When I walked out of the lounge, Fatty eagerly came up to me and asked how it was going.
"It's basically all done," I said.
Fatty blinked, "Done? What do you mean? You recognized all those paintings and calligraphy?"
I nodded.
Fatty was delighted, "Xiang Ye, you're amazing!"
Actually, this round of the competition wasn't difficult. Anyone who had studied calligraphy and paintings for years could basically advance.
Although the quantity seemed large, most of them were works by famous artists, with very few obscure pieces.
Furthermore, there was no need to distinguish between real and fake. One only needed to know the author and the era.
However, the "Lady Painting" did leave me a bit puzzled. That is to say, I was a little uncertain about the answer for that painting.
It was a painting that could easily mislead people.
The organizers had previously stated that all the artworks in the corridor were genuine. Therefore, when everyone saw that painting, they would generally come up with two answers.
Either the "Lady Painting" was a genuine work by Tang Bohu, or it was a forgery. But whose forgery could be hung in there?
Only a forgery by a famous artist would be displayed inside.
This would then lead to the second corresponding answer, and most people would likely think it was a forgery by Zhang Daqian.
Besides these two answers, there was a third answer, which was much simpler: just writing the word "Fake" would suffice.
I was unsure of the organizers' intentions, which is why I struggled with these three answers for a long time. However, I finally figured it out.
Isn't an appraisal convention about relying on one's own abilities?
Since I knew the real answer, why should I care about the organizers' intentions? I just wrote what I knew.
Back at my seat, the event staff had thoughtfully prepared fruits and some snacks for us, which I ate casually.
Yan Yuhe came to find me after she had finished answering, which was two hours later.
Judging by her expression, this round wasn't difficult for her either.
"Mr. Xiang, I saw you walk through the corridor in ten minutes..." Yan Yuhe said with a smile.
I nodded, "The calligraphy and paintings inside are mostly in sets, so they don't take too much time."
"It seems Mr. Xiang's mastery of calligraphy and paintings is no less than mine," Yan Yuhe said with a smile.
"Miss Yan flatters me. I'm just self-taught. Your Yan family are the true masters of calligraphy and paintings," I said.
After a few pleasantries, I asked her about the "Lady Painting."
I asked her how she viewed the "Lady Painting," and she said, "That painting should be a forgery by the elder Mr. Zhang Daqian."
Hearing this, I was taken aback, "You think that painting was done by Zhang Daqian?"
She nodded confidently, then looked at me with confusion, "Does Mr. Xiang have a different opinion?"
For a moment, I didn't know how to answer. That painting was completely a fake, and moreover, it was a fake I had aged myself.
Of all these appraisal experts, did no one see it?
This made me unsure whether to laugh or cry, and I didn't know whether to be happy or helpless.
"I must have seen it wrong," I said.
Yan Yuhe asked curiously, "Oh? Then what was Mr. Xiang's answer?"
"Fake..."
As soon as I uttered these two words, a burst of laughter erupted. I saw a man in a Zhongshan suit walk over, "Fake? Amazing! Amazing! Yuhe, is this the external support your Yan family invited?"
His face carried a hint of mockery and disdain. He glanced at me before focusing his attention on Yan Yuhe.
This was the person who had entered before me. Yan Yuhe had told me that he was the second son of the Kong family, named Kong Wen.
"Mr. Kong, please watch your words," Yan Yuhe's tone was still soft, but her eyes revealed a hint of displeasure.
"Is there something wrong with what I said?" Kong Wen asked with a smile.
"Mr. Xiang is our Yan family's guest!" Yan Yuhe emphasized.
"Is that so?" Kong Wen glanced at me, "Yuhe, there are many charlatans these days. Don't fall for someone's tricks."
"You don't need to worry about it. Mr. Xiang's father and my father were old acquaintances. It's not your place to criticize," Yan Yuhe said.
"Old acquaintances?" Kong Wen looked at me, "What's your father's name?"
Just as I was about to speak, Fatty put down the osmanthus cake he was holding, wiped his mouth, and said, "What's your father's name?"
Kong Wen's expression changed. Fatty continued, "Oh! What's wrong? You can ask others about their fathers' names, but you can't let others ask about your father's name? You're quite a peculiar person."
Fatty, with his inherently sharp tongue, managed to provoke Kong Wen to the brink of an outburst within just a couple of sentences.
"What? Don't you know your father's name? Or do you not have a father?" Fatty continued.
"Say that again!" Kong Wen's face darkened, and he said coldly.
"Xiang Ye, did you hear what I said just now?" Fatty asked me.
I nodded.
"Miss Yan, how about you?" Fatty asked again.
Yan Yuhe also nodded.
"Then it's strange. Everyone else can hear me, so why can't this person? He's asking me to repeat myself. Could he be deaf? Business for deaf and mute masseurs isn't good these days? Why are all sorts of people flocking to the antique business?" Fatty said to himself.
I saw Kong Wen's face turn red. He pointed at Fatty, unable to utter a word for a long time.
If Fatty were allowed to continue like this, I was afraid the guy would be angered to death.
I quickly stopped Fatty, "You should say less."
"Yes, anyway, he can't hear it, so it's a waste of breath. Why bother with such a person?" Fatty said.
Kong Wen took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and stared at me, "You just said that the 'Lady Painting' is a fake?"
I nodded, "Yes."
"That's ridiculous! That 'Lady Painting' was acquired by my uncle at a great cost from a collector. How could it possibly be a fake!" Kong Wen said, his face flushed and his neck red.
Hearing this, I was slightly taken aback and looked at Yan Yuhe, asking, "Are all the calligraphy and paintings in this first round of competition provided by your four great families?"
She quickly realized the implication of my question, her expression turning a bit awkward, and she nodded slightly.
No wonder!
This appraisal convention indeed had loopholes. It seemed that the first round of the competition was merely a formality for the four great families.
Thinking about it, since the calligraphy and paintings were provided by the four great families, they would naturally be very familiar with who created many of these pieces and from which era they came.
Fatty, seeing my expression change slightly, quickly realized the problem, "Isn't this cheating?"
As soon as he said this, Kong Wen also seemed to realize something. He instinctively glanced around, glared at Fatty, hesitated, then bit the bullet and left.
Yan Yuhe's expression also turned a bit awkward, "Mr. Xiang, let's talk somewhere else."
She soon led me and Fatty to a secluded spot before beginning to explain.
She said that although the artworks were provided by the four great families, each family only knew the details of their own provided artworks. They knew nothing about the others.
In other words, the participants from the four great families had an advantage of knowing one-quarter of the answers.
"It seems this appraisal convention isn't absolutely fair," I said with a sneer.
"Mr. Xiang... are you blaming me for not telling you earlier..."
I interrupted Yan Yuhe, "That's not what I mean. I just think this might be a bit unfair to other appraisers."