Chapter 5: Qīng Fǎng Sān Guǒ Wén Wǎn (Clear Imitation of Three Fruit Pattern Bowl)

  As soon as Chu Chen walked into the store, he saw Wu Shu was behind the counter, using two fingers to tap on the keyboard of an old computer, operating it very clumsily. Next to the computer was a basic computer operation manual.

  This computer was bought by Wu Shu four months ago, spending 2,000 yuan to ask a friend to buy an old computer. The central processor is said to be something 586, anyway it's an old machine.

  When Wu Shu first got this computer, he was so excited that he called Chu Chen to show it off. Although Chu Chen thought it was quite strange, he wasn't interested in it. In his words, there were better ways to spend the money, and two thousand yuan had been wasted on this old thing.

  "Wu Shu, you're messing with this TV again!"

  Uncle Wu heard this, looking at the screen while responding: "You little guy, how many times have I told you? This is called a monitor, not a TV. You should learn some computer skills too, our line of work needs to keep up with the times."

  Chu Chen walked to Wu Shu's back and said, "Hehe, I'm not interested in this thing. Besides, learning still has books, doesn't it? Reading books is much more comfortable than staring at the monitor."

  Wu Hui turned his head and looked at Chu Chen with an expression that said "you can't teach a child", pointing to a news headline on the screen: "Can books be like computers? Look, do books have market information like this? Can you communicate with others through books?"

  Chu Chen looked down and saw that it was an auction message, saying that a Qing dynasty white jade three-child washing vessel had been sold for 9.99 million at an auction in the capital city. The specific photos and information on the page were clear at a glance.

  "Wow! This computer can still access such information?"

  "Of course, otherwise why would I spend 2,000 yuan on this computer? Moreover, there's a place called the forum inside where collectors can communicate with each other. The place I went to pick up the goods this time was introduced by a fellow collector."

  Chu Chen heard this and said with a surprised face: "Is there such a thing? But the person opposite doesn't know him, so he won't encounter a swindler, right?"

  "Wu Shu said with a wise and powerful expression: 'Who is Wu Shu? With my fiery eyes, do you think it's that easy to deceive me?'"

  Chu Chen listened and nodded silently, now Wu Shu was a bit like Wang Po.

  "Wu Shu continued: 'Xiao Chuan, I'm telling you, this computer is still worth learning. If it's not convenient to install broadband at home, come here to Wu Shu's place. Look at me, since I got the computer, I've learned so many things. Thinking about it now, I think my decision to buy a computer was really wise.'"

  Chu Chen said with a sly smile: "Uncle Wu, don't brag about it. It was probably Xiao Ke who made you buy it, wasn't it? Auntie Wu also said that when you bought the computer, you were so reluctant to part with your money, as if you had lost a precious piece of Jun kiln porcelain."

  Wu Shu slapped the back of Chu Chen's head and said, "You stinky brat, I knew you'd expose my weaknesses. You're really something." After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

  Then he smiled and said, "Xiao Chuan, Xiao Ke will be able to graduate ahead of schedule and return home next year. Do you want me to set you two up? My little Ke is not only beautiful but also gentle, and she will definitely make a good wife and mother in the future."

  Chu Chen shuddered all over, thinking of Wu Ke's masculine and feminine personality, beautiful to say the least, but gentle was a far cry from it. Chu Chen had been fooled by her many times before, and he repeatedly waved his hand:

  "Uncle Wu, let's talk about this later, I just turned 21, it's still early."

  Wu Shu chuckled and didn't say much, knowing that young people are sensitive, saying too much would be counterproductive. He changed the subject: "Suit yourself, after all it's your young people's business. But once you leave this village, there's no going back. By the way, have you brought your Tang Sancai? Let me take a look."

  Chu Chen smiled and took out a Tang Sancai ceramic piece wrapped in newspaper from his bag and placed it on the table.

  Wu Shu saw this and suddenly stood up from his chair with a "hiss", looking at the pile of pottery pieces with a painful expression.

  "What's going on?!"

  He saw Chu Chen still smiling and got a bit angry, pointing at him with his hand: "You're still smiling, what's going on! This is 420,000 yuan!"

  Chu Chen then told him the cause and effect, and pointed to that place, saying: "Things have already come to this result, smiling is better than crying, it's considered paying tuition."

  Wu Shu took the ceramic piece with the words "fire mud" written on it, sat down, and carefully examined it again and again with a magnifying glass. He let out a sigh and said.

  "Xiao Chen, although Zhang Huo's counterfeit is not easy to identify, after all, it's still your greed. Take another look at the quality of this piece, and compare it with the authentic ones I've seen before, there are some slight differences. Of course, this is just Wu Shu's hindsight, if we didn't know it was a fake, these minor differences wouldn't necessarily confirm that it's a counterfeit."

  "You, from now on, must remember that not listening to the elderly will bring trouble right before your eyes. Especially in our line of work, the older you are, the richer your experience is. However, your attitude should be better than mine. If I were you, I'd have wanted to die already."

  Chu Chen looked at the slight difference, but since he had never seen the real thing before, he couldn't tell it apart, so he just remembered it in his heart for now and nodded to himself, thinking that if he hadn't obtained his special ability later on, how could he have such a good attitude now.

  Then Wu Shu continued to say seriously: "On the one hand, you have to remember this lesson, on the other hand, don't be so scared that you lose your appetite. In our line of work with antiques, we value bravery and meticulousness, which is also based on your knowledge. It just so happens that I brought some goods this time, including one item that is very representative, let's test your eyesight later."

  After finishing, Wu Shu took out a Xuande glaze red three-fruit-patterned bowl from the storage cabinet on the north side and placed it on the counter, saying: "It's this Xuande glaze red three-fruit-patterned bowl. Take a look and see how it is."

  When appraising, Chu Chen's expression was still very serious. He picked up the small bowl and examined it carefully.

  In the antique circle, there is an unwritten rule that for fragile items like ceramics, they cannot be directly handed over from the seller to the buyer. Instead, the seller should first put the item aside and let the buyer pick it up themselves. Otherwise, if the item breaks during the handover, it would be difficult to determine who is responsible.

  Similarly, when appraising, as long as someone has some understanding of antiques, they will follow this rule. Even Chu Chen and Wu Shu, who are like uncles and nephews, will pay attention to this aspect.

  Langyao red is a famous and precious variety of Ming Qing official kiln, although it was first fired in the Yuan Dynasty, but because the copper red glaze is extremely unstable at high temperatures, so the success rate is low, until the Ming Yongxuan period only fired out the Langyao red with relatively correct color, the products are very few. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, due to the use of alum red instead of Langyao red, it was once stopped firing, and it was not until the early Qing Dynasty that it was gradually restored.

  As soon as the small bowl was in his hand, Chu Chen's left hand's special ability stirred restlessly, proving that this bowl was indeed an antique. However, he didn't absorb the aura first, but instead wanted to appraise it himself based on his own skills before doing anything else.

  This Dehua porcelain red three-fruit pattern bowl has a flared mouth, deep curved wall and ring foot. The outer wall is painted with underglaze red and decorated with pomegranate, persimmon and peach patterns, symbolizing many children and grandchildren, everything going smoothly, longevity and health.

  The glaze of this bowl is thick and heavy, with a bright red color inside the glaze, pure and correct in color, fresh and vibrant. The foot is inscribed with the six characters "Da Qing Kangxi Nian Zhi" in two lines of regular script, which appears to be the mark of the Kangxi period.

  At first glance, this is a Qianlong mark and period doucai three fruit vase, which should be an imperial imitation of the Ming Xuande doucai. Vases like this were produced during both the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, but those from the Kangxi period are relatively rare. If it's truly a Kangxi imitation of a Xuande doucai three fruit vase, then it would be highly valuable for collection.

  However, Chu Chen continued to use a magnifying glass to carefully examine it and still found some problems. Later, he used his ability to absorb the aura in the bowl, which further verified his judgment. He then carefully placed the small bowl on the counter.

  Wu Shu saw this and asked him: "How is it? Have you taken a good look? If you have, then speak up."

  Chu Chen nodded and organized his words, saying: "This is a Qing Kangxi imitation of Ming Xuande's glaze inner red three-fruit pattern bowl. The details of the body, glaze, and color materials can be seen as an extremely rare fine piece. However, some details can still be discerned, this bowl was not fired during the Kangxi period."

  Wu Shu heard this and his eyes lit up, saying: "Oh! Tell me more about it."

  Chu Chen chuckled and picked up the three-fruit-patterned bowl again, saying: "Uncle Wu, look at this. First of all, this three-fruit-patterned bowl has a glaze that is red in color, but upon closer inspection, you can still see that the color is not entirely pure, with some black undertones. If it were from the Kangxi period, it would be rare for it to have survived."

  "Secondly, looking at the quality of this porcelain, although it has been processed as finely as possible, compared to the Kangxi period, it is still somewhat lacking. The body is not thick and sturdy enough, but it is still much better than the late Qing dynasty's porcelain."

  "Next, let's take a closer look at this piece. Although it looks like an official kiln work, if we use a magnifying glass to examine it carefully, we can see that the character "" is not as neat and tidy as those found in official kilns."

  "Finally, let's take a look at the wrapping sauce. Although this bowl of wrapping sauce is warm and smooth, it still doesn't reach the thickness of the Kangxi period, not to mention the Qianlong period."

  "In summary, this imitation of the Ming Xuande's glaze red three-fruit pattern bowl should be a work from the mid-to-late Qing dynasty folk kiln imitations, and the person who fired it must have been a master craftsman. Although not from the Kangxi period itself, the quality of this bowl is still quite exquisite and has considerable collectible value."

  Chu Chen was able to draw a conclusion, also thanks to the power of his heterochromatic eyes. It was precisely because he had used his heterochromatic eyes to absorb that aura from the three-fruit-patterned bowl that he had gained confidence in his heart.

  "Good, not bad, you've mentioned all the characteristics of this San Guo Weng bowl, and your judgment is quite accurate. Xiao Chuan, it seems that you have been studying hard." Wu Shu heard this and applauded, saying "Well done!"

  Chu Chen heard Wu Shu's praise, touched his head and said with some embarrassment: "It's all because of Wu Shu's good teaching, but I haven't learned enough yet. In the future, I'll have to ask Wu Shu for more guidance." (Collecting and recommending!)