Although Liu Lao was already a little tired after this step, he still carried out the work in an orderly and unhurried manner. And when the blank paper was slowly opened, a painting with the same theme of stone and bamboo appeared in front of everyone.

Everyone present was excited and amazed when they saw this work, because the author of this painting is so famous that it can be said that everyone in the calligraphy and painting world knows it.

However, the steps of unveiling the painting have not yet been finalized, so everyone can only suppress their excitement and wait for Liu Lao to complete all the work.

"This ...... This is actually a bamboo and stone diagram created by Zheng Xie [xiè]! ”

When the whole process of unveiling the painting was completed, Liu Lao ignored his tired body, with an extremely excited look, picked up the magnifying glass and leaned in, and muttered to himself.

Zheng Xie may not know some people, but when it comes to his other name, Zheng Banqiao, I believe everyone will be familiar with it.

Zheng Banqiao, one of the "Eight Monsters of Yang*zhou" in the Qing Dynasty, is also one of the most famous and well-known Qing Dynasty calligraphers and painters. Xu Beihong once commented on him: "Mr. Banqiao is one of the most outstanding figures in China in the past 300 years, and his thoughts are strange, his writings are strange, and his calligraphy and painting are especially strange."

Zheng Banqiao's poetry, calligraphy and painting are good, and he loves the landscape and travels with many people; He loves to paint bamboo and stone, and he is dignified and vibrant, and it can be said that his position in the history of painting and his influence on later generations are second to none.

This bamboo and stone picture, as can be seen from the style, should be a work given by Zheng Banqiao to a friend, dated May of the first year of Kangxi, that is, the fifth month of the lunar calendar in 1762. And this period is the most mature period of his art, with the pen old and spicy and changeable, the picture is sparse and the artistic conception is far away, it can be said that the poetry, calligraphy, painting and printing are all in one.

Judging from this and handwriting, it can almost be concluded that this painting is an authentic handiwork in the hands of Zheng Banqiao.

Of course, whether it is calligraphy and painting, or the appraisal of antiques, there is no room for sloppiness, therefore, it is necessary to carefully appreciate, the technique of painting, and the artistic conception expressed in it, only these can be confirmed with the characteristics of Zheng Banqiao's paintings, and the authenticity of the painting itself can be truly determined.

I saw that there were several bushes of bamboo in front of the rocks in the painting, which seemed to be natural, showing everyone a scene of natural interest.

Bamboo is arranged in a staggered manner, the bamboo pole is fine, but it reveals a vigorous force, the bamboo leaves are picked and shaved out with a hard brush, and the skimming of the official book, the bamboo stem is also like the pen of the seal book, swaying and living.

According to Zheng Banqiao's self-titled "Ink and Bamboo Map", it is recorded: "Dongpo and Lu Zhi are not bamboo, but my painting bamboo is often learned." The yellow book is sprinkled and thin, and the thin leaves in my bamboo are learned; The Dongpo book is short and fat, and the fat leaves in my bamboo are learned. It can be seen that his technique of painting bamboo is derived from calligraphy brushes, which is especially evident in this picture.

Look at it again, the tall bamboo thin leaves cover the whole picture, which is treated with a light ink yellow body thin pen; The fat leaves in the heaviest part of the picture are depicted with thick ink and fat fronts, which not only distinguish them from the tall bamboo and rocks, but also accentuate the sense of the picture, which can be described as "true qi, real fun, and true meaning".

After reading the bamboo, and then looking at the stone, Zheng Banqiao's stone painting is mainly derived from Ni Zhan's painting method, and the outline is outlined with simple lines without rendering; It is also used to split and rub it simply, and "the stone is not moss", which complements each other with the orchid bamboo, and adds elegance.

Although the rocks in the painting are rubbed out with a few simple brushstrokes, they give people a sense of firmness, which can be summed up here by one of his poems, "Only the green mountains are my home, and the peaks and roots of the rocks are crevices and autumn sands." Inz is strong and rigid, and he has experienced the east wind and is not slanted".

The artistic conception of the rock fully reflects the artist's own iron bones, even if he encountered great difficulties in his life, he has not changed in the slightest.

The artistic conception of the whole work is a portrayal of the painter's own spirit, which can be described as:

Insist that Qingshan does not relax,

The roots are in the broken rock,

Thousands of blows are still strong,

Ren Er's east, west, north and south winds.

Therefore, looking at the whole work, it can be concluded that this bamboo and stone picture is the authentic work created by Zheng Xie and Zheng Banqiao, and the size of this painting is huge and the size of the caryophyllum with the previous shoulders is comparable, which can be said to be very rare, and it can be said that this is a rare treasure.

"Okay, it's worthy of Mr. Banqiao's masterpiece, looking at it, there is a self-willing, lonely and high-minded temperament, which arises spontaneously and is untouchable." Looking at the whole work, Liu Lao breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but admire.

The other three people present, after hearing this, also nodded in agreement, and Uncle Wu patted Chu Chen's shoulder and said excitedly:

"Xiaochen, you're lucky!"

After Liu Lao heard this, he shook his head and said:

"Ziping, I don't agree with you a little, if you don't have Xiao Chu's eyesight, you can't just talk about luck and this painting in his hands. You think, you were there at the time, and you had a better chance than Xiao Chu, just because your eyesight was not as good as his, so the person who finally mentioned this painting was not you, but him. ”

After Chu Chen heard this, he hurriedly said: "This is indeed my luck, if I hadn't seen it by chance, I wouldn't have cared about that place......

Before he finished speaking, Uncle Wu interrupted:

"Xiaochen, Liu Lao is right, it's true that my eyesight is not as good as you, the back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves, a generation of new people replace the old people, you Uncle Wu and I are old, watching you grow up is my greatest pleasure, besides, I can't give you a good eyesight, otherwise how can I appreciate many antique treasures that I have never seen on weekdays?"

"Uncle Wu, you ......"

Seeing that Chu Chen still wanted to explain, Liu Lao also interrupted him and said:

"Xiao Chu, what your Uncle Wu said is right, our generation will eventually grow old, and we will expect you to take over our class at that time. Xiao Chu, to be honest, you are undoubtedly the most talented in antiques among the young people I have seen so far, and I am very happy that such an excellent talent as you can take over our class. ”

Seeing that Chu Chen began to be modest again, Liu Lao smiled and said: "However, Lu Yao knows the horsepower, if you can not be arrogant or impatient, and continue to behave like now, then maybe we can have more in-depth exchanges in the future." It's just that you always like to be modest, and you have to change it, young people, you should be confident. ”

After Chu Chen heard this, he suddenly thought of a possibility that he couldn't think of in his heart, and he almost jumped out of joy, and finally suppressed his excitement, and said:

"Elder Liu, I won't say much else, in the future, I will definitely follow your teachings, be a down-to-earth person, and I will not let you down."

"That's it!"

Liu Lao waved his hand and said with a smile: "Xiao Chu, don't be so serious, let's do this, pay attention to an interest, don't put too much pressure on yourself, otherwise it will backfire." ”

Then he asked with a smile: "Xiao Chu, what are you going to do with this work of Mr. Banqiao?" ”

This bamboo and stone picture, in terms of the painter's brushwork and the artistic conception expressed, needless to say, it must be top-notch. And for so many years, it has been cleverly hidden, and in terms of appearance, there is no problem at all, and it looks as if it is still stuck in the time when the painter was creating.

Therefore, this painting is a rare treasure in every way. Such a treasure, for many Tibetan friends, even if they only receive such a picture in their lifetime, it is not simple.

Therefore, with Chu Chen's inner thoughts, not to mention his liking for the work itself, in terms of the degree of cherishing of the work, he also hopes to treasure it himself. However, seeing that Liu Lao did not hide his love for this painting, he was a little hesitant at this time, not knowing how to decide.

After thinking about it for a long time, he said with a hint of hesitation and apology: "Old Liu, I really like this work in my heart, and it is really difficult to give up. ”

"Xiao Chen......" Uncle Wu also understood what Liu Lao meant just now, such an opportunity, don't miss it in vain, so when he heard Chu Chen's decision, he became a little anxious.

However, Liu Lao interrupted him and said with a smile: "Xiao Chu's decision, I will just say one word, okay!" Originally, I was worried that you would give me this work again in order to please me, an old man, so that I would be happy, but your attitude towards antique collecting had to make me suspicious. ”

"In the antique industry, if he doesn't have a sincere love for antiques, then no matter how great his achievements are, in the final analysis, he is just a businessman, this kind of person, to be honest, I don't like it."

"Xiao Chu, judging from this decision, your attitude towards antiques did not disappoint me. If you have a love for antiques and your own talent, I believe that you will go further and further in the antiques industry. ”

Chu Chen was always a little worried about his decision, afraid that Liu Lao would be unhappy, but after listening to him, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart, and at the same time, he also had some palpitations. He didn't expect that this scene turned out to be Liu Lao's test for him, but fortunately, he didn't give up the idea in his heart for the sake of temporary gains and losses.

And after Uncle Wu heard this, he was also a little embarrassed, and he was really a little concerned about it.

"Okay, these two paintings of Xiao Chu will be placed here for me first, and I will help you frame them." Speaking of which, Liu Lao's tired look was fully revealed, in the end, he was getting older, he had consumed more energy, and his physical strength was a little unable to keep up.

Chu Chen was overjoyed when he heard this, but after thinking about it, he still asked, "Old Liu, I don't know how to calculate the cost of this framing?" ”

"Okay, old man, I will still be short of this money, if you have the heart, put this painting in my month first, what do you think?" Liu Lao waved his hand and smiled.

Of course, Chu Chen readily agreed to this request, and then the two of them saw Liu Lao's fatigue and left.

After sending the two out of the door, after coming back, Liu Qinshu asked Liu Laodao:

"Dad, what did you mean just now that you want to accept Xiao Chu as a disciple?"