Chapter 160 - Chapter 160: Chapter 140: Punishment, Ill Give It a Try! (Please Subscribe) (1/2)
Chapter 160: Chapter 140: Punishment, I’ll Give It a Try! (Please Subscribe)
Wenbai Studio.
In the lounge, Old Bai sprawled comfortably on the sofa, holding his phone and opening Lin Chuan’s new book “Last Week’s Antique.”
In Old Bai’s view, Lin Chuan’s novels about swindlers, assassins, hackers, and fraud were indeed professional enough to be taken as truth.
But when it comes to antiques…
Sorry, that’s my field of expertise, and I have the right to speak! Besides, I’ve been sent the Silver Alliance Master’s Treasure Chest, and a basketful of Monthly Tickets, so it’s okay for my voice to be a bit louder, right?
Old Bai’s right thumb flicked lightly, and he entered the novel page of “Last Week’s Antique” to start reading.
“My name is Mr. Lin.”
“I’m known as the grandmaster of the antiques circle, respected by all, and pursued by thousands.”
“But nobody knows that I’m also the world’s most professional master of antique forgery.”
“In my life, I’ve forged countless antiques, some of which have been collected by famous artists or are highly sought after in the antiques circle; even the British Museum has some of my forgeries, displayed in glass cabinets for people to exhibit and appreciate the historical charm.”
“…’
After just reading the first four paragraphs, Old Bai frowned slightly.
The tone was just right!
However, some of the wording and phrasing, like “grandmaster of the antiques circle,” “world’s most professional master of antique forgery,” and “forged countless antiques,” felt a bit exaggerated.
When industry insiders read novels on their subject, they always find issues from various angles.
They can’t help but pick out a few small faults.
Nevertheless, Old Bai was still very interested in this novel; in some ways, antique forgery and cultural relic restoration have an essential similarity.
While picking things apart, Old Bai also had high hopes for Lin Chuan.
After all, Lin Chuan had long been renowned for being a ‘technical author’ with ‘strong professionalism’ and writing ‘criminal autobiographies.’ What if his antique forgery is brilliantly written too?
With a touch of skepticism and a great deal of anticipation, Old Bai continued to read on.
“…’
“The old wooden gate in the courtyard, smoothed by the years, I stepped out with Qing to buy the materials needed for the forgery of antiques.”
“My first fake antique would be a piece of porcelain.”
“—A Qing Kangxi Five-colored Fish and Algae Pattern Douli Bowl.”
“In fact, I didn’t take the son of the Ceramics Association president seriously; porcelain is at the apex of the hierarchy in the ceramics circle. As long as I successfully forged the Qing Kangxi Five-colored Fish and Algae Pattern Douli Bowl, then all issues with Lin Family Porcelain, oh no, Lin Family Antiques, would be readily resolved.”
“In the bustling antique market, there were many people and the materials were plentiful.”
“After strolling around with Qing, I found a batch of Douli bowls from the Qing Dynasty with a plain white body, which fortunately was part of my plan to ‘new paint on an old body’ when forging the Qing Kangxi Five-colored Fish and Algae Pattern Douli Bowl.”
“‘New paint on an old body’ was just the first big step.”
“The next big step to make it look like the Douli Bowl was convincingly old was ‘aging’ it.”
“There are many ways to age it, and after leaving the antique market, I took Qing for several rounds in the county town to buy hydrofluoric acid, permanganate, and casually picked up a few prescriptions of Chinese herbal medicines.”
“These were critical for aging the Douli Bowl, especially those few prescriptions of Chinese medicine.”
“Qing was confused, not understanding why I was buying these things; I simply told her it was for making money.”
“…’
Back in the lounge of Wenbai Studio.
Old Bai suddenly sat up straight from the sofa, no longer sprawling, much like how one sits up straight when playing a game and facing a tough opponent, concentrating on the game without slacking off.
“Goodness, Old Lin has some skills.”
Old Bai’s mouth opened slightly, murmuring in surprise.
He had thought Lin Chuan’s depiction of antique forgery would gloss over the details, but seeing the use of hydrofluoric acid and permanganate for aging, he felt a tinge of astonishment.
The appearance of the Chinese herbal medicines and their part of the formula startled him even more.
He really knew his stuff!
Aging cultural relics with Chinese medicine was a skill not many could master, and the formulas for Chinese medicines were a closely guarded secret. The key ingredients Lin Chuan revealed had already shocked Old Bai!
Old Bai didn’t comment further but continued to read.
“Back in the courtyard, I began the process of forging.”
“The Qing Kangxi Five-colored Fish and Algae Pattern Douli Bowl belongs to ‘overglaze’ decoration, so when painting, I paid extra attention—the painting and glazing both had certain techniques.”
“To depict the five-colored fish, the brushwork required high precision; every stroke had to be carefully placed with attention to layout and lines. If one observed this Douli Bowl carefully, they would find that the four fish each had their distinct shape and charm.”
“This required a high level of painting skill.”
“Fortunately, I am a porcelain maker myself, steady-handed, with smooth lines, and my work’s style was naturally reminiscent of the porcelain from the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty.”
“Then came the second firing – the glaze firing.”
“The temperature and timing control of the glaze firing had to be strict, and every kiln firing would have slight differences, demanding particular attention to the integration of glaze, color, and the white body.”
“Next, it was time to age it.”
“I had already instructed Qing to prepare the Chinese medicine, filling the entire courtyard with refreshing herbal fragrance; then, by adding a little alcohol and a drop of potassium permanganate to the concoction, I immersed the Douli Bowl to soak and wait for completion.”
“…’
“Wow!”
After reading about Mr. Lin’s entire process of forging and aging the ‘Qing Kangxi Five-colored Fish and Algae Pattern Douli Bowl,’ Old Bai could already imagine the four colorful fish swimming on the exterior of the Douli Bowl and the vibrant floral and bird patterns leaping within its walls, seemingly alive.
As the saying goes, laymen enjoy the show while experts watch the technique.