Due to the darkness of the store, Xiaoxue didn't pay attention to the left and right after coming in from the outside, until her eyes adjusted to the light, and when she wanted to leave, she found that there was a strange-looking cat squatting in the corner of the store.

The cat was athletic and meticulously squatting, its fur seemed to be pure black due to the light, but some parts of its body shone with a faint golden glow, as if crouching in the shadows and staring at her.

"Hehe, the little guest wasn't scared, was he?" the old man came over from behind and laughed loudly, "I'm really sorry, I was planning to deal with it in a few days, but I didn't expect to frighten the little guest, it's really a sin." ”

Xiaoxue was really a little frightened, and her face was so shocked that she lost her face, mainly because the cat's appearance was a little weird, and it appeared too abruptly, but when she looked closely, it turned out that it was not a real cat, just a statue of a cat. It's just that the carving process is lifelike, coupled with the lack of light, which caused her to misunderstand.

"Well, can I take a look?" asked as her curiosity rose to the point of pointing, as she settled down.

"Guests please feel free. The old man approached a little and made a "please" gesture, "But this statue hasn't been wiped down for a long time, be careful not to stain the guests' clothes." ”

Xiaoxue got permission and boldly walked over to observe the cat statue from a close distance.

It was left alone in a dark corner behind the vermilion lacquer door, and its status seemed to be somewhat low compared to the rest of the store, as if it had been disliked by its owner. However, I don't know if it's due to psychological reasons, Xiaoxue feels that it looks stubborn, as if she doesn't care about her situation of being left out in the cold.

When it got closer, even with Xiaoxue's not rich appreciation knowledge, it was seen that this cat statue had an obvious exotic style, which was very different from the domestic statue style. Although it is only a statue, it looks like a real cat in size, and its posture is lifelike, and it is easy to mistake it in the dim light.

It has a golden nose ring on the tip of its nose, golden earrings in its ear holes, and all of it has a patina characteristic of bronze - according to common sense, all statues made of bronze have a very old history.

If you look closely, the patina is uneven, darker in some places and lighter in others, like mottled after years of wind, sun and rain, and like erosion after being buried in the ground for a long time.

The cat's facial lines are so soft that it can even be said to be feminine, and the eye sockets are so charming that no one would think that this is a male cat. What is particularly striking is that it has a beetle embossed on its forehead, and in contrast, it has a larger beetle with spread wings on its chest, which is usually called a shell, but it does not feel disgusting as a statue.

It wears an intricately patterned necklace around its neck...... Or the neck ornament, the collar, the center of the neck ornament is a nameplate of unknown significance, the neck ornament and nameplate are also carved, and the cat statue is integrated.

Xiao Xuexiu frowned, staring at the face of the cat statue intently, she always felt that the demeanor of this statue seemed to be seen somewhere...... Because the casting and engraving process was relatively primitive, she couldn't accurately outline the hair and color, and it looked like a hairless cat, so she couldn't remember it for a while.

When her gaze fell on the beetle relief on its forehead again, her eyes suddenly lit up and she whispered!

Isn't this very similar to the golden cat in the strange pet shop? The golden cat also has beetle-like lines on its forehead! Thinking of this, she looked at its face and posture again, and the more she looked at it, the more she felt that it was the same as the golden cat, but not as beautiful as the golden cat. If the hair of the golden cat is cut very short, it is probably like this statue, even the stubborn posture is the same!

The old man walked from behind her, heard her small exclamation, his face showed a look of surprise, and he couldn't help asking, "Do you like this cat statue?"

Xiaoxue nodded, the fright she received just now had long been forgotten, she pointed to the statue's face and said, "It's very beautiful and temperamental." ”

The old man stroked his goatee and laughed: "The little guest is really a good eye!"

Xiaoxue was happy to be complimented, although she was not sure why she was complimented.

The old man leaned his feather duster against the wall, walked behind the door, and pushed the cat statue out. Xiaoxue then realized that the cat statue was placed on a special small shelf, and there were four wheels under the shelf, no wonder it was so easy to push...... You must know that this statue looks like it is cast in pure bronze, and if it is not hollow, it is really not light.

From the dim corner to the normal light, the patina of the cat statue was more pronounced, and the details were also delicate, and at first she thought that the pure black was just a misunderstanding.

"Do you know where this cat statue came from?" the old man patted the dust off his hands, and picked up a feather duster to dust off the statue.

Xiaoxue rolled her eyes and replied coincidentally, "Foreign?"

"Heh, it's really foreign!" the old man stroked his palms and laughed, and Xiaoxue laughed embarrassedly.

When the laughter stopped, the old man exhaled and said, "It's been a long time since I've laughed so freely, and sure enough, it's good to get along with young people." ”

"Hey, I'm stupid. Xiaoxue patted her head and laughed at herself, "I study very badly, and I can't do other jobs well......"

"It's not that you're stupid, it's that you have no scheming city, and your pure heart still exists. The old man paused, stroked the forehead of the cat statue with his free hand, and said, "If you want to tell me where it came from...... Have you heard of Gayer-Anderson Cat?"

"Nope. Xiaoxue didn't dare to joke anymore, she listened attentively, and it seemed a little unsure to joke when people were talking about things seriously.

"The original version of this statue of the cat god was excavated in Egypt, and the date of its casting is about 600 to 300 B.C., and it was donated to the British Museum by Major Gayer-Anderson, hence its name. There is also a replica in the Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo. As for me......"

He pondered his words, "This is also a replica of mine, certainly not as close to the one in the Gayer-Anderson Museum, but I dare say it's pretty close to the original." ”

"Wow! that's amazing!" Xiaoxue exclaimed, she felt that this cat statue was extraordinary, it turned out to be so big. Although it is only a replica, it looks no different from a real antiquity to her, and even if it is not as valuable as the original, it is not something that ordinary people can easily obtain.

The old man pointed to the chest of the cat god statue, and Xiaoxue thought it was the thing with the nameplate, "Do you know what this is?"

"I'll see. Xiaoxue leaned in and looked at it carefully.

The old man waited for her answer without hurry.

After dozens of seconds, Xiaoxue shook her head blankly, "I don't know, I don't recognize what it is, it looks like a snake, and it's a little like an eye?"

The old man expected that she would not recognize it, and explained disapprerovitously: "It's normal not to recognize it, after all, it's too rare." This is a Wajit amulet, which represents the eye of light in ancient Egyptian mythology. This amulet, as well as the nose ring and earrings, are modeled after the originals in silver and gold. ”

Xiaoxue listened to it secretly, this old man is really a real tyrant who is hidden in the city, and any random thing in the store is a 100% replica of the cat god statue......

The old man looked at his words and asked, "If the little guest likes this statue, why don't you buy it?"

"Huh?"

Xiaoxue was stunned and looked at the statue again.

She did like it, but she didn't like it to the point where she had to buy it, and there were two other reasons, one was that the statue was definitely expensive, and she might not be able to afford it, and she didn't want to go out of her way to buy it, alarming her parents...... This statue is beautiful, but it has a bit of yin energy, not everyone can accept this kind of feminine beauty, not to mention the old old-fashioned ...... It's a headache to think about!

Uncle Jin is expected to be a little interested, but considering the psychological shadow area of the rice bucket, forget it.

Speaking of which......

Xiaoxue thought that Qiyuan Pet Store was going to reopen, she went to the store several times to cause trouble, and Zhang Zi'an is also a friend, how can she bring some opening gifts this time, otherwise it will be too rude - if you can take this statue as a gift, it would be great!