128: Chapter 128 You Know What I Mean

"Suspect what?"

Cousin Zhang Fei tilted her head, blinking her eyes, waiting seriously for an answer.

Hu Tian's hand rested on the steering wheel, his gaze looking straight at the road ahead, his tone unhurried, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

"Suspect its origin."

"Origin?"

"Yes."

Hu Tian said, "In the antiques industry, there's an old saying: 'One doesn't fear the age of an item, but its lack of origin.' If you say something is valuable, then where it came from, whose hands it passed through, and whether there's a record of its provenance—all these must be clearly stated. Only when they are clear can the item stand its ground."

Cousin Zhang Fei nodded thoughtfully, "Then those three items of yours..."

"I said I picked them up from a street stall,"

Hu Tian said indifferently, "In the eyes of experts, this origin is itself a problem."

"Why?"

"Because truly good things rarely end up at street stalls."

Hu Tian said, "Occasionally they do, but not often. Once or twice, people will say you're lucky. But if it's a street stall every time and a good item every time, then it's no longer a matter of luck, but a matter of discernment."

Hearing this, Cousin Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, "Isn't that even more impressive? It shows you have great discernment."

"Even with great discernment, there must be a source."

Hu Tian said, "Who you studied under, where your lineage comes from, where you've trained—people in the industry will ask about these things. The antiques circle isn't large; basically, everyone knows the true masters, or knows someone who knows them. If an unknown young man appears out of nowhere and produces several high-quality pieces at once, if you were Old Man Qiao, what would you think?"

Cousin Zhang Fei fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, "I would think... this person either has a very deep background, or has something I don't know about."

"Exactly."

The car turned a corner, and the dappled shadows of plane trees by the roadside fell on the car window, light and shadow intertwining.

Cousin Zhang Fei propped her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and asked again, "Then will Boss Qiao investigate you?"

"It's possible."

Hu Tian said, his tone calm as if he were talking about someone else, "But he won't find anything."

Cousin Zhang Fei glanced at him and didn't press further, but in her heart, she felt that her cousin's words were too certain, strangely so.

But she didn't think much of it, her mind already moving on to something else.

"Cousin, then what does provenance mean? Does it mean who you studied under?"

"Yes, apprenticeship or family heritage."

Hu Tian said, "Some families have been in the antiques business for generations; growing up in that environment, their discernment is naturally different. Others have apprenticed under famous masters and studied systematically—that also counts as provenance."

"What about you?"

Cousin Zhang Fei asked, "Who did you study under?"

Hu Tian paused, his lips twitching slightly, "Self-taught."

Cousin Zhang Fei: "..."

She stared at Hu Tian for several seconds, "Self-taught? Just these three items, you learned that on your own?"

"Read books, look at data, get hands-on experience, visit the markets often."

Hu Tian said, "Over time, you naturally get a feel for it."

Cousin Zhang Fei opened her mouth to say something, but finally just sighed, "Cousin, you really are... I don't know what to say."

Hu Tian didn't respond, just chuckled softly.

The car happened to pass by Wanda Plaza at that moment. Cousin Zhang Fei's sharp eyes caught the sign by the road, and she immediately patted Hu Tian's arm, "Cousin, Cousin, it's past twelve, I'm hungry. Let's go in and eat."

Hu Tian checked the time, turned the car, and drove toward the Wanda parking lot.

The two of them parked the car, entered the mall, and walked around the third floor. Cousin Zhang Fei stopped in front of a Shanghai-style restaurant, looked at the menu, and turned to ask, "How about this place?"

Hu Tian glanced at it, "Sure."

They went in and found a window seat. The waiter handed over the menu, and Cousin Zhang Fei took it, flipping through it seriously while muttering, "Braised pork, yes; Yan Du Xian, yes; Sautéed Fish Slices in Rice Wine Sauce... Cousin, do you eat fish?"

"Yes."

"Then let's have this too."

Cousin Zhang Fei placed the menu on the table and leaned back in her chair with satisfaction, "Following you today, I feel like my worldview has been refreshed."

Hu Tian picked up his teacup, "How so?"

"Well,"

Cousin Zhang Fei thought for a moment, "I used to think antiques were either for rich people or a hobby for old folks, having nothing to do with ordinary people like us. But seeing you today, I suddenly feel that the knowledge involved is so deep, and you can really rely on this..."

She rubbed her fingers together, "You know what I mean."

"Rely on this to make money."

Hu Tian finished for her.

"Exactly!"

Cousin Zhang Fei nodded, "But I also saw today that this industry isn't that easy to enter. Discernment alone isn't enough; you also need to understand origin, provenance, and the rules of the trade, right?"

"Pretty much."

Hu Tian said, "Discernment is the foundation, but beyond that, you need to understand the market, people, and timing. For the same item, the price can vary several times depending on who you sell it to."

Cousin Zhang Fei listened intently, her chin resting on her hand, "So what Teacher Su said about finding the right place and the right buyer, that's what he meant?"

"Yes."

"Then who do you plan to sell to?"

Hu Tian didn't answer immediately. The dishes began to arrive one after another. The savory scent of the braised pork wafted over, drawing away half of Cousin Zhang Fei's attention, but her eyes were still on Hu Tian.

"Haven't decided yet."

Hu Tian picked up some food with his chopsticks, "No rush."

Cousin Zhang Fei hummed in response, picked up her chopsticks, put a piece of braised pork in her mouth, and her eyes immediately crinkled, "Delicious."

They ate quietly for a while before Cousin Zhang Fei couldn't help but speak again, "Cousin, can I ask you a question?"

"Ask."

"How did you tell at a glance that the xuande incense burner was real?"

Cousin Zhang Fei asked, "The things on that stall all looked about the same to me, all dark and dusty. I couldn't tell at all which was good and which was bad."

Hu Tian put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment, "Have you ever seen real old bronze-ware?"

Cousin Zhang Fei shook her head.

"The patina on old bronze-ware is different from that on modern imitations."

Hu Tian said, "With modern imitations, no matter how well the aging is done, the luster is superficial, as if it were pasted on. The patina of an old item is something that time has slowly seeped into, radiating from the inside out. That feeling—if you touch it, you can feel it."

Cousin Zhang Fei listened intently, "What about the she inkstone?"

"For she inkstones, you look at the stone veins."

Hu Tian said, "On real She stone, the veins grow naturally and have an inherent rhythm. The veins on imitations might look similar, but they are lifeless and lack that spiritual resonance."

"Spiritual resonance..."

Cousin Zhang Fei murmured, repeating the words, "How do you learn that? It sounds so mystical."

"Look more, get hands-on more."

Hu Tian said, "When you've seen enough, your eyes naturally develop a standard. Then, when you compare the real with the fake, the gap becomes obvious."

Cousin Zhang Fei nodded thoughtfully and asked again, "Then the jade pendant? How did you tell?"

"For jade, you look at the material, the craftsmanship, and the burial staining."

Hu Tian said, "The material of that jade pendant is old-mine celadon jade, very oily. This kind of material is hard to find nowadays. The craftsmanship is typical ming dynasty style—the flow of the twin dragons and the strength of the carving are all correct. The burial staining formed naturally, it wasn't artificially made."

As Cousin Zhang Fei listened, her eyes grew brighter and brighter, "Cousin, did you learn all this just from reading books?"

"Reading books is one part of it."

Hu Tian picked up his teacup, "Mostly, it's because I've handled many things."

Cousin Zhang Fei stared at him, looking like she wanted to say something but ultimately holding back.

She actually had a thought swirling in her mind, but she felt it was too absurd to say out loud—she always felt that the way her cousin looked at things didn't seem like something learned, but more like...

He was born knowing.

It was as if those things could speak to him.

But that idea was too strange to voice, so she suppressed it.

After they finished eating, Cousin Zhang Fei dragged Hu Tian around the mall once more. They stopped in front of a tea shop, and looking at the tea canisters in the display window, she asked Hu Tian, "Cousin, are these canisters antiques?"

Hu Tian glanced at them, "No, modern handicrafts."

"Oh."

Cousin Zhang Fei was a bit disappointed, "I thought..."

"Antiques wouldn't be displayed for sale in a place like this,"

Hu Tian said.

Cousin Zhang Fei smiled, "Right, I forgot."

They left the mall, got the car, and set off toward the Yunding Villa.

On the way, Cousin Zhang Fei asked several more questions, from the glaze of porcelain to the paper of calligraphy and paintings, to the casting techniques of bronzes. Question after question, Hu Tian answered them all, his tone steady and never showing any irritation.

Finally, Cousin Zhang Fei exclaimed, "Cousin, if you ever start an antique appraisal class, I'll be the first to sign up."

Hu Tian turned his head to look at her, "Are you really interested?"

"I really am."

Cousin Zhang Fei said seriously, "Before today, I felt antiques were very far away from me. After today, I feel... the things inside are so interesting. Every item has a story and history behind it. It feels much more interesting than what we learn in textbooks."

Hu Tian didn't speak, just nodded slightly.

The car turned into the Yunding Villa complex and drove along the tree-lined road. The trees on both sides cut the afternoon sunlight into fragments that fell on the car window, flickering between light and dark.

The guard recognized the license plate, the gate lifted automatically, and the car slowly drove in, parking in the space in front of Yunding No. 1.

Hu Tian turned off the engine, and they got out. Cousin Zhang Fei stretched, looked up at the villa's exterior, then at the old trees in the yard, and sighed, "Cousin, your place is really wonderful. Living here, I feel like my whole being has quieted down."

Hu Tian pushed open the courtyard gate, "Go on in."

Cousin Zhang Fei followed him inside with light steps, still talking, "By the way, Cousin, what are your plans for the afternoon? Want to take me to another antique market? I feel like I haven't had enough today..."

Hu Tian looked back at her, "I need to clean and restore those porcelain shards from yesterday afternoon. Maybe next time."

Cousin Zhang Fei pouted, "Alright then."

The villa's main door closed, and the courtyard grew quiet, with only the soft, lingering sound of the wind blowing through the treetops.

The villa's main door closed, and the courtyard grew quiet.

Hu Tian carried the cloth bag into the underground storage room, took out the three items he had brought back today, and carefully placed them one by one onto the curio shelf.

All four walls were lined with custom-made solid wood curio shelves, each compartment having its own light strip, providing soft, non-glaring light.