Airport runway.
It’s Sunday, and many people are flying off.
Many people are boarding the flight, and the overhead compartment quickly becomes full. Dong Xuebing was the last batch to board the flight, and he dare not place his cloth bag in the overhead compartment. He went to his seat, which is by the windows, and placed the bag by his lap before fastening his seatbelt.
Suddenly, a man sat down beside him.
The row of seats is narrow, and the cloth bag took up some space on the seat. When that man sat down, his knee accidentally knocked Dong Xuebing’s leg.
Dong Xuebing took a deep breath as he felt the pain.
“Oh, sorry… sorry…” That middle-aged man quickly apologized. “Sorry, young man.”
Dong Xuebing smiled when he heard that man’s Beijing’s accent. “It’s alright. Haha…”
Mu Zhengzhong moved his leg and smiled. “Are you from Beijing? Studying overseas?”
“Studying? I have been working for almost two years. I have come to Japan to attend to some matters.” Dong Xuebing looks at him. “Are you here for holidays? I find you quite familiar.”
Mu Zhengzhong replied. “I’m not here for a holiday. I had come to Japan to buy an antique but didn’t manage to get it.”
“Antique? Haha… I like antiques too.”
This man is in his late forties with thick brows and a squarish face. He is well mannered and modest, which are typical Beijing people’s traits. They are both from Beijing and sitting together, and Dong Xuebing started to chat with him about antiques. After chatting for a while, he is impressed with Mu Zhengzhong’s knowledge of Chinese cultural relics. He can easily name all the famous antiques from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties and know their history.
Dong Xuebing become curious and suddenly remembered a name. He slapped his lap and gasped. “Ah… You are that Mu Zhengzhong?!”
Mu Zhengzhong smiled. “Have we met before?”
“I know who you are, but you don’t know me. I heard of your name a long time ago.”
“It’s nothing.” Mu Zhengzhong smiled and shook his head. “It’s the media who exaggerated and gave me my fame. Don’t be fool by what you saw on TV. Haha…”
“You are too humble.”
Mu Zhengzhong is famous in the antique collector circle. Dong Xuebing had worked at an Antique shop when he was studying and have heard of him. The first private antique museum in Beijing is set up by him. The word ‘Wealthy’ can no longer be used to describe his wealth. If he auctioned off his collection in his museum, he would get an astronomical sum of money. But he had set up a museum to make money and create a cultural environment. Dong Xuebing also heard Mu Zhengzhong is actively participating in charity events, and that’s why he respected him a lot.
This is such a coincidence.
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Teacher Mu, you must tell me more about antique collections. It’s not easy to meet you, and I must learn something from you.”
Mu Zhengzhong waved his hand. “I also make mistakes often.”
“You are modest. Are you looking down on me?”
“Haha… no… let’s not talk about learning from me. We will just discuss and exchange pointers.”
“Alright. Then I will ask you now. What do you think of Japanese antiques? How much are they worth?”
Dong Xuebing had thought of donating the to the Palace Museum but felt it’s not a good idea now. If the is a second-tier relic, it’s still alright. But the national treasure tier relic will involve a lot more. There will be diplomatic issues, and private museums seem to be a better choice. At least, it will not escalate to become a national dispute. But Dong Xuebing did not know much about Mu Zhengzhong and had to be wary. He also pretended to be an ordinary young man and did not tell Mu Zhengzhong his name.
Mu Zhengzhong is easy going and modest. Even when flying, he sat in the economy class. No one can tell he is a billionaire. He has good feelings for Dong Xuebing, as they are both from Beijing. That’s why when Dong Xuebing asked him about antiques, he told him what he knows about Japanese antiques. Both chatted happily on the three hours flight.
One hour……
Two hours…
Both chatted happily.
Dong Xuebing felt he has a good judgment for a person’s character. Mu Zhengzhong had left a good impression and didn’t give him the feeling he was putting up an appearance. He is very sincere and is someone worthy to be friends with.
So, Dong Xuebing asked Mu Zhengzhong about .
Mu Zhengzhong smiled. “This is a difficult question. Haha… to be honest, I had only seen the at the museum twice, and I cannot say much about its value. After all, Japan’s culture is different from ours. All I can say is that even our County’s Qi Baishi’s paintings cannot qualify as a second-tier relic, but the is known as one of the top few Japan’s National Treasures. This shows its historical and economic value.”
Dong Xuebing thought for a while and asked. “That painting is so good?!”
“Of course. What’s wrong? Are you very interested in Japan’s antique?”
“Err… no. I was just curious. Is that painting better than Mr. Qi’s painting?”
“You cannot compare it this way. The culture in both countries is different. The is valuable because of its historical value. At the same time, Mr. Qi Baishi’s paintings are worth it because of their artistic value. Both cannot be compared.” Mu Zhengzhong added. “But the is really a good painting. Although I had seen it twice only, it left a deep impression.”
Dong Xuebing nodded and did not continue asking about the .
They continued chatting, and Mu Zhengzhong suddenly asked. “Young man, I still don’t know your name.”
Dong Xuebing smiled. “My name is too common and is too embarrassed to tell you.”
Mu Zhengzhong paused for a second and did not continue to ask.
At around 6.40pm, the flight landed at Beijing International Airport. After getting off the flight, Dong Xuebing used STOP to get past the customs and walks out of the arrival hall. From a distance, he saw Mu Zhengzhong smoking at the entrance. He seems to be waiting for someone. A few seconds later, an Audi A8, with only a driver, stopped in front of him and boarded.
Dong Xuebing had been following Mu Zhengzhong, and he quickly opened Audi’s rear passenger seat and entered the car.
The driver’s face changed, and he looked at Dong Xuebing, wondering who this person is.
Dong Xuebing smiled and asked. “Haha… Teacher Mu, can you give me a lift?”
“Haha… no problem.” Mu Zhengzhong looked at Dong Xuebing suspiciously and did not ask anything. “I am not in a hurry. Let me send you back first.”
Dong Xuebing felt Teacher Mu is quite interested and nodded. “Sorry to trouble you.”
The car moved off and left the airport for the highway.
Suddenly, at a sideroad outside of the airport, Dong Xuebing stopped the driver. “Please stop the car. Mr. Driver, can you step out for a while? I need to speak to Teacher Mu.”
The driver frowned.
Mu Zhengzhong was also stunned. “What is it?”
Dong Xuebing looks around. “It is very important, and I can only tell you.”
Mu Zhengzhong thought for a while. He is bewildered by Dong Xuebing’s request, but he had met all sorts of people in his life. He waved to his driver. “Old Zhou, go out and have a smoke first.”
The driver is wary of Dong Xuebing. “This person…”
“It’s fine. Just leave us for a while.”
The driver alighted from the car and stood at a distance.
Mu Zhengzhong smiled. “Young man, what is it that is so secretive? You can speak now.”
Dong Xuebing saw there is no CCTV along the road and nodded. “Sorry, Teacher Mu. I hope you can understand as this is confidential.”
“It’s alright. What is it?”
Dong Xuebing moved his body in the rear passenger seat to create some space and took out his cloth bag. He slowly untied the strings and took out a scroll in a rubber band before passing it to Mu Zhengzhong.
Mu Zhengzhong unrolled the scroll puzzledly and look at it.
Even Mu Zhengzhong, who has lots of life experiences, is shocked. “?!”
Dong Xuebing did not say anything.
Mu Zhengzhong was stunned. He quickly spread out the scroll and used a magnifying glass to examine it. “This is the authentic piece! It’s the one that was displayed in the National Museum?!” Mu Zhengzhong finally understood why Dong Xuebing was so secretive and why he didn’t want to tell him his name. “Young man… Before I boarded the flight, I heard the National Museum was broken into in broad daylights. This it…”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “I don’t know anything about that. What do you think of this scroll?”
Mu Zhengzhong is speechless. “This is Japan’s National Treasure. Young man, why did you show me this? What do you want?”
Dong Xuebing replied. “I don’t know what to do with it, and I need your advice.”
Mu Zhengzhong quickly calmed down and took a deep breath before looking at the scroll again. In the past, it was always China’s national treasure being smuggled overseas, and Mu Zhengzhong had never expected to see another nation’s National Treasure in China. How can he not be excited? He also has lots of questions in his heart. Did this young man break into Japan’s National Museum? But how did he escape and board the flight with this scroll? How did he get past the custom and bring it back to China?! Who the hell is he?!
Qi Baishi
