Chapter 0119: The Story of an Antique Dealer

The Temple of Confucius on the banks of the Qinhuai River was built in the third year of the Xiankang reign of Emperor Sima Yan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, according to the proposal of Wang Guan, “to cultivate talents is the most important thing in the governance of the country”, and set up the Imperial College on the south bank of the Qinhuai River. Back then, only the Palace, did not build Confucius Temple, Confucius Temple is the Song Renzong Jingyou first year on the East Jin Dynasty Palace expanded into, because of the worship of Confucius, so it is also known as the Temple of Confucius.

Since ancient times, Fuzimiao for the Qinhuai crown, glittering with a fascinating luster. Here, the humanities, merchants and businessmen gathered, known as “Jiangnan beautiful place” reputation, just Nanjing has always been a place where soldiers must pass through, more than one military disaster over the generations, the history of the Fuzhimiao had four destroyed five built in 1984, the Fuzhimiao Qinhuai Scenic Belt began to rebuild, has invested more than 1 billion, restored the construction of the Dacheng Hall, the Hall of Virtue, the Zunjing Pavilion, the South China Sea, and so on more than 20 places. More than 20 places and 300,000 square meters of ancient buildings, such as Gongyuan, have been restored, with a daily flow of more than 100,000 people on weekdays and more than 300,000 people on holidays.

The Qinhuai River has always been a place for the literati to write poems and make couplets, so in the Fuzhimiao Temple located on the banks of the Qinhuai River, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, flowers, birds, fishes and insects have become the most important selling points, often attracting many tourists to stop and look around.

Because the Fu Zi Temple is also a collection of antiques and birds and flowers market, so Liu Chuan for the Fu Zi Temple is also very familiar with, and led the crowd from the east side into the Fu Zi Temple market, just entered the square, saw the temple in front of the east side of the temple there is a stone pillar, written on the inscription of the “Ministers of civil and military affairs here to dismount,” it must be the “Supreme Sage of the King of Wenxuan” reverence. “the meaning of reverence.

At this time in the antique world known as “North Panjiayuan, South Chaotiangong” Chaotiangong antique market, has not yet been rebuilt, so more antique enthusiasts are concentrated in the Fuzimiao antique market, in other cities, when night falls, often inside the antique market stalls will be dispersed, but the Fuzimiao in the night next to the beauty of the Qinhuai Temple Antique market, but it is a crowded, bustling.

A long street on both sides, all are imitation of the Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings, giving people a kind of time and space dislocation, the feeling of being in ancient times, due to too many tourists, Liu Chuan this is already the black lion in his arms, the little white lion is not worried about the loss of dexterity in the legs of the crowd through the line, always close to follow Zhuang Rui.

“Wood, slow down, slow down, where we are Taobao pick up ah! This is a big fair, we won’t be able to find any good stuff.” After walking with the crowd for a while, Liu Chuan couldn’t hold his breath, there are so many people, it’s impossible to stop in front of the stalls, before you can stand still, the people behind you will push you forward.

In fact, at this o’clock to stroll through the Fu Zi Temple, most of the people are foreign tourists, admiring the reputation of the Fu Zi Temple, come to figure a lively only, and not interested in antiques or want to come to Taobao pick up the leakage, and those who sell stalls, not to say that all of them are modern artifacts, at least Zhuang Rui walked through seven or eight stalls, randomly scanning with the eyes, and has not yet found a piece of object with aura, so that tourists figure a cheap, and buy some souvenirs, the stallholder earns money. In this way, tourists want to buy some souvenirs cheaply, and the stall owners earn some hard-earned money, so it’s a happy situation for everyone.

The real old local players, also come to Fu Zi Temple, but they come here, most of the time, are early in the morning, is to stroll here “ghost market”, the so-called “ghost market” is actually now called the night market, but in the liberation of the former is called the dawn market, or called the “ghost market”. The so-called “ghost market” is actually what people now call the night market, but before liberation it was called the dawn market, or “ghost market”. In the mouth of young people have been reworded to call the night market, but in the antiques line, but has been the “ghost market” this name continues.

Antique ghost market is generally in the second half of the night to dawn before trading, and now the night market time there is a certain difference, the ghost market because it is in the night time transactions, goods are difficult to distinguish between real and fake, good and bad, and therefore easy to be cheated, especially a lot of theft to the stolen goods are also often listed here to get rid of it, get it wrong will be eating lawsuits, it is difficult to argue.

After the liberation, the people’s government stipulated that the street lamps were not allowed to trade before they were extinguished, and the ghost market was gradually canceled. But now there are ghost markets around again, the most famous is Beijing’s Panjiayuan and Nanjing’s Fuzimiao, the rest of the world also have, varying, time is generally from three o’clock in the morning to seven or eight o’clock in the morning, there are some selling second-hand goods will continue to the noon hour, the owner of goods from all over the country, all kinds of goods, most of them are imitation antiques, but there is no lack of treasures.

Unfortunately, Liu Chuan this guy in the past to come here, just for pets into the goods came, on the antique market is not very understanding, also do not know there is the existence of the ghost market, otherwise, to Zhuang Rui’s pair of eyes, in the ghost market can certainly find a lot of good things, to know, the ghost market, although the fakes and counterfeits although quite a lot, but the chances of the existence of treasures, to be far more than the stalls on the ground.

Seeing Qin Xuan Bing and Lei Lei both frowned, constantly dodging the crowd, there must be no lack of dirty hands that want to touch the women, Zhuang Rui said: “Let’s go to the store and turn around! Here is estimated that even if there are any good objects, has long been panned away, where it is still our turn.”

At that moment, Liu Chuan and Zhuang Rui escorted the two girls, squeezed into the back of those scattered stalls, into a relatively large antique store from the front view.

It seems and Zhuang Rui the same idea of people are also quite a lot, this antique store business is good or bad not to say, at least the popularity is strong enough, three or five dressed in ancient costume clerk, is open-mouthed gushing to the tourists to recommend the items in the store, Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered a story, can not help but “pfft” a laugh out.

“Zhuang Rui, what are you laughing at? Is it because that person said something wrong?” Qin Xuan Bing, who was on the side, pointed at the shopkeeper who was mouthing off and asked Zhuang Rui.

“No, I thought of a joke, tell it to you guys, say there is an antique store recruiting salesman, the advertisement is out for more than a month, there are quite a lot of people applying for the job, but just one of them didn’t apply for the job.”

This day came two young people, one of them first arrived more than five minutes, just into the store door, the boss picked up a small piece of wood shavings from the ground, put it on a red silk mat, asked the young man asked, “What is this?”

The young man froze for a moment and replied, “It’s a broken wood chip!”

The boss shook his head and casually threw the wood shavings from the red silk mat back onto the floor and said, “Young man, you were not accepted.”

The young man was a bit puzzled, but the other man was the boss, he couldn’t do anything about it, and as he was about to leave, another applicant walked in outside, so he stopped and wanted to see how the man would answer.

As expected, the boss was still the same, picked up the wood shavings thrown to the ground again, put them precious on the red silk mat, and asked the young man who had just entered the door, “Can you tell what this is?”

That young man also froze for a moment at his words, but then a smile appeared on his face and he said, “This is the toothpick that Old Buddha Cixi once used.”

“Excellent, you can start working now!” The boss was overjoyed, and immediately slapped the decision to hire this young man later on, while the previous one, covered his face resentfully and left.

“Xuan Bing, look at that clerk, isn’t it a bit like the one I mentioned ah, kung fu is all in the mouth.”

Zhuang Rui’s words drew Qin Xuan Bing and Lei Lei to laugh, but Liu Chuan obviously heard the story and said unconvincingly, “Wood, your story is outdated, look at the buddy to tell you one.”

“You can still tell stories?” Zhuang Rui’s words and the disdainful gaze cast over made Liu Chuan greatly dissatisfied.

“What words ah! Listen up, once upon a time there was an antique dealer, married for more than forty years, nearly sixty years of age, fell in love with the lady’s maid, and behind her back, she always made a move on the maid, and after the lady knew, she discussed a plan with the maid. One day, the maid said to the antique business: master, tonight three more to my room ah, the antique business heard great joy, to the three more when the antique business sneaked into the maid’s room, and at this time the maid has been with Mrs. room and living, the antique business on the bed, what words did not say, pouring torrential rain, do their best, and ate Viagra is almost the same. When finished, the antique dealer lying on the bed, said happily: or you are good, than my old yellow face much stronger. The words just fell, the lady kicked it to the ground, scolded: you also play a lifetime of antiques, even such an old goods do not recognize.”

“Liu Chuan, you colorful man, just not a good thing!”

Liu Chuan this joke finished, listening to Qin Xuan Bing and Lei Lei face scarlet, Lei Lei even went forward to pinch Liu Chuan’s soft flesh, the pain Liu Chuan whispered and begged for forgiveness.

“This little brother, you are not talking about me! Old man I am exactly what you said over sixty years old, but the male wind is no longer, old, old ah!”

Suddenly, from behind Liu Chuan comes a voice, hearing a few people startled, if this joke is taken seriously, then it is a grudge against someone for no reason.

Speaking is indeed an old man, looks white fat, rosy cheeks, look at the age is more than sixty years old, head black and white hair each half, the bridge of the nose on the shelf with a pair of glasses, the right thumb, wearing an emerald green wrench, smiling and squinting his eyes, looking at Zhuang Rui a few people, this old man if you change a brocade regiment dress, the whole is like the ancient times of the rich party of the fat foreigner.

“Master, a few of us are joking, where do you dare to say you ah! Besides, you are not an antique dealer ah!”

Liu Chuan got rid of Lei Lei’s small hand and said to the old man with a smiling face.

“Hey, it’s a coincidence that I’m really considered an antique dealer and the owner of this store.”

The old man’s temper is quite good, and not angry, smiling back, but listening to Liu Chuan a head of black lines, this old man to say is true, their own words just now, can be pointing at the monk scolding the bald donkey, age identity are consistent, how can it be so coincidental!

“Master, you do not get angry, this person is this fault, Liu Chuan, not to the boss to apologize ah!”

Zhuang Rui also do not know the old man this face smile, is true or false, always Liu Chuan in other people’s stores to open such a joke, is a little inappropriate.

“Not angry, not angry, little brothers also like these objects? Can you tell that I’m here, that item is the most valuable ah?”

The fat old man waved his hands, really does not look like angry look, next to that a few fellows busy feet, he did not say go up to help a favor, but have the leisure and Zhuang Rui and others chat up, whether it is really the boss does not talk about it, this boss frame swing is full.