章節 61: "Did I take the wrong one?"
"Hehe, Zhao Ge, please don't be angry. I... I'm just an ordinary person..." Fatty chuckled nonchalantly, his face beaming with a sheepish grin. "Zhao Ge, just tell me, if I play with this bead for ten years, how much could it sell for?"
"Whether it sells for ten thousand or fifty thousand depends on how well you handle it, and whether someone finds it appealing..."
Zhao Hongtao, exasperated, tossed Fatty's string of star and moon beads back at him. Hearing Fatty's words, he felt that the beads were now tainted with the stench of money, and he no longer wished to hold them.
Zhao Hongtao had never parted with any of the star and moon beads he had polished. A wealthy friend of his, a staunch Buddhist, had once insisted that one of Zhao's pieces was blessed, offering a hundred thousand for it. After pondering for several days, Zhao ultimately declined; he simply could not bear to part with it.
"Can they really sell for that much? That sounds quite profitable..."
Fatty's eyes lit up. He had inquired with Man Jun yesterday and learned that since this string of star and moon beads originated from Hainan, its purchase price was around five to six hundred yuan. If it could appreciate to ten thousand in ten years, that would be a remarkable twenty-fold increase—far exceeding any bank interest.
However, Fatty hadn't considered that in the year 2000, the price was five to six hundred yuan, and in ten years, it might only reach one or two thousand per string. Even the most polished star and moon beads would depend on finding a buyer who appreciated them.
"Well, you're in the cultural artifact business; your expectations shouldn't be too high..."
Observing the glint of greed in Fatty's eyes, Zhao Hongtao sighed and advised, "Since you have plenty of free time, why not wear a few more strings around your neck? Rotate them while you set up your stall. Rest assured, well-handled items will command prices several times their original value."
"Thank you, Zhao Ge! I will definitely follow your advice..."
Hearing of the potential profit invigorated Fatty, who immediately reached for Fang Yi's neck, saying, "Fang Yi, let me help you polish those two strings; later, you can find a few more..."
"Alright, then these star and moon beads and the Vajra are all yours..."
Fang Yi opened Fatty's hand and removed the two strings of beads. For Fang Yi, polishing beads was a means of calming the mind and honing his spiritual practice, a pursuit that far surpassed Fatty's understanding, and even Zhao Hongtao could not compare. As for the quality of the beads, Fang Yi remained indifferent.
"Hey, Little Fatty, let me take a look at Fang Yi's string of star and moon beads..." Just as Fatty accepted the two strings from Fang Yi, Zhao Hongtao suddenly reached out and snatched Fang Yi's string of star and moon beads.
"Hey, Zhao Ge, don't pull so hard; the cord might break..." Fatty quickly loosened his grip, looking at Zhao Hongtao in confusion.
"Even if it breaks, it won't be lost..." Zhao Hongtao replied without raising his gaze, seemingly absorbed in the string of star and moon beads in his hand.
"What's wrong, Zhao Ge?" Fang Yi inquired, puzzled by Zhao Hongtao's sudden action.
"Fang Yi, where did you get this string of beads?" After rubbing the beads between his fingers, Zhao Hongtao continued, "I don't recall seeing you wear it yesterday. Did your master leave it for you?"
"No, the beads my master passed down are all in the box."
Fang Yi shook his head and explained, "This string of star and moon beads and the Vajra were gifts from Man Ge to us yesterday. They are leftover stock from years ago that he couldn't sell, just like Fatty's string..."
"Same? You should take a closer look..." Zhao Hongtao noncommittally returned the star and moon beads to Fang Yi.
"Hmm? Why is the color of my beads so much deeper?"
Before he even grasped the beads, Fang Yi noticed the difference. His string was a vibrant crimson, strikingly beautiful, while Fatty's was a pale yellowish hue. Though Fang Yi initially thought his beads didn't appear too dark, the contrast became stark when placed side by side.
Moreover, Fang Yi's beads felt incredibly smooth in his hand, their sheen reminiscent of jade, akin to the patina and color changes Zhao Hongtao had previously described. Even Fatty, who hadn't paid close attention earlier, could not discern the difference at first glance.
"Wasn't this the color when Man Ge gave it to me?"
Fang Yi hesitated, recalling that he had consumed quite a bit of alcohol yesterday, and the dim lighting had obscured his memory of the beads' initial color. However, he was certain that when he donned the beads that morning, they were indeed this color.
"Man Jun is quite generous to have given you such an exquisite piece..." After hearing Fang Yi's words, Zhao Hongtao nodded thoughtfully and suggested, "Fang Yi, compare your beads with Little Fatty's; see what differences you can find."
"The color is different, and it seems mine has developed a patina..." The most obvious distinction was indeed the color of the star and moon beads, which even Fatty could recognize.
"Look more closely..." Zhao Hongtao gestured for Fang Yi to bring the beads closer to his eyes.
"Hmm? Why does my bead have cracks?"
As Fang Yi held the beads up to examine them, he was taken aback, noticing that each black dot, representing the stars, was lined with fine cracks, giving the appearance of having split.
"Wait, this... is this what they call 'opening cracks'?" Recalling Zhao Hongtao's teachings about star and moon beads, Fang Yi's eyes widened.
"Yes, that's what we refer to as 'opening cracks'..." Zhao Hongtao affirmed, nodding. "Do the cracks on this star and moon bead resemble the ice-cracked glaze found in ceramics?"
"Ice-cracked glaze? I've heard of that term but never seen it..."
Fang Yi understood that the ice-cracked glaze was a ceramic term referring to surface cracks that occur due to improper firing. However, such glaze could result from both accidental and intentional methods of production.
For instance, one of China's five great kilns from the Song Dynasty, the Longquan Ge kiln, was known for producing ceramics with surfaces adorned with crack patterns, a unique decorative style. The blue-green porcelain vessels with such cracks were highly prized, and Fang Yi had encountered numerous esteemed references praising this type of pottery.
"The cracks on this string of star and moon beads are what we call ice cracks..."
Pointing at the star and moon beads, Zhao Hongtao remarked, "This string has likely been polished for at least twenty years, and it has been handled with clean hands, untouched by sweat; otherwise, it would have darkened, and the color could not be so vibrant. I wonder where Man Jun obtained it to gift it to you?"
Zhao Hongtao prided himself on the several strings of star and moon beads he had polished, each a fine specimen. Yet, compared to Fang Yi's string, his fell short in both age and color quality. Such exquisite pieces were rare in the world of cultural artifacts.
Of course, Zhao Hongtao had also encountered numerous old star and moon beads over a hundred years old. While those had rich patinas and beautiful cracks, they often carried the lingering scent of butter tea due to lifestyle habits. In contrast, he preferred Fang Yi's string.
"Zhao Ge, then... how much is this string of star and moon beads worth?" Fatty, uninterested in ice cracks or glazes, was solely concerned with the price and asked directly.
"This was given to Fang Yi by Man Jun for play; selling it wouldn't be appropriate..." Zhao Hongtao shook his head, adding, "If Man Jun were willing to sell, I would offer fifty thousand for it. Fang Yi, you can ask Man Jun when you get back..."
To be honest, Zhao Hongtao did not believe that Man Jun had given this string of star and moon beads to Fang Yi outright. He suspected it was merely lent for play. Even so, he felt it was a bit wasteful to treat such a piece casually; a star and moon bead in such condition was already at a collectible level.
If Man Jun were willing to sell, Zhao Hongtao would genuinely purchase it. He had numerous connections in the cultural artifact community, and even at fifty thousand, he could easily resell it for a price not less than eighty thousand.
"What? This... this thing can be worth fifty thousand?"
Upon hearing Zhao Hongtao's words, Fatty nearly bit his own tongue, indignantly exclaiming, "Man... Man Ge must be biased! He gives us ordinary beads but gifts Fang Yi one that's been polished for twenty years?"
"Fatty, perhaps Man Ge was just confused after drinking yesterday?" Fang Yi shot a disapproving glare at Fatty and said, "Don't say it's worth fifty thousand; even if it were worth a million, it's not ours. Let's return these beads to Man Ge tonight..."
Although Man Jun had mentioned that the beads were gifts, Fang Yi was unwilling to take advantage of the situation. He believed that Man Jun had simply made a mistake due to his inebriation, and returning the beads voluntarily would prevent any awkwardness later.
"Sometimes, Man Ge can be quite forgetful; how could he mix up something so valuable? Fang Yi, you should mention it to him later..."
Despite Fatty's usual carefree demeanor and obsession with wealth, he had his principles. When he was a security guard, he once found a bag containing twenty thousand yuan in cash and promptly returned it to the property management without taking a single cent.
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