Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

At the dinner table, Xiao Meng only focused on eating, like an outsider. After the meal, Zhou Peiyuan said he had something to do and would not attend the group discussion in the afternoon!

They asked Xiao Meng to take them back to the guesthouse after Su Yuan finished his meeting.

Xiao Meng nodded in agreement.

Zhao Cheng accompanied Su Yuan back to the Cultural Relics Bureau. In the afternoon, there were group discussions, and Su Yuan was assigned to the bronze ware group.

The discussion was chaired by an expert in his sixties surnamed Liu, who was the leader of bronze restoration at the provincial museum and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Halfway through the discussion, an elderly gentleman with white hair suddenly approached Su Yuan and asked, "Who is Su Shouzhuo to you?"

Su Yuan answered truthfully, "My grandfather."

The old man nodded, his eyes filled with a wistful and nostalgic expression, and said nothing more.

But in the subsequent discussion, he mentioned several times the techniques Su Yuan's great-grandfather used to repair bronze artifacts, as if he was deliberately telling Su Yuan about them!

Su Yuan listened attentively. The discussion lasted for two hours and ended at around 4:40.

Su Yuan left the conference room, where Zhao Cheng was waiting for him. Xiao Meng's car was already waiting at the door. As soon as he got in, Su Yuan leaned back in the back seat and let out a long sigh.

"Didn't you run into Han Zhengming today?" Zhao Cheng asked. "I think I smelled that kind of tension in his eyes."

Su Yuan shook his head, but didn't tell him about seeing Sun Guoliang at the corner of the corridor.

As the car drove out of the Cultural Relics Bureau, Su Yuan touched the jade ring on his finger. The Spirit-Locking Bead, which was pressed against his skin, remained warm.

"Awu".

He called out in his mind. The bronze mirror was in his inner pocket; a point of light flashed inside, and he could feel it…

Back at the guesthouse, Zhao Cheng told Su Yuan in the corridor that he would call her for dinner, and then went into his room.

Su Yuan returned to room 210, closed the door, and took the bronze mirror out of his pocket and placed it next to his pillow.

The light spot was shining in the mirror, a little brighter than yesterday. Su Yuan looked at it every day and could tell.

"Elder Zhong," Su Yuan called out.

Zhong Ming's shadow floated up from the depths of the mirror.

"I saw Sun Guoliang today," Su Yuan said.

"I know. When you passed by that door, I sensed him. Zhao Cheng also smelled the scent of that crack on him."

"Hmm, what brings Sun Guoliang here?"

"I'm watching you."

Zhong Ming said, "He might be here to meet with Han Zhengming. Either way, he's been in your vicinity."

"Mr. Zhong".

"Um."

What do you think of what Gu Yuanhang said today?

Zhong Ming's shadow, with his hands behind his back, floated by and said:

"In places like mezzanine, once you go in, it remembers you. The next time you go in, it will use the things you were afraid of to stop you."

"What is my grandfather afraid of?"

Zhong Ming turned his head and saw the Su family patriarch, Miao Deyu, and the others staring at him, and fell silent.

"What your grandfather was afraid of was not being able to protect your parents and your grandmother, and later it really did appear in the interlayer."

A minute later, Zhong Ming finally spoke, and then returned to his ancestors and ignored him.

Su Yuan recalled what Gu Yuanhang had said: "Your grandfather held on."

It turned out he had only managed to hold on, not escape unscathed. Su Yuan rubbed his head and placed the bronze mirror next to his pillow.

I took off my coat and went to the bathroom to wash my face.

He looked a little tired in the mirror. He stared at himself in the mirror for a few more seconds and realized that his eyes were different from a few months ago.

I used to avoid eye contact with people!

Now it's time to look at people and things, and I won't look away anymore. I've really changed a lot. After wiping my face, I turned off the bathroom light and went back to bed.

My phone lit up; it was a message from Chen Xiaohe: "Sun Guoliang went to your place, right? When are you coming back?"

"Yes, I found him. He should be able to go back the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll treat you to some skewers when I get back."

Su Yuan looked at the message, smiled, and replied with an "Mm". He put down his phone, turned over, and faced the bronze mirror next to his pillow.

"Awu".

He called out softly, and the little ball of light trembled in response. Su Yuan reached out and placed his fingers on the edge of the mirror.

"I got the bronze medal. It was left to me by my great-grandfather." Su Yuan said to the bronze mirror, "It's a very important thing. I named it the Spirit Eye."

"How is it?"

The ball of light trembled again, and Su Yuan continued in a low voice:

"Gu Yuanhang said that my grandfather was one of the founders of the Ninth Bureau and withstood the pressure of the mezzanine, but my father couldn't..."

Su Yuan paused for a moment: "I don't know... whether I can handle it."

The light flickered twice, and he heard a soft sound, or rather, a feeling!

It was warm and soft, like a hand gently pressing on his heart.

"Alright... stay put and don't wander off."

Su Yuan raised his arm and smiled at the bronze mirror, and the light flashed again.

Su Yuan turned the bronze mirror over and placed it face down next to his pillow, then turned over and turned off the light.

In the darkness, he heard his ancestor in the bronze mirror say in a very soft voice, "Boy, you will be stronger than your great-grandfather and the others."

Su Yuan felt very happy upon hearing this, but did not answer the ancestor and closed his eyes.

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

Su Yuan got up, washed up, packed his toolbox and backpack, then opened the curtains and looked outside. There was a black sedan parked in the courtyard of the guesthouse, but it wasn't Xiao Meng's car!

Su Yuan stared at the car for a few seconds, but couldn't make out the license plate. He frowned and drew the curtains.

At 7:40, Xiao Meng's car arrived downstairs. Before Su Yuan went downstairs, he deliberately went around to the window in the stairwell and took another look; the black sedan was still there.

He slung his bag over his shoulder, picked up his toolbox, and went downstairs.

"Good morning," Su Yuan greeted, opening the back door and getting in.

"Good morning." Xiao Meng started the car and glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Did you sleep well?"

"good."

As the car drove out of the guesthouse courtyard, Su Yuan looked out the back window and saw that the black sedan hadn't followed.

Today's activity is a practical exchange, which will take place at the restoration center of the provincial museum.

When Su Yuan arrived, Zhao Cheng was already waiting at the door, holding two glasses of water, and handed him one.

"How did you sleep last night?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"good."

Zhao Cheng glanced at him, asked no further questions, and led him into the restoration center building.

The provincial museum's restoration center is much larger than where Su Yuan is located. It has three bronze restoration rooms alone, each equipped with professional ventilation equipment and workbenches!

The morning session was dedicated to a restoration demonstration, where several restorers from the provincial museum showcased the procedures and techniques for removing rust, repairing, and aging bronze artifacts.

Su Yuan stood beside the control panel, observing very carefully, especially the refilling step.

The master craftsman on stage used techniques similar to those described in his grandfather's notes, but there were also some differences. He used more new materials and less of the old methods in the traditional recipe!

Su Yuan mentally compared the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods, and unknowingly became engrossed in watching.

"Xiao Su."

Zhao Cheng came over and nudged his arm, snapping Su Yuan out of his daze. Zhao Cheng then gestured towards the control panel with his lip.

"That old gentleman wants you to come over!"