she remembered this and asked her sons to dig them out.
Fortunately, her grandfather’s favorite snuff bottles and paintings were still in good condition.
It’s a pity that these things were originally passed on to her brother, but her brother fell ill and died early.
So the thing fell on her head.
This brought up the past, and Grandma Song couldn't help but say a few more words, her words full of emotion.
At this time, the news that Grandma Song sold the junk for 350 yuan was spread throughout the village by the little kids squatting on the wall watching.
So those who had gone home to look for things heard this and worked faster to rescue.
Soon, Grandma Song's next-door neighbor got there first.
She ran over with a jar of pickled vegetables in her hands, smiling, and tried to sell it at a high price.
In the south, people usually pickle vegetables in winter. Now the jar is empty, but it still has the smell of pickles.
More business came, and Gao Mingcheng immediately perked up.
But before he could identify the jar, someone else came with something, so Gao Mingcheng borrowed the yard from Grandma Song and said he would receive the goods there.
Grandma Song readily agreed, and at the same time, she stared at the things the villagers brought with her shrewd eyes. She wanted to use these to judge whether there was any problem with the price Gao Mingcheng offered her.
After all the transactions were completed, Grandma Gao found that she had achieved the highest price. Many people only sold for fifty or sixty yuan, and some even only sold for ten yuan.
But everyone knew that Grandma Song sold it for 350 yuan, so they wanted to raise the price.
But those things were indeed not as valuable as the snuff bottle and Bada Shanren's paintings that Grandma Song took out. However, he didn't want to offend her too much, so he said that Grandma Song was the first person willing to sell him things, so the price he offered was a little higher.
After these words were spoken, the women who were slower than Grandma Song were so angry that they almost died, and they all looked at Grandma Song with envy and jealousy.
Grandma Song found that she was the one who sold the products at the highest price, and she felt very proud.
After Gao Mingcheng left with most of the stuff in the car, Grandma Song touched Song Xiaomi's head and said with a smile: "Grandma will cut some meat for you to eat! I will also find a wife for your eldest brother!"
Song Xiaomi was only about six years old. When she heard that there was meat to eat, she grinned and ran all the way to the field, loudly telling her elder brother that he was going to have a wife.
The child's innocent words made the people working in the fields burst into laughter.
Everyone teased Song Xiaomi's elder brother Song Jingu, which made Song Jingu blush, but he was also looking forward to it in his heart, because he and a girl from the next village were in love with each other, and all they lacked was a dowry and a marriage proposal!
Gao Mingcheng was unaware of the Song family's joy, but his joy was already reflected on his face.
On the way home, he hummed the song "Beier Shuang" all the way, and his heart almost flew away!
The highest transaction price for Bada Shanren's calligraphy and paintings in later generations was 118.7 million yuan!
This price may be caused by many factors, but it also means that the painting in his hands has great room for appreciation!
Not to mention 100 million, several million, or even tens of millions, should be possible!
In such a situation, he should express his inner joy through singing.
Driving the tractor and facing the wind, he sang loudly.
…
So cool!
The sky is so bright and the earth is so vast
Love is so ripples, the heart is so wild
The song is so melodious and the tune is so wild
It’s fun to watch anything. I feel great today!
…
This book has not been recommended for more than a month. The number of new subscriptions is too poor, so every time a chapter is updated, the average subscription drops by several points. . . .
Crying, so I wrote a few long chapters, so that the average subscription will drop more slowly, grinning~~
(End of this chapter)
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