As you wish, start from the Siheyuan

The more Fang Fa looked at it, the more similar it looked.

How come this baby is here?

He still remembered that this Qianlong enameled and gilded garlic vase with lotus pattern was sold at the Charles Schwab autumn auction 20 years ago for more than million Hong Kong dollars.

The shape of the garlic bottle originated from the bronze garlic bottles in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. The earliest porcelain shape began in the Song Dynasty and was particularly common in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, especially the garlic bottles produced in Jingdezhen were the most popular.

The common features of the garlic bottle are a long neck, tapered shoulders, round belly and round feet. The mouth of the bottle looks very much like a garlic, hence the name. It was also called a tiger claw bottle in ancient times.

In fact, when it comes to enamel colors, the best are those from the Yongzheng period.

As we all know, porcelain can be seen from the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty and the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. These two periods can be said to be the peak periods of porcelain development.

Most of the best porcelains produced during the Qianlong period were foreign-style enamels. Of course, there were also some particularly good examples, like the bottle in front of you.

The bottle in front of you should have been fired in the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln in the ninth year of Qianlong's reign, and its shape and proportions are very uniform.

The body of the bottle is fine and clean, and is enamel-painted all over. It has a gold-painted brocade pattern as the base, and then a lotus pattern is finely painted. The slender parts are outlined with gold. There are two gold circles on the mouth of the bottle, three gold rings on the neck of the bottle, and a jade belt inlaid in the middle.

In addition, the straight ruyi patterns on the upper and lower parts of the bottle highlight the increasingly slender visual effect, and the bottom of the bottle is decorated with a circle of lotus petals, which has the effect of embracing and tightening various patterns, making the overall effect more perfect. The design is truly ingenious.

The bottle is very brightly colored, and its mouth, foot, and neck are decorated with multiple stripes of gold, making it look even more magnificent, luxurious, and elegant.

Fang Fa carefully picked up the bottle and looked at it. On the bottom of the garlic bottle, there was a seal in blue dye with seal script, and the words "Made in the Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty" were clearly visible.

"hiss…!"

Fang Fa couldn't help but sigh that the world is unpredictable and fate is fickle. Who would have thought that one could encounter a national treasure when having a meal at someone else's house?

Considering that he has traveled so long and so far around the world, there are only a few national treasures like him. Some things are truly hard to come by!

"Fang Fa, are you interested in this bottle?"

The Queen Mother's call awakened Fang Fa, who was immersed in the dreamy and beautiful patterns.

"Yes! Yes, Auntie, I am a collector. I want old things like this. The bottle in your house is a great thing! It combines the experience and skills of the ancients. It is so beautiful that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a national treasure!"

Fang Fa couldn't put it down and watched it over and over again, then put it down gently.

"Haha, a national treasure? I'll give it to you then."

The Queen Mother readily gave the bottle to Fang Fa.

"Ah? No, no, this is too expensive, Auntie. Let me tell you this, if you meet someone who really understands it and likes it, it is worth a fortune."

Fang Fa still needs to explain to Queen Mother the value of this thing before making a decision.

"This was something that belonged to the child's grandfather. When he was young, his grandfather was a government official. Later, he died and left me this bottle. In the past, it might have been worth a lot of money, but now it's hard to even buy food.

I went to the market a few days ago and asked, but no one wanted it. Luckily I ran fast, or I would have almost dropped it, haha… Just take it if I give it to you. As long as you can use it, it’s better than anything else.”

The Queen Mother changed the cup of tea for Fang Fa and walked towards the kitchen. As soon as she started, Fang Fa called her again.

"Auntie, I really need it. So, I'll give you another 1000 yuan and some tickets. Don't be in a hurry to refuse. This thing may not even be worth a steamed bun to others, but to me, it is a treasure.

If you want something you can't get, you can spend any amount of money to get it. So let's put it this way. Can you let me get it with a clear conscience? Auntie."

Fang Fa looked at the Queen Mother pitifully.

"Fang Fa, it's reasonable to say so, but have you ever thought about it? Da Wang, he is my precious son, he is my life!

If you can lead him on the right path, take the time to teach him how to be a good person, and take him to work and earn money in the future, I am not the kind of person who doesn't know what is good for me. I will do my best to repay your kindness.

This bottle is of no use to me, but if it can be of great use to you, that would be even better. I give it to you. If you can accept this small gift from your aunt, I will be very grateful! If you want to give me money, I will feel even more uneasy! Please accept it, child, and listen to me. "

After saying this, the Queen Mother hurried to the kitchen and wiped her eyes behind Fang Fa's back.

Fang Fa had no choice but to pick up the garlic bottle again and just watch silently.

"Huh…?"

Just as Fang Fa was drinking water from the cup, he saw an incense burner on the table diagonally opposite.

“Could this be…?”

Fang Fa hurried over and slowly lifted up the wash stove.

"Xuanlu has an inscription on it: Narcissus washbasin,

The shape is similar to the Yi Ding vessel in the Forbidden City;

Although not as beautiful as Rurun,

The vicissitudes of life are recorded in the rituals of the ancient sages;

How can it be compared when all the makeup is gone?

Hongli regretted his original question when he saw it!

——Written by Emperor Qianlong.

"Hiss~, what is this...?"

Fang Fa already believed it 9%, but he still wiped the edge of the stove carefully with his hands, and it seemed that the black color was slowly returning to normal.

"After the rain, the sky is blue and the clouds are broken. This color will be the future."

This is actually Ru porcelain.

The sky blue color, which is between blue and green, perfectly interprets the light, implicit, noble elegance that has been highly praised since the Song Dynasty.

It is precisely because of the sky-blue tone since the Song Dynasty that later generations have more and more opportunities to give it more mysterious and beautiful artistic conception, such as "harmony between man and nature", "the great way is simple", and "the ultimate perfection"...

How many dynasties have changed, how many battles have been fought, how many reunions and separations have taken place, the years have passed, and the world has changed dramatically.

As the Song Dynasty disappeared in the long river of history, only this long-standing, almost Taoist splendor was left behind, rising and falling in the smoke of prosperity, and finally being hidden in that touch of stunning beauty, the glitz faded away, and the treasure was solemn.

"I didn't expect there would be such an unexpected surprise. I originally wanted to find a basin or a bowl and say it was a tile from the Qing Dynasty, and then quote a scripture or a classic, saying that the more precious and valuable it is, the better.

Then I was more happy to spend money to buy it in the end, which can be regarded as a karma. There is a saying that goes, when you are sleepy, you get a pillow for free. Now it is true. It saves me the energy of editing. It is true that good people will be rewarded. "

Fang Fa put aside the thoughts in his mind and calculated how much money the Queen Mother would accept. If he gave too little, Fang Fa would feel bad, but if he gave too much, the Queen Mother would find it difficult to accept. Oh! It was a headache.

"Fang Fa, the meal is ready and you can eat it now. Just sit down."

The Queen Mother came in with a pot of chicken stewed with mushrooms and asked Fang Fa to sit down and prepare to eat.

"Okay, Auntie, your incense burner is also a treasure!"

Fang Fa gently put down the washbasin in his hand.

"Hey! Haha, are you planning to change the furnishings in our house again? I'll say it again, take it if you like it, but if you take away my quilt for drinking tea and my bed for sleeping, you have to replace them with new ones for me, otherwise I will have to sleep on the floor in the future, haha..."

It was a rare occasion for the Queen Mother to make a joke, but it seemed that what she told Fang Fa to do was true: let them take whatever they wanted, as long as they were not allowed to sleep on the floor.

"Haha..., Auntie, that's for sure. If it's really an antique, I'll replace it with the best one for you, haha... However, this incense burner is a real antique, and it's priceless."

Fang Fa said to the Queen Mother with a smile.

"Then just take it away. Don't talk nonsense to me. I don't know you yet. If I don't expose you, will you turn all the things in my house into antiques?"

The Queen Mother ignored Fang Fa and went back into the kitchen.

"Brother, let's get ready to eat. Slurp, I can't wait. My mom made chicken stewed with mushrooms, spicy chicken, stir-fried pork, and pancakes... slurp."

The king brought over a pot of stir-fried meat and quickly ran into the kitchen.

"Hello, Brother Fang Fa,…!"

Wang Xiaoyu brought over another bowl of spicy diced chicken and hurried away with his head down.

After a while, the Queen Mother brought bowls and chopsticks to serve rice, Wang Xiaoyu brought a basket of flatbreads, and the King brought a pot of steamed rice with swept vegetables and a bowl of garlic sauce.

"Hurry up and eat. We can have such a sumptuous meal today, all thanks to Fang Fa. Thank you Comrade Fang Fa for your efforts. Let's applaud."

The Queen Mother gave some mobilization before the meal, and the whole dining atmosphere immediately became lively.

"Thank you, big brother. This is a bottle of Shanghai Daqu. I offer you a glass of wine."

The king poured glasses for Fang Fa and his mother, then raised his glass and clinked it with Fang Fa.

"Aunt, come along too. You won't be strangers anymore. Dawang is my brother and Xiaoyu is my sister."

Fang Fa also picked up the wine glass, and the Queen Mother simply picked up the wine glass and clinked it with Fang Fa. Xiaoyu took the teacup and made a gesture, but she was smiling happily. Suddenly, she had such a handsome and generous brother, she had no reason not to be happy.