The sun had already risen, casting golden rays over half of the brick-paved road. A few ancient, gnarled locust trees along the street were beginning to show signs of greenery. On this street, both sides were lined with antique shops. However, as it was still early, few customers were about. Only the shop assistants had opened their doors and were sweeping and tidying up. Mei Qing and the other two followed Chi Ge walking down the street. At each shop they passed, the assistants paused their work to respectfully greet them. Mei Qing, being quite familiar with them, smiled and returned their greetings one by one. Only Li Mei kept his head high, gazing straight ahead as they walked, paying little attention to the assistants.
After walking a few steps and turning a corner, they arrived at a small courtyard—the residence of Li Mei. He entered, handed the inkstone in his hand to a young boy of about fourteen or fifteen, his personal page Mo Yu, and gave him a few instructions before continuing on with the others.
Chi Ge led the three of them westward, turned through two alleys, and continued south.
The three couldn’t help exchanging strange glances.
The place Chi Ge led them to was called Ni Qiu Gou (Eel Ditch). Though still within the capital city, it was a poor neighborhood where mostly laborers and small vendors lived. It was understandable that Chi Ge, coming from a poor background, lived here. But the fact that Ba’er Liu also lived here was truly puzzling.
Generally, anyone involved in the antique trade, even if not from a wealthy or noble family, at least had a certain social status and lived comfortably. Take Mei Qing, for example—he was young but came from a family of hereditary officials. His father had died early, so he inherited the title of Martial Virtue General at the fifth rank while still a child. Though he had not taken up his post due to health issues in recent years and instead held a minor clerical position in the capital, he still enjoyed a comfortable life with ample land and property. Wang Shigu was much the same, otherwise how could he, a jinshi degree holder, choose not to pursue an official career?
Even Li Mei, though his family background wasn’t prominent, earned a decent income through his painting skills. An ordinary poor household would have no means to indulge in such pursuits.
Ba’er Liu, who could immediately distinguish between Ru and Guan kiln wares, must have had considerable expertise. Without regular exposure, how could he possibly identify such subtle differences? Porcelain from famous kilns like Ru and Guan were priceless treasures—rare even among people like Mei Qing and Wang Shigu. Therefore, the three had always assumed that although Ba’er Liu’s identity was mysterious, he must be from a wealthy household. Thus, when Chi Ge led them straight into Ni Qiu Gou, it came as a great surprise.
Wang Shigu couldn’t help but ask, “Chi Ge, could it be that Ba’er Liu also lives in this Eel Ditch?”
Chi Ge nodded and said, “Yes, Master Liu lives in a small courtyard at the eastern end. He lives alone, with no family or friends. I often go there to bring him buns. When I went today, I found the door locked and thought he wasn’t home. Later, I heard some movement inside and called out a couple of times, but he didn’t open the door. He just asked me through the window to fetch you three from the teahouse.”
The three were greatly puzzled. How could this Ba’er Liu live alone in such a poor neighborhood? His identity was indeed suspicious. Wang Shigu asked Chi Ge a few more questions, but Chi Ge, although clever, was still quite young. He only had brief contact with Ba’er Liu when selling him buns and didn’t know much about him. He mentioned that Ba’er Liu had no wife or children, lived in a dilapidated house, and was rarely seen around. Despite their doubts, they could only follow Chi Ge in silence.
When they arrived at Ni Qiu Gou, they saw that most of the houses were made of mud and straw, low and decrepit, with muddy paths in front and unpleasant odors. Though called Eel Ditch, it wasn’t actually located in a ditch. The name probably came from the area’s low-lying, rundown condition.
Many children were playing by the roadside, rummaging through garbage piles, their heads covered in filth, looking like little mud monkeys. They stared curiously at the newcomers and followed them from a distance, pointing and whispering. Occasionally, a woman would open her door, half-dressed, carelessly carrying a chamber pot outside. Along the earthen walls lining the road, several elderly men had already gathered, squatting and basking in the gradually warming spring sun with half-closed eyes. When they saw Mei Qing and the others, they briefly showed some curiosity, but soon their expressions reverted to their usual apathy.
Wang Shigu kept fanning himself with his folding fan, his chubby face showing signs of impatience. Li Mei’s expression was already sour, and it darkened further when he noticed several mud splatters on the brand-new soles of his pink-soled black boots. Only Mei Qing seemed accustomed to such surroundings, maintaining his usual calm demeanor, seemingly oblivious to the filth around him as he continued walking with Chi Ge.
Finally, they reached the easternmost part of the neighborhood, where two crooked mud houses stood. The lower half of the walls was built with blue bricks, while the upper half was made of yellow clay. The roof was overgrown with weeds, and the windows and doors were old and broken, giving the place a desolate air.
Chi Ge pointed ahead and said, “That house is where Master Liu lives. You gentlemen can go on ahead. I usually only deliver buns to the door—I’m a bit afraid to see him.”
Seeing the house, the three’s skepticism deepened. Wang Shigu took out a few copper coins and handed them to Chi Ge to buy snacks, then Chi Ge, delighted, thanked them repeatedly and quickly ran off with his basket of buns.
The three stood in front of the house, looking at each other for a moment. Then Mei Qing stepped forward and knocked on the door, saying, “Is Master Liu at home? Mei Qing and the others have come as requested. Is it convenient to enter?”
After a long while, a hoarse, weak voice came from inside, “I’m afraid I’m not feeling well and cannot greet you properly. Please forgive my rudeness. I must ask you to come in yourselves.”
Mei Qing pushed open the wooden door. The door was already cracked in several places and creaked as it opened, as if it might fall apart at any moment. Entering the main room, they found it empty, though the floor was relatively clean. On the east side hung a coarse cloth curtain, patched in several places, now faded from repeated washing.
Mei Qing lifted the curtain, and the three entered the eastern room together. As soon as they stepped inside and before they could speak, they all froze, staring around in shock.
This eastern room was apparently Ba’er Liu’s bedroom. Dim light filtered through the broken wooden window lattice, highlighting the room’s dilapidated state. On one side was a brick bed, where Ba’er Liu lay curled up, wrapped in a tattered quilt patched all over.
Against the wall near the bed was a wooden shelf. It was crudely made from ordinary firewood, crooked and warped, with several warped planks. On it were placed over a dozen pieces of porcelain, glowing faintly under the dim indoor light.
At just a glance, the three couldn’t tear their eyes away, completely forgetting why they had been summoned here.
These dozen or so porcelain items, in such a rundown house, placed on such a shabby wooden shelf, would seem like nothing more than broken plates and bowls to an ordinary person. But Mei Qing and the others had such refined tastes that they were immediately stunned.
Facing them on the shelf was a six-petaled flower-mouthed vase, over a foot tall. Though the room was dimly lit, the faint light still revealed its sky-blue glaze and the fine crackled patterns on its body. Especially its delicate glaze reflected a mysterious and luxurious nacreous hue, contrasting against the tattered yellow mud wall behind it, exuding a unique charm.
The famed “sky-blue after the rain” color—this was exactly it. Mei Qing immediately recognized the flower-mouthed vase as a rare treasure from the Ru kiln.
The Ru kiln referred to porcelain made in Ruzhou during the Northern Song Dynasty. Though not an imperial kiln, it was even more precious than imperial wares, and was highly valued even in its time. Now, such a rare Ru kiln treasure suddenly appeared in such a shabby little mud house—how could one not be shocked?
But their shock didn’t end there. Next to the Ru kiln vase was a three-legged washing basin, its glaze a reddish-blue—clearly a Jun kiln transformation glaze. Its glaze color perfectly embodied the saying “entered the kiln with one color, emerged with countless hues,” with natural “earthworm trail” patterns formed during firing, truly a masterpiece of nature.
Beside it were pieces from the Ge kiln, Guan kiln, Ding kiln, De kiln, Yaozhou kiln…
Mei Qing was no stranger to fine antiques—in fact, his personal collection was considered somewhat famous among the capital’s antique circles. But compared to the dozen or so treasures on that shelf, his collection paled in comparison. To be honest, even if all the antique connoisseurs in the capital were gathered together, they probably couldn’t match the number and quality of these pieces. Each item had a distinguished origin, and the fact that every single one was a top-grade treasure was rare indeed. Outside the imperial palace, it was hard to imagine where else such a gathering of treasures could be found.
If that shelf were moved to Fuzi Temple Street, the entire capital would surely be shaken.
Therefore, Mei Qing and Wang Shigu stood in front of the shelf, staring at the porcelain in stunned silence for a long time.
Li Mei, though not deeply knowledgeable about porcelain, had been exposed to it enough to recognize its value from the expressions on Mei Qing and Wang Shigu’s faces. His eyes fixed on the shelf, his gaze involuntarily revealing a mixture of excitement and obsession.
Finally, Mei Qing was the first to recover, a slight smile forming on his lips. He had thought himself calm and composed, but seeing these treasures had still shaken his composure.
It wasn’t entirely his fault, though. After all, encountering such a collection in such a place was completely unexpected, and the impact was all the more intense. Therefore, the other two still stood there, eyes glazed over, lost in thought.
Ba’er Liu was curled up in a corner of the brick bed, his face, left uncovered, covered with dense scars, as if burned. He was breathing heavily, his dull eyes struggling to open, but his gaze was unfocused, as if seeing nothing at all.
Mei Qing was startled and quickly approached, sitting on the bed and looking at Ba’er Liu, asking, “Brother Liu, how are you feeling? Are you unwell?”
Though he didn’t say it outright, Mei Qing noticed a faint trace of death in Ba’er Liu’s eyes. It had only been a day since they last met, yet Ba’er Liu had fallen so ill. Judging from his complexion, the prognosis didn’t look good.
Wang Shigu and Li Mei only now noticed Ba’er Liu’s condition. Seeing his disfigured face, Li Mei couldn’t help showing a hint of disgust and quickly turned his head away. Wang Shigu frowned slightly and slowly asked, “Brother Liu, did you call us here for something? Please tell us.”
Wang Shigu had also sensed that Ba’er Liu was in serious condition, and his tone subtly carried the implication that he was ready to hear Ba’er Liu’s final words.
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