“Indeed, I’d appreciate you taking a look, Elder Yang.” The stout middle-aged man hurriedly opened the box, revealing two scrolls inside, one long and one short. “Xiao Yu, I’ve told you, if you ask me to look at timber, my old bones haven’t lived these decades in vain; I can identify it with absolute certainty,” Elder Yang shook his head.

“But now you’re asking me to look at paintings. That’s outside my specialty, and there might be errors.” “Elder Yang, you’re being too modest.” The stout man chuckled.

“Isn’t there a saying about learning by analogy? Those collecting experts on TV all say that cultural relics are interconnected horizontally.

If you can determine the exact age of antique furniture, you must surely be able to judge the age of a painting.” As he spoke, the middle-aged man had already taken out one scroll and undone the cord binding it, preparing to unfurl it. Just then, Elder Yang reached out to stop him and asked, “Xiao Yu, tell me honestly, have you shown these two items to anyone else yet?” “No.” The stout man started, instinctively shaking his head.

“I just acquired them and immediately sought out Elder Yang.” “Then I won’t look. Put the items away, let someone else see them first, and then come back to me,” Elder Yang immediately refused upon hearing this.

“Why?” Not only was the middle-aged man bewildered, but Wang Guan and Yu Feibai standing nearby were equally confused. “Xiao Yu, why don’t you understand?

I’m doing this for your own good,” Elder Yang persuaded patiently. “I’m not very proficient with calligraphy and painting.

If I misidentify something, at worst, I’ll just make a fool of myself. But I’m afraid that if you form a preconceived notion, you won’t be receptive to other opinions, and that would ruin things for you.” “Elder Yang, I…” At this moment, the stout middle-aged man was somewhat moved, but his expression was strange.

Wang Guan, watching from the side, saw it clearly and understood instantly. This man had probably already consulted someone else but, still feeling uneasy, had come to ask Elder Yang for his expert opinion.

Yet, he had just claimed he hadn't shown it to anyone else, so he was now in a difficult position and couldn't easily backtrack. At the same time, Wang Guan felt this was a good opportunity.

With a hint of the thrill of encountering a challenge, he smiled and said, “Uncle, might we take a look at your items?” “You all…” The stout man turned his head, and hesitation immediately clouded his face. The main reason was that Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were too young and clearly lacked the appearance of authority.

“Xiao Yu, don’t judge a person by their looks,” Elder Yang frowned immediately upon seeing this. “This young man’s eye for appraisal is extraordinary.

Just before you arrived, he snagged a bargain. He spent only five hundred yuan on an agarwood bracelet.” “What?

Is that true? Elder Yang, you’re not fooling me, are you?” The stout man exclaimed in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief.

“The item is right here,” Elder Yang pointed, smiling. “Why on earth would I lie to you?” Wang Guan, understanding the social cues, handed the agarwood bracelet to the middle-aged man and smiled.

“Uncle, since we are all fellow collectors, a little mutual exchange shouldn’t be an issue, right?” “Of course not.” Since the other party was so generous as to hand over the agarwood bracelet, the stout man naturally couldn't be stingy. He placed the painting scrolls before Wang Guan.

However, the middle-aged man was clearly still worried about his items. While distractedly fiddling with the agarwood bracelet, he kept looking up frequently, closely observing Wang Guan’s actions.

Wang Guan acted professionally. He had prepared white gloves, a magnifying glass, and similar tools when browsing the antique market that morning.

Laying these items on the table gave the middle-aged man some measure of relief. “Let me go first…” Whenever there was a chance to appraise antiques, Yu Feibai was never willing to lag behind.

He properly put on the white gloves, then carefully took the scroll, laid it flat on the table, and slowly unfurled it. Moments later, a vibrant, colorful painting was revealed to everyone.

Wang Guan observed closely beside him and noticed the painting was meant to be viewed horizontally. It depicted a small cluster of flowers and grasses, with one particularly brilliant bloom that attracted a gracefully fluttering butterfly.

Within the grass lay a plump, rotund cat, appearing lazy in its crouch but possessing a unique, inherent spirit. In addition to the flowers, cat, and butterfly, there was a long inscription and colophon in the blank space above.

The lengthy inscription was written in traditional characters using a running script style—the characters were elegant and flowing, looking quite exceptional. Yu Feibai admired it for a moment and then recited, “This Playful Cat and Dancing Butterfly Picture was painted by Madam Zhang of Neijiang, surname Zeng, given name Youzhen…” “What?

A painting of her nineties by Zeng Youzhen?” Hearing this, Elder Yang couldn't sit still; he shot up quickly and leaned in to look closely. “Elder Yang, who is this Zeng Youzhen?” Wang Guan asked out of curiosity.

The long inscription on the painting was dense with characters, and he had no interest in deciphering it all, so he simply asked directly. “The Madam was highly skilled, and in her later years, she imparted her techniques to her sons, Shanzi and Daqian…” Elder Yang didn't keep them in suspense.

He pointed to a section of the inscription, read it aloud, and then smiled, “Don’t tell me you don’t know who Daqian is.” “Zhang Daqian!” Wang Guan and Yu Feibai exclaimed simultaneously. In the realm of modern Chinese painting, that name was absolutely thunderous.

Basically, anyone with even a slight knowledge of Chinese painting could not possibly bypass this famous great artist. “Exactly.” At this point, the stout middle-aged man looked somewhat smug.

“Zeng Youzhen was the mother of Zhang Shanzi and Zhang Daqian. And the inscription on the painting is the personal writing of Mr.

Fu Zengxiang, a renowned painter and scholar from Sichuan’s Imperial Academy during that era. It bears his signature and seal as proof.” “Dated in the ninth month of the Guihai year, recognized by Fu Zengxiang of Jiang’an at Changchun Studio in his collection.” The eyes of Wang Guan and the others fell on the last section of the inscription, where they indeed saw this Mr.

Fu’s seal. Moreover, the long inscription indicated that this Mr.

Fu was a close friend of Zeng Youzhen’s husband—Zhang Daqian’s father. If these details were accurate, the painting should indeed be the personal work of Zhang Daqian’s mother, Zeng Youzhen.

Unfortunately, there is such a thing as a forgery in this world. Famous paintings, in particular, are the most frequently copied.

Back in the day, Zhang Daqian himself gained fame for forging the works of Shitao, one of the Four Monks of the early Qing Dynasty. Although Zeng Youzhen’s name wasn't as resonant in the art world, she possessed the halo of being Zhang Daqian’s mother.

If her works appeared on the market, their value would inevitably skyrocket. Therefore, it was highly plausible that someone, failing to imitate Zhang Daqian’s style, decided to take a different route and exploit this loophole.

After all, Zhang Daqian was too famous; experts who appraised his calligraphy and paintings would have studied his work thoroughly, making it easy to spot most common forgeries. But Zeng Youzhen was different; few of her paintings survived, and experts were not as familiar with them.

If a forgery was crafted meticulously enough, it might just pass muster. ...........................

Thanks to the book friends “, koufuye008, ” for their tips. Today is the Winter Solstice; while everyone is enjoying rich food and drink, don't forget to cast a few votes for this book!

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