It was said that the exterior of the colored egg looked remarkably ordinary, its white enamel shell resembling a real egg, plain and uninspired. However, upon opening it, one would discover a golden hen nestled within. Even more astonishingly, the hen concealed a miniature crown inlaid with diamonds, and a tiny egg made of rubies.
Alas, this treasure was reportedly lost amidst the ravages of war. This egg, too, could be considered one of Fabergé's masterpieces, securing his everlasting fame.
After purchasing jewelry, the group left the jewelry exhibition hall and continued their exploration. They entered a hall dedicated to lacquerware art. Chen Lan paused before a display of lacquer boxes. In her previous life, she had heard a close friend who had traveled to Russia say, "Russian lacquerware art has a long history, with exquisite craftsmanship and painting, making it highly collectible."
Seeing Chen Lan's indifferent expression, her friend pointed to the lacquer box she had purchased and said, "Lanzi, look closely at its exterior. It distinctly embodies the characteristics of Russian lacquer painting, with a very pronounced 'fighting nation' flavor. Examine its craftsmanship; isn't it exceptionally refined? Let me tell you, because the production process for this lacquerware is so remarkable, a finished lacquer box, as long as you don't drop or scratch it, and if used under normal circumstances, can remain as bright and new as when you first bought it for many years."
Chen Lan recalled her friend also saying, "Although this Russian lacquerware art piece shares similarities with the one I bought in the Land of the Sun, there are still differences! Lanzi, you see, Russian lacquerware leans towards ethnic charm, while the latter's lacquerware is more focused on intricate details!"
With this thought, Chen Lan lowered her head and examined it carefully. Indeed, it was exactly as her friend had described.
Chen Lan looked at the various shaped lacquer boxes adorned with unique Russian-style patterns. They possessed both practicality and aesthetic appeal, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they displayed opulence within a small space. They were truly works of art with immense collection value.
This also demonstrated that Russia during the Soviet era was a nation with profound cultural depth. Its produced handicrafts were endless, including lacquer boxes, lacquer paintings, matryoshka dolls, pewterware, and countless other items.
It was said that Europeans greatly favored using Russian lacquer boxes to store jewelry, and Russians themselves were naturally very fond of lacquerware art! Just imagine, placing an exquisitely crafted and novel lacquer box on a dressing table would undoubtedly be a pleasing sight. Therefore, who wouldn't want a lacquer box to hold their jewelry?
Thus, Chen Lan decided on a wholesale purchase. They could serve as gifts for her good friends in the valley, and could also be sold in the system for profit, a perfect win-win situation.
With this in mind, Chen Lan began to select them, though "selecting" was more akin to just picking them up, as she was dazzled by the exquisite and spectacular lacquerware art.
Xu Mingxuan saw that Chen Lan had already taken about thirty and showed no signs of stopping. He quickly reached out, took her hand, and stopped her from picking up any more. Chen Lan then snapped back to attention and looked at the counter. Good heavens, there was a huge pile; the counter was already overflowing. This was a classic case of impulse buying, truly not to be encouraged.
Chen Lan looked up and glanced at Xiang Xi and Andrei. As expected, she saw expressions of great surprise on their faces. She knew her shopping style was too unrestrained and must have startled them.
While Chen Lan was looking up in a daze, Xu Mingxuan quickly paid the salesclerk. By the time Chen Lan came to her senses, she saw the salesclerk smiling beamingly, carefully packing the lacquer boxes one by one. This was done to prevent chipping due to collision. Chen Lan hadn't expected that the service attitude and quality in Russia in the early 1960s were quite good!
Xu Mingxuan carefully loaded the meticulously packed lacquer boxes into a backpack, one by one. The backpack was instantly filled. As soon as everything was loaded, he took Chen Lan's hand and left the lacquerware exhibition hall without looking back.
The group then moved to the display of pewterware. Chen Lan, not understanding pewterware at all, simply stood aside, watching with curiosity, and waiting for them. The selection of pewterware was left to the men.
Andrei, at this moment, proved to be of great use. He pointed to the various brilliant, exquisitely crafted, and intricately made pewter items, expounding: "Nikolai, Boris, let me tell you, pewterware not only has the characteristics of being antibacterial, non-toxic, and resistant to oxidation, but it also possesses a lustrous sheen. Most importantly, storing tea in a pewter pot can preserve the tea's color and aroma for a long time. If used to hold wine, the wine will be even more fragrant and mellow. We have both these items at home, and they are truly excellent to use."
Hearing this, Chen Lan looked at the lifelike, elegant, and exquisite pewter crafts displayed on the counter. She naturally recalled learning in her chemistry classes that tin, as a metal, had very stable chemical properties and did not easily oxidize at room temperature. Most importantly, tin metal was a green metal, harmless to the human body, and possessed excellent bactericidal, purifying, moisturizing, and preserving effects. Therefore, pewterware enjoyed the reputation of "water stored tastes sweet, wine stored is fragrant and mellow, tea stored retains its flavor, and flowers placed in it last longer."
In ancient China, people had the custom of using pewterware. They particularly favored using tin cans to store tea and pewter pots to hold wine. The reasons for using tin cans for tea were: first, its antioxidant properties; second, its resistance to high temperatures and excellent cooling and heat dissipation functions; third, its ability to block external moisture; fourth, its light-blocking properties; and fifth, its ability to prevent odors.
As for the vessels and crafts made of tin for decoration, they were understated yet striking, comparable to gleaming silver items.
Upon hearing about the many benefits of pewterware, Xu Mingxuan and Xiang Xi naturally did not hold back. Chen Lan did not expect that even three grown men would hesitate and struggle to make decisions when buying things.
After careful selection and comparison, the men each chose a few pewter pots and cans that they deemed suitable. Then, the three of them turned to look at Chen Lan. Seeing them all looking at her, Chen Lan shrugged her small shoulders, indicating that she didn't understand either and couldn't offer any good suggestions.