Chapter 2 The Singular Aperture
1224 Words
In the afternoon, the weather was sultry, and there were not many customers in the store. Thanks to the profitable transactions in the morning, Guo Bapi's face lit up with excitement as he issued a few instructions and then left in his car.
Due to his father's illness, Yang Bo was feeling irritable. He paced back and forth in Gu De Zhai but still couldn't come up with any ideas to make money. Many of his thoughts required investment, and what he lacked the most right now was capital. If he had the money, he would have used it for his father's treatment long ago!
To calm himself, Yang Bo, as usual, started wiping the artifacts in the store with a cloth. Technically, antique porcelain shouldn't be casually wiped with a cloth, but Gu De Zhai was a small shop without proper conservation facilities. Most importantly, the porcelain on display were basically fakes.
As he casually picked up a porcelain piece and skillfully wiped off the dust, Yang Bo felt that something was different about the vase. Upon closer inspection, he saw a faint glow emanating from the body of the vase, soft and gentle, as if the reflected light from the porcelain surface was concentrated into a small circle.
Yang Bo's eyes widened in an attempt to see more clearly, but suddenly, the glow disappeared as if it had never been there.
Feeling puzzled, Yang Bo thought it might be due to his recent fatigue and didn't pay much attention to it.
After resting for a while, Yang Bo picked up a Meiping vase. For some reason, he felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of excitement. Staring intently at the vase, which depicted magpies perched on plum branches and had a shiny, reflective surface, Yang Bo finally saw clearly!
A beam of light slowly gathered and gradually coalesced around the neck of the Meiping vase, forming a faint, fragile halo. Though weak, it seemed as if a simple wave of the hand could break it. But to Yang Bo, this was a surprising discovery!
He felt that something about him had changed. Many thoughts crossed his mind, but what was the purpose of this halo?
Yang Bo had a vague suspicion but dared not confirm it. The two pieces of porcelain he had handled before were modern imitations with no research value, and the genuine antiques were locked away in the boss's safe, inaccessible to him.
After some consideration, Yang Bo realized that the boss wasn't around. If he left the shop for a while, he probably wouldn't be noticed.
Locking the door behind him, Yang Bo walked along the street for over a hundred meters until he reached another antique shop, "Bo Gu Tang."
Since the two shops were competitors, Guo Bapi and the owner of Bo Gu Tang, Jia Huai Ren, did not get along well. However, this did not affect the interactions between their apprentices. Yang Bo and Li Ling, an apprentice at Bo Gu Tang, got along quite well.
Upon entering the shop, Yang Bo felt a wave of coolness. Li Ling was sitting in the corner of the living room, aimlessly looking around. Seeing Yang Bo, his face immediately broke into a smile: "Da Bo, what brings you here today?"
Yang Bo looked somewhat helpless. He was thin and found such nicknames hard to bear, but today he let it slide. "Is Boss Jia around?"
"Nope, he went out. It's too hot today, and we don't have any customers," Li Ling replied.
Yang Bo nodded slightly; that was good. "Oh, right, didn't your boss acquire a Qing Dynasty Daoguang-era Seven Treasures-patterned Cup a few days ago? Could I take a look at it?"
Li Ling hesitated because the cup was considered a prized possession by his boss, not a decision he could make.
Yang Bo quickly understood and reassured him, "Don't worry, I won't touch it. I just want to take a quick look from afar. I seldom see genuine antiques these days, so I'm curious!"
Reassured by Yang Bo's promise not to touch the item, Li Ling agreed, "Alright, just don't mess with it. I'll go get it!"
Since Li Ling was related to Boss Jia, he had more trust and was allowed to keep valuable items in the shop.
The Seven Treasures-patterned Cup was soon brought out. The exterior walls of the cup were divided into three decorative bands by gold string patterns, with a detailed and intricate lotus-supported Seven Treasures design in the middle—a truly rare treasure!
However, Yang Bo's intention was not to admire it but to verify his hypothesis!
Staring intently at the Seven Treasures-patterned Cup, Yang Bo's heart skipped a beat as he saw strands of light seeping from the cup and gradually converging into a halo. The halo became thicker and more substantial than the previous ones he had seen!
Suddenly, a strand of light separated and shot towards Yang Bo's eyeball. He closed his eyes, feeling a cool sensation spreading from the edge of his eyeball before vanishing instantly!
Opening his eyes again, Yang Bo saw that the halo around the cup remained unchanged. He also noticed that his eyes could focus longer now. Could it be that the strand of light had an effect?
Closing his eyes again, Yang Bo felt an urge to laugh out loud! He knew he had likely stumbled upon a treasure!
The thickness of the halo was clearly related to the age of the porcelain. If that was the case, he could directly authenticate antiques in the future! This would be even more powerful than experts and carbon-14 dating combined!
"Da Bo, what's wrong with you?" Li Ling asked, puzzled by Yang Bo's prolonged silence and then closing his eyes as if stunned.
Yang Bo snapped back to reality, "Oh, nothing. By the way, don't you guys have a Ming Dynasty Wanli-era folk kiln Jun-glazed ceramic jar? Can I take a look at it?"
Li Ling looked at Yang Bo strangely but, seeing that he kept his promise not to touch anything, did not ask further questions. "Sure, just wait a moment!"
Another halo slowly formed around the ceramic jar, and another strand of light entered Yang Bo's eyes. Comparing the halos of the two pieces of porcelain, Yang Bo finally had an idea. He could roughly determine the age of an artifact based on the size of its halo. This was incredibly important for him! Now he could spot undervalued antiques!
Most importantly, he had found a way to cover his father's medical expenses!
Li Ling found Yang Bo's behavior very strange today and couldn't help but remind him, "Da Bo, are you sick?"
Yang Bo shook his head, "No, I have something else to do. I need to head back."
"Sigh," Li Ling watched Yang Bo leave, feeling somewhat speechless.
Finally, there was hope for the 850,000!
Yang Bo was overjoyed inside. He had finally seen a glimmer of hope—hope for curing his father!
His father was still lying at home, refusing treatment to save money. If only Yang Bo had enough money, he could afford the best treatment for him!
Thinking of his mother's worried, tired, and hoarse voice on the phone, Yang Bo felt a sour sensation in his nose and tears welled up in his eyes.
- Writer
