On a Sunday morning in early winter, I was too lazy to open my eyes, but there seemed to be bugs making noise in my eyes, making it difficult to sleep for a while. I decided to get up early and go to the ghost market.

There was a chill in the morning breeze, but as soon as I walked into the market intersection, I didn’t notice it. The large and small stalls were crowded in groups, haggling, and it was lively! In fact, there were second-hand books and second-hand books for sale that day. There are not many old paper stalls, and they are far less prosperous than the old daily necessities. I searched around for most of the time but found nothing, and was a little disappointed to return. Suddenly, I found that the stall owners used high or low voices to convey the message "The urban management is coming" and quickly packed up their goods, like frightened birds. The man in front of me sells toys and miscellaneous items. A piece of colorful cardboard that he was about to put into his schoolbag inadvertently caught my eye. My immediate intuition told me that there was an old sticker on the cardboard. Textile trademarks. Can you clean it up later and let me take a look at the broken cardboard?

The seller was already absent-minded and said quickly: Look, there are old trademark paintings on both sides of the cardboard. How nice. If you I didn’t feel angry, so I hurried away. Didn’t you see the city management coming over there?

I don’t like this kind of answer, but I love old paper and old trademarks. This cardboard is about 8 square meters in size, with "Three Chickens" on one side and "Alchemy" on the other side. Although some overlap each other, the pictures are smooth, the colors are thick, and the gold luster is still the same. At a glance, "open the door", it is the 20th century. Old papers from around the 1930s. How do you know I'm heartless? I smiled lightly and asked: "How much?"

To be honest, the figure quoted by the stall owner is definitely the price in the industry, commonly known as "enough to pay". . Even so, I decided to buy it, but I was hesitant about whether the firmly mounted painting could be removed smoothly. I said half-jokingly: "If you can help me get these two, the price will be easy to negotiate, but if I can't get them back, I'll be in vain." Cheaper? I bargained subconsciously.

I saw that the vendors on the left and right were even more busy, and the seller in front of me said indifferently: Come on, come on, how to take it off is your business, give me a suitable price, I will leave quickly even if I don’t make money. . ?

In this way, I found a "treasure" at an ideal low price. The reason why I dare not secretly call it "picker" is because I can't predict the fate of the small painting after it is processed.

When I got home, I didn’t even bother to have breakfast. I quickly warmed the water and processed it carefully. I'm eager to see the results, but collecting is usually not a matter of urgency. The nearly century-old old paper has been wet and soaked in water, and has become extremely weak. It cannot withstand any mistakes in the processing process. It may become discolored, thin, or loose at any time. may happen. I had no choice but to wait eagerly for them to slowly and naturally degumm and restore, and I just had the time to calm down and appreciate them.

The rooster in traditional culture is quite auspicious, and hieroglyphs have appeared as early as in oracle bone inscriptions. The golden rooster in ancient legends lives in the sun, crows to announce the dawn, and calls for the rising sun. Its ancestors are the three-legged birds, firebirds, and phoenixes in mythology. The ancients believed that roosters were given to the world by God. Roosters have the five virtues of literature, martial arts, courage, benevolence and faith. The "Spring and Autumn Movement Dou Shu" of the Han Dynasty also said that the rooster is the incarnation of the Yuheng star. The golden rooster often appears in folk paintings and artistic decorations, which means to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings. The more classic pictures include the rooster standing on the stone in "Golden Rooster Creeping Dawn", "Good Luck and Good Luck", and the "Heroes' Fighting Spirit" in which chickens fight. In this way, the cultural connotation of this trademark painting "Three Chickens" is self-evident.

Another "Alchemy Picture" is a trademark of textiles exported to Japan in the early years. In my mind, the alchemy of the ancients is extremely mysterious, but the beating flame is full of beautiful expectations for life and happiness. From the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty, my country's metallurgical technology had been applied to refining mineral medicines and other aspects. Our ancestors dreamed of refining elixirs that would lead to immortality and immortality, or to refine more gold and silver. From this, the invention of Alchemy and alchemists. The alchemists' dream of immortality convinced many emperors and generals to believe it, which also catalyzed the development of alchemy and played a significant role in promoting the progress of ancient chemistry.

The Japanese textile merchants behind "Alchemy Picture" are very clever. They adopted a popular picture among the people. In the picture, there are lush trees, peaches, and cranes, and the auspicious meaning of their brand is subtle. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

The clear water has turned into brown color and exudes a faint smell. The sense of smell cannot distinguish the specific smell. I think only years of precipitation can give such a feeling.

After a few hours, the two trademark paintings were gradually peeled off from the cardboard and stretched out. Their condition far exceeded my expectations. The only regret was the wear and tear on the lower left corner of the "Three Chickens", which was originally mounted. Traces of turning points. In fact, this cardboard is the top cover of a box. As the trademark painting peels off, a layer of floral cloth that was previously mounted on the box cover can be faintly seen, and the Cordyceps pattern is lifelike. The taste of life of the ancients really makes me sigh. Even such an ordinary box can be so beautifully decorated. Perhaps, with the passage of time, the later "Three Chickens Picture" and "Alchemy Picture" attracted the owner of the box, and they were pasted on the original floral cloth surface, thus fortunately surviving to this day.