Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

"It's so beautiful!"

Xu Damao played with the small jar for a while and then put it back to its original place in the birdcage.

After arranging the things, Xu Damao sat on a small stool, lit a cigarette, and looked at the stalls on both sides with boredom. He only saw a series of bright lights, which were the lights from the lanterns on other stalls.

Since Xu Damao felt that there was no need to put lanterns on his stall, he did not prepare any lanterns, which made his stall somewhat out of place with others.

If a customer has poor eyesight, he or she may miss Xu Damao's stall when walking here.

"Hey little bro, how much is this stone-carved rabbit? I think the carving is pretty good, and it looks lifelike."

"Brother, you are wrong. I don't think the carving is that good, but the price is not low. Ten dollars!"

Xu Damao bought something for fifty cents and sold it for twenty times the price!

"Brother, you also said that this thing is not well carved, it's just ordinary stone, how can you ask such a high price for it?"

"Brother, let's be frank, this thing is worth ten dollars."

"Okay! Ten dollars is ten dollars. I like this little thing."

The eldest brother put the lantern aside, took out a big unity and handed it to Xu Damao. At the same time, he put the stone rabbit into the canvas bag he carried with him and left.

"Brother, you are really good at business. This inconspicuous stone rabbit was sold for ten dollars. Amazing!"

An old man who had been lingering in front of Xu Damao's stall for a long time saw the buyer just leaving and said with a smile.

"Old man, this is not an inconspicuous stone rabbit. Do you think this guy is a fool? Spending ten dollars to buy a stone? It's called Xizhen, a treasure from the Tang Dynasty!"

"Wow! I didn't realize you know so much. Take out the ceramic ashtray in front of you and let the old man have a look."

The old man pointed at a straw mat not far in front of Xu Damao. With the light from the lantern in the old man's hand, Xu Damao saw a round blue and white porcelain object that looked like an ashtray.

"Hey, old man, just look at it. Even if you want to lower the price and get a bargain, don't say this is an ashtray!"

Xu Damao chuckled, reached out to pick up the "ceramic ashtray", stood up and handed it to the old man.

"How can this not be an ashtray? Look at the shape, it's almost exactly the same as an ashtray."

The old man said this stubbornly, put the lantern on the ground and began to observe this "ashtray" carefully.

"This ashtray is pretty nice. Give me a price, I want it!"

"Old man, if you really want it, I'll give you a sincere price, twenty dollars!"

Xu Damao bought the item from another stall for fifty cents, but he charged forty times the price.

"What? You want twenty bucks for an ashtray? That's not how you do business, young man."

The old man pretended to be angry, but it didn't come off as such. Both his tone and expression were not right.

Under the dim light, Xu Damao shook his head slightly, feeling inwardly that the old man's acting skills needed to be improved.

"Since you think it's an ashtray and like it, what's the big deal about twenty bucks? You know in your heart that it's not an ashtray at all."

"It seems that the young man knows the origin of the name of this thing?"

The old man stopped acting and returned to his composure.

"I must know the name, origin and price of the things I sell, otherwise someone else will take advantage of them, don't you think, old man?"

"Then tell me what this thing is."

The old man held the "ashtray" tightly and refused to let go, and the people around him had no right to interfere.

"Little brother, let me see that ink box."

Xu Damao was just about to start explaining when another middle-aged customer at the side waved to him.

"Wait a minute, I was the first one to see this ink box."

The old man holding the "ashtray" took a big step forward, stretched out his right hand, leaving a trail of afterimage, and directly grabbed a blue and white ceramic ink box in his hand.

His speed and agility were so great that Xu Damao felt ashamed of himself.

"You... Oh, forget it. I won't bother with someone like you."

When the middle-aged customer saw the old man like this, he couldn't help but smile and shook his head. He squatted down and picked up a fan box and played with it in his hands.

"Eh? There really is a fan in here."

The middle-aged customer muttered to himself, opened his fan and began to examine it carefully in the light of the lantern.

"I want this ashtray and this box of mud. Give me a good price, and I'll pay for it."

"Old man, I think you are having a hard time with the ashtray. It's up to you. Just use the ashtray. I don't want much for these two things. Fifty dollars will do."

Xu Damao offered a suitable price.

"Young man, you sold this ashtray for twenty dollars, but you're asking for thirty dollars for this ink box. Isn't that a bit expensive?"

"This is an ink box from the mid-Qing Dynasty. Look at the ink inside. It's full of ink. It smells lightly fragrant. It was top-grade ink back then. It's still usable after hundreds of years!"

"Old man, I see you have two seals hanging around your waist. This ink pad can be used just fine."

"Hey, you are quite sharp-eyed. You found both of my small seals."

"If my eyes didn't work well, I wouldn't be able to do this kind of business!"

"Then what do you think the old man's two seals are worth?"

"I can't tell whether it's good or bad just by looking at it from a distance. I dare not make a random estimate of the price."

"Hey, let me show you."

After the old man finished speaking, he took out a seal and handed it to Xu Damao.

Xu Damao waved his hand to signal the old man to put the thing on the straw mat, and then he picked it up from the mat to look at it.

"You know a lot, kid. You even know the rule that jade cannot be passed on to others."

"Old man, this thing of yours is not jade, but its value is higher than that of fine jade! Beautiful! It's really beautiful!"

"Boy, you figured it out. How much is my seal worth?"

"Not to mention the carving, just the material alone, if the old man is willing to sell it, this early Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelain Biyong inkstone and the mid-Qing Dynasty blue and white ink box are given to you, and I will add another 200 yuan!"

"You are a good judge of goods! But you just mentioned the Biyong inkstone, so it seems you know the origin of this ashtray. Alas, you can't miss it!"

"The Book of Rites: Five Regulations" says: "The university is located in the suburbs. The emperor calls it Biyong, and the princes call it Pinggong."

"According to Cai Yong's Fenmingtang Yueling Lun, the name of Biyong comes from "the water around it, which is round like a wall". After the Eastern Han Dynasty, every dynasty had Biyong, so the Biyong inkstone was made in this shape, implying profound talent and learning."

"So, old man, I know this thing very well. This is a university established by the Zhou emperor in ancient times, called Biyong University! It is very similar to this inkstone."

"In the middle is a flat land with buildings on it, and it is surrounded by water. Students study inside."

"This inkstone is made according to the shape of the Biyong Academy. It has existed since the Sui and Tang dynasties. Old man, you won't call this an ashtray anymore, right?"