A friend took me to see a collector’s collection. It is said that he collects top-notch things, and a random piece is worth more than ten million yuan. We walked through the alleys to the front of an unremarkable apartment, and I was wondering how the top antiques could be kept in such a place? The collector came to open the door and opened three stainless steel doors in a row before entering the house. The lighting in the room was very dim. After waiting for a few seconds, I got used to the light in the room. At this time, I saw that the whole house was full of antiques, so much that I had to be careful when walking and turn sideways to move forward. There are ceramics, bronzes, tins everywhere, and many scrolls of calligraphy and painting are crowded into the big vat. The owner finally brought us to find the sofa, which is also buried in the pile of antiquities. After some sorting, we were able to sit down. . I don’t know how to describe the feeling, the overcrowding of antiques makes you feel like you’re in a rubbish heap.
It occurred to me that nothing can be too much, and when it reaches the level of “too”, it is terrible. We all like butterflies, but if the house is full of butterflies, it will not be beautiful, and then think that butterflies will give birth to caterpillars all over the house, which is terrible. We all like birds, but too many birds can hurt people. In Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Birds”, the hairs stand up when you think of that terrifying scene.
When he was in a trance, the host brought out a plate, but the plate was not filled with tea or coffee, but a plate of jade. Because my friend bragged to the master that I was a connoisseur, although I vehemently denied it on the ground, the master only regarded me as modest and couldn’t wait to “appreciate” his collection to me. That being the case, I had no choice but to appreciate one by one and praised it strongly. When I was talking about a piece of tea-colored jade, I still thought to myself: Why wasn’t the tea brought out? After reading the jade, we turned to the master’s bedroom to look at the pottery and bronze. Only then did I find that there was only one bed in the master’s bedroom, and the rest of the space, from the ground to the roof, was tightly packed. Although it is said that these bronzes are worth more than 10 million yuan, they do not feel their value when they are piled together. Later, I looked at a few rooms, and it was still the same. What surprised me the most was that even the kitchen and toilet were piled with antiques. The owner of the antique told me that he chose to live in the alley because he was afraid of being coveted by gangsters. And he has set up so many iron gates with various security functions, and ordinary people can’t even spy on his antiques from outside the door. The friend added: “He loves antiques so much that his wife and children can’t stand it, so he emigrated to a foreign country.” The owner of the antiques said, “What do women and children know?” I said to him, “Your antiques are so valuable. , and there are so many, why not sell a few pieces and buy a large display space for more people to appreciate? In this way, the house will not even have a place to sit!” He said: “I don’t want to buy a good antique. Sell it.” He added: “And those lay people know what antiques are?”
When I left, I felt a little sad, no matter how great antiques are, they are only “objects”, how can they compare to people with love? Besides, in order to possess antiques, what is the point of being frightened when alive, like a prisoner trapped in a cell with several iron gates, like a beggar living in a garbage heap? What’s more, people will leave the world, just like the former owner of the antique in his hands, there will always be a moment when he will put both hands away, and he will not be able to take one away. Real possession does not have to be possession, and a real connoisseur of antiques does not have to be a collector. Occasionally, if you want to appreciate antiques, you can go to the Palace Museum and spend tens of yuan for tickets to see real rare antiques. Tired, spend dozens of yuan drinking oolong tea specially selected by the Forbidden City at Sanxitang, isn’t life very comfortable? When I get home, the windows are bright and clean, and I don’t need three iron gates to protect it, and I don’t need to compete with ruthless things for positions.
Our life is so short, if we have plans, we will be troubled; if we have attachments, we will be bound; if we gain, we will lose. If we spend our time on goods, we have no time for hearts. If we run for our desires day and night, we will lose our health. If we become pot idiots, stone idiots, jade idiots, and antique idiots, we will forget the preciousness of the sentient world. How much is it worth to eat a good meal, drink a cup of tea happily, have a day of joy without worry, and sleep without dreams at night? “To live in a clump of flowers, a leaf does not stick to the body.” That kind of life is the life we yearn for. Among the clumps of flowers is “sentence”, and a leaf that does not stick to the body is “consciousness”. Misunderstanding and praise, criticism and praise are like the misty rain in Lushan and the tide in Zhejiang, and there is nothing.
The best spring tea last spring will lose its taste this year, so this year’s spring tea should be drunk this year. Spring tea is good every year, and the stoneware teacup in front of me is also very good. The burden of antiques, antiquities, diamonds, pearls, and even everything is left to those who are willing to bear it.
