Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Zhang Weiyi put the form into a file bag, then took out a palm-sized dark blue ID book from the drawer and handed it to Su Yuan.

"Xiao Su, this is your identification. The expert team doesn't need to register when entering the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. If there's a problem with the mezzanine, you can use this to access local resources."

Su Yuan nodded and flipped open the ID book to take a look. His photo was pasted inside. He didn't remember when the photo was taken; it was probably from his work unit's file.

The label reads "Members of the Expert Group for the Restoration of Nine Special Cultural Relics," and the number is 007.

007!

Su Yuan found this number interesting. Was it Stephen Chow?

"Director, what's the order of these numbers?"

He asked, and Zhang Weiyi replied, "According to the order of joining, you are the seventh."

Who are the six in front?

Zhang Weiyi glanced at him, indicating that he shouldn't ask questions he shouldn't. Seeing this, Su Yuan didn't ask any more questions, closed his ID book, and put it in his pocket.

"There's one more thing."

Zhang Weiyi's tone was more formal than before:

"The expert team will have a intensive training session this year, scheduled for the end of this month, lasting three days. You should attend."

Su Yuan nodded.

After leaving Zhang Weiyi's office, Su Yuan stood in the corridor and took out the dark blue ID booklet again for a look.

Chen Xiaohe burst out of his office: "Let me see... you're pretty good!"

After looking around to make sure Sun Guoliang hadn't returned, he added, "I really envy you; that's a very impressive status!"

Su Yuan smiled, unsure what to say. Chen Xiaohe patted him on the shoulder: "Su, Brother Chen, I believe in you! You go ahead and get busy..."

"Um."

Su Yuan watched him return to his office and suddenly thought of a question!

Did Sun Guoliang know about the existence of this expert group? If he did, does he now know that he is one of its members?

Su Yuan put the ID book back in his pocket and returned to the warehouse, where he spent the rest of the afternoon repairing the bronze incense burner.

The cleaning of the bronze incense burner is more than halfway done. The hardened rust on the body has been mostly removed, revealing the original dark chestnut-colored patina underneath.

It feels warm and smooth like jade, and the color of Xuande censer paper is typical of sutra paper!

"Comfortable..." Tong Lu's lazy voice came out, and Su Yuan smiled without saying anything.

He carefully examined every inch of the furnace body with a magnifying glass, and after confirming that there were no hidden damages, he began to repair the damaged furnace leg.

He found a fragment of a Ming Dynasty bronze artifact, heated it over a gas torch, and used a chisel to gradually carve out its rough shape, then piled up the missing parts to create a general form.

The copper material cooled very quickly, and he repeatedly heated and shaped it until the copper to be repaired and the broken edge completely meshed!

After it cooled down, he switched to a smaller carving knife and carefully shaped the lines of the legs and feet.

The bronze incense burner has three legs shaped like animal heads, and the missing leg is exactly where the nose of the animal head is, making the whole animal face look like a piece has collapsed!

He needed to reshape the nose's outline and make it exactly like the intact animal head on the other leg.

Su Yuan repeatedly compared the intact leg to the other leg, confirming that the height, width, and the curve of the bridge of the nose were all consistent.

Then use a fine knife to carve out the lines of the nostrils and wings of the nose!

Every cut must be made skillfully and steadily, without using even the slightest bit of brute force. The depth of the nostrils must be just right; too shallow and it will appear lifeless, too deep and it will ruin the majesty of the beast's face.

After he finished carving the last stroke, he placed it under the lamp and turned it around.

He looked at the shadows cast by the light on both sides of his nose, then picked up the other leg to compare them, confirming that the shapes of the two shadows were exactly the same before he felt relieved!

After soldering, file off any excess protrusions and smooth the surface with fine sandpaper.

Finally, mineral pigments were used to age the area, with ochre mixed with pine soot and a little malachite green added, and then a thin layer was applied to the copper patch.

It wasn't applied all at once; each layer dried before applying the next, and it took two or three coats to finish!

The process continued until the newly added parts were completely integrated with the original, even the depth of the rust was perfectly imitated.

After finishing, he closed his eyes and touched it again, running his fingers along the bridge of his nose to his nostrils and wings of his nose. It felt almost perfect!

"How are you feeling now?"

Su Yuan asked a question, and after several seconds, the languid voice finally rang out:

"Hmm... I can smell it now."

Su Yuan couldn't help but chuckle: "Couldn't you smell it before?"

"Before, I was missing a nose... everything I smelled was just an empty shell..."

The incense burner's voice carried a sense of satisfaction: "Now I can smell the warehouse... the smell of wood, the smell of rust... and the smell of you."

"What do I smell like? What's that smell?!"

Su Yuan's mind went blank for a moment. Could there be something dirty inside?

"Hmm..." the incense burner said slowly, "It has a... smell of the Su family."

Su Yuan relaxed and asked, "Do you know my great-grandfather or anyone else?" The incense burner remained silent for half a minute, and Su Yuan assumed it had fallen asleep again.

A few seconds later, the lazy voice said something that surprised Su Yuan.

"Your great-grandfather took care of me, right here on this table. That year I got damp and developed black patches; he's the one who restored me!"

"After he finished, he said to me: 'Old incense burner, my descendants may see you again in the future.'"

"I thought he was joking," Incense Burner yawned. "I didn't expect him to actually come."

Su Yuan gently placed the incense burner on the shelf and stood in front of the worktable, stunned for a long time.

More than ninety years ago, my great-grandfather maintained this incense burner on this platform, and he knew then that it would meet its descendants...

Su Yuan took a deep breath, tidied up the tools, put them all into the toolbox, and cleaned up his great-grandfather's workbench.

I glanced at the bronze incense burner on the shelf again; it was silent now, seemingly asleep again.

He turned and left the warehouse.

When Su Yuan came out of the warehouse, he heard them making noise again. He guessed it was because Sun Guoliang had gone out, and they were afraid of being disturbed!

He glanced at his phone; it was 5:40 PM. Time flew by; he hadn't even realized how long he'd been in the warehouse.

Su Yuan returned to his office and put his toolbox aside. Several repair logs remained unfinished on his desk, so he sat down, picked up his pen, and began to complete his work for the day.

The bronze incense burner has been cleaned, the legs have been replaced, the overall aging process is complete, and the object is in stable condition.

After he finished writing, he signed his name on the last line.

Su Yuan's phone vibrated.

He took out his phone and saw a message from Chen Xiaohe: "Su, let's go for some skewers tonight, it's on me."

Su Yuan replied with an "okay," packed his things, locked the office door, and went downstairs with his toolbox.

Chen Xiaohe was already waiting outside, and he grinned when he saw Su Yuan.

"Let's go, let's go! I know that barbecue restaurant at the end of the alley has opened. Their skewers are really good."

The two of them walked for six or seven minutes and arrived. The barbecue restaurant was at the corner of the alley. The storefront was small, with a few plastic stools placed in front. The smell of charcoal and cumin wafted from inside.

Chen Xiaohe chose a table at the back, picked up the menu and quickly ordered a bunch of things, then poured Su Yuan a cup of tea.

"Su, you've spent enough time in the warehouse today."

As Chen Xiaohe poured water, he spoke, and Su Yuan hummed in agreement: "It's been almost the whole day, but Brother Chen is still the most carefree."

"Tch, what are you talking about? I'd be awesome if I had your skills. Did you fix that bronze incense burner?"