Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 3 Iron Coupon to Avoid Death
Without bothering the boss, Lin Sicheng walked to the stall and turned over a few iron tiles.

It is a tubular tile made of cast iron, which originated in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

However, it was rarely used by government officials or the public. It was most commonly used in Taoist temples and Buddhist temples. Similar sites can be found in almost every province.

Many of them are famous tourist attractions, such as the Da Ci'en Temple and Xiangji Temple in Xijing, which both have iron tile halls.

Furthermore, it is easier to preserve, so many of them remain.

As the saying goes, things are valuable because they are rare. If it is not from a famous ancient temple, the price will naturally not be high, even if it is a fine product.

Take these tiles, for example: they are decorated with lotus patterns all around, and the tiles themselves are inscribed with scriptures like the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra. The handwriting is neat, with a consistent depth, and although there are traces of rust, there is minimal blurring.

Lin Sicheng picked out the best piece first: "Boss, how much is it?"

"two thousand!"

Lin Sicheng raised his eyebrows: "Was it removed from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda?"

"Bullshit."

"Then you dare to ask for two thousand?"

The stall owner choked and said, "Don't you even look at how many words are printed on it? I'll charge you two hundred, no less!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, put it at his feet first, and then picked up the piece next to it.

This one was much larger, and its shape was more unusual. Other iron tiles resembled bamboo tubes, long and thin. But this one was the opposite: short and thick.

But the condition is very poor, with very thick rust, and most of the characters are blurred, with less than one-tenth of them being recognizable.

He looked at it again and again, and his eyes slowly narrowed: On the first day of rebirth, I can encounter such an object?
What good luck.

After making sure he saw it correctly, he raised it and said, "What about this?"

The stall owner took a look and said, "Fifty!"

"Two dollars, two hundred and four, will you sell it?"

The stall owner calculated and asked, "You bargain for ten dollars?"

"Buy a bowl of gourd head for the baby!"

Thinking of the big black guy comparing prices with the gourd head, Dan Wangshu couldn't help but laughed out loud again.

Gu Ming didn't care, he always acted like Lin Sicheng's father.

The stall owner wrapped the iron tiles, Lin Sicheng took them and paid for them.

As soon as he turned around, Wang Qizhi blocked the way in the road, his eyes constantly glancing into Gu Ming's trouser pockets.

Lin Sicheng suddenly understood: "Hello, what's up?"

Wang Qizhi smiled and said, "Can you let me take a look at the book you just bought?"

If you find a bargain, you can exchange it for money. What's wrong with that?
"Of course!"

After replying, Lin Sicheng looked at him casually: Huh, you are an expert?
He took out the book and handed it over.

Wang Qizhi took it and flipped through it page by page.

The paper quality is correct, the font is correct, the layout is correct, and there is no problem with the publication number.

It is not a supplement, nor a photocopy, and it is in excellent condition.

Confirming it, he closed the magazine and asked, "How much?"

Gu Ming was still surprised: Someone actually bought this crappy book? Lin Sicheng raised a finger: "Ten thousand!"

Thinking he was asking for an exorbitant price, Wang Qizhi shook his head: "That's too high, at most five thousand!"

"If it's just the book, it's really only worth five thousand!"

Lin Sicheng took the magazine, turned to the last page, and pointed with his finger.

Wang Qizhi moved closer: on the back of the cover, there was a round seal the size of a fingernail.

The pattern was a bit abstract and distorted, like a tangle of worms. But Wang Qizhi specialized in this, so how could he not recognize it?

This is insect seal, so it is a book collection seal.

Look carefully again: this is Shi, this is Lian... Shi Lian?
He suddenly raised his head: No wonder he dared to ask for ten thousand?
With this seal, it's really worth it.

The owner of this seal held a leadership position in this province, retired in the 1990s, and then served as a consultant to a certain committee. This was also the founding publisher of Yanhuang Chunqiu. So, it's unclear whether this issue was the first of that one.

But when he was working in this province, it was already the 1960s and 1970s, and this kid actually knew about it?
The more important point is: If you don’t study archaeology and ancient characters, how can you know what insect seal script is?
Wang Qizhi looked up and sized him up again: "This kid's major is probably archaeology. Judging by his appearance, he's probably not even graduated yet." But that's far from enough. No matter how good his archaeology skills are, he couldn't possibly know this book was an internal reference.

He looked suspicious: "What does your family do?"

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Just an ordinary family!"

impossible.

How can an ordinary family not cultivate such knowledge and vision?
If someone didn't want to talk, he couldn't keep asking. Wang Qizhi handed the book back and said, "There's a bank just down the road. I'll go transfer the money to you!"

Gu Ming’s eyes almost popped out: Is this guy really going to buy it?

I had a feeling that this person was joking, until we went to the Bank of China under the city wall and saw with my own eyes that person used Lin Sicheng's card to transfer money over the counter.

Then, a text message came to Lin Sicheng’s mobile phone: 10000 yuan.

Standing in the bank lobby, Gu Ming was stunned: This is 10,000 yuan, and his internship salary is 400 yuan a month, and he has to work for two years without eating or drinking.

Lin Sicheng spent thirty?
What about this box of rotten tiles and the two pieces of scrap metal in his hand?

Gu Ming hurriedly grabbed the two iron tiles.

Lin Sicheng was caught off guard: "What are you doing?"

"I'll get it for you."

"Need not……"

Before he finished speaking, there was a "clang~"

Maybe he was too excited and didn't catch it steadily, or maybe the boss didn't wrap it tightly enough, and the two pieces of iron tiles slipped out of the newspaper and fell to the ground.

This is made of cast iron, how can it withstand such a fall?
Lin Sicheng's eyelids twitched, he took a look, and breathed a sigh of relief: Fortunately, it just shook off some rust.

Gu Ming was about to pick it up, but Lin Sicheng slapped him and said, "Don't move, I'll do it!"

After picking up the tile, Lin Sicheng straightened up and saw a head in front of him.

Wang Qizhi widened his eyes, looked at Tiewa, then at Lin Sicheng, then at Tiewa again, and then at Lin Sicheng again.

Lin Sicheng was confused by the stare. He looked down and shouted in his heart: Damn it.

After being thrown down by Gu Ming, the secret was exposed?

Lin Sicheng covered it with a newspaper: "Goodbye!"

"What do you want to see?" Wang Qizhi pulled his sleeve, "Let me take a look!"

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Just two temple tiles, nothing to look at!"

"Do you think I can't read?" Wang Qizhi said anxiously, "I'll buy it!"

This costs a lot of money...

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Lin Sicheng swallowed them back: Don't mention it, I can really afford it.

He thought for a moment and said, "It's not easy to sell now. I need to clean it and test it. Please leave me your phone number!"

"Okay, okay..." Wang Qizhi couldn't wait, "Let me take a look first!"

Lin Sicheng was helpless and handed it over.

This man was a true expert, a true collector, not just an antique dealer. So he understood the man's feelings: the thrill of prey, the treasure he cherished as his life.

The key is that the person has a big enough background and is likely wealthy enough, so as long as the price is right, he will really buy it.

Sure enough, as soon as Lin Sicheng handed it over, he glared at him and said, "Be careful!"

Then he placed it on the sofa as if holding his lifeblood, and then, bit by bit, he uncovered the newspaper.

You don't need to look at this good piece, it is indeed a temple tile.

But this rusty piece... If it wasn't an iron certificate of immunity from death, he would have chewed it and eaten it on the spot.

Let’s look at the last line first: A respectful decree issued in the first year of Yongchang… What is a decree?

Imperial decree.

Who is Yongchang?

Several emperors in history have used this reign title, but the most famous one is Li Zicheng.

(End of this chapter)