Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 235 I felt incredibly unbalanced.
"Master Cao, you can question my character, but you can't question my skills!" Lan Gui was clearly unconvinced, pointing to the chair and saying:
"I only made this chair a short time ago, and it hasn't been exposed to much wind and sun yet."

"Don't be fooled by its current appearance. Wait a while, apply some medicine and fumigate it occasionally, and you'll see how it goes in less than three months!"

"If you hadn't been immersed in this industry for so many years, you definitely wouldn't have noticed the flaws!"

"Oh? There are so many intricacies involved here." Cao Weida seemed to have learned something new and nodded with great interest.

Actually, having watched the TV series, he still had a slight impression of these things.

Moreover, after being bombarded by the modern information explosion, especially with the antique craze for a period of time, although people may not have a deep understanding or know much, they are not completely ignorant.

His words were actually a prelude to what he was about to say.

"Since you put it that way, then show me an antique that you think others can't recognize."

"Alright, since you've asked, I can't let you down." On a table under a nearby shed were various porcelain vases. He picked through them for a while, then took out a double-eared vase.

"Please keep this one quiet."

"Why are you giving this to me? I don't even know him. Give it to my fifth brother."

"Here, give it to me." Master Fan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, took the double-eared bottle and examined it with an air of importance.

After a while, he clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Is this one also distressed?"

"Let me see." The old man next to him looked on with longing, took the bottle and examined it for a while, then hesitated and said, "This bottle seems real."

Upon hearing this, Lan Gui immediately became smug.

"Grandpa, Fifth Master Fan, you are experts. Where would you like to look for porcelain?"

"Enough to watch!"

These are basic facts about antiques, and although neither of them are experts, they still have this basic knowledge.

"That's right!" Lan Gui laughed and proudly introduced, "The foot is real, but the top is fake."

"I'll glue it together, then put it in the kiln to fire, and finally glaze it. If you can tell it's fake, then it's mine!"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa cursed and said, "You bunch of bastards, you really know how to think nonsense!"

Clearly, this reminded him of his painful past experiences.

How did he fall from grace?
It's all because we've been ripped off by these fake antique dealers so many times!
Feeling displeased, he naturally didn't hold back his words. Looking at the other person's shabby clothes, he sneered, "Look at you, all that scheming and plotting, and I haven't seen you get rich!"

“I think so too.” Master Fan shook his fine clothes and said smugly, “I think it’s really not that great. It’s better to take the right path.”

Despite such blunt words, Lan Gui remained unperturbed, saying self-deprecatingly:

"You're absolutely right, making money isn't that easy."

"Being skilled is not enough; you also have to live in constant fear of being discovered by the patrol officers."

"Besides, this is something we can make; this is just the first step."

"No matter how realistic something is, it still needs a buyer to purchase it."

He shook his clothes and said with a wry smile, "Look at me, do I look like someone who collects antiques? If I were to sell them, I'd definitely be exposed."

"Otherwise, how would I have approached you, my lord, to collaborate? You agree, don't you think?"

“That’s right,” Grandpa said proudly, sticking out his neck. “This is our style, not something anyone can learn. Back in the day, I’ve seen silver before, but when I saw that gleaming silver, I was completely unmoved!”

"Just like... just like those scoundrels in your yard."

Lan Gui inwardly rolled her eyes: "That's because you have too much money, you're burning it!"

Think of him, honing his skills for so many years, just to earn a pittance, and having to live in constant fear. The hardships he endured are indescribable.

Look at them, although they've declined now, they used to spend money like water and enjoy everything.

Compared to this, I felt incredibly unbalanced.

We're both raised by the same parents, so why is there such a big difference between us?
Sitting there, Cao Wei Da smiled inwardly. You know what, he really did have too much money to burn.

He didn't know what was so great about such wasteful behavior. These descendants of the Eight Banners were truly a bunch of geniuses!

"Fifth Brother, if that's the case, is the fake double-eared vase a very realistic imitation?"

Master Fan replied, "It really does look real; I just couldn't tell the difference between real and fake."

"That's good." Upon hearing this, Cao Weida was relieved.

He beckoned: "Lan Gui, come here, take a look at this, see if you can repair it." A painting?
Lan Gui's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the other party had approached him for this reason?

He quickly took the black cloth strip handed to him, and the moment he touched it, he knew it was a painting!

He took it out and looked at it. Sure enough, even without opening it, he could tell the approximate age just from the texture of the paper: "Master Cao, this painting should be from the Song Dynasty, right?"

Although it was a question, the tone was very confident.

"Huh? You knew it was from the Song Dynasty without even opening it?"

"Please excuse my rudeness; this is common sense in our line of work." Having roughly determined why the other party had contacted him, Lan Gui felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders, and his tone became much lighter.
"The authenticity of this antique, besides the painting itself, can also be determined by the age of the paper."

"For example, the mainstream paper in the Tang Dynasty was hemp paper, which was tough, had long and coarse fibers, and had obvious curtain patterns on the surface, often with 'fish roe pattern' or 'rib pattern'."

"In addition to hemp paper, bamboo paper was also used in the Song Dynasty. Bamboo paper has finer fibers, is light and thin, white, and has a smooth surface, making it suitable for fine brush and ink."

"By the Yuan Dynasty, bamboo paper had become the mainstream, but bark paper was mostly used for painting because it was more flexible and durable."

"I could tell at a glance that this painting was made of bamboo paper, and in terms of craftsmanship, it was slightly inferior to that of the Yuan Dynasty, so I guess it is a painting from the Song Dynasty."

"If someone in our line of work doesn't even know this, they'll be a laughingstock. After all, if I were to forge a Tang Dynasty painting using bamboo paper or bark paper, wouldn't it be obviously fake?"

"I've really learned something new today! You're absolutely amazing! In short, professional!" Cao Weida couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. No wonder he's a professional; he's got a whole lot of professional knowledge!

That's why you need knowledge in every profession. Without knowledge, you can't even fake it.
"Then I'll trouble you to take a look and see if this painting can be repaired."

"Alright, let me show you!" Lan Gui was not flattered by Cao Weida's few words of praise, but replied respectfully, and then slowly unrolled the scroll.

Counterfeiters like them are like rats in a hole, always hiding and running, afraid of being exposed to the sun and being trampled to death.

Today is a rare opportunity for him to make friends with someone as influential and powerful as Cao Weida. He must seize this chance!
If we can be on good terms with Master Cao, we will enjoy endless benefits from him!
That's why he was showing off like that just now.

Is he the kind of person who likes to show off?
Do not!
Counterfeiters like them know best how to keep a low profile!
Why did you show off like that just now?
Of course, he wanted to demonstrate his usefulness to Cao Wei!
He knew all too well that if you were useless, people wouldn't even give you a second glance!
As the scroll is slowly unfurled, a landscape painting unfolds before your eyes.

His eyes lit up immediately, and he exclaimed, "This painting is so Song Dynasty! The brushwork is superb! Just look at the way it's presented – it's definitely a fine piece!"

"Let me see! Let me see!" The old man, who had suffered great losses in the world of antiques, eagerly stepped forward. "Come, come, let me unfold it for you!"

A painting can be quite long, and since it's not placed on a table, it's really difficult for one person to fully unfold it.

He stepped forward to lend a hand, and as he began to praise the painting, he unfolded it completely. The expression on his face immediately froze.

There was a large hole in the bottom where the signature was located, and the area where the signature was located was also rotten in many places.

Lan Gui was also watching, and seeing the condition of the end, he said with a regretful expression, "What a pity! If it hadn't been ruined, this painting would have sold for a good price!"

"Who saved these? They were so careless!"

The words had barely left his mouth when he realized his mistake and forced a dry laugh at Cao Weida, saying, "Master Cao, that's not what I meant."

"It's alright, even if you meant that, it doesn't matter. It's not from my ancestors, and I didn't keep it." He threw the last bit of his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out, saying bluntly:
"Just tell me, can you fix it?"

Lan Gui, believing he fully understood Cao Weida's purpose in seeking him out, immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Master Cao, this is my job!"

To increase his credibility, he started showing off again:

"Let me put it this way, the moment I unfolded this painting, I knew at a glance that it must be a painting by Dong Yuan!"

"Dong Yuan is the founder of landscape painting, holding a pioneering position in the history of landscape painting, and his authentic works are extremely rare!"

He paused here, and seeing that Cao Weida was listening with interest, he continued:

"I'm not bragging, but forging and authenticating calligraphy and paintings is no easy skill. Even after studying it for eight or ten years, you might not become an expert."

"The difficulty of calligraphy and painting lies in the brushwork and the overall spirit!"

"If you haven't put in hard work, haven't copied countless paintings and calligraphy works, and don't have your own unique techniques, then trying to master it is just a pipe dream!"

"I have some talent. I became an apprentice at the age of eight, started learning the craft at ten, and graduated at sixteen. I am forty-two this year, and have been in this line of work for more than thirty-two years."

"I wouldn't dare say that what I do will be so obvious that no one can tell the difference, but it will definitely be something that ordinary people can't tell the difference from!"

"Give me ten days, or even seven, and I'll give you a satisfactory answer!"

He originally intended to say ten days, but in order to demonstrate his effectiveness, he deliberately shortened it to three days.

So what if we work overtime and stay up late? To get on Cao Ye's good side and gain his favor, what's a little hardship and fatigue? We'll give it our all!

(End of this chapter)