Guess it won't be long before I stop hopping around, but if you have any monthly tickets, please offer your support. Thank you. (Search Wenxueguan on Baidu) "Let's go in and have a look."

At this moment, Yu Feibai also felt a sense of novelty and immediately beckoned Wang Guan to enter Yujie Street.

Beyond the grand archway stood an ancient and elegant pavilion; judging by the sign, it was the Fan Lou.

Yu Feibai winked conspiratorially, "Know Li Shishi? She lives right in there."

"A thousand years ago, she was definitely in there. As for now? Even her ghost has probably drifted off somewhere unknown."

Wang Guan replied irritably, "Come on, the antique shops are up ahead. Let's check them out."

There were quite a few antique shops along the way, but even more selling handicrafts, especially shops specializing in Bian embroidery, where many tourists gathered to watch the artisans at work.

The delicate threads, under the hands of skilled craftsmen, were embroidered to look like true landscapes, bringing world-famous oil paintings and ancient Chinese artworks vividly to life.

The most famous, of course, was Zhang Zeduan's Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Seeing it rendered in minute silk threads evoked boundless emotion. Such a long scroll, embroidered with meticulous detail, naturally attracted many people willing to pay high prices for it, whether for collection or to display in a living room as a symbol of wealth, auspiciousness, and refined taste.

"I'll buy a few to take back later."

Yu Feibai said with a smile at the opportune moment, "Then I'll give them to you as a wedding gift."

"Stingy!" Wang Guan naturally showed his disdain.

"Look how beautifully they embroidered it—grand and magnificent, completely immersive. How can you call that stingy?" Knowing Yu Feibai was deliberately muddying the waters, Wang Guan couldn't be bothered to engage and quickened his pace by a few steps, arriving before a relatively spacious antique shop.

Wang Guan realized it had been a while since he last browsed an antique shop. After all, the recent traveling exhibition of treasures, coupled with matters concerning Mr. Zhu, had kept him constantly moving between different places. He had been too busy even to find time for window shopping. Now, this was purely stealing leisure time, or perhaps, testing fate.

Meng Jian had only revealed the name Kaifeng, which suggested there must be some clue within the city. Perhaps this was one of Mr. Zhu's many bolt-holes, but without concrete intelligence, they could only wander around like headless flies, hoping for a discovery.

The two entered the antique shop, their eyes sweeping across the interior. The items for sale were quite mixed: ceramic vases, paintings and calligraphy, and even the Four Treasures of the Study. There were even a few oil paintings.

These items, frankly, were too obviously fake. After a single glance, Wang Guan couldn't help but shake his head. These weren't antiques at all; they were clearly modern crafts. However, considering this was a restored ancient commercial street, Wang Guan could understand. Areas thick with commercial activity were bound to be a mixed bag, with more fakes than genuine articles.

"Hello there, young sirs."

Just then, the shopkeeper approached with an effusive, beaming smile. "Have you found anything you fancy?"

"Just looking," Yu Feibai replied casually. "Boss, the stuff here doesn't look very good."

"Young sir," the shopkeeper said, clearly a bit displeased by the comment, "tell me, what's wrong with the items? These are all good things, genuine treasures."

"Is that so?" Yu Feibai smiled but made no attempt to refute the claim. Instead, he asked directly, "Do you have any Chai Ware here?"

"Chai Ware?" The shopkeeper paused, then nodded. "We do!" As he spoke, the shopkeeper walked back behind the counter and placed a porcelain vase out for display.

"Is that really Chai Ware?" Both Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were momentarily surprised.

"Of course, it's Chai Ware, absolutely Chai Ware. If it’s not, I’ll pay ten times the price!" The shopkeeper thumped his chest with an expression of absolute certainty, leading the two to approach and examine it, half-believing, half-doubting.

At first glance, the porcelain vase was extremely bright and glossy, radiating a clear, elegant color. It was indeed very beautiful. However, the luster was overly dazzling, lacking the essential mellow sheen characteristic of ancient porcelain. Thus, after a brief look, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai couldn't help but frown. This was hardly Chai Ware; it was clearly newly made porcelain.

"Boss, are you joking with us?" Yu Feibai expressed his dissatisfaction directly. "Our eyes aren't blind. If this were genuine Chai Ware, the kind where a shard is worth a thousand pieces of gold, I’d eat it right here."

"It really is Chai Ware." At this point, a hint of cunning appeared in the shopkeeper's eyes. "However, it certainly wasn't fired in ancient times. This is a variety reproduced by a master craftsman in our province—an exquisite piece of craftsmanship representing the image of Kaifeng..."

"Just as we suspected." Hearing this, the two immediately understood. The shopkeeper wasn't entirely unscrupulous, nor was his face thick enough to tell outright lies. Although they had never been to Kaifeng before, they had heard rumors that someone in Henan Province was attempting to reproduce Chai Ware. But just how similar the resulting pieces were to the legendary Chai Ware, they didn't quite know without a direct comparison. Nevertheless, it couldn't be denied that "Chai Ware" porcelain fired with modern precision, even gaining approval from provincial experts via the State Patent Office, indicated that this type of "Chai Ware" had something special about it. At least they could confirm the level of craftsmanship was high, and the quality was guaranteed.

Since the shopkeeper had explained himself, the two, though slightly disappointed, began to examine the vase on the table closely.

Chai Ware from the Five Dynasties period was famed for being 'azure like the sky, bright as a mirror, thin as paper, resonant as a chime.' 'Azure like the sky' referred to the glaze color. Legend holds that when Emperor Shizong Chai Rong ascended the throne, he needed a batch of porcelain fired as tribute vessels according to custom. Not knowing the Emperor's preference, his subordinates asked for instructions on the required specifications and color. Chai Rong, being quite refined, simply instructed: "After the rain clears and the sky turns the color of blue-green clouds, use this shade for the future batch." The ancient character for 'blue-green' is equivalent to the modern character 'this,' meaning the porcelain should be fired to match the color of the sky after a rain shower clears. This is the origin of 'azure like the sky.' 'Bright as a mirror' referred to the reflectivity of Chai Ware porcelain; it was as clear as a mirror, capable of vividly reflecting scenery. As for 'thin as paper' and 'resonant as a chime,' this naturally referred to the body’s thinness and its dense, solid nature—only a tight clay body could produce a sound like a bronze bell or chime stone.

Clearly, the characteristics of the vase before them basically matched the legendary Chai Ware, making it understandable why the shopkeeper dared to present it so boldly. Setting aside other considerations, purely from the perspective of a craft object, the piece was indeed quite good and held some value. Buying it wouldn't just serve as an ornamental piece; if it could be preserved for a century or two, it would become a respectable antique.

"Provided," Yu Feibai muttered, shaking his head, "that I live to be two hundred. Boss, stop trying to fool us. We want genuine Chai Ware porcelain."

"Young sir, it's not just you who wants it," the shopkeeper chuckled then. "Walk outside and ask anyone; who doesn't want it? But some things aren't available just because you want them. If you can't buy the real thing, a substitute isn't a bad choice either."

That last sentence betrayed the shopkeeper’s true intention: he was still trying to push the vase.

"Forget the substitutes," Yu Feibai shook his head. "I've bought so many already, the house is full."

"I see." The shopkeeper thought for a moment, carefully took the vase back, and then brought out another rolled scroll. "Young sirs, in Kaifeng, we don't just have Chai Ware. We also have many other rare items, such as this copy of Along the River During the Qingming Festival..."

Hearing this, Yu Feibai turned and walked away without a word or a farewell gesture.

"Sorry, something urgent just came up..." Wang Guan offered a polite excuse and followed him out.

As soon as they stepped outside, they heard Yu Feibai grumbling under his breath, "Is this an antique shop, or a replica shop?"

"Who cares what kind of shop it is," Wang Guan replied casually. "Didn't you insist on coming here? Besides, the shopkeeper was relatively honest; at least he admitted the items were crafts."

"Nonsense. Chai Ware and Along the River During the Qingming Festival—everyone knows those are crafts. Anyone who believes otherwise is a real fool."

"Alright, stop complaining," Wang Guan shook his head. "Actually, the shopkeeper was quite right. You aren't the only one looking for Chai Ware in the world. If it were easy to find, it wouldn't be a legend."

"That's true." Yu Feibai immediately perked up. "Let's keep looking. I don't expect to find Chai Ware immediately, but maybe there are other good things."

Yu Feibai's words proved somewhat prophetic. They didn't find any Chai Ware after touring the entire Song Du Yujie Street, but the pair did manage to pick up a few nice small items. They were truly just trinkets; the best find was a fan rib, an old one from the late Qing or early Republic period. A depiction of an elegant plum blossom was carved onto the rib, making it quite unique. The seller knew it was old and initially asked for ten thousand, but after some haggling, it was sold for three thousand.

Fan ribs are a somewhat niche collectible. Although their potential for appreciation is limited, three thousand yuan was considered the bottom line. However, Yu Feibai was quite pleased after paying, because the material of the fan rib was unusual—not ordinary bamboo or wood, but boxwood. The shopkeeper hadn't recognized it, treating it as common wood and only pricing it based on its age, ignoring the material. This allowed Yu Feibai to snag a small bargain. Naturally, Yu Feibai was delighted by this. In his excitement, he immediately insisted on treating the other person, taking Wang Guan to Kaifeng's most luxurious grand restaurant for a massive feast. The money spent, however, was several times what he saved from the bargain—clearly a deficit. But for a tycoon like Yu Feibai, this was normal. One thing was one thing; the bargain was separate from the entertainment, and the two couldn't be mixed.

Regardless, the first day in Kaifeng passed just like that. No surprises, no particularly huge delights, just ordinary days, which was what they expected.

The night passed quietly. The next morning, Wang Guan woke up Yu Feibai, who was still luxuriating in bed, and after washing up, they had breakfast at a nearby teahouse, enjoying Kaifeng's famous soup dumplings. The piping hot broth warmed their stomachs and instantly lifted their spirits.

"What's the plan next?" Yu Feibai asked. "Keep sightseeing, or continue searching like headless flies?"〖Book Network :: Fast Update :: No Pop-ups :: Pure Text :: www.〗RT