Chapter 42: Ru Kiln Sky-Blue Glaze Lotus Leaf Washer
The very first second they met Le Can’s gaze, Yuan Cheng and Xie Jun—both harboring guilty consciences—immediately averted their eyes. They began studying the peeling white paint on the noodle shop’s wall with an air of conspicuous innocence.
In truth, one didn’t even need to look closely; those darting, shifty little glances perfectly displayed the words “I’m hiding something” written all over their faces.
Le Can silently retracted the hand he had mentally reached out in desperation.
He felt that no matter what he said, it wouldn’t be clear right now. Smile.JPG
In situations like this, one shouldn’t rush to explain. It was better to wait for the other party’s heated emotions to cool down. Le Can thought about it and decided against a forceful explanation.
When they divorced in two years, everyone would naturally know the truth.
Having cycled through these thoughts, Le Can, who had originally intended to let go, instead flipped his hand and pressed Xi Yun’s hand down onto his own thigh.
It wasn’t that he was thinking of “reciprocity”—like, I touched Xi Yun’s abs, so I’ll let him touch my leg to settle the debt. Rather, it was because of what he just heard…
“A suppression piece?”
Le Can silently rolled these words around in his mouth, savoring them.
Was he catching a faint scent of the plot?
A “suppression piece” (or anchor piece) usually refers to the treasure that guards a strictly antique shop. Anything of that caliber would certainly be more than sufficient as a high-end auction item.
The young man feigned an appropriate amount of curiosity. “Then the competition for it will be equally fierce, right?”
This wasn’t like before, with the raw jade purchasing qualifications released by Elder Lu Fuming. In that case, as long as the buyers weren’t stingy with their money, no one would leave empty-handed.
But with a unique, one-of-a-kind treasure, the final result would simply be that it goes to the highest bidder.
Xi Yun lowered his eyes to look at the hand pressing down on the back of his own hand and replied, “According to the messenger, it is a Northern Song Dynasty Ru Kiln Sky-Blue Glaze Lotus Leaf Brush Washer.”
He heard the probing intent in Le Can’s words.
However, this wasn’t information that needed to be hidden, so since Le Can asked, Xi Yun answered casually.
Northern Song Ru Kiln. Le Can clicked his tongue in silent amazement.
If the news was reliable and the item was authentic, then its price… would indeed be as he imagined.
Bids would be raised layer by layer, eventually soaring to a ridiculously expensive figure.
For example, the total pocket money Le Can would receive over two years—forty-eight million—wouldn’t be enough to buy this treasure. At the very least, he would have to add the value of that one-hundred-fifty-million-yuan house.
In other words, even if he worked himself to death “selling his body” for two years, and even if his boss was generous enough, everything he earned would only be enough to buy a single brush washer…
Seeing that the person answering him wasn’t Liang Yusheng, but Xi Yun, who held much more authority, Le Can quickly turned to face him and seized the opportunity to state his request:
“Then can I tag along to broaden my horizons?”
The hand belonging to Xi Yun, which Le Can still hadn’t released, finally understood the real reason it was being “held hostage.”
Xi Yun looked down at his hand, which was being pressed firmly. “You really want to go?”
Without waiting for Le Can’s stance, he continued, “Even if it comes from Yayun Ancient Workshop, that Ru Kiln porcelain isn’t necessarily genuine.”
Le Can relaxed the strength in his hand and nodded obediently. “I know.”
Ru Kiln, the head of the “Five Great Kilns,” had a thunderous reputation.
Due to the complexity and strictness of its porcelain-making craftsmanship, excellent pieces were already extremely rare. Coupled with the fact that its production period in history only spanned a little over twenty years, the number of boutique pieces handed down was even fewer.
As the saying goes, rarity increases value. Today, with the value of Ru Kiln climbing steadily, the price of a genuine Ru Kiln porcelain piece would truly reach the heavens. The probability of such a family heirloom or world-class treasure being brought out for sale was naturally extremely low.
Xi Yun looked steadily at the person in front of him. His pair of singular double pupils held no doubt, only a quiet calmness of waiting.
He was waiting for Le Can’s next words.
Le Can was the first to crumble. He spoke honestly, “I want to go.”
Le Can’s various probings actually didn’t stem from any other thoughts.
Purely, the cannon fodder wanted to follow behind the protagonist team to leech off some plot. And by the way… well, enter Yayun Ancient Workshop without spending a penny.
He didn’t want to tell Xi Yun about either the former or the latter reason.
Northern Song Ru Kiln Sky-Blue Glaze Lotus Leaf Brush Washer. In the 100,000 words of the original novel Le Can had read, no similar antique had appeared, let alone any related plot descriptions.
He wasn’t sure if this event was a new plot caused by the intervention of a transmigrator, or if the plot had already moved beyond the 100,000-word mark.
This was too difficult for a transmigrator with only half-baked knowledge.
However, given the fame of the Helin Flower, Bird, and Antique Market, plus Xi Yun’s special ability, Le Can felt that no matter how he thought about it, this couldn’t be a nameless place.
When the navigation first pointed here, he had this inexplicable feeling…
When he actually met Xi Yun and the others, aside from the surprise that the location was in the food court, Le Can wasn’t that shocked.
This situation was roughly like: since fate had already pushed him to the door, Le Can stood before it, pondered for a moment, and chose to simply push the door open and enter.
If you want to control something or gain something, you have to take action first.
If something really went wrong or the sky fell, the absolute protagonist, Xi Yun, would be there to hold it up. To be honest, compared to the confusion and fear brought by the unknown, what arrived first was the sense of stability Xi Yun provided.
Whether it was Xi Yun the person, or his identity as the protagonist of the book, he seemed naturally capable of giving those around him infinite security.
Because of a person one could trust with their back, one acts more boldly. This was an experience Le Can had never had in the first half of his life.
But “the observer sees clearly while the participant is bewildered.”
At this moment, Le Can only felt that he could speak his needs directly in front of Xi Yun; he hadn’t yet touched the deeper meaning beneath this…
Xi Yun didn’t mind Le Can’s brief answer. He nodded indifferently. “Then follow along.”
The young man, who had planned to take a stroll and follow them secretly if the male lead refused, suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. “Okay!”
Saves me the trouble of running in circles~
The moment he heard the inner voice, his guess was verified.
Xi Yun’s lowered eyelids hid a fleeting helplessness, and the corners of his mouth ticked up in an imperceptible arc.
Some people, once they make a decision, are destined to be unstoppable.
Le Can belonged to this category, and Xi Yun knew this clearly.
As for why he asked again when he clearly knew the answer, perhaps only he knew the true reason for his “unnecessary action”…
Opposite them, Yuan Cheng and Liang Yusheng, who felt inexplicably choked up, exchanged a silent look, swapping a glance where only they knew what they were thinking.
Helin Flower, Bird, and Antique Market – East Zone.
This was a place distinctly different from the other three zones.
Compared to the other sections in the same market, the East Zone featured antique architecture with carved beams and painted rafters. Even before approaching, one seemed to feel the ancient charm and grandeur rushing toward the face.
The noisy background sound faded away as they approached, and light, impetuous hearts were infected by the atmosphere, gradually calming down.
This wasn’t an illusion, because there were very few people walking on the streets of the East Zone. And although the open space in front of every shop was spacious, the vast area was left empty in a display of wealth and grandeur.
The dense, inevitably somewhat messy street stalls found on the ground in the West Zone’s Antique Miscellaneous Area were nowhere to be seen here.
With fewer people and wider spaces, no wonder it felt quiet.
The surrounding environment truly affects a person’s behavior. Originally, Yuan Cheng and Liang Yusheng chatted with Le Can frequently, but gradually it turned sporadic, and finally, the three of them simply stopped talking.
However, this silence didn’t last long.
Because Le Can saw the long-admired Yayun Ancient Workshop.
It lived up to being an antique shop present in every notable antique street. Among the many shops racking their brains to display their big signboards, it stood out with a unique, steady, and low-key style.
Yet, this unique style elevated its class, possessing an outstanding quality like a “crane standing among chickens,” instantly grabbing the buyer’s gaze!
Stepping over the threshold and crashing into an elegant, faint scent of ink, Le Can raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Yayun Ancient Workshop (Elegant Rhyme Ancient Workshop)—it really lived up to its name.
The reputation of the Northern Song Ru Kiln was immense. Especially since what appeared this time was the Sky-Blue Glaze, the type most revered and praised by the world among all Ru Kiln pieces.
Sky-Blue Glaze refers to a pale azure color.
Like “the clouds breaking where the rain has passed,” or “the verdant color coming from a thousand waves,” the glaze color was beautifully light and elegant. It wasn’t flashy or sharp, but carried a warm reticence unique to the East.
Its surface glaze was lustrous and unctuous, praised by the world as “like jade, not jade, yet surpassing jade.” Sitting there quietly, it was so beautiful it seemed to glow.
Even after a long passage of time, the elegant and refined nature of Ru Kiln porcelain still made future generations constantly want to pursue and replicate it.
Even though Le Can had mentally prepared himself, seeing the room full of people sitting or standing, almost filling the small reception space, still surprised him.
After surprise came a sigh.
Most people want to monopolize treasures when they find them, but if it were truly a world-shocking gem, there wouldn’t be so many people in the world who didn’t recognize its worth.
More often, they were like packs of hyenas, chasing the scent, hard to shake off…
He couldn’t help but cast a glance at the back diagonally in front of him.
Xi Yun walked into the room with his usual expression.
During his progress, among the people originally sitting in their seats, some nodded politely to him, some looked disdainful, and some stood up with faces full of enthusiasm…
Xi Yun’s pace remained unhurried. He dealt with these people quickly and appropriately, then walked with a clear goal toward the main seat.
The two seats to the left and right of the main seat were already occupied.
On the left was an old man wearing a dark red silk Tang suit, holding a magnifying glass and looking down at something. On the right was a tall, unfamiliar young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
People stood beside each of them. The old man had the most people around him; most were elderly, dressed in low-key but proper attire with unique temperaments—one look and you knew they were experts.
Xi Yun’s target wasn’t them, but the refined man with glasses on the other side, who only had a young kid standing next to him.
The young kid, head bowed and back to them, seemed to be getting scolded, looking wilted and dejected. Le Can couldn’t see his face.
And his attention wasn’t on this inconspicuous young man.
Le Can was currently looking curiously at the man sitting in the main seat, who appeared gentle and cultivated. He looked about the same age as Xi Yun, and wearing a pair of glasses, he looked extremely like a refined scholar.
But the next second, the address Xi Yun used overturned this guess.
“Jian Yu, long time no see.”
Jian Yu put away the helplessness on his face regarding his brother, stood up, and nodded to Xi Yun. Knowing Xi Yun disliked physical contact, he maintained a respectful distance.
“It has been a long time. The last time I saw you was at graduation.”
“Thank you for the news you sent.”
The person who passed the news of the Ru Kiln Sky-Blue Glaze Lotus Leaf Washer to Xi Yun was none other than the head of Yayun Ancient Workshop standing before them—Jian Yu.
Jian Yu, however, shook his head with an apologetic look in his eyes. “I originally thought to limit the spread of the news, but the item was too good to hide, burdening you with so many extra competitors.”
Xi Yun paused, then reached out and patted the shoulder of the man in front of him. “It is as it should be. Don’t overthink it.”
Seeing this, a trace of interest rose in Le Can’s peach-blossom eyes.
Yayun Ancient Workshop’s Jian Yu?
It seemed he knew Xi Yun from before, and their relationship appeared to be quite good.
What puzzled Le Can was that Jian Yu didn’t seem to appear in the first 100,000 words of the story.
But that wasn’t the main point right now.
If the glasses man was Jian Yu, then the young kid beside him…
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