Chapter 28: Digging up the Old Mansion (Part 2)

  7.5 million in '02 is also a not small number, for someone of Qu Wen's age, those who can take it out are mostly rich second generations. Even if the official second generation can take it out, they dare not show off like this, otherwise they will be criticized and give themselves and their old dad trouble.

  Yuansheng Jie took another look at Quwen, his tall and straight figure, handsome face, especially those eyes, like the sparkling waves of the sea under the sunlight, deep and far-reaching, as if they had a magical power that could penetrate all things in the world. The emerald ring on his hand was particularly eye-catching, which further enhanced Quwen's air of wealth. This was definitely not someone who could be raised by an ordinary wealthy family, perhaps behind him was a huge family.

  Yuansheng Jie couldn't help but re-examine the situation, and after being provoked like this, he felt that his face was somewhat lost, so he said in a hard tone: "Fine, you dare to bet, I'll accept it. If I lose, I'll immediately transfer 1 million yuan to you."

  Tan Jian stood in the middle, taking a deep breath of cold air. Although he often followed rich people, but such high-stakes betting was rare. A bet of over a million, how much work would he have to do to earn that? He immediately made Qu Wen his new target for flattery, this was a wealthy master indeed.

  Both sides made a fuss at the door, and a middle-aged man walked out of the inner house of the quadrangle courtyard. Qin Jian saw him and immediately went up to greet him, smiling respectfully: "Brother Li, I've brought another batch of buyers for you today, take out whatever good goods you have."

  It seems that this is the owner of the quadrangle courtyard, and Qin Jian's respect is also justified. As long as the people he brings in can make a deal, he will benefit from it, so he treats Li Ge as a god of wealth.

  Li Ge's full name is Li Jinliang. He had completed the immigration procedures two months ago and would have left earlier if there weren't some valuable items in the house that he needed to take care of, so he handed over the rest to a real estate agency to handle, which was very convenient.

  "I've moved all the old stuff to the east house, what's left are modern furniture, if they want it I can sell it to them cheaply."

  Today, whoever came was rushing to the old house, wanting to buy modern furniture is better off buying new ones at the furniture market. However, digging up treasures is a difficult thing to say, often what the original family thinks is worthless can sell for a good price. When encountering someone who doesn't understand the business, it also gives people an opportunity to pick up a big bargain. At this time, no one said anything and directly rushed to the east house.

  Along with Yuan Shengjie, there were three others who arrived a step earlier than Qu Wen and rushed into the east house. Like the Eight-Nation Alliance, they rummaged through everything in disarray, taking away anything that seemed valuable, leaving Zhao Haifeng anxious.

  After being together for a month, I learned that Qu Wen's family conditions were not very good. Every penny he earned was through his own hard work. Now, in order to save face for himself, he took out everything at once. My heart is filled with emotion. In one's lifetime, there are few friends who can be truly close, and even fewer brothers who would stand up for oneself.

  But now it's too late to stop, and all he can do is hope that his knowledge of antiques and his keen eye will help Quwen win this round. As for how high Quwen's level of connoisseurship is, Zhao Haifeng still has no idea. In the past month or so, he hasn't been able to see how deep Quwen's appreciation abilities are, and every day he's been studying basic things.

  He was a step slower than others in entering the house, and Qu Wen wasn't in a hurry either. He had already opened his spiritual awareness to investigate the spiritual energy inside the house. As long as he didn't encounter any modern masterpieces, there was no need to worry at all.

  Ling Jue made a round in the house, but didn't detect any spiritual energy fluctuations. It's also understandable that Quan Jian spread the news and within a few days, several groups of people came, if a large quadrangle courtyard can have so many things worth everyone's digging.

  After rummaging through it casually without finding anything surprising, Qu Wen walked out of the house alone. The small room was being searched by several people at the same time, stirring up a lot of dust and making the air really bad.

  Qu Wen left, Yuan Sheng Jie chuckled and said that he had decided to give up, because all the valuable things were now occupied by his people.

  Coming out of the house, he saw Li Jinliang sitting under a pomegranate tree. Qu Wen walked straight over and handed him a Chinese cigarette, smiling: "Brother Li, have a smoke."

  Li Jinliang didn't mince words, took the cigarette and lit it up directly, taking two puffs before asking Qu Wen: "You're not very old, how did you get into this line of antiques? I've heard that this industry is deep and treacherous, without sufficient experience, one will suffer greatly."

  Listening to Li Jinliang's words, it's clear that he's not a professional in this line of work and probably isn't cut out for business either; otherwise, he would have reminded the customers himself.

  However, Li Jinliang's words made Qu Wen feel a little better, and he scratched his head and replied: "I'm just curious, I followed you to see what happens. As for whether or not we can find any good treasures here, it all depends on luck. But rather than that, Brother Li, what did your ancestors do? This mansion from inside to outside is filled with a scholarly atmosphere."

  Li Jinliang is straightforward in character, and when someone chats with him, he opens up: "My great-grandfather used to be a minor official in the Qing court, and my grandfather was a teacher who also did some business. Two generations left behind many good things, but by the time of my parents' generation, a special period almost completely wiped out our family's possessions. It wasn't until 1979 that our family was rehabilitated and we were able to recover some of the things our ancestors had left behind. These past two days, Qin Jian brought over quite a few people who took away many items, including some late Qing and Republican-era objects that should be worth something. You've come a bit too late; if there's anything you're interested in, I'll give it to you for a reasonable price."

  Li Jinliang's voice was choked with emotion as he said, "I've grown up in this house since I was a child, and the things inside have been with me for decades. It's really hard to bear the thought of selling them."

  This story needs to be heard, and the words need to be asked. Qu Wen is not a philanthropist, he has staked everything in his family, and absolutely cannot let it all go down the drain.

  "Brother Li, can I ask what kind of hobbies or interests your family's elders have?"

  "My father doesn't have any special hobbies, but my grandfather likes to raise birds. As for my great-grandfather, I don't know."

  "Raising birds." Qu Wen's mind moved: "I wonder if they left behind anything like used bird cages?"

  Li Jinliang thought for a moment: "There are some, but they're all worthless items. If you want to see them, I'll go get them for you."

  The courtyard can be quite large, but Qu Wen didn't want to wait any longer and stood up: "I'll go with you, it just so happens that my family's elderly also like raising birds, if they're not bad, I'll even buy them."

  The birdcage is placed in the south house, and it should be a study room inside. On the desk are traditional stationery and four treasures of the study. The house is not big, but it's tidy and clean.

  Li Jinliang took down two bird cages from the bookshelf against the wall. At first glance, they were ordinary bamboo cages, but the workmanship was exquisite. Each bamboo strip was roughly the same size, and the thickness difference could hardly be seen with the naked eye. Even the hooks on top were made very neatly, and it was clear that they were made by skilled craftsmen.

  Actually, since the Tang Dynasty, playing with birds and appreciating birds has become a fashion trend. Merchants, nobles, and literati have all had a fondness for playing with birds and appreciating them. As this hobby expanded, bird cages also became more exquisite, especially during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, when they reached their peak. The bird cages made during this time were diverse in style, luxurious, and made from materials such as gold, silver, ivory, and fragrant wood. They featured various crafts, including silk weaving, relief carving, hollowing out, round carving, double-sided carving, shallow engraving, inlaying, gilding, and more, possessing extremely high artistic value. Under its influence, literati and officials within the capital city imitated this fashion trend, with the craze for raising birds and playing with cages becoming increasingly intense, continuing all the way until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic period.

  Nowadays, with the improvement of people's living standards, bird raising and appreciation have become increasingly popular again, and bird cage collecting has once again entered people's field of vision.

  Birdcage collecting is different from ordinary antique calligraphy and painting, as its materials, production, and craftsmanship are all very exquisite and complex. Each birdcage is unique and cannot be replicated, especially those made by master craftsmen, which are highly sought after by bird enthusiasts and become a refined object of pursuit among scholars.

  Not to mention the distant past, even exquisite bird cages made in recent decades can sell for over 500,000 yuan. If made from high-end materials like purple sandalwood, they can fetch up to 1 million or even 2 million yuan, with an annual appreciation rate of 15% to 20%.

  As for the material of this birdcage itself, it's quite ordinary, and if there's anything good about it, it's only that the craftsmanship is exquisite. Qu Wen released a burst of spiritual energy to cover the birdcage, and in an instant, his eyes widened suddenly as a large amount of spiritual energy surged forth, its intensity far surpassing that of Jin Tingbiao's paintings or Qing Jiangjun's finger movements.