“The older one goes first…” Just then, Old Meng chuckled, “Pardon me, the two of you, but given my age, perhaps you could yield to your elder brother and let me take a look.”

As he spoke, Old Meng unceremoniously pushed aside the hands of the other two men and directly picked up the small, brush-pot-shaped censer to examine it.

“Why don’t you mention Kong Rong yielding the pears!” Sha Qingfeng muttered, but he still leaned in to observe as well.

At first glance, both inside and outside the censer, there were visible crackles—undoubtedly a piece of porcelain imbued with the style of Ge Ware. The reason it was described as having the style of Ge Ware was that without confirming its authenticity, one could only describe it in such tentative terms.

A true expert would never hastily pass judgment on the veracity of an object, and the more precious the item, the more meticulous they needed to be. Otherwise, a single oversight or misjudgment wouldn't just cost money; it could shatter the reputation one had painstakingly built.

Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng were well-known art agents, not the kind of unscrupulous experts found elsewhere in the country. They valued their reputations highly because money could be earned again, but a ruined reputation might eliminate any chance of earning in the future. Thus, a cautious and meticulous approach had become second nature to them.

However, after studying it for a long time, Old Meng kept shaking his head, his brow furrowed into the shape of the character for ‘mountain’ ().

“What is it? Is there something wrong with the censer?” Sha Qingfeng asked quickly. Even though he was watching from nearby, he hadn't held it, so he was hesitant to pass judgment on its authenticity.

“It’s not that something is wrong…”

Old Meng carefully placed the censer back down, then scratched his head and said, “The glaze is thick and rich, and the crackles are naturally coarse and hard, fitting the characteristics of the ‘gold thread and iron wire’ pattern. Especially the slight purplish hue around the mouth, the oxidized patina the color of iron on the footring, combined with a surface luster like clarified butter, and the bubbles faintly visible within the glaze…”

“Gold thread and iron wire, purple mouth and iron foot, pooling of bubbles…” Old Meng summarized, his face filled with incredulous astonishment, “These are completely the hallmarks of an authentic Ge Ware ceramic.”

In an instant, Sha Qingfeng swallowed hard, finally understanding why Old Meng was scratching his head. As previously mentioned, genuine Ge Ware porcelain was exceedingly rare, a treasure one might only find by chance.

Therefore, upon seeing the brush-pot censer, both men had initially been a mix of surprise and joy, but they quickly calmed down, instinctively assuming it was a reproduction from the Ming or Qing dynasties, or perhaps, if they were unlucky, a modern piece. In their subconscious, they had already dismissed the possibility of it being genuine.

But when they finally got to examine it firsthand and realized it wasn't a fake, nor a copy, but might be the real deal, Old Meng’s emotional state was understandable. Amidst the excitement and delight, there was certainly a lack of confidence, a fear that he had misjudged it and failed to see clearly.

Understanding Old Meng’s state of mind, Sha Qingfeng said nothing more, instead immediately picking up the censer to study it with intense focus. From the fissures of the crackle pattern to the luster of the glaze and the weight of the censer, he scrutinized every detail for a considerable time…

A full half hour passed before Sha Qingfeng also looked up, a wry smile on his face. “Brother Meng, it’s not just you; I also feel like this might be the real thing.”

“If it’s genuine, that’s a good thing. Don’t you want it to be real?”

Pi Qiu shi scorned the two unsophisticated men, retorting testily, “Ge Ware pieces appear at major auctions frequently. You’ve seen them before; is there any need for such shock?”

“That’s different,” Old Meng explained. “The pieces at the auction are other people’s collections, but this item was a genuine find—a bargain picked up. The context is entirely different…”

“Exactly, exactly.” Sha Qingfeng also smiled broadly, though he looked somewhat curious. “Fatty Pi, you seem completely unexcited. This is a massive find, a huge bargain…”

“Of course, I’m excited,” Pi Qiu shi said, though his expression remained rather placid. He thought the other two were making an enormous fuss over nothing. He mused that if they knew Wang Guan’s “track record,” and had witnessed the manifestation of the Weijiao Zither or the divine miracle of the Xuande Grand Censer, they would likely be accustomed to such events and feel very little excitement.

Thinking this, Pi Qiu shi also picked up the small censer to examine it, and a hint of excitement gradually surfaced on his face.

Although Ge Ware pieces often showed up at auctions, those were mostly Ming and Qing imitations. Genuine Song Dynasty Ge Ware was mostly housed in major museums around the world or in the hands of great private collectors, rarely seen by ordinary people. To hold such a precious object in his own hands now gave Pi Qiu shi a degree of excitement, and he turned it over and over in his hands.

Seeing this, Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng both subtly sneered, realizing that no matter how calm Pi Qiu shi pretended to be, he was just putting on an act… At the same time, they didn’t stay idle. They converged simultaneously around Wang Guan, their smiles identical—their intentions were as clear as the sun.

“Young man, congratulations. You’ve picked up another huge bargain,” Old Meng said with deep emotion. He felt that his own decades of hard work amounted to less than what this young man earned from two lucky finds. Of course, having passed forty, he quickly adjusted his mindset, his face beaming with a cordial smile. “Your eye for detail is indeed exceptional, truly out of the ordinary.”

“It’s no wonder Fatty Pi speaks so highly of the young man. Truly, a new generation surpasses the old.”

Sha Qingfeng was deeply in agreement. Even if the two of them didn't specialize in ceramics, having been in the trade for so long, they had picked up related knowledge. Even if they weren't masters, they could certainly be considered second or third-tier experts. But compared to Wang Guan, they paled in comparison.

After all, they were all in the same storeroom, yet this person identified a peculiarity in the small censer after just a few glances. Whether this was luck, coincidence, intuition, or even a wild guess—it didn't matter.

The fact was, he was right, and he secured a major bargain as hoped. In the antiques trade, claiming that success doesn't define heroes is pure nonsense; only by successfully acquiring valuable items can one truly prove their skill. Otherwise, no matter how much one talks, it’s just empty rhetoric, like Zhao Kuo discussing war strategy—no one will be convinced.

No matter how young Wang Guan was, as long as he possessed ability, no one cared about his age. The maxim that the capable should be respected as teachers still held weight in relatively traditional fields.

“You flatter me too much.”

At this moment, Wang Guan smiled modestly. “Is the piece genuinely real? Not some imitation or anything?”

“Genuine, absolutely genuine without a doubt.”

Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng nodded repeatedly, afraid Wang Guan wouldn't believe them, and proceeded to explain in detail once more. It was because they weren't familiar with Wang Guan; if Yu Feibai had been present, he wouldn't have bothered with such pleasantries. He would likely have pointed at Wang Guan’s nose and cursed, ‘Stop pretending to be modest now that you’ve profited!’ But the two agents didn't know this, so they explained with meticulous detail, recounting their entire appraisal process.

“Before I held it, I thought it was a Ming or Qing imitation, but when I discovered the body lacked that pale color, and the surface didn't have that characteristic soft sheen, I knew my initial assessment was wrong,” Old Meng spoke fluently. “Especially when I found the bubbles hidden within the glaze, I knew I had been completely off the mark. The characteristics of ‘beads gathered like pearls’—looking like tiny water droplets spread throughout the glaze layer—even the most convincing reproductions cannot achieve such an effect.”

“That’s right.”

Sha Qingfeng concurred. “Specifically, the crackles form two separate nets of lines: the gold thread and the iron wire, appearing as if the iron wire network overlays the gold thread network. These two sets of patterned lines operate independently, not interfering with each other. This is a quintessential feature of the Gold Thread and Iron Wire pattern, something only genuine Ge Ware possesses; imitations simply cannot replicate it…”

“Of course, these are our personal observations…”

However, after explaining for a moment, Old Meng added a caveat. “In any case, we can confirm it’s not a modern fake. The final conclusion should wait for Brother Pi’s opinion.”

Evidently, at this crucial juncture, Old Meng had regained his composure; stability was the priority. After all, he wasn't entirely confident in his own skill in appraising ceramics. But that was fine; he trusted Pi Qiu shi. If even Pi Qiu shi declared it genuine, there would be no remaining doubt.

“Fatty Pi,” Sha Qingfeng asked cautiously, “What do you think?”

“You’ve said everything that needs to be said; what more can I add?” Pi Qiu shi said with a smile. “Besides, it’s unnecessary for everyone to elaborate. Brother Wang already knows whether it’s real or fake in his heart.”

“Hmm?”

In an instant, Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng had a realization. In their eagerness to explain, they had forgotten that Wang Guan wasn't a customer seeking their advice, but a highly skilled expert who didn't need them to lecture him.

“Big Brother Pi is praising me again,” Wang Guan waved his hand and smiled. “My abilities have their limits. I still need to exchange ideas frequently and listen to everyone’s opinions to make progress.”

“Your progress is fast enough already. If you keep improving, are you going to leave anyone else a way to live?” Pi Qiu shi teased, casually setting the censer back on the table, signaling, “Brother, this treasure of yours, please take your time and appreciate it.”

Wang Guan didn't stand on ceremony. He directly took the brush-pot-shaped censer into his hands to examine it closely. He saw that the large and small crackles, both inside and out, possessed an ancient simplicity, radiating an ineffable, graceful beauty.

As one of the Five Great Kilns, the surface of the Black Ding ware tea bowl was dark, lustrous, radiating a flawless, pure treasure light. This three-footed small censer, however, was crisscrossed with ice-like fractures, covered in ever-changing beauty found in imperfection.

Human aesthetic tastes are quite contradictory. Under normal circumstances, people deeply favor things that are flawless and perfect—this is evident in the enduring popularity of romantic tales about talented scholars and beautiful women, or happy unions.

Yet, at other times, for reasons unknown, people greatly admire painfully tragic plots. This is why stories like The Butterfly Lovers are sung of for a thousand years, and even today, all manner of heart-wrenching palace dramas and sorrowful romances continue to dominate the prime-time slots in the evenings.

Of course, this kind of psychology was pointedly noted in the Qing Dynasty when a literary figure named Gong Zizhen wrote the essay On the Grove of Malformed Plum Trees (Bingmei Guanjie), sharply identifying it as a form of pathological aestheticism.

But the term "pathological aestheticism" sounds harsh, and people are reluctant to admit to it. Naturally, they prefer a more refined phrasing, calling it "beauty in imperfection," or perhaps "unique rustic simplicity and natural charm."

Ultimately, it means the same thing. Throughout history, many people have appreciated this type of beauty, naturally elevating this natural charm in ceramics, which in turn forged the unshakeable status of Ge Ware, one of the Five Great Kilns of the Song Dynasty, even today.

“So, what do you think? It’s a nice piece, isn’t it?”

At the same time, Pi Qiu shi smiled. “It’s just that the shape is a bit small, and it’s a more common variety of Ge Ware, so its price will certainly be far less than the Black Ding tea bowl…”