Dawn's pale light crept through the window as off-key singing pierced the air - "Who wakes first from grand dreams? Money's hard earned, earning's hard" - followed by the impassioned strains of Tang Dynasty band's rendition of "The Internationale" echoing from a small high-rise apartment complex in the town.
Zhao Ming stirred awake on his single spring mattress, the vivid dream still clinging to his consciousness:
In a warehouse-like space illuminated by dim yellow bulbs, a group of youths in Republican China-era student uniforms finished their chorus of "The Internationale". Cradling bowls of Chinese yellow wine and draining them in gulps, they were about to shatter the bowls to pledge their resolves, but were interrupted by a fair-skinned young man in plain Chinese traditional scholar's robe and gold-rimmed glasses who anxiously intervened.
"Wait! Don't break them! These are Greek-style hand-painted ceramics worth good money. There's an art exhibition at the consulate next Wednesday - I can trade these for decent funds."
"Ho! The Young Master Qian from Wuxi's Flour Machinery Guild still pinches pennies?" A petite, dark-skinned female student with round face retorted sarcastically.
The so-called Young Master Qian from Wuxi busily wrapped each ceramic bowl with practiced care, nestling them in pre-prepared wooden crates padded with wood shavings. Muttering to himself, "My father's wealth is his own. Every coin I earn myself means more supplies and medicines we can procure."
A similarly dressed youth rolling up his sleeves to help clean chimed in defensively: "Exactly! When we studied painting in Belgium, Young Master and I worked night shifts at restaurants. We never touched tuition money or allowances from family and concubines - all went to the society's funds."
"Little Brother, no need for such loud declarations. Anyway... We should be going." Shouldering a large crate, Young Master Qian hurried out with his companion carrying another box.
Left in the room, someone questioned: "Xiao-Mei, why this prejudice against him?" "Hmph! You know how he secured that consulate exhibition slot? His grandfather was chief comprador for the Benelux consortium - probably sold out our nation's benefits countless times. Let's see how long he can keep up this act!"
Lying dazed on his mattress, Zhao Ming replayed this hyperreal dream... Could this be ancestral guidance on wealth acquisition?
His family were indeed former capitalists! He recalled the sprawling ancestral home on Wuxi's pedestrian street that his branch once owned, and the even grander mansion belonging to his granduncle's lineage. Since his great-grandmother's passing and the Cultural Revolution's turbulence, control of their property now rested with stingy granduncles - notoriously difficult relatives to approach.
But with this time-travel advantage... Zhao Ming's eyes lit up. These art-obsessed relatives might come crawling if he could obtain museum-grade paintings from the parallel world. Trading a masterpiece for ancestral properties seemed feasible - after all, the old mansions remained within clan hands.
Electrified by purpose, Zhao Ming sprang from bed and feverishly compiled an AI-generated list of artifacts into his WeeChat notes:
1. "Night-Shining White" by Han Gan (Tang Dynasty) Current Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Background: Collected by Li Yu, last Southern Tang ruler. Mortgaged to Japanese dealer Yamaka Shokai by Prince Gong Pujie in late Qing. Donated by Dillon Fund in 1936. The eye-whitening technique for the Ferghana horse mirrors the "Horse Appraisal" scroll fragment in Zhao family archives.
2. "Arhat Paintings" (16 scrolls) by Guan Xiu (Five Dynasties) .Current Holdings: 8 in Freer Gallery, 5 in MFA Boston. Purchased from Hangzhou's Jingci Temple by Japanese dealer Hayasaki Kōkichi in 1912. Two scrolls' colophons mention "Wuxi Huishan Bamboo Stove" tea ceremonies, potentially linking to Zhao ancestors' porcelain trade.
3. "Ten Thousand Miles of Yangtze" by Xie Shichen (Ming). Location: Cleveland Museum of Art. Formerly owned by Zhang Boju, sold to American oil tycoon Clyde via Hong Kong dealer Li Wenqing in 1948. The "Zhao Porcelain Workshop" banner in Zhenjiang section matches clan records of Wanli-era operations.
4. "Lady Wenji's Return" by Zhang Yu (Jin Dynasty) Held at MFA Boston. Secret: 1936 Wuxi Chamber of Commerce seal found in lining, possibly handled by granduncle Zhao Jingming. Xiongnu warriors' gilt-animal-hilt swords resemble Yuan weapons from Zhao cellar excavations.
5. "Qianlong's Southern Tour Vol.6" (Suzhou-Wuxi section) At The Met. Final section depicts "Zhao Kiln Tribute" marked blue-and-white crates at Huishan Wharf. Acquired in 1954 from descendants of Shanghai dealer Wu Qizhou - Zhao family's Republican-era porcelain exporter.
6. "500 Arhats" by Zhou Jichang (Southern Song) 10 in MFA Boston, 5 in Freer. Arhat No.48's ceramic bowl bears "Xuanhe 2nd Year, Zhao Prefecture" micro-inscription, aligning with Ming-era ancestral claims.
7. "Odes of Bin" by Ma Hezhi (Song) At The Met. Disassembled and sold by C.T. Loo in 1922. The "Zhao" inscription on farming tools in "July" section matches Song ploughshares excavated at Wuxi's Donglin Academy.
8. "Lockgate Mill" by Wei Xian (Five Dynasties) Nelson-Atkins Museum. "Hui Quan Chun" wine banner matches Zhao's Yuan-era brewery. Acquired in 1935 from Shanghai-based Tong Yun Company founded by Zhao Jingming's St. John's University classmate.
9. "Eighteen Songs of Nomad Flute" by You Qiu (Ming) Honolulu Museum of Art. Scene 9's blue-and-white Sanskrit stemcup mirrors Zhao's 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo exhibit. Colophon references "Zhao Shiyan's 1569 gift" - Zhao Ming's direct ancestor.
10. "Eight Eminent Monks" (Tang Anonymous) At The Met (Vol.3). Northern Song postscript mentions "Huishan Temple kasaya offerings", correlating with Tang-era monastic robe formerly in Zhao's Buddhist hall bearing "Zhao 15th Lady's 845 AD donation" liner inscription.