Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 956: Chapter 952: Jingdezhen, Old Mr. Zhong

After leaving Qiding Lane, Huo Sining couldn’t wait to call Zhou Shitao. The phone rang only twice before he answered, and Zhou Shitao immediately said, ”Where have you been recently, girl? Finally willing to turn on your phone? I’ve called you several times and couldn’t get through. You’ve completely forgotten Shu, haven’t you?”

”Ah?” Huo Sining felt awkward upon hearing this. Apparently, it’s not just Gu Xu who was frustrated with her phone being dead; even her teacher knew. ”Well, I was out for a while, and my phone ran out of battery. I didn’t notice it. Teacher, I’m really sorry.”

”Alright, apologizing to me won’t do you any good. You should apologize to Little Gu, too. I bet by now, he’s already in Dongdu, isn’t he?” Zhou Shitao, though quite old, was rather unserious with his young apprentice, even taking this chance to tease her.

”Uh...” Hearing Zhou Shitao’s words, Huo Sining immediately blushed and awkwardly glanced at Gu Xu beside her.

Seeing Huo Sining silent, Zhou Shitao understood instantly, ”You don’t have to explain to me. I’m your teacher, after all. You say you’ve been traveling for a while; even with just my toes, I can guess what you’ve been up to. So, tell me, have you found another treasure during this time?”

Huo Sining couldn’t go into too much detail over the phone, but she roughly described a few things. When Zhou Shitao heard about the entire package of twenty sheets of Jinsu Mountain Buddhist Scripture Paper, he was already very surprised. Later, when Huo Sining mentioned a Huanghuali wooden cart, it didn’t faze him; he was numb and expressionless.

He was just wondering how his apprentice could easily agree to go to the unfamiliar Dongyang as an exchange student. With her current skills and reputation, she doesn’t need to be an exchange student to gain any qualifications or experience. She is already a living brand on her own. There’s no reason for her to suffer in such a place as Dongyang. So this is the real purpose of the girl.

”Are you planning a ’scorched earth policy,’ to scour the entire antique market in Dongyang?” Zhou Shitao asked softly.

Huo Sining didn’t expect her purpose to be so accurately guessed by Zhou Shitao, but she had no intention of hiding it either and directly admitted, ”I do have that plan, but it’s impossible to go everywhere. I’ll just scout around. If I find something useful, great.”

Only Huo Sining could speak such audacious words as naturally as talking about the pleasant weather today, so calmly and reasonably. Listening to her, Zhou Shitao on the other end of the phone felt somewhat annoyed; in this regard, his apprentice was indeed ahead of him.

Zhou Shitao hadn’t forgotten the purpose of his previous call to Huo Sining and suddenly said, ”That switched bowl you brought back from the Taicheng Museum last time, I found some clues. Tracing this counterfeit led me all the way to Changnan. Although the specific kiln hasn’t been confirmed yet, I’m certain that this piece must have come from Jingdezhen, from a private workshop that’s been operating for at least twenty years.”

As for why it was a private workshop that operated for at least twenty years, that didn’t need to be explicitly stated, and Huo Sining understood it clearly.

The Tianqing Glaze Lotus Flower Brush Washer from the Northern Song Dynasty Ru Kiln that Zhou Shitao once misjudged contained the same clock character as the counterfeit Yue Kiln Secret-Color Porcelain Bowl, proving that they came from the same hand. These two items appearing two decades apart was enough to prove that the kiln responsible has been actively firing throughout.

Huo Sining didn’t expect Zhou Shitao to bring her such news, which coincided exactly with what she overheard today at the booth in Qiding Lane during the conversation between Watanabe Yasu and Hattori Keiko. She instantly remembered the person Watanabe Yasu mentioned, and an idea flashed through her mind as she said to Zhou Shitao:

”It just so happens that I’ve received some information myself. I roughly know who has the real bowl now. Your people went to investigate in Jingdezhen, and I’ll give you a name: Old Mr. Zhong. Since Changnan specializes in producing ceramics, if this Zhong Fang producer has been in this business for so many years, surely someone has heard of Old Mr. Zhong. This Old Mr. Zhong is either the maker or the provider responsible for the switch; there’s no doubt about it!”

Zhou Shitao was stunned: ”Where did you get this information? Who has the bowl?”

Huo Sining laughed and said, ”No need to doubt that. I overheard it purely by chance today, that’s why I hurried to call and tell you about it. As for who has the bowl in hand, I’ll keep that to myself for now to avoid alerting the enemy!”

Zhou Shitao was a sharp person. He quickly detected a hint from Huo Sining’s words: ”The bowl has been taken to Dongyang?”

Huo Sining, while in Dongyang, heard news of that Secret-Color Porcelain. There was only one possibility: the bowl had already been smuggled abroad; otherwise, how could Huo Sining hear about it while she was overseas.

Upon this realization, Zhou Shitao’s expression changed drastically, and he couldn’t suppress his anger: ”These people are simply audacious, they want to ship out all these ancestral items, do they have no conscience?”

Zhou Shitao’s emotions were running high, and his voice increased several decibels involuntarily. After speaking, he found himself too worked up, and he started coughing uncontrollably.

Huo Sining knew that Zhou Shitao had high blood pressure. Hearing the emotional turmoil on the other end of the phone, she quickly devised a plan and promptly spoke to comfort him:

”Teacher, don’t get worked up. I haven’t finished speaking yet. I’ve already completely tracked the bowl’s movements here and will find someone to keep an eye on it. I’ll be heading back home after a while, and then you can give me the counterfeit. I already have a method in mind; I’ll definitely retrieve that genuine article!”

Hearing Huo Sining’s words, Zhou Shitao’s emotions gradually calmed down, with a mix of suspicion, nervousness, and expectation in his eyes: ”Really? What method did you think of?”

Huo Sining felt helpless and could only say, ”I can’t say the method right now, but I promise you, I’ll definitely bring the bowl back intact and won’t go back on my word!”

Zhou Shitao understood Huo Sining’s character well, knew that this kid was always reliable and never spoke empty words or made boastful claims in front of him. With her strong assurance, it proved she was genuinely confident.

So Zhou Shitao didn’t press further but simply said in a deep voice, ”Alright, I won’t interfere in this matter, but don’t disappoint your teacher!”