Sister Ying could be called my benefactor in life. Not only did she let me work in her shop, but she also took great care of me.
Normally, when she came to the shop, she would bring me some delicious food and clothes.
I didn't know exactly what she did, but I could tell she was by no means short of money.
Once, I couldn't help but ask her, "Sister Ying, what do you do?"
Sister Ying smiled and said, "I deal in antiques."
I said, "You don't look like it."
She smiled and didn't say anything further.
After working in the shop for several months, when I had nothing to do, I began to study the diaries left by my father and the "Seven Stars Nine Arts Xuan Kong Secret Arts" passed down in my family.
Until one day, Sister Ying came to the shop looking somewhat uneasy. She sat at the tea table beside me, drinking tea and pondering something.
I went over to refill her tea and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Sister Ying?"
She looked up at me, seeming hesitant to speak. After a moment, she asked, "Do you know what a Xuande furnace is?"
"Yes," I nodded.
She looked surprised, then continued, "I have a Xuande furnace here that's having some problems..."
"What kind of problems?" I asked.
She pondered for a moment, then stared at me for a while before standing up and saying, "There's no business today. I'll take you somewhere."
Seeing her expression, it was clear she was willing to try anything as a last resort.
I didn't say much either. Following her lead, I closed the shop and left Hong Yuan with her.
Having worked here for so long, I never showed off. This was mainly because I always remembered my grandfather's words: one must always remain humble and discreet.
If it weren't for Sister Ying's great care for me, I probably wouldn't have said much.
We got into a Crown sedan. Sister Ying stepped on the accelerator and took me to a farmhouse resort.
This place was not close to the city; it took over half an hour to drive there.
Upon arrival, Sister Ying led me to a room with an antique ambiance.
As soon as we entered, we heard a voice say, "Young lady, why are you so late?"
The speaker was an old man in his forties or fifties, dressed in a Tang suit and twirling two walnuts in his hand. His demeanor clearly indicated he was a seasoned veteran of the antique world.
Beside the old man was a young man in his twenties, and it was evident that their relationship was not ordinary.
"Something came up on the way," Sister Ying replied.
"And who is this?" The old man's gaze fell on me.
"My younger brother," Sister Ying said.
The old man nodded and didn't say much else. Instead, he walked to the eight-immortal table and stared at a Xuande furnace on it, saying, "What do we do now? The deal was almost closed, but we were ambushed... If this business falls through, we'll be at a huge loss."
Sister Ying's expression also turned grim, and she slowly said, "Man proposes, but destiny disposes."
At this point, the young man spoke up, "I heard that the appraiser the other party found is from the Bai family. If the buyer can find someone from the Bai family to appraise it, they must have come prepared."
"The Bai family?" Sister Ying frowned. "Are you sure?"
"It should be correct. I've already sent someone to investigate," the young man replied.
"If people from the Bai family are involved, then this matter is indeed quite troublesome," Sister Ying mused.
The old man said, "Whether it's the Bai family or not, the most important thing right now is to find someone to determine if this furnace is genuine."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sister Ying turned to me and said, "Xiao Fei, come and take a look."
As I approached, the old man and the young man both looked at me, their eyes filled with suspicion.
"Can he do it?" the old man asked Sister Ying, sizing me up.
"Whether he can do it, we'll only know after he's looked," Sister Ying defended me.
I took a deep breath and thought: These two people clearly look like Sister Ying's partners. This is the first time Sister Ying has asked me to do something for her, and I absolutely cannot let her down.
A Xuande furnace is a bronze incense burner, colloquially known as a "Xuan furnace," designed and supervised by the Ming Dynasty's Emperor Xuanzong, Zhu Zhanji, in the third year of the Xuande reign.
Such incense burners are rare and precious. The fact that Sister Ying managed to acquire one indicates that she is at least not an ordinary collector.
I walked to the table and glanced at it, then said, "This is a replica."
As soon as I spoke, everyone's expression changed. The young man couldn't help but exclaim, "You just glanced at it, and you've already concluded it's fake?"
I nodded.
Sister Ying also looked somewhat doubtful and said to me, "Xiao Fei, why don't you take a closer look?"
I knew what Sister Ying meant by that. She wanted me to explain the basis of my judgment.
And just as I was about to speak, the old man beside me said displeasedly, "Young lady, where did you find this brother of yours? Does he know anything about antiques?"
Sister Ying didn't know how to respond for a moment.
I lightly flicked the furnace with my finger, and a clear, prolonged "ding" sound was heard.
"Did you all hear that?" I said. "This furnace looks heavily oxidized on the outside, but its interior is new."
Everyone was still confused. I continued to explain, "Generally, furnaces that have aged will undergo structural changes. To the naked eye, they may appear intact, but their internal structures will have been compartmentalized. If the sound I just made had been muffled, it would have proven it to be an old artifact. But alas..."
As I said this, I glanced at everyone.
"But according to what you're saying, it's too one-sided. Look closely at this furnace. Its craftsmanship and the materials used are all standard for a Xuande furnace," the old man argued.
"It is indeed cast with Feng Mo bronze, and..."
"And what?" Sister Ying asked.
I looked at Sister Ying and said, "There are some things I'm not convenient to say."
The young man beside me couldn't help but ask, "What's inconvenient to say? Just say whatever you want."
Sister Ying gave me a slight nod.
I took a deep breath and said, "What I've said so far is secondary. The most important thing is the technique used by the person who made it... There aren't many people these days who can cast a furnace using this technique."
"What technique?" the old man asked.
"Lost-wax casting," I slowly uttered the three words.
Upon hearing these words, the young man was relatively unfazed, but both Sister Ying and the old man's expressions changed.
In the world of antiques, appraisal is important, but one must also understand some of the schools of thought within the antique community.
If you don't understand these various factions, making a mistake is a minor issue; worse still, you might not even know how you lost your life.
As for these various branches, my father had instilled a great deal of this knowledge in me since I was young.
"Are you telling the truth?" Sister Ying asked me with a frown.
I took a deep breath and nodded slightly.