169: Chapter 169 Young people don't need to be reserved

What he cared about was that bowl.

It was the Ru Kiln sky-blue glazed lotus-pattern bowl that had slumbered in the dust of history for several hundred years, used by people to feed cats, and hastily traded for two hundred yuan.

He wanted to bring its true face back to this world.

Time quickly arrived at past six in the evening.

As the sun set, the entire Panjiayuan Antique Market was plated with a layer of golden light. The old locust trees on both sides of the street cast mottled shadows, and the flow of people gradually thinned out.

Hu Tian and Zhou Waner came out of the coffee shop, and Hu Tian's phone suddenly rang.

He took out his phone and glanced at it; the screen displayed the two characters "Elder Qin".

After connecting, before Hu Tian could even speak, an aged but resonant voice came from the other end of the line: "Little Hu, it's me, Elder Qin."

"Elder Qin, hello."

"Last time in Shanghai, you said you were coming to Panjiayuan Antique Market. Where are you now?"

Elder Qin's voice held a smile. "When do you have time to come see my collection? I've acquired quite a few good things here, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

Hu Tian thought for a moment and said, "I am at Panjiayuan Antique Market right now. If it's convenient for you, I can come over today."

"Good, good, good, that's great,"

Elder Qin appeared very happy. "Send me the address, and I'll have someone come pick you up."

Hu Tian gave the address of the coffee shop.

After hanging up, Zhou Waner asked curiously, "Who was that?"

"Elder Qin,"

Hu Tian said, "He invited me to see his collection."

Zhou Waner's eyes lit up: "Grandpa Qin? I haven't seen him in a long time either."

She clicked her tongue in wonder, "I have to say, Brother Tian, your connections are impressive. Elder Qin's collection is famous in the circle; so many people want to go in and see it but don't have the chance."

The two waited at the entrance of the coffee shop for about ten minutes.

A black Audi A8 slowly pulled up to the side of the road. The window rolled down, revealing the face of a middle-aged man in his forties, who said respectfully, "May I ask if you are Mr. Hu? Elder Qin sent me to pick you up."

Hu Tian nodded, opened the car door, and got into the car with Zhou Waner.

The car wove through the streets of Panjiayuan Antique Market. The further they went, the narrower the streets became, and the buildings on both sides grew increasingly ancient.

After driving for about five or six minutes, the car stopped in a quiet alley.

The driver got out and opened the door for them: "Mr. Hu, Miss Zhou, we have arrived."

After Hu Tian got out of the car, he looked up.

Before him was an independent three-story ancient building, with blue bricks and grey tiles, and upturned eaves. Hanging in front of the door was a plaque with the four characters "Qin Family Collection" written on it in vigorous calligraphy.

The gate of the ancient building was half-open, and a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit stood at the entrance.

It was Zheng Tianming, one of the people who had followed Elder Qin at the Christies auction in Shanghai.

Seeing Hu Tian and the others get out of the car, Zheng Tianming immediately walked up to greet them: "Mr. Hu, Miss Zhou, Elder Qin is waiting for you inside."

Hu Tian nodded and followed the middle-aged man through the gate.

Upon entering, there was a spacious courtyard. Several old trees were planted in the courtyard, and stone tables and stools were placed under them, appearing ancient and elegant.

The courtyard was not large, but the layout was extremely exquisite.

This was a standard Yanjing courtyard house, a three-courtyard complex, with a complete layout and extremely well-preserved.

The blue brick ground beneath their feet had been polished by the years until it was smooth as a mirror. In the gaps between each brick, fine moss seeped out, revealing a sense of age.

The first courtyard, which was the outer courtyard, was relatively simple.

The walls were painted grey-white, and a row of neatly trimmed boxwood was planted at the base of the walls, lush and green.

In the corner stood a pomegranate tree with gnarled branches. Although it was already late autumn, a few pomegranates with split skins still hung on the tree, bright red, like cinnabar dotted in an ink wash painting.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, they entered the middle courtyard.

The lintel of the hanging flower gate was carved with lotus patterns. The wood was old elm, and the dark brown lacquer had peeled off a bit, but this only revealed a sense of weightiness that had settled over time.

On both sides of the door hung a hexagonal palace lantern. Inside the lanterns burned warm yellow lights, casting a soft halo in the evening as night began to fall.

The middle courtyard was the essence of the entire courtyard house.

To the north was the main room, five bays wide, with thick pillars. Under the eaves hung carved decorative panels, each wood carving delicate and complex, with flowers, birds, fish, and insects vivid and lifelike.

The doors and windows of the main room were in the old-fashioned lattice style, pasted with translucent rice paper, faintly revealing the warmth of the light inside.

On the east and west sides were wing rooms. At the entrances of the wing rooms were several pots of chrysanthemums. It was deep autumn, and they were blooming vigorously; yellow, white, and purple clusters piled together, their faint fragrance drifting in the courtyard.

In the center of the courtyard, a tall crabapple tree spread out a massive canopy. The trunk was so thick that it might take two people to wrap their arms around it.

The bark was cracked, the grain deep; at a glance, one could tell it was an old tree of several decades or a hundred years.

At this time, the leaves had begun to turn yellow, falling here and there, landing on the blue brick floor, on the stone tables and stools, and at their feet, carrying a kind of desolate and quiet beauty.

Under the tree sat a set of stone tables and stools carved from Taihu stone. On the stone surface, traces left by rainwater erosion could be vaguely seen. On the table, a set of Blue and White tea sets was placed. A wisp of white smoke rose from the teapot, and the fragrance of tea drifted into their nostrils with the breeze.

Walking deeper, passing through a moon gate, was the backyard.

The arch of the moon gate was a standard full-moon shape, framing a corner of the backyard scenery like a painting embedded in the wall.

The backyard was even quieter than the middle courtyard. Two tall ginkgo trees stood on both sides, their golden leaves covering the ground, making a soft rustling sound when stepped on.

The regulations of the main room in the backyard were similar to those in the middle courtyard, except there were two large bronze vats at the entrance. Water lilies were kept in the vats, but they had already withered, with only a few dry, curled lotus leaves stuck diagonally on the water surface.

The entire courtyard was surprisingly quiet. The hustle and bustle of Panjiayuan Antique Market seemed to be isolated in another world by these courtyards' walls. Only occasionally, a gust of autumn wind swept by, making the leaves rustle, accompanied by the faint sound of pigeon whistles from afar, giving one a daze of not knowing what year it was.

Zheng Tianming led the two to the first-floor hall of the backyard.

The hall was softly lit, with various display cabinets placed around. Inside the cabinets were displayed various antiques such as porcelain, jade, and bronze ware. Each piece was illuminated by professional lighting, appearing exceptionally exquisite.

Hu Tian scanned the room and nodded inwardly; these items were all genuine, and their condition was quite good.

Suddenly, Hu Tian's gaze rested on an inconspicuous display cabinet in the corner.

Inside was a seemingly ordinary Yuan Dynasty Blue and White Prunus Vase, with a label that read "Qing Dynasty Imitation Yuan Blue and White".

But the radar in Hu Tian's mind moved slightly. Although no purple light screen popped up, he keenly discovered that the Sumali blue material of the Prunus Vase had a deep color, and the rust spots had naturally sunk; this was absolutely not the spirit that a Qing Dynasty imitation could achieve.

He chuckled inwardly; in Elder Qin's collection, there was actually a genuine treasure hiding in plain sight.

"Little Hu is here!"

A hearty voice came from the stairs, and Elder Qin walked down from the second floor, full of smiles.

He was wearing a dark grey Tang suit today, looking vigorous and spirited, even more energetic than when they met at Christies in Shanghai last time.

"Elder Qin,"

"Grandpa Qin,"

Hu Tian and Zhou Waner stepped forward and greeted him politely.

Elder Qin looked at Zhou Waner with a chuckle, his eyes holding a bit of elder's doting affection, and he raised his hand to point at her: "You girl, you didn't even come to sit with Grandpa Qin when you came to Yanjing. Next time I see your grandpa, that old guy Elder Zhou Bo, I must scold him a few words. I don't know how he taught you."

Zhou Waner was used to seeing all kinds of people, but at this moment, she was rarely a bit embarrassed. She lowered her head slightly, a flush appearing on her ears, and said softly, "Grandpa Qin, it is my fault. I came in a hurry this time, and I intended to visit after I finished my business."

Elder Qin waved his hand and laughed, "Alright, alright, you girl have a sweet mouth, how could I really blame you."

Saying this, Elder Qin turned his gaze to Hu Tian, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, "Young friend Hu, you came just in time. I happen to have a few friends here today, all people in the circle, you should get to know them too."

Saying this, he turned and shouted upstairs, "Everyone come down, the guests have arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of footsteps came from the stairs.

Hu Tian looked up and saw a group of people walking down from the second floor. Leading them was a middle-aged woman in her fifties, wearing a proper cheongsam, with an elegant and intellectual temperament.

When Zhou Waner saw the woman, she was stunned for a moment, then whispered in Hu Tian's ear, "Brother Tian, that is my mentor, Professor Lin Ru."

Hu Tian nodded without speaking.

Professor Lin walked down the stairs, saw Zhou Waner, and was also stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Waner, why are you here too? Didn't you ask for leave to accompany your boyfriend?"

Zhou Waner hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, "Teacher, I came with my friend."

Professor Lin nodded, her gaze falling on Hu Tian. She looked him up and down. Seeing his ordinary attire, she just nodded politely, without much ripple in her eyes.

Just then, a few more people walked down the stairs.

Hu Tian saw one of them at a glance; it was Shen Huairen.

Shen Huairen obviously saw him too, and a trace of surprise and astonishment flashed across his face, as if he didn't expect to meet again on such an occasion.

He immediately regained his composure, walked quickly down the stairs, and stood behind one of the professors in his sixties, his eyes faintly carrying a trace of provocation.

Besides Shen Huairen, there were a few other young people whom Hu Tian had seen at the coffee shop; they all looked like students of that old professor.

Elder Qin smiled and introduced, "This is Professor Lin Ru, from the Archaeology Department of Jinling University, who has great achievements in the research of ancient ceramics."

Saying this, Elder Qin pointed to the old professor in his sixties and said with a smile, "This is Professor Ma, Ma Yunhe, from the Archaeology Department of Yanjing University. He is a top domestic expert in the research of ceramics and ancient characters."

Ma Yunhe nodded slightly to Hu Tian and Zhou Waner, his gaze lingering on Hu Tian for a second longer, as if he was sizing him up.

"Hello, Professor Ma."

Hu Tian nodded politely.

Ma Yunhe smiled, his voice gentle: "Young people need not be constrained. Today is just a gathering of friends, feel free to be at ease."

Elder Qin continued to introduce, "These few are all Professor Ma and Professor Lin's proud students, all top students of the Archaeology Department."

The few young people nodded one after another. Shen Huairen stood behind Ma Yunhe, a polite smile on his face, but a trace of complex emotion flashed in his eyes, as if he were waiting to see Hu Tian make a fool of himself.