Riding the wind of rebirth

Zhou Zhi continued, "I just arrived in New York... Yes, there is something. Oh, it's like this. My girlfriend and I are having dinner in a restaurant called..."

Mai Xiaomiao whispered, "Le Bernadin."

"It's called Le Bernadin. While eating here, I found a large jar with a dragon pattern from the Longqing period that they used for decoration..."

"Yes, the value of Longqing blue and white porcelain itself is not high, but as you know, there were several kinds of blue materials popular in Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain, one of which was Pingdeng blue. We believe that mining has been cut off after the 20th year of Jiajing."

"The Longqing dynasty mainly used Huiqing, or a mixture of Huiqing and Shiziqing. Although scholars have always speculated that there may be porcelain painted with inventory Pingdengqing during the Longqing period, no actual objects have been found."

"Yes, so although this large blue and white dragon-patterned jar does not have a high economic value, it has special academic significance..."

"Ah, yes, I can accept a little premium, but the key is that I don't know the restaurant, so I'm embarrassed to ask... If it's not too much trouble for you, I would like to ask for your help. Thank you, just try it, I won't force you... Thank you, Mr. An."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Zhi calmed down and asked, "Whether it will succeed or not depends on God's will. What did everyone order?"

"Xiao Miao ordered herb lamb chops and cream-baked potato wedges for you, and onion soup and oxtail braised in red wine for myself." Mai Jeff sighed. The reason for the sigh was that after Mai Xiao Miao ordered the dishes, he added that he and Zhou Zhi could eat in turn: "Is that jar valuable?"

Zhou Zhi explained the origin and special features of the jar to McGeve, and then said with a smile: "It seems that there is a saying that anyone who wants to contact Bill Gates only needs to go through six people. I will give it a try, hoping to get the porcelain."

Everyone thought that this was really unlikely. Anyone who could open a Michelin restaurant in New York would definitely have money. Zhou Zhi didn't even know the person, so it would be difficult for him to pay attention to him.

But no one wanted to criticize Zhou Zhi, and the dishes had just arrived, so they changed the topic to French food.

It should be said that as long as high-quality and popular dishes are served all over the world, they will not be of bad quality. The best French cuisine, like Italian cuisine, also makes Zhou Zhi very satisfied. This is a way to satisfy the taste buds from another system, just like Western music and Eastern music. If it sounds good, it sounds good, and it does not distinguish whether the audience belongs to the East or the West.

However, Zhou Zhi was too embarrassed to put his fork into other people's plates, so he could only let Mai Xiaomiao enthusiastically share her dishes with him. The separate dining system was a bit regrettable.

However, Zhou Zhi also discovered a problem, that is, except for their table, the ingredients in front of the guests at other tables were very simple, usually just a piece of bread, steak or pasta, plus a cup of coffee, almost just a plate and a cup.

Rose smiled and explained to Zhou Zhi that this was a Western custom. People came here at noon not really to eat, but more to communicate with each other. So except for their table, most people were still working. Coming here to talk just made the atmosphere more relaxed.

Zhou Zhi finally understood, and then he continued to praise Le Bernadin's tableware. Everyone had an independent set of tableware, all made of silver, which was very exquisite. Just like the oil paintings and porcelain used in the decoration, one could feel that the taste here was very high.

Not long after, the lobby manager came over with a balding old man. "Excuse me, who is Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Zhi quickly wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and stood up: "It's me."

"Mr. An contacted our boss and said that Mr. Zhou was very interested in the porcelain in our restaurant?" Zhou Zhi pointed to the large blue and white dragon-patterned jar in the center of the hall. "Yes, that's the one. I hope to get it. Has Mr. An introduced that porcelain to you?"

"Hello, Mr. Zhou. I am Jean Denaud, the manager of Le Bernadin. Our boss actually bought that piece of porcelain at the weekend flea market." Jean Denaud said with a smile, "It actually surprised Mr. An. He is very proud of his own vision now."

"Indeed, your boss has an outstanding aesthetic sense." Zhou Zhi complimented, "You can see it from the restaurant's furnishings, countertops, menus, tableware, and dishes. I just wonder if your boss is willing to give it up?"

"Mr. An said that the current market price of that porcelain is around 50,000 US dollars?" Jean Deno asked.

"Yes, considering its special nature, I can offer a partial premium of US$60,000. If your boss agrees, I can write you a cash check from the Bank of China or the Hong Kong HSBC Bank."

"No, no, no." Jean Denaud shook his head. "I heard from Mr. An that Mr. Zhou once bought a Louis Vuitton custom-made desk suitcase at an airport auction?"

"Yes," Zhou Zhi nodded, "but I gave the box to Old Leah at the airport right away."

"I heard that Mr. Zhou also got a few bottles of... wine at that auction?"

"Oh, that box is actually a custom-made Stokowski Monogram suitcase named after the British conductor Leopold Stokowski's wife. Some of their personal belongings were found inside, as well as a few bottles of wine."

"Among them, are there two bottles of Egon? Egon from 1882?" Old man Jean Denos' eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yes." Zhou Zhi nodded. "Although Stokowski was born and studied in the UK, his achievements were mainly realized in the United States. He was known as the 'sound magician'. His wife bought those two bottles of wine for him on his 40th birthday in 1922. The reason I remember it is because the two copies of those two bottles of wine happened to be the year Stokowski was born."

"Is this wine... still in Mr. Zhou's hands?"

Seeing Zhou Zhi and Mai Xiaomiao looking at each other with strange expressions, Jean Denaud quickly explained, "A 27-year-old Egon was auctioned at the French Winery Joint Awards. It was sold for more than $80,000. Our boss said that if Mr. Zhou is willing to part with it, he is willing to buy it for $150,000."

"In exchange for that jar, plus a hundred thousand dollars."

"Let's change!" Mai Xiaomiao agreed immediately.

"You actually brought this...this kind of wine?" McGeff's eyes widened. Isn't this too much of a coincidence?

"Uh... this wine was originally a gift from us for you and Auntie." Zhou Zhi was so embarrassed that he pulled the excited Mai Xiaomiao and said, "Xiao Miao, let's not change it now. I'll arrange for Xueshan to send another bottle from Jiuchangju."

"Change! Why not change!" McGeoff slapped his thigh and said, "It's enough that you are so thoughtful. Your aunt and I don't know much about wine. Wouldn't it be a waste if we drink such good wine? Change! Where is the wine now?" (End of this chapter)