Dreaming back to 1949, the great powers were there to deceive us

The weather in April is like a child's face, changing in an instant.

Just a moment ago, the breeze was gentle and the sun was shining brightly, but in the blink of an eye, it started to rain heavily.

The car churned through the streets of Shanghai, its wheels sending up murky spray. Bean-sized raindrops pounded the car's body with a crackling sound. The windshield wipers spun frantically, unable to completely clear the rain, leaving only a series of blurred streaks.

Outside the car window, the torrential rain formed a hazy curtain of water, shrouding the entire world. The distant scenery became blurred in the rain, as if separated by a layer of gauze. The car's headlights emitted two weak beams of light through the rain and fog, barely illuminating the short distance ahead.

The driver slowed down.

There were many people hiding from the rain beside the buildings on both sides.

Now is the rice planting season, and rain means harvest.

Hu Zhenhua's thoughts flew to Xinzhuang, where the Shouguang greenhouse under construction was being built, and he wondered how it was doing.

In fact, Lao Hu was completely overthinking it. There are different customs and practices in different places.

There was no rain at all in Xinzhuang.

Yu Haiping was swinging a wooden hammer to solidify the earth wall under his feet!

This is the same principle as building adobe houses in rural areas: carry the soil up layer by layer, spread a thin layer of straw, cover it with soil, and then use a wooden hammer to pound it down bit by bit.

As long as the earthen walls are well maintained, they can last for hundreds of years.

This greenhouse is a big project. We have recruited hundreds of people and the progress is very fast!

The rain came quickly and went away quickly. When Hu Zhenhua arrived at Chinachem, the rain had completely stopped.

"Is Cuicui back?"

"Madam is back, in the basement!"

Hu Zhenhua breathed a sigh of relief and turned around immediately. He wanted to see what treasures Wang Cuicui had received recently.

The basement rented by TA's company is very large, and it usually stores valuable items such as silver dollars, bank notes, antiques, calligraphy and paintings.

From a distance, Hu Zhenhua saw Wang Cuicui concentrating on counting antiques.

He tiptoed forward and suddenly hugged her from behind.

Wang Cuicui was frightened. Seeing that it was Hu Zhenhua, she said angrily,

"Sir, why are you walking without making any sound? It's so scary!"

Hu Zhenhua kissed her on the head and said with a smile,

"What good things have you received recently?"

When it comes to antiques, Wang Cuicui immediately becomes excited.

"Sir, please let me go. I can't breathe!"

After pushing Hu Zhenhua away, she picked up a golden butterfly. It was lifelike, with its wings constantly shaking, just like a real butterfly!

"Sir, this is called 'filigree crafts'. It's a traditional Chinese craft with a long history. Through pinching, filling, gathering, welding, weaving, and stacking techniques, gold wire is crafted into various exquisite and intricate shapes and patterns."

Wang Cuicui placed the golden butterfly in her palm and handed it to Lao Hu.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Hu Zhenhua picked it up and put it on Wang Cuicui's head.

“It’s even more beautiful this way!”

"Hate!"

Wang Cuicui opened a wooden box and carefully took out a teacup.

"Sir, please look!"

At the bottom of the teacup, there is actually a golden leaf!

Hu Zhenhua laughed heartily.

"I know this thing, it's called a Konoha lamp, but I don't know how to make it."

There is a type of short video in later generations. In it, a leaf is placed in a red-hot teacup, and then water is poured on it. A lifelike leaf is imprinted on the bottom of the teacup.

This video is pure bullshit!

"I know how to do that!"

Wang Cuicui jumped up happily, like a showing-off child!

The production of wooden leaf teacups dates back to the Song Dynasty. Jizhou Kiln, one of the most renowned folk porcelain kilns of the Song Dynasty, is renowned for its unique decorative technique: a single leaf is placed within the black teacup. After high-temperature firing, the texture of the leaf is preserved, creating a distinctive wooden leaf pattern. This technique, deeply influenced by Zen culture and closely linked to the Buddhist concept of "one leaf, one bodhi," embodies the Buddha-nature and enlightenment inherent in the tea ceremony.

The production process of wooden leaf cups is extremely complex. Natural leaves are placed on a glazed ceramic base and then fired at temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius to achieve a perfect fusion of the leaf ash and the base glaze, forming a beautiful wooden leaf pattern. This technique requires not only a deep understanding and exquisite skills of the raw materials and firing process, but also precise control of the temperature and firing environment.

After listening to Wang Cuicui's story, Hu Zhenhua fell into deep thought.

This project seems good!

In the future, Tongan can invest in a modern kiln to promote porcelain.

Seeing that Hu Zhenhua was in a daze, Wang Cuicui quickly snatched the wooden leaf cup from his hand and carefully put it into the wooden box!

"Sir, this is from the Ming Dynasty. You almost broke it!"

Old Hu was frightened!

A small goal?

Fortunately, the Konoha lamp has been put away!

I was so poor in my previous life that my mind is full of small goals!

Hu Zhenhua looked at the dazzling array of things on the shelf and asked,

"Have you collected all this in the past few days?"

"Yes!"

"Is your shop doing so well?"

Wang Cuicui shook her head, and the golden butterfly above fluttered its wings, which looked very beautiful.

"Of course not, these are collected from the stalls around Chenghuang Temple and Houjiagang on the west side!"

Hu Zhenhua was shocked. He was now very sensitive to places like the City God Temple and the Laojun Temple, and would avoid them whenever possible.

Wang Cuicui didn't notice Hu Zhenhua's abnormality and continued,

"Most antique dealers, due to limited funds, set up stalls there, operating in both morning and evening markets! The goods for these stalls are often sourced from the streets. I've bought so much stuff there that everyone treats me like a fat sheep, quoting exorbitant prices the moment they ask!"

Hu Zhenhua laughed, hugged her, and whispered in her ear,

"You are just a little fat sheep!"

Wang Cuicui blushed and raised her hand to punch Lao Hu!

Hu Zhenhua hugged her, thought for a moment, and said,

"I have a plan. Next time you go there, if you see something you like, don't buy it yourself. Give Sister Lan and Hou Bao a hint and ask them to buy it!"

Sister Lan and Hou Bao are both Wang Cuicui’s bodyguards!

"You are still a thief, sir!"

"What is a thief? This is wisdom!"

He looked at the room full of antiques and felt quite emotional.

"With these things, I might as well just live off them for the rest of my life!"

Antiques are valuable in prosperous times, and gold is valuable in troubled times. Now is the right time to collect antiques, calligraphy and paintings.

Hu Zhenhua is not concerned about this, otherwise, why would he bother to find contemporary celebrities and ask for some calligraphy works?

"Sir, what does it mean to eat soft rice?"

Hu Zhenhua smiled.

The expression "吃软饭" (eat soft rice) originated in Shanghai dialect, and its exact origin is unknown. Some believe it relates to the men in old Shanghai who were kept as mistresses, and later came to represent the lifestyle of these men.

"A long time ago, there was a wealthy old widow who kept a gigolo. The two went to a restaurant for dinner, and the waiter asked them if they wanted hard or soft rice. The gigolo, wanting to please the old widow, said soft. The waiter then laughed at him for being a gigolo."

Wang Cuicui understood and giggled.

"Then I'll support you!"

"Begging for a beating!"

Hu Zhenhua waved his hand and was about to hit his young wife on the butt.

The two were fighting when Guo Dachong suddenly rushed in. He saw something he shouldn't have seen and quickly turned around and ran away!

Wang Cuicui blushed and punched Lao Hu several times before she drove him away!