My father once told me that most of the auctions on the market exist for antiques.
Antique auctions are generally divided into two types: one is officially backed, held by authoritative auction houses.
The other type is more civilian, attended mostly by people who know each other well.
The auction Ying Jie took me to was clearly the latter.
The car arrived at a five-story office building in the suburbs. After parking, she led me inside.
At the entrance, several burly men were waiting. Seeing Ying Jie leading the way, one of them bowed slightly and greeted her, "An Zong."
Ying Jie nodded at him and asked, "Has it started?"
"We're waiting for you," the man replied.
"Alright then."
As Ying Jie spoke and led me inside, someone suddenly blocked my path.
Before I could react, the person gestured for a body search.
Ying Jie turned to look and frowned slightly, "He's my brother."
"An Zong, he's just following protocol," the leading man said with an apologetic smile.
"Then why aren't you searching me?" Ying Jie asked assertively.
The man was taken aback for a moment, his eyes darted, and he then signaled the person blocking me to step aside.
Seeing this, I quickly followed. Ying Jie led me up the stairs, and as we walked, she said, "Xiao Fei, remember this, from now on you're my brother. Be a bit bolder when we're out, and I'll cover for you."
Hearing this, my heart warmed, and I said, "Thank you, Ying Jie…"
She smiled brightly, "No need to be so formal with me from now on."
When we reached the second floor, I realized how unique this office building was.
The second floor was a large open space, which I estimated to be at least seven to eight hundred square meters.
The walls were adorned with many ancient paintings, and the hall was filled with glass display cabinets, along with some sofas and coffee tables.
When we entered, there were already quite a few people inside. Each person was accompanied by a staff member dressed in a black suit and wearing white gloves.
In a nearby seating area, several people were chatting.
Ying Jie led me towards them. An elder sitting on a single sofa saw Ying Jie and stood up, smiling, "Xiao Ying, you're here?"
"Uncle Zhou," Ying Jie replied with a smile.
The elder's age was hard to discern, his hair was all silver, but his complexion was excellent, with a rosy glow.
He was wearing a long gown and a pair of early Ming Dynasty style rimless folding spectacles.
Two chains hung from his ears, and the round lenses fit snugly against his eyes.
His attire was very much like that of a shopkeeper from the Qing Dynasty.
"Since Xiao Ying is here, I'll go prepare. I'll catch up with everyone later," the elder said, cupping his hands towards the others.
Everyone nodded with smiles.
"Xiao Ying, you look around first. I'll go get ready."
"Uncle Zhou, please go ahead."
After the elder left, Ying Jie and I toured the hall.
"That was Zhou Yongxiang, a great collector from Guangling, Mr. Zhou," Ying Jie introduced me. "Mr. Zhou holds a very high position in the antique circles of Guangling. Even nationwide, he's considered one of the top collectors."
"That impressive?" I couldn't help but exclaim.
Ying Jie chuckled, "Mr. Zhou is no ordinary person…"
Ying Jie told me that Mr. Zhou Yongxiang was already eighty-two years old.
At the age of ten, he was an apprentice at "Yongli," the largest pawnshop in the south at the time.
I heard my father say that in the past, shops had dedicated people for handling antiques. These individuals were basically the "Chaofeng" in pawnshops, equivalent to the role of a shopkeeper. All matters in the pawnshop were decided by the Chaofeng.
Ying Jie said Zhou Yongxiang started as an apprentice at ten, became a junior Chaofeng at fifteen, and by eighteen, he was already one of the famous "Top Ten Chaofeng" of "Yongli."
This clearly shows that his appraisal skills were extremely high, and he must have seen an uncountable number of fine items.
A pawnshop Chaofeng is different from an antique appraiser. A pawnshop's primary goal is profit.
Chaofeng often made crucial decisions. If they misjudged an item, it would result in a significant loss for the pawnshop.
My father mentioned that a very good friend of my grandfather's worked as a Chaofeng in a pawnshop. Many times, when encountering items they were unsure about, they would ask my grandfather to appraise them.
In essence, a Chaofeng not only needed a sharp eye but also business acumen.
It was unexpected that even now I had the chance to see a Chaofeng from a major pawnshop; this certainly broadened my horizons.
At the same time, another thought occurred to me.
If I were to compare myself with Zhou Yongxiang, how would our appraisal abilities stack up?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile wryly.
Now, I'm just a young man, while he is a renowned figure. How could he possibly contend with me?
Even if I wanted to, he probably wouldn't agree.
After all, the older a person gets, the more they value their reputation. They wouldn't make a move unless absolutely necessary, to avoid tarnishing their legacy in their later years.
Take my grandfather, for example. As he got older, he never appraised items for others again, just to be safe.
It's a pity that he probably never imagined that the reputation he protected with his life would be ruined by my father…
"Xiao Fei, what are you thinking about?" Ying Jie's voice interrupted my train of thought. I snapped back to reality and replied, "Oh… nothing. I was just thinking how impressive Mr. Zhou really is."
Ying Jie smiled, "Even the most capable people are ultimately trapped by time. He doesn't appraise for people anymore. Nowadays, he mainly organizes small auctions and exchanges ideas with peers."
I nodded and said nothing further.
After circling the hall, Ying Jie led me to an unoccupied seating area and we sat down.
Before long, Zhou Yongxiang changed into a golden jacket and took his seat in a grand armchair in the center of the hall.
On the rosewood tea table in front of him was a microphone, and the scene looked somewhat comical.
With his traditional attire, the addition of a modern item created a slight sense of incongruity.
He first gave an opening speech and then got straight to the point.
The gist was that someone had entrusted him with some fine items. He had already had them authenticated, and their value would be assessed by those present.
The benefit of auctions is that at least everything is guaranteed to be genuine.
Whether one can find a bargain depends on individual skill.
Generally, items put up for auction are those whose vendors have a general understanding of their provenance; at most, there might be some uncertainty about minor details.
For instance, the inkstone that Hong Yunpeng and I found as a bargain. Boss Feng recognized it as Song Dynasty, but he wasn't sure of its specific maker, so he sold it at an approximate price.
Of course, some sellers already knew the exact details of the items but wanted to get a good price, so they brought them to auction.
Regardless, in the antique trade, it all comes down to appraisal skills.