Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

After Shen Yue arrived, Zhao Cheng saw Su Yuan get into the car and returned to the guesthouse. It was almost five o'clock when he got back to Zhou Peiyuan's house!

When he left the meeting room, Zhou Peiyuan sent him a message saying that he had other things to take care of and would go back first. He said that his assistant, Xiao Meng, had the keys.

Su Yuan entered his second bedroom, placed his toolbox beside the bed, and took out a bronze mirror, placing it on the bedside table.

Awu's light spots seem to have become much more active, as if they were a bit bored after being inside all day and were finally able to come out.

"Did you listen to what Teacher Zhou said today? What did you think?" Su Yuan asked, looking in the bronze mirror.

The light spot bounced twice inside.

Zhong Ming's shadow drifted out from the depths of the mirror, standing there with his hands behind his back: "What Zhou Peiyuan said has indeed set up the framework for the mezzanine."

"However, he didn't mention many details, probably because he didn't want to talk about them in front of so many people."

Su Yuan nodded:

"I know, it's already quite impressive that he could say all that. There are definitely Han Zhengming's people sitting below!"

"That Jiang Weiguo..." Zhong Ming's voice lowered, "Did you notice him today?"

"I noticed that he was taking notes the whole time."

"Taking notes isn't strange," Zhong Ming continued. "What's strange is what he's writing down. You didn't notice, but we saw some in the bronze mirror. It wasn't what Zhou Peiyuan was saying!"

"It's all because of your every move!"

Su Yuan's mind went blank for a moment, and Miao Deyu also came closer:

"Young Su, he was taking notes when you touched the jade ring. He even wrote down the few words you whispered to Zhao Cheng."

Su Yuan rubbed his head with his eyes closed: "This person... we really need to be careful..."

"besides!"

Zhong Ming picked up where he left off and continued, "One of the two people sitting with Jiang Weiguo in the cafeteria today is one of Han Zhengming's men."

"We could sense a faint, but unmistakable, presence about him in the mirror."

Su Yuan opened his eyes: "Huh?"

"However, the gap on that person's body should only be temporary. Han Zhengming will take it back after he finishes keeping watch on him."

Su Yuan mentally reviewed the faces of the two men: a man in his forties, wearing glasses and a gray jacket.

The other one was younger, in his early thirties, with a round face and a kind appearance.

He couldn't see the name tags on those two people clearly!

"Mr. Zhong, Mr. Miao, let's not talk about this for now." Su Yuan stood up. "I'll go wash my face first. Teacher Zhou should be back soon."

The sound of Zhou Peiyuan opening the door came from inside the bedroom, and Su Yuan came out. Dinner was simpler than yesterday's: a bowl of noodles, an egg poached in it, and some chopped green onions.

Zhou Peiyuan sat opposite Su Yuan, watching him eat, while slowly sipping a cup of tea.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked.

"fine."

Zhou Peiyuan nodded: "Tomorrow is the practical operation, which will be held at the repair center. You will be assigned to repair things. Just do it your own way, there's no need to hide anything."

Su Yuan stopped using his chopsticks to pick up noodles and asked, "No need to hide it?"

"No, no need."

Zhou Peiyuan put down his teacup: "The Ninth Bureau organized this training to see your true abilities. The Su family's skills are right here with you; there's no need to hide them."

Su Yuan hummed in agreement and continued eating his noodles.

After dinner, Su Yuan helped clean up the dishes, but Zhou Peiyuan waved for him to go and rest, and then went into the kitchen himself!

Su Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. He returned to the second bedroom, placed the bronze mirror next to his pillow, took off his coat, and lay down.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Chen Xiaohe:

"Su, Sun Guoliang came back today. He didn't seem to be acting strangely. I asked him indirectly, and he only said that he went to a certain place in the east."

Su Yuan frowned and replied, "Yeah, thanks, Brother Chen."

Chen Xiaohe rolled her eyes at him, and Su Yuan smiled, put down his phone, and pondered the connections in his mind.

These things are like a chain, with each link connected to the next, but he is still missing the last link. He doesn't know what Han Zhengming is trying to do!

Lost in thought, he drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Su Yuan woke up at seven o'clock.

After washing up and having breakfast, Zhou Peiyuan said, "I don't need to go there today. Be careful."

Su Yuan agreed, packed his things, and waited for Shen Yue. At 8:10, the car arrived downstairs on time. Zhao Cheng didn't come with the car today; he went directly to the repair center to meet Su Yuan.

"Brother Zhao said he would go first, and that he was relieved to have me take you directly to the repair center."

Shen Yue spoke as he drove, and Su Yuan nodded with a smile.

The restoration center is located on the east side of the provincial museum, in the same building as the place Su Yuan visited last time.

Several cars were already parked at the entrance, and trainees were walking in in small groups. Su Yuan got out of his car and entered the lobby, where he saw Zhao Cheng standing at the elevator waiting for him.

"Let's go, to the third floor."

Zhao Cheng pressed the elevator button. The third floor was the practical area of ​​the repair center. There were six workbenches in a large room, and on each workbench was an object that needed to be repaired.

Tools and materials were displayed on a row of shelves against the wall of the room, the windows were open, and the ventilation equipment was humming.

Those who arrived first had already found their places and settled down.

Su Yuan glanced at all the items on the worktables. There were bronzes, porcelains, pottery figurines, and wood carvings. The variety was quite complete!

He found the workbench corresponding to his nameplate, on which sat a bronze dou (a type of ancient Chinese vessel) from the Spring and Autumn Period. Its lid knob was missing, and there was a crack at the foot.

The crack is not deep, but its location is quite tricky, on the inside of the foot ring, and it is almost impossible to notice without careful inspection.

Su Yuan picked up the bronze bean, turned it over, and examined the direction of the cracks on the inside of the foot ring. He already had a good idea of ​​what was going on.

Replacing the cover button is a routine operation; the difficult part is dealing with that crack!

The location is too remote, making it difficult to work with conventional welding methods. We need to use the pouring method, melting the copper material into a liquid state and letting it seep in.

As he was planning the steps, Jiang Weiguo walked in from the doorway.

"Su Yuan, you're here quite early."

Jiang Weiguo walked over with a smile, glanced at the bronze bean on his platform, and said, "Your flaw doesn't look too difficult; it's relatively easy to work with."

Su Yuan smiled but didn't respond.

Jiang Weiguo didn't linger and turned to his workstation at the other end of the room.

At exactly nine o'clock, a short-haired woman in her forties walked in.

She was wearing a dark blue work uniform and introduced herself as the deputy director of the restoration center, surnamed Chen, and that she would be in charge of the practical operation today.

"The rules are simple."

Deputy Director Chen stood in the middle of the room and said, "Everyone, please repair the items on your workbench. Finish before noon. There are no restrictions on the repair methods, and you can take the tools and materials yourself."

"Let's begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, various noises filled the room: people getting tools, rummaging through materials, and moving objects...

Su Yuan did not rush to make a move.

He first placed the bronze bean in the center of the workbench and examined it carefully against the light.

The broken edge of the missing button is relatively clean, indicating that it was knocked off many years ago. There is a thin layer of oxide on the broken surface, which means that the damage has been there for quite some time.

The crack on the inside of the foot ring extends from the inner wall to the outer wall. Fortunately, it did not go through, otherwise this bronze dou would have been ruined.

However, such a tricky angle would probably be difficult for the average restorer to repair!