Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire

Chapter 87: Chapter 81: Identifying Ancient Paintings

When Gu Wenfeng went out to gather information, Lu Jiaxin wanted to follow him. She had come here to work right after returning from her studies in Huadu, and she had already stayed for six years, feeling a deep affection for this place. Being able to return here and witness this city evolve from a small town into an international metropolis was indeed a rare experience.

Gu Wenfeng didn’t agree, not because he was worried about petty thieves outside, but because Jiaxin looked a bit pale and he was concerned her health wouldn’t hold up: “Rest well at the guesthouse these next couple of days, and if you need anything, just ask the server.”

Jiaxin wasn’t reassured and insisted she was fine: “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night because it was noisy. I’ll catch up on some sleep after you return.”

Last night, a man and a woman next door had started arguing suddenly in the middle of the night, and it got pretty intense. The server came to warn them and they quieted down for half an hour, but then they started again, and it didn’t stop until after four in the morning. By that time, Jiaxin was no longer sleepy.

Seeing her like this, Gu Wenfeng was genuinely worried and said, “Miss Lu, once we’re back in the Forty-nine City, you really should stop wandering around and take good care of your health at home.”

At her age, she should be full of energy; a sleepless night shouldn’t leave her looking this terribly pale.

Lu Jiaxin acknowledged with a hum, “That’s exactly what I plan to do. If this deal goes through, I’ll have enough money to last me a while.”

Gu Wenfeng thought her spending was far too extravagant, as a painting could sell for ten to twenty thousand, an amount a regular person wouldn’t be able to spend in ten years. However, he knew it was useless to advise her otherwise and said, “Your health is the most important thing, you can always make money later.”

In the end, Lu Jiaxin decided to stay at the guesthouse and catch up on her sleep, while Gu Wenfeng went out to ask around. He returned before two o’clock because he was worried about her.

Gu Wenfeng said, “Miss Lu, I found out that there’s a new teacher at the museum named Teacher Zhang who’s quite knowledgeable about calligraphy and paintings. We could ask him to appraise ours.”

Lu Jiaxin inquired, “What’s his reputation like?”

“You can be assured, this Teacher Zhang is upright and of high moral standing. If we ask him to appraise the ancient paintings, he won’t disclose any information to others.”

Lu Jiaxin trusted his sources but was still somewhat concerned, “What if the calligraphy and paintings are from a famous artist and he learns that I intend to sell them, would Teacher Zhang try to intervene?”

Gu Wenfeng thought she was needlessly worrying, “As long as you don’t say anything, how would he know the whereabouts of your paintings? Miss Lu, I will take the painting for an appraisal tomorrow, you should stay out of sight.”

She was clever indeed but still just a fifteen-year-old girl with little experience. He was worried that she might slip up and say something during the appraisal of the antique painting, which could cause unnecessary trouble.

Lu Jiaxin laughed lightly and said, “Brother Gu, this Teacher Zhang is a big shot, definitely an influential figure in the Peng City antique circles. Such a person would be well-connected; we can’t rule out the chance that he might hear about our plans to find a buyer.”

“A big shot?”

“Yes, someone with high qualifications and strong capabilities; an expert.”

Gu Wenfeng realized she had a lot of novel terms, “You picked up this painting from the antique market, now you want to sell it, and no one has the right to object. If he likes it, he can pay for it.”

Lu Jiaxin was overjoyed, “Indeed, I picked it up from the antique market.”

Gu Wenfeng thought about taking the painting for appraisal himself and letting Lu Jiaxin wait at the guesthouse. However, she planned to open her own shop to buy antiques once she had the money. She might need to seek Teacher Zhang’s expertise in the future, so she wanted to go with him.

Unable to dissuade her, Gu Wenfeng could only agree but also reminded her to remain silent at Teacher Zhang’s house and let him do the talking.

“Okay.”

Lu Jiaxin had no idea what position Gu Wenfeng’s comrade-in-arms held, but the individual seemed very influential because the next afternoon, she met Teacher Zhang.

Teacher Zhang appeared thin and gaunt, his demeanor quite serious with black-framed glasses perched on his face full of wrinkles, dressed in a gray cotton outfit, with a pair of cloth shoes on his feet.

Gu Wenfeng first introduced himself and then introduced Lu Jiaxin, “This girl insists that the painting she bought is genuine. I don’t really understand these things, so I’m hoping Teacher Zhang can take a look for us.”

His old friend mentioned it was a famous painting, but now, upon their arrival, they said it was bought at an antique market. Frowning, Teacher Zhang asked, “Haven’t you had someone appraise it?”

Gu Wenfeng shook his head, “No, we were in a rush. But my cousin took this painting to an antique shop in the Ancient Capital. She asked for ten thousand, but the shop owner said it was worth at most two thousand. My cousin thought the price was too low and was unwilling to sell.”

Those who can hold residence in an antique store possess top-notch insight, experience, and a keen eye. If the other party was willing to pay two thousand, it proved the painting was authentic.

Thinking of this, Teacher Zhang eagerly said, “Where’s the painting? Quickly, bring it here and let me take a look.”

Gu Wenfeng took the ancient painting out of his backpack and handed it to Teacher Zhang.

Teacher Zhang received the ancient painting with both hands and gently placed it on a round table, then pulled out four paperweight stones from a drawer. Expecting him to start the appraisal, to her surprise, Teacher Zhang went to wash his hands and put on gloves before he slowly spread the ancient painting across the table. He then carefully placed the paperweight stones on the four corners of the painting.

Gu Wenfeng, recalling how Lu Jiaxin handled ancient paintings and porcelain, couldn’t help but glance at her. Knowing full well that it was an antique, she still treated it so casually, he didn’t understand her mindset.

Ignoring Gu Wenfeng, Jiaxin asked softly, “Teacher Zhang, how does one distinguish between real and fake ancient paintings like this?”

Teacher Zhang said, “The first step in authenticating ancient paintings is using the eyes. Some ancient paintings are obviously fake, and there’s no need to waste time on them; if it passes the eye test, then evaluate the painting’s composition and brushstrokes. The composition and strokes of a master are beyond what an ordinary person can achieve; the third step is to identify the painting’s era-specific and personal style…”

It was past two in the morning when Teacher Zhang said to them, “This ‘Birthday Celebration Painting’ was created by Wang Zhenpeng of the Yuan Dynasty.”

He then introduced Wang Zhenpeng’s biography to them, “Wang Zhenpeng was a famous painter of the Yuan Dynasty, skilled in figure and court paintings, and known as the number one painter in that realm. His artworks feature meticulous and detailed brushwork, producing a distinctive style.”

Lu Jiaxin asked the question she cared about the most, “Teacher Zhang, how much could a painting by a famous artist like this sell for?”

Teacher Zhang’s face darkened instantly.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Jiaxin hurriedly explained, “My mother passed away trying to save someone, and after my father remarried, he changed. That woman almost caused my death; though I survived, my health has deteriorated, but not only does my father refuse to take my side, he has even kicked me out of the house. I have been living on handouts from my cousins lately. But they have their own families to feed, and I need to take care of my health and repeat a year of study. I can’t always rely on them.”

The message was clear, she needed to sell the painting for money to pay for medical treatment and education. Whether the buyer was from the Mainland or Hong Kong did not matter to her; the highest bidder would take it.

Gu Wenfeng stared at her dumbfounded, astonished at how easily the lies fell from her lips. She was only fifteen—what would she be like in two more years with further grooming…

He quickly dismissed the inappropriate thoughts that flashed through his mind, hoping that once the girl got into a university and received higher education, her misguided tendencies could be corrected.