Four Bowls
The hall was about 40 square meters. In addition to the four calligraphies on the wall, there were four pillars displayed in the four corners of the hall. They were enveloped by tempered glass and there was a bowl in each of them. A warm light shone down from the top, and every bowl was sparkling.
Li Mo walked closer and carefully identified it. He was immediately shocked. The bowl in front of him was the "Longevity Bowl". Although he could not touch it, from different angles, the base of the pink bowl was slightly thicker. The glaze at one or two areas was a little uneven and the color was thicker.
I wonder if there's any inscriptions at the bottom?
Li Mo's heart itched so much that he really wanted to take out the pastel bowl and take a look. However, it was impossible for him to take it, but it was not a problem for him to take a look. At the thought of this, his alternate pupils flashed, and the pastel bowl in front of him emitted a faint gray luster. The 40 to 50 circles of light meant that this was a real porcelain. It should be a mid to late Qing porcelain.
"How about this bowl?"
"The consecrated yellow ground and pink lotuses Longevity Bowl, a real product of the Qing Dynasty. However, be it the production of the base or the glazing of the composition, there's still an obvious difference from the craftsmanship at its peak of the Qing dynasty's Qianlong period. It's a pity that I can't see the base inscription. I wonder if it's from the Jiaqing period or from the Daoguang period?"
Li Mo couldn't help but answer when he heard someone ask. After answering, he felt that something was wrong. He turned around and saw the hale and hearty Old Master Qin in front of him.
"Hello, Old Master."
Old Master Qin smiled and said, "You're not Sirui's assistant, right?"
"Nothing can be hidden from you, Old Master."
Li Mo thought that he had already guessed the truth, so he confessed.
"I can't be bothered with the matters of the younger generation. I'm just curious about what you seemed to be feeling when you looked at those calligraphies previously."
"I'm just amazed that Mr. Qin Zhongxian's Slender Gold Script calligraphy is so advanced. The words can be read and understood. It takes at least 20 years of cultivation to write such calligraphy."
Li Mo expressed his thoughts. His master also practiced the Slender Gold Script, but his calligraphy achievement was only at 70 to 80%. In his own words, his calligraphy was only so-so. It was very difficult to break through again.
Actually, it was just that he was not mature enough to cultivate his character and had an obstacle in his heart. The current colorful world was too tempting. It was unlike ancient times where practicing calligraphy was probably the only interesting thing and pursuit in life.
Old Master Qin's eyes lit up and his smile widened.
"Have you studied calligraphy, painting and porcelain?"
"I've learned a little. It's not much research."
"Haha, you are interesting. This is a real porcelain bowl from the Jiaqing official kiln. Let's go and take a look at the other bowls."
The group of people who were chatting enthusiastically in the living room looked at the corner in surprise. Old Master Qin and Sirui's assistant were chatting quite happily.
Li Jiayu's face fell immediately, but Qin Sirui looked unhappy. She had already instructed him several times before. Why did he forget everything the moment she turned around?
"How about this?"
Li Mo looked at the second bowl and said after looking at it for a while, "From the craftsmanship, it should be a big pink bowl with 100 children from the same Jiaqing era."
"You have good eyesight at such a young age. This is made in Jiaqing's
Old Master Qin was getting more and more interested in him. He actually pulled him to the third bowl.
"This should also be the green land and colorful flower bowl from Jiaqing's era. Old Master, these are all authentic. Why are you placing them here?"
"So what? It's not good to keep it in the vault forever in the dark. No matter how precious the things left behind by our ancestors are, someone needs to admire them to be valuable."
"Old Master is wise and open-minded."
"Hahaha, let's go. We'll see if you still have the judgment for the last one."
Old Master Qin kept smiling happily.
The fourth bowl was clearly different from the first three. Li Mo recognized it at a glance and said, "It's a pink and colorful horseshoe bowl from the Jiaqing era. This kind of porcelain is rare. I actually got to see one here. It's a pity that this horseshoe bowl has traces of restoration, and the restoration technique is not refined enough. There are obvious flaws at the seams."
"Beautiful. I finally met an interesting junior today. Come, sit over there."
There was an empty seat beside Sirui. Li Mo sat down calmly under her warning gaze.
"Sirui, why don't you introduce us?"
"What's there to introduce? It's been half a year since I got together with my new boyfriend. It's rare for me to come back this time, so I brought him along to show his face. Otherwise, you guys will always think that I'm single."
Several people in the hall had ugly expressions, especially Li Jiayu. His right hand grabbed his pants tightly, as if he was suppressing his anger.
"Sirui, you're being willful again. Where did you find such an indecent person to impersonate your boyfriend this time? Your boyfriend has such bad taste. We can tolerate him wearing cheap clothes worth 100 yuan, but can you tolerate it yourself?" A middle-aged man slammed the table and was very angry. He looked at Li Mo with a gaze that wished he could swallow him in one gulp, lest he became an eyesore sitting here.
"Sirui, your father is right. Previously, the previous impersonator was barely acceptable. This time, you simply get one back from the roadside. Are you trying to anger us to death?"
Qin Sirui's face was cold as he said nonchalantly, "All you guys see is his appearance, but I see his soul."
"Y-you're getting more and more ridiculous."
Her father was so angry that the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Sirui, Uncle Qin is doing this for your own good." Li Jiayu hurriedly advised, "Your identity is different now. Don't be deceived by a despicable person."
"Can a life without experiencing deception and setbacks be called a perfect life? I'm not afraid of deception. At most, I'll start all over again."
Qin Sirius words were quite impressive. Even Li Mo looked at her in a different light.
"Sirui, Jiayu invested 50 million yuan to set up a film company after studying abroad. His resources can help you in the future. He has good intentions."
"Sirui, since you said that he's your boyfriend, tell us his name, what he does, and what his family is. You have to let us, as your parents, know about him, right?"
Qin Sirui did not give in at all. He said in a low voice, "I don't lack anything, so I don't care what family he has. As long as he treats me well and I like him, it's fine."
"Why are you so stubborn?"
"Alright, it's rare for Sirui to come back. Are you going to force her to leave again?" Old Master Qin spoke and the hall fell silent. "Sirui, Grandpa thinks that your boyfriend is quite interesting."
"Dad, don't keep protecting her. This girl is too willful. She will do whatever she wants."
"Your Uncle Li's family is here as guests today. Don't quarrel over this matter. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by Uncle Li?"
At this moment, Qin Sirui stood up and said, "Grandpa, I'll send my boyfriend back first. I'll come over for dinner tonight."
"All of you are esteemed guests. Stay for dinner tonight."
Li Mo watched them fight quietly. If he didn't say anything, they could fight however they wanted, but he shouldn't be in a hurry to leave now. If he could see four authentic porcelain pieces from the Qing Dynasty in this hall, there might be better antiques in the study or elsewhere to feast his eyes on.
"Are you leaving or not?" Qin Sirui could not help but glare at Li Mo when she saw that he was sitting there steadily and had no intention of leaving. Unfortunately, her gaze was not lethal.
"Sirui is back. Are you leaving so soon?" A woman in her forties walked into the hall. "Uncle Li, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"
"I can eat two bowls of rice for a meal. My appetite is great." Old Master Li waved at her. "Why are you working overtime today?"
"It was a last-minute notice last night. Today, many experts and professors gathered at the museum. Dad, Uncle Li, you don't know, but today, we jointly appraised an amphora and finally determined that it was the real thing from the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty."
"There's no need for a joint appraisal of a real item from the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, right? What's going on?"
"Two-colored glaze. It can also be said to be the same color. The green is so black, like the texture of black glaze. There's a three-clawed dragon and a line of seal characters hidden under the green glaze. It needs special light to appear. It's really a beautiful scene."
"This is the first specimen of the same color enamel in the history of China. It's even a product of the Hongwu Imperial Family. It's unique and priceless. At that time, it was listed by the higher-ups as 'never leaving the country'."
"Who discovered such a rare treasure?"
"We don't know yet. We're in charge of appraisal today. I reckon the details will be reported in a few days."