Siheyuan: Pretend to be a Pig and Eat the Tiger

Seeing that the ragpicker Hou was confused, He Yuzhu smiled mysteriously, walked over to his side, and began to examine him seriously. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was an expert!
"Something doesn't look right to me!"

"Impossible! I found it under the floor tiles in my house, and the boxes are all made of huanghuali wood!"

When the man heard He Yuzhu say something was wrong, he immediately became anxious. Whether he could live in a high-rise building depended on the price of the painting. When he accidentally found the painting, he was overjoyed!

During the difficult times, we exchanged some of the yellow goods we had stored at home for food. Now that things have changed, we don't have much stock left. Apart from our detached courtyard house, we have nothing left!

The ragpicker looked at He Yuzhu with suspicion. "Don't you know nothing? Why are you so sure this painting is wrong?"
"Pillar, can you understand it?"

The ragpicker was puzzled. He had never heard of this person studying collecting. But was He Yuzhu someone who made casual comments? Obviously not!

"I do know, but I might as well tell you, the Tiger Descending the Mountain painting is in my hands, and Chunming and Grandpa Guan have both authenticated it!"

Since He Yuzhu said so, there must be something wrong. He felt something was wrong because of the age of the painting. In his opinion, the painting was about a hundred years old.

However, even the imitation is too realistic, which is why it is impossible to be sure. Since both Grandpa Guan and Han Chun have seen it, the real thing must be in He Yuzhu's hands.

The reason that person was so certain that the painting was genuine was because the place where he found it was very tricky. One has to admire the ability of one's ancestors!
The painting was in the corner of the heated brick bed, where smoke was leaking out. He originally planned to dismantle it and replace it, but after digging it up, he found a box on the ground. After cleaning it, he discovered that it was made of huanghuali wood. The boxes were all made of huanghuali wood.
He immediately sensed that the painting was extraordinary, so he quickly found someone knowledgeable about antiques to describe its contents. He received an answer that thrilled him: the painting was "Tang Bohu's Tiger Descending the Mountain."
He knew he had struck it rich, and for the past few days he had been wandering around the flea market with this painting, hoping to run into the ragpicker Hou. He knew that the ragpicker Hou was obsessed with old things and also had the means to acquire this item!

I didn't want to come today, but I unexpectedly ran into him. Before I could even be happy, I received a painful answer: the wrong item means it's a fake!
"Pillar, what's your opinion?"

Knowing this man's background, the ragpicker wanted to ask He Yuzhu what Grandpa Guan and Han Chunming had said. Of course, he couldn't ask directly!

"Tang Bohu's Tiger Descending the Mountain is a silk painting in color, measuring 240 cm in height and 76 cm in width. It depicts a large tiger with bulging eyes and a white forehead. Tang Bohu vividly portrays its appearance and muscles, giving people a sense of power and realism!"
Although this painting is also a depiction of a tiger descending a mountain, it lacks the realism of Tang Bohu's original. It only captures the form, not the spirit, clearly a later imitation, probably a mid-Qing dynasty copy. While not as valuable as Tang Bohu's original, it's still a fine example of a copy!

He Yuzhu didn't know how many "Tiger Descending the Mountain" paintings Tang Bohu had, but the one he possessed was definitely genuine. Of course, he couldn't say that the information from his previous life was false; it was said that Tang Bohu's "Tiger Descending the Mountain" painting was in Taipei...

The old man knew that this was the opinion of Grandpa Guan and Han Chunmei. Whether the painting "Tiger Descending the Mountain" was painted by Tang Bohu is now impossible to verify. Tang Bohu's paintings are mainly known for landscapes, figures, and flowers and birds!
His paintings of ladies are particularly outstanding, and he rarely paints tigers. However, he had seen one on the black market many years ago, and he was certain it was by Tang Bohu. Unfortunately, it was taken away by some greenhorn who used his money to buy it!

"My lord, what is the value of this painting?"

When the man heard He Yuzhu say that it was a work from the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, he didn't know whether it was true or not, and he didn't care. He just wanted to know its price!

"I can only offer a hundred, no more. After all, Qing dynasty copies lack the spirit of the original and are only useful for studying copying techniques. This price is only because of our past relationship. Of course, with the box included, it should be around five hundred!" "This..."

The man sensed that the shabby man wanted to buy the painting at a low price, and immediately turned his hopeful gaze to He Yuzhu. As for He Yuzhu, he seemed to be deep in thought. It is said that in the past, important figures, especially officials, would hide their good works under other things to conceal their shortcomings...

"Fine, go ahead and ask around. So you think I'm trying to take advantage of you?"

After finishing his sentence, the ragpicker left without any intention of lingering. This man's expression and actions had clearly angered the old man!

“I’ll offer 1,500. If you’re willing to sell, I’ll take it; if not, that’s fine too. Although it’s from the late Qing Dynasty, a huanghuali box would be a nice jewelry box for my daughter!”

He Yuzhu walked up to the man and looked at him curiously. This guy knew the Broken-Scrap Hou and even bowed to him. He was obviously a remnant of the old regime. He was dug up from his house and was even packed in a rosewood box. Interesting!
"Zhu Zi, a huanghuali wood box isn't worth that much. But kid, this guy is He Yuzhu from He's Restaurant. You deserve to be rich, hehe..."

The man hesitated for a moment, thinking about the relationship between the ragpicker and his family. After thinking it over, he still sold it to He Yuzhu. His dream of living in a high-rise building was shattered, and all his joy was in vain!
"You're not short of huanghuali boxes, buddy. Tell me, what are you thinking?"

Huo Shao also looked at He Yuzhu with curiosity, while the other young masters looked around and did not pay attention to them.
Or rather, from the moment the raggedly dressed Marquis appeared, these young masters deliberately kept their distance, pretending not to recognize him.

Of course, if he sees a nice item, he'll still take it to the junk collector for appraisal. After all, nobody wants to give an elder a fake, right? Hehe...

"Hehe, Lord Marquis, the fact that he knows you means he's a descendant of the old regime, connected to the Prince's nephew. His ancestors were quite wealthy, am I right?"

"continue!"

"Since they were so extravagant, the copies they made certainly wouldn't have been stored in such an expensive box made of huanghuali wood, nor buried so deep. Am I right?"

The old man's expression changed. He had only looked at the painting and hadn't thought of this aspect. He Yuzhu was a businessman and had a different perspective.
While I was appraising the treasure, this guy was thinking about it from a completely different angle: Could there really be something good hidden here? No way!
"That makes sense, continue!"

"Our ancestors had stories of buying the box and returning the pearl, and also the saying that treasures are often hidden. Either the box holds something else, or it's a painting within a painting. Of course, this is just speculation and may be wrong. We'll talk about the truth later!"

"No, why don't we talk about it later? Let's find a place to look!"

The ragpicker thought this made perfect sense. Although he felt a little uncomfortable, he still wanted to see if there was anything strange about the box and the painting! (End of Chapter)