Chapter Thirty: Be Mindful of Petty People

  The poem in my heart is cursing loudly: Holding these two bird cages to ease my mind, but my mood will only become heavier. What if I accidentally knock into something? It's not just a matter of saying sorry and it's settled. My heart and soul are bleeding.

  But with these two bird cages, today's gamble should be a sure win, unless Yuan Shengjie can dig up several kilograms of gold bricks in this courtyard.

  Qiu Wen put on a bitter face and weakly asked: "What did you gain this time?"

  What can Yu Shengjie gain? The gains from coming early or late are like cloud and mud, don't think that the people who came before were all fools, they basically swept away the good things. Leaving some leftovers for the people behind to clean up. If it weren't for the bet with Qu Wen, Yu Shengjie wouldn't have looked at that lacquerware either, not only is its value low, but taking it out also doesn't show off one's identity and taste.

  As expected, Yuan Shengjie really took out the lacquerware: "I got it at the end of the auction, and I was able to get this lacquerware, but as long as I can win you, that's all that matters."

  Just now when digging the house, Zhao Haifeng was basically by his side. Seeing Qu Wen smoking in the yard didn't accomplish anything, so Yuan Shengjie's heart was very certain. Although this lacquerware is not valuable, it should be fine to use it to win a bet.

  "Really? Then can you estimate the value of this lacquerware?" Qu Wen secretly smiled to himself, if you want to pretend to be a big shot, then let you pretend for now. With these two birdcages in hand, I'm not afraid that one million will fly away. Yesterday I was still thinking about how to make more money, and today someone is voluntarily delivering it to my doorstep.

  "Twenty thousand is no problem, this is a Qing dynasty imitation of Tang Dynasty's carved lacquerware."

  Lacquerware is a general term, with many categories, including Qi Xi lacquerware, Tian Shui carved lacquerware, Pingyao polished lacquerware, Boyang lacquerware, Yichun detached lacquerware, gold-painted lacquerware and He Mu Du lacquerware, etc. The polished lacquerware alone is worth collecting enthusiasts to study for a long time.

  Rhino horn lacquerware, also known as "turtle shell" in Japan, is also called "cloud carving" due to its use of cloud pattern decoration. It originated in the Tang and Song dynasties and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, with a history of over 1200 years. Rhino horn lacquerware craftsmanship is complex and difficult to produce, with a long production cycle, making it the most complicated and precious type of lacquerware craftsmanship in China.

  If Yuan Shengjie's hand was not a Qing dynasty imitation of Tang, but a rare work from an earlier period, its artistic and historical value would be even higher.

  Twenty thousand yuan is a high price, said Wei Jie. Qu Wen didn't argue with him because he had a pair of exquisite bird cages with black lacquer and three-color inlays on hand.

  "Is that so? Which one do you think is more valuable, the Qing dynasty's imitation of Tang Dynasty's carved lacquerware or the authentic Kangxi black-based plain three-color porcelain?" Qu Wen finished speaking and simultaneously lifted up the birdcage in his hand along with Zhao Haifeng. The bitter expression on his face was swept away, replaced by a smug look.

  "What? Black base three colors!"

  Yuan Shengjie had also come into contact with antiques and knew the value of Kangxi black-based plain three-color glaze. He looked at Qu Wen with an incredulous gaze, "Where did you get that black-based plain three-color glaze? Those two broken bird cages in your hands!"

  "Just look at this pair of bird cages!" Zhao Haifeng laughed exaggeratedly: "These bird cages are not ordinary, such exquisite craftsmanship must be the work of a master, and the bird food cans inside are all rare varieties."

  Someone following Yuan Shengjie walked over, carefully examined the birdcage in Zhao Haifeng's hand for a while, and then exclaimed: "It's really a black-bellied three-colored bird!"

  His name is Jia Jin, the owner of a small antique shop in Panjia Garden. He had tea with Yuansheng Jie twice and could only be considered as greeting friends, but he didn't completely stand on Yuansheng Jie's side. Today, when clearing out the old mansion, he was already in a hurry to catch up, and it wasn't easy to see something of value, a piece of lacquerware, which was snatched away by Yuansheng Jie. He couldn't help but feel some resentment in his heart. If he had taken it back, he could have sold it for money, but Yuansheng Jie took it back just as a small decoration, and with his personality, he might not even put it out on display. This behavior was only to argue with the other side.

  "I don't believe it, just a broken bird cage's food container would be black-bottomed Sancai, let me take a look!" Yuan Shengjie's heart was racing wildly, the veins on his forehead bulging out. If it really was black-bottomed Sancai, he wouldn't be able to find dozens of identical pieces of lacquerware even if he wanted to. Especially since he had bet 1 million, losing both money and face, he would lose everything. It wouldn't take a day for this matter to spread throughout the Beijing antique circle.

  Qu Wen and Zhao Haifeng hastily moved the birdcage to one side, refusing to let Yuan Shengjie see it. It wasn't that they were being petty, but rather they feared that Yuan Shengjie would get angry and smash the birdcage, leaving them with no choice but to start all over again.

  "You can take a look, but you have to sign an agreement first, guaranteeing that after looking, these two bird cages and food containers will remain intact." Qu Wen's words clearly treated Yuan Shengjie as a petty person.

  When he heard this, Yuan Shengjie's nose was twisted with anger, and he said viciously: "You say it's Su San Cai, just because you say so. If it's true, why don't you dare to show me? Who knows what kind of eyesight you have? Don't think that just because you've been in an antique shop for a few days, you're better than others."

  Yuan Shengjie was also momentarily stunned, and this remark not only offended Qu Wen but also offended Jia Jin who came with him.

  Jia Jin had just confirmed that the food container in the cage was indeed a black-bottomed three-color ceramic, but Yuan Shengjie raised doubts about it, saying that even he himself had said so.

  Qu Wen shrugged: "We didn't say we wouldn't let you see it, but after you've seen it, you have to guarantee the integrity of the birdcage and food jar. Who knows if you'll be afraid of losing and smash the birdcages in our hands?"

  The words of the song are not unreasonable, after all, they involve a bet of one million, let alone in 2002, even now one million is still a large sum. Sometimes criminals kill people just for a few thousand dollars, this huge sum of money, who knows what Yuan Shengjie will do. He regards Yuan Shengjie as a petty person, but he himself also has a petty psychology.

  Of course, this idea underestimates the opponent a bit. Winning or losing a hundred million yuan is still something that Sheng Jie can easily afford, but losing face is unbearable, and there's a lingering anger in his heart that can't be dissipated.

  "I guarantee it, and if I break it while it's in my hands, I'll pay an additional 10 million as compensation."

  It seems that Yuan Shengjie has really gone mad. If Qu Wen had the heart to deal with him, secretly tampering with the birdcage and making it break in his hands would be enough to frame him for another million. However, this pair of birdcages is very important to Qu Wen, even if he sucks out all the spiritual energy from above, it's good to hang them at home as a keepsake.

  "Alright, no need to stand on ceremony. A man's word is his bond. With all of you as witnesses today, if there's even the slightest damage to this birdcage, I'll make sure you pay me one million. And I'll spread the word everywhere that you're a cheapskate who can't even take care of an antique."

  Qu Wen's words enraged Yuan Shengjie, giving him a strong desire to kill the other. But since the words had already been spoken, they couldn't be taken back in front of everyone. He carefully took the birdcage from Qu Wen's hands, removed the food container inside, and examined it very seriously for a long time.

  As time went by, Yuan Shengjie's face became increasingly ugly. He had also seen the black-bottomed three-colors and knew that this bird food can was indeed a genuine and valuable opening goods. He didn't have any temper left, like a deflated balloon, sitting at the edge of the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, almost breaking the bird food can in his hand.

  "Be careful!" Qu Wen shouted loudly, rushing to Yuan Shengjie's side, retrieving the birdcage and food container, as if holding his own newborn baby. "You can have all your money, but don't ruin my treasure. I really cherish that one million, it's just some colorful pieces of paper."

  The words were just a casual remark made in haste, making it sound like he didn't care about money at all. Only a billionaire with immense wealth would dare to say something like that.