Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 323 There are hardly any genuine items.
The autumn breeze is cool, and the willow leaves are golden.

Red lanterns swayed in the wind, colorful flags hung all over the streets, and a festive atmosphere filled the air.

Two cars stopped at the entrance, and several people got out and subconsciously looked up.

It has three floors, gray walls and green tiles, and a large vermilion gatehouse. Above the gate hangs a huge horizontal plaque: Qianjinlu (Thousand Gold Residence).

There is also a vertical plaque hanging next to it: Qianjinlu Metal Cultural Relics Restoration Center.

Through the glass of the revolving door, the foyer was gleaming and sparkling.

Zhao Xiuxian pointed: "Professor Wang, Teacher Lin, this is it!"

"This place is quite spacious?" Lin Sicheng looked around. "Teacher, have you been here before?"

“I’ve never been here, but I’ve heard of it!” Wang Qizhi nodded. “It’s very famous in Beijing; it’s a well-established brand that’s considered top-tier.”

"It has indeed been a long time, almost twenty years!" Zhao Xiuneng recalled. "It is said that the founder was a craftsman from the Imperial Household Department's Manufacturing Office, but I never had any dealings with him."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Even our mother wouldn't dare claim to be a craftsman from the Imperial Household Department. Brother, do the math again. How old is the old lady? How many years has his shop been open?"

Zhao Xiuneng shook his head, "He has absolutely nothing to do with the imperial court; he's just an old craftsman from Beijing during the Republic of China era. As for how skilled he is, he's alright..."

"Not bad," Lin Sicheng concluded. The craftsmanship wasn't top-notch, but it was good enough. The main thing was that it had a good gimmick and was well-publicized.

As they were talking, a greeter came out, her hair styled in a bun, wearing a cheongsam with a slit that reached her upper thigh. She was indeed quite beautiful, with fair skin and a retro look, exuding a strong sense of the Republic of China era.

I was shivering from the cold.

Zhao Xiuxian introduced himself, and the greeter led the group into the store and then to the second floor.

Zhao Xiuneng scoffed, "Pretty high and mighty, huh?"

Strictly speaking, they came to help, but not only did the boss not show up, they didn't even see the manager, which felt a bit disrespectful.

Zhao Xiuxian chuckled self-deprecatingly: "We're both restoring cultural relics, but our business isn't as good as theirs, and we're not as famous, so naturally we look down on them a bit."

"Don't drag me into this. You can only blame yourself for being incompetent!"

"Boss, I don't like hearing that: how many times do I get new clothes replaced all year round?"

Zhao Xiuneng scoffed, "Nonsense! With your half-baked skills, only someone would dare to ask you to fix their problem!"

Zhao Xiuxian pinched Yahuazi directly.

Lin Sicheng didn't care: helping was just an excuse; the real reason was to find something, so there was no need to be too concerned.

He quickly changed his mind and looked around again.

The exhibition hall was quite large, decorated in an antique style, and the antique display area was filled with various items.

Gold-plated jade, silver belt hooks, engraved ewers, and gilded tea sets. There are also filigree gold and silver and cloisonné copperware.

They're all counterfeit, probably made by the shop itself. At first glance, they're shiny and dazzling. But upon closer inspection, the craftsmanship is only average.

Lin Sicheng guessed that these were probably the apprentice's skills. Judging from this, the master's skills were definitely higher, but as Zhao Xiuxian said, they were not top-notch.

As they walked and looked around, the group went up to the second floor. In the workstation-style cubicles, a dozen or so men and women wearing headlamps were fixing things.

The room is surrounded by instruments, which are quite complete: laser cleaning, electron microscope detection, and a microscope operating table.

A man in his forties came forward and shook hands with Zhao Xiuxian.

"Mr. Zhao!"

"Boss, you look unfamiliar. What's your surname?"

"Li Jiansheng is my master!"

The man replied, then looked around.

He first glanced at Zhao Xiuneng, then at Wang Qizhi, his gaze never lingering on Lin Sicheng, Zhao Da, or Zhao Er.

"Mr. Zhao, which one is the master?"

Feeling that directly introducing Lin Sicheng would be too conspicuous, Zhao Xiuxian pointed to each of them: "These three are!"

three?

The man then realized that although he was the youngest, even younger than the two men behind him who were clearly his followers, Lin Sicheng was standing at the very front.

Suddenly, a strange look flashed in his eyes: Zhao Xiuxian, are you kidding me?
After thinking about it for a moment, the man didn't say anything, but pointed to the separate workspace next to him: "Let's look at the things first!"

"Okay, let's see!"

Afterwards, the group went inside, and the man asked the apprentice to fetch some things.

Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qizhi exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat amused.

By now, the man hadn't even introduced himself, let alone asked his name. He hadn't even offered him a glass of water?
They didn't take the guests seriously at all and were just going to give them a perfunctory greeting and send them away.

They weren't really there to help fix things. If they were, the two of them would definitely grab Lin Sicheng and leave: "Is this how you are? I'll fix it for you."

Of course, because they are in the same industry, and this store is much more famous and larger than Zhao Xiuxian's Baizengzhai, people would subconsciously look down on it.

If it were a customer, they certainly wouldn't act like that.

After a moment's thought, three young men carried in several boxes and placed them on the table. The man then clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Thank you for your trouble!"

The final clasped fist gesture is quite interesting. To translate it: "If you're capable, then come on; if you're not, then leave."

Zhao Xiuneng stared wide-eyed: Second brother, what did you do?
Zhao Xiuxian looked aggrieved: You're urging me so urgently, and the difficulty is so high. If I want to get useful information, I have to find a way and suffer some grievances.
They're eager to help others without even discussing payment. The key point is that the mentor they're teaching is so young. Anyone would think: how much real skill can they possibly have?

Disdain is inevitable.

Seeing the two brothers exchanging glances, Lin Sicheng shook his head slightly: This matter is really not Xiao Zhao's fault. Even if today's announcement was a blank and had nothing to do with the tomb in Mashan and Yi County, we still have to thank him properly.

He gestured, and Zhao Da opened his briefcase, while Zhao Er took out gloves and handed them over. Fang Jin then took out some of his commonly used tools.

Lin Sicheng carefully put it on, and the man opposite him was stunned: So, after all this time, this is really a master craftsman?
He had quite the air about him, but judging from his appearance, he was only in his early twenties. At that age, he wouldn't even qualify as an apprentice in the shop; he'd probably just be doing odd jobs like dusting, sweeping, and managing the warehouse.

But since we've already brought the item over, let him take a look first to see if he can make it right. As for whether to repair it or not, we'll decide after we see it.

With that thought in mind, Lin Sicheng opened the first box and took the contents into his hands.

It is a jade bear inlaid with gemstones and gold, made of Hetian jade. It is not large, but exquisite and unique. The jade quality is good, and the craftsmanship is even better, typical of the jade workshop of the Imperial Household Department in the Qing Dynasty.

Although the soil is not heavy, it is obviously a rare find, having been dug out only two or three years ago.

Therefore, the timeline doesn't match up. Furthermore, the soil rust clearly indicates that it was unearthed from a dry sand pit tomb. It could have been found in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Shanxi, or even Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, or even in northern Hebei. It's impossible that it was unearthed in Baoding, south of the Yanshan Mountains.

After a rough inspection, Lin Sicheng turned the jade bear over.

It must have been damaged by external force; the gold foil on this half has completely disappeared, not a single gemstone remains, and the jade surface is pitted and uneven, with a pit on the left and a groove on the right.

The repair is quite difficult: jade surfaces are easy to repair by grinding Hetian jade into powder and filling the gaps. Gemstones are also easy to set; turquoise and red agate are relatively common materials.

The only difficult part is the gold inlay: the original grooves have been mostly destroyed, so they must be filled in and then new grooves must be carved in the original places before gold leaf can be inlaid.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the groove must be carved into a dovetail shape that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, and the bottom must have a hook groove for the gold foil to be attached to the edge, otherwise it will fall off after a few days.

If it were the original piece, it would be easy to carve. But this is jade powder that was added later, and the expansion coefficients of the jade powder are very different from those of the original piece. If you're not careful, it can chip and break, and it's not impossible for the whole jade bear to fall into several pieces.

Lin Sicheng pondered for a moment, then put the jade bear down: "It can be repaired, but it takes a lot of effort!"

The man paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "Ha!": "Did you see clearly? You just said it could be repaired?"
He had previously thought that Zhao Xiuxian was at least an expert, and since he dared to bring people over, it was hard to say how skilled he was, but he certainly had some discernment.

So, after all that, he's an amateur?

Don't let its small size fool you; it may seem simple, but there are no more than three people in the shop who can and know how to do it.

Don't even mention a kid like you who hasn't even grown his first hair yet. Ask Zhao Xiuxian if he understands it or not.

The man immediately lost his temper, waved his hand, and told the shop assistant to put the jade bear away.

Lin Sicheng could roughly guess what was going on, but he didn't care and opened the second box.

As soon as he held it in his hands, his eyes lit up: a gold filigree inlaid turquoise plate?
At first glance, it looks like just a gold plate, but only by looking closely or using a magnifying glass can you see how exquisite it is and how complex its craftsmanship is.

The plate is not flat, but is woven with gold threads, each one millimeter thin, with five layers of scrolling patterns.

Each pattern is composed of dozens of hexagonal honeycombs with holes spaced only half a millimeter apart. Each honeycomb is woven from gold cords with a diameter of only 0.1 millimeters. Each gold cord is made up of eight gold wires twisted together.

Let's calculate how thick each gold thread is.
The exquisite craftsmanship is secondary; the key lies in the difficulty of the process: the frame weaving alone involves at least three hundred scroll patterns on each layer. All these patterns must be woven to the same size and three-dimensionality, then layered and welded together.

Then, gemstones are embedded in the filigree, and the edges are bound with gold sheets and engraved with patterns.

It takes three to five artisans working together to create just one bowl, and the time required is at least measured in "seasons." Even if it were made of bamboo strips, let alone pure gold wire, it would be exquisitely beautiful.

Therefore, many antiques are expensive not because they have been stored for many years, but because they were expensive when they were first made.

Unfortunately, this one isn't.

Although it is made of pure gold wire and the gemstones are genuine, with the scrolling patterns, honeycomb textures, and even the thick gold cord threads being exactly the same, it is a modern imitation.

To put it bluntly, the filigree is programmed by computer, it's machine-programmed.

Even the damaged parts were caused by human intervention. Lin Sicheng guessed that the edge finishing couldn't be done by machine, and the person who made the bowl didn't have the skill, so they could only deliberately damage it, turning it into a broken piece of furniture.

If it's a modern craft item, it'll fetch at most a few thousand or tens of thousands. But if it's an authentic piece, even if it's just a broken edge, or even just half a bowl, it's worth five or six hundred thousand.

He glanced at it briefly, then casually put it down: "This one doesn't need a replacement!"

The man paused: "Why?"

Lin Sicheng succinctly replied: "A fake!" What is it?
He stared at Lin Sicheng for a few moments, then turned back to stare at Zhao Xiuxian.

Mr. Zhao, are you really capable?

You kept assuring the boss that you had hired a top expert this time, but in the end, you brought in a complete idiot.

Look at the quality of the gold thread, look at the workmanship, how could anyone imitate it?

Putting everything else aside, can't you even see the rust color in these gemstone petals?

If it weren't for the fact that both the boss and the master knew Zhao Xiuxian, the man would have kicked him out on the spot.

He gave a forced smile, chuckled, and waved his hand, signaling the shop assistant to take the box away.

Lin Sicheng then opened the third item.

Hmm, a gold-chased floral pattern inlaid with jewels in the shape of a ruyi (a traditional Chinese symbol of good fortune) aromatherapy diffuser?
Compared to that bowl, this piece is more exquisite, more difficult to make, and takes longer to complete. This is because it requires not only filigree work but also engraving, inlaying, and kingfisher feather inlay.

The key point is that the ruyi (a type of scepter) must be hollowed out, so initially, each petal was individually chiseled. Then they were welded together to form individual patterns.

The key issue is that the floral pattern is too thin, barely half a millimeter, yet it must achieve the effect of high relief and openwork relief with an average depth of three millimeters, making it impossible to carve it in one go.

To prevent the mold from cracking, it can only be tempered repeatedly, and only a little bit can be chiseled at a time. Therefore, the chiseling process alone takes more than two months. The entire piece will take at least half a year to complete.

What's even stranger is that this thing is actually half real and half fake?
If we were to determine the era, the original artifacts should be from around the mid-Qing Dynasty, no earlier than the Qianlong period and no later than the Jiaqing period. However, it is estimated that they were not well preserved, as the gold wire on the left and center incense boxes has been broken in large areas.

To repair it, the peony made of enamel and kingfisher feathers on the lid was removed, and then the foil was re-welded and the enamel was reapplied.

However, the craftsmanship was subpar. Whether it was the gold thread added later or the jadeite added later, the level of refinement and aesthetics was vastly different from before.

The weld was indeed strong, but the technique was terrible. Not only were the welds rough, but the materials used were also poor. Even the gold wire that was added later had too much lead mixed in, making the gold appear grayish-white, and the difference was obvious at a glance.

As for enamel, I'm not bragging, but he could do it better with his eyes closed than this.

If you were to ask him to deduce: the original piece came from the Imperial Workshops and later left the palace. It was repaired roughly once during the late Qing Dynasty and the Beiyang period, but not by court craftsmen, but by folk artists.

Therefore, it still has nothing to do with the tomb in Muling or Mashan.

“This is a bit difficult!” Lin Sicheng pondered for a moment. “We have to remove this part that was added later, then take off the entire box lid, and redo the filigree work, including the enamel peony and the inner ring of gemstones, all of which need to be re-set…”

At first, the man nodded, as if to say, "It's good that you know it's difficult." Then, he froze, staring intently at Lin Sicheng.

"Which one is the replacement?"

Lin Sicheng pointed and said, "The two grayish-white pieces on the lids of the incense boxes on the left and in the middle should be folk crafts from the early Republic of China period!"

Haha, a later addition, the Republic of China era?

The man chuckled, but his face remained expressionless: "Brother, do you even know what 'fresh goods' means?"

"I know, it was just dug out of the grave!"

"Do you know when this thing came from?" The man gestured. "Mid-Qing Dynasty!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, "Then it should have been repaired during the Republic of China era and then buried in the Qing Dynasty tomb!"

What a load of crap!

This gold has clearly been contaminated by elements such as cinnabar, lead, and arsenic used for preservation in the tomb, causing it to deteriorate.

The same principle applies to the fact that a woman's gold necklace will turn black after wearing it for a long time, just like a woman who loves to apply oil and powder.

"If it's too difficult, then forget it!"

The man hadn't intended to ask Zhao Xiuxian for help in the first place, and too lazy to argue, he snapped the lid shut and bowed to Zhao Xiuxian, saying, "Thank you, Boss Zhao!"

Is this over?

Zhao Xiuneng laughed out of anger.

Zhao Xiuxian froze, his face turning pale at first, then flushed red, the color instantly spreading to the roots of his neck.

He wasn't immune to being looked down upon or laughed at, but that was because his skills were lacking and he exposed his shortcomings.

He deserved it because he was less skilled than others.

But today, he genuinely brought a master with him, practically begging and offering himself up. Not only did he not get to see what he wanted, but he was also humiliated and thoroughly humiliated?
What? No humiliation?
They've been here for half a day, and they still don't even know this son of a bitch's name or surname.

Zhao Xiuxian grew angrier the more he thought about it, while Lin Sicheng wasn't particularly angry, but he found it rather strange.

It's really strange. Everything was fine in Xijing, but as soon as I arrived in the capital, it was like I had a taunting skill activated, and I kept encountering these kinds of annoying things.

The last auction at Xiling was like this, and the last time I encountered a scammer at Panjiayuan was the same. Today I didn't find any bargains, nor did I have anything appraised; I just came to look at a few loose items, and it's still the same?

Seeing his gloomy face, Wang Qizhi chuckled.

Even if you're mature beyond your years, you're only twenty-two, and you still have fair and delicate skin. If people don't look down on you, who will they look down on?
Why not do it this way in Xijing?

As the saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse. Let Lin Sicheng not drive President Zhao's Mercedes-Benz, not drive his Grand Cherokee, and not take Zhao Da and Zhao Er with him. Let him try driving his grandfather's beat-up Santana.

Besides, eight out of ten times he went out, he was always accompanied by someone. It was either him, Hao Jun, or Guan Xingmin. They were all prominent figures in the Xi'an antique and collectible circle; who wouldn't they recognize?
After laughing a few times, Wang Qizhi gave Zhao Xiuxian a wink, meaning not to rush, let's see the goods first.

Then he stretched out his hand again: "Boss, didn't you say you also needed one yellow item (fine quality, treasure)?"

The man paused, a strange look on his face. He looked at Wang Qizhi, then at Lin Sicheng: "So, after all this time, you guys came here to steal leftovers (steal business)?"

No wonder the boss and master both said that Zhao Xiuxian was like a weasel paying respects to a chicken, with no good intentions.

Forget about shaking hands, the man didn't even offer a smile: "If you can't understand these items, there's no point in looking at them!"

Wang Qizhi still had his hand outstretched, his smile frozen on his face: I'll fuck your mother?

see?

I knew you wouldn't be laughing!
Lin Sicheng sighed, "Teacher, let's go now!"

Wang Qizhi suppressed his anger: That's right, we cultured people should be civilized and reasonable.

Can a place that dares to take in unqualified people be a respectable place?
Wait for me!

Simmering with determination, the group got up and, just as they left the workroom, two men and a woman entered the stairwell.

The men were both older, in their fifties or sixties. One was quite thin, and the other had his arm in a sling, as if he was injured.

The woman is a bit younger, around thirty years old, with a slender figure and graceful charm.

Upon seeing Zhao Xiuxian, the thinner man stepped forward and said, "Mr. Zhao, I'm sorry, a client came unexpectedly, so I had to attend to him briefly!"

You're talking nonsense! Even if a customer comes, can't you at least call to let them know? You clearly don't respect him at all.

The higher-ups set an example for the lower-downs, which is why this bastard, whether he's the store manager or the general manager, acts like this.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Zhao Xiuxian said, suppressing his anger. “Boss Feng is a skilled manager, courteous, and thrifty… Oh, by the way, Boss Feng, may I ask what this manager’s surname is?”

"Oh, his surname is Yang, he's Old Li's apprentice..."

After replying, Boss Feng paused for a moment, then looked over Zhao Xiuxian's shoulder and back.

The back is the work area, and apart from the chair at the workstation, there isn't even a spare stool.

There were a few boxes on the table, and nothing else.

This is clearly a case of not offering a seat, not serving tea, and not even providing a proper introduction.

Feng Shizong turned around and exchanged a glance with his partner: It's likely that Xiao Yang overheard them talking about Zhao Xiuxian yesterday.

In the restoration industry, Zhao Xiuxian doesn't have a very good reputation; he's not very capable and loves to hog business.

They couldn't fix it properly, and they stubbornly clung to the rules, ruining their once vast family fortune.

Anyway, not many people in the circle respect him; they all call him Zhao the good-for-nothing.

At the time, Lao Li said, "Zhao is so proactive, could he be poaching clients?" He thought it wasn't impossible and even gave him a special explanation.

But even if you hear it, you can be wary. You're still in the same industry, so you can't be so obvious about it.
He quickly smiled and said, "Young people are impetuous and their hospitality may be lacking. Please don't take it to heart, Mr. Zhao. Come, sit down, let's continue looking at our things!"

Zhao Xiuxian chuckled and said, "No need. I've just looked at a few items, and it seems Boss Feng doesn't have many genuine pieces here!"

These words were not pleasant to hear, but Feng Shizong, knowing he was in the wrong, still wore a smile.

But the man couldn't help himself. He pointed to the box on the table and then to Lin Sicheng: "Boss, Mr. Zhao said he brought three master craftsmen, so I took out three pieces: a jade bear inlaid with gemstones and gold, a gold filigree plate inlaid with turquoise, and a gold-carved floral pattern inlaid with jewels in the shape of a Ruyi incense burner."

"But from beginning to end, it was this guy who did all the repairs... He said the first one wasn't difficult to repair, just a little bit of work. The second one was a fake, so it didn't need repairing at all. The third one was a bit difficult, as it required disassembling the repaired part."

I asked him when it was repaired, and he said it was during the Republic of China era…and that it was repaired during the Republic of China era and then buried in a Qing dynasty tomb…Finally, they wanted to see the yellowed artifacts, so I saw them off!”

Things from the Republic of China era were buried in a Qing dynasty tomb. What kind of mythical story does this tell?
And you also have to look at yellow goods?
Feng Shizong's expression turned cold: Zhao Wo Nang, you really came here to poach my clients?
He cursed inwardly, then glanced at Lin Sicheng again: At this age, you want him to do things?

No wonder the store manager didn't take them seriously.

Feng Shizong was bewildered, both angry and amused, while the two behind him both changed their expressions.

The person who did the sling work was Feng Shizong's partner and also the shop's master craftsman. He had the items with him for almost three months: could he not tell which one was real, which one was fake, and which one was half real and half fake?

But there are rules in this trade: no matter how fake it is, once it's repaired, it must be sold as genuine, and the fewer people who know, the better. So he never mentioned it to either his partners or apprentices.

The woman was the owner of the goods; she was the one who delivered those items. She knew perfectly well whether they had been repaired and when they were repaired.

The two of them froze for a moment, staring intently at Lin Sicheng...

(End of this chapter)