A Windfall

"What's so beautiful about it? It's just a broken plate," the old woman said nonchalantly, glancing at the copper plate filled with fruit, and then called over to the others. "Come over and eat some fruit, it's very sweet!"

"This is no broken plate," Gu Ming muttered under her breath, gently caressing the plate in front of her, feeling the continuous warmth coming from her left hand.

She hadn't expected that the fruit plate brought out by a family in a remote village would turn out to be an antique!

The warmth she felt from her left hand was higher than when she touched the porcelain plate earlier, but strangely, she didn't feel the same excitement as before. Instead, she felt a muffled sound, like metal plates clashing, giving her a sense of heaviness and lifelessness.

It was strange. Judging by the warmth in her hand, the plate should be older than the porcelain plate from earlier.

Gu Ming pondered for a moment but decided not to reveal her discovery yet. Instead, she curiously examined the plate. It was about 20 cm in diameter and 2 cm high, shaped like six curved petal-like pieces. There were some unfamiliar patterns on it, and the entire plate seemed to have been heavily compressed, slightly deformed, and had a dull color with a hint of gold. After observing it for a while, she could confirm that the plate was neither made of gold nor copper, but it resembled silver, though she wasn't entirely sure.

The others, invited by the old woman, came over to where Gu Ming and the old man were sitting. Looking at the fruits on the plate, Professor Wang smiled and said, "I haven't seen this kind of wild fruit in a long time. Back in my hometown, I used to love picking them in the summer."

"Well, that's great! You all eat more, we don't have much here, but wild fruits are plentiful," the old woman said happily, pushing the plate toward Professor Wang.

"Thank you so much," Professor Wang said with a big smile, picking a fruit from the plate and eating it with satisfaction.

Fu Wen and Guan Tong also began eating the fruits under the old woman's invitation.

"Little girl, why aren't you eating? Don't you like them? Why are you just staring at the plate?" the old man asked when he noticed that Gu Ming hadn't touched the fruit in her hand.

The old man's question drew the attention of everyone else.

"Little girl, don't be fooled by how the fruit looks. It tastes really good," the old woman said, noticing Gu Ming's hesitation and thinking she was unfamiliar with the fruit, urging her to eat.

"No, I don't dislike it, it's just..." Gu Ming looked conflicted, unsure of how to explain.

"What's wrong?" Professor Wang asked, curious. He knew that Gu Ming wasn't the type to be fussy.

Gu Ming took a bite of the fruit and pointed to the copper plate. "I think the plate is pretty nice. I just feel..."

Professor Wang, being sharp, immediately sensed that the plate was the source of Gu Ming's hesitation.

Fu Wen and Guan Tong turned their attention to the plate after hearing Gu Ming's words.

"Old man, may I take a look at this plate?" Professor Wang asked.

"It's just a plate. If you want to look, go ahead... but what's wrong with it?" the old man asked, confused.

The old woman, more perceptive than the old man, immediately elbowed him and muttered, "She's from the archaeological group, don't ask too many questions."

She quickly removed the fruit from the plate and handed it to Professor Wang.

Professor Wang thanked her and began to carefully examine the plate in his hands. His fingers lightly traced the patterns on the plate, just as he would when identifying artifacts, remaining silent and serious.

Gu Ming, having been unable to see clearly while the plate was filled with fruit, finally had the chance to study it closely now that it was in Professor Wang's hands.

Aside from some unfamiliar patterns, the rim of the plate was engraved with broad-leaved, twisting branches and flat flowers, while in the center was an engraved flame-shaped jewel, surrounded by two strange animals. Around the animals, there were six double-flowered motifs.

The patterns were beautiful, but the bottom of the plate was uneven, showing signs of being struck, which detracted from its overall aesthetic.

"Master, what's wrong with this plate?" After a long pause, the old woman couldn't help but ask.

Professor Wang looked at the old woman and asked, "Where did you get this plate from?"

"This was my dowry. Our family is so poor that we couldn't afford anything valuable, so they gave me this plate, which has been sitting in our house for who knows how many years," the old woman said with a hint of sadness.

"So you don't really know where it came from? Could you tell me where your home is?" Professor Wang asked.

Gu Ming kept her gaze fixed on Professor Wang, and Fu Wen and Guan Tong exchanged looks, starting to understand what Professor Wang meant.

"My house is two mountains away from here. If you walk, it'll take quite a long time," the old woman pointed in a direction.

Gu Ming and the others exchanged excited looks. The direction the old woman pointed to was the same as the location of the tomb group discovered before liberation.

"These two old folks, I believe this plate is a Tang Dynasty goat motif plate, a good piece, though it's a bit damaged, which greatly reduces its value," Professor Wang said slowly.

"From the Tang Dynasty?" The old man jumped up in surprise, staring at Professor Wang in disbelief.

The old woman was overjoyed. She rubbed her hands together and looked at the plate with shining eyes, saying, "I knew my dowry wasn't ordinary. Back when my grandfather was still alive, our family had a good life! This master, according to you, this plate is an antique. How much do you think it's worth?"

"This plate is silver gilded, and Tang Dynasty gold and silver artifacts rarely appear on the market. It's hard to place an exact value, but I'd estimate this plate could be worth about fifty to sixty thousand yuan," Professor Wang said, smiling as he handed the plate back to the old woman. "You should keep it safe."

"Oh my goodness, this master is our benefactor!" The old woman kept bowing and kissing the plate in her arms, overwhelmed with excitement.

The old man, hearing the estimated price, stood frozen, staring at the plate in the old woman's hands, unsure of how to react.

Fifty to sixty thousand yuan might not be a large sum in big cities, but for these two elderly people living in such a remote mountain area, it was an enormous amount—a windfall from the sky that left them stunned.

"Professor Wang, is the goat the strange animal on the plate?" Gu Ming finally spoke, her curiosity piqued.