Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1435: Chapter 1419: Have You Heard of Zhong Fang?

The old man heard this and chuckled. He glanced at Huo Sining, then looked at Gu Xu standing behind her. He didn’t say a word, just got up and walked towards the gallery behind him. After a couple of steps, he suddenly turned his head and said, ”You guys come in with me.”

Huo Sining and Gu Xu exchanged a glance, smiled, and followed Elder Feng inside.

The Oil Rat standing aside was dumbfounded. Others might not know, but he knew very well how particular and hard to please the Feng Family Elder was. He didn’t expect this girl named Huo to settle the old man with just a few words. This made the Oil Rat, no matter how much he disliked Huo Sining, have to admire her skills.

After passing through the corridor, they reached the backyard. There was another row of houses in the backyard, with several iron racks in the yard. Various types of porcelain blanks with intricate patterns painted on them were placed on the grinding wheels. There was also an idle glazing machine nearby. This looked like the Feng Family’s workshop.

On one side of the backyard, near the mountain wall, there was a large kiln with a lot of pine wood stacked beside it. The kiln was burning, and just standing nearby, one could feel the temperature rise by several degrees, a wave of warmth hitting the face.

Apparently, the kiln was currently firing porcelain.

But Elder Feng didn’t stop there with them; instead, he went straight to the other side of the backyard, leading them into a study.

It was called a study, but there weren’t many books in the room. The curio shelf was almost all porcelain items, each exquisitely crafted. But without handling them, Huo Sining couldn’t be sure whether these items were real or fake.

The old man heard from the Oil Rat that Huo Sining and Gu Xu were there to view goods. So after bringing them in, he immediately pulled out a box from his study and took out the items one by one.

”These are my proud creations accumulated over decades. Normally, I wouldn’t show them to others. But seeing this clever, sprightly little girl, I feel quite a rapport with you. So I won’t let you make a wasted trip — you can handle them first and see if there’s anything you like; then we can discuss.”

Elder Feng placed his collection on the Eight Immortals Table in the room. There were more than ten pieces of porcelain, including Blue and White Porcelain, Famille Rose Porcelain, and Doucai Porcelain, in different shapes.

To Huo Sining’s naked eye, these porcelains were almost indistinguishable from the real ones. Her heart pounded, and her mind spun with various hypotheses — if these porcelains were all Zhong’s counterfeits, if this Feng Elder was the Old Mr. Zhong they were looking for, what should she do after realizing this?

However, these hypotheses of hers dissipated completely once she handled them.

After examining each porcelain piece, her heart sank.

These were all fakes, and although exquisitely crafted, they weren’t flawless. Under the Heavenly Eye, the imperfections were magnified and Huo Sining caught them all.

As a modern craftsman, being able to create such high quality imitations demonstrated exceptional skill.

However, compared to Old Mr. Zhong’s craftsmanship, Master Feng’s skills were slightly inferior. From the making of these porcelains, one could tell that if they were Zhong’s counterfeits, even with the Heavenly Eye, no flaws would be detected.

There was no simplified ”Zhong” character on these pieces.

The aging techniques were also different. Master Feng’s aging method differed from Zhong Fang’s, indicating that the elder was not the Old Mr. Zhong they were looking for.

Huo Sining felt conflicted, unsure if it was disappointment or something else.

Elder Feng watched Huo Sining examining the porcelain without a word and thought she was having trouble deciding. He chuckled, ”These are all masterpieces, my painstaking efforts. Originally, I was reluctant to part with any of them. However, since you’ve come, I won’t let you make a wasted trip. You can choose one; I’ll give it to you at the lowest price.”

Although the old man was smiling, his eyes were always on Huo Sining, afraid she would pick more than one.

Huo Sining lifted her head and exchanged a glance with Gu Xu, then smiled wryly:

”Mr. Feng, let me be honest with you. We didn’t come here with the Oil Rat to view goods but to investigate. We want to ask you about someone.”

Upon hearing this, Elder Feng’s pleasant demeanor vanished, his face turning serious and his look watchful as he stared at Huo Sining, full of vigilance.

Huo Sining had anticipated this reaction, but she still had to ask what needed to be asked.

”Elder, have you heard of Zhong Fang?” she asked tentatively.

As soon as Zhong Fang was mentioned, Elder Feng’s expression changed drastically, his eyes sharp towards Huo Sining.

Huo Sining, being stubborn, stared back at Elder Feng without backing down.

Elder Feng’s expression flickered, and he said, ”What Zhong Fang? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Huo Sining had noticed something unusual in the elder’s expression early on. Receiving this answer, she chuckled coldly, retrieved something from her backpack, and pushed it in front of Elder Feng: ”Take a look, how does this item compare to the things you make?”

What Huo Sining took out was none other than the Northern Song Dynasty Ru Kiln Celadon Glazed Lotus Flower Brush Washer that Zhou Shitao had misjudged more than twenty years ago.

Elder Feng looked at the Sky-blue Glazed Brush Washer, his previous calm demeanor turning into astonishment.

From the first meeting with this old man, his confidence and presence shown in his eyes and expressions were now replaced with a mix of panic and uncertainty. Huo Sining could completely conclude that the elder definitely knew something — even if he didn’t know Old Mr. Zhong’s exact whereabouts, he certainly had clues.

Seeing Elder Feng not speaking, Huo Sining took out a magnifying glass and pointed it at the waist of the brush washer. At the end of an inscribed Tang poem, a simplified ”Zhong” character appeared right in front of Elder Feng.

The old man’s breathing became more labored, and after contemplating for a moment, he called Feng Gang in, signaling him to take the Oil Rat out.

Huo Sining hurriedly glanced at Gu Xu’s side. The Oil Rat couldn’t be left alone with Feng Gang. This guy was so sly that if no one was watching, he would definitely run.

Gu Xu followed the Oil Rat out, and only then did Elder Feng pick up the brush washer in Huo Sining’s hand, saying to her, ”Young lady, would you mind having a word in private?”

Huo Sining nodded. The old man didn’t bother to hide anything, directly pressing a certain spot in the curio shelf behind him. Soon, the wall behind the study opened up, revealing a hidden chamber separated from the room.