Chapter 93 Chapter 93 'Opening the Door'
Everyone was busy picking up people, so there was no time for small talk. However, Chang Si did have some connections with Lin Xinghuo. He was the brother of Chang Liang, the boss of the largest black market in the capital of Selangor Province. Chang Liang was a righteous man who had provided Lin Xinghuo with many advantages in the early years. Later, even when Buxiantun and Lin Xinghuo's back valley developed, he maintained ties with them. Even after Lin Xinghuo settled in Jing City, he continued to trade in patent medicines and some high-priced products.
But Lin Xinghuo had never met Chang Si. He had only heard that Chang Si had extensive connections. He had a brother who married the only daughter of a family in the south known as "Poisonous Treasure Appraiser." So, when selling antiques on the black market, he shouldn't play tricks on Chang Si; he's an expert. It turns out this Chang Si is that brother, married to Tan Yuemei's uncle's cousin. No wonder Tan Yuemei's family remained relatively stable despite the years of hardship. As the saying goes, "cats have their ways, mice their ways." He was connected to not only his maternal uncle's family, a serious antiquities expert, but also the shady Chang family. Furthermore, for the Chang family to become in-laws with the prestigious Professor Mei, surely the antique dealers of the Chang family must have played matchmaker, right?
Wu Nian's mind, which was filled with exams, raced as he thought to himself, "It's such a small world." What a coincidence.
Lin Xinghuo's thoughts drifted to something else: the gourd she'd bought from Boss Chang on her first trip to the black market. It was imbued with spiritual energy, and at first glance, merely exquisitely crafted and priceless, nothing special. But that day, Lin Xinghuo had been drawn to this lacquer-covered gourd ornament. From the moment she glanced at it, she found it adorable. She didn't have enough money, so she had to rely on Wu Nian's private mountain ginseng to afford it. Of course, Wu Nian's private money was now under her control; the stingy old man had already laid out his entire existence to Lin Xinghuo.
That wasn't the point. The point was that Chang Liang had mentioned that the snail gourds were originally a pair, but because the other one was acquired by a connoisseur in Beijing, he sold it to Lin Xinghuo for the bargain price of three hundred yuan. Lin Xinghuo had taken two gourd seeds from her own gourd, one of which produced the now-rare treasure gourd vine, while the other became her own spiritual vine, bringing her profound and lasting benefits. This led one to suspect that the other snail gourd also held hidden secrets. Boss Chang had once said the pair of snail lacquerware were antiques from the late Ming Dynasty, but Lin Xinghuo suspected the outer layer of lacquer was a disguise applied centuries ago, and the gourd within was likely passed down to future generations by a cultivator before the spiritual energy dried up.
The snail gourd—Chang Lao Da—a Beijing expert, Chang Si—the professor's only daughter—and his cousin Tan Yuemei... Doesn't that connect the dots? Tan Yuemei's father and brother likely know the identity of the Beijing expert. As long as Lin Xinghuo can find the other gourd, he'll have a 70% chance of trading it for it. The remaining 30% uncertainty is probably because the buyer is so fond of the gourd itself that he's left some margin of error. If he values collectible value or historical significance, Lin Xinghuo will have no shortage of bargains.
But at this moment, no matter how important the matter is, it must give way to the college entrance examination.
Beijing in July is far less comfortable than my hometown, especially since the restrictions on college entrance examination admissions have been further relaxed this year. There are no age restrictions or marital status restrictions, and special emphasis is placed on the standard of "admission based on merit." Therefore, the number of people taking the college entrance examination this year is greater than last year, and the entrance to the examination room is more crowded.
Back then, there wasn't the convenience of shops lining the streets like in later times. Although the market was a bit more open this year than in the previous two years, there were only a few more places to eat besides the state-owned canteens, and tickets were still required. People back then were also much more hardworking than later candidates, so most of the candidates who had just left the exam hall had taken the lunch boxes and water bottles brought by their families and started to eat lunch, either squatting or standing.
The more sophisticated students would just spread a newspaper on the floor. Some students didn't even have anyone to escort them. When they opened their lunch boxes outside the classroom, they found the food had gone bad, leaving them with only two-pound steamed buns to eat with water. After filling their stomachs, they took a quick break to avoid being too tired for the afternoon exam.
Chang Si was a kind-hearted person. Seeing that some people's water jars were upside down and they were worried about the lack of water in such hot and humid weather, he took the initiative to pour water for them. The Chang family was wealthy and this time they drove a jeep to pick up the candidates. His car had a lot of space and he brought several thermoses.
He was kind-hearted, but few dared to drink. On the one hand, Chang Si had a rugged appearance and was not to be trifled with. The streets of Beijing had become increasingly chaotic over the past year, to the point where young women working night shifts had to travel in groups, and even among the crowds of students who were about to meet the candidates, there were some scoundrels out there trying to take advantage of the situation. On the other hand, the newspapers reported that this year's applicants had reached over six million, making the competition incredibly fierce. Anyone with a little bit of sense would be wary of potential mischief.
There were some thirsty and suspicious people who, seeing Chang Si's initiative, refused to use the fresh water from the thermos and only "borrowed" the water from the jars of Tan Yuemei and Cousin Mei.
The key point is that the Tan Yuemei sisters had just drunk it.
Nowadays, these enamel pots are very large. One pot can hold half a thermos of water. Everyone fills it with water before going to work, and it is enough to drink for a whole afternoon.
There were men and women who came to borrow water, and there were also female family members who came to pour water for their male candidates. The latter were especially so, as if their male candidates were superior to others, and were actually not as polite and courteous as their own former candidates. One elderly woman, without permission, snatched the enamel pot from Tan Yuemei's hand and poured the water into her lunch box, then eagerly held the lunch box to fan the young man at the foot of the wall.
Tan Yuemei's face turned purple and swollen. She was so angry, but she didn't know what to say.
Chang Si's eyes widened and he yelled, "Hey! What are you doing!" He looked like he was going to attack, but that only scared a few people nearby. Since the mother and son could do such a thing, they must be shameless. The mother even felt that Chang Si scared her so much that the water in her lunch box almost overflowed.
Lin Xinghuo held down Wu Nian who was about to stand up. Although Wu Nian usually handled all the trivial matters, he was a candidate today, so it was right for him to wait.
"Baogen, here's some water." The middle-aged woman smiled, revealing half of her missing front teeth. She kept muttering, "This water is what I saw that girl drink. I'm sure it's fine—it's just that it has some of that girl's saliva in it, so it's not very clean."
Her voice was quite loud, and even those who had the same desire to borrow water couldn't help but frown. Lin Xinghuo walked over from the other side of the road, passed by the mother and child, and gently lifted the bottom of the lunch box, emptying the entire container of water into the smoking muddy ground.
Lin Xinghuo didn't even stop walking or turn her head towards them. Others saw the girl passing by like a breeze, and then all the water that the mother and son were exchanging hands was spilled - it was a full lunch box of water, and the mother and son were facing each other and standing so close, but not a drop of water spilled on them. Even the empty lunch box was still in the hands of the two people!
Wow! This girl is so smart!
This time it was the woman's turn to yell, "Hey, don't leave! What are you doing? Pay for my water!"
Tan Yuemei leaned forward with her hands on her hips, her nose pointed towards this side: "That's my water!"
Lin Xinghuo wasn't just venting her anger on her classmates. She knocked on the door and took out two yuan from her pocket and handed it to the security guard who was about to come out to maintain order. "Can our school provide hot water?"
In this era, the security guards were all members of the security department. The security departments of various units were not just for show, they were not much worse than regular police officers. The security guards were also really capable of managing things. When the two security guards heard this, they didn't want Lin Xinghuo's money and immediately agreed to Lin Xinghuo's proposal.
One security guard stayed here to watch over it, while the other went directly into the school to get hot water.
This exam center is actually a school, complete with a cafeteria and hot water room. Although closed to the public today, they still had to supply the invigilators. There wasn't much food, but hot water was readily available. Two buckets were wheeled in, and the hot water room was heating up, ensuring the students had plenty of water.
Perhaps because the gatekeeper had also seen what had just happened, or perhaps because the two yuan Lin Xinghuo handed over provided inspiration, the person who stayed behind shouted, "Exam takers can get water for free with their admission certificates, but family members have to pay five cents for water!"
Five cents is enough to buy an egg or two boxes of matches in the countryside!
Naturally, some people were reluctant, but don't try to impersonate a candidate with your certificate. The security guards knew how to read and understand the certificate. After a quick glance, they politely told the candidates to get their own water. They treated all candidates equally by using a spoon to scoop a spoonful of water. If there wasn't enough, they could just wait in line.
Of course, this loophole was right under everyone's noses, and some candidates were willing to share the drink with their families. But there were also those sophisticated scholars who disliked the filth and refused to drink together, or those who valued themselves and refused to wait in line multiple times.
Wu Nian was the type who was particularly willing to share with his family. Even though there was a refreshing mung bean soup in the oxcart, he insisted on joining in the fun. He dug out a blue porcelain bowl from the storage box, eagerly lined up to fill it with water, and first offered it to Xinghuo...
Tan Yuemei, who wouldn't have joined the fun if she hadn't been short of water, leaned against the window of her jeep, watching with relish the embarrassment of the mother and son. The son seemed to despise his mother, unwilling to let her drink from his lunch box, while the mother had only brought dry food for herself and no water container... The mother choked and hiccuped, while the son, covering his nose and turning away, reluctantly offered her the lid of the aluminum lunch box. But a tablespoon of water was only a small amount, hardly enough for both of them, and the son refused to leave the shade of the wall and stand in the scorching sun again.
The woman spoke a great deal, but her son frowned and closed his eyes to rest, so she stopped talking. She stood there for a long moment, then gritted her teeth, turned her back to the others, and unbuttoned her trousers. With one hand, she held up her trousers, while the other dug into the pocket sewn inside. The seams were tight, and after a long struggle, she finally pulled out a dime. Her trousers must have been cotton for winter and thin for summer, and the fabric had worn thin. When she tried to take the money, she poked a hole in the fabric around her waist. The woman had no choice but to pull her trousers up and use a belt to seal the hole.
Watching her walk awkwardly with her crotch tucked in, Tan Yuemei felt a sudden pang of sadness. It wasn't until the guard gave her five cents and filled a lunch box with water, saying, "Pay and you'll get free water for three days," that Tan Yuemei looked away, her heart a little less broken.
She came back to her senses and was about to fan her cousin to let her sleep for a while, when she found that her cousin and cousin-in-law were looking across the street, blankly but with shining eyes. One had a rough face, the other a delicate one, and they looked silly, like a couple.
"Fourth brother, did you see it?"
"Hmm. An enameled landscape bowl!"
"Is it genuine?" Chang Si asked. How could it look so real? But it couldn't be, could it really be used to drink water?
Cousin Mei was confused: "It looks like it! It looks too much like it! But isn't the real one kept in the Antique Museum?" That one was one of the treasures in the museum, once an imperial item, but why did the one she saw look even better than the one in the museum?
It is very likely a replica, thought Cousin Mei. After all, the museum was under military protection during the movement, and the cultural relics inside were not damaged. It was reopened after the situation stabilized in 1971. As long as you are willing to buy a ticket, you can go in and visit. The imperial bowl has also been exhibited twice.
But can the imitation craftsmanship be so exquisite? What kiln can produce such fascinating paintings and beautiful shapes?
With a father obsessed with porcelain, Cousin Mei has been influenced by him and is now a semi-expert. Furthermore, she takes after him. For a while, they would have eaten coarse food to save up enough money to buy museum tickets. They would hang out on the counter, watching from opening to closing, and then go home to reminisce and discuss the experience, even eating dried sweet potato dumplings that were delicious.
When she was about to see the bowl, Cousin Mei stood up holding the car door. After Wu Nian fetched water, she heard the sound of fingers tapping happily on the bottom of the bowl. If she had not been taught from a young age that "porcelain cannot be touched", she would have been afraid of scaring the person holding the bowl. Cousin Mei almost couldn't help but squeeze over and bend down to read the words on the bottom of the bowl.
"It's a replica, right?" Tan Yuemei hurriedly pulled her cousin, who was leaning on the side of the car with one foot, back to her. Her cousin was a better student than her. Last year, she hadn't finished her exam because she had injured her hand on a broken piece of porcelain while repairing it. She hoped nothing would happen again this year. Her cousin wasn't as easy to talk to as she was. She had been admitted to the university of her choice last year, but the recent development of ancient tombs like the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum has boosted archaeology's popularity. Her score was a little short, so she was transferred to a different major. As a result, her cousin hadn't even taken the physical exam... Tan Yuemei's heart ached at the thought. That was a top-tier university!
Tan Yuemei immediately poured out what she had heard from her father and brother, "...those hands, they're so good at making anything look real, they're quite famous in our flea market! Even though he sometimes makes imitations, he intentionally leaves them unsigned, so it's easy to tell."
"Cousin, I have an exam this afternoon. Why don't you lie down and take a nap?"
"He is 'Kaimenwu'!" Cousin Mei suddenly remembered this person.
In the antique business, encountering an old genuine item while browsing collections is called "opening the door" or "one-look item". This nickname was given to Wu Nian, the counterfeiter, which shows how much he is admired.
Cousin Mei heard about this person through a different channel than her cousin. Her father's circle first knew about this young man because he was a disciple or relative of Mr. Fang Zhongqin.
"Kaimenwu is also going to apply for the archaeology major, right?" Cousin Mei's eyes sparkled. "Perhaps it's the same as mine?"
Chang Si, who was originally immersed in amazement, suddenly came back to his senses, his eyebrows wrinkled like a caterpillar, and the crisis alarm sounded instantly.
Chang Si looked at his wife and once again thought about dropping out of school and taking the college entrance exam again. But with his grades, could he get into his wife's school?
As a member of the last batch of workers, peasants and soldiers who managed to go to college, Chang Si felt a little conflicted.
But when the new semester started, Chang Si actually saw the "Kaimenwu" again at the Agricultural University where he was studying.
"No! Did you apply for admission when you were drunk?" Chang Si was holding the list of new students. The result of the first "Wunian" student shocked him so much that he shouted like thunder.
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The author has something to say: See you tomorrow~~
Note: "Kaimen" or "Yiguanhuo" refers to the old genuine goods that you come across when you are looking at collections. ——Quoted from Baidu "Collection Professional Terminology"
Watch the preview: [Young and Strong: The Phoenix Falls]
Lin Jianlu is the granddaughter of Chou Laojiu. It is better to have a good family background than to be beautiful.
She was despised, had her engagement broken off, was framed, and coveted. In order to protect herself, Lin Jianlu had no choice but to quickly marry an older forest ranger from her grandfather's hometown.
It is true that young people do not know the value of being strong and vigorous, and they unexpectedly got a treasure!
Lin Jianlu still firmly believes that knowledge is power!
She also farmed like others, but she would find ways to read agricultural books, seek help from agricultural technicians, and work tirelessly on experimental fields. The yield of her private plot was several times higher than that of other families.
She knitted sweaters like others, but she would look for knitting books, think about it, draw pictures, and improve new styles. The city's department stores all asked her to be a technician.
She cooks when others cook. This educated young woman who had never cooked before, through learning and practice, finally became a generation of... no, she finally guided others to become a generation of great chefs.
It even inspired the widow, husband, sister-in-law, and the whole family. Gradually, the poor family turned around!
From now on:
Other families plant fruit trees, but she also plants fruit trees. Other families collect herbs to supplement their household income, but she also collects herbs. Other families raise chickens and ducks, but she raises bees...
The result: Her fruit trees were so heavy with fruit that they bent their branches. The supply and marketing cooperative came to collect and sort the processed herbs. The honey was harvested again and again, and it made her sister-in-law, who had low blood sugar, have a rosy face...
The college entrance examination was resumed, my grandfather was rehabilitated, and the Lin family courtyard was returned. The neighbors in the alley couldn't help but sigh, wondering what kind of country woman the beautiful and quiet girl had become.
Old man Lin is so pitiful. He has been in poor health to begin with, and I’m afraid that his rude grandson-in-law and his family will have to suck his blood to make a living in the future.
Unexpectedly, there was no country woman or rustic guy. Lin Jianlu, her husband and sister-in-law were admitted to Beijing University. Even she, a widow in her forties, started attending night school.
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