Gene Unlocking: I Evolve Every Day

Chapter 69: Chapter 64: Your Eye for Detail Is Truly Impressive

Tan Palace, at Qin Liang’s home.

It’s said that each building here is worth over a hundred million, with each occupying four acres, known as ”Shanghai’s Number One Luxury Residence.”

Lu Li and Qin Liang each carried the things they had swept up from the antique market into the house.

Just as they pushed open the door, before they had a chance to take a good look at the specifics of the luxury mansion’s environment.

Suddenly, a voice of an elderly man came from the living room, ”Oh, what a treasure!”

Lu Li looked towards the sound and saw two or three middle-aged and elderly men in the living room, seemingly looking over after hearing the door open.

The elderly man who spoke was not very tall and bore a resemblance to Qin Liang, looking five or six tenths alike, and was also very thin.

None of this was important.

What mattered was that Lu Li had seen this elderly man in the media.

If he remembered correctly, this elderly man should be Shanghai’s richest man, Qin Yuyong.

According to the Hurun Rich List, this person was worth a staggering 150 billion Yuan!

Lu Li had heard Qin Liang mention before that his father was one of the top billionaires in the country, but he hadn’t mentioned a specific name; at the time, Lu Li had wondered who it was.

It wasn’t until he saw Qin Yuyong that Lu Li understood why Qin Liang was so capricious, able to pull out four or five billion from the family to start a business.

It turned out his dad was a true billionaire!

Lu Li couldn’t help but sigh, thinking, why isn’t my dad a billionaire too?

”It’s a treasure.”

”This porcelain is really nice.”

The other two middle-aged men followed up with praise.

Qin Liang thought his dad and two antique circle big shots were talking about the pastel teapot by Master Li Mingliang in his hand.

He immediately felt quite proud and said, ”Dad, Uncle Liu, Uncle Xu, this teapot of mine is pretty good, right?”

As he said this, Qin Liang raised the teapot, seemingly wanting Qin Yuyong and the other two to see it more clearly.

Who would’ve thought that Qin Yuyong would say, not too kindly, ”What does this have to do with you?”

Qin Liang was a bit dumbfounded, ”Huh?”

Qin Yuyong stood up, quickly walked over to Lu Li, and said with a bright smile, ”Young man, are you Ah Liang’s friend?”

Lu Li smiled and said, ”Sort of, Mr. Qin, hello.”

”Hehe, hello, hello.” Qin Yuyong greeted him and then tentatively pointed to the items Lu Li was holding, ”Can I take a closer look?”

Lu Li casually handed them over, ”Sure, go ahead.”

Qin Yuyong was slightly taken aback, then carefully took them with a smile, saying, ”Young man, you’re not much into antiques, are you?”

Qin Liang thought his dad meant that the things Lu Li bought were fakes when he said this.

But unexpectedly, Qin Yuyong’s next sentence was, ”These antiques of yours are quite valuable. If I accidentally drop them, would it count as yours or mine? Young man, next time you show antiques to someone, don’t hand them over directly. Remember to put them down first and let them see. By the way, how should I address you?”

”Thank you for the advice, Mr. Qin.” Lu Li thanked him and then sincerely said, ”My name is Lu Li, you can call me Xiaolu.”

In just a few words, Lao Qin had pulled Lu Li over to the sofa.

Only Qin Liang stood there, a little bewildered by what his dad had just said.

These antiques are quite valuable?

He knew that Lu Li was holding several items.

Judging by his dad’s words, did it mean all these items were real?

Qin Liang found it hard to believe, thinking how could that be. Lu Li didn’t understand antiques at all, even if by chance he found one or two genuine pieces, it’s impossible for every piece to be real.

Just as he was in disbelief.

The people over on the sofa had already started appraising Lu Li’s items.

Qin Yuyong, Uncle Liu, and Uncle Xu were first looking at the Famille Rose Buddha Bag vase.

”This thing is interesting,” Qin Yuyong said with a smile.

Uncle Liu, a skinny little old man, nodded in agreement, ”It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something so interesting.”

Uncle Xu, who was about fifty and somewhat resembled Maitreya Buddha, clicked his tongue in wonder, ”Although this Famille Rose porcelain vase isn’t too valuable, maybe just one or two hundred thousand, it’s a rare oddity that’s not often seen.”

Lu Li listened by the side.

Though he knew this porcelain vase was an old item, he really didn’t know the specific details or value.

Now hearing Qin Yuyong, Uncle Liu, and Uncle Xu discussing.

Lu Li realized that this Famille Rose porcelain vase was worth one or two hundred thousand.

He had bought such a highly-valued vase for only a hundred yuan?

He’d struck it rich by a lucky buy!

Lu Li was secretly delighted and continued to listen.

At this time, Qin Liang also came up and casually placed his items on the coffee table.

He asked in confusion, ”Dad, does Mr. Lu’s vase have something special?”

”Go, go, don’t put your garbage with these treasures to embarrass people.” Qin Yuyong first complained, then asked, ”This vase is marked as made in the Qianlong era, correct?”

Lu Li nodded slightly.

Qin Liang also nodded, ”I looked earlier, it seems so.”

”It’s not actually an enamel vase from the Qianlong era.” Qin Yuyong explained concisely, ”It’s actually an excellent imitation of the Qianlong imperial kiln style from the Republic of China era, with superb artistry. This level of imitation is really rare.”

Uncle Liu commented, ”This piece fits perfectly in one’s hand, enjoyable to both admire and play with. The vase features a Bùdài (cloth bag) monk with a benevolent face, chest exposed, stretching his body. The character is lively, vivid, using the ’boneless’ technique to outline the clothes, lines smooth, with an elegant and noble coloring. A free and adorable image of the monk leaps off the painting, paired with poetry, echoing the style of the Qianlong imperial kiln. Although it’s a Republic era imitation, it’s indeed a rare piece.”

”Because of these complex cultural elements, this enameled vase actually has substantial collection value,” Uncle Xu noted, turning his head, ”Xiaolu, are you collecting this vase for yourself, or planning to sell it? If you intend to sell, we can talk privately, and the price won’t disappoint you.”

Lu Li didn’t get a chance to speak.

Qin Liang was flabbergasted, ”You three must be kidding, Mr. Lu and I bought this enameled vase at the antique market for a hundred bucks, and it turns out to be real?”

”Your old man has been playing with antiques for decades, how could I be wrong?” Qin Yuyong retorted his son, then looked at the seat on the left with a smile, ”Even if I were wrong, could the top collectors Old Liu and Old Xu both be wrong?”

Qin Liang thought about it and agreed; his dad had been into antiques for thirty or forty years, his collection was like a small museum; he certainly had an eye for them.

Moreover, Uncle Liu and Uncle Xu are both top collectors, with an even keener eye than his father.

One person might make a mistake.

Three people making the same mistake at the same time is virtually impossible.

Qin Liang suddenly felt a loss of composure and looked over at Lu Li, thinking he was incredibly lucky.

Uncle Liu didn’t pay attention to Qin Liang, but blinked at Lu Li, ”Xiaolu, just now Xiaoyu said you only spent a hundred bucks to pick such a big gem? Seems like you have quite the acumen for antiques!”

Lu Li humbly and sincerely said, ”I don’t really understand antiques, I just thought the vase looked nice, so I bought it.”

”Excessive modesty is arrogance.” Uncle Xu joked, ”Do you really think we’re senile? If you only had this one genuine piece, maybe it’s luck, but every piece being genuine can only mean you have unique insight and a deep understanding of antiques.”

Qin Yuyong agreed, ”If I hadn’t been burned by Qianlong style enamels from the Republic era before, I might not have noticed the tell, maybe even taken it as a fake. Yet you bought it for just a hundred bucks, suggesting you’re well aware of its value.”

Come on!

Now I’m being taken as an expert.

Lu Li was indeed telling the truth just now, but no one believed him.

Qin Liang listened dumbfounded on the side; he never thought his dad, a seasoned antique collector, and top collectors like Uncle Liu and Uncle Xu would rate Lu Li so highly.

Could it be... Mr. Lu is just putting on a humble face, but is indeed a master of antiques?

Qin Liang glanced again at Lu Li, then seemingly thought of something and couldn’t help looking over at the stuff he had bought for a high price.

He weakly uttered, ”Dad, earlier Mr. Lu said my Famille Rose teapot seemed new, could he really be right?”

”This thing is fake at a glance.” Qin Yuyong glanced at his son, disappointed, ”Didn’t I tell you not to get into antiques? You don’t have the eye for it, yet you insist on playing with them, sigh, I don’t know what to say to you.”

Qin Liang, embarrassed by his dad’s words, quickly changed the topic, ”Hey, Mr. Lu, how did you know this Famille Rose teapot is fake? From its appearance and feel, it seems to have a Republic era vibe.”

Qin Yuyong, Uncle Liu, and Uncle Xu also seemed eager to see Lu Li’s level, all ears for the explanation.

”To be honest, I really don’t know much about antiques.” Lu Li clarified first, then picked up the Famille Rose teapot, pointing to the lines on it, ”The reason I think this teapot is a fake is mainly that its lines seem disconnected, giving it a sense of being both new and old, which feels contradictory, not like something that has weathered the years, but more like it was artificially made that way.”

Uncle Liu’s eyes showed appreciation.

Uncle Xu seemed a bit surprised, from Lu Li’s words it seemed he really didn’t know antiques, as there was not a hint of professional terminology.

However, the sharpness of his eyesight was beyond words.

Could even easily distinguish the layers of lines on the teapot’s porcelain painting?

This is not the kind of keen eyesight an average person has!

It’s safe to say, someone with this kind of sight is surely blessed if they pursue antiques.

Qin Yuyong, Uncle Liu, and Uncle Xu thought similarly.

Lu Li continued, ”I believe a genuine antique, after all the years, must have traces of weathering inside and out. Mr. Qin, if you don’t believe it, you can break this teapot and then look at the shards, isn’t it that the material in the middle seems quite ’new’, while the material on the sides seems very ’old’?”

Well, he definitely didn’t possess the human ”eye” that Qin Yuyong, Uncle Liu, and Uncle Xu had.

But Lu Li has something even more powerful than so-called ”eye” – a perspective eye, naturally able to distinguish the real from the fake.

Qin Liang was still a bit skeptical, ”Alright, I’ll break it open and take a look.”

With that, he picked up the teapot and smashed it on the ground.

With a crash.

The teapot shattered into pieces instantly.

Qin Liang hurriedly squatted down to pick up a shard and examined it closely.

After a moment, he lifted his head in shock, ”Wow, Mr. Lu, your eyesight is seriously impressive, it’s just like you said!”