Chapter 760 Million Dollars
Ming and Qing furniture collected by Mr. Wang, as well as calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, as well as his wife’s incense burner, guqin, and study supplies were all moved here.
Master Ma’s collection also occupies half of the back yard. He now has seven or eight hundred items, mainly furniture and porcelain.
Of course, those that can just be packed in boxes and piled here are not particularly precious.
The large furniture Zhou Zhi obtained from Director Li was also placed together with Mr. Wang’s, while the porcelain, calligraphy and paintings were locked together with Mr. Ma’s treasures in two specially reinforced rooms. And in a large room with a safety lock.
Minister Hu who came with him was an eye-opener. He knew that through investigation, he learned that Zhou Zhi had a lot of overseas financial transactions and had purchased many overseas cultural relics through Haitong Auction House. He was considered to have some financial strength. However, the other two people here The collection is even more impressive.
There is another underground floor of Mian Tang House. There are some magical things in the patio on the ground, which are a bit like semicircular glass hemispheres. In fact, they are prisms for lighting.
No matter what angle the sunlight shines on this curved prism, it can be collected by them into the pipe polished into a mirror-like inner wall under the mirror, and then the light is transported underground through total reflection, allowing the basement to The lighting is extremely abundant, almost half of the ground.
This project is the new Nordic construction technology introduced by Yu Bin. Zhou Zhi’s place here is regarded as the teaching site of the University of Copenhagen. It doesn’t cost much. However, after Yu Bin completed the courtyard, he decided not to introduce this technology. .
The effect is quite good, but the cost is too high.
Now the garage and warehouse in the basement are basically empty, with only two small rooms filled with the old man's furniture.
After visiting the renovated Miantang House, Zhou Zhi felt funny: "How did the old man stuff so many things in his small courtyard?"
After the old man's collection of Ming and Qing furniture was moved here from the small courtyard, a truly systematic inventory was conducted. There were more than 460 sets and more than 1,000 pieces in total.
Back in the main room, this is also a showroom. The two revolving bottles that Zhou Zhi just collected are displayed in the tempered glass cabinet here.
These two bottles cannot be counted as missing, nor can they be missed. The first one is 200,000 pounds, and the second one is 800,000 US dollars.
Zhou Zhi lent five million US dollars to Lin Wanqiu for a year, but he didn't receive even a penny of interest. All he got was these two gadgets and a bunch of odds and ends.
"Elbow, I want to discuss something with you." Mr. Wang said.
"That's your order, old man. Mr. Ma and I can't afford to discuss it."
"That's right, you see I'm old enough." Mr. Wang said : "I think it's time to find a home for some things."
"Old man, this is Don't you need to worry?" Zhou Zhi also wanted to keep these things here for a while: "You are always in good health, and now these things have the best protection. You can just take your time and look for them. I can always keep them here. There’s a big warehouse underground, so there’s plenty of space.”
"The next person I'm talking about is you."
"Huh?"
"Look, these things are all here. Just like you said, I remember that I used to pile them up in my courtyard. That burying look on my son’s face is now considered We have the best protection." Mr. Wang smiled and said, "Then don't worry about anything. I can't be the master of your wife's things. I can't bear to part with my things except hard pieces and soft pieces. I'm just talking about furniture. Let's price it... …a million dollars for you What do you think?”
“Don’t be like this, old man,” Zhou Zhi quickly waved his hand: “If you need money for anything, just say it. This really won’t work.”
"this It's really okay." But the old man continued: "What's the difference between staying here and walking around after dinner? How good is it to live here?"
"So you spent money to build this place for our enjoyment. Besides, I didn't confiscate your money, right? A million dollars is not a small amount."
"This hundred I have to spend time raising $10,000. The foreign currency is the overseas earnings from my book set, and basically none of it is in China." Zhou Zhi had no choice but to use this as an excuse. "No, no, you just need to write an IOU." Mr. Wang said, "In this way, today Lao Qi and Minister Hu are both here. Lao Qi will come back to the court and write a receipt. Just write it in the inventory booklet according to our previous inventory. The Ming and Qing Dynasty furniture of various sizes and colors above were sold for a million dollars and transferred to You."
"You and I sign the receipt, and you write me an IOU and Minister Hu will vouch for it."
"Me. Come on!" The pen and ink in Mian Tangzhai were all ready, and Mr. Qi started to write.
"But... why is this?" Zhou Zhi was a little dumbfounded. Is this a forced purchase?
You must know that after decades of replacement of the Ming and Qing furniture of the old man, all that have survived are treasures. Just a rosewood chair can be sold for hundreds of millions at auction in later generations. Now it is four hundred For multiple sets of more than a thousand pieces of furniture, the old man spent a million dollars to "dispose" them in piles for himself.
Even at the current price, a Huanghuali Wanli cabinet was sold at Sotheby's auction on Hong Kong Island two months ago for US$60,000.
The current furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties is completely due to the "Appreciation of Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties" published by Mr. Wang. A strong wind blows from west to east. This wind has now blown to Hong Kong Island, making the Ming and Qing Dynasties Auction prices for Qing furniture have been rising.
And just when this was just starting out, the old man shipped the goods? !
Even though there is a huge price difference between inland cultural relics and overseas cultural relics, more than a thousand pieces of furniture were purchased for a total price of one million US dollars. The average price of each piece was less than a thousand US dollars, and they were all replaced by the old man over the years. The best of the remaining high-quality products, the price is really too low.
"Have you discussed something?" The receipt written by Mr. Qi and the IOU drafted by Mr. Wang for Zhou Zhi were delivered to Zhou Zhi, which made Zhou Zhi a little dumbfounded and couldn't help but ask.
"Sign it, I'll tell you after I sign it." Mr. Wang showed a narrow smile.
"Don't regret it, old man, I really signed it!"
"Hurry up!"
Zhou Zhi gritted his teeth and signed his own words on the two lists that could be called calligraphy works.
Then I compared it anxiously and found that it was pretty safe. Although I hadn’t practiced for a year, my handwriting wasn’t too embarrassing.
"Okay, this is considered a deal." Mr. Wang smiled and said: "Now you have a position of one million US dollars. If the State Administration of Cultural Heritage does not have enough money in Hong Kong Island, this million can be regarded as Help."
"Old man..." Zhou Zhi couldn't help but feel very excited at this moment. Touched: "Actually, you don't need..."
"No one's money comes from strong winds." Mr. Wang waved his hand: "People in Hong Kong Island all look at their economic strength, and you have more money now." A big deal is approaching, and I will be able to speak hard words when the time comes.”
"That's it." Minister Hu is also cheerful: "Zhou Zhi, please give me your ID card, and we will hurry up to apply for passports and air tickets. This trip will be led by Comrade Wang Limei, Director of the Foreign Affairs Division of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage..."
“Wait… Wait!" Zhou Zhi was a little panicked: "I plan to go out for only two weeks and play in Shudu. I told my family that I will go back after my college entrance examination results..."
"Classmate Zhou Zhi's home is What's the matter?" Minister Hu asked.
"Yes...it's not a big deal, but after you get your college entrance examination results, you have to have a teacher-appreciation banquet, right?"
(End of this chapter)