I Inherited 5,000 Years of Family Property

"Uncle, what should I call you?" Zhang Menglong said to the middle-aged man.

"Mr. Zhang, my name is Cao Yushan, you can just call me Old Cao," he replied.

"Then Cao Hongshan is..." Zhang Menglong's reference to Cao Hongshan was the middle-aged man who had taken him to his residence the day before yesterday.

"Mr. Zhang, that's the eldest of my family, I'm the third in the Cao Family," Cao Yushan explained, "perhaps Miss Hong Yi hasn't told you, but your properties in Gusu are all managed by our Cao Family."

"Oh, I see," Zhang Menglong replied, "you mean there's a family like yours in every city?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, except for some remote small cities, the Hong Family has chosen a family like ours in almost every city. Whenever you come to these cities, we are responsible for all your needs, from food and lodging to everything else."

"How is this different from an emperor making an incognito visit and passing through the domains of local magistrates?" Lu Yiyao blurted out when she heard this.

"Miss, you are quite right, but the only difference is that those magistrates might not be able to do what the emperor wants, whereas as long as Mr. Zhang needs something, our global network can take care of everything for Mr. Zhang in the shortest time possible," Cao Yushan said unconcernedly, aware that Lu Yiyao could very well be the future mistress of the Zhang Family.

"By the way, how much stuff did you bring back this time?" Zhang Menglong had told Hong Yi that as long as it wasn't too much, it would be fine, but looking at this situation, it seemed like they brought out almost half of his library.

"I'm not quite sure about that, let me ask for you." Cao Yushan called over to the people moving boxes, "Who here is in charge?"

Quickly, a person in a black uniform came running over, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Cao, I am Xing Yue, the person in charge arranged by Miss Hong. What can I do for you?"

"Are you a soldier?" Zhang Menglong asked, sensing a kind of military bearing on the middle-aged man.

"I used to be, then I retired," the middle-aged man answered.

"That's good, their treatment should be quite decent, right?" Zhang Menglong asked on behalf of the middle-aged man.

"Rest assured, Mr. Zhang, the income of these retired soldiers is more than triple that of local civil servants, and their benefits are paid according to the highest standard. Of course, they are the elite among the retired soldiers," he was told.

"As long as their treatment is up to standard, that's good," Zhang Menglong nodded, "by the way, how many items did you bring this time? Do you have a list?"

Hearing this, the people around became curious and crowded closer.

"Mr. Zhang, given the scale of this venue, we have prepared around thirty thousand paintings and several hundred other pieces," Xing Yue said.

"Damn it, thirty thousand pieces? Doesn't that European art exhibition by the old Russians only have like twelve thousand paintings in total?"

"No, there's more! Don't forget he just bought over four thousand pieces!"

"They can't all be works by unknown chicken-rib artists, can they?"

"Pah! Are you belittling Boss Zhang?"

"You're out of your mind! Would Boss Zhang use garbage to fool us?"

"Even if we weren't having this meal today, I would have to step up and say something!"

"Exactly!"

As if overhearing the whispers around him, Xing Yue proactively said, "Mr. Zhang, among these thirty thousand works, ten thousand are from Huaxia, including calligraphy and classical Chinese paintings. They feature works by masters like Wang Xizhi, Yan Zhenqing, Tang Yin, Wu Daozi, Qi Baishi, among others."

"Sss!"

Upon hearing these names, many were visibly shocked.

Even those untrained in calligraphy and painting knew the names of the Sage of Calligraphy Wang Xizhi and the Sage of Painting Wu Daozi. Their acclaimed expertise was confirmed by these very titles.

Yan Zhenqing and Tang Yin were talents not an iota lesser than the others, with each of their works commanding sky-high prices!

To be able to offer ten thousand such pieces, even if not all were of this high caliber, just the works of these famous artists alone were more than enough for a standalone calligraphy exhibition and a painting exhibition!

"What about the others?"

"This place also houses over 7,000 works by Picasso, 12 undiscovered works by Da Vinci, as well as works by other artists like Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, and Pissarro."

"Besides that, there are some sculptures, Miss Hong Yi said those items have been gathering dust for too long, and this is a good opportunity to air them out!"

"Shit! I thought Mr. Zhang was already good at showing off, but his employees are even better at it!"

"I just saw works by Myron and Maillol."

"Who are they? I need a crash course!"

"Idiot, they're some of the most renowned sculptors in Europe. Ever heard of the Discobolus? Their works, that's what!"

"Air them out, is that even human speech? Such treasures in someone else's hands are safeguarded and passed down as heirlooms, who would dare to air them out?"

"Only someone like Mr. Zhang could pull off such a display!"

"Alright, thank you all for the hard work, please start getting ready, I've rented this venue and the Gusu City Department of Culture has leased it to me indefinitely. In the future, anyone who wants to visit can do so anytime!"

"Mr. Zhang, can we take a look around now?" that professor from earlier asked, somewhat timidly making his way over.

"Of course, you can, as long as you don't mind the current disarray. Feel free to browse, just don't damage the paintings, after all, creating some 'white trash' isn't ideal!"

The professor was moved by the first half of Zhang Menglong's statement, but upon hearing the latter half, he even felt the impulse to slap Zhang Menglong.

These are world-famous paintings! Each one destroyed is one fewer in the world! How could they be considered 'white trash' in Zhang Menglong's words? To him, are these masterpieces the same as blank sheets of paper?

As the staff began setting up the exhibition, the previously quiet venue suddenly filled with people, turning boisterous in an instant.

"This!!! This is a painting by Van Gogh!"

"There really are paintings by Picasso! All these boxes are full of them! He wasn't lying!"

"This is 'The Holy Mother of Anjou'!"

"How can that be, wasn't that painting lost in the eighteenth century?"

"Could it be a fake?"

"What? 'The Holy Mother of Anjou'? Let me have a look!" The professor, who was initially scrutinizing a painting by Picasso, dashed over as if he had just heard his long-deceased mother calling him home for dinner.

Several staff members immediately stepped forward to block the professor.

"It's fine, let him through, it's just a painting." Zhang Menglong said with a smile.

The professor nodded gratefully at Zhang Menglong, then took out a magnifying glass and started to inspect the painting meticulously. The more he looked, the more his hands shook.

"It's real! This is truly one of Da Vinci's lost paintings!" the professor exclaimed excitedly. "Are there any more? Are there any more?"

"The ones by Da Vinci seem to be just these few, all here," Zhang Menglong said, pointing to a box nearby. "Take them all out, let the gentleman have a good look."

"Thank you! Thank you!" the professor said, over and over again. For him, to be able to appreciate these pieces of art was the greatest gift of all.

"Hm? What's going on here? Isn't this 'Mona Lisa'?" Zhang Menglong noticed the paintings pulled out from that box, seven 'Mona Lisas' in a row, "What's the matter? Does our family also have fakes?"

"Mr. Zhang, you must be joking," Cao Yushan said. "There can't possibly be any fakes in your collection."

"Then how do you explain these? Are you saying there could be that many 'Mona Lisa' paintings in the world?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, all these 'Mona Lisa' paintings are actually imitative works, even the one in the Louvre!"

This revelation sent shockwaves through the crowd.