Rebirth 07: Start adding points from elementary school students

Chapter 515 Auction
"Mr. Li?"

In fact, during the confrontation between the experts and Li Yan, some people had gradually begun to think in this direction.

There are actually quite a few young people who have money to come to this auction, most of them are rich young men who come here to have some fun and broaden their horizons.

However, young people who are knowledgeable enough to confront the auctioneers openly and have enough assets to participate cannot help but think of "Li Yan".

Although the collectors have money, it is not a big deal today. The people who come here are basically entrepreneurs and industrialists of the previous generation or they have completely transformed into collectors.

They didn't normally interact with Li Yan - Li Yan had hardly ever been involved in the collector circle, or he had never spent any money at all, and seemed to have no interest in turning the astronomical sums in his hands into other things - so it was normal that they didn't recognize him.

"This is the president of Future Technology, Mr. Li Yan." Manager Zhao immediately added while everyone was stunned.

The whole audience was in an uproar again. Li Yan saw the hammer in the auctioneer's hand, which had been half-raised, move again, saw the expressions of the people around him changing rapidly, and saw that Mr. Wang, who was facing him, immediately lost his aggressiveness.

No...it's been exposed so soon, you guys changed your expressions so quickly.

Li Yan hadn't yet fully experienced the joy of pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger. The three ups and downs hadn't even finished yet, but how did he rush to the finish line directly?

Although most people present had only heard of Li Yan, his legendary story and astonishing net worth made all the "hearing" turn into "long-admired name".

The focus of the auction inexplicably shifted to him, and no one even discussed the ridiculous incident that the auction director had just admitted in front of the bidders that the auction item information was incorrect.

"Mr. Li, I didn't expect that you are quite knowledgeable about treasure appraisal." The white-haired old man laughed.

Lao Deng is looking for a step to go down.

However, considering that everyone at the scene tacitly ignored the fact that the items were fake, that bottle probably bears some special responsibility.

Li Yan didn't want to get involved in this mess, so he just replied indifferently: "I have done some research."

"You are too modest." Seeing that Li Yan also gave him a way out, the expert immediately smiled and said, "Mr. Li, I am really sorry. I just didn't recognize the real thing. You are right. We do need to re-identify this porcelain."

He is so thick-skinned that Li Yan thought he would at least stick to the character of an "old scholar".

It seems that he is just a tool who relies on changing his attitude according to the situation to get to the top.

Manager Zhao jumped down from the stage and said, "Mr. Li, I didn't expect you to come here in person. Are you interested in our exhibits? Let me show you this gilded clock with 19th century French royal blood. It's a treasure..."

While this was being said, the blue and white porcelain vase had been quietly moved to the backstage.

Li Yan frowned at the first sight.

At this time, many collectors had stood up and surrounded Li Yan, their attitudes were very... humble.

Just like students surrounding their teacher.

However, their curious glances from time to time made Wei Yunzhi a little difficult to bear, and he could only stand as close to Li Yan as possible.

"I have seen something similar. It is a copper gilt painted enamel clock with imitation gemstone musical figures made by a Xinbei workshop during the Qianlong period. The year is probably 1790."

When Li Yan said this, she stared at Manager Zhao.

Manager Zhao's temples were already sweating. He turned around to look at the three experts who had stood up to discuss the matter, but the experts pretended not to see him.

"I know the situation of this auction." Li Yan said, "Today I am just here to find some interesting goods. You can do whatever you want to do. Don't involve me."

"No, Mr. Li, this gilded clock is indeed good, although it is not as good as the one you said..."

"Not bad at all." Li Yan sneered. "The bronze figurine of this thing is rusted. The rust marks are obviously artificially aged. The material is solid and worthy of its starting price, but you don't have to say it has a history of more than a hundred years."

Manager Zhao was speechless and stood there at a loss as to what to do.

"Do you need me to explain?"

"No, no, no!" Manager Zhao waved his hands quickly and moved the thing back to the backstage.

"Why?" Wei Yunzhi asked in a low voice.

"Look at the rust. It's evenly distributed and round. Does it look like the eggs you fried this morning?"

"..."

"Mr. Li," one of the collectors couldn't help but start a conversation, "Let me introduce myself. My last name is He. I'm particularly interested in collecting clocks. I happened to notice the doll clock you mentioned. It seemed to have been exhibited at Sotheby's in Hong Kong Island half a year ago. Did you buy it?"

“I didn’t buy it.”

"Then do you know which collector has it now?"

"It's still at Sotheby's." Li Yan smiled, "They kept it for me, saying it was from the New Taipei workshop, as a souvenir. But I'm really not interested, and I don't want to accept such a gift."

The scene suddenly fell silent.

"Lao He, how much do you estimate that thing is worth?" asked the woman next to him.

"Starting from 6 million."

Everyone has a concrete idea of ​​Li Yan's wealth and influence.

On the other hand, the appraisal experts who knew the inside story were no longer calm.

Li Yan's vision is so sharp. Not only is he accurate in his predictions, but he also always makes judgments at a glance.

What level of observation?
"Mr. Li," the fat man sitting next to the white-haired teacher Wang came over with an inkstone in his hand, "Excuse me, what era is this inkstone from? How much is it worth?"

Li Yan smiled and waved her hands, "Didn't you just say that only VIPs can watch closely? I remember that your company's Article 35 stipulates this."

Manager Zhao looked pale.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Li," a senior executive from China Guardian Auctions rushed into the meeting room and resolved the awkward situation. "You came here without even saying hello. Mr. Liang couldn't come because of something, so he asked me to meet you on his behalf."

"This is Mr. Zhou Yunlin from our South China region." After Manager Zhao said this, he immediately hid aside. He was very clear about his future position.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou. I just came here on a whim today." Li Yan shook hands with Zhou Yunlin.

Then he was taken backstage by the tall and thin Zhou Yunlin.

Oh wow, this is how I save the situation.

Forget it, give Liang Zhongyuan some face.

The auction outside also suddenly changed its rules, and items that originally did not need to go through the auction process were taken out again.

"This must be Ms. Wei, right?" Zhou Yunlin had a very businesslike smile and it was obvious at first glance that he was a master at dealing with people.

"Yes, take her to see the auction today."

"College bully!"

These three words frightened Wei Yunzhi so much that she trembled. No one had ever called her like that before.

There's nothing wrong with it though.

"Hey, Mr. Li," Zhou Yunlin said, looking very familiar, "It's also our fault that we didn't review it clearly..."

"No need to say that, I know the situation, Mr. Liang told me."

"Oh..." Zhou Yunlin thought for a while, "Well, the things in this room are all carefully selected goods. If you want to pick something, just take a look at these."

Wei Yunzhi suddenly poked Li Yan's waist.

"What's wrong?" "I just saw that the staff behind you are changing the label..." The beautiful girl suppressed her laughter, "They changed the date of a Xuande furnace from Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty to Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty."

"That's very honest." Li Yan smiled.

Zhou Yunlin maintained a very professional smile, not showing any embarrassment. "Well, it's all because of you, Mr. Li, that it's not too late to mend the situation. Take a look here, is there anything that interests you? I'll ask Mr. Liang and give you a price."

"Don't you have a jade hairpin from the Tang Dynasty?"

After these words were spoken, even Zhou Yunlin couldn't hide the embarrassment on his face.

"It's being auctioned outside," Manager Zhao said quickly, "Would you like to take a look?"

The hairpin that was originally placed on the table ready for the next auction was suddenly held up by a velvet cloth and carefully handed to Li Yan. The head of the hairpin was carved with a lotus pattern, and the body of the hairpin was curved like a crescent moon. Under the light, a spider-web-like emerald silk thread was faintly visible.

Li Yan waved and walked out with everyone.

The auction outside was thus suspended, and everyone showed great curiosity about Li Yan's curiosity about the hairpin.

Could it really be a good product from the Tang Dynasty?

Li Yan came out to deny the fabricated background story, but when she walked around to the front of the stage, she saw that the introduction of the jade hairpin had been changed to "Jade hairpin of the Qing Dynasty Guangxu period", and the background story was simplified to "Once owned by Mrs. Feng from Dingyang County, Luocheng, and acquired from an old house in the 1980s."

"Uh... Feng's descendants moved their family in the 1970s and left behind an old house. When the old house was returned to the village, this hairpin was found, along with a Feng's handwritten book that recorded the inheritance of everything in the old house. This hairpin was recorded to be the wife of Feng during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty."

Wow, isn’t this a very clear understanding?

A jade hairpin from the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty is not worth much money - especially after the legendary background of the Tang Dynasty imperial concubine's relic has been temporarily erased. Wouldn't it be obvious that you are being taken advantage of if you buy it at this time?
Li Yan and Wei Yunzhi both laughed, while the others just smiled awkwardly.

"Still shooting?" Li Yan asked.

"Take a picture...? Do you want it?" As soon as Manager Zhao asked, he was immediately stunned by Zhou Yunlin's murderous gaze.

You dare to ask Li Yan if she wants this thing? Are you looking for death?
"The starting bid is 10,000? That's too low." Li Yan shook her head. "Don't accuse me of being greedy. Although this thing is not from the Tang Dynasty, it is not just from the Qing Dynasty either."

Everyone present widened their eyes, especially the "experts".

Li Yan took out his mobile phone and took a photo, then quickly connected it to the screen on site and projected the photo directly onto the screen, continuously zooming in until the details of the edges of the texture could be clearly seen.

"The cloud pattern at the end of the hairpin is very similar to the Tang Dynasty style, which may be the reason why the organizers are willing to believe that it is a Tang Dynasty relic. However, most Tang Dynasty jade wares were made of Hetian jade from the Western Regions, and the jade material of this hairpin is obviously old Xiuyan jade."

As she spoke, Li Yan tilted the hairpin 45 degrees and looked towards the dazzling spotlight. "Old jade mines in Xiuyan are often accompanied by chromite veins. During the formation process, the jade material is infiltrated with chromium elements. Under strong light, emerald silk distribution can be seen, commonly known as 'Tianhe sand'. This feature is particularly common in jade wares from the middle and late Ming Dynasty. A typical example is the jade belt plate unearthed from the tomb of Zhu Yiqi, the King of Ming Yixuan in 1978."

The people in the audience were fascinated by the performance, and the people on the stage were also stunned.

"Ming Dynasty craftsmen were fond of antiques, and during the Zhengde reign, there was a craze for imitation Tang jade. However, the cloud pattern on real Tang jade would have forked ends, like willow leaves; the cloud pattern on this hairpin has a rounded and blunt end, which is a typical imitation of antique workmanship during the Jiajing reign."

Eh?
Li Yan smiled and said, "This is indeed an item from the Jiajing period."

Everyone obviously still had questions, but no one dared to speak up.

Wei Yunzhi asked directly, "Why isn't it from the Qing Dynasty? The information there is very complete?"

Everyone is also very curious.

"The traces left by the lathes used by jade carvers in the Ming Dynasty were polished smooth with jade sand in the Qing Dynasty." Li Yan pointed the end of the hairpin at the spotlight, and a fine grid suddenly emerged in the inscribed lines of the cirrus pattern. "Look at these parallel and equidistant scratches - when the lathe speed is unstable, the diamond abrasive lathe head will vibrate periodically, just like the skipping needle of an old phonograph."

The image on the big screen was very clear, and many people nodded as if they had suddenly realized something.

"In the Ming Dynasty, the lathe used a horizontal axis transmission, and the lathe head rotated at about 200 rpm. In the Qing Dynasty, it was changed to a pedal connecting rod transmission, and the speed was increased to more than 300 rpm. The difference in the density of the work marks can be seen with the naked eye."

What a great phrase “visible to the naked eye”! The experts in the audience were almost heartbroken.

"Hey," Wei Yunzhi looked at the picture on the screen and pointed at the hairpin and exclaimed, "There's a small dent here on the lotus heart!"

"Very good, your observation is perfect." Li Yan enlarged the picture again, "Look at these radial scratches - these are the marks left by the wooden clamps that fixed the jade material. Since the Qing Dynasty, iron lathes have been used, and there will be no such wood fiber indentations."

There was total silence.

But Li Yan’s pretense is far from over.

If the above contents are still within everyone's acceptance range, the following words will make them change their attitude from admiration to awe and even fear.

"I do have a little story to tell about the owner of the jade hairpin. The county annals of Dingyang County in Luocheng recorded that in the eighth year of Jiajing, the wife of the county magistrate donated all her belongings to disaster relief, including a jade hairpin, which was said to be 'warm and moist in color, and can illuminate people's hearts.' There are also illustrations in the county annals. Those who are interested may wish to look for it. It is on page 2005 of the third volume of the sixth volume "Dingyang" of the "Complete Collection of Luocheng County Annals" published by the Luocheng Cultural Research Institute in ."

It took everyone a while just to find the picture, and the first person who found it exclaimed, "It's exactly the same!"

Others came forward and got goosebumps all over their bodies.

"This county magistrate's surname is Feng."

Everyone got goosebumps again.

"The rest of the story is just my imagination. When the hairpin was donated, it was naturally exchanged for money at the pawnshop, and the money was exchanged for food to help the victims of the disaster in Dingyang County. Maybe Feng's descendants later spent money to redeem the hairpin, and it was passed down until the 1970s, but because the family moved away, they forgot about the hairpin, so we only see it at the auction today."

Li Yan looked at Zhou Yunlin and said, "This is the story that this jade hairpin should be told about. It is about historical changes, about inheritance, and about a heart that loves the people."

Everyone was stunned.

"Strange...a monster?" The experts in the audience even thought that Li Yan was acting in cooperation with the organizers.

Who the hell can even remember the county annals of Dingyang County, Luocheng?

are you crazy!

This is a fucking poet's grip! (It's a joke, "If it's a human, I'll eat it" describes the other person as not being human, which makes people laugh)
"So, the starting price is still 10,000?"

Zhou Yunlin was the first to react, "Yes, no change, no change."

"I'll give you 500,000." Li Yan said.

The audience gradually came to their senses and some discussion broke out, but no one dared to make an offer.

The auctioneer on the other side also reacted and quickly completed the procedure, bidding the hairpin to Li Yan for 500,000 yuan.

Li Yan took out her card and swiped it on the spot. Holding the hairpin in one hand and holding Wei Yunzhi in the other, she said goodbye to everyone in the auction hall in a casual manner.

Leaving behind dozens of people who were shocked beyond words.

In fact, Wei Yunzhi was also greatly shocked.

"Yan," she didn't realize until she walked out of the revolving door that Li Yan had just bought an auction item like a piece of jewelry, a jade hairpin from the Ming Dynasty. "Did you buy this hairpin because of its story?"

"Today, I have given this hairpin a new historical value." Li Yan said as she simply rolled up Wei Yunzhi's hair and put the hairpin inside. "On December 2013, 12, Li Yan gave the hairpin to Wei Yunzhi."

"It has great historical significance and will be recorded in history books." The girl raised her head proudly.

"Is it fun to act cool like this?"

"Awesome! It feels so good to the top of my head!"

“More than four hundred years ago, when a craftsman made his last cut, he would have hoped that someone would understand his pride.”

The girl nodded as if she understood, her eyes sparkling.

"Exactly at this moment."

Something hit the girl's heart.

(End of this chapter)