Chapter 42 12. Antique dealers

In the afternoon of the next day, Ding Nengtong picked up Jia Chaoxuan from the party school and headed straight to Shichahai. There are countless places to visit in Beijing. Shichahai is Ding Nengtong's favorite place.Because Ding Nengtong thinks that the most interesting place in Beijing is Shichahai. The smell of Shichahai is hidden in the freshness among the blue lake and green willows, in the strictness among the gray bricks and black tiles, and in the leisure among the birdcage and chess games.This "taste" can be said to be extraordinary, meticulous and unhurried, which is something that an ancient capital that has experienced thousands of years of baptism cannot have.

The lake near the shore is full of lotus flowers. The sun shines on the pink petals, allowing people to clearly see the meridians on the petals. The lotus stands among the dark green and wide lotus leaves, like a ballet dancer with his toes on the ground. Wanfang. Looking from a distance through the car window, the pavilions and pavilions with flying eaves at Stanley in the distance echo the lotus flowers nearby. Under the shade of the trees by the lake, several old men set up a chess game, and the fierce battle was in full swing. One of them was waving a fan, wearing a wide vest, trousers rolled up to his knees, and a tricycle driver flashed past him from time to time, wearing a yellow waistcoat. The trousers on the lower body, the "thousand-layer bottom", a towel on the shoulders, the car canopy is red or yellow, black body, brass handlebars, orange embroidered cushions, shiny electroplated tile rings, revealing spirit, Ding Lingling,—the clear ringtone and the cry of "Excuse me", from far to near, and from near to far.

A string of traffic flow is like a flowing strip of color, floating in the alley, dotted among the green leaves and old locust trees.Ding Neng used a tricycle to visit Prince Kung's Mansion. The driver used an authentic Beijing accent, speaking Ming and Qing, and shutting down the Republic of China. The anecdotes about Prince Kung's Mansion are likely to be like this. Seeing Jia Chaoxuan watching seriously, Ding Nengtong asked: "Mayor Jia, you have been studying in Beijing for a year, are you familiar with this area?" "Don't mention it, it's the first time I've looked at Beijing so seriously. Unexpectedly, this place has such charm."

Hearing Jia Chaoxuan's words, Ding Nengtong was deeply moved, thinking, "These people who have grown up in official positions always run by Mercedes-Benz or take an airplane when they go out, and commute to and from five-star hotels, bathing centers, and nightclubs. How can they experience the true cultural charm of the city?" "Mayor Jia, here is not only the traditional Chinese folk culture hidden in the alleys, but also urban bars filled with red dust and hustle and bustle. There are not only dilapidated courtyards for ordinary people, but also magnificent red-walled palaces where dignitaries and dignitaries stand. Not far from the bar street, there is an antique market, where you can find some folk gadgets that have been extinct on the streets of Beijing for many years. Those who sell comic books, those who brag about Chinese people, those who knead dough, those who sew cloth donkeys and cloth tigers , and windmills are available.”

"How did you meet your antique friend?" Jia Chaoxuan asked worriedly. "Mayor Jia, if the director of the Beijing Office doesn't know a few friends who play antiques, he is incompetent. It doesn't matter whether he runs the 'department', 'money', or makes friends with the upper class. If the leader can't get the real thing when he needs it urgently, the director of the Beijing Office should stop messing around in Beijing." "It works, I like the aura in your boy." Jia Chaoxuan said appreciatively. Ding Nengtong thought to himself, "Which director of the Beijing Office has been in Beijing for a few years has to become a Beijing oil son. When Hong Kong businessmen come, and the family members of the leaders come, which one can't accompany him to visit the palace, old streets, visit ancient temples, visit the Forbidden City, climb Watch towers, walk around alleys, taste good feasts, and go boating."

The Mercedes-Benz car got into Longtoujing Hutong with seven turns and eight turns. It starts from Ping'an Street in the south and ends at Prince Gong's Mansion and Liuyin Street in the north. Ding Nengtong is most familiar with this alley. I saw an ancient well with wheels erected at the east end of the alley and a white marble stele with the three characters of "Longtou Well" engraved in regular script. Seeing this stone stele, Ding Neng couldn't help but think of the first time he took a tricycle to tour the Hutong with a driver. Ridiculous situation. In the old days of Beijing, there was a saying that "the east is rich, the west is expensive, the north is poor, and the south is cheap". The rich merchants lived in the east city, the dignitaries mostly lived in the west city, the north city was ordinary people, and the south city lived in the rivers and lakes. Potential showman.Therefore, most of the people living in the Shichahai area are relatives of the emperor who are officials.

Looking at the structure of the courtyard house in the alley, you can know what kind of official the owner is and how high the grade of the official residence is.The tiles on official houses are double-layered, while the tiles on ordinary houses can only be single-layered; there are pillars on the door frame of official houses, which are not allowed in ordinary houses; there are stone piers in front of official houses, round stones The pier belongs to a military officer's family. The stone pier looks like a stone drum. The square stone pier belongs to a civil servant. The royal ties are getting closer.

Those with four pillars above the door frame are the homes of officials above the fourth rank, and those with two pillars are the homes of officials below the fourth rank.Officials above the fourth rank are distinguished by the depth of the door opening. The house of the fourth rank official has no door opening. The door opening of the third rank official’s house seems to be three feet, the second rank is six feet, and the first rank is nine feet. The bigger the official, the deeper the door opening. As the saying goes, Hou Men is as deep as the sea! The most interesting thing is that there are no pillars on the door frame, the stone pier in front of the door is small, like two bricks without any pattern, and the tiles are double-layered, which shows that the owner of the house is also an official, but a eunuch.

Ding Nengtong laughed when he thought of this. "What are you laughing at?" Jia Chaoxuan asked puzzled. Ding Nengtong said his thoughts again, and Jia Chaoxuan also found it interesting, he said: "Eunuchs are also officials, but they have no rank, so there are no pillars on the door frame, and there is no distinction between civil and military, so the stone pier is only good. It’s like a brick, and in addition, ordinary eunuchs can’t have a foreign house, only the great eunuch emperor will give him a foreign house, so there is no doorway.” "Mayor Jia, I see that today's official regulations stipulate that the section-level dwellings are 85 square meters, the department-level dwellings are 105 square meters, and the bureau-level dwellings are 140 square meters. They are exactly the same as the courtyard houses in this alley!"

"I can understand. Only with these tangible standards can we judge a person's identity and status. No society can do without the standards that represent identity and status. Without standards, society will be chaotic." Ding Nengtong thought to himself, "I, the director of the Beijing Office, is counted on the basis of official rank, at most the sixth rank. A minor official of the sixth rank must not honor his ancestors. It is better to live freely according to his own wishes." Thinking of this, he shook his head and parked the Mercedes-Benz in front of a simple and small courtyard house.

"Mayor Jia, my friend's surname is Na. There is a small antique shop in Yandai Hutong. He is very low-key, but very shrewd. His ancestors are related to Lafayette Cixi." "I'm related to Lafayette Cixi, so my surname should be Yehenala?" Jia Chaoxuan asked puzzled. "Mayor Jia, after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, most of the Manchu people with multiple surnames changed to a single surname. Changed it to that." "You didn't become the director of the Beijing Office in vain, so if this gentleman goes back a hundred years, he might be a prince!" "is not it!" The two men knocked on the door while they were talking. The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man in his fifties. He had slender eyebrows, triangular eyes, nose and mouth very close together, and his chin moved forward like a shovel. Tilted breasts, shrinking neck, smart pimples and tear moles, walking with a slight limp, full of failures in one body, only a pair of eyes shining brightly, revealing the strong muscles of the whole body.Wearing a coarse cloth jacket, stepping on a layered bottom. Ding Nengtong quickly introduced, "Boss Jia, this is Mr. Na. Mr. That, this is Mr. Jia." The gentleman enthusiastically let the two into the small courtyard and said, "Is Boss Jia frightened by my appearance?" "Where, where, there is a saying in the photo book that you are a poor man, as the saying goes, if you are very happy, then the gentleman is a great fortune and noble man!" Jia Chaoxuan complimented in an easy-going manner. In fact, what Jia Chaoxuan said is true, there is such a saying in physiognomy, Ding Nengtong couldn't help but secretly admire Jia Chaoxuan's eyesight, thinking, "It seems that Jia Chaoxuan has done a lot of research in private!" The courtyard house was rebuilt on the basis of the old courtyard house. Stepping into the Ruyi Gate of vermilion lacquer, you will be faced with a landscape screen wall. After entering the gate, there is a north-facing house in the south. The residence of the servants has now been converted into a boiler room by Mr. Na, where the hot water and heating for the entire courtyard are supplied. Pass through the vertical flower gate and enter the main courtyard. Two pomegranate trees stand on the east and west sides of the courtyard, with emerald green branches and leaves stretching out to the blue sky.In front of a pomegranate tree is a square fish tank made of stone, in which several goldfish swim leisurely.A birdcage was hung on another pomegranate tree. A pair of budgerigars were jumping in the cage, their blue feathers were shining, and the black stripes on their wings were like floating waves. They were screaming happily, as if He had a premonition that there was a happy event coming in the small courtyard. "Lao Na, this yard of yours is newly built, why did you tear down the old yard and rebuild it?" Ding Nengtong asked puzzled. "It turned out that the street in front of the gate was very dilapidated, and I didn't bother to rebuild it. Isn't Longjing Street rebuilt? I also had the idea of ​​rebuilding a courtyard house. It turned out that the house was too old, and there were no drainage and sewage pipes, and the water pressure and capacitance were not enough. , After thinking about it again and again, I still pulled it down and rebuilt it, only keeping these two century-old pomegranate trees in the yard." "The quadrangle courtyard pays attention to grinding the joints between the bricks. Didn't it take a lot of effort?" "No, it's been working for two years." Mr. Na let Jia Chaoxuan and Ding Nengtong into the main room, and personally made good tea for the two of them. The main room has been transformed into a living room. It is a large opium bed in a corner of the living room, which used to be the place where the hermit gentleman swallowed his clouds in the old days. Seeing Jia Chaoxuan staring at the big opium bed in a daze, the gentleman said: "This is left by my ancestors, and now I use it to lie on it and read a book and drink tea." "It seems that Mr. is a person who can enjoy life!" Jia Chaoxuan said enviously. "Old Na, take out the things and let Boss Jia take a look at the goods." Ding Nengtong said while drinking tea. The gentleman responded and went out. "Yes, can you guarantee that the goods are genuine?" Jia Chaoxuan asked suspiciously. "Mayor Jia, I have known Mayor Xiao since I was his secretary, and I have dealt with him a lot. Don't worry, I know it well." Just as he was talking, the gentleman came in with a box wrapped in yellow cloth. He carefully placed the box on the table, and then opened the yellow cloth layer by layer, revealing a beautifully shaped lacquer box. "To tell you the truth, this lacquer box was made later. The go pot and go pieces are from the late Ming Dynasty. This kind of chess piece is also called 'Yongzi', and it is a tribute for the imperial court." While speaking, the gentleman opened the lacquerware box, and took out the chessboard and chess jar. The chessboard and chess jar were made of red sandalwood. Due to their age, they looked dark, but the chess pieces in the jar were really extraordinary.The white ones are as white as jade, smooth and luminous, and the color is like young teeth, crystal clear and lovely. The sunspots are black and green, and when illuminated, they become dark green, and there is a magical green halo around them, but the plate is black.The black and white chess pieces look like they are carved from natural jade, they are not broken after repeated clasps, and they have a clanging sound and feel comfortable to the touch. "Mister, as far as I know, 'Yongzi' has been lost in the early years of the Republic of China. How can you prove that this is 'Yongzi'?" Ding Nengtong asked very expertly. "Brother Ding, there is a legend about 'Yongzi'. According to legend, more than 900 years ago, Lu Dongbin came to Yongchang County. At the foot of Tapan Mountain by the Longquan Pool, he saw a poor farmer who respected his mother. In order to help the farmer, Lu Dongbin taught him He used agate and amber, which are abundant in the local area, to forge Go and sell it. Since then, the mother and son have escaped from the predicament. The emperor's tribute, therefore, "Yongchang Mansion Chronicles" records: Yongqi, the chess of Yongchang, is the best in the world. The method of making it is to grind agate and Ziying stone into powder, add lead nitrate, throw in medicinal materials, and forge it together. , with a long iron dipped in its juice, dripping to form a chess piece. Therefore, the chess pieces look fine and smooth in texture, firm but not brittle, sinking but not slippery, soft but not transparent, round but not oval, and their color is soft and not dazzling , the front is slightly convex, the bottom is flat, the arc is natural, and the shape is unique. You said that it was lost in the early years of the Republic of China, because the secret recipe for the preparation was lost, and the "Yongzi" that was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is still handed down. This pair of mine is passed down from my ancestors." The gentleman introduced it in a calm manner, which made Ding Nengtong and Jia Chaoxuan look at each other in blank dismay. "Mr.," Jia Chaoxuan said after a long time, "I'll tell you the truth, things are not afraid of being expensive, but they must be authentic, because once you give someone a fake, it will be difficult for you and me to be human." Jia Chaoxuan took the liberty to say what was in his heart, which made Ding Nengtong feel a little embarrassed. "Boss Jia, we have a saying among antique dealers that people who understand don't play, and those who don't understand, because those who understand won't eat fakes, and those who don't don't are not interested in real ones. People who don't understand are easy to buy fakes as real ones, and they are intoxicated! Antique dealers are most daring to fool collectors who don't understand. But neither of them are collectors. They bought them for business. Brother Ding It's not the first time to get goods from me, so don't worry, Boss Jia, besides, I still rely on brother Ding to bring me customers!" Mr. Na spoke sincerely, so Ding Nengtong had no choice but to smooth things over and said, "Old Na, Boss Jia and I really don't know much about 'Yongzi', and we are eager to use it. Whether it's true or not, you can make a price." The gentleman made a gesture, but said nothing. "It's too expensive, it's too expensive!" Ding Nengtong shook his head, then squeezed the gentleman's hand and said, "How about these?" The gentleman shook his head quickly. "Old Na," Ding Nengtong said, "I don't know the truth, but I still know a thing or two about the market." After speaking, Ding Nengtong squeezed the Mr.'s hand and said, "How about these?" Lao Na finally said, "These, this is the reserve price." "How about it," Ding Nengtong gritted his teeth and said, "If the mantissa is gone, we'll make a deal!" The gentleman shook his head, smiled wryly as if he had suffered a big loss, and said, "Boss Jia, brother Ding is too shrewd, if he joins our antique shop, he will be invincible!" "Then sir, what you bought is not what you sell. If it is true, this price is indeed a friend's price. I hope we will keep it in mind and come back again in the future." Jia Zhaoxuan said sincerely. "Boss Jia, I can't wait for it! To tell you the truth, the charm of the antique shop is between the real and the fake. Last year, I encountered an interesting incident. There was a young man who spent three years in the Panjiayuan flea market. I bought an unremarkable ancient jade for 100 yuan, and sold it to me at my antique shop on Yandai Street for 1,000 yuan. At that time, I thought this piece of jade was unusual, but I couldn’t say why. A Singaporean businessman came to my store and he fell in love with this piece of jade, so I sold it to him for 50,000 yuan. After he returned to China, he asked someone to appraise it and thought it was a fake, so he returned to my store and asked for a refund. I insisted that it was true, and the Singaporean businessman refused to give up, and finally went to the appraisal department. As a result, the experts not only believed that the jade was real, but also a cultural relic that filled the gap in our country's history! The experts found a sponsoring unit and paid 25 It was bought at a price of 10,000 yuan and then donated to the museum.” "It seems that there are endless bargains, endless medicines, endless treasures, and endless scams in the antique market!" Jia Chaoxuan said with emotion. "Not long ago, our Dongzhou Customs also made a big joke," Ding Nengtong said happily, "intercepted a large number of official kiln porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In order to determine the authenticity and value of these smuggled cultural relics, the customs invited eight Expert appraisal. After careful inspection, the old experts agreed that this batch of official kiln porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties was a rare treasure in China. Among them, there were also national first-class cultural relics. After arriving, he unhurriedly dragged out a large bathtub from under the bed, which was filled with official kiln porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The customs officer shouted: Where did these things come from? The seller replied confidently: I imitated it for fun. Playing, what is the law? After hearing this, the experts present were shocked and said: I can’t understand it, I really can’t understand it! The customs officers and experts saw the unfired utensils made by the seller, and only then did they dispel their concerns.” "Let me tell you, in the antique market, all the so-called official kiln porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties are fakes out of ten, and you must not be fooled!" That gentleman's words were very meaningful, which made Jia Chaoxuan even more suspicious of the 'Yongzi' in his hand!