Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Lin Yue placed the coarse, gray-blue cloth bundle on the coffee table and pushed it in front of Su Yuan.

"This was left with my father by your great-grandfather in 1948. He repeatedly told me that descendants of the Su family would definitely come looking for it in the future!"

Lin Yue's expression became slightly excited as she spoke, with a sense of relief and a feeling of weight lifted from her shoulders:

"My father waited his whole life, but he never got to see me... So I'll keep waiting, and if I don't see him, I'll tell my descendants to keep waiting!"

"We've finally waited for this moment, and Mr. Su's trust in my family has not been in vain..."

Su Yuan looked at the cloth bag with immense gratitude, his hands trembling involuntarily as he took it.

He didn't open it immediately, but instead looked at Zhou Peiyuan first.

Zhou Peiyuan nodded at him.

Su Yuan took a deep breath, untied the hemp rope on the cloth bag, and opened it to find two things inside!

The first item was a letter. Judging from the paper, the envelope was from the Republican era, and it read "To be opened by the descendants of the Su family".

Su Yuan was already very familiar with the handwriting; it was his great-grandfather's.

The second item was a bronze plaque, a rectangle about the size of his palm. He felt the plaque vibrate when he received it!

I felt a surge of excitement but didn't show it.

The front of the bronze plaque was engraved with a complex pattern, not the round key pattern found on the workbench, but a shape that Su Yuan had never seen before.

The top is engraved with the sun and moon, the bottom with mountains and rivers, and in the middle is a human eye with a small character "Su" engraved in the pupil.

Su Yuan turned the bronze plaque over; two lines of text were engraved on the back:

"The hidden door cannot be opened by anyone but Su. The path to the Soul Lock can only be seen with the eyes."

Su Yuan stared at the two lines of text for several seconds, various thoughts running through his mind.

He picked up the letter first and carefully opened it. Su Yuan was afraid of tearing the letter, so he moved very gently and slowly.

The paper contained my great-grandfather's neat small regular script:

My son and my grandson:

By the time you read this letter, you will probably have already obtained the bronze mirror, the jade ring, and the spirit-locking pearl.

If you still haven't gotten them, keep looking; they must be waiting for you somewhere in the Su family's house.

This bronze plaque is the last thing I left with the Lin family!

Its usefulness will become clear once you enter the mezzanine. Remember this: the path to unlocking spirits can only be discerned with the eyes.

It's not about looking with the naked eye, but about looking with the Su family's "inner eye".

The jade ring on your wrist will tell you where the door to the hidden compartment is. And Miss Awu will tell you when to go in.

The only thing I want to tell you is... don't rush!

Just remember one word: wait!

When the time comes, the door will open naturally. — Su Demao, Autumn, 1948

After reading the letter, Su Yuan felt calm again, folded it neatly, and put it back in the envelope. His hands stopped trembling, and his heart calmed down.

His great-grandfather's letter was like a reassuring pill, suppressing all the anxiety in his heart!

"Thank you." Su Yuan stood up, bowed, and looked directly at Lin Yue. "Thank you and your father for protecting my great-grandfather for so many years!"

Lin Yue waved her hand with a smile, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and spoke calmly:

"Your great-grandfather helped my father a great deal back then, what we're doing is nothing. Now that I've given you the things, my task is complete!"

Su Yuan nodded, wrapped the bronze medal and letter together, and put them into his backpack.

"Do you know why my great-grandfather had these things stored separately back then?"

Lin Yue thought for a moment and said:

"My father told me that your great-grandfather was a man who always left himself an out. He would store things separately, not because he didn't trust others, but because he knew all too well how formidable the things he was dealing with were!"

"If something happens to one person, the things in the hands of the others can still be preserved."

Su Yuan nodded and didn't say anything more. Zhou Peiyuan glanced at his watch, stood up, and said:

"Aunt Lin, thank you. We won't bother you any longer; Xiao Su still needs to prepare for tomorrow's seminar."

Lin Yue got up and saw them to the door. Before parting, she said to Su Yuan:

"What your great-grandfather waited his whole life to achieve, will probably fall to you. Be extremely careful, don't let him down!"

Su Yuan nodded, bowed again, and said earnestly, "I will."

Stepping outside and walking along the old street lined with sycamore trees, Su Yuan felt much calmer than when he arrived.

Back in the car, Xiao Meng started the engine, and Zhou Peiyuan said, "Let's go back to the unit. Has Xiao Su's accommodation been arranged?"

"It's all arranged, at the guesthouse next to my workplace."

Su Yuan was leaning back in the back seat, deep in thought, when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

When I took it out, it was a message from Chen Xiaohe:

"Su Yuan, Sun Guoliang asked me today where you went and why you hadn't returned to the office. I told him you went straight to a meeting in the provincial capital, and he didn't look too happy about it."

Su Yuan replied: "Okay, thanks, Brother Chen."

Chen Xiaohe responded with a grinning emoji.

Su Yuan put his phone back in his pocket, turned to look out the window, and touched the bronze mirror in his inner pocket.

He was thinking of A-Wu, but the bronze mirror didn't react at all!

The guesthouse was located in a small alley east of the unit. Xiao Meng parked the car at the entrance, helped Su Yuan carry the toolbox down, and pointed to the second floor:

"The room is 210, the window faces the courtyard, it's very quiet. The seminar starts at 8:30 tomorrow, I'll pick you up then."

Su Yuan thanked him, took the toolbox, and went upstairs.

Upon arriving at his accommodation, Su Yuan placed his bag on a chair and first checked the room, which had a bathroom with a shower.

I drew the curtains and glanced out the window. The yard wasn't big, with a few cars parked there, and residential buildings outside the wall.

The door lock was an old-fashioned concealed lock, which he locked from the inside, and then he barred the chair behind the door.

Ever since he found out he was being watched, he always makes sure the doors and windows are locked before going to bed!

After doing all this, Su Yuan sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the bronze mirror next to his pillow, where a light shone.

"Awu," Su Yuan called softly. The point of light trembled slightly. He picked up the bronze mirror and looked at it; there was no other change. However, Zhong Ming floated up and said:

"Kid, Sun Guoliang will definitely be here tomorrow. There's one more thing."

Zhong Ming's voice became cautious: "You might run into Han Zhengming at that seminar tomorrow."

Su Yuan was taken aback: "He's going too?"

"He may not be attending the meeting, but he's most likely here to meet with Sun Guoliang. During your two days in the provincial capital, try not to wander around outside. Go back to the guesthouse after the meeting."

Su Yuan nodded and placed the bronze mirror next to his pillow.

After washing up, he lay in bed and went through the day's events in his mind: meeting Zhou Peiyuan and receiving the bronze plaque and letter that his great-grandfather had entrusted to the Lin family.

And what about the sensation and the triggering of spiritual consciousness that Teacher Zhou mentioned? Is it real or fake?

I glanced at my phone while thinking, it was 20:36 PM, so I turned off the light and went to sleep.

The alarm clock rang at seven o'clock the next morning.

Su Yuan got up, washed up, and waited for Xiao Meng to come over. At 7:40, Xiao Meng honked the horn downstairs.

Su Yuan went downstairs and got into the car. Xiao Meng handed him a plastic bag containing two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk.

"Teacher Zhou asked me to bring this to you, in case you don't have time to eat breakfast."

"Thanks."

Su Yuan finished his breakfast in the car. After driving for more than ten minutes, they arrived in front of a gray-white building.

The bronze mirror sank slightly in my pocket…