Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
At the same time, in Antiques Street in Mingyang City.
At this time, a man and a woman were in a shop called [Gathering Light Pavilion], greeting an old man with mixed black and white hair.
The man was holding an exquisite box in his hand. He took out a long scroll painting from it and slowly unfolded it on the table.
“Professor Lin, I actually came here this time to ask you to take a look at a painting to determine whether it’s real or fake.”
Beside him, a quiet woman was wearing a chiffon top and a short skirt that covered her buttocks. She was exceptionally beautiful.
At this time, she gently tugged on the man’s sleeve and softly advised, “Wenbing, why don’t we forget about it? Don’t test it.”
The man was very persistent and said to her, “Don’t worry. Professor Lin is the authority in this area. He will definitely be able to determine whether it’s real or fake. After we have the result, it will also make you feel at ease. Otherwise, outsiders will really think that I’m lying to you.”
“I’ve never thought of it like that,” the woman said.
“I know you’ve never thought of it like that, but outsiders cannot be sure. No one can doubt my sincerity toward you, including that kid,” the man said.
Previously at home, the man had wanted to use this painting to please Song Yuchen, but it was called a fake by a delivery boy. This made the originally good atmosphere become awkward after that.
Song Yuchen didn’t mind if it was real or not, because in terms of quality, even if the painting was a fake, it could be considered top-notch.
But Zheng Wenbing cared about this very much.
So, he brought Song Yuchen to Professor Lin.
Professor Lin used to work at the Beijing Museum. After he retired early, he came back to open an antique shop.
In this regard, he was the absolute authority.
If you wanted to know the authenticity of an ancient painting, you could ask him.
“Wenbing, have you asked someone to appraise this painting before?”
Professor Lin was also very familiar with Zheng Wenbing. After looking at it for more than ten minutes, he put down the magnifying glass and asked.
Zheng Wenbing said, “I didn’t ask someone to appraise it, but… Sigh, don’t mention it. If you mention it, you’ll get angry. I asked someone to buy this painting from another province at a high price. I wanted to specially gift it to Yuchen. But just now, a deliveryman casually looked at it and said that the painting was fake.”
Professor Lin smiled and said, “A deliveryman said it, and you took it seriously?”
“I definitely wouldn’t believe it, but this painting is my idea. If someone doubts it, it definitely won’t work. That’s why I came to you and asked you to take a look.”
Professor Lin smiled. “You’re being too serious.”
Song Yuchen also whispered, “That’s right. I also said that you don’t need to appraise it.”
Zheng Wenbing said seriously, “I can’t not appraise it. I’m also worried that if you believe that kid’s words, then my efforts won’t be worth anything. And that kid just casually looked at it and pretended to say that there are two suspicious points in this painting. In my opinion, this is complete nonsense.”
“Oh? What did he say about the two suspicious points?” Professor Lin asked.
Zheng Wenbing also came to the side of the painting and said, “He said that one of the suspicious points was that the painting was not right. He said that there was hesitation in the transfer of the ink, but I saw that the painting was smooth and consistent. What hesitation?”
“He also said that the paper was not right. Hehe, don’t you think it’s funny? Just based on two eyes, you can conclude that this paper is not Qianlong Xuan paper, but Guangxu’s Xuan paper. This is simply nonsense.”
Professor Lin maintained a smile on his face and did not make a conclusion immediately.
Zheng Wenbing continued, “Of course, I don’t believe it. As for what this painting is like, I’ll let you make a conclusion.”
“Where did you buy this painting?” Professor Lin asked.
“I bought it at Guanghai City’s Guangsheng Auction House. They have certificates and receipts.”
“Guangsheng Auction House is one of the best in Guanghai City. It should be true, but this painting… is indeed fake.”
Hearing this, Zheng Wenbing was stunned. He thought that he had heard wrong. “Fake?”
“Yes, as you said, there is indeed a problem with the painting technique and the paper. The material of the paper was very different. If one is not a professional, they will not be able to tell. There is also this technique. The imitation was indeed very similar, but it was only similar in appearance. The meaning is not. As the saying went, it is difficult to draw a dragon and a tiger’s bones. Between an authentic painting and a fake, what is often missing is a meaning and a bone. This painting clearly doesn’t have it,” Professor Lin said.
When Song Yuchen heard this, she had a look of surprise on her face. “Chen Jing also said ‘similar in appearance but not in meaning’. He also said that this imitator doesn’t have the free and easy feeling of a shooting star like Xu Yang.”
“This…” Zheng Wenbing was momentarily speechless. “Professor Lin, you’re not joking, right?”
If Chen Jing had said that it was fake, he could angrily scold him.
But when Professor Lin said that it was fake, he did not dare to scold him at all.
This was because Professor Lin was indeed an authority in this area. He was a true professional.
“From the perspective of a fake, this can be considered top quality. Wenbing, you are good at oil paintings, so it’s normal that you don’t know much about Chinese paintings. In fact, if you aren’t a professional, you can’t easily tell whether it’s real or fake,” Professor Lin said.
“This… So, I was really cheated?”
“How much did you spend to buy this painting?”
“More than 2 million.”
“That’s indeed a bit of a loss. This painting is worth a few thousand yuan, but 2 million is not worth it.”
After Professor Lin finished speaking, he rolled up the painting again for him.
“There’s a lot to learn about antiques in the country. Wenbing, you don’t understand, so it’s best not to buy it casually. How could there be so many authentic paintings in the world? However, you can learn from your mistakes. It’s not a loss for you to buy a lesson.”
Zheng Wenbing was stunned for a long time and did not come back to his senses.
Looking at the painting on the table, he almost wanted to tear it up.
The painting that he had bought for more than 2 million yuan was actually worth a few thousand yuan just like that kid Chen Jing had said!
“So what Ah Jing said was true. From the looks of it, he really knows how to paint,” Song Yuchen suddenly said.
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Professor Lin adjusted the reading glasses on the bridge of his nose. He was also a little interested. “I’m actually very curious about who the delivery person that you guys are talking about is? At first glance, this painting does look like an authentic one. It took me a long time to figure it out. And the person you’re talking about was able to tell the authenticity of this painting just by looking at it? In that case, it’s quite impressive.”
Song Yuchen explained with a smile, “Ah Jing isn’t a deliveryman. He’s just a high school student. But what you said just now, Professor Lin, is really almost the same as what he said.”
Professor Lin said in surprise, “I have studied Qing Dynasty paintings for more than 40 years before I have this kind of experience. The Ah Jing you are talking about is just a high school student?”
“Yes.”
“This is interesting..”