Invisible Security Guard
Chapter 312: How Did Yusuf Zuck Know?

Chapter 312: Chapter 312: How Did Yusuf Zuck Know?

Meanwhile, within an alley in Hangzhou’s Old Street, Anna Cooke and Yu Xinxin had rested for the night and finally came to visit the folk craft master Malachi Hicks.

Malachi Hicks was over sixty years old, of unremarkable appearance, indistinguishable from any ordinary elderly person, yet within the collector’s circles, his name was legendary and resonated like thunder.

Malachi’s craft-making skills were rare in the country; it was said he inherited them from a certain school, which itself was founded single-handedly by a renowned artisan of the imperial court.

Malachi had a son, but the son was not involved in collecting nor did he inherit his father’s skills; he simply worked as an ordinary civil servant.

Many believed Malachi’s craft would be lost since his son did not pursue his art and he had not taken on any apprentices. Thus, discussions about him within the circle were filled with regret.

The reason why Anna Cooke and Yu Xinxin were here was to understand who Wren Hicks was, and in fact, she also wanted to understand how Yusuf Zuck had managed to recognize it, as well as the relationship between Yusuf Zuck and Wren Hicks.

As they had made an appointment by phone the day before, when Yu Xinxin and Anna Cooke arrived, Malachi Hicks welcomed Yu Xinxin with great respect.

He did not know Anna Cooke’s identity, but Yu Xinxin was considered a master of Sinology, a scholar of academia. Malachi, as a folk artist, had always admired such scholars, and since they had met before, he received Yu Xinxin with exceptional hospitality.

Meeting an old friend, they exchanged pleasantries, after which Yu Xinxin carefully unwrapped the layers surrounding a porcelain vase, and the Six-Ear Blue and White Porcelain was revealed before Malachi Hicks.

Without a word from Yu Xinxin, Malachi knew that Yu Xinxin was testing him. So, he put on his reading glasses and took a magnifying glass to examine it closely.

"Eh... strange... strange..." With his examination over, Malachi Hicks was full of surprise, uttering ’strange’ repeatedly while continuing to scrutinize the piece.

After half an hour, Malachi finally put down his glasses, took a deep breath, and said, "A master, dare I ask, Master Yu, the origin of this vase?"

"You don’t know?" Yu Xinxin said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Malachi Hicks asked oddly.

"Then, Brother Hicks, please share what you’ve found!" said Yu Xinxin, also looking surprised, because from Malachi’s expression, it was clear the vase was not made by Malachi’s hand, and he had never seen this vase before!

"This vase is assembled, composed of three separate parts: the top, middle, and bottom, which after perfect polishing, were seamlessly joined together and finally painted. Most importantly, the technique for aging the colors is exceptionally high-level, almost indistinguishable from the style of my own school. We have a master among the folk, forgive my poor eyesight, I cannot guess which great master created this, please enlighten me, Master Yu."

Anna Cooke interjected, "It was made by a master named Wren Hicks—someone who shares your last name, Elder Hicks. But I, my teacher, and those around us have never heard of this Wren Hicks. Do you know of her, Elder Hicks?"

"Wren Hicks? Wren Hicks?" Malachi Hicks reacted as if he had misheard something, with a look of astonishment and disbelief, his eyes widening in shock.

"Elder Hicks, do you know her?" both Anna Cooke and Yu Xinxin asked with keen interest.

Without answering them, Malachi Hicks shook his head and said, "Impossible, it’s impossible, how could it be made by Wren’s hands? She only learned a few days when she was young, watching me craft. Yes, she has my notes, but just with notes, it’s impossible to create such a perfect work, impossible, impossible."

"Brother Hicks, do you know who this Wren is?" Yu Xinxin asked again.

Malachi Hicks smiled bitterly, "Do I know her? Wren is my granddaughter, my only granddaughter, and she’s still in university. Oh, right, her family should be coming back today for the New Year, they should be arriving soon."

"Uh..." Upon hearing that Wren Hicks was Malachi Hicks’ granddaughter, Yu Xinxin and Anna Cooke exchanged a glance.

Chu Lixin thought of the noted family producing notable scholars, while Anna Cooke was astonished that even Malachi Hicks did not know the piece was made by Wren Hicks. How did Yusuf Zuck know about it? Could he possibly know Wren Hicks?

"Grandpa, we’re back..." A cheerful shout came from outside the courtyard, followed by a young girl and a middle-aged couple carrying several large bags of groceries as they walked into the courtyard.

"Huh?" As the girl came in, she paused for a moment, and she also spotted the bottle on the table, casting a curious glance at Anna Cooke and Chu Lixin.

"Dad, you have guests." Malachi Hicks’s son and daughter-in-law greeted Anna Cooke and Chu Lixin with polite nods.

Malachi Hicks promptly introduced the identities of Chu Lixin and Anna Cooke, and Malachi Hicks’s son and his wife became even more courteous. Having a master of Chinese studies over was truly an honor!

"Jinghan, did you make this bottle?" After the introductions, Malachi Hicks stared at the girl and asked.

"What bottle did I make, Grandpa? What are you talking about? How could I make any bottle?" The girl looked innocent and puzzled.

"Old Chu said this bottle was made by a master called Wren Hicks, so how do you explain that?" Malachi Hicks questioned.

"Uh... no way, Grandfather Chu, why would you say I made it?" the girl asked curiously.

"This wasn’t something I said, it was a friend known to Delaney who mentioned it!" Chu Lixin shook his head and smiled.

"Jinghan, you’re being mischievous again." At this point, Wren Hicks’s mother suddenly glared at Wren Hicks, then looked at Chu Lixin, turning to Malachi Hicks to say, "Dad, Old Chu, this bottle was indeed made by Jinghan. She spent several months making it in her room, then somehow it ended up somewhere else. We never expected it to fall into Old Chu’s hands!"

"Mom..." Hearing her mother reveal her secret, Wren Hicks worriedly looked at Malachi Hicks.

Her grandfather’s craft had not been passed down to her; it was more like she had stolen it, and she hadn’t wanted her grandfather to know. But now, having made such an item, it was recognized by someone else, who even knew it was made by Wren Hicks?

Who was the person who recognized this bottle? It was impossible, as her signature was hidden in a double wall inside the bottle, something nobody else in the world knew except for her.

However, it was peculiar that someone did indeed know it was her work, and had even found their home!

"Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful, this is splendid! I never thought I, Malachi Hicks, would receive the biggest surprise of my life. I have a successor, hahaha!" Malachi Hicks burst out laughing. Why would he blame his grandchild who was so skilled, so remarkable?

"Grandfather Chu, Sister Delaney, could you tell me who it was that told you this bottle was made by me? Aside from my mother, who saw it a few times, no third person knew I made it, so I’m quite curious." Wren Hicks inquired.

"Indeed, I couldn’t tell either, and since Jinghan is not well-known, how could that person know?" Malachi Hicks looked at Chu Lixin and Anna Cooke.

"It was the owner of the Jingcheng Treasure Pavilion, named Yusuf Zuck, a very young man. I asked him to appraise this treasure, and he only said three words, the name of your granddaughter, and added that it was a fine piece!"

"Yusuf Zuck? Mom, have you met this Yusuf Zuck, and did you tell him that I made this bottle?" Wren Hicks asked, befuddled.

"What Yusuf Zuck? I don’t know him at all. I’ve never talked about this bottle," Wren Hicks’s mother responded, torn between laughter and despair. She was not into collecting, so this was never a topic of her conversations, let alone knowing someone named Yusuf Zuck.

"Then how did Yusuf Zuck find out?" Everyone became even more baffled.