Chapter 29: Black Bottom Three Colors

  "Brother Li, this birdcage is well-made. If my dad saw it, he would definitely like it. Name a price for two and I'll take them both."

  No matter how famous this bird cage is or how much it's worth, Qu Wen won't let go of it just because of its spiritual aura. He knows he's found something good and grabs the bird cage with both hands, refusing to let go.

  If it were a high-end wooden birdcage, Li Jinliang might have opened a high price, but at present, these two are ordinary bamboo woven crafts, thinking that they would not be worth much money. Anyway, since we're going to move, carrying them on our bodies is also inconvenient. If we want to raise birds again in the future, we can buy new ones. On the other hand, when the old objects at home meet a buyer who likes them, it's like a daughter meeting a good husband, and I'm very happy too.

  He waved his hand: "It's just two bamboo baskets, they're not worth much money, just take them away."

  To be honest, Qu Wen didn't want to owe Li Jinliang too much. He knew that these two things were good stuff, but he couldn't say the true value of these two baskets, so he scratched his head and thanked him again: "Thank you so much, Brother Li."

  Li Jinliang even turned around and thanked Qu Wen: "It should be me thanking you, these two bird cages can have a good home, I also feel very relieved."

  Zhao Haifeng's side was with Yuansheng Jie, in the two rooms of only 50 or 60 square meters, how many things could there be? Several people turned everything upside down, after finishing the east room, they went to another room to take a look, but never came to the study.

  Yuan Shengjie and the other three each carried various items of different sizes, making Zhao Haifeng increasingly anxious. How could one person possibly contend with four people and eight hands? Just as he finally spotted an item of some value, a lacquerware, it was snatched away by the opponent, almost leading to a fight. Fortunately, Qin Jian intervened, preventing the situation from escalating into a full-blown brawl.

  Before long, Qu Wen walked over with a bird cage in hand, only to see Zhao Haifeng's face had turned beet red.

  "What's wrong with you? You've only just started and already look like you're poisoned?"

  Now it's the emperor who is not in a hurry, but the eunuch is. Zhao Haifeng wanted to help Qu Wen keep those several hundred thousand safe, but he himself seemed to be acting as if nothing was wrong, turned around and came back with an additional bird cage in his hand, looking carefree, no different from the Eight Banners sons of the Qing dynasty.

  "Awen is in no hurry at all, if you lose, those 750,000 will be gone."

  "Oh, what good treasures did you find by following them?" Qu Wen didn't rush to speak. If he were to say that this house had been searched several times by many people, if there really was something good left, it would have been taken long ago. But they managed to get two bird cages full of spiritual energy, which made him very happy. Maybe with these two bird cages, they could surpass Yuan Shengjie and his four companions.

  "There's nothing good, just a piece of lacquerware that's still passable, and judging from its quality, it should be worth around tens of thousands of yuan."

  Lacquerware is a kind of daily utensils and handicrafts, artworks made by applying lacquer to the surface of various objects. As early as the Neolithic period, people recognized the properties of lacquer and used it to make utensils. From the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, China's lacquerware craftsmanship continued to develop, reaching a relatively high level. And China's lacquerware crafts such as qī jīn (漆金) and miǎo jīn (描金), had a profound impact on Japan and other places.

  Due to the use of different lacquer materials, it has special functions such as moisture resistance, heat resistance, and corrosion resistance. Due to the diversity of colored lacquers, the lacquerware produced is colorful and radiant. The price of lacquerware is also determined by its age and quality, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of millions.

  "Ten thousand times more useful than a fart, you've got news that's been scooped up by others and only come now when it's all dried up. This is what they call 'sweeping the old house', or rather, doing a poor job of cleaning."

  Although the news came from Qian Jian, it can't be blamed on others. Only when both parties make a deal will Qian Jian take a commission; before that, he didn't take a single cent. This message is out, you guys come or not, anyway, he charges according to the transaction.

  Unexpectedly got a pair of bird cages, the mood is great, a burst of teasing, secretly pulled Zhao Haifeng to one side, mysteriously whispered: "Take a look at this pair of bird cages in my hand, how much do you think they're worth?"

  Before, Zhao Haifeng had been worried about Qu Wen, and hadn't paid much attention to the birdcage in his hand. Hearing him say this, he turned his gaze over, took one out, and examined it carefully for a while. Then he took out the bird food container from the cage and studied it up and down, with an expression as if he was enchanted.

  "You... where did this birdcage come from?" Zhao Haifeng stared at Qu Wen as if he had seen a divine being, and if he wasn't mistaken, just the birdcage in his hand was enough to beat Yuan Shengjie to a pulp, let alone two of them.

  Qu Wen suddenly made a kissing sound in Li Jinliang's study: "Found it in the owner's study. What about you, have you figured out what's going on?"

  Zhao Haifeng carried the bird cage and looked at it for another half day, blinking his eyes, and said with an admiring tone: "It's you who is my uncle, we five people messed around in the east house for half a day, but you easily turned it around. Although the material of this bird cage is ordinary, the workmanship is fine and regular, it should be made by a master. Most importantly, there are four bird feeders in these two cages!"

  The bird food container in the cage, Quwen had also seen it before, is about half a fist size, black base with color, each food container has a different floral pattern, respectively painted in yellow, purple and green, the composition is delicate and intricate, the color matching is reasonable, elegant and not losing ancient charm. The glaze on the container is thick, the package is quiet, showing a warm old atmosphere.

  It's okay if it looks good, but Qu Wen doesn't know much about antiques and can't tell the value of these vases.

  "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point, what's important?"

  Zhao Haifeng nodded: "The glaze used on this bird food container is the famous black-based Sancai, which originated in the Kangxi period and was a major innovation in ceramic glazes at that time. With pure black as the base color, yellow, purple, and green are added as the main pattern, and in terms of decorative techniques, patterns, and colors, it has achieved unprecedented success. In the 1950s, the National Cultural Relics Bureau and the Palace Museum issued a document to collect Sancai artifacts nationwide, but very few were obtained, which shows the preciousness of this black-based Sancai."

  "Judging from the craftsmanship, glaze and style on this food container, it should be a work of the Kangxi period. Moreover, although these four pieces of plain three-color porcelain are small, they form a complete set, namely plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, also known as 'Four Gentlemen in Flowers', which is a symbol of Chinese people's feelings and aspirations. Such a complete set, combined with the masterfully crafted bamboo birdcage, is worth..."

  Zhao Haifeng, after all, comes from the Department of Archaeology and has studied antique appraisal with Bao Guoqiang for several years, so he should have considerable skills. What he says shouldn't be too far off the mark.

  Qu Wen hated it when others hung him by his mouth, and he hastily urged: "How much is it worth?"

  Zhao Haifeng shook his head: "Can't say for sure, this thing is rarely seen, it shouldn't be less than 300,000 to 400,000."

  "For these small wine cup-sized jars and bird cages, they want 300,000 to 400,000!" Qu Wen heard this and took a deep breath, his hand grasping the cage even tighter. Good grief, that's not just holding a bird cage, it's like holding tens of thousands of dollars."

  "This is just a base number, they say that goods are precious when rare, and if you encounter someone who likes collecting antiques and raising birds, the price will have to be raised again. However, today's gamble should be fine." Zhao Haifeng had been following Yuan Shengjie and others earlier, if there were any good treasures, they would have been discovered long ago, and it wouldn't have come to rummaging through the whole house.

  As expected, not long after, Yuansheng Jie and his four friends came to the yard with things in their hands. Seeing Qu Wen and Zhao Haifeng standing stupidly on one side, each holding a bird cage, they couldn't help but laugh: "What's going on? Can't find anything, so you're raising birds instead? That's not bad either, taking a walk will be good for your mood!"