Published at 7th of March 2020 10:30 pm

Chapter 33: Finding Gold in the Sand

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: Flying Lines

After having breakfast, Professor Guo invited Zhang Jun into the study. Because of what happened just now, Professor Guo was so impressed with Zhang Jun that he no longer treated him as a stranger. He even displayed all his collections these years to Zhan Jun.

Professor Guo opened a large box and took out a number of frames one by one. Each frame was in the size of one square meter, on which were fragments of various porcelain and ceramic. A thick cotton cloth covered each frame, which reveled that they were treasured by Professor Guo.

Zhang Jun thought to himself, "What's so good about these broken porcelain pieces and ceramic?" But when he looked closely, he found that the texture of each piece was different. He couldn't help saying, "Professor Guo, these fragments seem to be different."

Professor Guo chuckled and said, "You have sharp eyes. Surely, they are of different types. For example, there are the fragments of the porcelain made by the top five kilns in the Song Dynasty, that is, the Jun Kiln, the Ge Kiln, the Guan Kiln, the Ru Kiln, and the Ding Kiln. In addition, there are the blue and white porcelain pieces of the Yuan Dynasty, the sweet white porcelain in Yongle Reign and Doucai porcelain in Chenghua Reign of the Ming Dynasty, and Enamel of the Qing Dynasty."

"The above are just some representatives. The fragments I collected came from porcelains of various ages and regions. From the Han Dynasty to the early 1950s, more than you can imagine." Professor Guo said proudly, "It's not easy to collect these."

Zhang Jun gave a thumbs up and flattered him, "Awesome. It is nearly a brief history of the development of porcelains. You deserve to be an archaeologist. Most people do not have such discrimination and courage."

Professor Guo said reminiscently, "I started collecting them in the 1970s and didn't fulfil my wish until last year. It's been more than forty years. It's really not easy."

Zhang Jun did not have much interest in these fragments. However, Professor Guo was displaying his whole life's painstaking effort, and it would be not good if Zhang Jun just had a look and then left. So he pretended to appreciate it.

While appreciating, Zhang Jun saw a piece of porcelain fragment casually. It was a palm-sized fragment of the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty. When he stared at it and observed, he inadvertently used the power of X-ray vision. Suddenly, he seemed to have looked through the long river of history and reached the land of the Yuan Dynasty, and he felt the breath of that era.

He felt the cruelty, the majesty, the ambition, the anger, the depression, and the pain. Many emotions poured into his mind for a moment, making him full of mixed feelings. He couldn't help sighing and saying, "The Yuan Dynasty is doomed to its end!"

Suddenly hearing such an abrupt sentence, Professor Guo was in a shock. But when he saw Zhang Jun was appreciating the fragment of the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty, he suddenly understood and laughed, "The Yuan Dynasty only existed for about 80 years. Its government was corrupted and cruel to its people. Such a regime couldn't exist forever. It brought destruction on itself."

Zhang Jun nodded. He observed one by one. From the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, and then to the Qing Dynasty, different porcelain fragments gave him different feelings. Even of the same dynasty and the same emperor, porcelains in different regions carried different emotions.

This was a very strange sensing ability. Zhang Jun could clearly feel the humanistic and historical characteristics of each item. It was a macro knowing without the help of any instrument, similar to the intuition.

In the beginning, Zhang Jun wanted to have a casual look to please Professor Guo. But unknowingly, he immersed himself in the long river of history, marveling at the prosperity culture of the past dynasties and feeling the change of the history and times.

He didn't miss any fragment. He saw from beginning to end, piece by piece. Unconsciously, two or three hours passed. Professor Guo stayed with him at first. Later, seeing Zhang Jun being so fascinated, Professor Guo was really happy and went to read books with a smile.

After Zhang Jun appreciated all the porcelain fragments, he found that it was twelve at noon. As soon as he patted his head and got out of the study hurriedly, he saw that the table was full of dishes again.

He scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Professor Guo, I'm sorry. I was too fascinated just now and forgot the time. Did I outstay my welcome?"

Professor Guo put down the large and thick book in his hand and smiled cheerfully, "I surely cannot judge a tree by its bark. Zhang Jun, I did not expect that you are also interested in porcelain. Otherwise, how could you be so fascinated? When most people see these things, I am afraid they will not want to look at it for more than one second, let alone appreciating it for hours."

Zhang Jun was embarrassed for a while. He had the same thoughts at first. If it hadn't been for that he thought it was so rude to leave after a glance, he would have left the study.

Professor Guo seemed very happy. He asked Zhang Jun to sit down and said to Guo Lan, "Lanlan , how I wish your brother is as diligent as Zhang Jun. Huh, that unfilial guy is lacking in both learning and practical ability."

Guo Lan chuckled and glanced at Zhang Jun's face, and she said, "Exactly. If It were my elder brother, I am afraid he wouldn't be able to hold it for one minute. He should have been ashamed of being an antique dealer."

Zhang Jun was embarrassed by so much praise. He smiled and said, "Professor Guo, I'm not an expert, and I haven't dealt with porcelain before. I was just curious."

Professor Guo was even happier and said, "It is good for young people to be modest. Good, very good. People like you can certainly make a difference in learning."

Guo Lan rolled her eyes and said, "Dad, don't always treat others as students in your class. Let's start eating."

He had a meal here in the morning, and it was nothing to eat here again at noon. Zhang Jun did not restrain himself from eating like a horse. His bold attitude made Professor Guo even more fond of him.

After lunch, Zhang Jun said, "Professor Guo and Guo Lan, thank you for your hospitality today. I'm going to take the train at night, and I have to leave."

Guo Lan was stunned and said, "Are you going to leave? Why don't you stay for a few more days?" As soon as she spoke, she felt it was strange. It had only been half a day since they first met each other, and it was not proper for her to say so.

Professor Guo also said, "Zhang Jun, if you have nothing important, don't hurry to leave. I am not busy these days. Accompany me to Guigu Street in the afternoon."

Zhang Jun also heard the name of Guigu Street. It was an antique street lined with stores owned by antique merchants from all over the country. The street was very lively and well-known throughout the country. He thought that it would be okay to go back a few days later anyway. The experience of being chased after today had cast a shadow in his heart, and he needed time to think about it carefully.

"I haven't offended anyone in the Donghai, except Xu Bo and Chen Fusheng. Although Chen Fusheng is narrow-minded, he will not find someone to kill me." Zhang Jun thought of this, and the answer came out. The person who wanted to kill him must be Xu Bo!

"Xu Bo, you have taken actions on me for so many times, and I will surely revenge for it!" Zhang Jun decided to take fatal revenge.

After a moment of thinking, he smiled slightly and said, "All right. I also want to go to Guigu Street to enrich my experience, as long as you don't think I am bothering you."

In the afternoon, Guo Lan drove Zhang Jun and Professor Guo to Guigu Street. Guigu Street included three areas. Northern District mainly traded modern arts and imitations. Southern District was a free trade zone, and basically, there were all stalls. In the Eastern District were all antique shops, operating a variety of antique businesses.

As soon as Professor Guo entered the antique street, he headed for the Southern District. Guo Lan, who followed him, laughed, "Dad, do you want to find some other treasures?"

It turned out that Professor Guo once found a piece of ancient jade of the Tang Dynasty on the stall and bought it for 50 yuan. Later, after years of playing, the ancient jade gradually revealed its extraordinary quality. Now that ancient jade became Professor Guo’s personal treasure, and he would not show it to others easily.

Hearing his daughter's joking, Professor Guo smiled, "Maybe Zhang Jun can bring me luck, and today I can bring blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty back."

Even he did not believe it. After saying that, he laughed first.

The Southern District was the busiest area. Almost everyone wanted to find gold in the sand, fantasizing that they could find treasures missed by others on the stall. In fact, everyone understood that the chance was very slim. Among one hundred people, maybe only one could have such good luck and buy something good value for money. But this did not dampen everyone's enthusiasm. Every daythis place was crowded with people and cars.

In such an environment, Zhang Jun suddenly also felt that maybe he could really find a treasure. So he glanced around to see if there was anything he liked.

Professor Guo soon crouched next to a stall and took a string of beads to observe carefully. Guo Lan was not idle either. She ran to another stall and took a jade bowl. She looked at it up and down, with a hesitated look on her face.

Since the "introspection" last time, Zhang Jun found that the range of his X-ray vision had extended to more than two meters. This helped him observe antiques on the ground. He didn't have to bend over and get closer like before.

But even so, he still found nothing special and was very disappointed. He excused himself to Professor Guo and then went on alone.

"Damn. Xuande incense burner? Obviously, it is an iron-made copper-plated counterfeit. He even dared to sell it at a price of 10,000 RMB." Zhang Jun was speechless for a while when seeing a buyer and a seller bargaining enthusiastically at a stall.

As he walked, he observed with his X-ray vision. The things on the stall were basically all fakes. Occasionally there was a genuine one, but its price would be so high that even if you bought it, you couldn't make a profit.

"Basically they are all fakes. If it weren't for my X-ray vision, I would probably buy a few worthless things." Zhang Jun shook his head. Then he walked faster and was going to cross this street quickly, to go to another street selling calligraphy and paintings.

As he passed the street corner, Zhang Jun inadvertently glanced at a stall. Suddenly he stopped. It turned out that he found an iron three-legged incense burner with a diameter of more than twenty centimeters.

There was nothing special on the surface of this iron incense burner. Its production process was bad. Even people who did not know about antiques could find that it was not like a treasure and could only be sold as a few pounds of iron.

But strangely, he found that there was another incense burner inside it. And the shape of this incense burner was similar to the fake Xuande incense burner at the stall just now. After he saw it with X-ray vision, he immediately felt a special breath from it.

In this breath, he could feel the prosperity, the determined effort, the great political and military achievements, and the stillness with vitality. This was the breath of the era of Xuande. He had felt this kind of breath from the fragments of the Xuande blue and white porcelain preserved by Professor Guo. They were almost the same.

"Is it a Xuande incense burner?" Zhang Jun's heart jumped fiercely. Although he had no actual experience in it, at least he had seen some things related. He had heard the name of Xuande incense burner on the TV and network, and it seemed very valuable.

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