Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 486 Feels much better
First, Chen Fan placed a bamboo mat on the table. Then, he used a rag to hold the handles on both sides of the casserole and brought it to the table. When he lifted the lid, the aroma of chicken that already filled the room instantly became ten times stronger.

After setting out two wine bowls, Chen Fan turned around and went to the cupboard to rummage for more wine.

Master Lu picked up his chopsticks and said slowly, "That's all."

Chen Fan turned around, his eyes widening involuntarily. "Huh? Really?"

"Humph."

Master Lu chuckled twice, glancing sideways at him, and said with a smile, "Do you think a lame old man like me could hide many good things? There's only one jar of tiger bone wine. You've been coming over every few days for the past six months to beg for it, so that little bit of old wine is long gone. Where would you get any medicinal wine?"

Chen Fan shook his head regretfully, and could only pick up a basketball-sized ceramic jar from the bamboo basket next to him, carry it back and put it on the table.

This is a white wine he brewed himself, with more than twenty kinds of medicinal herbs added. It can relax muscles and tendons, dispel wind and dampness, and promote blood circulation. It has a remarkable effect on numbness in the hands and feet of middle-aged and elderly people, and can also promote blood circulation and strengthen bones for young people.

In addition to internal use, it can also be used externally, with effects comparable to safflower oil. If you bump or scrape yourself, take some medicinal wine, rub it in your palm to generate heat, and then vigorously rub the affected area. It will heal in two or three days at most.

Unfortunately, no matter how good this wine was, it was useless to a martial artist like Chen Fan who needed internal cultivation. He could only drink it like strong liquor, which made him even more intoxicated.

Only highly nourishing medicinal herbs like tiger bone, deer antler, ginseng, and lingzhi would be of any use to him.

The tiger bone I bought internally from the prefectural health department has only been soaked for a few months, and its medicinal effects haven't been fully realized yet. It would be a waste to drink it now; I should wait at least a year.

Carrying the large earthenware jar, I removed the wooden stopper, and a rich aroma of wine burst forth.

He lifted the earthenware jar with effortless ease, as if holding a small wine cup. With a slight tilt of his wrist, a thin, yellowish-brown stream of wine flowed from the jar's mouth, slowly falling into the wine bowl without splashing a single drop.

A hint of amazement flashed in Master Lu's eyes. Back in his days in Shanghai, he mingled with celebrities every day and had seen many skilled martial artists. Among them were wealthy businessmen who, in order to show off, had their guards pour wine for their guests, just like the situation at this moment.

But those people are all seasoned practitioners who have trained for over twenty years. What about Xiao Fan? Even if we start counting from when Xiao Liewen taught him the basics, it's only been a year at most! Or is it that the skills that Leader Lin, who looks like he's fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, really taught him are that amazing?

After Chen Fan placed the wine bowl in front of him, Master Lu picked it up, took a sip, tasted it, and then nodded in satisfaction, "The wine is good, and the medicine is well-prepared. It's just the right time to drink it."

After taking a sip of wine and eating a piece of chicken, I immediately felt warm.

After a few seconds of rapture, Master Lu picked up a book from the corner of the table and said, "This is 'Guide to Antiques' written by Zhao Ruzhen, a collector from the Republic of China era. He was born in Northeast China and served as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in the late Qing Dynasty. From the 1920s to the early 1930s, he was the principal of the Private Peiyu Middle School in Beijing (now Xicheng District). He was quite knowledgeable."

However, he was of poor character and had once been a traitor. In late 36, his student held an important position in the puppet Jidong government and concurrently served as the president of Jidong Bank. He was invited to come out of retirement to serve as the bank's supervisor, thus gaining access to the Japanese and becoming wealthy.

Zhao Ruzhen originally loved antiques but lacked the capital. After becoming a traitor, he gained capital and power and began to acquire antiques on a large scale.

He acquired the "Zun Gu Zhai" shop, located east of Rong Bao Zhai in Xiliulichang, which was involved in the scandal of selling cultural relics looted by Sun Dianying from the Eastern Tombs. He spent 37 years preparing for its opening and 38 years in business, naming it "Cui Zhen Zhai," with the plaque inscribed by the stonemason Shou Shigong.

However, in the antique trade, wealth and power alone are not enough to gain influence; experience, seniority, and authority are paramount. To accumulate experience and enhance his qualifications, he poured all his knowledge into writing this book, "The Antique Guide."

Seeing that Chen Fan was listening intently, Master Lu stopped, took another sip of wine, and continued without eating any food, "This book extensively introduces the knowledge of appreciating antiques. These things were originally family heirlooms of master antique dealers. It is rare for someone to make them public, so they are sought after by everyone. The first edition of 500 copies sold out on the same day, and it was subsequently reprinted."

As Master Lu spoke, he suddenly shook his head. “But Zhao Ruzhen himself was a latecomer to the field and lacked knowledge of many things. His descriptions were too superficial. For example, Yuan blue and white porcelain is a precious item, but he wrote in his book that ‘the Yuan Dynasty was ruled by the Mongols, who did not value literature and art. Moreover, the country lasted for less than a hundred years. They were completely immersed in the life of conquest and had no time for leisure and entertainment. Therefore, the porcelain industry in the Yuan Dynasty did not make any special progress. … Yuan wares mostly imitated Jun kiln.’”

It also states that "the fewest official porcelain pieces were made during the Yuan Dynasty, including celadon, white porcelain, impressed, incised, and carved wares. Those presented to the emperor were also exquisite, and all bore the mark 'Shufu' inside."

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but click his tongue, "Then why did you give me this book to read?"

Master Lu waved his hand with a smile and said, "Although this book is shallow, it is just right for laymen to get started. We only need to correct some of the errors."

He took a bite of food and continued, "After the book was published, it was ridiculed by many experts in the industry because of its many errors. Zhao Ruzhen worked hard to write a sequel to the guide to antiques, revising and adding a lot of content to the original guide to antiques."

He later wrote "Distinguishing Antiques" in 14 chapters, which included topics such as the unreliability of ancient scholars' research, the identification of authentic calligraphy, the identification of ancient calligraphy, the identification of ancient paintings, the identification of ancient bronzes, the research on ancient coins, the research on ancient mirrors, the identification of Xuande incense burners, the research on porcelain, the identification of ancient jade, the identification of oracle bones from Yin Ruins, and miscellaneous identifications.

By this time, Zhao Ruzhen had become an expert in the field, and the content of his books was largely free of errors. His books cover a wide range of topics, from beginner to advanced levels, and even include introductions to techniques of imitation, forgery, and splicing, making them valuable references for the appreciation and study of antiques.

As he spoke, Master Lu placed several books in front of Chen Fan.

Then he picked up another book, “Zhao Ruzhen is not a good person, but his books are still somewhat useful. As the saying goes, ‘despise the person but use his skills,’ just like when our troops captured the Japanese soldiers’ weapons and then went to defend our country. It was a legitimate act, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Chen Fan nodded in agreement; he completely agreed with this point and would definitely not hesitate.

Seeing that Chen Fan only nodded without speaking, Master Lu placed the book in front of him. "Zhao Ruzhen's book can help beginners get started, but in the field of antiques, one cannot gain experience without experiencing all kinds of things. Currently, there are no antiques for you to handle and learn from, but this book, 'Daguzhai Guzhenglu,' can be used as a substitute."

This book was written by Huo Mingzhi, a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, who was a great collector in the early Republic of China. He first worked for Zhang Xun and thus had many friends among the former Qing dynasty officials and their descendants. Most of the antiques he handled came from these people.

After Zhang Xun lost power, he opened an antique shop in the capital called "Dagu Zhai". Because most of the antiques he handled were rare and precious, it soon became famous at home and abroad, and many of his antiques were collected by museums of various powers in those years.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this man resolutely handed over all of his collection of over ten thousand precious artifacts to the nation.

He pointed to the book in Chen Fan's hand, "This book is a catalog of rare antiques handled by Daguzhai before 1930. It lists the antiques that Huo Mingzhi saw in the form of pictures and text, and explains how to distinguish between genuine and fake items, as well as the methods of forgery."

Chen Fan was flipping through the catalog, wondering if he could activate his treasure appraisal skill.

However, it was completely useless.

However, he didn't care. Just like when he was learning traditional Chinese medicine, even though he had memorized the "Barefoot Doctor" manual perfectly, he still needed to learn the basic knowledge of pharmacology and medical theory from Master Lu before he could successfully activate it.

Anyway, his mental strength points are high now, so carrying these books shouldn't be a problem. Once the museum reopens, he can go for a stroll and gain experience.

At this moment, there was only one book left in front of Master Lu. He picked it up and said, "This is an essential reference book for appreciating ancient books. It is called 'Suiyazhai Book Catalogue,' which was also published in Liulichang. It is divided into four parts: classics, history, philosophy, and literature... (Suiyazhai Book Catalogue)"

Only after introducing all the books did Master Lu pick up his chopsticks again and slowly eat and drink.

Of course, there was also a conversation: "The art of antiques may seem simple, but it has always been a skill that scholars value highly, even more so than the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The reason it is not listed as the 'way of scholars' is because learning antiques is too energy-consuming, the content is too diverse, and it does not conform to the 'classical and doctrinal' way of civil officials, so it is listed as a side path."

However, the knowledge contained within is profound, so it was listed as a "friend of scholars" and has always been admired by scholars throughout history.

To truly master antiques, one must first thoroughly study historical records. If one cannot even understand the dynasties throughout five thousand years of history, how can one possibly authenticate antiques?

That's one point. Secondly, antiques come in a wide variety of categories. Take porcelain, for example. Its craftsmanship must have evolved over time. This evolution is closely related to the culture, customs, technology, and even major historical events of the time. If you understand the meaning behind it, you can get a glimpse into the history of that era.

Therefore, a precious antique is not just an object, but also a piece of history.

I'm teaching you this so you can understand the underlying principles. Don't put the cart before the horse and get so caught up in the pursuit of money that you neglect the true meaning behind it.

Chen Fan looked up, nodded seriously, and said, "Understood."

Master Lu smiled slightly again, “I’m not saying this to you only buy and never sell. There’s always been a rule in the antique world to ‘use collecting to support collecting.’ You just need to grasp the balance yourself. If you can do both, that would be ideal.”

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, "Is it because you saw that I just made some money that you're willing to teach me this skill?"

Master Lu's face stiffened slightly, but it was fleeting. He then coughed lightly, calmly picked up his wine bowl, and said, "Drink, drink."

Chen Fan chuckled as he picked up the wine jar. "Come on, fill it up."

Master Lu, are you trying to get me drunk to death?

Chen Fan: "No, I haven't found it yet... uh, I mean you're still going strong, this little bit of wine is nothing, drink up."

Master Lu, “…?”

……

The transport team in Lujiawan only delivered goods once a day, and Zhang Wenliang's wedding was not in a hurry, so Chen Fan waited until the next morning, took the large wooden boat No. 2 in Lujiawan, went to the prefectural committee, drove the small jeep onto the boat, and transported it back by boat.

As the car drove across the embankment, people from all the teams ran out to watch the excitement, and many others ran onto the embankment. People from the villages that had already passed craned their necks to look, while those who hadn't arrived yet were excitedly preparing to welcome it.

Many children were running around happily on the embankment.

Although the commune government had two small jeeps, which were the only two cars in Nanhu Commune, they belonged only to the commune and had nothing to do with Lujiawan.

This car is different; this is Teacher Chen's car!

what?
Was it given to him by the machine factory, not his own?
So what does it matter?
The car assigned to Teacher Chen is Teacher Chen's car! How many employees in urban units don't live in government-allocated housing? Can you say that housing doesn't belong to these workers?
Let's see if they don't mess with you!
Chen Fan slowed down and drove leisurely along the embankment. Every time he passed a village, he would roll down the window and greet the villagers.

However, some shameless people will stubbornly try to hitch a ride.

When Team 7 landed, Team Leader Tang Xianjun didn't even participate in the accounting. He opened the car door and climbed in, accompanied by Team Leader 8, who was the deputy team leader of the transport team.

When they passed Team 9, Captain Zhong Zihong followed suit, while militia squad leader Wu Fengfei rode his bicycle behind them. It was unclear why he was following them.
So when they arrived at the brigade headquarters, Chen Fan's car already contained 10 squad leaders. Only Squad Leader Yang from Squad 6, who hadn't been there yet, and Squad Leader Zhang from Squad 5, who was with the brigade headquarters, weren't in the car.

what?
How many people can a small jeep carry?

Look at what you're saying, a five-seater jeep can only seat five people.

But most people these days are quite thin, especially the strong laborers who do manual labor. You can't find an ounce of fat on their bodies. Plus, the GAZ-69 has a fairly large interior space, so they can sit on each other's laps without even touching the trunk, easily fitting in 10 people.

And that doesn't even include driver Chen Fan!
Behind the car followed more than twenty bicycles. They didn't even bother going to the "driving school"; they just wanted to come and watch the excitement.

Chen Fan drove his car down the river embankment and along the dirt road to the entrance of the brigade office.

When they arrived, almost the entire Team 5 crowded around to watch the spectacle. The last time so many people had gathered was when Chen Fan came to teach them how to kill and cook turtles.

The reason I say "almost" is because Master Lu didn't come; if he had, then everyone would have been there.

Didn't you see that woman bring over her baby who's not even a month old?

When Secretary Yang and Captain Xiao walked out of the courtyard gate, they saw the various squad leaders getting out of the three car doors.

One after another, a total of 10 people came down!

Zhang Changjiang's eyes widened. "What are you doing here? There's no meeting today!"

Team leader Su Yujun was the last to emerge. He stretched his stiff back and laughed, "What meeting? We're just having a ride."

He shoved Zhong Zihong aside, placed his hands on the car body, and his eyes shone brightly. "This little car is really different. It's much more comfortable than the bus in the commune."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. Look how squeezed he is, and he's still comfortable?

(End of this chapter)