Chapter 38 Adventures in Chinatown
After coming out of the church, you can see the most classic road sign at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway Street. Andy stood under the road sign for a while, but no one felt his strange behavior. Here time is money, and no one went back to care about other people's behavior.
After the trip to Wall Street, Andy and his group walked west one or two blocks to the World Trade Center site. In 2001, 911 shocked the world. Looking at the open space surrounded by buildings, the reconstruction project was laying the foundation, and construction workers could be seen from time to time.
Andy looked at everything silently, and looked at the people walking through the "World Trade Center". The people coming and going had their own thoughts. From time to time, they could see some pedestrians showing sadness. Joseph and Kenny looked at the ruins with serious expressions. Andy knew that this pain would stay in all walks of life in the United States for a long time.
A star and striped flag was hanging not far from the construction site, and several Americans next to them were giving speeches excitedly. When they approached, Andy realized that they were giving an anti-war speech.
After listening silently for a while, Andy returned to the car, "The next stop in Times Square."
Times Square is located in the triangle area between 42nd Street and Flod Street and 7th Road. New York is usually called a park "plaza", and it is neither a park nor a square square, but a triangle area. The name is named after the head office of the New York Times moved here in 1904. As the center of the classical music industry in New York, the Lincoln Center is a stage that all artists long for, and it is also the New York Cultural Center that brings together opera houses, concert halls, and outdoor concert halls. It was said that this was a slum, but now it has become an important stage for performing arts and is the most coveted residential area in New York.
Andy stood in the triangle and felt the colorful world that was crazy and expanded to infinite. Looking at the surging of people from different skin colors, different countries and different ethnic groups around the world; showing a stage without a stage.
The semi-cylindrical Nasdaq huge advertisement kept changing with black, blue and red hot and cold faces, and seemed to be telling the unpredictable stock market in the world's financial center!
"It's indeed the intersection of the world. Perhaps having a place here can make you worthwhile in your life." Andy looked at the prosperous land and sighed secretly. He knew that in this area where the interests had been allocated, the surrounding buildings were almost impossible to get involved without spending hundreds of millions of dollars.
There is a special building in Times Square. The building is empty all year round, but it can bring tens of millions of dollars in advertising fees every year. In 1997, a building like this could be sold for $117 million.
New York has distinct seasons, so the weather in midsummer is very hot. Andy is a little too sunny to bear it. After looking at the time, it was almost noon.
In the morning, I took a quick look at several famous attractions. Andy was a little tired when he walked, so he decided to go to the last stop of today.
Huaxia City in New York is relatively chaotic, not even the most symbolic Huaxia City archway. However, Huaxia City in New York has more than 30 streets and alleys, crisscrossing and a strong sense of life.
I found a restaurant with a good storefront in Huaxia City and had an authentic Cantonese cuisine. The boss was shocked by Andy's Chinese proficiency, especially Andy said in Mandarin, "What I want to eat is authentic Cantonese cuisine. Don't make some sweet and weird Chinese dishes. I can't eat the Chinese dishes you invented to fool foreigners."
The boss's stunned look was funny to think about it, because he knew Andy, Huaxiatong, so the boss naturally would not fool him, so he went to the kitchen and explained to the chef.
After dinner, Andy drank a pot of Longjing tea from the boss and chatted with the restaurant owner for a while.
The scene of a tall and handsome foreigner chatting with a slightly fat Chinese attracted the frequent attention of other diners. From time to time, people could also hear marvel at Andy's Mandarin level and a strong sense of incongruity.
"You ask about the antique shop on this street?" The hotel owner frowned, not knowing how to answer.
When Andy saw his entangled expression, he naturally thought of the other party's concerns and said with a smile: "I just want to see it. I'm very curious about the ancient culture of China. It doesn't matter whether it is true or false. After all, I don't understand it. I won't buy it randomly, just take a look."
The hotel owner heard Andy's explanation and said, "That's good. After all, antiques require eyesight and experience. It is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between real and fake. You still have to consider it clearly when buying. There is an antique shop on this street that has been open for decades. It can still be seen. There is a Hester Street market near Huaxia City and there are some antique stalls, but the things there depend on your eyes."
After checking out, Andy took Joseph and Kenny to find a small plaque with black gold letters hanging in the messy signboard based on the address given by the hotel owner, and wrote "Jubaoxuan".
Andy pushed the door open and walked in. It was clean and tidy inside, with a long corridor-style space, with alloy glass display cabinets on both sides close to the wall, and bright lights shining on every antique in the display cabinet.
At the end of the corridor was a long table. When the boss saw three foreigners coming in, he knew that the customer was coming and he had a raw face. He immediately greeted him with a smile on his face.
"Welcome to the shop. The shop mainly sells antiques from the Celestial Empire, as well as some European and Russian antiques. I wonder what the gentlemen need?" The owner of the antique shop came forward to entertain him enthusiastically.
"I don't know the surname of Mr. Wang? I introduced it to Mr. Wang from the Cantonese Restaurant. I am mainly interested in the culture of the Celestial Empire. Come and have a look." Andy smiled and stretched out his hand and said in fluent Mandarin.
"Ah!" The antique shop owner was frightened by Andy's Mandarin. After all, a foreigner's Mandarin skills were better than him. This was a bit unexpected. He spoke Chinese with a strong local accent. He knew that he was a little out of control. He hurriedly reached out to shake hands with Andy and apologized: "I'm really sorry, your Mandarin is really good. I was shocked. I'm not sure what the sir is called? Since it was introduced by Brother Wang, he was his own person. What is the absolute discount for him?"
Andy couldn't help but curl her lips secretly. The people in the antique circle were all savages, and they were so ruthless when they killed people. However, they still said with a smile: "Andy Smith, you can call me Andy, then thank Mr. Chen for your care."
"Haha, nothing, so do Mr. Smith have any preferences?" Antique Chen asked enthusiastically.
"I don't have any preferences, and I don't understand either. I just feel curious and have a certain understanding of the culture of the Celestial Empire, so I came to take a look and take a look first." Andy said indifferently. He didn't know anything about identification, but because he has become a rich man now and is curious about the various antiques auctioned in his previous life.
"Okay, please take a look at what you want. I'll give you a discount." Chen, an antique, knew that Andy really didn't understand, so he stopped asking. After looking at Joseph and Kenny, who looked at Andy's head, had a strong body and serious face, he immediately understood that these two were Andy Smith's bodyguards or helpers. He still had this vision.
Andy bent down slightly and looked at the various antiques, calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, jade, bronzes, etc. in the display cabinet. It can be said that it includes almost all kinds of antiques that Andy knows, as well as some European silver tableware and jewelry. Andy doesn't know what it is, but there is a thin rope tied with a tag on the bracket of each antique. The tag says the price and the price is clearly marked.
Antique Chen looked at Andy's sudden appearance and was a little disappointed. He thought he could make a fortune by encountering a sucker, but he didn't expect that he was a self-aware young man. It was not easy to make money after seeing this money.
After looking around, Andy also found a few things that he was interested in, but he did not show it. After all, he really didn't know the authenticity of the things. Although he couldn't see this little money, being cheated by the eyes would still make people feel very depressed.
"How is it? Does Mr. Smith have something to like? If so, I'll take it out for you and take a look at it. The price is easy to say." Antique Chen asked enthusiastically without any impatientness.
"Haha, there are really a few who look at you." Andy smiled and pointed it out to Chen Yiyi.
Antique Chen immediately took out a tray and took out what Andy pointed out, then locked the display cabinet, and the four of them walked to the long table inside. Antique Chen turned on the spotlight on the table, asked Andy to take her seat, then went opposite him, took out a pair of white gloves and put them on, and began to introduce Andy.
"Mr. Smith, this is a jade pig dragon, also known as the jade beast jiao, and the jade artifact found in Hongshan and other places. It is also collectively called Hongshan Culture. The jade pig dragon is not just an ornament, but a magical artifact, a totem object that represents the gods of his ancestors worshipped by the ancestors of Hongshan. Your vision is really good. This jade pig dragon is a rare fine product among the Hongshan antiques I collected."
Andy looked at the antique Chen and gave him a thumbs up to compliment him, and couldn't help but feel funny. He still knew Jade Pig Dragon, but he just didn't know whether it was true or false.
"This piece is a bronze lying dog paperweight in the mid-Qing Dynasty. Look at the shape and lines of the lying dog, it is finely made, and it is definitely a fine product. The last piece of this late Qing Dynasty beeswax bracelet has a soft texture and a gentle color. This bracelet is said to be worn by a prince of the Qing Dynasty and is very precious." Chen Chen started to tell stories with a thrilling eloquence.
Andy did not interrupt him to tell the story, but listened with a smile, nodded from time to time to cater to him, reached out to pick up the jade pig dragon with yellow and white markings and C-shaped holes in the middle. According to Antique Chen, the texture of this jade pig dragon is green jade.
"Hiss~~~" A cold and biting cold cold penetrated the soul. A trace of fear flashed through Andy's eyes, and he hurriedly put the jade pig dragon in his hand back on the tray.
What's going on? How could there be a cold feeling? Andy was really a little panicked. He looked at the antique Chen's strange gaze and hurriedly covered his face and asked, "What era is this jade pig dragon from? What is it mainly used for?"
(Ahem, this article is an urban city, not fantasy, will never be separated from the human body, and will not have any special functions. Don't worry, this will be explained clearly in the next chapter. Some bigwigs will not scold you first. The little devil will definitely refuse to write the golden finger. Also, thank you for your rewards, so I won't list them one by one. Thank you for your recommendation votes!! Dears, you still have to vote for more recommendation votes~~~~)
Chapter completed!