134: Chapter 134 Christie's Auction

"Mm, I still have things to handle."

"What is it?"

"I have an appointment this afternoon; I can't delay it."

Cousin Zhang Fei nodded and fell silent for a moment. "Then when will you come back here?"

"Not sure. I'll come when there's an opportunity."

"I know you're busy,"

Cousin Zhang Fei said, "You don't need to make a special trip; I was just asking."

Hu Tian glanced at her but said nothing.

Walking back to the school entrance, several cars were parked outside the security booth. Some parents who had dropped off their students were still there, while others were leaving one after another.

Cousin Zhang Fei stood at the entrance, looking up at the school name above the gate. Six large gilded characters reflected the sunlight.

"Cousin, are you coming in?"

"I won't. Go back and pack; you might still have enrollment matters to handle this afternoon."

"Mm."

Cousin Zhang Fei turned to look at him, squinting as the sunlight hit her face. "Cousin, thank you for coming with me today."

"How many times do I have to say it? No need for thanks."

Cousin Zhang Fei pursed her lips and smiled. "I just wanted to say it."

She paused as if she had more to say, but ultimately didn't. She took a few steps into the school gate, then stopped and turned back. "Cousin, stay safe on the road. Contact me when you're free."

"Got it. Go on in."

Cousin Zhang Fei nodded and turned to walk through the gate. After passing security, she walked a dozen steps and looked back once more. Hu Tian was still standing there. She waved to him and then turned into the crowd, quickly disappearing from sight.

Hu Tian stood there for a while, looking at the school gate, then turned and walked toward where he had parked his car.

Sunlight fell on the road, and the shadows of the plane trees covered the ground. People came and went, the bustle surrounding him from all sides. He walked through it, as quiet as a stone.

Hu Tian walked back to his parking spot. The car was parked on a small road near the school, lined with plane trees whose shade completely covered the roof.

He unlocked the door, sat inside, placed his bag on the passenger seat, and started the engine. The air conditioning came on, blowing hot air at first before gradually turning cool.

He sat there waiting for a bit, checked his phone to find no new messages, tossed it back onto the center console, shifted gears, and slowly backed the car out.

Leaving the university town, he headed toward the elevated highway. There was quite a bit of traffic, but it was moving smoothly.

He merged onto the main road and followed the flow of traffic. His gaze rested steadily ahead, his expression showing no emotion, as if his mind were blank, yet simultaneously filled with thoughts.

Regarding the matter of bringing his cousin Cousin Zhang Fei to Magic City University, his aunt had called specifically yesterday afternoon, saying she wasn't comfortable with Cousin Zhang Fei coming alone. He had been processing the base glaze of a ceramic piece in his studio at the time. After hearing the call, he told his aunt not to worry and that he would deliver her safely.

His aunt was very happy on the phone and said a lot of thankful words. He had simply grunted an acknowledgement before hanging up.

Now that Cousin Zhang Fei had entered the school gates, this task was considered complete.

Following the traffic onto the elevated highway, the view suddenly opened up. Magic City's urban area was spread out under the sunlight—dense buildings, wide roads, and many cars. In the distance, the tops of several skyscrapers were faintly visible through the white mist.

The wind was strong on the highway, and sunlight cut diagonally through the car window, feeling a bit hot on the back of his right hand.

Once his speed picked up, he turned on the cruise control. His hands rested on the steering wheel in a relaxed posture, his body leaning against the seat back as he looked straight ahead.

Heading southwest on the highway, bypassing the city center and passing through Songjiang, he could see the silhouette of Sheshan slowly bulging from the flat ground in the distance. It wasn't high, but in the flatlands of the Shanghai suburbs, it was already a prominent presence.

Hu Tian used to pass Sheshan frequently on the subway, but he rarely went there specifically. It wasn't that he disliked it; he just never had the leisure.

Taking this route today was just on the way. Going from the university town toward Binhai and taking the highway past Sheshan would take a bit more time, but for some reason today, he just wanted to go this way.

As he neared the vicinity of Sheshan, the traffic on the service roads below the highway and the roads toward the scenic area became noticeably denser. They were all tourists. Between it being the weekend and the good August weather near the coast, there were likely many people on the mountain.

He glanced down from the highway. The mountain was covered in lush green woods, interspersed with various colorful camping tents. Under the sunlight, the white dome of the Catholic church atop the mountain peeked out quietly above the trees, like a button set into the mountainside.

His gaze lingered there for a second before he looked away and continued driving.

Exiting the elevated highway, he merged onto the ramp for the Hu-Hang Expressway, and his speed picked up again.

This stretch of road was lined with trees on both sides, the surface was smooth, and there were far fewer cars. He turned on the music, choosing an old jazz album. The volume wasn't high, just enough to fill the air inside the car.

From the moment he entered the expressway, the journey went smoothly. He encountered no accidents, traffic jams, or speed-limited construction zones. Occasionally, a large truck would be in front, and he would simply overtake it.

He was never in a rush when driving—he didn't cut people off, didn't speed, and didn't compete with anyone. He maintained a steady speed between 110 and 120.

The phone on the center console vibrated. He glanced at it; it was a message from his cousin Cousin Zhang Fei. He didn't check it immediately, waiting until a straight stretch of road where he could confirm there was enough distance between him and the cars around him before picking it up for a quick look.

Cousin Zhang Fei wrote: Cousin, are you there yet? My roommates seem quite nice. Remember to let me know when you arrive.

He put the phone back and continued driving.

The car passed the fork between the Hu-Hang Expressway and the direction of Jiaxing. Heading south a bit further, he approached the boundaries of Binhai.

Exiting the expressway, he took the provincial road. The scenery on both sides transitioned from the industrial and warehouse parks of the suburban fringe to the landscape of a small town with a stronger water-town feel. There were more river channels and bridges. Occasionally, there were old camphor trees by the road, their trunks so thick they would take several people to encircle, their root systems pushing up chunks of the road's asphalt.

After another twenty minutes or so, the silhouette of Binhai's urban area appeared ahead. The buildings weren't high, and the skyline was flat. It was a different feeling from Magic City; it lacked that sense of oppression, being more open, but also more desolate.

Passing through the city and heading west, the road gradually left the commercial districts. The green belts on both sides began to widen, and the terrain undulated slightly. This area was Binhai's high-end villa district. When the developers chose the site back then, they favored the rich water systems and varied terrain. The resulting neighborhood layout was much more grand than the rigid housing developments in the city.

Yunding No. 1 was at the innermost part of this area. Two large camphor trees flanked the cast-iron entrance gate. The iron gate was usually left ajar. When he entered, the security guard poked his head out of the booth, recognized Hu Tian's car, nodded, and opened the gate wider. He drove the car in slowly.

The neighborhood was quiet with few residents. The landscaping was well-maintained, and the roadside greenery had been trimmed neatly. Occasionally, sounds drifted from a courtyard or two, but most of the time there was only the sound of the wind and birdsong.

He drove the car into his spot, turned off the engine, and sat quietly in the car for a moment.

From departure until now, it had been exactly an hour and change.

He picked up his phone and replied to Cousin Zhang Fei: Arrived.

He sent it, pocketed the phone, grabbed his bag, and got out of the car.

The villa was a two-story detached house with front and back yards. He had bought it when the development first opened and prices hadn't been hyped up yet. He had a sum of money at the time and chose this unit mainly because it wasn't far from the city but was quiet. There was a spot in the front yard with good light that he planned to use for his workbench.

Entering the house, he changed his shoes, hung his bag on the entryway hook, and walked into the living room. The indoor temperature was lower than outside, and the air held a faint scent of wood and minerals. That drifted over from the studio side. He was already used to the smell and didn't notice it upon entering, though others would ask what the smell was the first time they visited.

He went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water and stood by the window to drink. In the backyard outside the window were several trees whose names he didn't know. The green leaves were starting to turn slightly yellow. As the wind passed, the leaves flipped over, revealing their pale undersides.

After finishing the water, he put the glass back on the counter.

Not long after he finished the water, the phone on the living room table rang.

He walked over and glanced at the screen. It was a Magic City number. He picked up.

The voice on the other end was female, with a slight Hong Kong accent, speaking very efficiently: "Hello, is this Mr. Hu? I am the client liaison for Christies Shanghai, my name is Chen Jiaxin. We spoke on the phone before. I will be bringing a team to Binhai this afternoon, arriving at your place around four o'clock. Is that convenient for you?"

Hu Tian said it was convenient, confirmed the address, and hung up.

It was now not yet two in the afternoon, with over two hours to go.

He had selected a total of five items he intended to consign to Christies for auction.

The first item.

A Famille Rose 'Peach and Bat' plate from the Yongzheng Emperor era of the Qing Dynasty (Source: Heavenly Kingdom Holy Treasury).

The plate was not large, with a diameter of about twenty-six centimeters. The porcelain was delicate and the glaze smooth. A peach tree was painted in the center, its branches extending from the inside to the rim and continuing over to the outer wall—this is the so-called 'over-the-rim' painting technique. Three honey peaches hung from the branches, full and plump, their color transitioning naturally from the greenish-green at the stem to a carmine red, with no harsh boundaries.

Five bats flew among the peach branches, painted in carmine and ink wash. Their wings were in various poses—some diving, some circling. The bat (fu) is a homophone for 'blessings,' and combined with the longevity symbolism of the peaches, it formed a classic auspicious pattern.

The bottom of the plate had a Blue and White double circle, inside of which were the six characters 'Made in the Yongzheng Era of the Great Qing' in regular script. The calligraphy was neat and the strokes powerful.

The Famille Rose of the Yongzheng era was the pinnacle of all dynasties. This 'Peach and Bat' plate was in perfect condition, without any cracks or chips, and the glaze showed no signs of later restoration.

The second item.

A ming dynasty Duan Inkstone (Source: Heavenly Kingdom Holy Treasury).

Duan Inkstones are produced in Duanxi, Zhaoqing, Guangdong, and have always been important scholar's objects. This inkstone was about thirty-two centimeters long, twenty centimeters wide, and four centimeters thick. It was rectangular overall, with a wide and flat grinding surface and a deep, smoothly curved ink pool. The edges curved slightly inward, and the overall lines were simple without complex relief decorations. Only on the back were a few lines of running script inscriptions carved. The handwriting was fluid, and at the end was a small seal. The seal text was blurred, but two characters could be faintly discerned, appearing to be 'Zigu,' though it couldn't be fully confirmed.

The quality of the Duan stone itself was excellent, with a bluish-gray color and clearly visible 'stone eyes.' Stone eyes are natural markings of Duan Inkstones, circular with an outer halo. Some have distinct pupils. This inkstone had three stone eyes—two on the right side of the grinding surface and one near the ink pool. All three were 'living eyes' with pitch-black pupils and diffused outer rings, looking like real open eyes.