Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

But he swallowed the words back. What good would it do to say them? Xiao Chen had been here much longer than him; how could he not know what the situation was like here?

Su Yuan took a step back, his eyes still fixed on the terracotta figure:

"It didn't move! Was I seeing things?"

As he reached the door, he inexplicably turned back for another glance. The terracotta figure was still in the same pose, but when he saw the peeling patch on the right sleeve, Su Yuan tensed up again:

"Huh? That area seems a little smaller than before!"

He rubbed his eyes, preparing to look more closely.

Xiao Chen had already locked the door. Su Yuan's leg was still a little weak when they went downstairs, but Xiao Chen still walked quickly ahead, saying without turning her head:

"Take care of your own lunch today. The noodle shop downstairs is pretty good. There's a meeting at 2 PM, and Director Zhang will explain the rules and regulations to you."

"Director Zhang?"

"Huh? The one you just saw, the one in the lobby on the first floor, that's Old Wu."

"oh…"

Xiao Chen glanced back at the somewhat stunned Su Yuan for a couple of seconds, then turned back and continued downstairs.

"Your office is the second room on the left on the second floor. Everything is prepared for you. Just tidy it up yourself. If you need anything, call me at extension 101."

After saying that, he left. Su Yuan stood there, his hands trembling slightly. Old Wu was still in the lobby on the first floor, reading a newspaper. He walked over and stood opposite him, neither speaking nor moving.

Old Wu asked without looking up:

"Finished reading? Is there anything you want to ask?"

Su Yuan was silent for a while:

"I've finished reading, Uncle Wu... let's just call you Uncle Wu. What exactly do we do here?"

Old Wu looked up at him with his somewhat piercing little eyes:

"Didn't you write that on your transfer order? There's a sign at the entrance too: Special Cultural Relics Restoration Center!"

"What are those artifacts in the warehouse...?"

Su Yuan stopped speaking halfway through his sentence. He noticed a horrifying scar on Old Wu's left forearm, as if it had been ripped open by something.

Grandpa Wu stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled:

"Why aren't you asking anymore? If you're not going to ask anymore, go upstairs and pack your things. You have a meeting this afternoon!"

After he finished speaking, he continued reading the newspaper. Su Yuan stood for a while until his legs stopped shaking. He went upstairs to his office, which was not big, less than ten square meters.

There was a table, a chair, and a cabinet. Su Yuan put down his bag, sat on the chair for a while, and stared blankly out the window.

Outside the window, on the rooftops of the old town, people are still hanging out their quilts to dry, and a flock of pigeons is flying in the distance. Everything seems normal!

"Was I really hallucinating just now?"

Su Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose, opened the toolbox, and began taking things out.

Inside were a magnifying glass, a flashlight, a scalpel and tweezers, as well as paintbrushes, a restoration brush palette, a small box of mineral pigments, etc.

These are his tools for making a living!

I used it from my undergraduate to graduate studies, and I touched each item hundreds of times.

He neatly arranged the items one by one on the table. As he stared at the box of paint, he remembered the piece that had peeled off the right sleeve of the female figurine!

The most common reason for the peeling of the paint on sancai figurines is that the coefficients of thermal expansion of the body and the glaze are inconsistent. Over time, this will generate internal stress, causing the glaze to collapse.

Another possibility is that the crystallization pressure of salt in the buried environment pushed the glaze layer up.

Su Yuan's occupational hazard kicked in:

"The area that has peeled off is about two square centimeters, exposing the white body. The glaze at the edges is a bit raised. If it is not treated, the whole piece may fall off in a few years."

"I should have taken a picture then..."

"But... what's wrong with those eyes? And what's wrong with that mouth shape?"

As Su Yuan was thinking, his phone rang. His hands trembling, he pulled it out of his pocket and saw it was his mother.

"Hello, Mom."

"Yuan'er, have you reported for duty yet? How's work at your unit...?"

"good."

Is the boss easy to talk to?

"good…"

"You silly child, you answer all my questions, but what did you have for lunch?... "

As Su Yuan listened to his mother's rambling, his hands continued to tremble involuntarily.

At 2 p.m., Su Yuan appeared on time at the door of the director's office. Director Zhang was still behind his desk looking at documents when Su Yuan knocked on the door frame.

"Come in, have a seat."

As soon as Su Yuan sat down, Director Zhang put down the documents, took off his reading glasses, and looked at him:

"Have you been to the warehouse?"

"I've been there..."

"How does it feel?"

"Something's... not quite right."

Su Yuan thought about it and decided to tell the truth. Director Zhang listened and nodded, seemingly not surprised at all.

"Please explain in detail what it is."

"That female figurine...it seems...she moved."

Director Zhang looked at him without saying anything, making Su Yuan feel uncomfortable, but he still forced himself to continue:

"Her eyes rolled around, and she even opened her mouth, as if she said 'hello'..."

The office was silent for a few seconds. Director Zhang picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of water.

"Do you know the origin of that terracotta warrior?"

Su Yuan shook his head. Director Zhang put down the jar, stared at him, and continued:

"Those are sancai (three-color glazed pottery) female figurines from the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, unearthed in Luoyang. There are twelve in total, and she is the only complete one!"

"When she was unearthed, an epitaph was found next to her. The tomb owner's surname was Su. She was a palace maid who had been in the palace for twenty years without having any children. After her death, she was buried outside Luoyang City."

"Your surname is Su?"

Su Yuan was surprised and thought, "I also have the surname Su... nothing will happen..."

Director Zhang looked at him and continued:

Do you know what her name is on her epitaph?

"A-Wu".

Director Zhang spoke those two words very slowly, just as a flock of pigeons flew past the window. Su Yuan, sitting there, felt a chill on the back of his neck!

Director Zhang continued:

"This figurine was unearthed more than 20 years ago, and strange things have been happening ever since. At first, the person on duty in the warehouse said that he heard crying in the middle of the night. Later, someone said that he saw her turn around on the shelf."

"Later on, everyone who had contact with her would have the same dream!"

Su Yuan stared intently at Director Zhang as he continued:

"In my dream, there was a woman dressed in a traditional Chinese dress standing at the gate of a large mansion, always looking into the distance. When I asked her what she was looking at, she didn't answer. Whenever I got close to her, she would back away, always retreating to a place that was out of reach!"

"and then?"

"Those people resigned within two days!"

Su Yuan's mind tightened again. Director Zhang looked at him and asked:

Do you want to resign?

Su Yuan really wanted to say "yes," but he didn't. He thought of the way the female figurine looked at him; it didn't seem like she was looking at a stranger.

It's like... I know him!

Director Zhang picked up a document:

"Think it over carefully yourself. But before you leave, make sure you've thought it through. Your dorm has been arranged. It's in the back courtyard, Building 3, Room 202. Get the key from Old Wu on the first floor."

Su Yuan remained seated, and Director Zhang looked at him:

"Is there anything else?"

"Director, why is she talking to me?"

Director Zhang watched as Su Yuan took off his glasses again:

"Xiao Su, have you ever wondered why you were the only one assigned here out of the twelve people in our batch?"