Riding the wind of rebirth

Considering the ridiculous "private museums" in later generations, Zhou Zhi had an idea of ​​the level of collections in China's first private museum. He also knew what level the museum should be if he were to open one in the future.

The harvest this day was really not small, and I had a feast for the eyes here at Ma Ye’s place.

However, although Mr. Ma entered the collecting business very early, due to his limited level of collection and appraisal, he mainly focused on porcelain and gradually touched upon other things, and had almost no experience in calligraphy and painting.

No wonder we have to look for Zhou Zhi for adjustment.

"By the way, how have you found out about the Taoye Tu set?" When everyone started talking about calligraphy and painting, Zhou Zhi remembered a public case.

"I found it, but it's in such a bad state..." Master Ma shook his head. "At that time, no one in the capital who was into soft films said they could get it. So, are you interested?"

"Yes, it's okay to take a look, right? It's another matter whether to accept it or not."

"Haihe and Tianjin, are you going?" Master Ma asked, "It's not too late to leave now."

"Uh... then I have to make a phone call and ask for leave."

I called Mai Xiaomiao and asked for leave from her, saying that I had to go to Tianjin and might be back very late at night. Then I told her to have fun with Ikeda Qiu Zhang Silu and the others and they didn't have to wait for me.

Mai Xiaomiao told him that if it was too late, he didn't need to rush back. He could just rest in Tianjin for one night and return to Beijing the next day.

After getting permission, Zhou Zhi set off with Ma Ye and Lin Wanqiu.

The expressway from Beijing to Tianjin was opened to traffic in 1993. The superior traffic conditions made Zhou Zhi, who was still troubled by the roads in central Sichuan, envious.

Although the current expressway is still quite narrow, with only three lanes in one direction: fast, slow and emergency, the driving speed can reach 120 kilometers per hour.

Ma Ye drove the car, and it took him an hour to reach the highway entrance in Beijing. After getting on the highway, it only took 40 minutes to reach Tianjin.

"High speed is good..." Zhou Zhi sat in the passenger seat, holding the fixed handle above the car window: "We have to wait until next year for the entire line in Shuzhong to be completed."

After a while, the car arrived at an old street shaded by plane trees.

"We're here," said Master Ma.

Zhou Zhi and Lin Wanqiu got out of the car. Zhou Zhi looked at the small Western-style buildings around the street and asked, "Is this the Concession Street?"

Ma Ye pointed to a small western-style courtyard with an Italian-style fountain garden in front and red walls and tiles in the back. "That's Jingyuan, where Puyi and Wanrong lived. This used to be Miyajima Road in the Japanese Concession."

"Oh, no wonder." Zhou Zhi nodded: "The style looks different. The municipal government should protect these places and use them as patriotism education bases in the future."

"Sister Wanqiu, look, the proposal is here again."

"I can't stop worrying about you." Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. The car stopped at the side of the road and walked into a small alley. Master Ma led the two to a small courtyard.

Although the yard is small, it is also quite exquisite. At least it can be seen that it was once quite exquisite. However, it may have been used as a slum for a while, and electric wires are everywhere. Now many of the matching sockets have been damaged, but the wires have not been removed. There are also honeycomb coals piled in the aisle, which is quite...

"Full of life." Zhou Zhi commented when he saw Lin Wanqiu frowning.

"I'm so unlucky to marry into your Lu family! I can only blame myself for not asking around before I married you, and not seeing that you're such a poor family! We finally implemented the policy to return the house to us, but you were reluctant to rent it out when I asked you to. How many years have passed since then, and have you ever earned any income from this house? Now it's like a haunted house, and the looks from relatives and friends who visit me make me feel embarrassed!"

"You're never going to stop, are you? You keep nagging me all day long! This is our family property. Our children are all grown up, and they will own it in the future. We are also people with roots in Jiuhe Xiahai... I say, don't you want to sell this house again? Stop it now! I tell you, you can do whatever you want in this life, but this is impossible!"

In the yard, an old couple were bickering with one holding a palm-leaf fan and the other holding a large Tang porcelain teapot. Tianjin dialect itself is humorous and has many witty remarks. When the two of them started arguing, Zhou Zhi felt like he was listening to a crosstalk. He couldn't help but think of Lao Guo who went to Beijing three times last year. He didn't know where he was suffering now.

"Old Lu! How come you still can't calm down even after drinking herbal tea? Why are you fooling around here with your sister-in-law?" Uncle Ma led the way and greeted the old man as soon as he arrived.

The old man jumped up immediately: "You are such a spendthrift woman! You really attracted all the buyers! You want to piss off the old man to death so you can get the money and remarry, right?!"

"What nonsense are you talking about, you old bastard!" The old lady was even more unhappy and turned her head to point at the instigator: "Who are you? Who are you looking for?!"

"Sister-in-law, don't you remember me?" Ma Ye introduced himself, "I am Old Ma from Beijing. You two sent your paintings to Beijing for appraisal, but all the experts were not optimistic about them. I only said a few good words to that big brother of yours. Do you remember me?"

"Oh, I remember now! It's you, Brother Ma!" The old lady smiled brightly: "Come and sit down, come and sit down. I'm sorry to make you laugh!"

"Sister-in-law, Lao Lu is the head of the family after all," said Master Ma seriously, "If he doesn't speak, we dare not sit down."

"Hey! It was a misunderstanding just now!" Old Lu was a little anxious: "You ask me to sell the ancestral home every other day. Can you imagine how difficult it was for our ancestors to build this family business? It's fine if it was confiscated, but it was not easy to get it back. Now you ask me to sell it just for this little bit of thought... Anyway, I can't get over it."

"It's not that I want you to sell it. It's that you've kept it here for more than ten years, without using it for food or drink, and without earning any interest. You even sold your former school dormitories to subsidize this place, and what's the result?"

"Isn't that not enough money..."

Seeing that the old couple was about to quarrel again, Master Ma hurriedly stopped them: "Let's not talk about this today. Old Lu, do you still have that set of Taoyetu?"

"Speaking of that broken picture, I am..." Aunt Lu was about to get angry again, but Master Ma gave her a look, and she suppressed her anger and put on a smile: "I wonder who these two are?"

"Oh, these two are famous customers in Beijing, the owner and chief appraiser of Hanhai Art Auction House. Didn't our previous deal fail in the end? If the thing is not repaired, it may turn into mud. This is not only a loss for the country's culture, but also an economic loss for you." At this point, Master Ma said seriously, "It's what I deserve. I took a second look at it back then. I couldn't let go of this painting. I couldn't afford it, so I thought if this one could work out, it would be a good thing, right?"

"Oh, by the way, don't be fooled by Mr. Zhou's young age. In addition to being a film connoisseur, he is also a first-class restorer. He has a family tradition of Yanggong mounting, which comes from the palace system of the Song Dynasty."

After saying that, he sighed: "If he says no, then the painting is probably hopeless..." (End of this chapter)