Dongshan, adjacent to the Dayuan Lake in Qinzhou.
It is said to be a place that Emperor Qianlong visited every time he went south, leaving behind many good things.
In recent years, it has become a holy land for antique dealers and brokers. Most of the easily accessible items have already been picked clean.
To find anything good again, one needs both extraordinary eyesight and experience.
These two aspects are precisely Li Chonglou's strengths.
Thirty-seven kilometers. The two of them took a taxi for nearly an hour to get there.
Following the address information provided by Huang Yongshou, they found a self-built villa.
The large iron gate was open, and two luxury cars were parked outside.
Inside, there was a buzz of conversation, mostly about everyday matters.
But Li Chonglou could tell from these trivial talks that someone had already gotten there first.
*Knock, knock...*
Li Chonglou knocked twice on the large iron gate and walked into the courtyard with Xu Lie.
Two middle-aged men, sitting on small wooden stools, were chatting with an old man with dark skin and graying hair. Hearing the sound, they turned to look at Li Chonglou.
A hint of wariness rose in their eyes simultaneously, but their hypocritical smiles remained unchanged.
"Old Chen, another one has arrived," said one of them, who was portly with a constantly shifting, avaricious glint in his eyes. He chuckled.
The other, with a long face like a horse, scrutinized Li Chonglou and Xu Lie and sneered contemptuously, "Youngsters dare to join the fun. They don't know their limits."
The antique business relied on discerning eyes.
No matter how great your talent, without decades of practice and experience, it was all in vain.
Antique dealers were no exception.
Both Li Chonglou and Xu Lie were under thirty. Unless they had started playing with antiques since birth, they were not to be feared.
The old man's eyes narrowed into slits, and he silently watched Li Chonglou.
He drew from a water pipe with one hand and rolled a dark, oval wooden ball with the other.
The sight of the wooden ball caused Li Chonglou's eyes to flash.
It was Vietnamese Nha Trang Agarwood!
Given its size, a quick glance suggested at least fifty grams.
It possessed the resilience of crane bones and dragon sinews. What was even rarer was that it was a solid piece without any cracks, with fine wood grain and clear oil lines, truly a top-grade specimen.
It was worlds apart from the so-called high-end goods circulating in the market.
Although it was covered in patina from handling, a faint, medicinal yet non-medicinal aroma could still be detected from several meters away.
"Sir, you have a fine treasure in your hand," Li Chonglou said respectfully to the old man, ignoring the other two.
Normally, one should not reveal their intentions when trying to find a bargain, nor should they let the owner know their purpose.
However, this area of Dongshan had been thoroughly scoured by antique dealers, so hiding was futile.
Li Chonglou surmised that the treasure Huang Yongshou mentioned was the agarwood in the old man's hand.
It was better to be upfront.
"You flatter me."
Li Chonglou's respect made Old Chen grin, "You're here to collect items too, aren't you?"
"To be honest, my family's items have all been sold off by that spendthrift. You've come for nothing!"
"Old Chen, aren't you still holding onto a piece of agarwood?" At this moment, the horse-faced man forced a dry laugh, "It's no use keeping it, is it? Do you really want to take it to your grave?"
"Why not sell it to us at a high price?"
"This was left by my old comrade. You should give up on this idea." Hearing this, Old Chen's face stiffened, filled with displeasure. "For his sake, I've already kicked that brat out. I won't sell it for any amount of money."
"Heh! That settles it then." The horse-faced man showed impatience.
"Old Chen, I'll give you a price. Consider it carefully. Don't be so quick to decide," the plump man said with a smile, holding up a finger. "Five hundred thousand. With this money, you can properly renovate your house. Isn't that better than holding onto it?"
This agarwood was the first thing he had discovered.
They had been negotiating intermittently for over a month without any result.
More people were showing up, and if they didn't act decisively, something unexpected might happen.
Old Chen remained silent, unscrewed the water pipe, and poured out the water.
An awkward silence ensued.
"The ancestral hall offering is for your comrade, isn't it?" Li Chonglou asked, glancing at the living room.
Other families offered incense, candles, and couplets in their ancestral halls.
However, the Chen family's ancestral hall displayed a black and white photograph of a young man in military uniform.
Three sticks of incense were still burning in the censer.
Judging by the style of the uniform and the epaulets, these were not modern items.
They were at least forty to fifty years old.
"Yes, he died saving me during the self-defense counterattack," Old Chen turned to look at the ancestral hall, his eyes filled with sadness. "It's been 41 years..."
"If only he were still alive."
"The deceased has passed, and the living must carry on. My condolences," Li Chonglou nodded gently and changed the subject, "What did you do for a living before?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept past the censer and settled on the mosaic wall beside it.
Rural areas had high humidity, so to prevent dampness, a one-meter high waterproof paint was usually applied.
Some people also tiled or used mosaics.
This house was clearly old, and many mosaics had peeled off, replaced with colorful ceramic shards.
With Li Chonglou's eyesight, he could immediately tell that these shards came from the same source.
"Nothing special, I worked on construction sites for most of my life, operating excavators," Old Chen replied leisurely.
That was it!
Li Chonglou's heart fluttered with joy.
Those ceramic shards were from the Yaozhou Kiln.
While many people were aware of the Five Great Kilns, few knew about the Yaozhou Kiln, yet this kiln had an extremely long history.
It originated in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and was primarily known for its celadon.
It began to transform and decline in the Yuan Dynasty, finally reaching the Republic of China era.
Most Yaozhou Kiln items appearing in the market were celadon.
However, there were actually seven production sites, centered around Huangbao Town in Tongchuan, Shaanxi, and distributed throughout the country.
These kilns, including Yiyang Kiln and Baofeng Kiln in Henan, Chengguan Kiln in Xin'an, Xicun Kiln in Guangdong, Yongfu Kiln in Guangxi, and Dayao Dian Kiln in Neixiang, differed in their clay and glaze colors from the commonly known Yaozhou Kiln due to variations in raw materials.
The ceramic shards on the Chen family's wall were "Oil Droplet Crystalline Glaze Porcelain" produced by the Chengguan Kiln in Xin'an.
This item was often buried underground and had not yet been hyped by the public.
Apart from grave robbing, only operating excavators could lead to contact with it.
The agarwood in Old Chen's hand was a treasure, but not a bargain.
Its value was clear, no less than ten million.
The plump man's offer of five hundred thousand was clearly an attempt to rip him off.
Li Chonglou had no interest in such bargains, and besides, he didn't have the money.
However, the oil droplet crystalline glaze porcelain excited him.
"Sir, do you know the value of this agarwood?" Li Chonglou asked calmly.
"Kid, if you don't know the rules, we can teach you," the horse-faced man's expression turned grim, and his eyelids twitched.
The plump man also showed an unfriendly demeanor, "The antique trade has always valued established customs!"
"When a buyer is interested in an item and negotiating with the seller, other buyers interested in the same item cannot offer any opinions from the side, nor can they participate in the bidding."
"Furthermore, they must maintain an appropriate distance. If the transaction fails and the item is returned to its original place, only then can one approach the seller to negotiate."
Li Chonglou's action, in their eyes, was clearly an attempt to expose the true price.
Wouldn't all their efforts over the past few days be in vain?
"That's correct."
Li Chonglou smiled, "Unfortunately, the old man has already said he won't sell, and the item isn't in your hands."
"And I have no desire to buy. Pray tell, which rule have I broken?"
In terms of rules, Li Chonglou was qualified to be their ancestor.
The two men's faces immediately turned ashen, and they were rendered speechless.