Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

The crack runs from the tenon all the way to the beam, and is about a meter long.

The crack was old, the paint had all patinated, indicating that it had been cracked for a long time but had never been repaired. Su Yuan examined it with a magnifying glass for a long time, and fortunately the crack was not deep, only one-third of it was cracked, and it had not cracked through.

If it's not repaired this time, it will continue to crack under stress after it's installed, and it will break sooner or later!

Su Yuan took out gelatin and began to pour it into the crack. He poured it three times. After it dried, he used wood shavings to smooth the surface and then applied two coats of tung oil.

Old Zhang watched from below without saying a word.

By the time the last beam was installed, it was already dark. Su Yuan climbed down from the scaffolding, his legs were so weak he could barely stand, and he plopped down on the ground!

Old Zhang came over and handed him a bowl of water, saying:

"Master Su, your cooking skills are reliable!"

Su Yuan took the bowl and drank a sip. The water was cool and sweet.

That night, Su Yuan stayed in a side room of Old Liu's house. He lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), took out a bronze mirror, and saw that there were several more shadows in the mirror, crowded together. One of the shadows asked:

"Master Su, is the stage repaired?"

"Soon..."

"What about the secret passage down there?"

Su Yuan wondered if it was the one Old Zhang mentioned, or perhaps something else:

"What secret passage?"

"That one under the stage, the one with the murals, don't you want to go take a look?"

After Shadow finished speaking, Su Yuan sat up and asked in a low voice:

How did you know there were murals?

The shadow didn't answer. Su Yuan put the mirror back in his pocket and lay down. In the middle of the night, he was awakened by a sound that seemed to be coming from underground.

They were performing a traditional opera, the old-style Bangzi opera "The Palace of Eternal Life":

"Heaven and earth may pass away, but this sorrow will last forever..."

Su Yuan sat up and listened again, but the sound was gone. He waited for a long time, but it didn't ring again. The next morning, Su Yuan went to find Old Liu.

"Where is the entrance to the secret passage under the stage?"

Old Liu was taken aback for a moment: "You're going down?"

"Um…"

Old Liu led him behind the stage without saying a word, pointing to a wooden plank on the ground, with several bricks on top. Su Yuan moved the bricks aside, lifted the plank, and took a look!

Below was a square hole, about a meter on each side, pitch black. Brick steps led down, and a pungent, musty smell rose up from below!

Su Yuan shone his flashlight around and saw that the steps were very deep, with no bottom in sight.

"I'll go down with you too!" Qian Weidong rushed over upon hearing the news.

Su Yuan shook his head: "I'll go down myself!"

"Director Zhang said you can't be alone..."

"You wait upstairs..." Su Yuan interrupted him, "I'll call you if I need anything."

Qian Weidong looked at him without saying anything, while Su Yuan put the flashlight in his mouth and walked down the steps.

The steps were steep, and the brick surface was slippery and covered with a layer of moss. He walked slowly, one hand holding the wall and the other clutching the bronze mirror, which was getting hot!

After walking for about two minutes, we reached the bottom, where there was an arched passageway, made of brick, two meters high and one and a half meters wide, wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Just as Old Zhang had said, when we shone the flashlight from his mouth, we could see colors on the walls.

—Red, green, white!

"It's a mural!"

Su Yuan walked closer and saw that the painting was badly damaged, with most of it missing and only a few pieces remaining, but it was still possible to make out what it depicted.

The figures are dressed in theatrical costumes, some holding fans, others swords. One piece is relatively well-preserved, depicting a female role in a traditional Chinese opera costume, complete with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, and a smile on her face!

Su Yuan took the flashlight off his mouth and examined the painting for a long time. The painting style was typical of Qing Dynasty meticulous brushwork, with smooth lines and vibrant colors. However, the base layer was loose, the plaster on the wall was peeling off, and it crumbled at the slightest touch.

After he finished reading, he continued walking forward. The passage turned a corner and narrowed. After walking about twenty meters, a wall appeared in front of him.

It was built with red bricks and the joints were grouted with cement. It's the one Old Zhang mentioned!

Su Yuan stood in front of the wall, shining a flashlight on it. He tapped it; it was solid, and there must be soil behind it.

But the bronze mirror in his hand was burning hot. He turned the mirror face forward, and the dark figure in the mirror was churning. It wasn't Old Hei.

—It's something else!

Bigger than Old Black, and even darker than Old Black, it tumbled around in the middle of the mirror, as if it wanted to burst out.

Su Yuan gripped the mirror tightly, not moving. He heard a woman's voice again, not coming from the mirror, but from behind the wall:

"Who?"

Su Yuan did not answer.

"Who's outside?"

The woman's voice was very soft and light, as if it were coming from behind something. Su Yuan calmed his wildly beating heart.

"I...I repair the stage..."

After a few seconds of silence, the voice rang out again:

"You repair the stage? Then can you repair me?"

Su Yuan's mind went blank: "What are you...?"

"I am this stage," the voice continued. "I've been singing for four hundred years, and I'm tired and want to rest..."

Su Yuan stood in front of the red brick wall, his hands sweating as he clutched the bronze mirror, and asked:

"What's behind that wall?"

"It's my heart..." the voice said. "It's a tombstone buried when the stage was built."

Su Yuan's mind went blank for a moment. A monument? Another monument?

"Who sealed you up?"

"I don't know..." the voice paused for a moment before continuing:

"Decades ago, someone came in and built this wall, and I haven't been able to get out since..."

Su Yuan reached out and touched the wall. It was built quite solidly, but he could feel something moving behind it, like a heartbeat, one beat after another.

He nervously took two steps back and said:

"I'll go back to get my things, I'll come fix you tomorrow..."

The voice didn't answer. Su Yuan turned and walked back. When he reached the bottom of the steps, the bronze mirror suddenly lurched and almost fell to the ground. Luckily, he grabbed it and looked back, trembling!

The passage was pitch black, and nothing could be seen, but the sound came again, closer than before.

"Don't go..."

Su Yuan felt a shiver run through his body and stopped.

"I've been here alone for a long time..."

Su Yuan gripped the mirror tightly, not daring to turn around!

"Will you really come tomorrow?"

Su Yuan took a deep breath: "Yes!"

He hurriedly climbed the steps, only feeling at ease when the sunlight streamed in. Qian Weidong was waiting upstairs, and upon seeing him, reached out and pulled him along.

What's down there?

Su Yuan sat on the ground, panting heavily.

"A stagehand is trapped behind a wall!"

Qian Weidong was taken aback. Su Yuan took out the bronze mirror and looked again. The dark shadow in the mirror was gone. In its place was the outline of a woman.

Dressed in theatrical costume and wearing a phoenix crown, standing in the middle of the mirror looking at him, Su Yuan wiped his forehead, turned the mirror over and put it back in his pocket, and said to Qian Weidong:

"Bring the tools down tomorrow, we need to tear down that wall..."

Qian Weidong looked at him: "Tear down the wall? Does Director Zhang know about this?"

Su Yuan stood up and patted the dirt off his pants:

"I don't know, but it has to be demolished!"

He walked towards Old Liu's house with slightly weak legs. After a few steps, he glanced back at the stage, then turned back and continued walking.

The bronze mirror in my pocket stayed warm the whole way!