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Chapter 74

Chapter 74. In the water

Amidst the loud laughter, Wang Youlong's face was flushed, and his face felt hot.

The old man surnamed Yuan is quite wealthy, and he was not angry when he was teased by everyone, he just gave him a cold look:
"This thing is also a study piece."

What?Same as that paperweight?
Wang Youlong was taken aback for a moment, and he called a study toy a dish, no wonder the audience roared with laughter.

But if you look closely, you will see that this porcelain has a small mouth and a bulging belly. It is not too big or too small, just like a soup bowl. How can it be placed in the study?what is it used for?
Suppressing the shame, he looked at the old man surnamed Yuan, but saw that the other party completely ignored him and pointed at Ren Ping instead.

Ren Ping knew that he wanted to compete, so he smiled slightly:
"This thing is called 'Shui Cheng'."

"Shuicheng? Never heard of it." Wang Youlong shook his head.

"Shuicheng, also called Shuicheng, is a utensil for grinding ink in the study. Ordinary people only know that there are pens, ink, paper and inkstones, so naturally they don't know that there are such things."

"Nonsense, there is an inkstone for grinding ink, what do you want this thing for? Brat, don't make up nonsense to deceive people!"

Wang Youlong couldn't hold his breath and said, it's not that he was messing around, but that he seldom dabbled in the things of the study, such as this kind of water Cheng is really unheard of.

Ren Ping smiled coldly:
"There is a record in the "Guyu Tupu · Wenfangbu" written by Long Dayuan in the Song Dynasty: "Shuicheng, a small bowl for storing inkstone water, is also called Shuicheng. This means that Shuicheng is not directly used for grinding ink, but for A vessel for holding water when grinding ink,"

"In the Ming Dynasty Gao Lian's "Zunsheng Eight Notes·Shuicheng" also wrote: "There is a Luzhuo Yushuicheng nearby, which grinds the beast-faced brocade ground, which is the same as the ancient statue, and it is also a good tool. This sentence means that the Shuicheng Not only is it a piece of stationery, but it is also an elegant object for appreciation because of its unique shape."

"There is also the Ming and Qing novel "Awakening Marriage Biography" No. 19, which said: On a certain day, due to picking up fly feces in the water, the water minister fell to the ground and broke. These are all realistically described. It can be seen that the ancient literati's study room is indeed With this thing, why did it come to President Wang’s mouth, but it became my fiction?”

Hearing these words, Wang Youlong broke out in a cold sweat. Although the audience was silent, there seemed to be the sound of "pa pa pa pa" slaps in the face.

He never expected that Ren Ping had such extensive knowledge and knowledge, and he actually memorized ancient books and refuted himself by quoting all the classics.

"Even if this thing really exists, I'm right to say it is Ge Kiln porcelain. You said it was a copy of it from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. What evidence do you have?"

"Didn't I just say that Ge Kiln porcelain is mainly in the shape of antique wares, either for large decorations, such as bottles, stoves, statues, washers, or household utensils, such as basins, bowls, plates, etc., it is absolutely impossible It has the shape of a small vessel like Shuishicheng, "

"Because the porcelain that was only for entertainment was not popular before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the shape of the wares was relatively poor, and the appearance of the Qingwan in the study was delayed until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, even the time did not match. How could this thing be Song Ge? Kiln porcelain?"

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
There was a crisp applause.

Before the words fell, the old man surnamed Yuan stroked his hand and praised repeatedly. He obviously agreed with Ren Ping's analysis, paused, and smiled:

"That's very well said, but little guy, this is a birthday gift. Do you know why I singled out this one to give to Lao Tian?"

Ren Ping pondered slightly when he heard the words.

Giving gifts is an elegant thing. On the one hand, they are valuable. On the other hand, elegance, appropriateness, and uniqueness are the most important. This is especially true for the older generation who have always admired traditional Chinese culture.

After thinking for a moment, he frowned slightly:

"How dare you, Mr. Yuan, how much is this thing worth?"

"Didn't you say 100 million?"

"That's just because the boy is caring about the old gentleman's face. In fact, if we look at the matter, this thing is just a pure imitation of Ge Kiln porcelain. In terms of craftsmanship and regulations, it is not superior. At most... it is only worth 30 to [-] yuan."

Two to three hundred thousand, if it is a gift from an ordinary person, it is considered very valuable, but if the other party is a giant like the Tahoetian family, and it is given to the head of the family, it is somewhat insufficient.

Wang Youlong was ashamed at first. Hearing this, he raised his head, as if grasping the last straw:
"Hmph! You're talking nonsense! As everyone here, how can you give this kind of imitation porcelain that costs only 30 to [-] yuan? There must be another way behind this thing!"

I thought that these words were very pertinent, and at least they flattered these 11 people. Unexpectedly, the old man surnamed Yuan didn't even turn his face, as if he didn't hear:

"Yes, I spent 27 yuan to get this thing. It's not worth much. You must be able to guess my intention in giving this thing to you."

As he spoke, he looked at Ren Ping with burning eyes.

Ren Ping smiled, looking confident:

"It's not difficult. This thing is originally a water container. The reason why it is called Shuicheng is because there is an old saying that 'a prime minister can punt a boat'. A prime minister is a prime minister, that is, a prime minister. They are equally tolerant and magnanimous, and have the generosity to tolerate others,"

"Mr. Tian is 81 years old this year. He has achieved great success and has looked down upon all the intrigues in the world. The meaning of giving this gift just means that he is generous and hopes that he will spend his old age peacefully and peacefully in the future. It can be said that it is very unique. gone."

"Hahahaha... What a boy! It's like a roundworm in my stomach!"

The old man surnamed Yuan was overjoyed when he heard this, as if he had met a confidant, changing his previous taciturn appearance.

In fact, not to mention others, even Tong Jian and other people present had no idea that he had such a profound meaning in sending the Prime Minister to the water. However, when Ren Ping first met him, he understood it after just thinking for a moment, which really made people shocked.

Just listen to the old man surnamed Yuan continue:

"If you say that my old friend is tolerant, he is not stingy at all, but when he was young, he was too aggressive and competitive, winning and losing would inevitably hurt his heart, so I singled out this thing as a gift for him. Let him cultivate his character and cultivate his body, "

"At first, I was worried that the old guy might not be able to understand the deep meaning of this thing if he gave it away, but, little guy, after hearing what you said, it's not too obscure?"

Ren Ping smiled slightly:
"The old man and the old man Tian are close friends. They know each other's hearts and minds. The old man Tian must be able to understand the good intentions of the old man."

Hearing these words, the old man surnamed Yuan became even more happy and nodded frequently.

The rest of the people in the field seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and admired in their hearts:
This kid can even flatter so well, no wonder even Lao Yuan, who has never paid much attention to others, looks at him differently.

On the other hand, Wang Youlong was a leader in vain. He just had poor eyesight. He didn't even have the skills to discern one's character such as giving gifts. He only knew how to judge heroes based on their high status, which was really unbearable.

"Okay, let's look at the next thing,"

At this time, Ren Ping didn't want to make any more entanglements, and after the Shui Cheng, he pointed to a box-shaped wooden utensil on the coffee table:
"What is the name of this thing, and what is the origin and valuation, President Wang must have a good idea?"

Wang Youlong swallowed his saliva and hesitated:

"This seems to be a women's dressing box. It is made of pear wood. It looks like it was made in the late Qing Dynasty. It is estimated to be around 20."

"Wrong! The name of this object is 'Du Chengpan'. It is a storage box on ancient people's desks. It is used to place idle items. It is true that it is made of pear wood, but it is from the mid-Qing Dynasty. It is estimated to be 60."

"President Wang, don't even think about it. How could the gift given to Mrs. Tian be a woman's dressing box? Look at the next one, it's a pen bed, so there's no need to guess. President Wang just said the origin and estimated the price."

"Looking at the shape, like the Northern Song Dynasty, the stone pen bed, if it wasn't used by celebrities, would only cost about 50 yuan."

"What if it is used by celebrities? Didn't President Wang see the engraving on the side?"

"There is a pile of weeds and a wild beast. I can't tell what it is. What does this mean?"

"President Wang seems to have bad eyesight. It is not a pile of weeds, but a ball of flames, and the beast is a giant bear. This pen bed is obviously owned by Mi Fu, one of the four great masters of the Northern Song Dynasty, because he calls himself 'Ven' Descendants of Xiong', also known as descendants of 'Huozheng', in terms of value, this item is the best among these birthday gifts, starting at least 700 million!"

"What? 700 million? You... What proof do you have?"

Ren Ping sneered and ignored him:

"The original owner of the gift can determine whether it is right or wrong. Why should we bother? Next is this one. Can President Wang recognize what it is?"

As he spoke, he picked up a wooden cylinder that was the length of a ruler.

This cylinder is quite strange. It can be said that it is a pen holder, but it is too long and thin, and it is not hollow. It can be said that it is a wood carving, but it is too plain. There are only some simple landscape paintings engraved on it, and there are not many traces of axe. It is really incredible.

Wang Youlong thought for a long time and hesitated:
"Isn't this...another paperweight?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Ren Ping couldn't help laughing:
"Chairman Wang felt strange. He knew that today's birthday gift was mostly for the study, so he tried his best to lean on it. Yes, this thing can also be counted as a stationery item, but it's a pity that it's not a paperweight, but an 'arm rest' !"

(End of this chapter)