After Liu Yong left, Ding Wen took it upon himself to meticulously rewrap the dozen or so precious Song Dynasty porcelain pieces with old newspapers. He then called his assistant and went to Shen Zhouping's residence.
"Old Shen, I hope I'm not disturbing you too much," Ding Wen greeted Shen Zhouping with the utmost respect, smiling on his face.
Shen Zhouping was not thrilled to see Ding Wen, nor did he fancy leaving his company to serve as an expert in treasure appraisal for Ding Wen.
However, given Ding Wen's background, it would be unwise for him to offend him outright. Hence, he kept his response ambiguous, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Despite this, Ding Wen persisted in winning Shen Zhouping's favor. Unlike his previous visit, Ding Wen arrived with a large cardboard box in his hand.
"Mr. Ding, please take a seat and have some tea," Shen Zhouping said in a somewhat formulaic tone, neither cold nor warm.
Though he couldn't help but feel Shen Zhouping's indifference, Ding Wen remained confident in his proposition.
Shen Zhouping had been obsessed with Song Dynasty porcelain for years, and Ding Wen had brought over a dozen pieces of such porcelain with him today.
Without wasting time, Ding Wen placed the cardboard box containing the precious porcelain pieces on the table and said, "I'm not too fond of tea, Mr. Shen. But I have over a dozen pieces of Song Dynasty porcelain here. Care to take a look?"
Shen Zhouping's interest was piqued. "Song Dynasty porcelain?" he exclaimed in disbelief.
Ding Wen responded, "Yes, it should be authentic. I've seen them myself, but I can't say for sure. That's why I brought them here for you to take a look."
Shen Zhouping carefully unwrapped the porcelain pieces, inspecting them closely, and even donning his reading glasses to get a better look.
After a thorough examination, Shen Zhouping nodded in approval. "These are definitely authentic Song Dynasty porcelain pieces, and some of them are even rare masterpieces from Longquan kiln," he remarked.
Ding Wen couldn't help but feel relieved as he watched Shen Zhouping's reactions. Hiring him as an expert for the company wouldn't be an issue.
Shen Zhouping took around ten minutes to inspect all the porcelain pieces, eventually stating, "These are all well-preserved Song Dynasty porcelain pieces, including those from Longquan kiln, Dezhou kiln, and Jingdezhen. They are all exquisite and worth appreciating."
Ding Wen couldn't resist boasting a little, "A dozen porcelain pieces from the Song Dynasty are just a small portion of what our company has in store. We actually possess two to three thousand pieces, many of which are even more exquisite than the ones here."
The original collection comprised 20,000 to 30,000 pieces, but Ding Wen's group has significantly reduced it to only 2,000 to 3,000 pieces. Nonetheless, Shen Zhouping was still taken aback by this impressive number.
He spoke unbelievingly, "Do you really have two or three thousand? Are some of them rare treasures?"
Ding Wen replied confidently, "Yes, absolutely. If you're interested, Mr. Shen, you can visit our exhibition hall once it's completed."
But Shen Zhouping wanted more than just to visit the exhibition hall from behind a glass. He tried to hold and appreciate each piece individually.
However, he knew he wasn't an expert in Hanhai Culture's appraisal, so he doubted he would be allowed to do so.
He looked at Ding Wen with admiration. This young man knew what he liked and had even brought over a dozen pieces of ancient porcelain from the Song Dynasty. Additionally, he revealed that his company had thousands of pieces.
Shen Zhouping couldn't believe it. As far as he knew, there wasn't a collector or company in China with such a vast collection of ancient porcelains from the Song Dynasty. But Ding Wen's serious expression convinced him otherwise.
Shen Zhouping was conflicted. He didn't want to join Hanhai Culture, but the allure of two or three thousand pieces of ancient Song Dynasty porcelain was too strong to resist. After weighing his options, he finally made a decision.
"Mr. Ding, I understand what you're offering. How about this, after your exhibition hall is complete, if there are really two or three thousand ancient porcelains from the Song Dynasty, I will join your company as an appraisal expert on ancient porcelains."
Ding Wen was overjoyed to hear this. With the addition of Shen Zhouping's expertise and Brother Yong's ancient porcelain pieces, Hanhai Culture would be renowned in the industry.
Liu Yong speculated, "I think the number of porcelain pieces on the ancient ship of the Song Dynasty could be much more than the conservative estimate of 20,000 to 30,000. There could be other valuable items such as gold, silver, coins, and ironware on board as well. As a trading vessel that traversed the Maritime Silk Road, it's not uncommon to carry such valuable cargo."
"A few years ago, the country had salvaged another sunken ship from the Song Dynasty, the 'Nanhai No. 1.' It yielded a treasure trove of over 100,000 pieces of porcelain, thousands of gold and silverware, and a large number of coins. Therefore, finding tens of thousands of pieces of porcelain on this ship should be considered normal."
The main challenge now was to extract such a large amount of porcelain from the ship without damaging it. While Bawang was good at violently dismantling sunken ships, entrusting it with such a delicate job was not appropriate.
Liu Yong came up with a countermeasure - to do it himself.
"I've made up my mind to personally sneak into the sunken ship and search for all the valuables, including the porcelain."
Before embarking on this mission, Liu Yong told his family and colleagues, "I will be on a business trip for at least four or five days, and up to a week. Please pay close attention to the company's affairs and report any important matters by phone."
In preparation for his trip, Liu Yong made appropriate arrangements and packed the necessary items. "I plan to fly to Nanhai Province first, where the sunken ship is located," he said.
Chen Hu drove Liu Yong to the airport and asked if he could accompany him. "No, you should take a few days off to rest," Liu Yong declined.
pαпdα`noνɐ1`сoМ As a first-class passenger, Liu Yong received VIP treatment at the airport, including access to a particular waiting room and early boarding. "Boss, do you really not want me to go with you?" Chen Hu asked once more before saying goodbye.
"No, I think you should take these few days as a holiday and take a good rest for a few days," Liu Yong replied.
Sitting in the spacious and comfortable first-class seat, Liu Yong mused the advantages of being wealthy and the freedom it afforded him. "It's better to be rich," he thought to himself.
"A man must be rich."
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