bookrandom Chapter 1317 Good Eyesight
Chapter 1317 Good Eyesight
Su Xing took the carving from Shen Bai and examined it carefully.
Her fingertips gently touched the surface of the jade piece, and the smooth, oily patina instantly conveyed the unique texture of an old object.
She didn't rush to speak, but quietly observed the jade's quality, carving, and color, her eyes focused and steady.
Shen Bai stood half a step away from her, neither disturbing her nor hindering her from explaining, "This palace venue hosts about two or three top-level events every year. The management is quite strict. Taking photos is not allowed, random pricing is not allowed, and persistent questioning is not allowed. Here, your eyesight and ability speak for themselves."
"I see..." Su Xing nodded, indicating that he understood.
On the other side of the room, someone was discussing the price in hushed tones, their voices barely audible. After a few words, they nodded and shook hands, and the item was sold. The whole process was swift and efficient, without any hesitation or fuss.
There was no smell of smoke or fire in the air, only the tranquil scent of ancient jade, old wood, agarwood, and paper, every second exuding the rules and confidence of the social circle.
Su Xing put down the jade piece, his gaze sweeping over the old inkstone on the table, a slight movement in his eyes.
She walked slowly to the desk, her white gloves lightly brushing against the inkstone, her movements extremely gentle.
This is an old pit Duan inkstone from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The stone is as delicate as a child's skin. It has all the characteristics of blue and white patterns, fire marks, and ice patterns. The edge of the inkstone is carved with a shallow relief of lotus scrolls. The carving is neat and restrained, which is typical of the style of the Imperial Workshop.
The characters engraved on the bottom of the inkstone are slender and vigorous, and the patina on the inkwell is warm and even, which is incomparable to the artificially aged chemical inkstones on the market.
As Su Xing ran his fingertips over a tiny, almost invisible crack on the side of the inkstone, he knew it was a trace of a crack repaired by a Qing Dynasty craftsman using ancient lacquer techniques after an accidental bump a hundred years ago.
The technique has long been lost.
Shen Bai walked over and asked her with a smile, "How was it?"
Su Xing said seriously, "It's an old Kangxi inkstone. The original inkstone box is missing. The side seam was repaired, but it won't affect the ink dispensing."
Her voice was soft, but it made Uncle Zhang, who was looking down at the goods, suddenly look up.
The traces of the old repair were very faint, almost invisible under the light. Even experts who have handled ancient inkstones for many years would have to examine them carefully under a light. She, however, made a clear judgment based on the touch of her fingertips and a glance.
"Impressive!" Shen Bai's eyes flashed with amazement, then he smiled, a smile tinged with pride.
Uncle Zhang, standing nearby, nodded in admiration, "Young lady, you have excellent taste!"
Although his voice was low, it was full of sincerity.
The people Young Master Shen brought in are really quite capable!
This girl is so young, her future is limitless! I wonder whose family has trained her? I've never seen her before.
Su Xing smiled and said, "You flatter me."
This kind of place wasn't suitable for lingering conversation, so the group exchanged a few words in hushed tones and then went about their own business.
Su Xing continued reading.
Shen Bai didn't follow her around or talk to her.
He picked up an object that interested him and began to examine it.
After putting down the old inkstone, Su Xing slowly strolled around the room, stopping to admire any interesting objects he came across.
This kind of high-end real estate fair truly features exquisite items, with very few antique-style artworks.
Those obviously fake and bizarre items would never appear here.
Su Xing walked around the room without asking about prices.
Because the items here are obviously very valuable, there's not much room for finding a bargain.
Su Xing would naturally not buy something that wouldn't make much money.
Shen Bai did shake hands with that Uncle Zhang a few times.
Zhenbaozhai is a large-scale enterprise and is not afraid of stockpiling inventory. Some items may not be profitable to buy and sell now, but they may appreciate significantly if left unsold.
However, he was not in a hurry to buy it at the moment.
Su Xing and Shen Bai did not stay in the room for long. After wandering around for a while, they left the room and continued to stroll down the corridor.
Almost everyone who attended the housing fair knew Shen Bai.
When they saw him, they either nodded or gave a brief greeting, without much formality.
Looking at Su Xing beside him, no one questioned why there was such a young girl here.
The second guest room the two entered mainly featured ancient porcelain.
The bed was covered with a black cloth, on which were arranged a series of items, each complete and in excellent condition: a carved flower cup from the Yaozhou kiln of the Song Dynasty, a small blue-and-white jar from a folk kiln, a complete small bowl and bottle from the Yaozhou kiln, a blue-and-white lotus-patterned plate from the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty.
Su Xing stopped in front of the Kangxi blue and white general jar, his gaze falling on the landscape texture and the blue color, and said softly: "Mid-Kangxi period, Zhejiang material for coloring, the painting is the work of a famous artist at the time, there is a slight peeling of glaze on the rim, which is not noticeable unless you look closely."
Shen Bai looked at the general's jar and laughed, "You have a sharp eye."
The shop owner had just heard Su Xing's words and was slightly taken aback.
He had never publicly disclosed the reserve price, flaws, or market value of this piece, yet this young woman had described it perfectly after only a glance.
The people around her hadn't paid much attention at first, but now all their eyes were on Su Xing. No one thought of her as a rich young lady who was just casually following along to broaden her horizons and knew nothing about anything.
At this moment, Shen Bai whispered in Su Xing's ear, "The market price is probably a little over one million."
Su Xing: "...Okay."
For her, there was still no room for taking advantage of loopholes.
She stopped paying attention to the general's jar and continued looking at other objects that interested her.
The housing fair runs until 9 PM every day.
Su woke up late, and before she could browse through many of the guest rooms, many vendors closed their doors, indicating that it was time to stop for the day and they were preparing to rest.
Su Xing hadn't had enough of exploring yet, and sighed inwardly with a touch of regret.
However, she also gained a lot today. Although she didn't buy anything, she really broadened her horizons.
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