Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Su Yuan thought for a moment, then replied with an "okay" and put his phone in his pocket.

When they arrived at the canteen, Li Xiulan had already set out the food on the table. Qian Weidong and Zhao Cheng had already come over and were eating there.

Chen Xiaohe hasn't arrived yet.

Su Yuan brought over a bowl of rice, a serving of braised pork, and shredded potatoes. Chen Xiaohe rushed in at that moment, glancing at Su Yuan's expression:

"Su, you seem to be in a good mood. Is the cauldron repaired?"

"Yes, it's fixed."

"So fast? You finished it in less than two days?"

"It wasn't fast, it was just a normal soldering process. It was just that correcting the broken ends took a little time, but the soldering itself wasn't difficult."

"oh…"

Chen Xiaohe picked out a meaty dish and carried it over. The two of them sat down at Zhao Cheng and Qian Weidong's table while talking. When Zhao Cheng saw Su Yuan coming over, he said:

"The director said that this ding (a type of ancient Chinese bronze vessel) had been stored in the provincial cultural relics bureau's warehouse for several years. Several experienced craftsmen had examined it and all said they dared not touch it."

"You're something else, fixing it in less than two days!"

Su Yuan smiled and said, "It's not that they're afraid to act, it's that they don't want to take responsibility."

"If the legs of the tripod break and the welding isn't strong enough, it might fall off during the exhibition. Who can take responsibility for that? I don't have that kind of concern. If it needs to be repaired, then it will be repaired."

Qian Weidong nodded upon hearing this:

"Xiao Su hit the nail on the head. In our line of work, sometimes we overthink things and end up not being able to take action."

"Your simple-mindedness actually makes things more likely to get things done, unlike those shrewd types... haha."

Su Yuan was a little embarrassed by the praise and kept his head down, picking at his rice.

After finishing his meal, Su Yuan went back to his dorm to rest. He lay on his bed and placed the bronze mirror beside his pillow. A Wu's reflection shone in it, a little clearer than in the morning.

Her little face is getting prettier and prettier!

"Awu, what happened to that cauldron that couldn't help you back then?"

Awu looked at Su Yuan and said softly:

"That happened in the interlayer. When my spirit first started to disperse, it tried to help me gather it together."

"But its own power was insufficient, and it failed several times. Later, a part of my remnant soul scattered into many pieces, and it has remembered this ever since."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuan thought to himself, "It's actually quite good. It's not that I owe it anything, it's just that I'm powerless to help it."

"You're right."

Awu's voice was very gentle: "So when it asked what it needed to do earlier, I said I didn't need it, I just wanted it to stay put."

Su Yuan reached out and touched the surface of the bronze mirror. A Wu's reflection came closer, her small hand touching his fingers.

"Su Yuan, are you going to the warehouse again this afternoon?"

"Go, I want to make a base for that small bronze mirror and put it on my office desk as a warning device."

"Okay," A-Wu said, "I'll go with you."

At 2 p.m., Su Yuan returned to the warehouse.

He first found a piece of discarded mahogany from the materials shelf, and after trimming it, it was about the size of a palm and about two centimeters thick.

Cut it into a circle with a saw, then sand it smooth, and trim the edges until they are smooth.

After the rosewood base was finished, he drilled a small hole in the center of the base, bent a copper wire into a buckle, and used it to hold the small copper mirror on the base.

In this way, the small bronze mirror can stand steadily on the table without falling over or being knocked off.

Su Yuan picked up the small bronze mirror and looked at it against the light.

He placed the small bronze mirror on his desk, facing the doorway. This way, he could see it as soon as someone entered, and if anything unusual happened, he could spot it immediately.

I had just put the small bronze mirror down when my phone rang. It was Zhang Weiyi calling.

"Xiao Su, come to my office."

Su Yuan went upstairs and knocked on Zhang Weiyi's door. Zhang Weiyi was sitting behind his desk looking at documents.

Su Yuan came in and sat down. Zhang Weiyi took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"The provincial cultural relics bureau called and said that someone from them will come to pick up the bronze tripod soon."

"Okay, repair complete, ready to be picked up at any time."

Zhang Weiyi nodded, took an envelope from the drawer, and pushed it in front of Su Yuan:

"Here's your performance report for last month. Take it."

Su Yuan took it, saw that it was quite thick, and put it in his pocket without opening it.

Zhang Weiyi lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said a few seconds later, "Xiao Su, the Ninth Division is still investigating Wu Zhenshan's matter. There's something I need to tell you first."

"Han Zhengming has been transferring people recently. He's brought in several people with some special abilities from the provincial capital. They're all connected to him and are moving to the eastern suburbs. I don't know exactly what they're doing."

Su Yuan frowned: "The eastern suburbs? The place where Uncle Wu was injured?"

"Yes." Zhang Weiyi flicked his cigarette ash.

"Zhou's assessment is that Han Zhengming might be making some arrangements nearby. But the entrance to the mezzanine is in our unit's warehouse. What could he be making arrangements there?"

Su Yuan thought for a moment:

"After that wall was sealed off, the things inside moved eastward, which is towards the provincial capital, and also towards the eastern suburbs of the provincial capital!"

"If Han Zhengming is making arrangements in the eastern suburbs, he might be aiming for that thing."

"You mean, could it be... that thing he's keeping in the interlayer?"

Su Yuan nodded when he heard Zhang Weiyi say this: "Very likely. A-Wu also mentioned that Elder Zhong and the others are also paying attention to the movements of that big guy."

Zhang Weiyi stubbed out his cigarette, threw it in the ashtray, leaned back in his chair, and said:

"This is getting more and more complicated... Xiao Su, don't think too much about it, just focus on what you're doing. The Ninth Division is keeping an eye on that big thing in the hidden compartment."

"Um."

When Su Yuan came out of the office, he ran into Lin Xi in the corridor. She was holding a file folder.

"Su Yuan, when will you finish writing the restoration file for that bronze tripod?"

"Tomorrow morning, I'll put it on your desk when it's finished."

Lin Xi nodded, then looked at him and said, "Su Yuan, you've lost a lot of weight recently. Take better care of yourself."

Su Yuan touched his face: "I'm alright, it's probably because I've been busy lately."

Lin Xi glanced at him again, smiled, and said nothing more.

A little while later, Liu Dong arrived. Su Yuan and he put the Han Dynasty bronze ding into the van, completed the handover procedures, and Liu Dong drove back to the provincial capital.

Su Yuan returned to his office, sat down in his chair, and looked at the small bronze mirror on his desk.

His face was reflected in the mirror, and he did look thinner than before; his chin was even a bit pointed.

Thinking of his parents, he quickly took out his phone and sent a message to Liu Xiuyun: "Mom, how have you and Dad been lately?"

Liu Xiuyun replied quickly:

"Okay, your dad was talking about you yesterday, saying he misses you. When you're done with this busy period, come back and visit him when you have some free time."

Su Yuan smiled and replied "Okay," then put his phone down.

In the evening, Su Yuan went to the cafeteria for dinner.

Li Xiulan made clear soup noodles today, with green vegetables and a poached egg. Su Yuan took a bowl and found a seat.

Chen Xiaohe, Zhao Cheng, and Qian Weidong hadn't arrived yet, so Su Yuan finished his noodles and went straight back to his dorm.

After washing up, the reflection of Zhong Ming in the bronze mirror floated up and said:

"Kid, Lao Miao and I are keeping an eye on that big guy in the mezzanine. It's moved another half a mile to the east."

Su Yuan hurriedly asked, "Mr. Zhong, have you noticed that Han Zhengming arranged for people to go to the eastern suburbs of the provincial capital?"

Miao Deyu's voice came from the bronze mirror:

"Young Su, they haven't arrived there yet; they're probably still on their way."

Zhong Ming's shadow said, "Yes, we'll continue to keep an eye on that big guy and the eastern suburbs of the province for you."

"You should focus on repairing things and find an opportunity to search for A-Wu's remnant soul in the mezzanine."

Su Yuan hummed in agreement: "Mr. Zhong, Mr. Miao, thank you both for your hard work..."

"Hmph, did your ancestor not have to work hard?" The voice of the Su family ancestor came from the bronze mirror.

Zhong Ming chuckled: "That's right, kid, your ancestor certainly put in a lot of effort."

Su Yuan stuck out his tongue: "Grandpa, you've worked hard too..."

"That's more like it!"

Zhong Ming smiled, shook his head, and sank down. Su Yuan took a deep breath, thinking about the Han Dynasty exhibition in the provincial capital next week, which he would be attending.

Thinking about Han Zhengming's actions, I wonder if something might happen...