Chapter 161 The Art Trust

Chapter 161 The Art Trust

"My dear grandson, come and have a look, the painting I just bought."

Nanyi came to Yangcheng Hotel and entered Fang Mengyin's room, Fang Mengyin asked him to look at the painting.

"Grandma, I don't know how to paint, so I can't understand even if you let me see it."

As Nanyi said, he walked to the desk and looked down at a painting on it.

"Do you know whose painting this is?"

"Grandma, I don't know how to paint, but the seal is still clear. Huangshan Binhong, isn't it Huang Binhong's painting?"

"Do you know how much you paid for it?" Fang Mengyin said with a smile on her face.

"This question can't help me. I bought several of his paintings. The year before last, I bought them for six cents each. If you hadn't been slaughtered, it would be about one or two yuan now."

"Five yuan. This painting is a masterpiece of Huang Binhong's landscape paintings. I have missed it."

"You still have a chance to pick up the leaks. The National Museum has many paintings by modern painters. As long as you pay foreign exchange, they are eager to sell them. There are many paintings by Qi Baishi and Li Keran."

"Huh? Since you know, why didn't you buy it yourself?" Fang Mengyin asked in surprise.

"There's too much movement."

"You!" Fang Mengyin nodded to Nanyi, "If you don't buy it as soon as possible, aren't you afraid of being cut off?"

"Hehe, let Xianghe take a trip."

Whether it was Ke Jianzhen or Li Xiangrong, they both collected some paintings by modern painters, such as Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Li Keran, and Huang Binhong.

The prices of their paintings are not expensive at all now. Qi Baishi’s paintings cost 5 yuan a square foot, Li Keran’s paintings cost 70 yuan and you can buy a large one, Huang Binhong’s paintings are even as low as 1 yuan a piece, and Xu Beihong’s paintings have a relatively large price fluctuation range. , but not much more expensive.

"I just said, how can you not be tempted, let's talk about it first, I will pick one first, and keep a few for you to deal with after a hundred years."

"Okay, don't mention a few pictures, you can keep them all if you want."

"Forget it, I can't see it either. What's going on in Xiangtang, can I go back?"

"It's hard to say, Chen Songqi is quite patient, you should play for a while longer. If you get tired of playing Yangcheng, you can go to other places."

"That's fine, I'll go to Mount Wutai and Wudang."

"Oh, grandma, you are both the ancestor of Taoism and the ancestor of Buddha."

"I also plan to go to the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Ice City." Fang Mengyin said angrily.

"Hehehe."

After arguing with Fang Mengyin and having dinner with her, Nanyi left Yangcheng Hotel and found a guest house outside.

There are many hotels in Yangcheng, and the guest houses are not so rigid. Nanyi opened a single room smoothly.

the next day.

In the morning, Nanyi rushed to the station to pick him up.

Nanyi had never seen the person who was going to pick him up, so he could only take a piece of cardboard with his name on it and wait at the place where he got off at the station.

Not long after the Nanyi sign was raised, the bus from Shenzheng to Yangcheng pulled into the station.

A young man wearing glasses got out of the car, looked around, and then stopped on the sign in Nanyi's hand.

"Hello, Baojian from the Foreign Affairs Office."

"Hello, Shen Guo sent Nan Yi, and you have worked hard all the way."

"I can't talk about it. When will the guests arrive?"

"Arrive at noon, Mr. Henry is accompanied by a female guide from Xiangxi, who is also arranged by our company. I have already agreed with her. At noon, she will accompany Mr. Henry to have dinner at the Yangcheng Hotel. At 1:30 in the afternoon, we will go to the hotel Pick them up for a tour of the art store."

"So what are we going to do now?"

"Rent a car, Mr. Henry and his party are four people, the two of us can't fit in one car, so we have to rent two cars."

"Go to the taxi company?"

"Go to the Yangcheng Hotel first. They have a reception car with a higher specification. If it doesn't work, go to the taxi company."

How could it not be possible? Nanyi had ordered two cars yesterday, and today it was just a process.

After completing the formalities at the Yangcheng Hotel, the car stopped at the door at what time and waited for the finalization of matters.

Nan Yi did not neglect Bao Jian either, took a bus and took him to a roast goose stall on Panfu Road.

This roast goose stall does not have a pretense signboard, but Meizi Roast Goose is a must, even the famous Tao Taoju dare not challenge it.

"Comrade Bao, it is said that the food is in Yangcheng. Today we also open meat and try the roast goose here."

After Nanyi's order came up, Nanyi called Bao Jian to put down his chopsticks.

"Comrade Nan, does this meal cost a lot of money?"

"Don't worry about the money, Comrade Bao, you are here to help, and I should entertain you. That's it, I feel a little wronged, I can't help it, the words are mild, otherwise I will take you to Panxi, Taotaoju .”

"Comrade Nan, you're welcome, this is already very good." Bao Jian said politely, "There are only two of us, one roast goose is a bit too much."

"It's okay, don't think I'm stingy. I have a lunch box with me. Let's eat half of it and take half of it back. I don't know if we want to eat this meal with the foreign guests. If not, let's buy some wine and go back to the guest house for a drink." .”

"Sure, that's good."

After eating for a while, the two started chatting, and their names changed, becoming a little more intimate.

"Nanyi, why did Shen Guofa only send you here alone to entertain Mr. Henry?"

"Mr. Henry is a potential customer I have contacted. The leader has not yet reached a specific agreement. This time, I just want to finalize the intention, and then invite the leader to come over for the final negotiation."

"Oh, so that's the case." Bao Jian nodded, "You work in Xiangtang, can you go out for a walk?"

"I'm not in charge of the business. I'm mostly out and about. If you want to say, I've been around Hong Kong. But what I get is the internship subsidy, that's all. The transportation subsidy is also tight, and the things in Hong Kong are expensive. , I can only look at it, but I can’t afford anything.”

"Similarly, I have just joined the company not long ago, and I am very nervous about money. My girlfriend's family is still urging me to get married. The requirements are not high. I only need to turn around three times and sound thirty-six legs. How can I get married? I still live in a dormitory .”

"Bao Jian, you are only twenty-five or six years old this year, right?"

"twenty five."

"It's a bit early to get married. Hasn't your unit received the documents? Isn't the higher up advocating late marriage and late childbearing?"

"I can't help it, both sides are urging, my house is not deep, and I don't have a house, but my girlfriend's family said that I can live in her house." Bao Jian said in a low voice: "But that's the door, how can I do it. "

"Hehe, you are quite feudal. If my girlfriend's house lets me live there in the future, I will immediately go and live there. By the way, I will discuss it. You can avoid turning around, making noises, and legs. Just give me 500 yuan as a bride price That's it."

"Haha, you still expect to change money?"

"Shouldn't it? I'll marry you!"

"It's not so easy to be a door-to-door son-in-law." Bao Jian said, his face darkened.

Seeing this, Nanyi changed the topic in a timely manner and talked about other things.

After a meal, Nanyi paid the bill in Hong Kong dollars. Not only was the exchange rate one-to-one, but it was also one yuan cheaper.

Of course, he didn't forget to pack the remaining half of the roast goose. A roast goose with plums costs four yuan, two yuan, how could he be willing to throw it away.

While there was still time, he first went to the guest house to open a room for Bao Jian, then put down the sundries, went to the public washroom to tidy up, and the two of them went to the Yangcheng Hotel.

"Mr. Henry, Ms. Liang, hello, shall we visit the art store now?"

Meeting Henry and Liang Huiwen at the Yangcheng Hotel, Nan Yi said something, and stood there waiting for Bao Jian's translation.

Bao Jian: "Mr. Henry said it's over now."

"Mr. Henry and Ms. Liang, the car is already waiting at the door, please."

Welcoming people to the car at the door, Henry, Liang Huiwen, and Dewen got into a car, and Nan Yi and Bao Jian sat in one.

When the car arrived at the door of the art store, Nan Yi got out of the car first to negotiate with the comrades standing guard at the door.

"Comrade, hello, this is my work permit. I will accompany foreign guests to visit." Nan Yi handed over his work pass.

After Mengang had read it, he returned the certificate to Nanyi, "Do I need to notify the leader?"

"No, we're here just to visit."

There is also a saying about the notification and non-notification here. The notification is a big order, and the interests of the units need to be coordinated. Nanyi brings customers here to buy things, and the art store has to send some explanations to Shen Guo.

If you don't notify, you're just looking at it, maybe you'll buy one or two, and there's no need to alert the leader.

The art store has a special reception department for foreign guests, and many good things that Chinese people can't see can be seen. Of course, the price for foreign guests is also very "intimate".

At this time, foreigners can enjoy a lot of convenience, and at the same time pay more money.

According to the words of later generations, they are all customers who bought high-level VIPs.

"Mr. Henry, these are Cantonese embroidery, which originated from the skills of women's boudoir. Its history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty, when immigrants from the Central Plains brought embroidery to Lingnan. .

According to the "Du Yang Miscellaneous Edition" of the Tang Dynasty, in the first year of Yongzhen, a 14-year-old girl named Lu Meiniang from Nanhai County paid tribute to the imperial court. Her ancestors were the descendants of the brothers Lu Jingzuo, the teacher of the northern emperors in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and later lived in Lingnan.

In the imperial palace, she embroidered seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra on one foot of silk. The characters are like millet grains, and the stippling is as fine as hair, which shows the essence of her skills.

Emperor Shunzong of Tang Dynasty lamented her work and called her a goddess.

Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty even gave her a golden phoenix ring to wear on her wrist, as a reward for her intelligence and ingenuity.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Jiugao, the envoy of the Lingnan Festival, presented high-quality embroidery to Concubine Yang Guifei and was awarded the third rank of official rank. It can be seen that the highest class at that time appreciated Cantonese embroidery.

During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, Cantonese embroidery was exported to Portugal, the Eagle Kingdom, and the Fa Kingdom via European merchant ships, and became the favorite clothing item of the court, royal family and nobles.

In the ninth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, a Portuguese businessman bought embroidered dragon robes in Yangcheng and returned home. He presented the embroidered robes to the king and was rewarded heavily.

In the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing period in the Ming Dynasty, a Portuguese missionary, Croz, who stayed in Yangcheng for a few weeks, wrote in his memoirs after returning to China: Many handicraft workers in Yangcheng work for export trade. The products are also rich and colorful.

Embroidered shoes with colorful silk thread coils embroidered on the upper... They are all wonderful works of art. "

As soon as he arrived at the display area of ​​Cantonese embroidery, Nanyi talked about the history of Cantonese embroidery, and then translated it to Henry through Bao Jian.

Bao Jian: "Mr. Henry said that these things are very beautiful. He once saw a work of Cantonese embroidery in Paris and praised it as a wonderful workmanship. I also praise you for your profound historical knowledge."

"Help me to thank Mr. Henry for your compliment..."

It takes half a day to stroll around the art store. Nanyi not only has to play the role of explainer, but also pays attention to some handicrafts and keeps them in mind.

In the past half day, he was quite tired.

In the end, Henry declined the invitation to have dinner together, and Nan Yi and Bao Jian had dinner together. The two of them didn't go out to eat, so they went to the cooked food stall to pack some cooked food, and returned to the guest house to start working.

"Nanyi, I think this Henry is lukewarm. Is your deal suspended?"

"Bao Jian, you don't know this, these businessmen are so quiet, they are afraid that if they are too interested in something, we will open up like a lion.

Didn't you see that he didn't seem to be interested in anything in the afternoon, but did he ask in detail? "

Bao Jian recalled, "That's true. I have a hard time translating some content. They are all professional vocabulary, and I haven't had much contact with them."

"What do you focus on?"

"Light industry, I am very familiar with the terminology of light industrial products, including some mechanical terminology."

"Mechanics is out of the question. Next time, if there is a customer who is talking about light industrial products, I will still find you."

"Haha, okay, wait for you to appoint me."

The two laughed.

As far as the ranks of the two are concerned, Nanyi is not qualified to ask the Foreign Affairs Office for help, let alone specify who to call; Bao Jian, in terms of seniority, it is basically out of his turn to do a good job.

"According to the itinerary, Henry's plane flies to the capital tomorrow afternoon, how about it, do you want to follow?"

"Forget it, I'm going to follow. How do you pay the bill when you go back to the unit?" Bao Jian waved his hand, "You are still an intern. If there is one more person's air ticket, if you can't report it, are you going to post it yourself?"

"That's not the case, the air ticket will definitely be reported."

"Forget it, I won't embarrass you, if you go back to Shenzhen some other day, you can invite me to dinner again."

"That's fine."

The next day, Nanyi sent Bao Jian to the station and helped him buy a train ticket. When parting, Nanyi stuffed Bao Jian with a net bag, which contained some snacks from Yangcheng.

"Let's say goodbye today, I don't know when we will see you again, cherish it."

"Comrade, take care, wait for the news of my victory. By the way, don't tell me about the marriage, I don't have the budget for the city."

"Hahaha!"

Bao Jian laughed loudly, patted Nan Yi's arm, turned and got into the car.

Nanyi stood where he was, watching the car leave.

Accompanying Henry flew to the capital, visited the art shops in the capital, and then flew to Jinling.

Then, flying back to Yangcheng, Nanyi began to prepare the purchase list.

Several domestic cities with historical heritage have their own art shops, and the art comes from various nearby art factories.

For example, art stores in Yangcheng can see artworks from the entire Guangdong Province; Jinling includes artworks from the entire Southern School; and art stores in Beijing have a particularly complete range of goods, and they transfer goods from all over the country.

In terms of convenience, it is most convenient to purchase from art stores in Beijing, but their prices are relatively expensive, while those in Yangcheng and Jinling are relatively cheap.

It's perfectly fine to skip Shen Guofa and go directly to the art store, but Nanyi won't do that. He wants to let Shen Guofa eat one from the middle, even if the purchase cost will double.

After sorting out the purchase list in one day, Nanyi called Cen Balcony.

"Uncle Cen, I'm Xiaonan."

"Xiao Nan, how is everything going well?"

"It went very well. The foreigner has already given the purchase list, and now we are waiting for our quotation. Uncle Cen, I need you to come forward."

"Okay, okay, you are waiting in Yangcheng, I will be there tomorrow."

"Okay, don't forget to bring a French translator."

"Don't you know French?"

"graduation."

"Look at me, I almost forgot, then you wait for me, and you can start after the work is handed over."

"clear."

When Cen balcony arrived, Nanyi handed him the purchase list.

Cen Yang looked it over, pointed to the last item on the list and asked, "What are these Wenchangwei straw sandals, why haven't I heard of them?"

"It's the kind of sandals made of straw, Manager Cen, I want to admit my mistake to you. I have made a little personal gain for myself. You have read my file and know that I came from Wenchangwei..."

"I understand, there is nothing wrong with seeking some welfare for my hometown, but these straw sandals can be sold at a high price? Why do foreigners buy these?"

"Fortunately, I told Henry 50 cents a pair, and he basically agreed to the price. Wenchangwei can only be sold for fifteen cents."

"That's right, the price has more than doubled."

Cen Yangyang knew that 15 cents for these straw sandals was too much, but Nanyi had already negotiated the price, and he clearly wanted to win more for Wenchangwei, so he still had to give him this face.

"Uncle Cen, this is the price list I made in three art shops. You can use it as a reference when you negotiate." Nanyi handed another price list to Cen Balcony.

"Okay, I will finalize it with Henry as soon as possible, our office is also waiting for food."

The next thing, how to talk about Cen's balcony, and how to avoid being picked peaches, this is no longer Nanyi's business, he just needs this transaction to be completed smoothly.

He still has a lot of things to worry about. After the things are shipped out, how to sell them outside, he still doesn't have a complete idea.

It is easy to contact several art shops to sell things wholesale, but it takes a lot of trouble to sell them as high-end works of art.

As long as it is linked to art, the level of value becomes very mysterious. If you want to sell it at a high price, you need to be sought after by someone with status.

A foreigner with status?

Nanyi currently has only one channel for making friends...

The young man, with strong firepower, did not get off the kang for three consecutive days.

Flying back to the capital again, Nanyi plunged headlong into the Friendship Hotel.

Having been ravaged by Scarlett^ whom I hadn't seen for a long time, Nan Yi had a sore back and a sore back, holding a water glass like an alcoholic patient shaking non-stop, with black circles around his eyes, playing the role of a national treasure without makeup except for being thinner.

"Adam, you came back just in time, otherwise, I wouldn't mind kicking you out and finding another one."

"Plato once said..."

"I don't listen to the liar. Shakespeare said: Life is too short, and a short life is too long if it is wasted."

Nan Yi shrugged and said noncommittally: "I can't understand your Westerners' view of love."

"So, are you going to give me a copy of "Biography of Martyr Girls"?"

"Ha, it seems we can't let you go back to the country, you have learned all our essence."

"Well, it seems to me that the most useful thing I've learned is to make pancakes, and when I get back I'll open a pancake trust."