Chapter 79: Liu Lao's Recognition (Continued)

  "Thank you, Old Liu, I'll take my leave now."

  What first caught Chu Chen's eye was the teacup, which surprisingly was a lemon-yellow-glazed teacup. It looked delicate and lightweight, with a slender shape. The inner wall was white-glazed, while the outer wall was fully covered with lemon-yellow glaze, the glaze was tender, warm, elegant and pure, without any imperfections.

  Although it looks modern, this is undoubtedly a fine piece in terms of its body, glaze and shape. The craftsmanship of the creator is at the top level of modern ceramic firing. This tea cup makes people love it at first sight, and when tasting tea, it becomes even more harmonious.

  Looking at the tea soup in the teacup again, it is wine red in color but also crystal clear, and there is a faint tea fragrance floating out. Chu Chen deduced from his recent knowledge of tea ceremony that this should be the tea soup brewed with top-grade Da Hong Pao, and the taste must be extremely good as well.

  Chu Chen couldn't wait to pick up the teacup, and then brought it to his nose and sniffed it lightly. Suddenly, a refreshing peach fragrance entered his heart, making him feel refreshed and invigorated. Moreover, after exhaling, he could still smell the faint scent. This further proved that Liu Lao's Dahongpao was not ordinary.

  The fragrance of the tea soup alone had already caused Chu Chen's saliva to secrete rapidly, giving him an idea to drink the tea in one gulp. However, tea should be savored in three mouthfuls; if not, how could he do justice to such good tea?

  Savoring the tea soup carefully, Chu Chen couldn't help but let out a loud "Good!" The moment it entered his mouth, the quality of the tea was evident, giving off a smooth and refreshing sensation. Before he could even feel the bitterness, the aftertaste had already emerged, leaving his mouth filled with fragrance. It was truly refreshing, sweet, and aromatic, with a lingering aftertaste that was hard to forget.

  Liu Lao saw Chu Chen's expression of endless aftertaste and smiled: "Little Chu, how is this tea?"

  Chu Chen smiled and replied: "Liu Lao, I'm telling the truth, this tea is really too good, it's the best Da Hong Pao I've ever had. Let me summarize in four sentences: The soup color is clear orange and bright, the roasted fire is light and fragrant with peach honey, the taste is sweet and smooth, and the aftertaste is refreshing. Liu Lao, may I ask boldly, isn't this tea from the mother tree?"

  Liu Lao burst out laughing and said, "Xiao Chu, you're quite the connoisseur! Your appearance suggests that you have some experience with tea tasting. What you said is absolutely right, this tea leaf is indeed from the mother tree."

  Chu Chen said humbly: "Liu Lao, you're overpraising me. I'm just a beginner in the way of tea and can't even be considered proficient. However, Liu Lao, you're being too polite, such good tea is actually wasted on me."

  Liu Lao waved his hand and smiled, "What's the point of talking about waste or not? You're no worse than others. Besides, tea is meant to be drunk, how can you appreciate its true nature if you don't drink it? Of course, only those I deem worthy can drink this Da Hong Pao."

  Chu Chen heard Liu Lao say this, and suddenly his face lit up with joy. He thought to himself: "Liu Lao saying this means he looks up to me, doesn't it? This way, who knows, maybe one day I'll really be able to become a disciple under Liu Lao's guidance! Chu Chen, you must live up to expectations!"

  Liu Lao and Liu Qin Shu saw Chu Chen's joyful heart overflowing with excitement, and they couldn't help but smile in understanding.

  "Xiao Chu, do you know why I asked you to come here today?"

  Chu Chen heard this and was slightly stunned for a moment, then reacted immediately, saying with some surprise: "Liu Lao, is it that the piece of work by Mr. Banqiao has been mounted?"

  Liu Lao nodded and smiled: "Right, you really came at the right time. It's also a good time for mounting, it's summer, the painting dries quickly, plus my unique craftsmanship, it's almost done. Xiao Chu, come take a look, are you satisfied or not?"

  Chu Chen only then noticed that his own Zheng Banqiao's bamboo and stone painting was hanging not far to the left, so he followed Old Liu to stand in front of the painting.

  At this glance, Chu Chen couldn't help but praise Liu Lao's craftsmanship. Although he didn't know much about mounting techniques, he could still tell that the mounting of this painting was exceptionally well done!

  The bamboo and stone painting, after being mounted by Liu Lao, not only shows more ancient charm, but also brings out the artistic conception of this painting, making it look even more divine and mysterious. It's no wonder that people say "three parts painting, seven parts mounting", as can be seen from this very painting.

  "Liu Lao, your craftsmanship is truly exceptional!" After finishing, Chu Chen gave Liu Lao a thumbs up in admiration.

  Liu Lao was very satisfied with his own decoration this time, and said with a hint of pride: "It's also your good work that makes this old bone regain its youth, but you can't take away this painting yet, I still need to deal with it slightly."

  Chu Chen waved his hand and said: "Liu Lao, I'm not in a hurry either. Besides, didn't I promise you before that I would leave the matter for a month?"

  Liu Lao joked: "Haha, it's good that you have this heart. If you really stay for a month, be careful I'll get greedy and won't let the painting go."

  Hearing Liu Lao say that, Chu Chen smiled and said: "Liu Lao, it's okay, I still think like before, as long as I can often see this work, that's enough."

  Liu Lao smiled and pointed at him: "You're also a lazy good-for-nothing. Alright, let's hear it from Qinxin - what's this important matter of yours?"

  "Please sit down first, and then we'll talk."

  Chu Chen saw Liu Lao sit down, then took out the paper and handed it to Liu Lao: "Liu Lao, you take a look at this first."

  Liu Lao took the paper, somewhat curious about what was written on it. As he read on, his expression became increasingly shocked. Finally, with a serious face, he said: "Xiao Chu, where did you get this thing? Has anyone else seen it?"

  Chu Chen simply recounted the course of events and then said, "The things recorded on this only I and Wu Shu have seen, we both think that only you can use the things written here for a righteous purpose."

  Liu Lao heard this and also let out a sigh of relief. What he feared most was that the things written on it would be spread out, so he said with some jest: "You and Zi Ping, are you trying to roast me over an open flame?"

  Chu Chen waved his hand repeatedly and said, "How dare we do this? We think that at this time, only a senior like you with high moral character can perfectly resolve this matter."

  Liu smiled and said: "Since you say so, Xiaochu, at the critical moment I can only take it upon myself. This paper will be kept here with me for now, are you at ease?"

  "What's not reassuring about this? I didn't plan on taking this paper back anyway, it was originally meant to be given to you. Don't worry, I definitely don't have a single backup of this paper." By the end, Chu Chen's face had turned somewhat serious.

  Liu Lao waved his hand and smiled, "Alright, Xiao Chu, don't be so serious. I still believe what you said, but you've also thrown me a hot potato, making me nervous for half the day."

  Chu Chen scratched the back of his head and smiled: "Hehe, Old Liu, let's take a look at these two things I got from Xijing this time, it's also quite relaxing."

  "Oh, then I'll take a look, Xiao Chu, you never bring simple things, this time won't disappoint me, right?"

  Liu Laobian said as he opened the brocade box that Chuyan had placed on the table, and a beautifully crafted statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva suddenly appeared before the eyes of the three people.

  Liu Qingshu saw this statue and exclaimed in surprise: "This is the Yongxuan statue, isn't it? Xiao Chu, you've obtained another precious artifact!"

  Chu Chen was somewhat surprised that Liu Qinshu's eyesight was so good, and he immediately gave a thumbs up and laughed:

  "Aunt Liu, your eyesight is really unbelievable!"

  "I didn't have such good eyesight, it's just that every time you brought something back, Xiao Chu, it was always astonishing, so I just made a bold guess." Liu Qin Shu smiled and said.

  Liu Lao Bian looked at the statue in his hand and smiled, "Xiao Shu, your attitude is not right. Who doesn't even touch it and yet can determine its authenticity just by guessing? However, Xiao Chu's things are indeed good, the shape is natural, the charm is full, this kind of craftsmanship is rare in the Xuande period, so it's not only a genuine product, but also a rare treasure among them."

  He then praised and said: "And look, the quality of this statue is preserved so well, the gold plating has hardly fallen off at all. It's really rare to see such a high-quality Yongzheng Buddha statue, although it's not unheard of, most of them are in major museums, and private ones are rarely seen."

  "Dad, why is it preserved so well?" Liu Qinchu asked with some curiosity.

  Liu Lao thought for a moment, then said: "This is probably related to the culture of Tibet. In the past, such statues were given to local high-ranking monks or nobles because of their Buddhist faith, so people there have always been very respectful of Buddha and would have taken great care to preserve them. Even if they had flowed out at first, the person who got them should also be a devout Buddhist."

  Here is the translation:

  "Now, Liu Lao instructed Chu Chen: "Little Chu, since you've obtained it, you should also take good care of it like the previous generations' owners. This way, you'll be worthy of their reverence for Buddha. By the way, I heard that you're not from the capital city, so where are you living now? Is it a rented house?"

  Chu Chen said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yes, I'm still renting someone else's house now. This time in Xijing, I earned some money and also plan to buy a house. I think that after having a house, my antiques can be better preserved and taken care of."

  "Right, Xiao Chu, you're thinking correctly. As the ancients said, 'a stable home leads to a happy career.' Once your living situation is settled, you can better discover your own career path. So, have you considered what kind of house you'd like to buy?" Liu Lao asked him.

  "I used to like siheyuan, but now that I've seen your old place, I feel that this style is particularly close to my heart's feeling of home, so I've decided to buy a residence in this style. Liu Lao, does this count as being somewhat overly ambitious?" By the end, Chu Chen couldn't help but look a bit embarrassed.