TDDDMFM Chapter 19: Can He Pinch or Can He Calculate?
"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Shen. I'll keep that in mind," Yan Bingxue said calmly.
Bei Xiaoshuai put his arm around Zhou Xiaobei's shoulder. "Xiaobei bro, ignore these idiots. They think they're something special, but in ancient times, they'd all be at the bottom of society, pretending to be something they're not!"
"You're right," Zhou Xiaobei laughed.
Zhou Xiaobei was starting to like Bei Xiaoshuai more and more!
It's a pity they didn't meet sooner.
If they were from the same village, they'd definitely be best buddies.
"Let's go, let's continue studying that painting by Dong Qichang... Let me tell you, Xiaobei bro, I can guarantee that it's definitely an authentic piece. It's just that the owner may not know. Let's see if we can get it through a bit of persuasion," Bei Xiaoshuai said as he hugged Zhou Xiaobei's shoulder and turned to continue studying the "Daytime Jin Tang Picture."
The "Daytime Jin Tang Picture" was one of Dong Qichang's masterpieces.
The painting was exquisite, with beautiful ink and wash techniques, vividly depicting the objects within and carrying a hint of inexplicable Zen.
It was truly a treasure.
Shen Yue and Dong Tianming were also here to shop today.
They were also here for the "Daytime Jin Tang Picture." After looking at it for a while, Dong Tianming sneered, "This 'Daytime Jin Tang Picture' is clearly a fake. The 'Daytime Jin Tang Picture' is one of the representative works of the Ming Dynasty painter Dong Qichang. The authentic piece is housed in the Jilin Provincial Museum. Yet, some people blatantly claim that this cheap thing is authentic. It's ridiculous."
It was clear that Dong Tianming also knew a thing or two about antique calligraphy and paintings. He wasn't completely ignorant, although he had only learned a little bit from Baidu Baike.
As soon as Bei Xiaoshuai heard this, he became upset. "You damn liar! It's fake? You're the one who's fake!"
Dong Tianming chuckled disdainfully, showing no interest in arguing with Bei Xiaoshuai.
Seeing this indifferent attitude, Bei Xiaoshuai became even angrier.
Who are you being so arrogant with?
The argument between Dong Tianming and the booth owner immediately attracted the attention of many people, who gathered around.
There's never a shortage of onlookers these days.
When these onlookers heard that they were arguing over a "Daytime Jin Tang Picture," they became curious and joined in the debate over its authenticity.
"Hey, isn't this Dong Qichang's 'Daytime Jin Tang Picture'? It looks a bit like an authentic piece!"
"What authentic piece? Dong Qichang's paintings have delicate and balanced brushwork, with a tranquil and spacious atmosphere. This painting's ink is too heavy; it's clearly not authentic. It's fake, definitely fake!"
"It's real, definitely real!"
The onlookers split into two factions, some insisting it was a fake, while others argued it was real.
Both sides stuck to their arguments, and the debate continued!
The commotion at the booth attracted a lot of attention, making it as lively as a boiling pot.
The booth owner was delighted.
What these street vendors feared most was not having fake items at their stalls; after all, there were hardly any authentic pieces in the entire antique street. What they feared most was having too few customers at their stalls.
No customers, no business.
It's a golden rule, no matter where you are.
Just as the crowd couldn't reach a conclusion, someone suddenly spoke up, "Hey, it's actually Dong Qichang's 'Daytime Jin Tang Picture.' This is a masterpiece by a famous artist. As far as I know, this painting was created during Dong Qichang's middle age and is one of his representative works."
The speaker was a girl with an exceptionally pleasant voice.
It sounded like the song of an oriole.
The crowd looked towards the voice and saw a girl in a black suit skirt, with exceptionally bright eyes, squeezing through the crowd. This girl was very beautiful, with a round face, delicate eyebrows, and cherry lips.
Upon closer inspection, she looked a bit like Liu Shishi.
"See that? See that? There are still people with good taste these days. Dong Tianming, you don't understand anything. You're just pretending to be knowledgeable by learning some rubbish from Baidu Baike and coming here to show off. How shameless of you!" Bei Xiaoshuai rolled his eyes and glared at Dong Tianming.
Dong Tianming's face turned pale with anger as he snorted and shifted his gaze to the girl. He wondered who this girl was. She looked quite young. How could she understand antiques!
At this moment, a silver-haired old man suddenly spoke up: "This is indeed Dong Qichang's 'Daytime Jin Tang Picture,' but it's a modern high-quality imitation, not an authentic piece."
"Old man, how can you speak so irresponsibly at your age? If it's a high-quality imitation, then it's just that. How did you determine it?" Bei Xiaoshuai glared disapprovingly at the silver-haired old man.
"Are you Mr. Song? Oh my, it really is Mr. Song! I can't believe I'm seeing you alive today!"
"Is it Song Tianyu, Mr. Song? Indeed, it's Mr. Song, the renowned antique appraisal expert in our Xiangcheng!"
"Who's Song Tianyu?"
"You don't know Song Tianyu? He's the most famous antique appraisal expert in Xiangcheng. He's even been on our local antique appraisal program! Everyone in the antique circle in Xiangcheng knows him!"
With the appearance of the silver-haired old man, someone immediately recognized him, causing a commotion.
Everyone looked at the old man with reverence.
Bei Xiaoshuai, Zhou Xiaobei, and Yan Bingxue were puzzled, but they also knew that this old man was probably the expert mentioned online!
Dong Tianming's eyes lit up, and with a respectful demeanor, he turned to the old man, Song Tianyu, and asked, "Mr. Song, are you saying that this painting is indeed a fake?"
"Of course! This old man still has some discerning eyes," Song Tianyu nodded.
Dong Tianming glanced sideways at Bei Xiaoshuai, looking smug. "Bei Xiaoshuai, did you hear that? Even a respected expert like Mr. Song says it's fake. What else do you have to say now? You have no eye for these things at all. You're playing with antiques, but you're not afraid of losing everything! Hehe..."
"..."
Bei Xiaoshuai was furious.
Hehe, you're full of it!
"Alright, let's go," Yan Bingxue reached out and pulled Bei Xiaoshuai's arm. She didn't want to argue in front of so many people. They were all respected individuals, and if things got out of hand and reached their elders' ears, it wouldn't be good.
Bei Xiaoshuai felt helpless, but since the expert had spoken, there was nothing he could do.
He could only leave dejectedly.
"Wait!"
At that moment, Zhou Xiaobei suddenly stopped Bei Xiaoshuai and Yan Bingxue.
"..."
They were both surprised.
Zhou Xiaobei smiled, "Why leave? Aren't we here to buy antiques?"
After speaking, he pointed to the Dong Qichang's "Daytime Jin Tang Picture."
Bei Xiaoshuai frowned and said, "Xiaobei bro, the expert said it's a fake. Why buy it?"
Zhou Xiaobei looked disdainful, "He says it's fake, so it must be fake, right? Is he capable or just pretending? If he's so amazing, why doesn't he go set up a fortune-telling stall under a bridge!"