The following morning, at Yu Feibai’s suggestion, they all returned to the hospital to visit Yu Fang-kai and his wife.

By then, the infant had begun to open up; its fair, rosy cheeks paired with a pair of pitch-black, clear, and pure eyes made it look incredibly adorable, begging to be pinched.

However, it was a great pity that under the strict defense of Yu’s mother, neither Yu Feibai nor Murong Guang succeeded, left only to watch the lovely baby from afar with sighs of longing.

No matter what, seeing the newborn growing up healthy made everyone very happy, so they lingered until noon before departing. Returning to the manor and eating lunch, they finally had some ample time, and Yu Feibai immediately took out the blue-and-white charger plate to examine it.

“Huiqing pigment,”

Yu Feibai murmured, “That means it’s from the period between the Zhengde and Wanli eras. That was the most popular underglaze blue pigment during that time. So, this large plate is likely from one of the four periods: Zhengde, Jiajing, Longqing, or Wanli. Wang Guan, which period do you think has the highest probability?”

“It should be early Wanli,” Wang Guan offered his judgment.

Yu Feibai naturally inquired, “What’s your reasoning? What evidence do you have?”

“Judging by the plate’s body, this is a typical piece from a folk kiln,” Wang Guan analyzed. “The clay is very thick and heavy, the foot rim’s diameter is quite large, and it has a coarse sandy bottom with traces of iron spotting. These characteristics are hallmarks of Wanli folk kiln wares.”

“It is indeed from a folk kiln. I also agree that it’s from the Wanli period.”

At this point, Yu Feibai asked curiously, “But how are you certain it’s from the early period, and not the middle or late?”

One had to remember that Emperor Wanli reigned for forty-eight years, the longest of any Ming emperor, naturally leading to distinct ceramic styles across different time segments, hence Yu Feibai’s doubt.

“You remember that the Huiqing pigment was used in the Wanli era, but you might have overlooked that the Huiqing pigment supply was exhausted in the twenty-fourth year of Wanli, and the kilns began using the domestic Zhejiang pigment.”

Wang Guan smiled, “If you carefully observe the blue color before and after the twenty-fourth year of Wanli, you will find a very distinct difference. Although the underglaze blue on this plate is somewhat lighter, that is due to wear and tear from frequent use.”

“If observed closely, you can also feel the glaze surface is fine and thick, intensely lustrous, with excellent vitrification. Especially since the blue color saturation is deep and vibrant, leaning towards purple within the blue, which is why I can firmly state this is an early Wanli piece.”

Just as Wang Guan finished speaking, they suddenly heard someone clap their hands and exclaim, “Very well said! I didn’t expect to run into an expert here.”

“Who is that?”

In an instant, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai turned their heads to look. Accompanying Murong Guang, a man in his thirties wearing frameless glasses walked over.

It must be said that eyeglass styles nowadays are constantly evolving: framed, semi-framed, frameless—there are countless types, simply too numerous to list. This person was wearing frameless glasses, with two square lenses resting between his nose bridge, looking quite trendy. Coupled with his beaming smile, he was rather easy to like.

“He is Ouyang.” At the same time, Murong Guang made the introduction, gesturing, “This is Yu Feibai, my sister’s brother-in-law, and his friend Wang Guan…”

“Wang Guan!”

At that moment, Ouyang’s eyes lit up. Extending his hand, he smiled, “I know you. You are the proprietor of Shiyi Pavilion in the capital. I was there when the shop opened. The Jinshan Scenic Map and the Bronze Sparrow Terrace Inkstone were excellent; I truly wanted to buy them, but they were the shop’s prized, display-only items. I had no choice but to purchase a Qing Dynasty porcelain piece as consolation.”

Hearing this, Wang Guan was certain this man truly knew him and had actually visited Shiyi Pavilion. He responded enthusiastically, though with some hesitation: “Mr. O...”

Mr. O, or Mr. Ouyang?

Sensing Wang Guan’s slight awkwardness, Ouyang immediately smiled, “Ouyang. My surname is Ouyang. My given name is Yang—Ouyang Yang. Yang, as in the Yang of the borderland’s white poplar. Because the two characters sound the same, friends call me Ouyang.”

“Mr. Ouyang,” Wang Guan finally responded with a warm smile, “Thank you for your patronage. If I visit again, I’ll give you a discount.”

“Haha, thank you then, Shopkeeper Wang.” Ouyang laughed heartily, then shook hands with Yu Feibai, exchanging a few pleasantries, his attention quickly drawn to the blue-and-white charger plate on the table.

“Rongguang, is this the large plate you mentioned?”

Ouyang, experiencing a surge of excitement at the sight of something new, turned back to Wang Guan and Yu Feibai, “May I examine it up close?”

“Please do.”

Yu Feibai nodded and looked towards Murong Guang, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

“I didn’t call him over,”

Murong Guang whispered an explanation. “Perhaps those people from yesterday knew Ouyang is fond of porcelain and told him about this as an interesting tidbit, not expecting him to just show up here.”

Yu Feibai understood immediately, yet he could also empathize with Ouyang’s actions. After all, for something one genuinely loves, showing up uninvited is the most common occurrence; some people even refuse to leave.

“It truly is an antique.”

At this moment, having received permission from Yu Feibai, Ouyang carefully lifted the large plate for inspection. The weighty feel in his hands and the strong texture of the blue and white glaze confirmed to him that this was absolutely not a product of modern craftsmanship.

After examining it for a moment, Ouyang smiled and asked, “Shopkeeper Wang just said this piece is from the early Wanli period?”

“That’s right.”

Wang Guan nodded. “If you feel my judgment is incorrect, Mr. Ouyang, please offer your guidance.”

“How dare I,”

Ouyang quickly shook his head, smiling sincerely, “You are the true expert; I’ve only been playing with porcelain for two or three years. I’m still a novice, how could I presume to teach an old master in front of you?”

In Ouyang’s mind, he had already categorized Wang Guan as a scholar rich in family knowledge, someone steeped in antiques since childhood. Yu Feibai secretly chuckled at this, thinking that if Ouyang knew how long Wang Guan had actually been in the field, he would certainly be stunned.

Of course, Yu Feibai wouldn't expose this, as it would not only crush Ouyang’s confidence but also, to some extent, dampen his own enthusiasm. Why deflate someone else’s spirit while diminishing one’s own prestige?

“Mr. Ouyang is too kind,”

Simultaneously, Wang Guan also smiled, “We should exchange ideas often; that’s how we progress.”

“That’s very true; exchange is the most important thing.”

Ouyang deeply agreed, then sighed, “However, in the Northwest region, relatively few people collect porcelain, making it hard to find someone to discuss things with. It’s not that there aren't any, but within my circle of friends, I am the only one playing this game. When I take them to look around, they just nod; they simply don’t understand what I’m talking about.”

“Hey, are you complaining about us?”

At this point, Murong Guang became displeased, casting a sidelong glance. “Then I’ll tell you the truth: if you hadn’t insisted on dragging us along, we wouldn’t have been willing to visit either.”

“I’m not complaining, I’m stating facts. We’re like brothers, don’t be so petty,” Ouyang immediately said with a smile. “At worst, I’ll treat you all to a meal later, to thank you for your support over the years.”

“That sounds more like it,” Murong Guang was appeased. “Alright, you two chat slowly; I’ll go make some tea.”

After Murong Guang left, Ouyang set down the blue-and-white charger plate and requested instruction: “Shopkeeper Wang, I’ve seen many large plates like this and own several myself. But I feel that the color rendering of some underglaze blues is quite similar; I can’t distinguish the differences. Besides judging the era by the blue pigment, what other aspects can one focus on?”

“That’s simple.”

It wasn't Wang Guan who spoke, but Yu Feibai. He pointed to the blue-and-white decoration and said casually, “Besides the color variations of the underglaze blue pigment, you must also pay attention to the rendering effect of the decorative motifs.”

“How so?” Ouyang quickly pressed for details.

“First, you need to know that Wanli blue-and-white compositions are dense and slightly cluttered. Many wares are fully decorated inside and out, covered with ornamental patterns, sometimes featuring more than twenty different auspicious motifs painted on a single piece,”

Yu Feibai explained. “Take this blue-and-white charger plate, for example. Although the main motif is the crane, it’s interwoven with scrolling lotus patterns, fruit motifs, and auspicious clouds used as infill. The content is very rich, which is a typical characteristic of that period.”

“Another aspect is the technique used to paint the motifs,”

At the same time, Wang Guan supplemented, “The lines of early Wanli blue-and-white show variations in shading, indicating depth, and there’s also some reserved white space…”

“Listening to you speak for a while is better than reading for ten years,”

After a long pause, Ouyang sighed. “I have discussed this with others before, but they never explained things as thoroughly and understandably as you two have.”

“Mr. Ouyang is self-taught, I presume?” Wang Guan said with certainty.

“More or less,” Ouyang chuckled awkwardly. “But sometimes I also attend lectures by experts.”

It was just as expected…

Wang Guan nodded in understanding. A distinct flaw in self-learning is often having rich theoretical knowledge but struggling when applying it practically. He had experienced the same thing initially until he was guided by Elder Qian and others to gradually integrate theory and practice completely.

As for listening to lectures by experts, it wasn't useless, but its impact wasn't very significant. Experts would naturally cover more mainstream topics; they couldn't delve too deeply, as overly esoteric explanations would be incomprehensible to most listeners. Even if one specifically sought private consultation, a relationship of kinship or friendship didn't exist, so the expert would inevitably hold back some key secrets.

Thus, even though Ouyang had been in the field for two or three years, his skill remained at a novice level. He had entered the door but was lingering at the threshold, not yet able to step fully inside. However, out of respect for Murong Guang, neither of them minded answering Ouyang’s questions seriously, treating it as a process of reviewing old knowledge to gain new insight.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and dusk soon approached. Glancing at the setting sun in the sky, Ouyang immediately stood up and said, “Would you two grant me the opportunity to be your host at my home?”

“What, are you trying to steal my guests?” Murong Guang joked. “It’s not good enough at my place; you have to go to yours?”

Ouyang quickly explained, “You know that’s not what I mean. It’s mainly to invite you both over to see the results of my collecting efforts over the years…”

“Hmm.”

Wang Guan and Yu Feibai exchanged a look, suddenly very interested.