174: Chapter 174 Losing on one front, gaining on another

He said this with some reluctance, his tone carrying a hint of deep unwillingness and disappointment.

Those who originally wanted to see a joke ended up becoming the background props that highlighted the protagonist's aura.

Elder Qin glanced at him, said nothing more, and just nodded slightly.

Professor Ma Yunhe turned to look at Little Hu with a face full of smiles, his attitude far more enthusiastic than before: "Little Hu, you've really opened our eyes today. However, I have a small request, I wonder if you could agree to it?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Tian's heart stirred slightly, and he said: "Please go ahead, Professor Ma. As long as it's within my power, I will certainly do my best."

Professor Ma Yunhe smiled and said: "It's like this. Our school's ancient porcelain research center has been collecting data and photos of various ancient porcelains for teaching and research purposes. Your Ru Kiln bowl is in such excellent condition, I wonder if you would allow us to take a few photos to keep as reference material? Of course, we will keep it strictly confidential and will not make it public."

Hearing this request, Hu Tian pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's fine, but please be careful when taking the photos, Professor Ma, and don't damage it."

Hearing Hu Tian's agreement, Professor Ma Yunhe's face lit up with joy, and he quickly said: "That goes without saying, we will definitely be careful."

Prof. Lin Ru also took the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot: "Little Hu, if you have time in the future, you are welcome to visit our school at any time. We can exchange insights on ancient porcelain appraisal. We are always eager to meet talented young people like you."

Hu Tian nodded and said politely: "Certainly, certainly."

At this moment, Elder Qin stood up, checked the time, and said: "It's getting late, let's wrap things up for today. Little Hu, this bowl of yours is truly a rare treasure. Keep it well, it might even be passed down through generations."

Hu Tian quickly stood up and said respectfully: "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Qin."

Elder Qin waved his hand and said with a smile: "No need to be so formal. I am also very happy to have seen such a genuine Ru Kiln piece today."

The group chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere gradually became much more harmonious.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was evening.

Seeing that they were hitting it off, Elder Qin arranged for them to stay for dinner at his home.

Although he was advanced in years, he lived a refined life. His home chef cooked authentic Benbang cuisine. Several home-style dishes were served, all looking, smelling, and tasting delicious. Accompanied by a pot of aged Shaoxing wine, the group sat around the table and enjoyed a very pleasant meal.

During the meal, the conversation naturally shifted from ancient porcelain appraisal to their respective collecting experiences. Professor Ma Yunhe talked about the time when he was young and bought a Han Dynasty inkstone for two yuan at a street stall, which made everyone roar with laughter.

Prof. Lin Ru shared her experience of accidentally discovering a lost song dynasty Ding Kiln white porcelain cup in an antique shop in Tokyo, Japan, and the many twists and turns she went through to bring it back to the country. When talking about that past, her tone was full of emotion.

Hu Tian sat on the side, listening while drinking tea. He occasionally chimed in with a few words. He didn't say much, but every time he spoke, he hit the nail on the head, causing the seniors to nod repeatedly.

After several rounds of drinks and the meal had finished, the group had eaten their fill, and Elder Qin suggested taking everyone to see his collection room.

This proposal was immediately met with enthusiasm from everyone.

Elder Qin's collection room was on the second floor. It was quite large, covering fifty or sixty square meters. The four walls were fitted with custom-made temperature and humidity-controlled display cabinets, which housed dozens of fine pieces of ancient porcelain from various dynasties. Another wall was dedicated to hanging several ancient paintings and calligraphy works. The lighting was meticulously arranged, making each collection piece look exceptionally elegant.

Professor Ma Yunhe and Prof. Lin Ru were clearly not here for the first time; as they walked in, they each went to the display cabinets they were interested in, occasionally letting out exclamations of admiration.

Hu Tian followed behind Elder Qin, letting the old man introduce the items one by one, while secretly activating his Treasure Hunting Radar to scan the entire collection room.

The radar gave feedback almost instantly. The vast majority of the collection items showed as genuine, which made Hu Tian admire Elder Qin's sharp eye even more.

This old gentleman had been grinding in the antique circle for decades, and his eye was indeed sharp; there was almost not a single piece he had acquired that was a dud.

Just as Hu Tian was browsing casually, his gaze fell on a separate, inconspicuous display stand in the corner.

It was a Prunus Vase with a well-proportioned shape and seemingly fine clay texture. The entire body was painted with Blue and White patterns, with fluid brushwork and vigorous lines, faintly exuding an air of ancient simplicity.

However, the label on the stand clearly read four words: "Qing Dynasty imitation Yuan Blue and White."

Hu Tian's gaze lingered on the Prunus Vase for a moment, but he did not speak.

The feedback from the Treasure Hunting Radar had already clearly popped up in his mind: Yuan Dynasty Blue and White Prunus Vase, genuine, extremely high valuation.

Hu Tian's heart stirred slightly, but he remained calm. According to the unwritten rules of the antique circle, if the host does not invite you to appraise an item, the guest must not speak up, otherwise, it would be impolite.

He withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward with Elder Qin, his expression as usual.

Elder Qin led the group around for a circle and finally stopped in front of that Prunus Vase.

He looked at Hu Tian. He had noticed earlier that when Hu Tian passed by, his eyes had paused on the Prunus Vase before moving away as if nothing happened, so he paid a little more attention.

He smiled and said: "Little Hu, when you passed by here just now, your eyes paused on this vase. Do you have any thoughts on it?"

Seeing that Elder Qin had initiated the question, Hu Tian no longer held back. He stepped closer, carefully examined the Prunus Vase, and then said: "Elder Qin, the label on this vase says 'Qing Dynasty imitation Yuan Blue and White'. I wonder what your take on it is?"

He did not directly state his own judgment but asked a counter-question instead; this was to give the old man plenty of face.

Elder Qin smiled slightly, sat down on a nearby chair, signaled for the others to sit as well, and said slowly: "You rascal, that's an interesting question. As for this vase, there's actually a story behind it."

Professor Ma Yunhe and Prof. Lin Ru, upon hearing this, became interested as well. They sat down nearby and looked at Elder Qin, waiting for him to speak.

Elder Qin picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly: "I bought this vase at an auction in Hong Kong over ten years ago. The classification given by the auction house at the time was 'Qing Dynasty imitation Yuan Blue and White'. The starting price wasn't high either, equivalent to about seven or eight hundred thousand RMB."

"Seven or eight hundred thousand for an imitation?" Professor Ma Yunhe couldn't help but interject, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

Elder Qin waved his hand and smiled: "That was a Hong Kong auction house. Since it was classified as a Qing Dynasty imitation, seven or eight hundred thousand wasn't considered expensive. Qing Dynasty Official Kiln imitations of Yuan Blue and White have considerable collection value themselves. At the time, I saw that the vase was well-proportioned and the brushwork was not bad, so I raised my paddle to bid, and eventually won it for 920,000 Hong Kong dollars."

He paused, his gaze resting on the Prunus Vase, and continued: "After I bought it back, I studied it myself for a while, and the more I looked at it, the more something felt wrong. Qing Dynasty imitations of Yuan Blue and White have specific characteristics of their era, both in brushwork and clay texture. But the color of this vase was elegant and aged, the halo diffusion was natural, and the thickness and weight of the body differed from typical Qing Dynasty imitations. I became suspicious, so I specifically entrusted an old friend at the Palace Museum to conduct a thermoluminescence test."

Speaking of this, Elder Qin paused, and a meaningful smile flashed in his eyes.

"The test results came back, and the firing period pointed to the mid-to-late Yuan Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Professor Ma Yunhe and Prof. Lin Ru let out an exclamation at the same time.

"A genuine Yuan Dynasty piece?" Professor Ma Yunhe widened his eyes, "Doesn't that mean the auction house misjudged it back then?"

Elder Qin nodded, his tone calm but carrying a hint of pride: "You could say that. The experts at the auction house judged it to be a Qing imitation at the time, and I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a lucky strike. I bought it as an imitation, but ended up with a genuine Yuan Dynasty piece."

Prof. Lin Ru couldn't help but stand up, walk close to the Prunus Vase, and examine it carefully through the display case. She sighed: "No wonder I felt the aura of this vase was different from ordinary Qing imitations earlier; it really is a genuine Yuan Dynasty piece. Elder Qin, what do you call this? A blessing in disguise."

Elder Qin laughed heartily: "Speaking of misjudging, I've collected hundreds of items in my life, and this is the only one that truly makes me feel a bit embarrassed. After all, I was fooled by the auction house and bought it as an imitation. But thinking about it later, I didn't lose money, in fact, I got a huge bargain, so I felt relieved."

Hu Tian listened from the side, feeling a genuine resonance with Elder Qin's experience.

He had already confirmed the true identity of that Prunus Vase through the Treasure Hunting Radar, and the valuation figure given by the radar even made his heart beat a little faster—a Yuan Dynasty Blue and White Prunus Vase, in perfect condition, extremely rare, with a current market valuation, conservatively speaking, of at least sixty million.

He suppressed the waves in his heart, kept his expression calm, and said: "Elder Qin, you said you bought this vase at a Hong Kong auction house for the price of an imitation. In fact, from another perspective, it just goes to show that your eye is superior to others. Others saw an imitation, but you felt something was wrong and were willing to spend the money to acquire it. The subsequent test only proved your initial intuition."

Hearing this, a flash of approval crossed Elder Qin's eyes, and he smiled: "Little Hu, you're flattering me. But speaking of which, when you passed by this vase earlier, your gaze paused on it. You must have seen something, tell me your thoughts?"

Hu Tian smiled slightly and said unhurriedly: "Since Elder Qin has asked, I will be bold and say a few words. Please don't take offense if I'm wrong."

Elder Qin waved his hand: "Speak, no need to be polite."

Hu Tian cleared his throat and began: "This Prunus Vase has an upright shape, a small mouth and short neck, full shoulders, a slender belly, and the foot flares slightly outwards. The overall proportions and aura are highly consistent with standard Yuan Dynasty Prunus Vases. Regarding the color of the Blue and White, the characteristic halo diffusion and rust spots of Sumali blue are clearly visible; this kind of color is hard for domestic materials after the ming dynasty to fully imitate. The heaviness of the body is also consistent with the consistent style of large Yuan Dynasty vessels. Although there are fine pieces of Qing Dynasty imitations of Yuan Blue and White, whether it's the stability of the color or the granular texture of the clay, there are still subtle differences compared to the true Yuan Dynasty originals. My personal judgment is that this vase is undoubtedly a genuine Yuan Dynasty piece."