Reborn As Super Heiress

Zhong Zifan was quite skeptical of what Liao Song said: "It’s already insane that you’re alone with too much money, how come there are more people rushing to give it away? Are the people in this antique walnut circle all going crazy?"

Huo Sining laughed: "Antiques are like this, the rarer they are, the more people flock to them. A little bit of hype, and there are plenty of people pretending to be cultured. This isn’t the first time this has happened, even in the jadeite circle, the more prices rise, the more people buy."

After hearing these words from Huo Sining, Zhong Zifan was quite in agreement.

However, Huo Sining developed some interest in Liao Song’s pair of walnuts and couldn’t help but ask:

"Brother Liao Song, you just mentioned these are called Mitsubishi Lion’s Head, is there a particular significance?"

Liao Song laughed: "Usually, I consult you, never thought I’d have something to show off to you, huh? Alright, let me tell you."

"The lion’s head is a big category in antique walnuts and is very popular. Most walnut enthusiasts hope to get a pair of lion’s heads."

"The Mitsubishi Lion’s Head I just mentioned is an even rarer and more valuable variety among the lion’s heads."

"What is a Mitsubishi Lion’s Head? You see, this walnut usually has only two ridges that divide the walnut into two faces."

"But the Mitsubishi Lion’s Head, on the basis of two ridges, grows an additional ridge, dividing the walnut into three faces."

"Hence the name ’Mitsubishi’!"

Saying this, Liao Song picked up the lion’s head, indicating for Huo Sining to look at the walnut from the top:

"Looking at this Mitsubishi Lion’s Head from this angle, you can see three ridges enclosed in a circle, just like the Mercedes-Benz logo, so this type of walnut is also called a ’Big Benz’ within the circle."

Huo Sining couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this; indeed, it looked a lot like the Mercedes-Benz logo.

"So how do you determine if a pair of antique walnuts is up to standard? I remember these need to be paired, and you have to consider the grain and appearance, right? There are a lot of nuances to it, aren’t there?"

After pausing for a moment, Huo Sining asked.

Liao Song nodded: "Take my pair of walnuts as an example. To determine the quality of a pair of walnuts, two aspects need to be considered: the weight, and the ’stump image’."

"Weight is easy to explain, but what is ’stump image’?" Huo Sining frowned.

"The so-called ’stump image’ refers to the height of the walnut from base to tip. Because antique walnuts with shorter stumps appear more solid and beautiful, the market prices shorter stumped walnuts higher. Of course, under this premise, it also depends on the walnut’s weight; the heavier the walnut, the more valuable it is!"

Huo Sining listened, somewhat understanding, but refrained from asking further, played with the walnuts in hand, and then asked: "Why did you guys come to the Imperial Capital? Do you have some business here?"

Liao Song smiled without hiding anything and explained generously: "There’s indeed something, and if you really think about it, it actually has to do with this pair of walnuts."

Huo Sining asked casually, not expecting that it would relate to this pair of walnuts, which piqued his curiosity: "Related to this pair of walnuts? What do you mean?"

Liao Song said: "When I bought this pair of walnuts last year, I happened to meet someone who specialized in the antique walnut business. After talking to them, I realized that there is such a huge profit and market for antique walnuts."

"At the time, I was just interested in it, and didn’t really think I’d get involved. Over these months, because of this pair of Mitsubishi Lion’s Heads, I’ve met many like-minded people in this circle, learned more about antique walnuts, and started considering this area."

"It just so happens that I have a relative who lives in the suburbs near the Imperial Capital. In his village, there are many households growing antique walnuts, and supposedly the quality is quite good, with people pre-ordering them every year."

"My relative heard I have connections in this area and plan to do the antique walnut business, so he’s scouting ahead for me, negotiating with those households so I can go see the goods in advance. If I like them, I can reserve this year’s crop of walnuts, and they won’t seek other buyers."

"So Zhong Zifan and I came to the Imperial Capital, planning to visit those villagers in the suburbs tomorrow."

Huo Sining was taken aback: "Checking goods at this time? But the walnuts haven’t formed yet, what are you going to see? Are you looking at last year’s harvest?"

Liao Song shook his head, laughed, and said: "No, you don’t understand the business in this circle. Nowadays, those in the antique walnut business start buying walnuts as early as April or May, because it’s the flowering season for walnut trees. You can almost estimate the yield of a tree by the number of flowers it has."

"So, those buying walnuts visit walnut-growing homes around this time to inspect the goods. If they like what they see, they place a deposit, directly negotiating with the owner to contract that year’s harvests from the tree."

"Then, once the fruit matures, they come to harvest, and pay the balance to the owner. This way, there’s no risk of being outdone by other buyers."

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining found it intriguing: "So flowering can determine the yield? But what if you encounter natural disasters, like constant rain or insect infestations, wouldn’t that mean a loss?"

Liao Song nodded: "That’s the rule of the trade; those who are bold and willing to take risks profit the most. If you worry too much, you’ll just be left with scraps while others feast. Of course, what you mentioned happens, so it’s all about who has the more discerning eye and better luck."

"Some trees appear to have many flowers, but the fruits turn out lacking. Others seem to bloom sparsely, yet each fruit is top quality. This happens often; there are losses and windfalls, much like gambling on jade, it’s all about boldness versus caution."

Huo Sining nodded, roughly understanding how it all worked.

The history of antique walnuts, if traced back seriously, indeed dates back to ancient history, reaching as far back as the Han Dynasty. However, it was played by few, and only during the Tang and Song Dynasties did it slowly gain acceptance. If you really want to talk about its prevalence, it would be during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The most famous antique walnut player would have to be the carpenter Emperor Zhu Youjiao.

This player not only played with walnuts, but also personally carved them.

Emperor Qianlong was also an expert in appreciating and playing with walnuts, once writing a poem about antique walnuts: "In the palm of one’s hand, the sun and moon spin, time seems to reverse. The body surges with qi and blood, when will one see grey hair?"

By the mid to late Qing, it was common among emperors and royalty at the top, to minor officials and literati, and even the common folk, many took pride in having a pair of exquisite and bright walnuts.