Chapter 145: Unexpected Place

  Zhao Qirui saw Duan Xuefeng's excited look and smiled: "If this bronze ladle is auctioned, it can be sold for two hundred yuan. You said you didn't make a profit? Xuefeng, you also had a stroke of luck, not even knowing the name of this thing, but still managed to buy it at a low price. I don't know where you got this thing from."

  "This... Zhao Ge, when I bought it at first, I promised that person not to reveal the seller's name, so..." Duan Xuefeng said with some hesitation and embarrassment.

  Zhao Qirui saw his appearance and pointed at him, laughing: "You, when selling antiques, the seller doesn't want to show their face. This is very common in the antique business. What's there to be ashamed of?"

  Duan Xuefeng smiled and said, "I don't understand this."

  At this time, Chu Chen hesitated and said: "This... Brother Duan, I don't know if it's right to say or not!"

  Duan Xuefeng saw this and hastily said: "Xiao Chu, is there something wrong with this thing? Just say it."

  "This bronze ladle, if I'm not mistaken, should be a newly cooked Kong."

  "Ah! Impossible! How can it be the newly made Familiar Furnace!" Zhao Qirui exclaimed in surprise, then immediately began to carefully observe this bronze ladle.

  "Wait a minute, what's this familiar pit you're talking about?" Duan Xuefeng said with some confusion.

  Chu Chen explained to him, "We know that bronze wares buried underground will undergo chemical reactions over time, causing natural changes on the surface, gradually producing rust in layers. The rust forms a hard, naturally varied patina of green, red, blue or purple colors."

  "This state is reflected in the newly unearthed bronze artifacts, and in the antique industry, such bronzes are called "shengkeng". Of course, those that have been unearthed for several years but still maintain their original state when they were first unearthed, with surfaces that have not been contaminated by dust, oil stains, etc., and have not undergone any artificial treatment, are also called "shengkeng"."

  "While "熟坑" refers to ancient bronze artifacts that have been passed down or unearthed for a long time, due to frequent appreciation and handling, the raised parts of the bronze surface are polished by hand to present a bright and mature state, which is called "熟坑"."

  "In addition, some collectors in order to make the bronze more beautiful and prevent it from being corroded, will clean the "raw pit" bronzes, use reasonable chemical methods to remove the copper rust, and apply wax to make the surface shiny, while the bottom layer can still maintain rich colors. This is also called "ripe pit"."

  "Nowadays, most of the cultural relics we see in museums have undergone such treatment, making them both aesthetically pleasing and worry-free. Because some people don't understand that after 'raw pit' processing becomes 'ripe pit', it will become so new and beautiful, so when visiting museums, they think these are all replicas."

  After listening to Chuyan's explanation, Duan Xuefeng suddenly said: "I used to think that the things in the museum were imitations. Today, after hearing your words, I finally opened my eyes. Since this thing is a Familiar Furnace and not fake, there shouldn't be any problem, right?"

  Zhao Qirui said after re-examining the bronze vessel, "The problem is that there isn't really a problem. But have you ever thought about why he would make something into a mature pit? What was it before it became a mature pit?"

  "What else could it be before the Familiar Pit, but the Raw Pit? Wait, you're saying he deliberately made it a masterpiece, which means this thing is something he dug up? I've encountered a country bumpkin!" By the end of his words, Duan Xuefeng's face involuntarily showed an expression of surprise.

  Chu Chen waved his hand and said, "It can't be said that you will definitely encounter a swindler, but this thing should have been done for a while, and since he asked you not to tell others about the seller, the motive is very suspicious, so it's likely to be a swindler."

  "Xiao Chu, how did you tell that this thing was made into a mature pit not long ago?" Duan Xuefeng asked.

  Zhao Qirui smiled and said, "This doesn't need to be said by Little Chu, I can also see it. This bronze ladle, in order to imitate the natural formation of a familiar pit as much as possible, has undergone some treatment for the taste of chemical medicine water. However, perhaps due to the urgency of time, this aspect was not thoroughly done. Although most places have no smell, some places can still be smelled with a light or heavy scent. Xuefeng, you can come and take a sniff."

  Duan Xuefeng nodded after sniffing the places pointed out by Zhao Qirui, "En, there is such a phenomenon, but this can't prove that it was done recently, right?"

  "If this was done a long time ago, then why didn't he handle these details better?"

  Zhao Qirui retorted, pointing to a spot next to the Four Beast Ears, "Let's not mention what's in front anymore. The key is that this rust stain wasn't cleaned up properly due to his haste. Based on my experience, this bronze ladle shouldn't have been unearthed for long, and it goes without saying when it was made by a mature workshop. Little Chu, am I right?"

  Chu Chen nodded and said, "Hehe, Brother Zhao, you're right. The main thing is that rusty patch, it doesn't seem like it's been unearthed for a long time. Otherwise, with the current weather conditions, there would definitely be some changes, it wouldn't still look like it did when it was first unearthed."

  "This..."

  At this point, Duan Xuefeng also knew that this thing was probably just unearthed. He scratched his head and looked a bit worried. It wasn't that he was afraid of meeting the local tyrant, but rather that this thing was quite valuable. If something happened, even if he could keep it for himself, he would still have to pay some price in human relationships, which didn't seem like a good deal.

  But now that the goods have been bought, it's impossible to return them. Whatever happens in the future can only be borne by myself. Thinking of this, Duan Xuefeng couldn't help but sigh and say:

  "Yu Guangjie that little brat, he's left me with a hot potato!"

  Zhao Qirui heard this and was stunned, exchanging a glance with Chu Chuan before asking: "Xuefeng, did Yu Guangjie sell you this bronze ladle?"

  Duan Xuefeng shook his head and said, "It wasn't him who sold it to me, but rather the person he introduced me to. A month ago, he came over to buy a car, and I heard that he was going to open an auction house. Coincidentally, I was thinking of buying an antique as a gift at the time, so I asked him about it, and then he introduced me to the person who sold this thing to me. Zhao Ge, is there something wrong with Yu Guangjie?"

  Zhao Qirui thought for a moment and said: "I don't know about this either, it's just my guess with Xiao Chu."

  Duan Xuefeng hastily said: "Zhao Ge, just say it, if you don't say we won't know, in case Yu Guangjie really has a problem, when I'm in contact with him, I'll be more careful."

  "Alright then..."

  Zhao Qirui thought about what Duan Xuefeng said and also made sense, so he simply told everyone about the suspicious points found in the black market last time.

  "Although neither I nor Xiao Chu have seen any connection between Yu Guangjie and those country teachers with our own eyes, several things are just too coincidental, so he can't escape suspicion either. Moreover, with what happened to you this time, I think there's even more of a problem with him."

  After listening to Zhao Qirui, Duan Xuefeng also nodded and said: "Brother Zhao, after hearing what you said, I think Yu Guangjie is probably problematic. If he really has a connection with Tufu, this will lead to trouble sooner or later. It's likely another son of a bitch."

  This sentence brought a burst of gentle laughter from everyone.

  At this time, Chu Yulan said: "Uncle, I told you that Yu Guangjie is not a good person? My mother also said that Yu Guangjie was okay, it's good that Uncle helped me to delay the marriage at that time, otherwise, I don't know what situation I would be in now."

  Zhao Qirui smiled and said, "This is called knowing people but not their hearts. At that time, Yu Guangjie was very honest in front of my sister, and with Zhou Zhen constantly mediating, she naturally thought Yu Guangjie was okay."

  Upon hearing this, Chu Chen said somewhat suddenly: "Zhao Ge, I was wondering why Yu Guangjie had hostility towards you, it turns out to be because of this!"

  "Uncle, I'm really sorry, let you suffer from an unjust disaster."

  Zhao Qirui waved his hand and said, "I am your uncle, what's wrong with that? On the contrary, from this matter, it can also be seen that Yu Guangjie is not a good person, my original decision was correct."

  "Hmph, anyway I don't have a good impression of the people in their family. The one with the surname Zhou isn't a good person either. Previously when I didn't reject him, he was always enthusiastic towards me. But after I rejected him, on the surface he's still the same as before, but behind my back he's lukewarm towards me, giving me attitude and sometimes even saying unpleasant things. It's really detestable, I don't know how my mom put up with her."

  Zhang Qirui shook his head and said with some helplessness: "Zhao Zhen is this kind of person, her heart is full of utilitarian colors. Only when someone is useful to her will she give a good face. But she has done a good job on the surface, even if she has done something out of line, my sister's heart is soft and will forget after a few days. Xiao Lan, you have time to advise my sister to reduce contact with this kind of woman like Zhao Zhen."

  At this, Chu Yulan was also helpless. Her mother had a good temper and rarely got angry. She was very kind to people and even more caring towards her loved ones, being considerate of every detail. It was precisely because of this that she had been able to integrate into the family so quickly after being adopted from the orphanage.

  Thinking of this, Chu Yulan decided that she couldn't be so selfish anymore and must quickly resolve the matter with her brother.

  However, she found from the previous conversation with Chuyan that Chuyan had a very deep misunderstanding of the matter at the time. It could be clearly seen that when Chuyan mentioned this matter, his eyes contained complex emotions. So she felt that it might not be a good idea to tell her parents directly about this matter.

  If Chu Ge really is the son that Mom and Dad lost all those years ago, then as they get in touch with each other, there's a chance that Chu Ge might have misunderstandings with his parents and start conflicts. Although Mom and Dad will be happy to find their son, this outcome would also make them even more heartbroken. This is not what I want to see happen.

  This matter should start with Chu Ge first, and at that time, I will try to clarify the misunderstanding as much as possible.