Chapter 37: The Eight Loves of Literati
“Although the grain pattern of black oil pear wood is slightly inferior to that of purple oil pear wood, an old piece that has survived for several hundred years is still extremely precious.”
After discussing the material, Su Xiaofan estimated the age of the brush pot.
“This should be a piece from the late Ming Dynasty. The carving was also done by a renowned craftsman. Judging from the patina, it must have been kept in someone's study and admired as a treasured object many years ago. I wonder how it eventually ended up in the antique market.”
“Very well said!”
Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan with an astonished expression. Clearly, he had not expected Su Xiaofan to be so accurate in dating the object.
The middle-aged guest surnamed Tong, who had been sitting silently beside them, also looked at Su Xiaofan somewhat differently. Su Xiaofan was simply too young—so young that he did not look like someone from the antique business at all.
“Then can you tell what is carved on it?”
Jing Shizhen's test was not over yet. Being able to identify the material and estimate its age relied on one's eyesight and experience. Although this would surprise Jing Shizhen, it would not shock him.
However, if Su Xiaofan could identify the patterns carved on the brush pot and explain their meaning, that would demonstrate his cultural knowledge and understanding. Jing Shizhen was not particularly optimistic about Su Xiaofan's knowledge of the cultural significance behind the brush pot.
“Uncle Jing, if I'm not mistaken, this brush pot should be called a High-Relief ‘Eight Loves’ Brush Pot, right?”
Su Xiaofan smiled.
Even without the information stored in his mind, he could still recognize the craftsmanship of the relief carving.
The so-called high-relief technique referred to a carving method in which the patterns were raised significantly above the surface. It was commonly used on brush pots and incense holders, and was also sometimes seen in Shoushan stone carvings.
However, Su Xiaofan initially did not really understand the meaning of the two characters “Eight Loves.” Later, he secretly looked it up on his phone and learned that the “Eight Loves” referred to the beloved objects of eight famous historical figures.
Tao Yuanming loved chrysanthemums, Meng Haoran loved plum blossoms, Su Dongpo loved inkstones, Wang Xizhi loved geese, Zhou Dunyi loved lotus flowers, Mi Fu loved stones, Li Bai loved wine, and Lu Yu loved tea.
Together, these eight people were known as the **Eight Loves of Literati**.
The relief carving on this brush pot depicted these Eight Loves. On such a small brush pot, the craftsman had used exquisite carving techniques to portray eight figures along with the objects they loved.
This level of craftsmanship was absolutely that of a master.
“You're right. The full name of this brush pot should be the 'Late Ming Dynasty Huanghuali High-Relief Eight Loves Brush Pot'.”
Jing Shizhen applauded Su Xiaofan.
“Xiao Su, you're really impressive. Who taught you all this knowledge?”
In the antique business, people placed great importance on having an orderly lineage of knowledge and craftsmanship. Usually, only apprentices who had been personally taught by masters would possess such profound knowledge. Otherwise, very few people would know about such obscure details.
“Uncle Jing, I learned it from Brother Gang.”
Su Xiaofan's statement could not really be considered a lie.
When it came to collectibles such as huanghuali beads, he really had learned from Zheng Dagang. However, the more advanced knowledge had come from the materials he had researched and studied himself.
“From Gangzi?”
Jing Shizhen repeatedly shook his head.
“You're giving that kid way too much credit. If he knows what the Eight Loves of Literati are, I'll give him this entire Jingxin Hall.”
“Xiao Su, what do you think? Can you continue? Can you identify the maker of this brush pot?”
“Uncle Jing, please spare me. You've already squeezed every bit of knowledge out of me.”
Su Xiaofan smiled bitterly and shook his head.
If it were an ancient painting or calligraphy, he might be able to make a guess. After all, there were only so many famous artists.
But brush pots were an extremely niche category. Many of them had been made by ordinary craftsmen who could not even be considered renowned masters.
“Then let me tell you about it.”
Jing Shizhen began.
“Although there is no signature on it, if I'm not mistaken, this brush pot should have been made by Chen Zisheng at the end of the Ming Dynasty.
“Chen Zisheng once carved an ivory brush pot featuring the 'Lanting Xu'. The craftsmanship was extraordinarily exquisite. Moreover, Chen Zisheng was a man of great integrity and was highly renowned among literati during the transition from the late Ming to the early Qing Dynasty.
“As far as we know, there is only one surviving brush pot known to have been made by Chen Zisheng—the ivory one. This would therefore be his second known brush pot, making it extremely significant…”
Jing Shizhen explained the origins of the huanghuali brush pot from several perspectives.
First, the carving style of this brush pot was very similar to that of the ivory brush pot engraved with the *Lanting Xu*.
Furthermore, Chen Zisheng himself was from Qiong Province, so he would have had access to old huanghuali tree roots of this quality.
The only mystery was how, several hundred years later, this huanghuali brush pot had ended up in the antique market in Yanjing.
“Uncle Jing, then how much is this brush pot worth?”
Su Xiaofan asked.
With his current financial situation, he could not really afford to collect antiques. At most, he was merely a middleman who bought and resold antiques.
To put it simply, he was just a small antique vendor running a street stall.
“Chen Zisheng has received a very high historical evaluation. After the Ming Dynasty fell, he refused to serve the Manchu Qing court and lived in poverty until his death. If one of his works were put up for auction, many people would recognize its value.”
Jing Shizhen thought for a moment before continuing.
“A few years ago, an early Qing Dynasty huanghuali sunflower-shaped brush pot from the Yushan Room collection was auctioned in Hong Kong. It sold for around two million yuan at the time.
“But the carving on that brush pot was very simple, and the craftsmanship was nowhere near as exquisite as yours…”
Jing Shizhen pondered for a moment before continuing.
“Based on my estimate, if your brush pot were put up for auction, it wouldn't sell for less than three million yuan. If it found a particularly enthusiastic collector, it could fetch more than five million!”
This was exactly why Jing Shizhen had said that Su Xiaofan had found the biggest bargain of the year.
An object purchased for only 150 yuan could potentially be sold at auction for three or four million yuan.
That was a profit of more than ten thousand times the original price.
For today's relatively mature antique market, such a thing was practically unbelievable.
Of course, during the 1970s and 1980s, things like this happened quite frequently.
Back then, people had only just managed to have enough food to eat. Who had the money or interest to collect antiques?
Calligraphy and paintings by famous people were often treated like waste paper and sold cheaply. Huanghuali tables and chairs could be bought for only five yuan each.
Even today, some of China's major collectors—including Jing Shizhen himself—were beneficiaries of that era.
“At least three million, and as much as five million?”
Su Xiaofan stared in shock.
He had really struck it rich this time.
He had originally had only a little over one hundred thousand yuan left in his pocket, and now he suddenly had the chance to gain several million.
Of course, that was only if he actually sold the brush pot.
“Your surname is Su, right?”
Just as Su Xiaofan was thinking about how he would spend five million yuan, a voice came from beside him.
“I quite like this brush pot. How about this? I'll offer four million yuan. Would you be willing to sell it?”
“You are?”
Su Xiaofan turned toward the voice and saw the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa.
“My surname is Tong. Tong Dongjie. I run a cultural tourism company. Your brush pot is quite rare, and I'd like to acquire it for my collection. What do you think, Xiao Su?”
Although the middle-aged man was speaking to Su Xiaofan, his eyes kept glancing toward Jing Shizhen.
“Uncle Jing, what do you think?”
Su Xiaofan also looked at Jing Shizhen.
This was Jing Shizhen's Jingxin Hall. If the two of them conducted the transaction here, it would somewhat overshadow the host's role.
“Xiao Tong, you should know my rules.”
Jing Shizhen's expression revealed neither anger nor happiness.
“Any item I authenticate that is sold through Jingxin Hall is subject to a twenty-percent commission. You, Xiao Tong, will have to pay that amount. As for the taxes and other fees, the two of you can discuss how to handle them yourselves.”
“Uncle Jing, I understand the rules. Four million yuan goes to Xiao Su, eight hundred thousand goes to Jingxin Hall, and I'll take care of all the taxes and fees. How does that sound?”
The middle-aged man spoke respectfully.
“Jingxin Hall sure makes money easily.”
Hearing the conversation between Jing Shizhen and Tong Dongjie, Su Xiaofan could not help clicking his tongue.
He did not have to spend a single cent, yet simply by authenticating the item, Jing Shizhen would receive eight hundred thousand yuan.
That was practically making money out of thin air.
“The item isn't mine. Whether to sell it or not is up to Xiao Su.”
Jing Shizhen clearly did not seem particularly fond of Tong Dongjie. His tone did not sound much like the way one would normally speak to a customer.
“Uncle Jing, since Mr. Tong likes it so much, I'll sell it to him.”
Su Xiaofan did not hesitate at all before making his decision.
If he put this thing up for auction, who knew how long it would take to sell?
Four million yuan was already a considerable amount.
Money in his hands was real money.
“Alright. I'll have someone prepare the contract. You two can sign it, and once it's signed, the payment will be transferred.”
Jing Shizhen waved his hand and called over a staff member, giving him a few instructions.
The shop already had electronic templates for such contracts, so they only needed to make a few modifications.
Of course, Jing Shizhen's eight hundred thousand yuan commission was not completely free money.
He had to act as the intermediary and guarantor. If there were ever any problems with the item in the future, the buyer would not come after Su Xiaofan but would instead come to Jingxin Hall.
Therefore, while the contract was being prepared, someone brought over a digital camera and began taking photographs of the brush pot from different angles.
The shop even had equipment for developing digital photographs.
After the photographs were printed, both parties would sign and affix their fingerprints to them.
This was also one of Jingxin Hall's methods of preventing someone from secretly swapping the authentic item for a fake and later coming back to make a claim.
Jingxin Hall had its own complete procedure for antique transactions, with specialized personnel responsible for handling everything.
In roughly ten minutes, all the documents required before the transaction were ready.
Su Xiaofan and Tong Dongjie signed both the contract and the photographs.
Tong Dongjie then went outside and called one of his subordinates inside.
Using the bank account Su Xiaofan had provided in the contract, the subordinate transferred the money to Su Xiaofan right there on the spot.
For this transaction alone, Tong Dongjie had spent 4.8 million yuan.
That did not even include the taxes and fees he would have to pay later.
The final cost would certainly exceed five million yuan.
This gave Su Xiaofan a glimpse into how wealthy people bought antiques.
Su Xiaofan spent his entire day exposed to the wind and sun at the antique market, becoming hoarse from haggling with customers, yet he could only make three to five hundred yuan a day.
But now, sitting comfortably in the air-conditioned Jingxin Hall and drinking tea, he had concluded a three-to-five-million-yuan deal in just a few sentences.
It was the same business, but the difference was like heaven and earth.
“Uncle Jing, what about that matter? What do you think? Do you have time to make a trip?”
After completing the transaction with Su Xiaofan, Tong Dongjie had someone take the brush pot away.
He did not seem to care about the item as much as he had claimed earlier.
“Does he need something from someone?”
Su Xiaofan exchanged a glance with Zhao Zhengshan, and both of them seemed to understand.
Tong Dongjie had probably noticed that Jing Shizhen thought highly of Su Xiaofan.
Therefore, by using the brush pot transaction as an opportunity, he had given Su Xiaofan a generous price while also generously giving Jingxin Hall an eight-hundred-thousand-yuan commission.
He had handled everything perfectly.
“There's no rush. Let's not talk about that matter yet. Xiao Su, what did you buy in that bag? Don't tell me you found another bargain?”
Jing Shizhen apparently did not want to discuss his business with Tong Dongjie in front of Su Xiaofan and the others.
Instead, he shifted his gaze toward another bag that Su Xiaofan had placed on the table.
(End of Chapter)
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