Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 691 Reverse Operation
When Zhou Zhengdong returned, the city lights were already on.

He rang the doorbell, and as Liu Juan opened the door, he asked as he walked in, "Have Xiao Fan and the others gone out today?"

Liu Juan closed the door and followed behind, laughing, "We went to the antique shop this afternoon. Cousin Zhou bought almost everything in the shop. Brother Chen helped her make the selection."

The "Mr. and Mrs." mentality isn't common in China. They help with cleaning and housekeeping here, and although they're essentially doing the work of nannies, they don't look down on themselves. They call Chen Fan "Brother Chen"... Actually, both of them are a little older than Chen Fan, but he's really capable. Given that they're about the same age, calling him "brother" isn't a bad thing.

Therefore, Zhou Zhengdong and Zhou Yali are addressed as "Uncle Zhou" and "Cousin Zhou".

Hearing her words, Zhou Zhengdong stopped and turned around, his face full of surprise. "Sold out?"

Liu Juan was still quite excited and nodded vigorously. "Yes, a total of 578 pieces. Except for some low-quality folk kiln porcelain and items in poor condition, I bought everything else."

She even gestured as she spoke, "It cost $88,000!"

As soon as she said it, she quickly covered her mouth.

Oops, I let it slip. Does this count as tattling?
Seeing her expression, Zhou Zhengdong naturally guessed what she was thinking, so he smiled and waved his hand, "It's okay, that's her own pocket money, it's for her to use herself, as long as she doesn't squander it."

Then, continuing to walk inside, he said, "Where are their things stored? Upstairs or in the basement? I want to see for myself."

Seeing that he didn't seem to care at all, and also surprised that so much money was just Zhou's pocket money, Liu Juan's head was buzzing.

He just instinctively followed forward, pointing down, "Oh, they're in the basement."

……

In the basement, without asking anyone for help, Chen Fan found several large wooden crates and reorganized the things he had bought.

It took a lot of effort to organize the antiques, which were originally packed by category, into about ten boxes, categorized by era.

After finishing his work, he clapped his hands, put his hands on his hips, and took a slight breath.

Zhou Yali immediately brought over a teacup and asked curiously, "Little brother, are you all done?"

Chen Fan took a sip of water, casually placed the teacup on the table, nodded and smiled, "That's about it. The oldest items here are from the Han Dynasty, and there aren't many of them, only a handful, and the quality isn't very good. The main focus is on antiques from the Tang and Song Dynasties onwards, with the Ming and Qing Dynasties being the most numerous."

Unfortunately, time was a bit tight; otherwise, we could have visited a few spontaneous markets and perhaps found some good items from the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, or even earlier.

This timing was still a bit off; it wasn't until the mid-80s that more people started bringing their treasures out to sell.

By that time, the folk antique market had also revived. In addition to increasingly active trading, the collection of "drumming and shoveling" items also increased, reaching its peak in the early 90s.

The so-called "drumming and shoveling" refers to different ways of acquiring antiques from the public.

The drummers, also known as "drummers," carried their loads on a shoulder pole as they walked through the streets and alleys, each holding a small drum. Without needing to shout, the neighbors knew the secondhand collectors had arrived just by hearing the drumbeats.

Similarly, tofu sellers bang on wooden clappers, maltose sellers bang on metal plates, and peddlers also bang on rattles. Different industries produce different sounds, but shouts are rarely heard.

Those who collect secondhand goods also collect antiques. At that time, many people didn't know much about these kinds of things and found it troublesome to take them to specialized antique dealers, so they sold their antiques to secondhand goods collectors. As long as the price met their expectations, the deal would be done.

Little did they know that this was how many people who collected secondhand goods made their fortunes, and this was also the period when the most bargains were found.

Knowledge is wealth, and this is most clearly demonstrated in this industry.

Another type of "shoveling" is also called "shoveling the ground" or "going to the countryside." In contrast to the drummers, they go to the countryside specifically to buy old artifacts.

Because these people take advantage of the rural people's lack of knowledge, they drive down prices extremely hard. Sometimes, they will even buy an antique worth tens of thousands of yuan for only 5 cents or a dollar.

Therefore, people in the industry call them "shovelers" or "scrapers," implying that they are ruthless and scrape the ground three feet deep.

Later, after the 90s, these kinds of "drumming" and "shoveling" activities decreased rapidly.

By this time, people had become more knowledgeable and less easily deceived. What followed was the practice of "exploiting others' connections."

The phrase "sneaking into someone's home" refers to entering someone's house and directly purchasing antiques.

On one side is the buyer, and on the other side is the seller. How do they know each other?
This is where brokers who make a living by providing inside information come in.

Almost every place has people with keen eyes and well-informed connections. Antique buyers first find these people and then ask them to help them find out who has treasures.

These people were almost all local bullies, familiar with the neighbors, so they naturally lowered their guard. Since they themselves had no money and only a superficial understanding of antiques, they made a living by introducing antiques to others.

Even at this point, there are still opportunities to snag a bargain.

When the nationwide craze for antique appraisal later arose, these brokers also lost their livelihoods. Anyone with antiques to sell would send them to auction houses or pawnshops.

If you want to find a bargain at this point, you'll need a keen eye; you can do more than just find bargains, you can even gamble on stones.

Chen Fan wasn't very interested in antiques. Even after being taught and influenced by Professor Xu, he was only interested in studying antiques and naturally wouldn't spend too much energy on it.

If he lived in the capital, he might wander the streets and alleys when he was bored, hoping to find some bronze artifacts or oracle bone inscriptions.

Since there isn't one, I don't have that idea.

If all else fails, we can always come to Beijing again next time. Hmm, when Zhou Yali comes to Beijing, I'll just drag her along to buy a bunch of stuff. It'll be simple and convenient.

Or, when you go to Shanghai, you can visit the Shanghai Antique Shop.

It's different from the antique shops in Beijing. Antique shops in Beijing are individual shops that operate independently, while antique shops in Shanghai are more like shopping malls with a dozen or twenty time-honored antique shops inside.

When the renovation was first completed, Rongbaozhai and Boguzhai were among the businesses located inside.

However, we don't know the current situation yet; we'll have to go and see for ourselves.

Chen Fan leaned against the table, picked up his teacup and took another sip. He looked at Zhou Yali, who was observing the antiques with great interest, and smiled, "These are not considered fine pieces. You should prepare more money and buy more fine antiques to keep. Once the Ningjun Prince's Mansion is renovated, I will personally arrange it. I guarantee it will be antique and unforgettable."

Zhou Yali straightened up, walked to his side, leaned against the table, and looked at him with a smile, "I definitely believe that, but little brother, have you forgotten that I bought the Ningjun Prince's Mansion with public funds, so half of it belongs to you too."

Chen Fan shrugged. "Even if you gave me everything now, I wouldn't want it." That's the rigor of someone who studies law. The money came from the company, and the property deed was in Zhou Yali's name, so it was a nominee ownership, meaning half of the property rights belonged to Chen Fan.

If the two continue to partner up, that's fine. But if they have to split up in the future, the ownership of this mansion will ultimately still fall into his hands, and no one can take it away.

At that moment, Chen Fan suddenly remembered something, turned to look at her, and asked curiously, "Why did you bring so much money back this time? More than your dad did."

Zhou Yali said "Oh" and laughed, "You've made money! You have so much you don't know where to spend it. I just remembered that when I went back to China last time, I bought the Ningjun Prince's Mansion, and my dad had to send me the money, which was very inconvenient. So I simply brought back $100,000. See, it came in handy this time when I bought antiques."

Chen Fan pursed his lips and gave a thumbs up, "Wow, that's awesome."

Although Zhou Yali had never heard of what "rich" meant, she could roughly guess what it meant. She immediately smiled and her eyes narrowed into slits. "Who told you not to come to America with us? Otherwise, you would be even richer."

Chen Fan picked up his cup and walked away, saying, "We can still be good friends if we don't talk about this."

Zhou Yali followed closely behind, saying, "We weren't really friends to begin with, we're like siblings. Hey, you don't want to go to America, is it because of Lili and Tiantian? I can take them with me."

Chen Fan glanced at her, his eyes full of strangeness.

Why mention Sweetie?
Just as they were about to go upstairs, Zhou Zhengdong came downstairs. Judging from the briefcase in his hand, he had obviously just returned and hadn't even put his things down yet.

Upon seeing Chen Fan and the other person, Zhou Zhengdong was taken aback. "You're done with your work?"

Chen Fan stopped and looked at him, asking, "Are you here to look at antiques?"

Then he turned around and pointed, "They're all in the boxes."

Zhou Zhengdong gestured, "Let me see."

Zhou Yali turned around on the spot, took the briefcase from her father's hand, and said with a pout, "You reek of alcohol, have you been drinking again?"

Seeing that her father didn't speak, she pouted again, "You don't even like antiques. Grandpa has collected so many, but I've never seen you go to look at them."

Chen Fan asked with some curiosity, "Do you have many collections at home?"

Zhou Yali nodded gently, "It was collected by my grandfather when he was alive. It seems that the older generation likes to collect these things, but I don't understand them."

Zhou Zhengdong walked up to the boxes and saw that the lids were unlocked. He opened both boxes and said without turning his head, "It would be a miracle if you could understand them. These things are your grandfather's treasures and one of the Zhou family's assets. They are not things that can be taken out casually."

He squatted down, picked up a porcelain bottle, turned to look at Chen Fan, and asked, "How much did you pay for this?"

Chen Fan also squatted down, thought for a moment and said, "This one is 280 yuan, it's a fine piece from the Northern Song Dynasty official kiln."

Zhou Zhengdong pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, then turned and picked up a jade ruyi pendant. "Ancient jade is not as good as new jade, but this piece of ancient jade is quite good. It has a smooth and lustrous color and exquisite carving. It is a rare and fine piece of jade. How much is it?"

Chen Fan looked at it and said, "This is a Qianlong mutton fat jade ruyi pendant. It's not cheap; it seems to cost 600 yuan."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Zhengdong with some curiosity, "You also know about antiques?"

Zhou Zhengdong chuckled and said, "I only have a superficial understanding. When your maternal grandfather was still alive, he forced me to study for a few years, but I stopped after I went to high school. Now I can only watch some very explicit content."

He picked up a few more items and looked at them, then closed the lid, clapped his hands, stood up, and smiled at Chen Fan, "These things are quite good, but not particularly valuable. They're still a bit inferior to what your grandfather collected."

When you go to America later, go to the warehouse and pick out a batch; consider it a gift from him to you.

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice. "I don't think that's necessary."

He was able to use the Zhou family's money and do his own thing with a clear conscience because he himself had brought substantial benefits to the Zhou family. In Zhou Yali's words, he also had a share of the money, so he naturally felt no burden when spending it.

However, it would be a bit embarrassing to let this old man choose from his private collection.

Although he doesn't currently object to being called his nephew or cousin, a lie can't become the truth. He's not exactly a selfless person, but being greedy for small gains isn't in his nature either.

When Zhou Zhengdong heard him say that, he casually made a gesture, "It doesn't matter whether it's useful or not, just listen to me."

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Actually, there are also many Chinese antiques in the United States and Europe, including many national treasures, and they are quite inexpensive. That’s how your grandfather acquired his collection.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's eyes widened. "Very cheap?"

他知道国外有很多古董，别的不说，仅仅在1900年5月8日至1901年9月7日期间，被掠夺走的文物就多达1600多万件，其中包括30多万件国宝级的珍品。

The variety is even more extensive, encompassing almost everything from gold and silver jewelry, ancient books and documents, porcelain and jade artifacts, calligraphy and paintings, and textiles.

A portion of these treasures ended up in Western museums as part of their collections, while a large portion ended up in private hands.

He was not very familiar with the prices of cultural relics abroad during this period, only knowing that many wealthy Chinese later bought national treasures in Europe and America and sent them back to China, all at a high cost.

Hearing Zhou Zhengdong say that Chinese cultural relics abroad are very cheap, he was naturally a little surprised.

Seeing Chen Fan's surprised expression, Zhou Zhengdong's face became somewhat complicated. He sighed almost imperceptibly and said, "Chinese cultural relics are very numerous in Europe and America, but their prices are not very high. For example, the jade seal in your grandfather's collection was bought at a flea market in a park for only two dollars."

Even now, in most flea markets in the United States and Europe, you can still easily find our country's cultural relics. These items are displayed alongside other random secondhand goods and can be easily bought for a very low price.

Because there were so many things, your grandfather only bought rare items back then. He spent only a little over two hundred thousand US dollars to buy more than three thousand rare antiques, at least half of which were national treasures.

For example, there is a bronze ding from the Xia Dynasty, and several ding from the Western Zhou Dynasty belonging to various feudal lords.

Even among Ru ware, a rare find in the collecting world, the warehouse contains three complete porcelain jars.

As he spoke, he looked up at Chen Fan and smiled, "So, if you want to buy antiques again in the future, you can ask Yali to look around in the United States. Nobody abroad knows how to make fakes, so they are mostly genuine. Even if there are a few fakes, it won't be a big deal, and the prices are cheaper than in China."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was completely stunned.

Want to buy antiques? Buy them abroad? They're cheaper there!
Is this kind of reverse operation even possible?

(End of this chapter)