Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Su Yuan took the envelope and glanced at the sender. It was stamped with the seal of the Provincial Cultural Relics Exchange Center and signed by Wang Jing.

It's probably that young girl in charge of the archives.

Chen Xiaohe leaned closer and asked, "Is there something wrong with those paintings again?"

"Probably not."

Su Yuan smiled and touched the inside; it wasn't thick, only a few sheets of paper thick.

"That's good. See for yourself. I'm going back to my office."

After Chen Xiaohe finished speaking, he strolled back to his office. Su Yuan went into his room, closed the door, and used a knife to cut open the envelope, revealing two pieces of paper inside.

One is an official letter, which is a feedback letter regarding the restoration of Song Dynasty calligraphy and paintings.

The gist of the message is that the provincial authorities invited experts to inspect and accept the four restored Song Dynasty paintings, and they confirmed that the restoration process was up to standard and the results were good. They expressed their gratitude.

The bottom sheet bears the company seal, while the other is a handwritten letter with neat and legible handwriting, written by a woman. The content is as follows:

Hello, Master Su!

All four Song Dynasty paintings have been put into storage. Several elderly gentlemen came to see them yesterday evening and said that they were restored very well, especially the figure painting, where the two touch-ups on the face were almost invisible!

An elderly gentleman surnamed Chen looked at it for a while and asked me who repaired it. I said it was you. He said, "Very good, the Su family's craftsmanship is still there."

I don't quite understand what he meant by the Su family, but I can tell he was praising you.

The connection of the tree trunks in that large landscape painting was also highly praised by several elderly gentlemen, who said that the ink transition was very natural and the texturing technique was correct. Not just anyone could do this level of work!

In short, thank you! The signature is Wang Jing from the Provincial Cultural Relics Exchange Center.

Su Yuan wasn't too excited after reading it. He thought it should be done this way, folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and put it in the drawer.

The phrase "the Su family's skills are still there" left him with a bittersweet feeling.

He took a bronze mirror out of his pocket and placed it on the table. The light was still shining. The old man's shadow had finally spoken today, and it sounded quite excited:

"Young Master Su... could you possibly hear me today? For some reason, you haven't seemed to hear me these past few days..."

Su Yuan's eyes lit up as he stared at the old man's reflection in the bronze mirror: "You can speak now?"

"I've always been able to speak, it's just that you can't hear me." The old man's shadowy voice spoke intermittently:

"Perhaps it's because your blood hasn't fully awakened yet, that's why our voices haven't reached your ears these past few days. Are you alright now?"

Su Yuan hummed in surprise, realizing he could hear before wearing it. He touched the jade ring on his wrist and then remembered that he had lost his hearing since wearing it.

"Is that really the reason?"

"There's a reason for it, and there's your own too." The old man's shadow shifted forward slightly.

"The spiritual energy from the things you've been cultivating lately has nourished your bloodline. That's how it is in the Su family; the more they cultivate, the faster they awaken."

Su Yuan felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this. He took a deep breath and brought the bronze mirror closer to his face.

"Who are you? Why are you in the mirror?"

The old man's shadow remained silent for a few seconds, as if hesitating, before finally speaking: "Who I am is not important... what's important is that the three things you have are a set!"

"Bronze mirror, jade ring, Su's sword?" Su Yuan asked.

"right."

The old man's shadow pointed to the mirror and continued, "The bronze mirror is your eye, allowing you to see the hidden layer."

He then pointed to Su Yuan's hand: "The ring is a hand, allowing you to touch the inner layer."

Finally, he made a slashing motion and said, "That sword is Fang, so you can protect yourself in the interlayer from now on!"

Su Yuan was momentarily stunned. He looked at the jade ring on his hand, then glanced at the toolbox, where Su Zhi had stored his sword.

"All three are indispensable!"

After solemnly saying this, the old man took two steps back: "Your great-grandfather suffered from a broken sword back then, and almost perished in the crevices..."

Su Yuan wanted to ask more, but the old man's shadow waved his hand:

"That's all for today. You won't remember anything if I say too much. Just remember one thing! That guy surnamed Han is not a good person, be careful."

"Cough cough cough, I'm exhausted after saying so much..."

After saying that, the old man's shadow shrank back into the pile of shadows, huddled together with the other shadows, and never uttered another word.

Su Yuan stared at the bronze mirror for a long time, making sure that he really wasn't going to say anything, before turning the mirror over and looking at the inscription on the back.

My mind is buzzing again, and more and more mysteries are popping up!

"Can I still go into the mezzanine? I don't want to..."

After calming down, he put the bronze mirror in his pocket, left the office, and heard Zhang Weiyi's office door open, and Han Zhengming walked out.

The two met face to face. Han Zhengming's smile was still the same, a mask that made people uncomfortable!

"Xiao Su, going to the storeroom again?"

"Um."

"Perfect timing! I'd also like to see that Tang Dynasty terracotta figure, shall we go together?"

Su Yuan couldn't refuse, so he could only nod. The two walked towards the warehouse one after the other, with Han Zhengming walking slowly ahead, as if deliberately waiting for Su Yuan to catch up.

After Su Yuan pressed his fingerprint, Han Zhengming squeezed in first, stood in front of the shelf, and stared at A Wu for a while.

"This terracotta figurine is in good condition!" He reached out to touch it, but pulled his hand back just before it touched the cuff. "It's a pity the cuff has been repaired."

"It's fixed now."

"I know you fixed it."

Han Zhengming turned his head and looked at him with a smile, his eyes narrowed: "What method did you use?"

"Replacing with distressed materials..."

After Su Yuan finished speaking, Han Zhengming nodded, knowing he hadn't finished, and then looked around the warehouse. His gaze lingered on each shelf for a few seconds, as if searching for something.

"That wooden box, was it found in the old warehouse?" he suddenly asked.

Su Yuan's heart tightened, but he didn't show it on his face: "Yes, we found it in the third district. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Hehehe, it's nothing, I'm just curious what's inside."

Su Yuan didn't respond. Han Zhengming stared at Su Yuan with a smile for a few seconds, his gaze falling on the jade ring on Su Yuan's hand before quickly looking away.

He didn't ask any further questions, turned and left the storeroom, leaving behind a remark before he went out:

"Okay, Xiao Su, you're busy, I'm leaving now."

Su Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He stood there for two minutes, his eyes fixed on A Wu, his mind replaying Han Zhengming's chilling smile...

He not only learned a lot, but also tested and confirmed at every step.

He asked about the key, the jade ring, the Tang terracotta figurines… He asked about each one, seemingly casually, but with each question, Su Yuan's unease grew!

I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and closed my eyes to calm myself for a while. Seeing that it was lunchtime, I washed my hands at the sink and went to the cafeteria…

After finishing my meal and returning to my office, I had only sat down for two minutes when my phone vibrated.

The WeChat message his mother sent was from Su Fu's voice:

"Yuan'er, I thought of something else today. I remember your grandfather saying that when your great-grandfather made those three keys, he was looking at something, not just making them out of his own imagination."

After listening, Su Yuan replied, "Okay, Dad."

He put down his phone, took out a bronze mirror, stared at the old man's shadow in it, and then took three keys out of the drawer and placed them on the table.

Su Yuan looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure out anything else.

When I got to the warehouse door, I heard some noise inside. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly opened the door to take a look.

It was Chen Xiaohe!