Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Su Yuan turned back and finished aging the upper right corner. The patch color blended with the surrounding sky color, so it was impossible to tell where it had been patched.

The sky is blank; no need to add anything, just an aged look is enough…

Su Yuan laid out the four scrolls in a row and looked them over from beginning to end.

The face of the figure is complete, with the nose and eyes added. The aged color blends in with the surrounding skin tone, and it is indistinguishable unless you look closely with a magnifying glass!

The broken tree in the landscape painting has been reattached, the ink tones blended seamlessly, and the brushstrokes are now applied correctly.

The patches on the flower and bird paintings are very clean, and the patch on the upper right corner of the small landscape painting looks like it has never been damaged.

Chen Xiaohe looked at them one by one, a look of admiration on his face:

"Su, you're amazing! It's been less than three hours and you've already got it all done!"

Su Yuan chuckled for a moment without saying anything, carefully rolled up each scroll, put them into the painting box, and stretched his body a few times.

The two were tidying up their worktable when footsteps sounded at the door. Then Zhang Weiyi walked in, carrying a folder.

"Is it finished?"

"Hmm." Su Yuan closed the painting box, and Zhang Weiyi placed the folder on the table and said:

"We received a call from the provincial government saying to send it back as soon as it's fixed. Here's the handover form; just sign it, and it'll be sent away this afternoon."

Su Yuan opened the folder, took out a pen, signed his name, and dated it. Zhang Weiyi picked up the folder, looked at the painting box on the table, and then looked at Su Yuan.

He frowned and said:

"Han Zhengming came to see me earlier, saying he wanted to see the things you repaired: the porcelain pillow, the tripod, and these paintings."

"What did you say?"

Su Yuan looked at him and asked, and Zhang Weiyi hummed in response:

"I told him that everything had been archived and put into storage, and that he needed to submit a report before he could see it. The province urgently needed the painting after it was repaired, so he didn't have the nerve to bring it up again."

Chen Xiaohe snorted beside him.

Zhang Weiyi didn't say anything more, took the folder and left. Chen Xiaohe took out a cigarette but didn't dare light it, sniffed it angrily:

"This guy's never going to stop! Su, I told Xiao Liu not to talk nonsense to anyone outside of our unit!"

Su Yuan didn't reply, but first packed up the toolbox and put it back in his office. Chen Xiaohe followed him out.

"I'm taking these paintings back to the provincial capital this afternoon, would you like to come along?"

"Where's Lao Qian?"

"Old Qian had something to do and left early. I'll drive his car there. If you want to go, just wait for me in the lobby at two o'clock."

Su Yuan nodded, ate lunch, and sat in his office for a while.

Before 1:50, Su Yuan took the painting box downstairs ahead of time, and Chen Xiaohe arrived two minutes later in his white van.

"Come on, put the painting in the back seat, you sit in the passenger seat."

Chen Xiaohe opened the side door and helped carry the painting while talking. After putting the painting box away, Su Yuan opened the passenger door and got in.

Chen Xiaohe started the car and drove onto the main road. After driving a short distance, Chen Xiaohe glanced at himself in the rearview mirror several times and suddenly cursed.

Su Yuan looked back in confusion and saw a black sedan following not far behind.

Chen Xiaohe stared at the rearview mirror for a few seconds, then stepped on the gas and drove a little faster.

The black sedan behind also sped up!

Do you recognize that car?

Chen Xiaohe asked, and Su Yuan looked back. He couldn't see the license plate because it was blocked by the back seat. The car window was reflecting light, so he couldn't see who was inside.

"I don't know him!"

Chen Xiaohe slowed down, and the cars behind him followed suit.

When they reached an intersection, Chen Xiaohe turned on his right turn signal and turned into a side street. The black sedan didn't follow and drove straight away.

Chen Xiaohe checked the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following, and snorted.

"It's possible we just happened to be going the same way."

Su Yuan said, and Chen Xiaohe took out a cigarette and lit it: "That would be for the best!"

After driving for more than two hours, they arrived in the provincial capital. Chen Xiaohe parked the car in the courtyard of the cultural relics exchange center, and Su Yuanhe, the receptionist, put the painting box on a trolley and went inside to complete the handover.

The same young Ms. Wang greeted me as before, wearing white gloves and checking each item on the handover form.

He took the scrolls out of the painting box one by one and laid them out on the table to examine them.

Miss Wang examined the form with a magnifying glass for a while, glancing at Su Yuan a few times in between. After she finished looking at it, she signed and stamped the form.

"Thank you so much! These paintings have been restored so well!"

As she spoke, she extended her right hand. Su Yuan blushed and quickly shook her hand, then hurriedly withdrew it, nodded, and left.

Chen Xiaohe was waiting in the car. When he saw him come out, he started the car.

"Going straight back? Aren't you going anywhere else to wander around?"

"Okay, let's go back."

Su Yuan leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. He hadn't slept well last night, and now that he had finished his business, the car was swaying, and he was feeling sleepy.

"Don't fall asleep!"

Chen Xiaohe said, "Talk to me, I'll get sleepy if you fall asleep."

Su Yuan rolled her eyes at him, but still sat up straight. Chen Xiaohe asked:

"Is that ring of yours uncomfortable to wear?"

"no."

"I've heard some rumors that some elderly members of the Su family used to wear this, and once they put it on, they couldn't take it off. Have you ever taken it off?"

Su Yuan looked at the jade ring on his hand.

I've gotten used to wearing it these past few days. Except for that one time when I put it away with the bronze mirror, I only took it off once when I took a shower. When I took it off, my fingers felt empty, like something was missing.

"It's been picked, and it can be picked."

"Maybe you haven't worn it enough yet..."

Chen Xiaohe muttered to himself, but Su Yuan didn't ask him what he meant. After driving for half an hour, they entered a service area.

Chen Xiaohe parked the car and rushed out to use the restroom. Su Yuan also got out to stretch his legs and went to the supermarket to buy two bottles of water.

When they came out, Chen Xiaohe was already sitting in the car, smoking!

Su Yuan opened the passenger door and got in, handing him a bottle of water. Chen Xiaohe happily unscrewed the cap, took a sip, stubbed out his cigarette, and started the car.

It was past 5 p.m. when Su Yuan got out of the car and saw Liu Jun looking down at his phone at the security desk.

Chen Xiaohe had other things to do and left first. Su Yuan had just sat down in his office when his phone vibrated.

The message from his mother:

"Your dad remembered something again today, saying that your great-grandfather's sword wasn't an ordinary sword; it was passed down through the Su family!"

"They also said it was related to something in the interlayer. The sword was connected to the bronze mirror and the ring, but I couldn't figure out what it was."

After reading it, Su Yuan replied, "Okay, Mom. Is everything alright?"

After reading the messages and receiving positive replies, I put my phone on the table and took out the bronze mirror from my pocket.

At this moment, only the light was on. He then took out Su Zhizao's sword from the toolbox and placed it next to the bronze mirror.

Feeling the warmth on the jade ring was stronger than usual, Su Yuan looked at the three items for a long time but couldn't figure out what was so special about them!

He put away the sword, tucked the bronze mirror into his pocket, got up and left the office to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria. Zhang Weiyi, unusually, sat in a corner eating noodles and nodded when he saw Su Yuan.

Su Yuan brought a bowl of porridge, two steamed buns, and a dish of pickled vegetables. Instead of sitting with him, she found a seat by the window and ate by herself.

I'd only taken a few bites when someone sat down opposite me!

It was Han Zhengming. He placed a bowl of rice, along with a meat dish and a vegetable dish, on Su Yuan's table.

"Xiao Su, did you deliver those paintings to the provincial capital today?"

"Um."

"How does the repair look?" Han Zhengming's eyes gleamed, and he smiled without batting an eye.

"I heard that people in the province..."