Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 254 Baby
"Thank you, Brother Wu! Let me toast you again!" Li Zhe said, raising his glass once more.

"Hey, just half a cup!" Wu Shaohui quickly pressed Li Zhe's hand down and said with a smile, "Let's take it slow, good wine is meant to be savored slowly."

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open, and a waiter came in carrying a tray and began serving the dishes.

The first dish was "Sanbuzhan" (a type of non-sticky dessert) ordered by Wu Shaohui. It was golden and shiny, served on a white porcelain plate, and still steaming.

The second dish was "Braised Chicken and Fish Maw". The fish maw was soaked to perfection and covered with a layer of fine chicken paste. The soup was so thick that it clung to the spoon, making it look very appetizing.

Li Zhe picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the "Sanbuzhan" (a type of sweet pastry), and put it in his mouth. The soft and glutinous texture spread on his tongue, sweet but not cloying, with a faint egg aroma.

"Not bad." Li Zhe praised. In his previous life, he had seen a chef surnamed Sui make it on Douyin, but this was the first time he had ever eaten it.

Everyone started to try it, and for a moment, the only sounds in the private room were chewing and exclamations of "Delicious!" and "The taste is really authentic!"

After eating and drinking for a while, Li Zhe seemed to suddenly remember something and put down his chopsticks: "Brother Wu, I have business dealings with several foreign hotels and have received a lot of foreign exchange certificates from them."

I'd like to ask if I can use my foreign exchange certificates to buy things from your foreign trade company? Or, can I ask the foreign trade company to help me buy some items?

Wu Shaohui's smile faded, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.

He put down his wine glass and explained, "Brother Li, this foreign trade company has clear regulations. We can only act as import and export agents for qualified entities, according to our own import and export business scope and regulations."

Foreign exchange and foreign exchange certificates are two different systems; individuals cannot directly use foreign exchange certificates to participate in foreign trade transaction settlements. This... is truly impossible.

Li Zhe's expression didn't change much after listening—he had known about it before. Foreign exchange certificates were special vouchers used to buy things at designated places like Friendship Stores, Overseas Chinese Stores, and hotels catering to foreigners in China. The government strictly controlled them, fearing that foreign exchange certificates would flow directly into the market and disrupt the normal economic order.

Wu Shaohui glanced at Li Zhe, as if he could read his mind, and continued, "Brother Li, I think I understand what you're thinking. The official exchange rate between foreign exchange certificates and RMB is one to one, but in designated stores, you can buy a lot of scarce goods with foreign exchange certificates that you can't buy with RMB. The purchasing power is much stronger than RMB. You want to take advantage of this premium to do some business and make more money, right?"

Li Zhe nodded frankly: "Brother Wu, you're right, I did have that idea. But don't worry, these foreign exchange certificates of mine are all payments settled normally by the hotel, the source is legitimate, there's no problem at all, I'm not afraid of being investigated."

“Even if the source is legitimate, you still have to be careful.” Wu Shaohui sighed and lowered his voice to warn, “There are indeed people on the black market who buy foreign exchange certificates, and the exchange rate is much higher than the official rate. Sometimes one foreign exchange certificate can be exchanged for 1.2 or even 1.3 yuan. But those who do this are people with connections. Ordinary people like us can’t afford to touch them. If you don’t have a very strong background, I advise you not to get involved. If something goes wrong, it’s no joke.”

“Brother Wu, thank you for reminding me, I’ll keep it in mind,” Li Zhe said sincerely.

Before asking Wu Shaohui, he had already thoroughly considered the uses of foreign exchange certificates, but after thinking it over, he realized that the only legal way to use them was to spend them in a few fixed places, and they couldn't be used for business at all.

He even considered using foreign exchange certificates to buy some imported, scarce goods at the Friendship Store, such as imported color TVs and watches, and then opening his own small shop to sell them at high prices in RMB.

However, after carefully checking the relevant regulations, he finally gave up – such behavior could very likely be judged as “speculation and profiteering,” which could result in fines and confiscation of goods at best, and imprisonment at worst, so there was no need to take that risk.

Just then, Hong San put down his chopsticks and spoke up at the opportune moment: "Brother Li, you have foreign exchange certificates, why don't you go to the Friendship Store and buy some rare and valuable things?"

Li Zhe smiled. He had over 200,000 foreign exchange certificates, which he could never spend all of. "I've bought all the things I usually need, and I still have some spare money left."

In fact, he knew in his heart that the simplest way was to take the foreign exchange certificates to a designated bank and exchange them for RMB at a 1:1 ratio. However, this would waste the premium of the foreign exchange certificates, which he felt was not worthwhile and he was always somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Hong San stroked his chin, then his eyes lit up: "That's right! I have a relative who works at Rongbaozhai. Last time I chatted with him, he told me that Rongbaozhai and Friendship Store have a lot of precious collectibles, such as Qing Dynasty porcelain, old mine jadeite, and calligraphy and paintings by famous people, all of which are rare and good things."

Why don't you use your foreign exchange certificates to buy some collectibles and keep them at home? The older these items are, the more valuable they become; they're guaranteed to appreciate in value over time. It's much more worthwhile than keeping your foreign exchange certificates as savings.

Jin Baiwan, who was listening nearby, asked, "Brother Hong, can't Rongbaozhai also accept RMB payments? Why use foreign exchange certificates? It's not cost-effective."

“Brother Jin, you don’t understand! You can’t buy the really good stuff through ordinary channels.” Hong San took a sip of tea and said with a smile, “Either you need to have strong connections to get insiders to get their own stockpiled goods, or you need to have connections to get into the supply channels.”

Another method is to use foreign exchange certificates—the country now wants to generate foreign exchange, so it deliberately puts some scarce jewelry and collectibles on the market to attract foreigners or people with foreign exchange certificates to buy them and exchange them for more foreign currency.

Hong San's words were like a ray of light, reminding Li Zhe of something.

He hadn't considered this before, but now that he thought about it carefully, he realized that there are many types of collectibles, including porcelain, jade, calligraphy and paintings, and jadeite, and the appreciation potential of different types is also different.

If you can find a few collectibles in good condition and with high rarity, you can not only use up your idle foreign exchange certificates, but also make a long-term investment. This is much more cost-effective and safer than keeping the foreign exchange certificates in your hands or risking exchanging them on the black market.

Li Zhe picked up his wine glass, took another sip of Moutai, and slowly began to plan: He would have to find some time to visit the Friendship Store or Rongbaozhai to see what collectibles they had, and then ask Hong San's relative which items were worth buying.

If a suitable one can be found, then these foreign exchange certificates will have been used in the right place...

……

the next morning.

The gray-tiled roofs of Chongwenmen in Beijing had just been warmed by the spring sun, and the bluestone pavement of Liulichang West Street was already filled with a warm feeling.

A white Volga stopped in front of Rongbaozhai. Li Zhe opened the car door, got out carrying a black briefcase, and looked very energetic in his black suit.

The vermilion gate of Rongbaozhai was wide open, the three gilded characters "Rongbaozhai" on the lintel gleaming in the sun, and the couplets with gold characters on a black background on both sides of the gate. The two bluestone steps in front of the gate were worn smooth by footsteps, and several old men carrying birdcages were chatting idly in a group.

As soon as Li Zhe stood still, Hong San ran out quickly from inside. He had a Hero fountain pen clipped to the collar of his dark blue khaki jacket, and two dimples appeared on his face as he smiled: "Brother Li, you've come."

"Brother Hong, thank you for waiting."

"I just arrived. I went in and greeted my cousin. He had a customer getting their product appraised, so I had to wait a bit."

"No rush," Li Zhe replied, following Hong San inside. The scent of ink, wood, and old paper wafted over them.

The main hall was quite bright, with several brass chandeliers hanging from the carved wooden beams overhead, casting a bright light on the display shelves.

The shelves were packed full: blue and white porcelain vases under glass cases, with lotus scrolls so fine that the patterns were clearly visible; scrolls of calligraphy and paintings were neatly arranged, with the famous seals of renowned artists standing out brightly in the exposed inscriptions; and there were also some small jade pieces and stone seals, which gleamed with a lustrous sheen under the light.

Behind the counter stood several shop assistants dressed in dark blue traditional Chinese jackets, speaking softly to customers, which added an air of elegance to the hall.

“Let’s wait in the side hall. It’s quiet there. My cousin usually watches things for people there.” Hong San said as he pulled Li Zhe inside. They walked past the display stand with the large Duan inkstone and entered the side hall.

The side hall was smaller than the main hall. Several modern paintings hung on the walls, and a mahogany eight-immortal table was placed in the corner, with a set of purple clay teaware on it.

Behind the long counter on the inside, there was a large mahogany desk with a magnifying glass, a flashlight, and a measuring tape. A man in his thirties sat there, his shoulder-length black hair combed behind his ears, wearing a light gray Zhongshan suit, looking steady and gentle.

At that moment, the man was staring at an object in an old man's hand.

The old man was about sixty years old. His blue work jacket was washed until it was almost white. He was holding a white porcelain cup in his hand, with tea stains still stuck to the rim. His knuckles were white from gripping it so tightly.

Hong San leaned close to Li Zhe's ear and whispered, "See that? That's my cousin Zheng Yanbo. After he shows this old man his business, we'll talk to him about yours." Li Zhe nodded, found a round stool to sit on, and had just glanced at the furnishings in the side hall when he was drawn to the old man's loud voice.

"Take a closer look! Use a magnifying glass to see clearly!" The old man slammed the white porcelain cup down on the table with a "bang," making the tabletop tremble.

This cup is small and exquisite, with short walls and a flat bottom. The rim of the cup flares out slightly, and a large rooster is painted on the body of the cup, with several chicks pecking at rice next to it. The brushstrokes are quite delicate.

The old man pointed at the cup, raised his chin, and said, "I asked you to appraise it, not so you could fool me! I'm testing you to see if you recognize this treasure!"

Zheng Yanbo, still smiling, picked up a magnifying glass and brought it close to the cup, carefully examining the glaze and pattern. He then turned the cup over to look at the mark on the bottom. Putting down the magnifying glass, he said in a flat tone, "Sir, to be honest, this cup is new."

"New?" The old man seemed to have heard a joke, his voice rising eight octaves in an instant. Pointing at Zheng Yanbo, he yelled, "I think you're the new one! You've only been in this business for a few days, right? And you dare to make such a fuss here!"

Hearing the commotion, the other customers looking at the collection all turned to look in this direction, their eyes full of curiosity.

Zheng Yanbo wasn't swayed by the old man's anger and continued to smile, "Grandpa, please don't get angry. Let me explain why it's new, and you can see if it makes sense."

"Don't give me that nonsense!" The old man suddenly picked up the cup and poked the rooster on the cup with his finger: "Look closely, how realistic this painting is, how perfect the colors are! You don't know anything, yet you dare to be an appraiser at Rongbaozhai, aren't you just fooling people!"

Zheng Yanbo remained patient and gentle: "Sir, this cup of yours is a replica of the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup."

"A counterfeit?" The old man's eyes widened, his face instantly turning as red as Guan Yu's. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "If this is a counterfeit, then there are no real ones on the market! Don't get it wrong, you just have no eye for real treasures and you're talking nonsense here!"

Some of the surrounding guests quietly stepped back, while others moved closer to see how things would end.

Zheng Yanbo remained sitting upright, his tone sincere: "Sir, I know you're not happy to hear this, I understand, but this thing is indeed new, there's no dispute about it."

The old man was so angry that his chest heaved as he panted heavily: "I came here today to see what kind of level your Rongbaozhai appraisers are really at! We have so many treasures at home, and I was originally planning to bring a few more to show you, but now it seems there's no need!"

The old man waved his hand and pointed at Zheng Yanbo's nose, "I knew you weren't good enough, that's why you only brought this one to test the waters!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yanbo smiled and said, "Grandpa, from what you're saying, you have quite a few similar treasures at home?"

"Of course!" The old man raised his chin even higher, his tone full of pride: "We have five cups like these at home! I was going to show you, but seeing your level, forget it, I won't show them to you!"

Zheng Yanbo nodded slightly, picked up the cup and held it in his hand, and said slowly, "Grandpa, let's not talk about your cup for now, let's talk about the real Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup. It's a treasure from the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, more than 500 years ago."

Its distinctive features are: the cup is small, the body is fine, the glaze is smooth, and the patterns on it are all carefully painted by craftsmen, with the rooster's expression and the chick's movements being lifelike.

Moreover, the number of surviving examples is extremely small; there are only about twenty in the entire world, most of which are in the Palace Museum and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. No more than three are actually circulating in the market.

At this point, he handed the cup to the old man: "Take another look at yours. The glaze is too bright and doesn't have the patina of an old object."

Although the brushstrokes are fine, the design lacks the charm of ancient paintings; it's immediately obvious that it's a modern reproduction, or even a freshly made one. Moreover…

Before Zheng Yanbo could finish speaking, the old man suddenly snatched the cup away, afraid of hearing any more "bad things," and angrily said, "Stop talking nonsense! You're just spouting rubbish! I'm not letting you see it anymore. Who do you think you are, to comment on my treasure!"

Zheng Yanbo wasn't angry; he still smiled and said, "Sir, please don't get agitated. Hold the cup steady and walk slowly so you don't drop it. This cup may not be a rare treasure, but it's still one of your cherished possessions, isn't it?"

"Hmph!" The old man snorted coldly, suddenly with a hint of smugness: "Let me tell you, the National Palace Museum in Taiwan even called me before, asking me to donate some treasures! I didn't agree! And you dare to say my treasures are fake? What right do you have!"

As he spoke, he pulled a crumpled old newspaper from his pocket and wrapped the 'chicken cup' inside it.

Seeing his actions, Zheng Yanbo reminded him, "Sir, it's not safe for you to wrap it in newspaper; it's easy to drop. You should buy a special box for porcelain later."

"Forget it!" The old man rolled his eyes at him, his tone dismissive: "What do you know!"

After saying that, the old man turned his head, stuffed the crumpled newspaper containing the cup into his inner pocket, held it tightly with both hands, and walked out of the side hall with his neck stiff, muttering, "What kind of level is this! Rongbaozhai, huh?"

Once the old man was out of sight, Hong San couldn't help but laugh out loud, patting Li Zhe on the shoulder: "Brother, that old man was hilarious! He was even funnier than when I went to the theater to listen to the storytelling last time!"

Li Zhe smiled faintly, a look of reminiscence on his face. This old man reminded him of a group from later generations called the 'National Treasure Gang'—a group of people who loved collecting things but couldn't distinguish between genuine and fake items, and were also very stubborn.

They always think they have a rare treasure, and they get upset when others say it's fake.

There's a saying that perfectly captures this: "Every piece of the Forbidden City is mine; if the Forbidden City isn't in my home, the entire Forbidden City is fake, but I am the real one."

Of course, everything has two sides. Although these old men who are obsessed with national treasures are a bit extreme and radical, their willingness to spend money to buy these things can be seen as adding some vitality to the collection market and indirectly helping the economy.

……

Hong San walked up to Zheng Yanbo with a smile on his face: "Cousin, this is Brother Li Zhe whom I mentioned to you! He's a big businessman, and he came to Rongbaozhai today specifically to pick out a few reliable collectibles."

Zheng Yanbo stood up and extended his right hand: "Comrade Li, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Li Zhe quickly grasped his hand and said with a smile, "Master Zheng, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Zheng Yanbo nodded and gestured for him to sit down: "Sit down, let's chat slowly. Rongbaozhai has a lot of collections. Tell me which category you'd like to focus on first, and I'll give you a more targeted introduction."

When it comes to collecting antiques, Li Zhe is no stranger to it.

He enjoys watching treasure appraisal shows, from the earliest "Treasure Appraisal" program hosted by Wang Gang to various treasure appraisal live streams on Douyin, he has watched almost every episode.

Those experts, with their magnifying glasses, could talk at length about the history and craftsmanship behind an unremarkable porcelain vase or a yellowed painting, and finally quote a price that left him speechless. Every time he watched, he was filled with excitement.

At that time, he was just having fun and didn't make a point of memorizing anything. But after seeing so many, the names and characteristics of some of the collections were unconsciously etched into his mind.

For example, when it comes to modern and contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy, he can think of Qi Baishi's shrimp and Xu Beihong's horses; when it comes to ceramics, he is also familiar with the names of Yuan blue and white porcelain, Ming Chenghua porcelain, and the three Qing dynasties.

Of course, if you really asked him to appraise them himself, he couldn't even distinguish between glaze and patina. He could only rely on his memories from his previous life to find treasures with great potential for future appreciation.

He knew perfectly well that he couldn't afford the expensive collectibles he had now; but some collectibles that looked unremarkable and were cheap now might be the "potential stocks" of the future.

After returning home yesterday, he even sat under the desk lamp to ponder the matter of collecting – most collectibles have appreciation value, but the appreciation potential of different collectibles varies greatly.

In his view, collectibles that only appreciate a few times or ten times in value are not worth buying at all.

After entering the 1990s, the economy will develop rapidly, and RMB inflation will intensify. If the increase cannot even keep up with inflation, what investment value does such a collectible have?
He secretly made up his mind: in this era, if you want to buy collectibles, they must have at least dozens or even hundreds of times the potential for appreciation, otherwise he will never make a move.

(End of this chapter)