Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2481 The Information Gap Where Gold Is Everywhere (First Update, Please Subscribe)
Normalization of relations.

As this year draws to a close, the world has undergone many changes. There are shadows of war, but also changes that shape the future.

All sorts of news fill television news programs around the world. There are stories of devastation from war, but also glimpses of hope for the future.

However, not all places will have detailed reports.

At least for tourists in Tangshan, their knowledge of the London terrorist attacks was virtually nonexistent. Where there was little news on television, they probably wouldn't even have noticed it.

This wasn't due to a news blackout, but rather because most hotels and guesthouses didn't have televisions, and guests weren't used to listening to the radio. Even if they did turn on the TV, it was only one or two channels, and as for the news, it was always about leaders being very busy and having many meetings.

Few people can endure the long, tedious process of getting to the end and reading the international news. Even if you get the newspaper, the front page won't be about foreign news.

In this situation, tourists in Tangshan are actually in a kind of "Shangri-La"—completely unaware of the changes in the world.

In November, the Spring City was blanketed in snow, and the air was filled with a biting chill.

Inside the National Museum, the heating was on full blast, and the warm air, mixed with the unique smell of old paper and dust, enveloped every visitor.

Unlike many SEA tourists who enjoy sightseeing and appreciating the beautiful landscapes, Chen Jingming also likes visiting museums. After all, his main job is a high school history teacher, so naturally he enjoys visiting museums.

There weren't many visitors in the museum at this time—in fact, very few people come to these places. And with the heavy snowfall today, there were even fewer visitors.

Standing alone in the modern and contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy exhibition hall, Chen Jingming's gaze swept over the works, most of which were by famous people: Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong, Fu Baoshi, Li Keran... Anyone with even a slight understanding of the modern and contemporary painters of the Tang Dynasty would know the names of these masters.

As he admired the paintings, he was somewhat disappointed because, for various reasons, there were not many of these masters' works on display, not even as many as those in an art gallery in Chang'an.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave for the ancient porcelain exhibition area, a scene in a corner made him pause.

At the far end of the exhibition hall, near the window, there were no glass display cases, only a few makeshift wooden tables. On and under the tables were piles of scrolls wrapped in old newspapers and kraft paper, like a heap of waste waiting to be disposed of.

An elderly staff member with gray hair and thick reading glasses was sitting at a table, writing and drawing on a thick register with a red pen.

What made Chen Jingming's heart stop even more was a notice posted on the wall next to the wooden table. It read in clear Song typeface:

"Modern and contemporary famous paintings and calligraphy are sold for 5-30 yuan per piece. Prices are negotiable for bulk purchases."

Chen Jingming thought he was seeing things. He hurried over, almost lunging at the notice, to examine it closely. The words "5 yuan" felt like a red-hot iron, burning his eyes. He abruptly turned his head to look at the scrolls casually piled on the table.

"Sir, may I take a look?"

The staff member who was practicing his calligraphy hummed in agreement and continued writing.

With trembling hands, he gently picked up the top roll. The paper tube was already somewhat worn, and he carefully unfolded it.

The first thing that catches the eye is a familiar seal—it's actually Qi Baishi's.

His heart skipped a beat. He held his breath and continued to unfurl the scroll.

The ink is rich and vibrant, depicting several small shrimp frolicking in the water, each with a unique and lifelike posture. The shrimp's bodies are translucent, and their whiskers flow gracefully. That finishing touch perfectly captures the shrimp's agility and charm.

This is Qi Baishi's shrimp! Although it is not large in size and is not his most outstanding work, it is definitely an authentic piece!

He suppressed his surging emotions and picked up another scroll beside him. Unfolding it, he found a splashed-ink landscape painting. The painting was magnificent, with swirling clouds and mist, and distant mountains appearing and disappearing in the ink. The signature was none other than Zhang Daqian.

Zhang Daqian!
Chen Jingming's mind went blank.

In Chang'an, New York, London, and Hong Kong, he had seen these masters' works at auctions more than once. A small piece by Qi Baishi would start at tens of thousands of dollars and often sell for over a hundred thousand. But here he was, they were casually piled on the table, treated like waste paper, priced at just a few dollars each.

Comrade,

Chen Jingming's voice trembled slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of, as he said:
"Is this...is this notice real? Are these paintings really 5 yuan each?"

The older staff member looked up, adjusted his glasses, and sized him up. Seeing that he was dressed as a foreigner, his tone was still relatively polite:

"That's right, they're all clearance items. The museum has set up a foreign guest reception department, but the budget is very tight. In order to keep it afloat, we have to sell some of the calligraphy and paintings. These warehouses can't hold any more, so we're putting them up for sale. If you're really interested, we can give you a better price."

"Tight budget..."

Chen Jingming was taken aback. He looked around, never expecting that his visit today would lead him to witness a priceless "fire sale".

At that time, the calligraphy and paintings sold in the museum were priced very low. Wu Zuoren's paintings were only 5 yuan each, Li Keran's works were 8 yuan each, and Zhang Daqian and Qi Baishi's paintings were only about ten yuan each.

Despite this, there were still very few buyers, because many ordinary people couldn't even afford to eat, and collectors were nowhere to be found, even if someone did want to buy. They were also quite strapped for cash.

What was Chen Jingming thinking at that moment?
This represents a massive, once-in-a-lifetime information gap. The overseas market's understanding and appreciation of these modern masters is vastly different from the current situation in mainland China.

A bold and crazy idea instantly took shape in Chen Jingming's mind.

"Excuse me, how many paintings are there in total?" Chen Jingming asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Yes, you want..."

The veteran employee put down his pen, took out an account book from the drawer, flipped through it, and said:
"There are about 10,000 paintings on the register. They were all collected after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Some were donated by the painters themselves, and some were collected from the public. Now there is nowhere to put them, and no one looks at them. They are occupying warehouse space. We wanted to sell them to set up a reception area for foreign guests, but no one is buying them. The leaders are very worried."

Ten thousand pieces!

Chen Jingming's heart began to pound.

He quickly calculated in his mind. Although it was listed as 5-30 yuan, the price definitely varied. If it was 20 yuan per piece, 10,000 pieces would be 200,000 yuan. Even with some discrepancies, 300,000 yuan would be the maximum.

Chen Jingming certainly didn't have 300,000 yuan. In fact, as a middle school teacher, his annual income was only a little over 20,000 yuan. After deducting social security and other benefits, he only received a little over 15,000 yuan.
Three hundred thousand yuan!
That's roughly equivalent to his income over twenty years.

But what's the big deal?
He only needs to take a few of them back to his country to easily exchange them for far more money than that amount.

Of course, this is on the premise that all these works are genuine!

If they are genuine, these works will definitely fetch astronomical prices in Chang'an. After all, the wealthy people in SEA still really like these works by modern and contemporary masters.

Are these works all originals?

"Of course, look at where you are. This is the National Museum. How could there be fakes here?"

This is true.

"In that case, I'll take them all."

Chen Jingming said firmly.

The veteran employee was stunned, thinking he had misheard:

"What did you say? You...you want them all?"

"Yes, all of them."

Chen Jingming's eyes were unusually firm as he said:
"Make a price."

The experienced staff member had clearly never encountered this situation before; he was somewhat at a loss and quickly said:
"This... I can't make that decision. Please wait a moment, I need to consult my supervisor."

He left in a hurry, leaving Chen Jingming alone standing in front of that "mountain of gold".

His palms were sweaty, a mixture of anticipation for the future and a tense sense of gamble. It was a high-stakes gamble, a gamble on his judgment of the market and on the authenticity of these paintings.

Actually, there's no need to gamble at all, because the market demand in Chang'an is there. Although he's a middle school teacher, he also loves art. On weekends, he often visits galleries and has heard news about some auctions.

Moreover, Zhang Daqian was still alive, and he frequently held art exhibitions in Chang'an. His works were very popular, and their prices were naturally quite high.

Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit and black-rimmed glasses walked over with the elderly staff member. He was the museum's deputy curator, surnamed Wang.

Because he had arrived in a hurry, Director Wang, dressed in a blue Zhongshan suit, still had snowflakes on him. He looked Chen Jingming up and down and got straight to the point:

"Mr. Chen, right? You really want to buy them all?"

Although they intended to sell these works, there were still very few buyers, so they even considered ending the sale. However, the large number of remaining calligraphy and paintings put the relevant leaders in a difficult position.

So when he heard that someone wanted to buy all the paintings in one go, he rushed over immediately, afraid that this big customer would run away.

If it were an ordinary person, he would really be worried, but after hearing that the other party was a foreign national, he naturally didn't need to worry anymore.

Foreigners... they are all very wealthy.

"It's true."

Chen Jingming continued:

"However, I hope there can be a discount on the price,"

"That's easy to say!"

Director Wang slapped his thigh, his face revealing undisguised excitement, and said:
"Since Mr. Chen is so sincere, we won't ask for an exorbitant price. We have a total of 10857 paintings and calligraphies here, and the price is a fixed amount of 200,000 yuan! This is already the lowest price; we're practically giving it away for free. What do you think?"

Having said that, he looked at the other person with expectant eyes...

(End of this chapter)