Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

"I've known about that crack for a long time. It was left two years ago. It hasn't been sealed because it's too small and doesn't cause any disturbances, so it's not worth the effort."

"Something is seeping in from over there... so we have to seal it off."

Zhang Weiyi glanced at Su Yuan, who was still reacting:

"Xiao Su, this is a small problem that you can easily seal yourself without anyone's help. Go and take care of it in a bit."

Su Yuan shook his head inwardly: "You guys are digging a hole for me..."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

After saying that, Su Yuan took his toolbox and left the lobby on the first floor. Chen Xiaohe saw him and asked where he was going. Su Yuan pointed with his chin towards warehouse number three:

"Go seal that crack... We don't need your help."

Chen Xiaohe scratched his head and said "oh," but still went along. He figured he didn't need help looking after them!

This time it was very simple; nothing was causing trouble inside, and the crack was only so narrow.

Su Yuan planted the Su Zhi Forged Sword in the ground, and with the help of the jade ring and the protective inscription of the Pure Yang Immortal, he finished in just a few minutes.

Chen Xiaohe clicked his tongue in disbelief: "It's that simple?"

Su Yuan nodded, packed up the talisman and sword, and left with Chen Xiaohe. Around 3 PM, the repaired crack in the small bronze mirror had dried.

Su Yuan returned to the warehouse, used fine sandpaper to smooth out the filled areas, and then polished them with deerskin.

After polishing, the crack is almost invisible.

Only by looking closely with a magnifying glass can you see a thin gold line, which is the trace left by the mixture of copper powder and lacquer.

Su Yuan turned the small bronze mirror over and looked at it in the light.

The mirror reflects a person's image, though it's not very clear. But for this Han Dynasty bronze mirror, it's already in very good condition!

Just as he was about to put the small bronze mirror away, he heard footsteps at the storeroom door.

Lin Xi walked in, holding a folder in her hand.

"Su Yuan, the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau just sent over an item that needs urgent repair."

Lin Xi placed the folder on the worktable: "They said it's for an exhibition."

Su Yuan took the folder and opened it; inside was a handover list and several photos.

The photo shows a bronze tripod, its body covered in green rust. One of its legs is broken in the middle, with obvious deformation at the break.

"A bronze tripod from the Han Dynasty?"

Looking at the information in the photo, Su Yuan asked, "Was this the state of the leg when it was unearthed?"

"The person who delivered the items said that the legs of the tripod were broken when it was unearthed, and it had been stored in the warehouse for several years, but no one had been able to repair it."

Lin Xi said from the side:

"When the province held a special exhibition of Han Dynasty cultural relics, they included this ding (a type of ancient Chinese bronze vessel) in the exhibition. That's when they remembered that it needed to be repaired, and Director Zhou recommended you directly."

Su Yuan thought to himself, "Teacher Zhou seems to be quite concerned about me these things..."

Looking closely at the photos, the rust layer on the fractured surface of the tripod leg is as thick as the body of the tripod, indicating that it has been broken for many years.

The curvature of the handles is also not quite right; the handle on the left is shorter than the one on the right, as if it had been weighed down by a heavy object.

He asked Lin Xi, "Where is the thing?"

"Liu Dong, a technician from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, is waiting for you to sign for the package in the car downstairs."

Su Yuan washed his hands and followed Lin Xi downstairs.

A white van was parked in the yard, and a man in his thirties was standing next to it when he saw Su Yuan come out.

He hurriedly went to greet him: "Master Su."

Su Yuan nodded; he hadn't seen Qin Jian when he brought him here last time.

Liu Dong opened the trunk, inside which was a custom-made wooden box, with a bronze tripod secured inside by foam and soft cloth.

Judging by appearance, the ding is not large, about 25 centimeters in height, about 20 centimeters in diameter at the mouth, and about 15 centimeters in depth.

It has two upright ears, a round belly and three legs. The shape is regular and it can be seen at a glance that it is a typical bronze ding style of the Han Dynasty.

With a uniform layer of copper emerald on the surface, Su Yuan squatted down again to take a closer look.

The leg of the tripod did not break off entirely; rather, it broke diagonally from the lower third of the body, with obvious signs of compression at the break.

There is a thin crack at the base of the left handle of the cauldron, which extends from the base of the handle all the way to the edge of the cauldron's mouth.

Su Yuan stood up and looked at Liu Dong:

"The repair cycle should take about two days. Do you expect that timeframe to be sufficient?"

Liu Dong breathed a sigh of relief: "There's still time. There are still several days before the opening. Those restorers in the province are all afraid of being held responsible if they can't fix it properly. Sigh~"

Su Yuan nodded, signed the handover form, and called Chen Xiaohe to help carry the wooden crates up to the second-floor warehouse.

Liu Dong drove away, and Lin Xi took the signed form and returned to her office.

In the storeroom, Su Yuan took the bronze cauldron out of the wooden box and placed it on the worktable. Xiao Jue glanced at it from the shelf.

He clicked his tongue twice: "The legs of this cauldron are broken so badly that it will have to limp when it walks."

Su Yuan smiled and ignored it, picked up a magnifying glass and a flashlight, and began to carefully examine the condition of the cauldron.

The rust layer on the body of the tripod is very uniform, with no signs of harmful rust, so no special chemical treatment is needed!

The broken ends of the tripod legs are slightly deformed and need to be carefully corrected with tools before they can be properly joined to the tripod body.

The crack on the left side of the tripod handle isn't deep; it can be reinforced with a penetrating agent.

The biggest problem is the welding of the tripod legs.

Traditional soldering requires heating the break point, using tin as solder to fill the gap, and finally grinding it smooth.

The heating temperature must be carefully controlled!

Su Yuan listed the repair steps one by one in his notebook and went over them in his mind.

After confirming that there were no problems, he began to prepare tools and materials.

Tin bars, rosin, soldering irons, files, copper brushes, chamois leather, sealants, etc.

It's getting late, so I'll start fixing it after lunch tomorrow morning.

Su Yuan went to the cafeteria for dinner. Li Xiulan had made braised chicken pieces today, served with rice and stir-fried vegetables. Su Yuan took a plate and saw Chen Xiaohe.

After Chen Xiaohe saw him come over and sit down, he said:

"Su, I tried Zhao Cheng's method several times this evening, and it's getting smoother and smoother. Now I can turn it on and off whenever I want."

"That's good." Su Yuan picked up a piece of chicken and munched on it. "Does the smell still linger from warehouse number three?"

"There aren't any outside anymore."

"There's still a slight smell coming from the warehouse through the crack in the door." Chen Xiaohe was puzzled: "You said you sealed that crack, how come there's still a smell?"

Su Yuan thought for a moment: "It's probably just a lingering smell. It will dissipate in a few days or if you open the door to let it air out."

Qian Weidong carried the tray over and sat down, glancing at Chen Xiaohe:

"Chen Xiaohe, take your time with that ability. Try it two or three times a day. Doing it more than that will only strain your mind."

"Understood, Lao Qian."

Chen Xiaohe nodded with a slight pursed lip. Zhao Cheng entered the restaurant, greeted them, and sat down with his plate.

"Xiao Su, several people in the province don't dare to repair that tripod. They say the legs broke too cleanly, and they're afraid that ordinary welding methods won't be able to fix it properly."

While eating, Zhao Cheng said, "If Director Zhou finds out, he'll specifically ask you to fix it. How about that?"

Su Yuan swallowed the food in his mouth and smiled:

"It's true that the temperature is difficult to control with soldering, and the broken part of the tripod leg is also a bit deformed. I'll have to clean it and then straighten it tomorrow."

"Take your time fixing it, there's no rush."

Zhao Cheng smiled: "The director said that your main task for the next few days is this cauldron, and you can put everything else aside for now."

After finishing his meal, Su Yuan strolled back to his dormitory, took the bronze mirror off his neck, and softly asked:

"Awu, do you think the spirit of that bronze cauldron still exists?"

Awu's light and shadow appeared:

"Yes, it is, but it's very weak and has been asleep. Once you reattach its leg and fix it, it should wake up."

"Will it... be as talkative as Little Jue?"