Chapter 029: Tricked Again
AI-Generated Beauty Photo of Zhou Mengyao, the School Belle
Zhou Zhongdang replied with a smile, "That's right!"
"Ancient lotus seeds are pitch-black with hard shells, making it very difficult to identify their exact dynasty."
"Despite such a challenging level of difficulty, Mr. Lin was able to appraise and identify them as song dynasty ancient lotus seeds. It shows that Mr. Lin's appraisal skills are truly outstanding among young Masters of Appraisal!" Zhou Zhongdang praised lavishly.
Zhuang Jingxue couldn't help but praise, "In that case, Mr. Lin is truly young and accomplished!"
Lin Lang humbly replied, "Aunt Xue, you flatter me!"
"This junior has only recently entered the antique trade. I only know a little about appraisal. Appraising antiques in front of a Master of Appraisal like Uncle Zhou is like showing off a meager skill before a master craftsman."
Zhuang Jingxue laughed after hearing this, "Mr. Lin possesses both talent and virtue, is humble and polite, and despite his wealth, acts with a low profile. He is truly excellent and rare!"
Lin Lang smiled politely.
Zhou Mengyao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Lin Lang, how did you tell that these seven pitch-black ancient lotus seeds were from the song dynasty?"
Lin Lang naturally couldn't answer that he discovered it through the All-Purpose Entry Prompt System, so he lied, "Using plant physiology methods, one can calculate the lifespan of an ancient lotus seed from the growth patterns of the palisade cells on its outer epidermis."
Zhou Mengyao pressed, "Is it like observing the annual rings of a large tree?"
Lin Lang replied, "Basically, it's similar."
Zhuang Jingxue was half-skeptical, thinking, "The study of ancient lotus seeds is a niche field. Could Lin Lang, a finance major, really have achievements in plant biology?!"
Zhou Mengyao exclaimed, "Old classmate, you're amazing! I didn't expect you to have studied ancient lotus seeds."
Lin Lang continued, "Among these seven song dynasty ancient lotus seeds, at least three to four can be regenerated. First, break the shell, then soak the seeds, then germinate and plant them. If you remember these steps, flowering shouldn't be a problem."
Zhou Mengyao was astonished, "No way?!"
"Ancient lotus seeds from centuries ago can still be planted and germinated? Isn't that a fantasy?"
Lin Lang replied with a smile, "Many things are like that; they far exceed our understanding."
"Mengyao, you may not know this, but according to the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ancient lotus seeds have a lifespan of approximately 830 to 1250 years, making them the longest-lived seeds in the world."
Zhou Mengyao was very shocked after hearing this and looked at her father, Zhou Zhongdang, asking, "Dad, is Lin Lang right?"
Zhou Zhongdang replied, "Mr. Lin is correct. The ancient lotus seeds, having slept for a thousand years, can still come back to life. It's truly a miracle."
Zhou Mengyao asked perplexedly, "That's incredible, how is that possible?"
Lin Lang patiently replied, "Inside the ancient lotus seed, there is a small air chamber storing 0.2 milligrams of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Although the quantity is small, it is crucial for maintaining the life of the ancient lotus seed."
"Additionally, the ancient lotus seed has extremely low water content, only 12%."
"In a dry, low-temperature, and sealed environment, the ancient lotus seed lacks the conditions for rooting and germination, leading a leisurely dormant life where its metabolism almost stops, yet it can maintain its vitality."
"Mengyao, I've explained all this to you. Do you understand now?"
Zhou Mengyao replied with a sweet smile, "Lin Lang, you explained it very professionally and also very simply and clearly. You are truly knowledgeable and talented!"
AI-Generated Beauty Photo of Zhou Mengyao
Zhuang Jingxue was surprised to hear Lin Lang speak so much highly professional biological research knowledge about ancient lotus seeds. She couldn't help but dispel her doubts about Lin Lang and even looked at him with new eyes.
The more Zhou Zhongdang looked at the junior Lin Lang, the more he genuinely liked him. He truly cherished and appreciated talent, and his eyes couldn't hide his desire to take Lin Lang as his disciple.
Zhuang Jingxue, standing beside him, immediately saw that her husband, Zhou Zhongdang, wanted to take Lin Lang as a disciple.
Zhou Zhongdang said, "Professional antique appraisers must not only master various specialized antique knowledge but also possess profound knowledge of ancient history and art. They also need to master relevant chemical and physical professional knowledge. Without hard work and diligent study, and without long-term practice, it is very difficult to reach a certain height and level."
Zhou Mengyao self-deprecatingly said, "Yes!"
"Precisely because learning antique appraisal requires too much knowledge, even as the daughter of a Master of Appraisal, I don't dare to venture into the antique trade. It's simply too difficult to become an excellent appraiser."
"One must not only deeply understand the characteristics, schools, styles, and heritage of various antiques."
"One must also be able to distinguish the authenticity, genuineness, and era of antiques, their historical background, and collection value. A slight mistake in judgment leading to the purchase of a fake can result in losses of millions, or even tens or hundreds of millions of chinese yuan."
Lin Lang said with a smile, "Everyone has different strengths and preferred specializations, so what's difficult for some isn't difficult for others."
"Mengyao, you are the top female racer in Xia Country. In the field of women's motorcycle racing, you are the most outstanding, so it's fine not to study antique appraisal."
Zhou Mengyao asked, "Old classmate, don't you think learning antique appraisal is very difficult?"
"I don't think it's that difficult?!" Lin Lang shrugged.
Zhou Mengyao praised, "Antique appraisal is not achieved overnight, nor is it for everyone. It seems Lin Lang, you are exceptionally gifted and have the potential to become an appraisal expert!"
Lin Lang joked, "Mengyao, you say I have the potential to become an appraisal expert. You don't mean an 'expert' as in a 'brick' expert, do you?"
"Hehe…" Zhou Mengyao smiled sweetly.
Immediately after, Zhou Zhongdang unfolded a scroll and laid it flat on the table, challenging, "Mr. Lin, please take a look. What do you think of this painting I collected?"
Lin Lang, looking at the appraisal prompt information through the system's light screen, replied without hesitation, "This ancient painting appears to be an ordinary 'Lotus Pond Fun' painting from the Republic of China period, and the signature is not that of a famous artist."
"However, this 'Lotus Pond Fun' from the Republic of China period actually hides a secret; it is a 'painting within a painting,' which must conceal a valuable work by a famous artist."
Zhou Zhongdang was shocked, "Mr. Lin's eyesight is extraordinary!"
"You only took a simple glance at 'Lotus Pond Fun' and discovered that this calligraphy and painting from the Republic of China period is a 'painting within a painting' that conceals a secret?"
"Uh… Uncle Zhou, is appraising this painting very difficult?"
Zhou Zhongdang was astonished, "Mr. Lin, do you find it very simple, not difficult at all?"
Lin Lang replied, "A 'painting within a painting' that is visible at a glance, it's not difficult for this junior to appraise!"
Zhou Zhongdang wiped cold sweat after hearing this. He was so shocked by Lin Lang's talent and eye for appraising antiques, calligraphy, and paintings that his pupils dilated, and he had a look of disbelief.
Zhou Mengyao looked at the unremarkable 'Lotus Pond Fun' and asked perplexedly, "Lin Lang, what is a 'painting within a painting' that conceals a secret?"
Lin Lang patiently replied, "The so-called 'painting within a painting' is a method used by some art lovers to protect valuable calligraphy and paintings from being robbed or stolen. They hire highly skilled mounting masters to attach a worthless painting on top of a valuable one."
"Using the 'painting within a painting' method to pass down precious calligraphy and paintings of considerable value is very intelligent."
"It prevents the calligraphy and painting from being too valuable and thus being stolen or robbed, and because the painting attached to the valuable calligraphy and painting has some collection value, the precious calligraphy and painting hidden within will not be damaged."
Zhou Mengyao exclaimed after hearing this, "Lin Lang, you're amazing!"
"How come I can't see that this 'Lotus Pond Fun' also conceals a precious calligraphy and painting underneath? This is truly unheard of; I didn't expect such a clever trick."
Zhuang Jingxue, standing beside them, asked, "Husband, does this 'Lotus Pond Fun' from the Republic of China period really conceal a secret, a painting within a painting?"
Zhou Zhongdang laughed loudly, "That's right!"
"Inside this 'Lotus Pond Fun' from the Republic of China period, there is a very precious 'Fish in the Pond' painting, a famous work by Bada Shanren, with a current collection value of no less than eighty million chinese yuan."
"You could see all of this at a glance, Mr. Lin truly has excellent eyesight!"
Lin Lang smiled without speaking.
Zhuang Jingxue tentatively asked, "Husband, is it difficult for ordinary appraisers to discover the hidden secret within this painting?"
Zhou Zhongdang replied with an exaggerated expression, "It's impossible for an appraiser without at least thirty years of appraisal experience to see that this painting conceals a secret, a painting within a painting!"
"Whoa…"
Zhuang Jingxue exclaimed, "In that case, Mr. Lin's appraisal skills in antique calligraphy and paintings are truly exceptional and not simple!"
"Dad, if I'm not mistaken, wasn't this 'Lotus Pond Fun' from the Republic of China period passed down by Grandpa before he passed away?" Zhou Mengyao asked.
