Siheyuan: Pretend to be a Pig and Eat the Tiger

Han Chunming believes that the antique world can be divided into five waves of people. The first wave consists of people from the National Museum. These people are dedicated to researching history and showcasing brilliant culture. This type of person mainly presents their work to the public.
The second wave consisted of folk collectors like Grandpa Guan and Hou the Rag Collector. They collected good items, which were appreciated and exchanged among friends and circulated within specific circles without being displayed.
The third wave consists of speculative merchants who acquire valuable items and then auction them off at auctions to make a profit, and may even engage in illegal activities.

The fourth wave is the most despised and resented by the collecting community. This group of people acquire good items and then auction them off at high prices at overseas auctions.

Many cultural relics that are not explicitly prohibited by any country have been sold abroad, resulting in serious losses. Some even resort to smuggling for profit!

The fifth wave consists of those who commit fraud and are considered "country bumpkins." There are many such people in Beijing, and many of them have complete lineages.
Nowadays, most of the items in Panjiayuan are imitations made by these people. Unfortunately, the interests involved are too great, so even if they wanted to do something, they couldn't. They could only warn those around them to avoid it!
He Yuzhu also watched the bustling market with great interest. With the arrival of a good era, all kinds of people were active at all levels, searching for good things for different purposes, but good things began to appear in front of the world one after another!

Unfortunately, with the constant scanning by people like the Ragman Hou and Han Chunming, it's impossible for them to allow good items to linger in the market. Therefore, nowadays, except for a very few items, they basically won't appear here anymore!

"Comrade, come take a look at these things of mine! I've been setting them up all morning, and I haven't even paid the stall fee yet, sigh..."

Just as He Yuzhu was passing by, a simple-looking man in his forties blocked his way, enthusiastically promoting his own items!

"Oh? Then let's take a look!"

He Yuzhu glanced in Han Chunming's direction and, seeing that these young masters weren't impatient, shook his head slightly in resignation. He genuinely disliked browsing secondhand markets, but alas…

"Sir, this item...and this...and this..."

The street vendors are amazing people; everything they sell has a story behind it, many of which are quite intricate and convoluted. It's truly remarkable.
What's even funnier is that some of these things can be linked to the imperial palace. No wonder they're people living under the emperor's nose; they can even make up a story with such detail.

The historical figures, eunuchs, and palace maids mentioned can be traced back to some truth. Of course, these stories might fool outsiders, but to fool He Yuzhu? He's probably picked the wrong person. He Yuzhu wasn't in the mood to listen to the boss's fabricated stories and wanted to get up and leave!

"Comrade, don't rush, take your time reading, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore!"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment, then, seeing Huo Shao and the others browsing in front of a stall, he squatted down again. Suddenly, he noticed an incense burner, picked it up, and examined it. The inscription read: "Heaven and Earth's Death."
He Yuzhu thought he was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed those words. How could this incense burner be here? He remembered that Han Chunming had obtained this incense burner.

It seems to be in Fangshan. I don't know if this stall owner is the same person as the one selling incense burners for Chen Jianjun. Of course, that's not important anymore. The key thing now is that the incense burners have appeared.
How could we possibly pass up such a good opportunity? Wouldn't that be a waste? Han Chunming and Polanhou, you never imagined that this item would end up in the hands of an amateur, did you?

Thinking about this, He Yuzhu suddenly found it amusing; the trip had been worthwhile. Just imagine, how could an outsider not be happy to suddenly have such good fortune, a stroke of luck that even experts envy? "Boss, how much is this porcelain bowl?"

Although I'm not in this industry, I haven't forgotten what I learned from watching TV in my past life: if you want something, you can't just ask...

"One hundred, no bargaining!"

The shop owner naturally noticed He Yuzhu's gaze, but what he didn't expect was that He Yuzhu wasn't interested in the bowl, but rather in an old incense burner that he had only glanced at and put down!
"Hehe, this is at most from the Republican era, and it might even be a fake. I only came to take a look because I saw you were having a hard time doing business and you were working so hard to hawk your wares. You want a hundred for this junk?"

He Yuzhu got up and left, seemingly quite angry at the boss's unfair treatment. In fact, He Yuzhu didn't know what era the cracked bowl was from, and it was covered in grime, so it didn't look very good. But the incense burner was the Heaven and Earth Death Incense Burner, a Song Dynasty artifact!
"Alright, alright, one hundred it is. Consider this your first sale. Here you go!"

When the vendor saw that He Yuzhu wanted to leave, he immediately relented. He had finally found a sucker, and he couldn't just give up like that!
"Now, I've changed my mind. Unless you give me this incense burner as well. My family is just short of one, and this piece of junk won't fetch much even if I sell it for scrap, right? Heh..."

He Yuzhu pointed at the incense burner, looking at the shopkeeper with a half-smile, as if to say, "If you don't give me the incense burner, I won't buy the bowl; I'm ready to leave at any time!"
"Okay, okay, it's yours!"

The shopkeeper chuckled to himself. He'd had this incense burner for over a year but couldn't sell it. He figured he might as well give it away. After all, he'd only bought the bowl for a dollar. As long as he sold it, he'd make a profit!
He Yuzhu was satisfied, and the boss was satisfied too. The deal was done, and everyone was happy. Both of them felt that they had made a great profit!
"Master, this incense burner of yours..."

After He Yuzhu took the items and paid, he followed. Han Chunming, who had been explaining things diligently, suddenly looked at the incense burner in disbelief.

Good heavens, after so many years of research, and even after flipping through the tattered book until it was practically worn out, it has now appeared right before my eyes;
However, it's impossible to recognize something like this without specialized research. How did He Yuzhu come to know it? Han Chunming acknowledged that He Yuzhu was a remarkable person, outstanding in every aspect, which was the real reason he was willing to become his apprentice.
But now, a craftsman who knows absolutely nothing about old objects has actually stumbled upon a huge bargain. Is there no justice in this world?
Wait, this bowl? Han Chunming thought of the Ge ware chicken cup in the broken-down man's hand, and then looked at the filthy porcelain bowl. The crack looked so much like a Ge ware brush washer.

Indeed, to others, what He Yuzhu was holding was at most a large bowl or soup bowl, but Han Chunming recognized at a glance that it was a brush washer, not a bowl at all!
"Oh, you mean this?"

He Yuzhu gave a strange smile and even bounced it around. Han Chunming was startled; this thing couldn't fall!
"Master, Master, don't move! This thing can't be dropped! Let me see if it's the kind I'm guessing. Don't move, please don't move!"

Han Chunming was so frightened that he couldn't speak coherently. Of course, he wasn't entirely sure yet, but the shape seemed very similar to the Heaven and Earth Death Incense Burner. To confirm, he had to take a look!
"Well, this was practically begged to be given to me. Take a look if you're interested, but from what I know, it's probably from the Song Dynasty. As for whether it's a replica or genuine, I'm not sure!" (End of Chapter)