Chapter 29 The Master’s Aura

“Step aside, you’re blocking your dad’s light,” Tan Aizhi nudged Song Xilan, who had almost leaned her entire body forward. “Well, is there anything?”

“We’ll find out soon,” Song Baili carefully opened the back cover of the frame and found a small stack of folded, yellowed rice paper between the portrait and the back cover.

“Wow!” Both Song Xilan and Tan Aizhi exclaimed in surprise.

“Give me some space,” Song Baili brushed off his hands, carefully took out the object, and slowly unfolded it, spreading it out on the table.

It was a piece of calligraphy, with characters that flowed like dragons, varying in size and rhythm, showcasing a distinctive style.

Although the family didn’t know much about calligraphy, they could tell that the strokes were powerful and free, radiating the aura of a master.

Tan Aizhi asked, “Is this the work of an ancient master?”

Song Xilan tried to decipher the signature, “Mi… Mi something, Mi Emperor?”

Song Baili shot a look at his clueless daughter, “What Mi Emperor? This is Mi Fei, a famous calligrapher, painter, and theorist from the Northern Song Dynasty.”

“Oh, I know Mi Fei, I just didn’t catch it clearly.”

“Is this the real deal?” Tan Aizhi asked nervously.

The family naturally didn’t know how to authenticate it, but Song Baili said, “Since it was tucked away so carefully, I think there’s an 80% chance it’s real. Even a well-made fake would still be worth something.”

Then it dawned on him, “This explains why someone would shell out big bucks for worthless old portraits here. They must have heard we have this and didn’t want to pay a high price, so they set up this scheme.”

Tan Aizhi patted her chest, “Good thing I forgot we had this at home, or I might have sold it without thinking.”

Song Xilan was also a bit angry. She hadn’t cared about the transmigrated woman selling her masterpieces in the original plot, thinking that since she hadn’t taken over her body in this life, they could just live their own lives peacefully. But now, that woman was after her things.

“Let’s make sure she walks away empty-handed.”

Song Xilan nonchalantly grabbed a piece of newspaper that had been used to wrap roasted sunflower seeds, still stained with oil, folded it to mimic the original calligraphy, placed it behind the portrait, and reattached the back cover of the frame.

“Mom, if that person comes again tomorrow afternoon, sell this to them. By the way, don’t we have another old portrait at home? Sell that too, make whatever we can, enough for a roast chicken.”

“Yes, let’s treat ourselves to a roast chicken.”

“I’m craving some roast ribs.”

“Let’s go all out!”

“But what about this calligraphy? Dad, how much is it worth?”

Song Baili wasn’t sure either, “Maybe a few hundred? Or even a few thousand?”

[Can you think bigger? This is an original Mi Fei! In the original plot, the transmigrated woman sold it for over a hundred thousand!]

[Even a hundred thousand is undervaluing it. If kept for future generations, it could be worth millions or even tens of millions]

[I have something to say. I saw a news article where a Mi Fei piece that had been overseas for years was finally brought back to China for 29.99 million yuan after relentless efforts by our cultural relics department]

[Just checked, Mi Fei’s ‘Li Sao Jing’ is valued at over 100 million yuan. If what Xilan has is indeed an original Mi Fei, it will be worth a fortune in the future. Don’t sell it for a small profit now!]

Hearing that it could sell for hundreds or even thousands of yuan, Tan Aizhi’s eyes lit up, “Where can we cash this in?”

Song Baili wasn’t sure either, “Maybe at an antique store?”

They had never dealt with anything like cultural artifacts or antiques before. Usually, when passing by antique shops, they would walk right by without even thinking of going in to take a look.

Song Xilan said, “Dad, Mom, we can’t sell this now.”

Tan Aizhi thought for a moment: “True. If it were valuable, how could that old man have ended up in such a state? If we take it out now and someone asks where it came from, we wouldn’t be able to explain it!”

Song Baili: “Selling it for a few hundred yuan wouldn’t make much difference. We don’t need that money right now. It’s better to keep it for our daughter. Antiques like this are bound to appreciate in value over time. Let’s keep it as her dowry.”

[I always knew Song Dad had a long-term vision.]

[Song Xilan is quite resourceful, saving such a valuable dowry for herself.]

[Song Xilan wanted a family heirloom, didn’t she? This can totally be a family heirloom!]

Song Xilan’s hands trembled at the thought of the millions or even billions mentioned in the comments. Even ten thousand yuan was an unimaginable fortune to her, let alone billions.

She currently makes only twenty-six yuan a month. Even her dad, with years of service as a factory director, makes just over a hundred yuan a month, which is already a high salary.

She spends every penny she earns and never saves. Her mom has been saving for her dowry for years, and at most, she’s saved a few thousand yuan. She already thought her family was quite wealthy.

She couldn’t even fathom what millions would look like.

If it were cash, it wouldn’t even fit in a room!

She had no idea what era the commenters were from. Could it be hundreds of years later? But regardless, she decided to keep the calligraphy as a family heirloom, to pass it down through the generations. One day, it would be worth that much.

The top priority was to hide the calligraphy well.

They hadn’t known before, but now that they realized its value, the whole family was on edge.

Song Baili said: “To preserve paper items, you need to protect them from water, moisture, and insects.”

He carefully folded the calligraphy back to its original form. Tan Aizhi found a piece of plastic wrap and wrapped it layer after layer, then wrapped it several times with white paper, and finally placed it in an empty biscuit tin.

After much discussion, the family decided to place the biscuit tin on the top of the triangular cabinet in the storage room, a place that looked casual but was inconvenient to access.

It had to look completely inconspicuous.

That way, even if a thief broke into the house, they wouldn’t consider it a valuable item to steal.