Siheyuan: Starting at 52, I, He Daqing, will not run away

Porcelain, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver jewelry, jewels and jade... one after another exquisite artifacts were displayed in the book, which shocked He Daqing.

Although he didn't understand antiques, he still knew some well-known things, such as blue and white porcelain, Ru kiln, Tang Sancai, Tang Bohu's paintings, Lu Zigang's jade, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, etc.

In addition, there are gold and silver jewelry in the palace, bracelets polished with Hetian jade, seals carved with Tianhuang jade, rhinoceros horns, ivory, chicken blood stones, etc.

He Daqing was dazzled and shocked.

These things, in the future, I am afraid they can be regarded as first-class national treasures, but now they appear in large quantities in underground auctions.

From this, we can know how powerful this underground auction is.

Think of the slight hint from the shopkeeper of Xinbaozhai before.

He Daqing had to suspect that many of these things were circulated in the palace of the previous dynasty, or they were rewards given to noble ministers by the emperor of the previous dynasty, and they were definitely not something that ordinary people could own.

Unless he stripped the imperial tomb.

After antiques, calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver jewelry, and jade, the precious medicinal materials that He Daqing wanted the most were

Tianshan Snow Lotus, saffron, cordyceps, wild ginseng, Cistanche deserticola, Dendrobium, tiger whip, tiger bone, deer antler, bear gallbladder... all of which are absolutely good things.

If you were in the future, many things would not be available even if you had money, because most of these things have been listed as national protected animals and plants.

Especially Tianshan Snow Lotus.

Snow Lotus, because its top is shaped like a lotus, is named Snow Lotus, or Snow Lotus for short.

This medicinal material mainly grows in high-altitude cold areas, mostly in rock cracks, stone walls and ice gravel beaches near the alpine snow line, at an altitude of 2400-4000 meters. The Tianshan Mountains produce the most and the quality is also the best. It can be used as medicine and has certain ornamental value.

In the 1990s, Tianshan Snow Lotus was listed as a second-level protected plant in China. Tianshan Snow Lotus is the only snow lotus plant listed in the"Red Book of Xiaguo Plants". It is a national third-level endangered species, and there is a highest red-headed document that explicitly prohibits the digging of wild snow lotus.

The other is saffron.

Although this medicinal material is not a national protected plant in later generations, it is also a very rare medicinal material.

The reason is very simple, because saffron is not only very delicate, but also has certain requirements for the growth environment. More importantly, there are only three pistils that can be used in the whole plant, and the effective ingredients only occupy 1/3 of the pistil. It often takes 10 flowers to pick a gram of saffron.

From this you can imagine the value of real saffron. There is not much stock of this medicinal material on the market. It is a rare medicinal material and is particularly labor-intensive.

Finally, you have Cistanche, Dendrobium, tiger bones, tiger whips, bear gallbladders, etc., not to mention.

In later generations, they are either national protected plants or protected animals. Whoever dares to take action against them would be too cruel.

Of course, these are not the most attractive to He Daqing. What really attracted him were the three old wild ginsengs in the auction brochure.

The ages of these three wild ginsengs are 60 years, 90 years, and the remaining one is 150 years, which is absolutely a good thing.

However, things like wild ginseng of high age are known to be good things that can save lives, so the price is not low.

The cheapest thing is a wild ginseng of 60 years old, with a starting price of 69 yuan.

The most expensive one is a wild ginseng of 150 years old, with a starting price of 500.

It sounds not expensive, but you have to know that if the starting price is really raised, it is not uncommon for it to increase ten or eight times on the basis of the original price.

He Daqing set a bottom price for himself in his mind, which is within 10,000 yuan.

As long as the price of the wild ginseng of 150 years old does not exceed 10,000 yuan, he must take it.

Because this kind of wild ginseng with an age of more than 100 years is different from antiques, it is a consumable. If you use one plant, you will have one less plant. If you miss this opportunity, God knows when you will see it again next time.

So even if it costs a lot of money, you must take it.

After the precious medicinal materials, there are some other things, such as Huanghuali, Agarwood, Red Sandalwood, etc., and even two deeds of independent houses, both of which are quadrangle courtyards, and the location is not bad.

However, He Daqing didn't care much about these things.

Because most of these things are materials for large objects, unless they are professionals, they will be collected when they are bought back. It is better to buy antiques to preserve their value. As for the house deed of the quadrangle?

Think about the house reform in the near future, and you will know how hot this thing is.

Just as He Daqing was flipping through the auction brochure, some people came to the auction hall. The 40-50 square meter room was already full of people, and even stools were added.

He Daqing glanced at Chen Xueru who was still looking at the auction brochure, thought about it, and took out a pen and a notebook from the canvas bag he carried with him, and wrote down what he wanted to buy.

Most of them are medicinal materials, such as three wild ginsengs, saffron, Tianshan snow lotus, tiger bones and tiger whips, etc.

Then there are some jade articles, mostly Hetian jade and Tianhuang jade, as well as the two jade plaques of Lu Zigang.

Finally, there are some well-known antiques and antiques that he had heard of in his previous life.

After writing.

He Daqing handed the book to Chen Xueru.

Chen Xueru took the book and saw the contents on it. She was stunned at first, then nodded to show that she understood. She took the pen and notebook and started writing in the notebook.

Unlike He Daqing, Chen Xueru still had some knowledge of antiques.

So she wrote that she wanted to bid on many fine antiques and some beautiful and exquisite jewelry.

The two of them discussed for a while and listed a priority level and a price in mind for these things. As long as they did not exceed the price in mind, they would take the things down.

Finally, they did a quick calculation.

If they could really take these things down with the highest reserve price in mind, it would cost about 300,000 yuan.

Of course, it was impossible for all the things to exceed the psychological reserve price of the two people, and there were so many people who came to participate in the underground auction. There were no telling how many wealthy businessmen were hiding among them. The little money they had in their hands might not even be enough for others, and they would not let them take all the good things away.

So although they planned to spend 300,000 yuan, they could not actually spend that much.

Before the two of them finished their calculations.

The door of the main room was closed, and then a bright light was turned on, and the host stood up from his seat in front of the eight-immortal table.

Obviously, the time has come, and this underground auction is about to begin.

The owner of the auction, Old Wang, stood up from his seat, first bowed to the people sitting in the room, and then said in a deep voice:

"Many of the people present here are old friends, so I won’t say much to you, Old Wang. If there are new friends here, the rules and procedures of the auction are written in the booklet, and you can also read it yourself."

"I am a man of rules, so I hope everyone can uphold the rules together, so that our auction can continue, and it will be long-lasting, and I, your family, and you will be fine."

"Without further ado, let's take a look at the first lot, a Ming Yongle gilt-bronze green savior goddess seated statue. The starting price is one hundred yuan, and each bid increase must not be less than ten yuan."

When the auctioneer finished speaking, everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to the bronze gilt green Saviour Buddha statue on the Eight Immortals Table.

The Buddha of the green Saviour Buddha statue had a gentle smile on her face, her head slightly tilted to the right, sitting on the lotus seat in the right-side-down position, her right foot on the lotus, her left hand holding the lotus stem in front of her chest, her thumb and ring finger twisted together to form the"Giving Mudra", and her right hand placed on the right knee to make the"Giving Mudra".

There were two bunches of blooming lotus flowers on both sides of the body, and the inscription"Dedicated in the Yongle Year of the Ming Dynasty" was engraved on the center of the lotus seat.

In addition, according to the auction house's brochure, this bronze gilt green Saviour Buddha statue is 25.6 cm tall and 16.3 cm wide at the bottom, which is about the size of an ordinary person's forearm.

He Daqing looked at the exquisite Buddha statue on the Eight Immortals Table in front of him and said that he really didn't understand.

But he also knew that the first item to be taken out by the underground auction would definitely not be too bad, even if it was far from being as good as the finale. Compared with several other treasures, it can occupy a middle position in this auction. It is a valuable item, but not very valuable.

However, for just this one thing, the reserve price is one hundred yuan, which is equivalent to more than three months' salary of a first-level formal worker.

It seems... it doesn't seem expensive.

After all, in later generations, antiques are not something that ordinary people can touch. Let alone the three-month salary of an ordinary factory worker, even three years' salary may not be enough for the fraction of an ordinary antique in the auction.

So, the prices of goods in this era are really difficult to measure, and antiques like this, no matter how expensive they are, are definitely underestimated.

Seeing the change in He Daqing's expression, the shopkeeper Xinbaozhaihou thought he was interested in the Buddha statue, and couldn't help but whispered:"This is a tribute from the palace. It must be a good thing. If shopkeeper He likes it, you can consider buying it."

"Something from the palace?"

He Daqing was puzzled, not knowing how Shopkeeper Hou determined that this thing was a tribute. (To read exciting novels, go to Faloo Novel Network!)

Although the booklet also stated that the Buddha statue came from the palace, there was still a huge difference between the objects in the palace and the royal tribute.

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Hou shook his head and immediately knew that He Daqing was a novice in antiques. He had to explain in a low voice:"Shopkeeper He, have you seen the inscription on the Buddha statue clearly?"

"There is only one word difference between"Da Ming Yongle Nian Xian" and"Da Ming Yongle Nian Shi", and the meaning is very different. After all, such things can only be considered as offerings if they are presented as tribute to the emperor."

"Obviously, this treasure was presented to the Ming Emperor by some Buddhist temples in Tibet, so the price must be high."

It seemed to confirm what Shopkeeper Hou said.[]

Before He Daqing could continue to ask, he saw a young man holding up a sign and saying,"Two hundred yuan."

This young man was obviously a wealthy man. He raised the price of the Buddha Mother statue by double. It was unclear whether he was determined to get it or was just bluffing.

"Two hundred and twenty yuan!"

As soon as the young man finished speaking, others immediately followed suit and started bidding.

"Two hundred and thirty dollars!"

"Two hundred and forty dollars!"

"…………"

"Two hundred and ninety dollars!"

"Three hundred dollars!"

"…………"

""Five hundred!"

With the bidding of the crowd, the auction price of the bronze gilt green Tara statue soon exceeded three hundred.

However, after the bid exceeded three hundred, the frequency of bidding in the venue decreased significantly. Obviously, some people felt that this price was not worth it.

Especially when the price was shouted at five hundred, no one spoke in an instant.

These five hundred yuan seemed to be an insurmountable gap.

Although most of the people in the room were rich, the richer they were, the more they cared about the value of an object itself.

They habitually think and make choices.

To put it bluntly.

These people are just like He Daqing. They don't really like antiques. They are purely pretentious and mainly consider the collection value of antiques.

If the premium is too much, this person will definitely not buy it.

The richer the person, the more calculating they are.

The host, Old Wang, said in a deep voice:"The guest from number 19 bid five hundred yuan. Is there anyone else who likes this Ming Yongle gilt bronze green Tara statue?"

When the others heard this, they all fell silent.

A Ming Yongle gilt bronze green Salvation Mother Buddha statue is worth at most three hundred yuan. Even if you really like it, it is only about four hundred yuan. The price of five hundred yuan is obviously higher than the Buddha statue itself.

And it is the first lot to be auctioned, and no one is willing to waste money to fight for an unnecessary object.

So this thing fell directly into the hands of guest No. 19.

The host was also very happy. After all, it was obviously a good start to sell it at such a high price.

The guest No. 19 was the young man who made the initial bid. He did not choose to trade after the auction, but chose to trade on the spot. After the money and goods were settled, he took the Buddha statue back on the spot and put it in a large suitcase.

He Daqing and the others did not bid, because neither he nor Chen Xueru had any interest in the Buddha statue. I am not interested in anything like this.

It would be fine if you change it to a statue of the God of Wealth.

On the contrary, the shopkeeper Hou at the side called out the price twice, once at 270 yuan, and once at 310 yuan, and he did not call out again after that.

Obviously, he also felt that the value of this Buddha statue was between 200 and 300 yuan, and it would be worthless if it exceeded that.

After all, he is in the antique business. If you say he likes antiques, then 307 is a sure thing.

But if you say how much he loves antiques, that's nonsense.

After the auction of the first item was over, the owner, Old Wang, did not dawdle and directly asked someone to bring up the second auction item.

The second auction item was also a Buddha statue.

A bronze gilt Ruyi Wheel Seated Statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The final transaction price of this thing was 180 yuan, which was far less than the first item, the Ming Yongle bronze gilt green Salvation Buddha Mother Seated statue.

The reason is very simple.

Although this bronze gilt Ruyi Wheel Avalokitesvara statue is also a fine product, it was made during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.

Its collection value is far inferior to that of the bronze gilt green Salvation Buddha statue made during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty.

The third lot was a porcelain, a turquoise tea bowl, an old kiln-changed green-glazed tea bowl from the mid-Qing Dynasty.

Although it was a fine product, the final transaction price was only eighty yuan.

Again, it has only been forty years since the fall of the previous dynasty. There are too many such things in the Forbidden City, even if they are fine products, and they are not worth anything at all.

The next lot is a round and square double-linked bottle with yellow jade relief and dragons made by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, with a reserve price of two hundred.

This double-linked bottle is exquisitely crafted, and is made of large yellow jade and dragons. It symbolizes auspiciousness and is in line with the taste of the time.

A high relief of a mighty auspicious dragon, and eight small dragons are carved swimming among the Ruyi clouds. One side is a cong and the other side is a tube, and the waves surround the bottle body, which is vivid and ingenious. The yellowish jade is patinated and smooth, and the jade craftsman carves it according to the shape, using the brown color of the original stone to create a lifelike picture.

He Daqing liked it and participated in the auction. In the end, he bought it for 880 yuan.

He didn't understand antiques, but he knew that the jade made for the emperor would definitely not be cheap, and it had great collection value.

There was also a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets, which were not cheap, but who made Chen Xueru like it.

Facing the affectionate eyes of the little woman, He Daqing had to spend a lot of money to win the beauty's smile. He spent more than 3,000 yuan to buy this pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets, which were said to be treasures of the palace.

But He Daqing didn't lose money, because he knew that the price of top-grade mutton-fat jade was so expensive.

In later generations, real mutton-fat jade was not sold by piece, but by gram.

Especially the top-grade mutton-fat jade, one gram costs more than 100 or 200,000. This pair of bracelets can have more than 100 grams. If it is really put in later generations, the material alone can be worth tens of millions.

As for why the competition for this jade bracelet is so fierce and so many people want to buy it?

The reason is simple.

Because this thing is small in size and high in value, if you really want to go abroad or flee to Hong Kong Island, you can carry it with you and quickly convert it into a large amount of money.

This is also the reason why jewelry and jade are more popular than gold and silver in ancient times.

How heavy is gold and silver.

According to the current gold price, even if you carry a hundred kilograms of gold out, it can only be exchanged for hundreds of thousands of yuan, not even enough for 200,000.

But if you take a few precious jewelry out, it weighs less than one gold, but can be exchanged for hundreds of thousands.

If it were you, what would you choose?

Therefore, in this underground auction, the fierceness of the bidding for jewelry and jade is far greater than that of antiques and calligraphy and paintings.

After all, these things are also very popular and sought after abroad..