Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 243 Was I that obvious?

Seeing her like that, Luo Yunxuan felt helpless and said with a wry smile, "Mr. Cao, please forgive me. I've spoiled this girl, and she's become a bit mischievous."

"Professor Luo, you're too kind. I actually find Miss Luo's personality quite lively and cheerful, which I admire and like very much," Cao Weida said with a light laugh.
"It's clear that you've protected and educated her very well. You are a good father, and even more so, a qualified father, raising your daughter to be so outstanding and so youthful and beautiful."

As a father who loves his daughter dearly, being praised like this naturally puts him in a good mood.

Professor Luo couldn't help but smile, and said modestly, "Oh, Mr. Cao, you are too modest. I was just doing what a father should do and fulfilling the responsibilities of a father."

"By the way, Mr. Cao, my daughter said you wanted to see me about something, but I don't know why."

"Oh, I almost forgot the important matter, my apologies." Cao Weida slapped his forehead, only then remembering the purpose of his visit, and placed the box he had brought on the table.
"Professor Luo, this is an antique cup. Could you please take a look at it for me?"

"Oh? Let me see!" Professor Luo didn't have many hobbies in his life, but antiques and calligraphy were his greatest hobby, without exception!

Upon hearing that it was an antique, his interest was greatly piqued, and he was also quite pleased with Cao Wei Da's gesture of placing the gift on the table first.

There's an unwritten rule in the antique world: porcelain should never pass through your hands.

This means that porcelain should not be placed directly in someone else's hands, otherwise, if an accident occurs, the responsibility will be difficult to determine.

He slowly opened the box, and when he saw what was inside, his spirits lifted, and his eyes lit up with surprise:

"This is a Ming Yongle blue and white porcelain cup with a 'pressed hand' design?!"

"Professor Luo is indeed very knowledgeable. That's right, this is a Ming Yongle blue and white porcelain cup. I came here today to trouble you to take a look at it."

"Oh my, this is a real treasure!" Professor Luo exclaimed with delight. He carefully took it out, held it in his hands, and examined it from all angles, praising it repeatedly. He was so fond of it that he couldn't put it down.

Seeing that Professor Luo had been playing with the cup for a long time and was reluctant to put it down, Cao Weida couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Professor Luo, what do you think of this cup?"

He actually knew that this item was unlikely to be a fake, after all, it was a gift for Ono Oda, and it was related to the rise and fall of the Lou-style steel rolling mill.

If the Lou family dares to deceive people with counterfeit goods, wouldn't they be asking for trouble?
Only someone who is sick would do that.

The main reason he came to have it appraised was to meet Luo Mengyun, whom he had admired greatly from watching the TV series.

And clearly, the result did not disappoint him.

Luo Mengyun is not only much prettier than she appears in the TV series, but the actors in the TV series didn't even fully capture her beauty.

The real Luo Mengyun is even more captivating!
"Good, good stuff!" Professor Luo reluctantly looked away, praising repeatedly, "Deep belly and round foot, the body is firm and delicate, washed clean and free of impurities, the glaze is lustrous and thick, white with a bluish tinge like solidified fat, forming a wonderful contrast with the blue and white color, truly the exquisite craftsmanship of imperial kiln porcelain!"

Is it that good?
Cao Wei Da blinked his clear yet foolish eyes at the cup, unable to discern the origin of the characteristics of these words.

I didn't think it was that good-looking.
He praised Professor Luo, saying, "Professor Luo is very knowledgeable and can explain even such a small cup very thoroughly. I really admire him."

"If I had half of Professor Luo's knowledge, I could proudly boast that I am a man of profound learning!"

"Not at all, just some humble opinions, Mr. Cao, you flatter me." Perhaps he had heard too much flattery, Professor Luo ignored his words of praise, which were not even as good as his previous praise of Luo Mengyun.

Then, he looked at Cao Weida with hopeful eyes and said, "Mr. Cao, I have a request, but I don't know if I should say it."

"Professor Luo, please speak." Since he was going to marry Luo Mengyun, Luo Yunxuan would be his future father-in-law, so his attitude was naturally very polite.

“Then I’ll take the liberty of saying that,” Professor Luo paused, then gritted his teeth, as if struggling with his own thoughts.

Then, seemingly having made up his mind, he asked in an expectant tone, "Would you mind selling me this cup?"

"Don't worry, name your price. As long as it's acceptable, I'll definitely find a way to raise the money!"

Professor Luo was so conflicted because, although he was a professor and his salary was not low, it was only relative to the average person.

In addition, he enjoys collecting antiques, so the amount of money he can afford is quite limited.

If he wanted to acquire this cup, he would have to borrow it from various places and also sell some of his collection of antiques.

Because he knew in his heart that the price of this cup would definitely not be low!

The difference lies in how many antiques you need to sell to collect them all.

Unexpectedly, Cao Weida shook his head and said something that greatly disappointed him: "To be honest, Professor Luo, this cup does not belong to him."

"I was just passing it on to others; I had no right to handle it myself."

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Luo's disappointed expression, smiled inwardly, and said again:

"However, I do have some in my collection, including a fine piece, I think it's called Ming Yongle Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Blue and White Porcelain or something."

"If Professor Luo likes it, I'll send it over another day so you can take a look."

"Really?!" As Cao Weida had expected, Professor Luo's earlier disappointment immediately turned into excitement upon hearing this. He said impatiently, "If there really is a piece of Ming Yongle Jingdezhen imperial kiln blue and white porcelain, please bring it, Mr. Cao. No, I will personally come to your door to appreciate it!"

"By the way, if I may ask, how did you acquire that treasure?"

"Oh, Professor Luo, you're too kind. Don't be so presumptuous. I bought that porcelain piece from Prince Rui of the Rui Prince's Mansion for nine thousand silver dollars."

"To tell you the truth, I owed Old Prince Rui a favor in order to buy this porcelain piece!"

In fact, he didn't take a single penny from Prince Rui. On the contrary, he also took two-thirds of Prince Rui's wealth, as well as two boxes of antiques and calligraphy and paintings as part of Ru Qiulan's dowry.

However, if he doesn't say it, who would know?

Moreover, the price of nine thousand silver dollars was indeed the price initially offered, so he wasn't lying.

"Nine thousand." Upon hearing this price, Professor Luo looked extremely distressed.

To be honest, genuine Ming Yongle period Jingdezhen imperial kiln blue and white porcelain is definitely worth this price, and might even be undervalued.

Moreover, since it was purchased from Prince Rui's residence, it's unlikely to be fake.

At this price, it's really...
He'd already started calculating whether selling all his collections would be enough, and how much money he could borrow.
Just as he was struggling with his decision, Cao Weida spoke up, "If Professor Luo really likes it, I'll bring it over and leave it here for you to keep safe. Maybe it can even absorb some of his literary charm."

Luo Yunxuan shook his head and refused, "No, no, I can't accept something for nothing. It's too valuable. If it gets bumped or damaged, even if I go bankrupt, I might not be able to afford to pay for it."

He was a man of principle, and he didn't have the nerve to keep such a valuable item at home for careful appreciation and admiration, especially since they had only met once.

Don’t!

If you don't agree, how can I come to visit Luo Mengyun often in the future?

Seeing that he wouldn't agree, Cao Weida became anxious and quickly said, "Professor Luo, please don't stand on ceremony with me. To be honest, I've always admired cultured and knowledgeable people since I was a child, and I admire an elder as learned as Professor Luo even more."

"Antiques may be valuable, but they are ultimately inanimate objects. How can they compare to being in frequent contact with you and receiving your influence?"

"To be honest, I just wanted to use this as an excuse to get to know a great scholar like you better, so that I could also absorb some of the elegance and refinement of the literary world and soothe my heart, which is still in this mundane world!"

"Although we may be a bit mercenary, we also want to improve ourselves, don't we?"

Professor Luo stared at Cao Weida in astonishment after hearing these words, then wore a wry smile, a hint of wariness in his eyes:

"Mr. Cao, I suspect you have more than just this purpose, don't you?"

Damn, was I that obvious?
Cao Wei Da was surprised and suspicious. "This shouldn't be. I don't think I've given anything away!"
"Ahem, Professor Luo, what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand."

Seeing that he refused to admit it, Professor Luo sneered inwardly, "When my daughter was alive, you practically had your eyes gouged out and glued to her. Do you really think I'm blind?"

He wanted to give her a scolding, saying that my daughter would never become someone else's concubine.

But after thinking about it, I gave up. If I said it out loud, it would offend some people.

Moreover, he believes that his daughter is not the kind of person who would give up her own identity for money; he knows his daughter well.

Poor son, rich daughter; his daughter has never worried about money since she was a child.

With all the books I've read and the education I've received over the years, I would never do anything that would lead me astray!
With this confidence, he suddenly felt more at ease.

"In that case, thank you very much for your generosity, Mr. Cao. I, Luo, will not accept it without being polite," Professor Luo said with a smile, toying with the cup in his hand.

Hmph, since you say so, then I'll assume you are!

Then you'll know what it means to back down when things get tough!

But he didn't know that sometimes when women get emotional, they can be completely out of control for a while.

Whether Professor Luo will ultimately suffer a double loss is anyone's guess.

"Then it's settled!" Cao Weida was overjoyed to see Professor Luo agree. Hooray! Now he could take advantage of the situation to poach his little cabbage! So happy!!

"Professor Luo, if you'd like to play with it some more, please feel free. I'll go out for a walk first."

"Okay, let's go."

Upon hearing this, Cao Wei Da immediately left the room and walked into the courtyard.

From afar, one could see Luo Mengyun sitting in the pavilion, holding a book and reading.

Sunlight filtered through the grape leaves, illuminating her face. A gentle breeze stirred, ruffling the stray hairs around her ears, which playfully brushed against her cheek—a truly beautiful scene.
He couldn't help but stop and watch, a maternal smile gradually spreading across his face.

(End of this chapter)