There are three small shops in the alley near the main street, one is a kebab shop, a convenience store, and the other sells the Four Treasures of the Study.
There is a stone bench at the entrance of the store, and Li Mo and Niu Sanpang are sitting on the stone bench, eating large barbecued meat skewers and chatting.
"Master Li, the taste of these big meat skewers is not authentic enough. The main reason is that the sauce is not seasoned properly."
"You've almost finished eating and it's still not delicious. How about two more chicken steaks?"
"Forget about the fried chicken steak. I have been trying to lose weight recently. I eat nutritious meals every night. My second sister is still watching me exercise for more than two hours."
Li Mo took a sip of sour plum juice, which was so refreshing and appetizing.
"Losing weight is a long and arduous task, and you have to treat it as a lifelong career."
"I don't have the perseverance. The main reason is that my dad doesn't know what's going on recently. He insists on forcing me to lose weight, otherwise he will take back the management rights of my auction house."
Li Mo turned to look at him and suddenly said jokingly: "Is it because he wants you to get married and have children?"
Niu San, who was eating happily, became fat after a meal, and his expression immediately dropped. Li Mo guessed that it was really possible, otherwise why would everyone at home be so concerned about him recently.
"I've only graduated two years ago, and I don't want to get married so early."
"I'm just guessing, hahaha."
At this time, the shop owner opened the door and walked out, looked at the two of them, his face seemed a little unhappy, as if them sitting on the stone bench at the door eating skewers would affect his business.
"Three Fatties, let's go."
"I haven't finished eating yet, I'll buy a few more skewers."
Niu Sanpang ran over and bought a few more strings. Li Mo was a little uncomfortable being looked at by the shop owner. He turned his attention to the brushes, inkstones and rice paper displayed at the door. There was nothing special about these three items, but the dozen or so paperweights placed nearby caught Li Mo's attention.
Paperweights are most commonly made of wood. People who are not particular about it may just use a square piece of wood. A discerning person will have high requirements for the material of the wood, the shape of the paperweight and the surface decoration.
The paperweights displayed by this shop owner are made of three materials. In addition to being made of wood, there are also alloy strips and ceramic styles. The alloy surface has engraving patterns, while the ceramic surface is painted with flowers and birds, which looks very unique.
However, the style of the ceramic paperweight was a bit strange. The front was painted with flowers and birds, but the top was hollowed out with carvings. He unknowingly walked forward and squatted down to take a look. The back was also hollowed out with carvings, and one side was made of porcelain. There is a tube-like opening on the other side that extends into the abdomen.
This doesn't look like a paperweight.
Li Mo took a closer look and saw a light gray halo shining through. It was an antique from the late Qing Dynasty. And after looking at it this way, he also judged that this was indeed not a paperweight, but a pastel incense from the late Qing Dynasty.
"Master Li, what are you looking at?"
Niu Sanpang came back and wanted to hand him some big meat skewers.
"The paperweight looks quite beautiful. Didn't your grandpa say that there is a shortage of paperweights in the study? I see there are several styles here. Why don't you choose one to take back?"
"My grandpa wants a paperweight, but he doesn't have one." Niu Sanpang said with a strange look on his face. Then when he saw Li Mo's fierce look back at him, he immediately realized, "Oh, luckily you reminded me, I almost did this." Forgot."
"Are you two going to buy paperweights for your elders?" The boss came up and introduced enthusiastically, "The paperweights I have here are all carefully selected, and they are guaranteed to be the best in terms of style and material. You guys Look at this wooden paperweight, it has rough wood grain on the surface, it feels smooth, and it is grayish in color, indicating that it is an old item."
"Look again at this paperweight with silver ornaments..."
"Boss, let's choose first to see if there's anything we like." Niu Sanpang didn't want to listen to his chattering, so he hurriedly squatted next to Li Mo and said, "Which style do you think is suitable?"
Li Mo pointed at the pastel aromatherapy and said: "This is pretty good-looking, but I don't know if your grandpa likes it. If he doesn't like it, you can consider this piece of wood. Although it is traditional, it has a sense of age."
After saying that, he stood up. He had made it clear that it was up to him to bargain.
Niu Sanpang was also a slippery man. His eyes were fixed on the thing Li Mo pointed out, but he picked up a plain wooden paperweight.
"My grandpa is over 70 years old. He probably likes more traditional things. Boss, what's the price of this?"
"Eight hundred."
Niu Sanpang muttered twice, put down the wooden paperweight and said, "Master Li, last time you told me that there is a paperweight store down the street that also sells paperweights. This style of paperweight only costs one or two hundred yuan, so we should go there to buy it. "
"Don't leave in a hurry, you two. I'll offer you 800, and you can pay me back, just in case it works out."
"Are you willing to sell it for two hundred?"
"To tell you the truth, the quality of these two hundred paperweights is really not good. You can't use the worst ones as gifts for your elders, right? I'm asking you for eight hundred because it's worth the price. Okay, five hundred Can I give it to you?"
Niu Sanpang glanced at Li Mo and saw that he turned away, so he had to say: "Boss, I won't bargain with you either. In addition to this wooden paperweight and the patterned porcelain paperweight, I will give you a total of six hundred. If it’s okay, I’ll take it away; if it’s not okay, we’ll leave too.”
"Deal." The boss immediately made up his mind and couldn't miss this business.
Niu Sanpang suppressed the smile on his face, and after paying the money, he personally wrapped the two paperweights with waste paper.
Walking into Liuli Street, Niu Sanpang smiled so hard that the corners of his mouth almost split. He whispered: "Master Li, tell me quickly."
"The boss doesn't know the goods. That's not a paperweight at all, but a pastel incense from the late Qing Dynasty."
"Ah, isn't this a paperweight?" Niu Sanpang took out the pastel incense diffuser and took a closer look, "I've never seen anything like this before."
"Common incense sticks are all vertical, but this one is horizontal. The hollow carvings on the top and back are for dispersing the fragrance. If you look at the small holes on one side, the fragrant powder is put in there."
"It's true, I've learned so much today." Niu Sanpang wrapped it up again and held it in his arms, "Master Li, how much is this worth?"
"I just saw it. The pastel green is bright and comfortable, but there is a flaw in the flower. It must have been bumped and the color was re-looked at. According to this appearance, it can be sold for two or three dollars. Wan should be fine.”
"Well enough."
Niu Sanpang was very happy. When he got home, he used this pastel aroma diffuser and let his family have a look.
"Boys, do you want to see the calligraphy and painting?"
When the two of them were walking around and looking around in the crowd, a thin man in his thirties came over and asked.
Li Mo turned to look at him, his face was a bit sickly white, and he looked listless. In his arms, he held five rolled calligraphy and paintings, which were packed in a cotton bag.
"Whose calligraphy and painting is it?"
Li Mo did not refuse directly. This kind of person does not have a fixed stall, but looks for targets on the street. They are either liars, or they have genuine goods but cannot sell them.
"It was left to me by the elderly at home when they left. I am not proficient in calligraphy and painting. I just heard from my elders that there was a painting in it that was painted by a champion in the mid-Qing Dynasty."
"Since it was painted by the number one scholar of the Qing Dynasty, why don't you just sell it to an antique store? Maybe it can fetch a big price."
"I've been to a few, and each one is more ruthless than the last, and the price offered is too low. I just saw you two buying a paperweight at the alley over there. There must be elders in that family who like calligraphy and painting, so I shamelessly came over to ask. Don't worry, The stuff is definitely good.”
It turned out that this man had noticed the two of them a long time ago, so no wonder he came up to them and asked if they wanted calligraphy and painting.
Li Mo didn't want to waste time on him, so he looked directly at the strange eyes, his eyes suddenly penetrated the pocket. Three of the paintings showed clear light, which meant that they were all modern products and not worth a penny.
The fourth painting showed a gray halo, and there were more than ten apertures spreading out. It seemed that this person was not lying. There was really a calligraphy and painting from the Qing Dynasty. I don’t know which number one scholar it was.
When his sight penetrated the fifth frame, a blue halo was instantly transmitted, forming layers of apertures that spread into the void. There is pure blue in front of you, and the whole world exudes magnificent charm like the ocean.
This is the second time I have encountered an antique with such high artistic value after the Hongwu three-clawed dark dragon and celadon-glazed amphorae of the Ming Dynasty.
