Gu Ming was practically bursting with excitement as she carefully examined the items she had acquired. She had been hoping for this moment, and now, with her heart racing, she couldn't wait to get home and take a closer look at the treasures she had found. After hearing that Zhou Tao still planned to browse some more, she decided to leave on her own.
Zhou Tao immediately understood that she was eager, so he didn't press her further but gave her a subtle reminder to not forget about him.
By the time Gu Ming left Panjiayuan, it was still before 7 a.m., and there was no one at home. This was the perfect opportunity for her to sit down and examine what she had stumbled upon.
Once she was safely inside and the door locked, she pulled out the four items from the large cloth bag. The two that she had just picked out randomly were quickly set aside. Her focus was on the piece that had been given to her as a bonus—the square object—and the cylindrical pen-holder-like item.
Before, she had avoided showing too much attention to the square object, not wanting to raise suspicion, but now, she could fully inspect it. To her surprise, it turned out to be a porcelain pillow.
"No wonder I heard that humming sound before... It must have been the sound of someone snoring!" Gu Ming excitedly ran her left hand over the surface of the porcelain pillow, feeling the same intense warmth she had felt earlier. There was still that soft, comforting hum emanating from it.
The porcelain pillow was quite dirty, likely because it had been used as a stool. It lacked any aesthetic appeal, but Gu Ming could feel the warmth radiating from it. Despite its unkempt appearance, she was overjoyed to have found something of such value.
She took the porcelain pillow and the pen-holder-like object into the kitchen and carefully washed them. She had been worried that the porcelain pillow might have sustained some damage due to improper handling, but to her surprise, it cleaned up well. There was only some minor wear on the edges where the glaze had been worn off, but other than that, it seemed remarkably intact.
Gu Ming closely examined the porcelain pillow. It had a rounded, slightly concave shape, with the front lower than the back, and the sides raised. The surface was glazed in white, resembling ivory in color, and there was a ring of purple-gold glaze around the edges, with streaks of what appeared to be "tears" running down.
As she observed it more carefully at a 45-degree angle, she could see the subtle brush marks left by the bamboo strips used in the finishing process. The surface was decorated with etched lines forming a pattern, with a four-line poem inscribed in flowing script: "True Dao is idle and simple, the little immortal has no worries."
Gu Ming wasn't an expert, but she had enough knowledge to recognize the markings, and she confidently identified it as a piece from the Song Dynasty's Ding Kiln, one of the five great kilns of the time. Ding Kiln porcelain was well-known for its high quality, and its distinctive features, such as the "tear stains" on the purple-gold glaze, were rare and unique to this particular kiln.
The bamboo-like brush strokes and the uneven bottom were additional clues that pointed to the authenticity of this item. While some could imitate these features, it was clear to her that this piece was not a modern reproduction.
Gu Ming's heart raced as she held the porcelain pillow, her excitement reaching its peak. This was her first real "find," and it was a significant one at that. Such a piece could easily fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions on the market.
This discovery was a game-changer—her grandfather's medical bills were no longer a problem, and there was no need to sell the house her mother and grandfather had bought for her.
She hadn't expected to be so successful on her first attempt. She had planned to visit Panjiayuan several times to find valuable items, and never imagined she would find something of such high value on her first trip. It felt almost like winning the lottery, especially since she was the kind of person who had never even won five dollars before.
Thinking back, Zhou Tao had been a big help. If he hadn't taken her to Wang Geda's stall, she might never have found the porcelain pillow. If she managed to sell it for a good price, she was definitely going to thank him properly.
As for the other item, the pen-holder-like object, it wasn't as immediately striking but had a pleasing, smooth glaze. After cleaning it up, it wasn't particularly eye-catching, but it had a subtle charm that grew on her the longer she looked at it.
However, this piece puzzled her. She couldn't quite figure out what it was, but she was certain it was still an antique.
Gu Ming knew she wasn't a ceramics expert and didn't have all the answers, but she didn't need to know everything. As long as someone else recognized its value, that was all that mattered.
Now, her only task was to sell these items as quickly as possible. Her grandfather was waiting for the money for his treatment, and every second counted.