Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

If this were true, decades from now, it would be a top-quality property that could be exchanged for several courtyard houses in Beijing.

He dared not be overconfident, after all, he was only a novice. The antique business was too murky; one could easily be fooled if one wasn't careful.

Zhang Dabiao carefully rolled up the reel and placed it on the table, then turned and called out towards the door.

"Old Jin, Old Jin, come over here and take a look at this!"

Old Jin was a well-known Manchu remnant in Beijing.

His ancestors worked in the Imperial Household Department and had a very sharp eye.

He makes a living by appraising antiques for others and also helps Zhang Dabiao collect antiques and exchange them for small-time dealers. The two have a close working relationship. After all, his family's courtyard has been sold to Zhang Dabiao, and his eldest and second sons are working for Zhang Dabiao's "brother" Zhang Yaoyang in Hong Kong. The whole family depends on Zhang Dabiao, so he can't afford to be careless in his work.

Old Jin walked over and took out a Western magnifying glass from his pocket.

"Brother Biao, whose house did you raid this time?"

As Lao Jin asked questions, he moved closer to the painting by Tang Bohu.

Zhang Dabiao pulled over a chair and sat down, lit a Daqianmen cigarette, and then, fearing it might go off accidentally, took the stool outside.

"Don't ask too many questions about underworld matters, just hurry up and help me keep an eye on things."

"Let's see if these things are real or fake."

Old Jin smiled, knowing that Zhang Dabiao was joking, so he leaned over the table and examined the object inch by inch with a magnifying glass.

Examine the texture of the paper, the dryness or wetness of the ink, and the inkpad used for the signature.

I watched it for a good ten minutes.

Old Jin suddenly sat up straight and slapped his thigh.

"Genuine product!"

"Master Biao, this is absolutely a genuine work by Tang Yin from the Ming Dynasty!"

"Not only is this painting genuine, but most of the bottles and jars in this room, which I just glanced at, are authentic, high-quality imperial porcelain from the same period!"

Zhang Dabiao was overjoyed.

He suddenly stood up, threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out, making sure there wasn't a single spark.

This was a good deal.

Not only did Tian Yiming get kicked out and go to Saihanba to plant trees, but he also received such a generous gift as a bonus.

In order to save their lives, the Tian family and those other families from the compound really emptied out every last bit of their treasures.

Anyway, these things will probably be ruined in a few years, so I might as well save them for now.

As long as it's a cultural relic, no matter how much, we'll take it if we can, and we'll talk about it later!

Zhang Dabiao didn't go back today. Lao Jin will have to work overtime for at least two more days to finish watching it. Zhang Dabiao will stay here and wait until everything is done before sending Lao Jin back to the city. Then, he'll find another opportunity to slowly move it to the basement of the village house in Hong Kong.

In addition, the basement of the village house needs to be expanded.

Why don't we talk to the clan elders and Ah Xiang and buy all the surrounding village houses and land?

------------

On the surface, the teahouse in Lishuiqiao Village is just an ordinary township purchasing point, even though it has a sign that says "Red Star Daily Necessities Manufacturing Factory".

But in reality, this was a supply transfer station set up by Zhang Dabiao, located a couple hundred meters away from the two neighboring villages. It was quite remote, so the handover was safer there. They couldn't just transport a truckload of antiques directly to the courtyard house; that would cause a major incident.

After two full days of work, Da Biao finally brought the exhausted Lao Jin back to Beijing.

Zhang Dabiao wasn't stingy; he gave him 200 yuan, along with half a pig, ten chickens, 100 jin of rice, and 100 jin of flour—enough to enjoy as much as he wanted. This made Old Jin's youngest son and his family ecstatic.

------------

The next morning.

Zhang Dabiao had just finished washing up and was preparing to practice Hongmen Iron Wire Palm in the yard to loosen up his muscles.

Director Zhao from the ministry then sent someone to find him.

Zhang Dabiao rode his motorcycle straight to the office building of the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

In Director Zhao's office, a coal stove was burning, and two cups of hot tea were placed on the table.

Upon seeing Zhang Dabiao enter, Director Zhao pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Da Biao, sit down."

Zhang Dabiao sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. He was puzzled. What did they want to talk to him about now?

We submitted the design drawings for omnidirectional wheels, as well as related strollers, flatbed strollers, suitcases, etc., before the new year. These things are enough for those factories to use for more than half a year. Surely we don't have to do the design ourselves again?

Director Zhao got straight to the point.

"Da Biao, I noticed you were quite interested in those antiques and calligraphy yesterday."

"Since you like antiques so much, why don't you buy them from an antique shop?"

Zhang Dabiao put down his teacup and replied directly.

"Director Zhao, you need to register if you buy one or two items."

"It's like telling others that I have so many good things."

"A tall tree catches the wind, and I'm afraid it will have a negative impact."

These days, if someone has a lot of antiques at home, they'll be scrutinized for their authenticity and background.

Even if the ingredients are fine, what if I buy too much and there's a storm during the rainy season—then I'll have wasted my money.

Therefore, Zhang Dabiao preferred to acquire the goods slowly through Lao Jin, Director Wang, Master Lei, and the people from Zhangjiatun and Qinjiatun, as this was safer.

Zhang Dabiao didn't want to cause trouble for himself.

Director Zhao smiled and shook his head.

"You still don't understand the ins and outs of this."

Director Zhao stood up, took a document from the cabinet, and handed it to Zhang Dabiao.

"Before 1960, the 'cultural relics departments' that managed the sale of cultural relics varied from city to city."

"Many places are now under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Trade Bureau or the Ministry of Foreign Trade."

"Because at the time, the authorities believed that cultural relics were generally considered to be waste, and encouraged the exchange of old for new, so as to export them to earn foreign exchange to support national construction."

Zhang Dabiao glanced at the document and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Director Zhao then explained.

"When the organization was streamlined at the end of the 60s, Xinhua Bookstore, Foreign Language Bookstore, China Bookstore, and Cultural Relics Store were merged."

"Unified leadership by Xinhua Bookstore."

"The Cultural Relics Department of Xinhua Bookstore was established to manage the business operations of the cultural relics stores."

"The managers and deputy managers of the three stores also serve as deputy managers of Xinhua Bookstore."

Director Zhao walked up to Zhang Dabiao and lowered his voice.

"Simply put, a large part of the antique shop's business is still managed by our Foreign Trade Department."

"We can organize exports, or buy and sell in large quantities."

"Of course, there are still strict regulations regarding the age of cultural relics."

"Those that are particularly rare are not for sale."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dabiao's heart began to race.

This is a policy benefit!

"Director Zhao, what do you mean...?"

Director Zhao patted Zhang Dabiao on the shoulder.

"If we wait another six months, it's hard to say whether these units will be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Trade or the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and we might not have a say in the matter."

"But now, you are a part-time designer in our department, enjoying the benefits of a section chief."

"You can go into the 'inner counter' of the antique shop to buy things."

"Alternatively, you can also go the bulk export route; that's where the real good stuff comes from."

Zhang Dabiao's eyes lit up instantly when he heard the words "inner cabinet" and "batch export line".

Antique shops are divided into inner and outer counters.

The items sold at the outer counters are mostly secondhand goods that ordinary people use to exchange for money; they don't have much value.

The inner cabinets are filled with high-quality, well-preserved items, specially selected for senior officials and foreign guests.

Director Zhao continued to drop bombshells.

"Da Biao, don't you have a partner agent in Hong Kong?"

"It's that Hong Kong businessman named Roy Cheung."

"With their status over there, they can buy in large quantities."

"The foreign guest counter in the antique shop is specifically for sale to overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao."

Zhang Dabiao was dumbfounded.

He stared wide-eyed at Director Zhao.

"Will this work?"

"Isn't this an outflow of cultural relics?"