Chapter 187 The Koreans Steal Everything

Master Bao is really not joking.

His daughter was in the office upstairs, waiting to meet Zhang Yang.

After Zhang Yang introduced himself to her, he found out that Master Bao's last name was actually Bao, and he was said to be a descendant of Genghis Khan.

However, looking at Miss Bao's gentle appearance, she doesn't look like a Mongolian cavalryman at all. Instead, she looks like a girl raised in a water town in the south of the Yangtze River.

Miss Bao is still a sophomore in college and is about the same age as Zhang Yang. It is said that it was because of their similar ages that Yao Ge and Master Bao talked about the blind date today.

It's not an engagement, it's just a blind date.

It is said that in Guangdong Province, blind dates are quite common at this age.

Miss Bao is an only child. During the conversation, Master Bao hinted to Zhang Yang that if the two of them could get together, half of these buildings could be given to him as a dowry.

Li Zi was listening nearby and felt a pang in her heart, thinking that this was the end and she no longer even had any material advantage.

The only good news is that Zhang Yang was very polite when talking to this Miss Bao.

There is no comparison with myself.

"Your performance just now was great!" Li Zi whispered to Zhang Yang as they left the office.

"Where's the good place?"

"The tone and attitude of his speech were very measured."

"Oh, of course." Zhang Yang said nonchalantly, "It's the first time we meet, so of course we have to be serious and leave a good impression on him."

Leave a good impression... a good impression... an impression...

Zhang Yang's words kept echoing in Li Zi's ears.

Her heart, which had just risen, sank again.

The woman looked at Zhang Yang's back, and a hint of determination flashed in her eyes.

……

Master Bao’s way of doing business is relatively modern. Not only did he open a specialized studio, he also had an art trading company to endorse him.

After Zhang Yang and his friends finished chatting in the office, they immediately went to the top floor of the same building, where the studio was.

"Most of the antiques we make here have to be left in natural conditions to age, so the environment on the top floor is very suitable, with just the right amount of sun and rain."

As they walked, Master Bao introduced the situation of his workshop to everyone, mainly to Zhang Yang.

The level of detail, in Li Zi's opinion, was like introducing a dowry to a future son-in-law.

Of course, this is because she has a filter.

Master Bao's real purpose was very clear in his words and deeds, which was to get Zhang Yang's evaluation.

In other words, it's showing off.

"The conditions here should be no worse than your small workshop, right?"

Zhang Yang was also a craftsman, so of course he understood what he meant. He smiled and shook his head after listening:

"Master Bao, you have everything good here, but where is the soil? How can you make rust without soil?"

"I've been waiting for you to say this!"

The old man squinted his eyes and smiled, motioning Zhang Yang to follow him.

A few people walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and as the curtains were slowly pulled up, a lush grove came into view.

On the roof of the 12-story building, Master Bao artificially created a small forest, mostly planted with tea trees, whose leaves can be used to create an antique look using traditional methods.

"The soil is more than three meters thick. It cost me nearly 100,000 yuan just to transport it upstairs."

"Including plant maintenance and other things, it cost me nearly two hundred thousand in total."

"How's it going? Is it okay?"

"This time it's really awesome!" Zhang Yang said with a thumbs up.

He now understood how Master Bao lost a building.

Just the artificial grove outside is enough to buy two yards like Wu Laoer's, and it also comes with more than an acre of vegetable gardens and farmland in front of and behind the house.

Maybe this is the stubbornness of the landlord. He will never go downstairs if he can handle something in his own house.

When Zhang Yang came to visit, it was the weekend and the studio staff were not there, but this made the visiting experience even better.

Master Bao took the group to the exhibition hall.

Placed on the counter in the middle was the Korean moon jar that Zhu Ruyan had been dreaming about.

If you are selling high-quality imitation antiques from East Asia, you cannot avoid this thing.

"Do you want me to introduce them one by one?" Master Bao looked at Zhang Yang inquiringly.

"If you have time, please help introduce me."

Zhang Yang has a recognition value of more than 4 in his background, and he does not intend to waste it on Goryeo antiques.

Porcelain, bronze, iron, and jade, at least in terms of patina and rust, all have something in common. With the help of Master Bao to introduce the shapes and backgrounds of the objects, you will basically understand everything.

"Okay, let's start with the most famous moon jar. This is the favorite of Koreans..."

When Master Bao was introducing the moon jar, Zhang Yang asked for his permission and took out the white porcelain from the display case.

It looks very white and smooth, but feels a bit rough to the touch, and does not have the smooth jade-like feeling of Dehua white porcelain.

From the perspective of porcelain craftsmanship alone, this thing is not as good as the big white bowl that comes with instant noodles.

But Master Bao said that the main thing about this thing is its beauty in imperfection.

"The beauty of imperfection?"

Li Zi tilted her head and stood beside Zhang Yang, looking at him for a long time, then shook her head in confusion:

"It looks damaged. There's a piece of glaze missing and there are scratches underneath, but I can't see where the beauty is."

"Girl, can't you see this?"

Master Bao walked forward helplessly, took the high-imitation moon jar, held it up flat and said:
"Did you notice? It's asymmetrical."

"Asymmetry is beauty?" Li Zi asked, "Isn't it because the craftsman's skills are not good enough?" "You can't say that. The craftsmen of the Goryeo Dynasty went to Jingdi Town to study. Their skills are impeccable. They did it deliberately."

"You see, the base and mouth of this jar are very small, so the whole thing looks like a full moon."

"But the moon itself is incomplete, so this reflects the ancient Goryeo people's observation and thinking about the moon."

“A perfect combination of art and astronomy!”

Li Zi didn't completely agree with Master Bao's explanation, but she simply couldn't understand it at all.

But after seeing Zhang Yang's look, she stopped asking questions.

The reason why Zhang Yang did this is very simple:
The old man is old and this is his money. If you don't want to be fooled, don't ask him too many questions that drive him crazy.

Moreover, Zhang Yang has more important questions to ask:

"Master Bao, you haven't aged this one yet. Do you have any good ones that you can show me?"

"No, we usually make it look old according to the customer's requirements."

"One spoonful of Qing, two spoonfuls of Tang, three spoonfuls back to Qin Shi Huang, four spoonfuls of Zhou, five spoonfuls of Xia, six spoonfuls back to Shenlongjia."

"Understood!"

After hearing what the other party said, Zhang Yang realized that his method of aging was still very primitive. It seemed that the buyers of East Asian antiques did not have high requirements for aging.

This is a good thing, because he can use modern technology to make it look old, and then he can take it out and kill people with it.

"Okay, let's move on to the next one, which is also our signature item."

Master Bao led everyone to the display case next to it. Inside the case lay a wooden box filled with metal blocks of similar size, with earthworm-like words engraved on them.

"Guess what this is? Just take a guess, be bold."

"I know, this is a box of military chess." Li Zi raised his hand and said.

"You are really bold..." Master Bao wiped the sweat from his head and explained: "This is a module of metal movable type printing, a replica of the national treasure of the Great Cold Netherworld."

"A replica?" Zhang Yang repeated.

Different from ordinary imitation antique collectibles, replicas are designed to look exactly like the originals and are mainly used for exhibition in museums.

"Yes, it is at the replica level." Master Bao replied proudly.

"Is there any legend about this thing?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.

Movable type printing was invented during the Northern Song Dynasty in China. It would have been many years before it was introduced to Goryeo. Just in terms of age, it cannot be said to be precious, so Zhang Yang did not think it was precious.

"This is the earliest extant movable type module for metal movable type printing in the world," Master Bao explained.

"At the earliest, are you sure?"

"If it's metal, it's the earliest."

Master Bao explained very skillfully.

He had already memorized this knowledge by heart, and could recite it effortlessly:

"The earliest movable type in our country was made of clay, and later wood carving and lead were used. However, the metal movable type discovered in Korea is indeed the earliest."

“It was successfully applied for World Heritage status a few years ago.”

“So this kind of product sells very well.”

"I believe this. Since it has been successfully listed as a World Heritage Site, it will of course sell well. But I have a question."

"Master Bao, you also said that China has movable type made of lead. Isn't lead a metal?"

Zhang Yang spread his hands and asked back.

He really didn't understand. However, based on his existing knowledge of chemistry, lead was not only a metal, but also a heavy metal.

"Is lead a metal?" Master Bao was also confused by the question and said to himself, "Why did the stick succeed in being listed as a world heritage site?"

"I know this." Li Zi raised her hand again to explain: "Applying for World Heritage status is not a patent. As long as there is a heritage, it can be applied for. One heritage can have multiple inheritances."

"Because Zhang Yang is the inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, I specifically studied the rules."

"Okay, let's skip this movable type." Zhang Yang shook his head and said to Master Bao, "My master is Iron-Blooded Wolf Warrior. I can't possibly make something like this."

"Of course I know your master's temper, otherwise how could we quarrel?"

Master Bao smiled helplessly and continued to show everyone the next thing.

This time, Zhang Yang was shocked by what he saw.

It turned out to be a mural.

Moreover, it looks like the style before the Song Dynasty. The images of Fuxi and Nuwa are still relatively primitive, both of them are dragon gods with human heads.

However, these murals are brightly colored and not aged, and look more like modern handicrafts.

"Are you also doing murals?" Zhang Yang asked in disbelief.

"Well, this is relatively simple. Just follow the existing murals and imitate them."

"Really? But why would the Koreans buy this thing?" Zhang Yang was a little confused.

Is it simply because East Asians love Tang Dynasty culture? After all, the Tang Dynasty is the most common mural in Dunhuang today.

But it cannot be said that this style of painting has nothing to do with Dunhuang. It is completely unrelated.

"Because this is a mural of their ancestors, the Goguryeo people!"

"Goguryeo? You mean this is a replica of the Goguryeo tomb murals in Ji'an that were stolen by the Koreans with the help of spies?"

If Master Bao hadn't reminded him, Zhang Yang would have almost forgotten the existence of such murals.

Perhaps they are not as artistic as the Dunhuang murals, but they are certainly not less precious.

At least the Koreans spent money to hire people to steal this thing in China, and they refused to admit it after stealing it.

"This is good."

"Are Koreans eager to find their roots rushing to buy this kind of imitation?"

Zhang Yang raised the corner of his mouth, and his thoughts gradually became clear.

(End of this chapter)