Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 35 Wang Cheng: I know a little bit.

Shen Yuting led the way out of the backyard and called over Dou Yan, the apprentice who was still greeting guests at the front:
“You’ve been practicing as a clerk for a year now, and you’re more than capable of handling the job in a large pawnshop. Go find your master and tell him what I said. We can arrange for you to be ordained and listed among the ranks at the beginning of the year.”

The latter was overjoyed upon hearing this and repeatedly expressed his gratitude:
"Thank you so much, Professor Shen! Thank you so much, Professor Shen!"

He knew that the other party was making room for their new disciple, so he had no complaints.

These days, in officialdom, if someone can get a six-month probation period, they'd dare to do anything, even murder and arson. Only a fool would stubbornly refuse to leave.

He handed over the accounts and warehouse keys under his management to Wang Cheng on the spot and ran out of Fenglinzhai excitedly.

Shen Yuting turned around and patted Wang Cheng on the shoulder:

"Fourth brother, starting today, you will replace Dou Yan as the clerk in this pawnshop."

[Bai Shuilang] needs to hone his swimming skills, boat handling, and fishing. You grew up in Yuegang and have mastered both internal and external skills, so you should have no problem in this regard.

However, to be a good "Chaofenglang" (a type of court official), one must put in extra hard work.

The most crucial point is to have a discerning eye, to be knowledgeable in the study of epigraphy and the art of connoisseurship, and to be proficient in everything from antiques and calligraphy to jewelry, jade, silk, and fur clothing.

Furthermore, running a pawnshop in Yuegang inevitably involves dealing with all sorts of things from the sea.

Three thousand treasures from the abyss, ten thousand sea treasures, all sorts of evil talismans and talismans, old items entangled in curses and resentments, etc., may all be available in the shops under our Shan Hai Hui.

If you accidentally get hurt, it's not impossible for you to go bankrupt overnight, or even lose your life.

"Fugui, you are a scholar by birth, so you should be more knowledgeable than a novice apprentice. Tell me honestly, how well do you know these things, and what is your insight like?"

Wang Cheng glanced at the coin's eye and decided that it was best to be humble, so he answered honestly:

I know a little bit.

I know a tiny bit about antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jewelry and jade, silks and satins, and fur clothing.

After saying that, he held up the warehouse key in his hand and suggested, somewhat eagerly:

"Master, why don't you give it a try?"

Shen Yuting also had high expectations for his disciple's performance. For a master, the process of carving fine jade into exquisite jade artifacts little by little represents a great sense of accomplishment.
"Alright."

Dou Yan left, but the other managers and staff of Fenglinzhai didn't. They all came out and respectfully bowed to the fourth disciple of the master, saying:

"Fourth Young Master."

The attitude towards Wang Cheng was completely different from that towards Dou Yan, who paid for classes.

Zheng Qian stood beside the crowd, dutifully introducing the pawnshop and its managers to his junior brother.

"Our Fenglinzhai has always been a place to train new people for the Shanhai Society, but that doesn't mean it's not legitimate. We have official dental stickers issued by the government, so we can do business all over the country without any problems."

There are three managers and four stewards in total, and they will all be your helpers from now on.”

The three rooms in a pawnshop refer to the money room, the decoration room, and the private room.

The money room manages the pawnshop's assets, essentially acting as the accounting room; while the jewelry room and the bag room are mainly responsible for managing different pawned items, such as gold and silver jewelry and leather and cloth clothing, which are also the most important items traded.

If they encounter exceptionally precious treasures, such as the Three Thousand Abyss Treasures, they are collected by the Money Office. Each of these three offices has a manager who holds a high position.

The "Four Managers" refers to the four managers in a pawnshop who are responsible for inspecting goods, appraising prices, and redeeming pawned items.

The four counters are further divided into head counter, second counter, third counter, and fourth counter in order of the amount of shares held, the level of their status, and the depth of their seniority.

In the folk pawnshops, these four counters were all respectfully called "Chaofeng," which is the origin of the official title "Chaofeng Lang" in the water service.

Besides these managers, there were also some hired laborers, including: "ticket writer", "ticket checker", and "clerk".
They only know a few words and can help with some auxiliary tasks, such as packing, storing, and redeeming pawn tickets.

During the introductions, the relevant personnel came out one by one to greet each other individually.

The head steward in charge of overall management is named Zhao Jinbao. He is already in his fifties and has a wealth of experience.

If it weren't for the age limit of thirty-five, during which one could not be promoted to a higher official position, he would have had no way to advance and would definitely have been a top-notch court official.

He was very amiable towards Wang Cheng:

"Manager Dou used to be the fourth manager at our Fenglinzhai. How about the fourth young master fills in for him and also becomes the fourth manager?"
I will personally mentor you and try my best to help you graduate as soon as possible.

Wang Cheng was there to learn skills, not to vie for power or profit, and he didn't care about seating arrangements, so he nodded in agreement.
"It's entirely up to Manager Zhao to decide."

I'm a complete novice and know nothing. The name of Fenglinzhai is still on your shoulders, so I'll have to trouble you to help me fill in any gaps in my knowledge.

We can't let our master actually lose money, can we?

Hearing this witty remark, Shen Yuting shook her head and chuckled:

"You, you little rascal, it's quite an achievement that you managed to bankrupt your teacher."

Zhao Jinbao nodded secretly as he looked at the master's newly accepted apprentice.

Those who can come to learn how to be a court official are all from well-off families. Without several ingots of gold, they can't even get in the door. Most of them are arrogant and proud, while those who are humble and polite are exceptions.

Putting everything else aside, his composure and humility after becoming a direct disciple of the [Director of the Imperial Secretariat] are truly rare and indicate he's capable of great things. This is a classic case of information asymmetry; Wang Cheng had no idea how wealthy his master's family was! Nor did his master's family know how prestigious he used to be!

Zhao Jinbao glanced at his master again, and seeing that he had no objections, he continued to Wang Cheng:
"Fourth Young Master, let's first talk about the taboos of the 'Pao Feng' profession."

There are four things that are not appropriate in a secular pawnshop: robes and theatrical costumes are inappropriate; flags, gongs, umbrellas and fans are inappropriate; leather goods without a covering are inappropriate; and low-quality jewelry is inappropriate.

The latter two are easy to agree on; it's just about making money, and we don't want to be stuck with unsold inventory.

The first two items mostly contain funeral supplies or spirit items, mixed with burial clothes, burial garments, and various funerary objects. We are not from the underworld, so dealing with them is too troublesome, and we could easily lose our lives if we are not careful.

With the master's abilities, there are naturally no taboos, but if we encounter something we are not confident about, we should just refuse it. We can learn the knowledge related to these things or not.

"I won't waste any more words. Here's a set of porcelain that was just delivered yesterday. It's of extraordinary origin, so I'd like to ask Fourth Young Master to take a look."

He took out a set of seven or eight porcelain pieces from the cabinet, placed them steadily on the table, and then stepped aside.

Needless to say, the rules of "jade should not be left in your hands, gold should not be out of your sight, and you should not point at fish" are also rules to be followed when making transactions.

Wang Cheng stepped forward and examined each one meticulously for a while, a glint of gold constantly flashing in his eyes, before confidently stating his assessment:
"These are blue and white porcelains from the former Yunmeng Empire. They appear to have come from the same batch of kilns, and each piece has been in existence for over 220 years."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuting's eyes lit up, and she asked with great interest:
"On what basis do you make this judgment?"

Wang Cheng was not intimidated at all, and pointed out the details of several pieces of porcelain as he spoke eloquently:

“Master, look, these blue and white porcelain pieces have no glaze on the bottom, but there are obvious spiral patterns, and some even have knife marks and sand stuck to them.”

Small vessels such as bowls have small nail-like protrusions in the center of their bases, which are traces left by a specially made support during firing.

Furthermore, fish and algae motifs, as well as peony scrolls, were the most common designs on blue and white porcelain during this period. Taking all these factors into account, I'm 95% certain.

Looking at his spirited disciple, who bore a striking resemblance to himself, Shen Yuting nodded in approval.

"Fourth brother, you have enough insight to become a [Chaofeng Lang]."

Did you diligently study epigraphy at Lianjiang Academy in the prefecture city?
This level of knowledge cannot be simply summarized as "a little bit of knowledge."

Wang Cheng put down the porcelain and said modestly:
“Master, I believe that mountains crumble and people run away, and people still have to rely on themselves.”

So I love reading in my spare time. I've read all of these, including "The Record of Passing Clouds and Smoke", "The Illustrated Treasury of Painting", and "The Essential Treatise on Antiquities".

This keen eye is entirely due to diligent study, plus a tiny, insignificant bit of luck.

Wang Cheng dared not study much about spiritual cultivation, but he had no problem with secular knowledge.

In terms of broad knowledge and experience, he is second to none among his peers. Even members of the Han family clan may not have seen as many good things as he has, so his foundation is indeed excellent.

Following the answers seen in "Rare Goods Are Worth Hoarding," and finding supporting arguments in your mind, isn't that a piece of cake?
Given his background as the largest academy in Minzhou, Lianjiang Academy, no one could expose his little lie.

"Fourth brother, you really do have a deep connection with our Chaofeng Lang lineage."

Shen Yuting nodded repeatedly and continued to encourage him:
Is there anything else?

If all I can tell is that this is Yunmeng's blue and white porcelain, then I can only give you a passing grade; you still need to practice more.

Encouraged, Wang Cheng knew now was not the time to hide his abilities, and pointed to the dark marks on the porcelain pieces, saying:

"These places look like soil stains left after being buried in the ground for a long time, indicating that they have never seen the light of day for a very long time."

Most people might assume that these are funerary objects dug out of a tomb.

But I know there's another possibility that could cause similar marks, and I'm certain this is a batch of salvaged porcelain!

Even if they are specially cleaned, their origins cannot be concealed.

A batch of porcelain pieces that had been lying at the bottom of the sea for two or three hundred years with the shipwreck would be corroded and washed away by salt water and undercurrents, causing damage to the glaze, as if a layer of skin had been peeled off. If you look closely, you can see some bubble-like damage.

Some of the fetuses' feet will also develop an oxide layer due to long-term immersion in seawater.

It involves forming a patina-like layer on the original body, causing the body and glaze to become one, presenting a dry, natural, and uniform appearance.

These are all characteristics of salvaged porcelain.

Anyone with an expertise would know at a glance that while they are not from the Shang or Zhou dynasties, they are definitely not from last week either!
Most importantly, Wang Cheng also saw hidden information that no ordinary appraisal knowledge could see:

The porcelain surface bears fresh, fine scratches left by the movement of the 'monkey brain sea urchin,' one of the 100,000 marine delicacies. Finding the shipwreck site offers hope of discovering an entire colony of monkey brain sea urchins.

Now Wang Cheng has a renowned teacher and Ban Yin, a craftsman from Fuying Town who can establish his own lineage. He only needs to reach the Pure Yang of Life Fire before the Seventy-Two Otter Sacrifice Fish.

The "monkey brain sea urchin" is at least ranked in the middle grade among the 100,000 kinds of seafood delicacies. It is said that after opening the shell, the sea urchin meat inside looks like a monkey brain. One sea urchin is enough to satisfy your appetite, let alone a group of them.

Thinking of this, Wang Cheng couldn't help but get excited. Maybe this one move would allow him to complete his final accumulation.

Just as I was about to ask my master where this batch of salvaged porcelain came from, I suddenly heard a timid yet melodious female voice outside Fenglinzhai:
"Mr. Shen, how is the batch of salvaged porcelain that Shushu asked you to appraise yesterday doing?"

Can you specify the exact location?

(End of this chapter)