A Siheyuan Home Brings Good Fortune

Chapter 240: Going to the Countryside to Pick Up Bargains (I)

Yan Bugui looked at He Yukai who was leaving quickly and sighed. He had been scheming all his life, but he didn't expect to suffer several big losses in his old age. Now he felt like crying.

Is it that his skills have declined or that young people have completely risen? He thinks that he is a master in the calculation world. After three consecutive losses in recent years, he feels that he can't keep up with the pace of the times.

He Yukai didn't care about that. He returned to the compound and informed Master Li that there was no need to rebuild the wall. He restored it to its original state and renovated it according to the blueprint. Then he drove to the Zhengyangmen Tavern.

"Brother, you are finally here!"

"Something delayed me. Can we go now? Uncle?"

"Let's go!"

As he walked, He Yuzhu found that he was still at the Red Star Commune. He was quite familiar with this place, and people from several villages knew him.

Xu Huizhen's car was leading the way, followed closely by He Yuzhu, and they drove into a village. The 1980s were different from the past. In the past, you couldn't enter the village without a letter of introduction, and the militia would block you.

"Uncle, how do I get to Li Shuanzhu's house?"

After arriving at the village and parking the car, everyone got off. Xu Huizhen began to inquire about Li Shuanzhu's family. She met a guest in her tavern a few days ago. During the conversation, he mentioned that Li Shuanzhu's family had produced important figures in the past, and that he had seen official hats like hers in Li Shuanzhu's house.

Xu Huizhen is different from people like He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu and Han Chunming like to collect all kinds of antiques and do not have a preference for any one type. Xu Huizhen has a special liking for antique furniture, and most of her collections are antique furniture.

Following the old man's instructions, they walked to the door of Li Shuanzhu's house. Cai Quanwu went forward and knocked on the door. He Yukai looked at the yard carefully. He found that this yard was indeed different from the yards of ordinary people. The materials used were also quite exquisite. Although they were not precious materials, cypress was also used. The ancestors of this family should have been introverted people.

Wealth should not be shown off. It can be seen from here that the landlord's house that Han Chunming and his friends visited was not like this. The materials used in that house were much more expensive in comparison. Didn't Han Chunming also fall in love with the wood of the house in the first place?
"Who are you looking for?"

Just as He Yukai was looking at the gate, a man's voice came from the yard.

"Hello, is this Li Shuanzhu's home?"

"Yes, wait a minute!"

When the people in the courtyard heard the person at the door calling out his name, they opened the door immediately. There were not many people who did not call out his name. His family was frightened during the special period and still has psychological trauma. They just want to live a peaceful life and don't want to interact with too many strangers.

"Who are you?"

When he opened the door, he found a few people he didn't recognize and looked at them vigilantly!

"You are Comrade Li Shuanzhu, right? We are from the capital. I heard that your family has an official hat chair. I have one at home too, and I want to take a look. If we can make a pair, we are ready to buy it!"

Seeing that Li Shuanzhu was very alert, Xu Huizhen took the initiative to step forward and talk to him. Xu Huizhen was very friendly and spoke softly and slowly, making it difficult for people to feel unwelcome.

"Oh, then come in and tell me!"

Li Shuanzhu said that he came to see their official hat chair, and immediately made way for the person at the door to come in. Normally, there were very few people coming to their house, and it was only in recent years that it became quiet.

The feeling is not particularly obvious in the countryside, but if Li Shuanzhu goes to Beijing, he will find that the times are indeed different and very different from the past.

"This is what you call an official hat chair. There were a lot of good things in the house, but unfortunately they are all gone. Only a few pieces of furniture are left. This stool must have been saved because those people didn't know the value of it!"

Han Chunming saw the official hat chair and studied it carefully. This kind of furniture was very easy for Han Chunming to hold. He looked around the house carefully and could feel that Li Shuanzhu's ancestors knew the meaning of the word "hide" even without seeing the door.

If you don't walk through the gate, you would never imagine that this house is so spacious. Yes, it can be described as vast. The vegetable garden in the yard is about five acres in size, and yet it doesn't seem narrow at all.

There are houses on three sides, which are used as residences and warehouses. The row of houses on the north side are for receiving guests and have bedrooms, and the remaining two rows of houses should be used as warehouses. It can be seen here that the ancestors of this family never hired maids, so they should be a very low-key family.

Thinking of this, he began to look carefully at the bottles and jars in the yard. Since he was here, he might as well take a closer look, although casually. Collectors all like the feeling of finding bargains, which gives them a sense of accomplishment. Therefore, real collectors like to go to places like Panjiayuan to find bargains, which tests both their eyesight and their knowledge. It is a sense of accomplishment when they find bargains.

People like He Yukai and Han Chunming already have quite a lot of collections, but this is why they still go to the countryside in their spare time.

These collectors seldom go to places like auctions. Firstly, the items at auctions are not necessarily real, but the prices are often the most expensive.

He Yukai, Han Chunmei, Polan Hou and Uncle Guan, except He Yukai who has a wealthy family, the other family members are not poor, but they do not have the financial resources to participate in the auction.

He Yukai's money should be used for big things and cannot be wasted on auctions. Auctions have begun to appear in Beijing, and good things occasionally appear.

The people who participate in auctions are all pretentious tycoons. They still prefer to pick up bargains in the countryside and from small stalls, where they can find good things at a low cost.

"Comrade Li, are you selling all these furniture in your house? If so, we will buy them all, and you can buy the wood to build a new set!"

After looking at the official hat chair, Han Chunming saw the square table and the wardrobe. They were all good things. The outside of the Huanghuali wood was brushed with a preservative mixed with herbs. If he hadn't touched it, he would not have noticed it. This was his surprise for his "mother-in-law".

"Oh? You want them all?"

Li Shuanzhu looked at Han Chunming in surprise. It was not a big deal to sell these things. They could still build a new set of furniture, which would be much more presentable when their children got married than the old things. Of course, he understood the value of these things, but he did not expect that they were all wanted.

When Li Shuanzhui's wife saw that these shabby families all wanted it, she felt that the surprise should not come too soon, so she immediately winked at Li Shuanzhui and asked him to agree. Li Shuanzhui secretly cursed his wife for being stupid. These people were all shrewd people, how could they be so obvious?
"Yes, we want them all. Just name your price!"

Seeing that Han Chunming wanted all of them, Cai Quanwu immediately looked at them carefully, then sighed and shook his head. Cai Quanwu's expression made Li Shuanzhu's heart sink. He was not sure when this set of furniture was bought. He could only be sure that these furniture had been in the house since he could remember.

When he was young and asked about these things, his father never told him. This was not popular at that time. Everyone was struggling to make ends meet, so how could they have the time to study these things?
So he was not sure what the appropriate price should be. He had to sell it, but there was still a lot of knowledge involved.

"You guys make your bids first! If it's suitable, I can sell it to you as a package, and I'll just make a new set of furniture. If it's not suitable, the deal won't go through, but we'll just part ways!" Li Shuanzhu was determined not to make a bid because he had no idea about the market price here, but he understood the principle of antiques being valuable in troubled times and prosperous times, and he could understand why his father didn't tell him.

Han Chunming secretly thought that the old fox was willing to give him even 10,000 yuan, but he and Xu Jingli were not married yet, so he still had to ask Xu Huizhen's opinion.

"Brother, let's discuss this and ask for everyone's opinions. I will definitely give you a satisfactory price. Of course, if you are not satisfied, then I will regret it."

Han Chunming is also very smart. He doesn't show any determination to win. This is all a psychological battle.

"Okay, you're welcome!"

Han Chunming asked everyone to go out, walked to the roadside not far away and told Xu Huizhen in detail what he had seen.

"Chunming, do you mean that the furniture could be Huanghuali from the Kangxi period, or a complete set?"

"That's right. The aesthetic taste of literati and scholars in the Ming and Qing dynasties for furniture is basically Huanghuali. Huanghuali wood is stable, does not deform, crack or bend, and has a certain toughness. I think their furniture should be Hainan sandalwood, a deciduous tree. This kind of furniture was no longer produced in Shigu after Jiaqing. Huanghuali is no longer the mainstream. After Jiaqing, it is mainly gorgeous lacquerware!
The furniture in Li Shuanzhu's house looks very much like rosewood because it has been used for a long time. In fact, it is not rosewood, but real huanghuali. I didn't expect to find such good furniture in this place. I think it's a good idea to buy it!"

"what is your opinion?"

After listening to what Han Chunming said, Xu Huizhen turned to ask Cai Quanwu. In the past few years, Cai Quanwu was the one who was in charge of the old furniture she bought. Since she had bought it abroad, it was not that she did not trust Han Chunming's vision, but one more person meant more confidence.

Anyone who considers himself a collector would be very depressed if he made a mistake. As for He Yukai, he did not look at furniture at that time, so he was naturally not within the scope of Xu Huizhen's consultation.

“You can get anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000!”

Cai Quanwu never talks nonsense. This sentence means that he agrees with Han Chunming's opinion. Their family is not short of money now. The hotel opened last year. Xu Jingli has gradually acquired the money and has money in his hands. Under the influence of He Yukai, Xu Huizhen did not trade with the Russians and did not suffer any damage to her vitality.

"Xiao Kai, what's your opinion?"

"If Chunming is right, the price my uncle gave is reasonable. I suggest you don't start with 5,000. Try 2,000 or 3,000 first!"

He was thinking about the pair of vases in Li Shuanzhu's house. He didn't feel bored just looking at them. Although they were dirty, he had seen at least eighty pieces of porcelain. He had seen all kinds of porcelain, not to mention his own collection. He would study them whenever he had time.

If he saw correctly, the two dirty vases with flowers in them should be Ming blue and white porcelain. He was thinking about how to take the vases down without making any noise. Han Chunming was now focused on showing off in front of his future mother-in-law. He hadn't seen the two vases yet. If he saw them, it would be bad.

"You two can discuss this first. I'll go in and ask for a glass of water!"

"Got it!"

The rule in their business is that whoever discovers it first gets to talk first. If they can't reach an agreement, the second person can intervene. He must talk to Li Shuanzhu before Han Chunming sees it. If Han Chunming's attention is diverted from the furniture, it will be difficult for him to speak. He can't say that he saw it first, right?

"Boss, why don't you sell these old furniture? It won't cost much to make a new set. How much can we get if we sell it to a junk collector?"

"You don't understand. I've had these furnitures since I can remember. Do you think these city folks are buying old furnitures to take back home for use? They are collections. Our furnitures should be old items and can be sold for a lot of money. Don't say anything when the time comes. Go and cook a meal. I'll talk to them slowly and we'll definitely be able to sell them for a good price!"

"Really?"

"How could it be false? If the situation hadn't changed, our family would have been a family of scholars. Although our family has fallen into decline, I have inherited some of my father's knowledge!"

"Okay, I'll go cook!"

Li Shuanzhu's wife naturally knew that their ancestors had produced great figures. As for why it had come to this point, there was no way to verify it. Perhaps there would be records in the family tree, but the family tree was buried underground, and they had no intention of digging it out until the situation was completely stabilized. Who knew how it would change in the future.

"Brother, are you home? I want some water to drink!"

"Hurry, come inside please!"

Li Shuanzhu remembered He Yukai. He didn't say a word at that time. He looked at his yard. He must have been envious. His yard was indeed very good. He was very proud of it. This yard was the best thing his ancestors left him.

"Brother, your yard is really nice. There are vegetables planted in it, and the yard is spacious!"

"Well, this yard is the best thing my Li family ancestors left me. To be honest, even the village chief is jealous of this yard. What a pity, I have already confirmed the ownership of the land deed 51 years ago, so there is nothing I can do even if others are jealous!"

Speaking of this, even the cautious Li Shuanzhu couldn't help feeling proud, as if he was remembering something happy.

"Oh?"

"Haha, during the special period, someone reported that my yard was too big and took up too much space. The commune sent people to investigate and found that our family had already registered when the homestead was confirmed in 51. That's why there was nothing wrong. Although the yard is a bit big, it is about the same size as the breeding yard of the production team. The main thing is that this house is so eye-catching!

The space in our house does not exceed the standard. My father has one room, my husband and I have one room, and my children have one room. The main function is to use them as storage rooms on both sides!

At that time, the production team placed the more valuable things in my house and asked us to look after them. That’s how this yard survived. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in such a big yard!”

What Li Shuanzhui didn't say was that the reason why the two rows of houses were regarded as important warehouses of the production team was that his father gave some good things to the team leader at that time. In this way, the two rows of warehouses of their family became the warehouses of the production team. They could guard the warehouses for free, and the production team did not have to pay work points. This left the villagers in the village speechless.

"I see. It seems like there is a master in your family. There weren't many that were completely preserved at that time. At least I haven't heard of them. I'm also very familiar with your commune. Many of the larger houses have become production team headquarters or village committees!"

"Yes, the village committee of our village is the home of the village landlord. We are lucky!"

　Lone Wolf's new book is released!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)