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

Chapter 34 I won’t sell it anymore
Lin Sicheng and Gu Ming are sworn brothers.

It was the 1990s, and all industries were in turmoil, including antiques. So, not surprisingly, the old man was targeted.

The process was very thrilling. If the old man hadn't been lucky enough to meet Gu Kaishan, he would have lost his life.

Since then, the old man has had a god-grandson. So, Gu Ming's "our grandfather" was not a random call.

The two of them grew up together, and whenever Gu Ming asked him for help, he would help even if he had to skip classes.

It wasn't complicated: the girl he was pursuing had an elder's birthday at home, and the elder liked old things. The girl catered to his tastes and looked for one for a long time.

Gu Ming happened to know about it and volunteered, saying that he and his brother were both experts.

The girl didn't believe it at first, so Gu Ming took a photo of his grandfather's work. The girl was shocked: a professor of cultural heritage preservation at Xi'an University, an expert in archaeology...

But the uncle can forget about it. He is still in the hospital, so he can only ask his brother to take action.

Of course Lin Sicheng was happy to agree: Gu Ming can talk to anyone, just don’t talk about the one from his previous life.

It’s hard for a woman who loves traveling alone and playing mahjong all night long not to cheat...

Just as I was thinking about it, a taxi stopped at the entrance of the community with a "squeak".

Gu Ming and the girl sat in the back seat. The girl had a ponytail, fair skin and delicate features.

"Xinfang, this is Lin Sicheng, the one I often tell you about. He's a senior studying cultural heritage at Xi'an University...and this is Li Xinfang, a colleague from my hospital!"

The girl said gracefully: "Hello!"

Sure enough, it’s not the one from the previous life?
Lin Sicheng perked up: "Hello, hello, haven't you eaten yet?"

Gu Ming blinked his eyes: "We had already eaten when we came here, didn't you eat?"

You bastard, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why have you been standing at the gate of the community for so long?
Cursing silently, Lin Sicheng sat in the passenger seat: "I've eaten too. Where is the food? Let's go directly there."

"In the West Warehouse!"

When he heard the word Xicang, Lin Sicheng's heart sank: He had been trying hard before, ready to show off his skills to make Gu Ming proud.

But Xicang... Ma Weidu had to go back empty-handed even after coming here, so you can imagine what the girl had to look for on her own?

But it's okay.

If it really doesn't work, please ask Brother Hao for help. What kind of items does Rongbaozhai not have?
In a flash, the taxi started and arrived in Xicang half an hour later.

Maybe it was because it was morning, the smell wasn't as strong as the last time I came. There were also very few people, just a few scattered around.

The girl led the way and the three of them entered a jade shop.

It is much bigger and brighter than the one Lao Song visited last time, with glass display cabinets all over and plenty of spotlights.

The materials are varied and the shapes are varied.

They must have come here quite often, because as soon as they entered the door, the boss came to greet them.

"Doctor Li, would you like to see the set of court beads?"

"Yes, boss, please give it to me so my friend can take a look!"

The boss nodded, glanced back, and a hint of disappointment appeared on his face: Why is the person he brought this time so young?

Being young means having no experience and no vision. What ideas can you make?
After watching the end, nine out of ten people will say: I can’t tell for sure…

Forget it, the customer is God. I’ve been waiting for this order during the New Year.

With a secret sigh, the boss went into the inner room and took out a box.

Li Xinfang was very straightforward and handed it back: "Lin Sicheng, thank you for your help!"

"It's my duty!" Lin Sicheng took it.

It is the size of a palm, a little heavy to the touch, with a dark wood color and a faint scent of agarwood.

The box is quite authentic, made of genuine Hainan Huanghuali wood, and quite old, at least from the late Qing Dynasty. However, the carving and lacquer work are average, and it must have come from a small workshop.

After taking a glance, Lin Sicheng opened it and a faint green light came into his eyes.

Imperial beads, or Hetian jade?
It has a delicate texture, oily touch, and soft color, and is authentic Hetian mountain material.

The pores are scattered, the lines are overlapping, and the marks of lathe work are natural and smooth, which shows that it is purely handmade.

There is an obvious matte film formed by long-term oxidation, and the jade at the edges of the small holes for threading is slightly darker, proving that it has been polished frequently and for many years.

If you only look at the beads, they really look real. They are at least two hundred years old, around the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

There is only one thing: the beads are a bit small and made of jade. They are considered "miscellaneous treasures" among the court beads of the Qing Dynasty. They are worn by officials of the fifth rank in civil affairs and the fourth rank and below in military affairs.

Looking at the Buddha's head and the pendant corners... Lin Sicheng was slightly stunned: Something is not right?

These things are not from the same era?

Afraid that he hadn't seen it clearly, Lin Sicheng took a few careful glances: Yes, the Buddha's head is from the middle Qing Dynasty, but the pendant corners are from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

After peeling it open and looking at the silk rope again, I found that it was a dark blue ribbon. It looked quite old, but there were too many hairs pulled out due to wear and tear.

Taking a closer look and smelling it, Lin Sicheng sighed secretly: Soaked in butter!

The key is that the taste of the beads is not right...

After looking at it for a few times and smelling it a few times, he put the court beads back and closed the lid of the box.

Just as he was about to return it, he paused again: "Can I just buy the box?"

Li Xinfang was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"

Meaning no?
Forget it.

Lin Sicheng placed the box on the counter and gently pushed it inward.

The boss’ eyelids twitched: No...what do you mean, kid?
If you ask about the price and say "it's too high", or if you don't understand it at all and say ambiguously "I don't understand", the boss won't mind.

But Lin Sicheng didn't ask about the beads but the box, and he looked like "I see through it all", so the boss felt like he had eaten something.

The daffodils don't bloom, are you pretending to be stupid?
It's okay to pretend, but what if I go out and talk nonsense, and Dr. Li believes it, who will I sell my Qing Dynasty imperial beads to?
As the saying goes, to cut off someone's financial resources is like killing their parents...

The boss squinted his eyes and said, "Young man, do you understand? If you think there's a problem, just say it directly. Don't hesitate or hide it."

Lin Sicheng laughed: "I do read a little bit, did I really say that?"

"It's okay, just tell me!"

"Okay, the blue ribbon is made of silk, but it's not more than three years old. To make it look older, they smear butter on the pillars and then twist them around...

The Buddha head and pendant are indeed real, but one was made before the Jiaqing reign, and the other after the Guangxu reign, a difference of a full hundred years..."

"The beads are real, but they're not court beads. They're Buddhist beads... to put it simply, they're the kind monks use!"

Every time Lin Sicheng said something, the boss's face turned greener. When he heard the words "used by monks", his face turned green again: "How can my imperial beads, which are used by third-rank officials, become like monks' beads... What the hell can you do?"

"Really? I can smell it..."

Lin Sicheng laughed. "Yellow mulberry, Artemisia capillaris, white yew, cypress, schizonepeta, clove... There are also three kinds of tea: Wuyi, Lu'an, and yellow tea, and two kinds of fruit: red dates and walnuts. There are also five kinds of dry branches: peach, willow, mulberry, locust, and paper mulberry..."

"Go find a Chinese medicine master and tell him: If the fragrance in your beads is missing even one ingredient, I'll buy them. You can name your price..."

The boss seemed to be frozen, his lips trembling but not daring to utter a word.

He didn't know if there were so many scents, but he at least knew that before he received this string of beads, it was indeed placed in a temple and hung on the shrine for many years.

But what the hell is he seeing?
He stared at Lin Sicheng, his lips trembling uncontrollably: "I... I won't sell it..."

(End of this chapter)