Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1107: Chapter 1103: Mao Porcelain

Huo Sining curved her lips into a light smile and said, ”The reason is actually quite simple, because this is a set of porcelain. Besides the teapot, teacups, saucers, fish platter, and vases, it even includes ashtrays, tooth boxes, and Victory Cups. Categorized into drinking sets, tea sets, and stationery, apart from the plum blossom pattern series, there are also peach blossom and four-season flower series, each one crafted as a complete set.”

”These porcelains were all fired in 1975, specifically made by a special red official kiln institution formed by research institutes like the Hongguan Kiln, Jingdezhen Art Porcelain Factory, and People’s Porcelain Factory.”

”This batch of porcelain was meant to represent the highest standard of China’s porcelain craftsmanship, surpassing any previous era, and was codenamed 7501. Thus, this set of porcelain is also referred to as 7501 Porcelain. These porcelains were designed and crafted specifically for one person, and once made, they were only provided for that person’s exclusive use!”

”Exclusively for one person to use? Who?”

Su Qingqing felt inexplicable and blurted out instinctively.

Standing beside, the Old Granny suddenly gasped and quickly covered her mouth with another hand.

Su Qingqing was too young to understand what the year 75 meant, but the Old Granny, over sixty years old, was already an adult by then. She was acutely aware of the circumstances during that time, and when she heard Huo Sining mention the year 1975, she already felt something was off. Hearing that it was exclusively for one individual, she had already guessed who that person was.

She widened her eyes at Huo Sining, hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, ”The person you’re talking about, is it Mao...”

Huo Sining smiled faintly and nodded gently, ”Yes, that’s the person.”

Zhou Yan was also confused over there, but soon, he widened his eyes, staring in shock at the Plum Vase, unable to utter a word for a long time.

”Mao? Mao who? Who are you talking about?” Only Su Qingqing raised her head blankly, still utterly baffled.

Yin Zeyan, standing nearby, was almost tearing up from urgency. Wasn’t this little junior sister usually quick-witted? Why was she so slow-witted today?

”Silly, the one who wrote ’Ode to the Plum Blossom’, with cliffs a hundred fathoms high, yet there are branches adorning. They do not vie for spring, but herald its arrival instead when flowers bloom in wild profusion, she smiles amidst them.”

Yin Zeyan was simply exasperated; thinking of walking out now, he definitely didn’t want to admit that Su Qingqing and he came from the same school, it was really too embarrassing.

”Oh, I see.” Su Qingqing finally realized, but once she did, her eyes widened in shock, identical to Zhou Yan’s expression.

Everyone suddenly came to the same realization.

If this Plum Vase, along with the entire set of porcelain, was designed for one person, then everything could be explained.

In that era, there was only one idol admired nationwide, a person held in the people’s hearts as the supreme being, a true great man, unmatched by any other.

Under such political circumstances, sparing no effort nationwide, exhausting countless financial and material resources to craft a batch of special porcelain for one person seemed not strange at all.

Seeing everyone remained silent, Huo Sining continued slowly, ”Due to its uniqueness, this porcelain is also called Mao Porcelain.”

”In fact, at the time, the total number of Mao Porcelain made was ten thousand pieces, of which over four thousand were perfect upon exiting the kiln. After meticulous selection, only over a thousand pieces of Mao Porcelain were sent to the Imperial Capital; the remaining ones were theoretically supposed to be entirely destroyed.”

”However, back then, the Jingdezhen kiln factory believed that these porcelains were not easy to craft. If they were destroyed, and the Mao Porcelain in the Imperial Capital faced deficiencies requiring urgent supplement, it would be impossible to fill the gap in time here. So, after some discussions, the remaining Mao Porcelain was stored and sealed in the Jiangxi Jingdezhen Warehouse.”

”Nevertheless, with the changes over time, the Jingdezhen kiln factory went bankrupt, and these finished Mao Porcelain sealed, were distributed as welfare to the factory’s employees back then. Those employees did not understand the value of these porcelains, and even with complete sets of Mao Porcelain in hand, they did not cherish them. Some were accidentally damaged, while others sold them cheaply overseas. As a result, the surviving quantity of Mao Porcelain domestically is very rare, making it extremely precious.”

The Old Granny had been listening in a daze, but upon hearing Huo Sining’s words, she seemed to have thought of something. She eagerly grabbed Huo Sining’s arm and asked urgently, ”Young girl, according to what you say, this Mao Porcelain should be quite valuable?”

Beside her, Yin Zeyan, thinking the Old Granny would pester Huo Sining to sell her that Plum Vase, instantly furrowed his brows, advising:

”Madam, it’s not that we don’t want to accept it, but this business doesn’t have any profit margin. Your Plum Vase is already cracked. If you really wish to sell, you should take these broken porcelain pieces to the store over there on the street; they specialize in buying broken porcelain pieces. Since yours is Mao Porcelain, selling it by the price of broken porcelain, there’ll surely be someone willing to take it!”

After all, she was an elderly person, and Yin Zeyan was reluctant to be harsh with her. Seeing her face filled with hope, he could only feel powerless, so in the end, he offered her a straightforward solution. Though it would be a loss-making deal, it was better than nothing, better than throwing the vase away as waste.

Yet, the Old Granny didn’t seem to truly hear Yin Zeyan’s words, persistently looking at Huo Sining, seeming to want a definite answer from her.

Huo Sining sighed in her heart and nodded, ”This Mao Porcelain, after all, represents the pinnacle of an era’s art, made with a meticulously refined material formulated after countless masters’ innovations, the true crystallization of wisdom, with a level seldom matched in history, worthy of being called a masterpiece of modern official kilns. Coupled with the fact it’s porcelain used by a great person, its quality and historical significance are spectacular, its value, undoubtedly, is exceptionally high.”

”Take the Plum Vase in your hand, for example. If it were kept intact, I estimate it could fetch at least seven to eight hundred thousand to a million. If it were a complete set of porcelain, its value would be immeasurable. Sadly, as the little fellow mentioned, a missing piece makes porcelain worthless, and with such a large gap in this Plum Vase, even a deity might struggle to save it.”

Porcelain is valued in its wholeness; the worth of complete versus damaged porcelain naturally cannot be equated. Without that chip, the value of this Plum Vase could multiply by at least tenfold.

Of course, having a piece of damaged porcelain doesn’t make it irreparable. In fact, some broken porcelains can be fully repaired as long as the fragments are complete.

In the porcelain collection circles, there are many skilled experts in porcelain restoration. Even broken porcelain can be mended in their hands, but they usually do not take on work, and when they do, the cost of restoring a piece is substantial.