Chapter 9: Three Messages

The bad news is that this painting is a work from Picasso's transitional period, likely created casually, and holds little value, possibly only slightly more expensive than Pinarang's copy of "Sunflowers"

Shashevsky informed the two individuals that appraising a Picasso painting is quite time-consuming, requiring at least two hours, as they also need to connect with experts from the company's International Fine Arts Department for discussion

"Are you addicted to my fruit salad?" Qin Shiao laughed, putting down his bowl and chopsticks. He took out blueberries and black grapes, mixed them with syrup and salad dressing in a small bowl, and placed it on the dining table

"Why can't they be auctioned separately?" Auerbach asked

Auerbach introduced the bald old man to Qin Shiaoou, saying: "This is my good friend Shashefsky, the Art Director of the Leith Auction House in Ontario. These two are his colleagues, both of whom are appraisers at the Leith Auction House."

However, the two little squirrels did not go directly to eat. Xiao Ming, accompanied by the newly arrived squirrel, jumped in front of Qin Shiao and extended their front paws, each holding a plump pine nut, demonstrating that they also knew to come bearing gifts

Shashevsky pondered for a moment and said, "If the paintings by Pina Let are sold separately, they could probably fetch between 2 million and 2.2 million Canadian dollars. If sold as a package at auction, it might be around 1.5 million Canadian dollars"

Not long after, a BMW 750Li drove into the fishing ground. Auerbach got out of the car, followed by three others: an elderly man with thinning hair and a spirited demeanor, and two middle-aged Caucasian men in suits with blonde hair.

There was no other option; Qin Shiao had to crack open a pine nut and put it in his mouth. As a result, this pine nut was sweet, even sweeter than the syrup he mixed with fruits. The taste was excellent, and the roasted pine nuts available domestically were simply incomparable to this.

Shashefsky nodded and said, "First, let me share the good news: 'The Woman with the Golden Drum' is indeed an authentic work by Picasso. According to carbon-14 dating, the painting was created in 1939"

At the same time, Shashefsky explained to Qin Shiao why that painting "Sunflowers" is clearly a forgery. It is well known that Van Gogh was Dutch, and the language he used was Dutch.

Seeing him eat two pine nuts, Xiao Ming began to laugh and jumped around the fruit plate

Qin Shiou felt helpless; why couldn't this person speak more directly? The feeling of extreme joy and sorrow was truly uncomfortable. He simply asked, "How much do you think the paintings here are worth?"

Qin Shihou was amused by the gloom, thinking this guy treated his place like a charity hall, even calling friends over for a meal

Surprised by the cleverness of the little squirrel, Qin Shiao handed it blueberries several times. When he called out "Xiao Ming" again, the little squirrel happily ran in front of him

"Damn, it's smarter than the dog I raised," Qin Shiao sighed, just as he was praising it, when the little squirrel, having eaten its fill, flicked its bushy tail and darted away.

The phone rang, and Auerbach's voice came through, stating that he and his friend from the Leese Auction House would arrive shortly

Auerbach inquired, "Why is there such a large price disparity?"

Sashefsky answered his doubts: "Arthur Pinajian was an Armenian-American painter and cartoonist, born in 1914. His parents survived the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and later came to the United States, where he taught himself to paint from childhood."

Unbeknownst to me, at 11:00, when hetushu.com was on, Shashefsky knocked on the door and walked in. As soon as he entered, he noticed the bronze statue placed on the balcony for decoration, and his attention was immediately captivated, prompting him to walk over quickly for a closer look.

Qin Shiyou placed the pine nuts down, and Xiaoming jumped over, picked one up, and handed it to him, clearly indicating that he wanted him to eat it

The Levis Brothers Auction House was established in 1958 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It is now headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and has over 110 business locations worldwide, employing more than 1,160 full-time staff. In the Canadian auction industry, it is undoubtedly the leading authority.

Regarding this outcome, Qin Shiao is somewhat satisfied. What he urgently needs now is the portion of money related to the will verification and taxation. The auction of these paintings will evidently resolve his immediate concerns. As for acquiring more money, Qin Shiao is not in a hurry; having developed this awareness that allows him to navigate the seas freely, he believes that discovering the true sunken treasures is only a matter of time.

The rich aroma of rice blends with the fresh fragrance of wild fish, as the snow-white grains of rice and the translucent fish flesh complement each other, presenting a feast for the senses in terms of color, aroma, and flavor

Qin Shiyou called out once more, and the little squirrel blinked its black eyes, climbing up along the table leg and running to the position indicated by Qin Shiyou

The three appraisers first examined the paintings of Pina Lang, looking at each one very carefully, taking about an hour. Shashefsky walked over to Qin Shiao and sat down, saying: "Hello, Mr. Qin, based on our research, all of Mr. Pina Lang's paintings are authentic"

Two suited men introduced themselves. One is named Kelvin, who primarily studies sketching, while the other is named Petrus, who is skilled in oil painting

Furthermore, there is an uncertain message from m.hetushu.com that your statue of 'Perseus and Medusa' may be an authentic piece. I will immediately invite my colleagues to conduct an appraisal. If it is indeed authentic, I estimate its value to be at least 30 million Canadian dollars

Sashefsky further explained: "Because it is the artists, not the collectors, who appreciate the paintings, the artists do not participate in auctions; they do not have the financial means to compete with those wealthy magnates. Moreover, for a single painting with such low prestige, collectors would not be interested; it can only be auctioned in a bundled manner."

It was still 6:30 in the morning when Qin Shiao got up. Yesterday, when he left Hickson's restaurant, he stopped by the supermarket to buy some rice and made a bit of fish and rice porridge in the morning

Qin Shiyou was happily having breakfast when the bedroom window was knocked on with a "bang bang". He opened the window, and the red squirrel, Xiao Ming, jumped in, its small paws clasped in front of its chest, looking up at him with its dark little eyes in a dazed manner, its small tongue licking back and forth.

Shashefsky explained: "Things are valuable because they are rare. If thirty paintings appear on the market at the same time, it will diminish the value of the Pina Lang paintings. Selling them separately—not through auction—would eliminate this concern."

However, since they are here to help, Qin Shiao must maintain politeness and said, "Please feel free, sir"

Shashevsky was serious and earnest; upon seeing the painting, he furrowed his brows and began to study and discuss it with his two subordinates

Qin Shiou was roaring inside, "Are you playing with me, sir? We are not filming a movie. If you have any news, just say it directly. Why do I have to hear which news is good, bad, or uncertain first?"

The remaining focus is to authenticate Picasso's painting "Woman with a Tambourine".

Xiao Ming climbed onto the dining table at https://www.hetushu.com and squeaked "Zhi Zhi". Another squirrel glanced at Qin Shi O and cautiously climbed onto the dining table as well

Auerbach introduced Qin Shiao to the Li's Auction House. Although it cannot be compared to world-class auction houses such as Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips, and Sotheby's, this auction house is also quite renowned in Canada

Qin Shiyou was puzzled, what is the difference between a genuine work and a counterfeit? Could it be that this skin and that let is from some painter? Previously, he had searched online but found no information about this person.

After a short while, the squirrel Xiaoming bounced back, accompanied by a slightly larger red squirrel.

Qin Shiyou laid out thirty paintings, and the three individuals donned gloves and took out magnifying glasses. They also brought a small device, which, after connecting to a laptop, could be used to scan these paintings

Shashefsky walked around the statue several times. After a long while, he turned back, frowned, and said: "Mr. Qin, I have a good news, a bad news, and an uncertain news to tell you. Which one would you like to hear first?"

The little squirrel, perplexed, jumped around on the ground, stretching its claws and chattering eagerly.

Both pine nuts are plump. When Qin Shi Ou received them, Xiao Ming jumped up joyfully, while the other squirrel appeared somewhat reserved, honestly lying beside them

Qin Shiyou was quite satisfied; at least the payment for the verification of his will was sufficient for the tax, and he could accept this fishing ground.

Shashefsky provided a brief introduction, and Qin Shiou felt a surge of joy, asking, "Are Mr. Pina Lang's paintings very valuable?"

Qin Shiyou handed the blueberry to it, but this time it did not eat it; instead, it gave it to another little squirrel

Like many renowned artists, Mr. Pina lived in obscurity during his lifetime, relying on his work for comic companies and illustrated books to make a living, passing away in 1999. It was only a year after his death that his achievements in the field of fine arts were recognized by the art community. He had profound expertise in portraiture, landscape painting, and abstract art, particularly his abstract expressionist works, which are considered to possess extremely high artistic value

This statue was retrieved from Shenbao Lake along with those paintings. Qin Shiao felt that the statue, being covered in rust, should not be worth much.

He picked up a blueberry, tapped the table, and said, "Xiao Ming, come here."

Qin Shiao lost interest after waiting for a while, so she ran upstairs to the bedroom to watch television with the two little squirrels

Upon hearing this, Shashevsky smiled slightly and said, "Indeed, some of Mr. Pina's paintings are now quite valuable, but this is limited to his abstract works. Although you have four abstract paintings here, unfortunately, they are all early works and not very valuable."

Seeing an old friend was quite disappointing, but he comforted me by saying: "That piece of leather, the copy of 'Sunflowers,' can indeed be auctioned as a single piece. My estimate is 300,000 Canadian dollars, which should not be too low"

Accompanied by two squirrels, Qin Shou returned to the bedroom to watch television. Xiao Ming was also very interested in the scenes on the TV; whenever Qin Shou smiled, it would bounce around. The other squirrel, however, was napping while lying on Qin Shou's shoulder, holding a black grape.

This should be the food that squirrels store for winter and spring. Spring arrives late in Canada, and squirrels cannot find food until April. This gift is a precious item for them

The similarities between Dutch and English lie in their use of letter combinations, but the former does not include the letters "Q, X, Y." However, on this painting "Sunflowers," there is a phrase: "To my wandering life," which contains the letters X and Y. Therefore, it is evident that this is not an authentic piece.