Siheyuan: I am a big capitalist after the founding of the People's Republic of China

Some people say that Li Zihang is lucky and always encounters treasures when he goes out.

Whenever someone said this, he felt uncomfortable.

In the past few years, every time he bought a treasure, he paid with real money.

Or they may have relied on their own strong backing and obtained it after many twists and turns.

Just like this time when I bought a headdress set. The treasure was in the consignment store and had been there for half a month. I met so many people. But what was the result? How many people could afford the price?

The only way to buy the Nine Gates Admiral was to sell everything he had and his house and borrow money.

And last time, the news about Wangtianhou had been circulating in the circle for such a long time, and many people came to ask for the price.

But how many people can afford it? Everyone wants good things, even if the price of antiques in this era has dropped to one-third of the past. But those who can't afford it still can't afford it.

Just like the housing prices in various first-tier cities in the past. Even if the price drops, people who can’t afford it still can’t afford it. Those who can afford it, those who invest, will be cautious when they see the price plummet and the investment value is gone. People who just need it can’t afford it.

The same is true for antiques in this era. Normal people can afford to buy good things when they come across them. They will not sell everything they have just for an antique. After all, they still have to make a living and have elderly parents and children to take care of.

If you ask an ordinary person who earns more than 20 yuan a month to buy an antique worth tens or hundreds of yuan, he will just think you are crazy.

You have to have good eyes to find bargains. Don't say that antiques are everywhere now. Yes, there are many good folk things. But there are more fakes. Also, in this era, the truly valuable antiques must be at least the fine products of the three dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, or official kiln porcelain.

I'm sorry you brought something from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Ordinary people have plenty of that stuff.

It's not worth anything at all. By the time those things become valuable, all the people of these generations will probably be dead.

Li Zihang has been spreading the word in various circles in recent years, asking anyone who has good stuff to sell to come to him if possible.

From the old eunuchs, to the palace maids and eunuchs, to the old and young, to the Liulichang circle, he left his number.

Those antique shops would call him first when they received good things.

Just like this consignment store, even during the time when Li Zihang went back to worship his ancestors, they would call Li Zihang from time to time to ask if he wanted any good things they received.

After they returned home, Li Zihang asked someone to put the sofa and coffee table he bought in his central room.

Of the Qing Dynasty style furnishings, only the long table, the eight-immortal table and two armchairs were retained. The rest, like the tea table and chairs facing each other below, were all moved to the empty house in the backyard.

The long sofa was placed vertically under the screen in the direction of the bedroom, and two single sofas were placed on both sides of the coffee table, one in the south and one in the north. Flower stands were placed on both sides of the long sofa. Two pots of orchids added a lot of color to the furnishings in the room.

There is still a lot of open space under the screen near the study.

I feel like putting a grand piano in there would be a much more harmonious combination.

The record player he bought was also placed on the table. Next to the table, he also built a small bookshelf to store vinyl records.

Originally, the entire central hall was in the antique Qing Dynasty Chinese style. Now it has a modern minimalist style that combines Chinese and Western styles.

He sat on the sofa and touched the stuffed ocelot.

After the leopard cat was skinned, the meat was eaten and he asked someone to make a specimen of the skin.

Compared to ordinary specimens, this leopard cat specimen was made at a high price.

Unlike ordinary animal specimens that are filled with cotton or something like that.

He had people use the finest snakewood to carve and polish it in accordance with the shape of the leopard cat, and then use superb gluing and stitching techniques to make the leopard cat look the same as it did when it was alive. The eyes were also inlaid and glued with the top-grade cat's eye stones.

The tail is made to reflect the beauty of the leopard cat in life. A rubber band-thick gold wire is used to create a skeleton shape. The inside is then filled with fine cotton. The tail is made of 600 grams of gold.

Plus cat's eye and snakewood.

To put it bluntly, this leopard cat ornament of his can help his family turn their fortunes around even if they become poor in the future.

Put the specimen of the ocelot in the center of the coffee table as a decoration. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

At this time, grandma walked into his room.

"Grandson, you bought so many things when you came back that our house can hardly hold them all."

"Also, those paintings and calligraphy by famous contemporary artists that you bought. There are so many of them that they can be used as firewood to cook a meal."

"You really like their works. Why don't you come and ask for a fine piece? Why are you getting so many ordinary ones?"

Li Zihang was instantly enlightened by his grandmother's complaint.

He slapped his forehead and started to wonder to himself.

"Yes! Why don't you come to us and ask for paintings? We have all kinds of paintings you want. Why go all the way to Liulichang to buy these ordinary goods?"

He was so happy that he stood up, hugged his grandmother, and spun her around, making her laugh and scold.

I just did what I wanted to do, and after a few words with my grandma, I went to find my grandpa.

In a small courtyard on Qianmen Street, different stories about family life take place.

"Dad, are you crazy? You sold our nice house and moved to this shabby yard. What are you thinking?"

"And you've been borrowing money everywhere and causing so much starvation. How are we going to survive in the future?"

"Old man, your son is right. You are going to break up this family just for that useless thing."

"Son, you are not young anymore and you are going to get married soon. Why are you still so out of touch?"

Amidst the complaints from his family, Uncle Guan slammed the table.

"That's enough. Now it's what you wanted. The treasure has been bought by someone else. I didn't touch a penny of the money."

Then he pushed the bag of money to his son.

Then he went to the inner room, took out a stack of IOUs and put them on the table.

"Go and pay me back the money on the IOU. Remember, be nice when you pay me back."

"The remaining money comes from selling the house and those antiques."

"Find someone else to clean up our yard."

"Keep part of the remaining money for living expenses. Put the rest in the bank. Remember, save it in two parts. Keep half for yourself. Send the other half back to me."

"Do you understand?"

Uncle Guan's son looked at the number on the IOU and calculated it in his mind. The total amount of the IOU was a little over three thousand.

I calculated that after paying off the debt, I would still have nearly 5 yuan. Even if I renovated the house, it would only cost a few hundred yuan at most.

He got half of the rest, so he could get more than 2,000 yuan.

The face that was originally full of clouds suddenly became sunny and bright. The cheerful voice became flattering.

"Dad, you've made me speechless. Look at you!"

"If you had said this earlier, my mother and I wouldn't have worried about anything."

Uncle Guan was furious when he saw the expression on his son's face.

"Get out of here and do your job. Also, if I find out that you haven't paid me back, I will definitely break both of your legs."

Uncle Guan's son was not angry either. He happily went out with the money and the IOU.

The story returns to Li Zihang!

In the backyard, there is a garden pond. An old man is fishing with a fishing rod.

Li Zihang sat on a large rock on the rockery nearby.

"Grandpa, do you know those contemporary masters?"

"A contemporary master? In what field?"

"It's those famous calligraphers and painters hanging in my study."

"Oh~ You mean them. I know them. Many of them have had drinks and tea together. We have also discussed topics related to literature and art together."

Li Zihang said excitedly.

"Then please take me to visit them. I'd like to ask for some fine calligraphy and paintings."

The old man looked at the fishing float and continued.

"I can't do that!"

"You can't do it? Don't you know them? You can't do this?"

The old man rolled his eyes at Li Zihang.

"Like the calligraphy and paintings hanging in your room, the works of art. For example, Mr. Pu Chun, Mr. Shou Kang, Mr. Yin An, etc., are no longer alive. How can I take you to visit them?"

"People who are still alive, like Mr. Ran Weng, are either drifting overseas or no longer in Beijing. What do you want me to do?"

Li Zihang asked without giving up: "Then there is no one alive living in the Forbidden City?"

"Let me think~"

The old man's mind wandered away, and he answered only after two clouds in the sky had drifted away.

"The concubine and her husband live in Gongxian Hutong."

"Mr. Bai Shi lives in Yu'er Hutong."

“Other celebrities are either overseas or in other places.”

"Where is that Daqian layman?"

"He seems to have gone abroad this year."

“Those are the only people I can think of.”

"Grandpa, if you are free recently, can you take me to visit them? I want to ask them for calligraphy."

"Asking for a painting? How are you going to ask for it?"

Li Zihang was a little confused about what the old man meant.

"Ask for a painting, what else is there to ask for?"

"Haha~ You're so famous. Mr. Shiraishi is easy to talk to. He will at least give you a piece of his work for my sake."

"The Fan concubine and his wife will also leave you a calligraphy work."

"Don't expect anything else."

"If you want to pay for calligraphy, that's another matter. Bai Shi will make different grades of works for you according to the amount of money."

"Fan Fei, without my face, you can't even enter the door. Don't even think about paying money to ask for calligraphy."

Li Zihang thought, given the current social situation.

In the next ten or twenty years, their top-notch calligraphy works can probably only be requested once.

The idea of ​​catching a lamb and fleecing it to death.

He had to prepare well, and then let the old man take him to visit.

After chatting with the old man for a while, I returned to the study, thinking about what kind of painting would be better.

I slapped my thigh and came up with a brilliant idea. I immediately called and contacted them.