Chen Yang's few lines of small characters were stylistically identical to the four large characters "Peach and Plum Blossoms," and after the signature was added, the entire piece appeared even more harmonious, as if an inseparable whole.
If Professor Yan and the others hadn't seen Chen Yang write these lines with their own eyes, and if the ink on the paper wasn't wet, they would never have believed that the characters were written by Chen Yang. Cui Jianguo even wondered if he was dreaming, pinching his fat thigh hard, wincing in pain.
The study was deathly silent.
After a long pause, Professor Yan murmured, "Chen Yang, I can hardly believe my eyes! How did you do that?"
Chen Yang humbly replied, "Professor Yan, you flatter me. I've admired your work since I was a child, and I've been copying it for over a decade, but unfortunately, I always end up with a poor imitation!"
"You call this a poor imitation? Many renowned calligraphers would be ashamed to death if they heard you say that!" Cui Jianguo exclaimed loudly, his fat face trembling with excitement.
Liu Quanshu, meanwhile, looked on with rapt attention, repeatedly saying, "Genius...a genius! No wonder Elder Bai chose you as his disciple at first sight! Elder Bai truly has a discerning eye!"
Professor Yan couldn't help but lean closer to examine the calligraphy more closely. The more he looked, the more he liked it. He carefully blew on the ink to dry it, then instructed his wife to find the best framing shop first thing the next morning to have the calligraphy mounted. Having just acquired an original work by Master Baiyan yesterday, Professor Yan was overjoyed to receive such a high-quality copy today.
Liu Quanshu and Cui Jianguo both looked at Professor Yan with envy. Although the calligraphy wasn't an original by Master Baiyan, the copy, so perfectly capturing even the spirit of the original, was something they had never seen or heard of in their collecting careers—equally precious.
The group returned to the living room. Liu Quanshu, his excitement somewhat calmed, smiled and said to Professor Yan:
"Old Yan! Your student has given us a wonderful surprise today!"
"Yes! Yes!" Professor Yan, in high spirits, also chuckled. "Chen Yang, didn't you bring a piece of Shoushan stone? Let's take it out and examine it together!"
"Maybe it'll be another surprise!" Cui Jianguo added with a smile.
"Yes, teacher!" Chen Yang replied respectfully, then took out the wooden box, placed it on the coffee table, opened the lid, and took two steps back.
Liu Quanshu took out his reading glasses and put them on, also carefully putting on a pair of white appraisal gloves—tools he usually carried with him.
The Shoushan stone, concealing an exquisite "orange-peel red" hue, lay quietly inside the wooden box. The cut Chen Yang had made was facing downwards, so everyone only saw an unremarkable stone.
Liu Quanshu was stunned when he saw the Shoushan stone in the box. Having witnessed Chen Yang's earlier delight, Liu Quanshu was also full of expectations for this Shoushan stone, only to be greatly disappointed at first glance. However, having learned his lesson, Liu Quanshu did not speak rashly, but instead picked up a magnifying glass and began to examine it carefully.
When Liu Quanshu carefully picked up the Shoushan stone, everyone present immediately noticed the abrupt cut surface. Liu Quanshu exclaimed "Eh!" and flipped the stone over, revealing the breathtaking "orange-peel red" color of the exquisite stone.
In unison, everyone except Chen Yang gasped.
The orange-red hue seemed to be a giant magnet, firmly attracting everyone's attention. Liu Quanshu was even more visibly shaken, becoming increasingly cautious. He carefully placed the Shoushan stone, cut side up, into the wooden box, then used a magnifying glass to examine the cut surface closely, repeatedly shining a powerful flashlight inside, his face showing a mixture of doubt and astonishment.
In the decades Liu Quanshu had studied Shoushan stones, he had never seen such a peculiar companion Shoushan stone. From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary shrimp-back green stone, but unexpectedly, after cutting it open, it revealed a completely different world. What kind of geological evolution had led to such a unique state?
Liu Quanshu was completely baffled, but he was certain that this discovery would play a pivotal role in the entire study of Shoushan stone. His expression grew increasingly excited; as someone who dedicated his life to Shoushan stone research, he was always thrilled with each new discovery.
After a long pause, Liu Quanshu reluctantly put down his magnifying glass and looked up at Chen Yang, saying,
"Xiao Fang! May I ask where this stone came from… Of course, it's alright if you don't want to say!"
Many collectors keep the provenance of their items secret, so Liu Quanshu was only asking tentatively. Chen Yang thought for a moment, then smiled and said,
"Master Liu, this stone belongs to a friend of mine. He acquired it about two years ago from a villager in Shoushan Village. The villager claims it's been passed down through four generations in their family, but of course, that's impossible to verify. My friend accidentally cut a corner of the stone while handling it recently, revealing the color inside. He's unsure, so he asked me to find an expert to help identify it."
Although they were all highly respected elders, Chen Yang remained cautious, attributing the ownership of the Shoushan stone to a fictitious friend.
Liu Quanshu listened to Chen Yang's words and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he finally spoke:
"This kind of formation is something I've never seen before. It should be said that this is the first time such a symbiotic state has appeared in the history of Shoushan stone research."
Professor Yan, also an expert on Shoushan stones, nodded repeatedly in agreement with Liu Quanshu's words. Liu Quanshu continued, "But what's certain is that the interior of this shrimp-back green stone contains extremely high-quality 'orange-peel red,' making it extremely valuable in the market. Of course, most importantly, it possesses immense research value, something no amount of 'orange-peel red' can replace!"
Chen Yang wholeheartedly agreed with Liu Quanshu's point of view. In his previous life, when Master Baiyan's disciple received this Shoushan stone, the "orange-peel red" had already been completely removed by the collector. Master Baiyan only learned of the stone's original form through photographs.
Upon seeing this, Master Baiyan sighed with regret, stating that if its original form had been preserved, it would have possessed extremely valuable research potential. However, since it had already been removed, Master Baiyan was powerless to change it. In the end, he carved a seal, which, of course, is also very valuable in terms of market value.
At this moment, Liu Quanshu looked at Chen Yang with expectant eyes and tentatively asked:
"Xiao Fang, has your friend said what he wants to do with this Shoushan stone?"
Chen Yang smiled slightly and said:
"My friend has entrusted it entirely to me. He said that if the price is right, we can consider selling it!"
Liu Quanshu was overjoyed, while Cui Jianguo was even more eager to try. Even Professor Yan showed an expectant look. Zhao Xingmin, knowing that his teacher intended to buy it, although his eyes were also quite eager, had already given up the idea of competing. Liu Quanshu glanced at Professor Yan and said,
"Old Yan, you've already got the calligraphy; you can't compete with me for this Shoushan stone!"
Professor Yan's thoughts were read by Liu Quanshu, and his face flushed. He said,
"That depends on what price you offer! If you think my student doesn't know the market, I'll definitely sabotage you!"
At this moment, Cui Jianguo suddenly spoke up:
"Xiao Fang, I'm also very interested in this Shoushan stone. I'll offer 500,000. I wonder if you could help your friend sell it to me?"
Actually, everyone present knew that Chen Yang's friend was probably fictitious, but no one was foolish enough to expose him. Liu Quanshu's face immediately fell. He said to Cui Jianguo with displeasure,
"Mr. Cui, you can't do this! This Shoushan stone is extremely helpful to my research. How can you, a wealthy and powerful boss, have the nerve to compete with me for it?"
"Mr. Liu, you know me well. I don't smoke, drink, or care about women. My only interest is in collecting. Do you think I could resist buying such a rare stone?" They were old friends and knew each other very well, so Cui Jianguo wasn't angry. He simply explained slowly and deliberately.
"Wait!" Liu Quanshu looked at Chen Yang sincerely. "Xiao Fang, I'll offer 550,000 yuan. Please sell it to me. This Shoushan stone is extremely important to me; it can fill a gap in my research!"
Cui Jianguo still smiled. Compared to his billions, he didn't care about spending an extra 100,000 or 200,000 yuan on something he liked. Therefore, as soon as Liu Quanshu finished speaking, Cui Jianguo immediately tried to raise the price. He knew that although Liu Quanshu was a master of Shoushan stone carving, his wealth was still far less than his own. Cui Jianguo genuinely liked the Shoushan stone; otherwise, he wouldn't have argued with his old friend.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Cui, thank you very much for your kind offer, but I've decided to sell my friend's Shoushan stone to Master Liu! The price... is 500,000!" Chen Yang said directly before Cui Jianguo could even speak.
Chen Yang wasn't averse to money, but he respected elders like Liu Quanshu who were dedicated to scholarship. Cui Jianguo collected it simply because he liked it, while Liu Quanshu did it for research. Based on this alone, Chen Yang decided to sell the Shoushan stone to Liu Quanshu, even if it meant losing 100,000 or 200,000 yuan. He felt it was worthwhile; this money was just his initial capital for development. Therefore, Chen Yang only asked for 500,000 yuan from Liu Quanshu, the same price Cui Jianguo had initially offered. Upon hearing this, Liu Quanshu was overjoyed, his beard trembling slightly with excitement. He carefully closed the wooden box containing the Shoushan stone and said to Chen Yang,
"Thank you! Chen Yang! Give me an account number and wait a moment at Old Yan's house. I'll go out and transfer the money to you right away."
Chen Yang had just opened a bank account when he sold the music copyright last time, so he wrote the account number on a notepad and handed it to Liu Quanshu, then smiled and said,
"Old Liu, how could I not trust you? Take the item first, and transfer the money when you have time!"
Professor Yan chimed in,
"Old Liu, take the item back first, I'll vouch for you!"
"Alright, I'll transfer the money as soon as I get home!" Having received the Shoushan stone, Liu Quanshu wished he could sprout wings and fly home. He had no desire to linger any longer, picked up the wooden box, said goodbye to everyone, and then, together with Zhao Xingmin, the master and apprentice hurriedly left the Yan family home. After Liu Quanshu left, Cui Jianguo, disappointed, also left Professor Yan's house with a dejected look. Before leaving, he repeatedly told Chen Yang to remember to save some good things for him in the future. Chen Yang had no intention of developing a career in this field, but he still smiled and nodded in agreement.
Chen Yang chatted with Professor Yan about international law for a while. Seeing that it was already 9:30, and not wanting to disturb the elderly professor's rest, he got up to say goodbye. Professor Yan and his wife saw Chen Yang to the door, warmly inviting him to visit their home more often.
The faculty and staff residential area of Rongda University was near the south gate of the university, so Chen Yang chose to walk back to his dormitory. Halfway there, his phone received a text message notification. Chen Yang opened it and saw that Liu Quanshu had transferred the payment for the Shoushan stone to his account.
550,000 yuan.
Although Chen Yang had said he would sell it to Liu Quanshu for 500,000 yuan, out of gratitude, he still transferred 550,000 yuan to Chen Yang according to his asking price. Liu Quanshu knew that if it weren't for Chen Yang's kindness, they wouldn't have been able to acquire the stone for 550,000 yuan. At that time, Cui Jianguo was determined to compete for the Shoushan stone; with his wealth, he wouldn't even bat an eye at adding hundreds of thousands more. How could Liu Quanshu possibly compete with the wealthy and powerful Cui Jianguo?
Looking at the numbers in his account, Chen Yang was thrilled. His first pot of gold was finally in his hands. With this money, the future was bright!