I put you in charge of the child, and you raised a monster!

The next day, the production crew's car didn't head to the outskirts, but instead drove directly into a quiet courtyard in the old town of Jingdezhen.

The walls are made of blue bricks, the eaves are covered with gray tiles, and a not-so-conspicuous wooden sign hangs at the entrance with a few words written on it.

Ancient Book Restoration and Mounting Experience Center.

When Zhao Lei got out of the car, he was silent for two seconds.

"This profession today," he said in a low voice to the camera, "sounds like it's suited for quiet people."

Bai Sisi smiled and glanced at him. "Are you trying to say that it's not suitable for you?"

Zhao Lei nodded seriously. "I'm starting to have that self-awareness."

Shen Ling'er was led down by Yang Mi, her little face still showing that indifferent look as if she hadn't woken up yet.

She looked up at the doorplate, then at Zhao Lei.

"Speak softly now, it's proof that there's still hope for you today," she said clearly. "But I can't guarantee you can keep it up."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The comments section immediately started flooded with messages.

"Hahaha, Zhao Lei got a warning as soon as he walked in the door."

"Ancient book restoration feels like a very stable career path."

"Will Ling'er repair the old book until it can't speak today?"

"She looks at porcelain, the weather, and fire safety, and now she's reading books?"

An experienced craftsman was already waiting in the courtyard.

The team was led by a restorer surnamed Zhou, with gray hair, bright eyes, and a slow, deliberate manner of speaking.

"Today we won't tackle anything complicated. Let's first show everyone how to save paper and bring books to life," Master Zhou said with a smile. "Ancient books are afraid of moisture, insects, fire, and also of rough handling. In the restoration business, the first thing is not to touch the paper, but to learn not to touch it carelessly."

Zhao Lei nodded immediately.

Shen Ling'er, however, had already looked at the constant temperature and humidity cabinet in the room.

"The temperature in this cabinet is fine, but the humidity is a little too high," she said seriously. "The air outside is also humid today, so when you open and close the door, the paper inside gets affected."

Master Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Does the little girl know this?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"I don't know much," she said, "but paper and porcelain are a bit like each other; both are afraid of sudden changes."

"If it's too dry, it will become brittle; if it's too wet, it will become soft. If you keep handling it like that, the food will spoil quickly."

Master Zhou's eyes immediately showed some approval.

"That's right. Paper is most vulnerable to being handled roughly."

Zhao Lei listened in a daze.

"Wait... Teacher Ling'er, you've already started working?"

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"I just look at the environment first," she said. "For something to be properly repaired, you first need to know how it is doing now."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi couldn't help but smile and patted his daughter's head.

"That sounds quite plausible."

Master Zhou first showed everyone an old thread-bound book that had been partially repaired.

The pages were yellowed, the spine was a bit loose, and there were traces of insect damage on the edges.

Next to it were patching paper, paste, paintbrushes, book-pressing boards, and bamboo tweezers.

"This book isn't for taking pictures," Master Zhou said. "Today I'll show you how to mend a torn part without making it obvious at a glance."

Chen Doudou immediately looked up.

"Can it be replaced with a new one?"

Lin Jia immediately pressed his head down.

"No. Don't think about new things first, think about not breaking them."

Shen Ling'er stood in front of the desk, but did not make a move at first. Instead, she reached out and paused above the pages of the book.

"This book has been wet before," she said.

Master Zhou was stunned.

"How did you figure that out?"

Shen Ling'er put her words a little more completely.

"The edges of the pages have a slight wave, not curl, but undulation."

"This means it was damp before and then dried again, but the drying process wasn't very even, so the paper fibers shrank differently."

Master Zhou looked down and nodded.

"That's right. Last year, there was a small leak in a pipe in the warehouse, and this book, being on the outermost layer, was indeed slightly affected at the corners."

Zhao Lei slowly turned his head to look at the camera, his voice lowered.

"Dear viewers, this is Teacher Ling'er's first lesson on ancient book restoration. First, check if the paper has been wet."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"Don't overact this time, it sounds like I'm interrogating a criminal."

Zhao Lei immediately changed his tune.

"First, examine the physical condition of the ancient book."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"This sentence is much better."

The comments section burst into laughter instantly.

"Hahaha, the condition of the ancient book."

"Ling'er's speech is becoming more and more complete. She's not just concise, she's incredibly organized."

"Master Zhou's expression is off."

"Zhao Lei looked like he'd been lectured by an ancient book restoration class today."

Master Zhou handed a piece of cut-out patch paper to Shen Ling'er.

"Come on, give it a try. First, fill in the edges and corners. Don't rush, align the texture first."

Shen Ling'er took the patch and examined it against the light.

"The paper fibers are pointing in a different direction," she said. "You have to follow the edge of the tear, otherwise the patch will be very noticeable."

Master Zhou smiled.

"Yes, you have to consider the direction when you need to replace paper."

Zhao Lei also picked up a piece of paper and tried to stick it on, but the paper crooked as soon as his hand touched the paste.

"Hey? Why does it keep running this way?"

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"Because your hand keeps veering to the left, the paper will veering along with it." She paused, then added, "Don't treat it like a kite; if you move slowly, it won't misbehave."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Bai Sisi laughed so hard she almost leaned on the table.

"Ling'er's metaphor is so vivid."

Master Zhou couldn't help but laugh too.

"The child is right. It's not about how fast you stick the paper, it's about how accurately you stick it."

What truly silenced the entire room was the next page.

It was a tattered page from an old ledger, a small piece of the paper torn off, and only half of a line of text remained. The staff member in charge of sorting it out said that the page was there a few days ago, but it couldn't be found when they were doing the inventory this morning.

Everyone thought it had been put in another envelope, but they searched for a long time without finding it.

The production team happened to arrive just in time.

Zhao Lei's first reaction was to seek out excitement.

"No way, another missing person case today?"

Shen Ling'er didn't respond to his joke.

She stood in front of the pile of pages, first looking at the tabletop, then at the bottom of the book press, and then at the wire rack next to her that was drying paper.

She didn't speak immediately, but instead reached out and gently touched the direction of the vent.

"We just opened a window here," she said.

Master Zhou nodded.

"Yes, it was a bit stuffy just now, so I drove it for a while."

Shen Ling'er nodded, then looked at the patched edge of the account book.

"That page wasn't taken away," she said. "It must have been blown away."

The staff member was taken aback.

"Where did it blow away?"

Shen Ling'er pointed behind the paper drying rack.

"There."

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed, and behind the net frame was a stack of absorbent paper that hadn't been completely flattened.

The staff went over and flipped through it, and sure enough, they found a small, yellowed corner of paper at the very bottom.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the missing tattered page.

The entire room fell silent for two seconds.

Then Zhao Lei took a half step back, as if he had been habitually startled.

"No, Teacher Ling'er."

"You've already found it."

"You've revealed all the escape routes the paper could have taken."

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"The paper is very light, it's easy for the wind to blow it away," she said. "And the edges are a little curled up. When we opened the window just now, the air came in from the left and carried it to the back. You've been looking for the tabletop and the cover, of course you can't find it."

The way Master Zhou looked at her changed.

"You have a very keen eye."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Because paper is different from other things. It's light, looks safe when it's still, but it's easy to cause problems when it's moved."

After she finished speaking, she added another sentence.

"Those who do restoration cannot just focus on what they are doing."

"You need to observe all these things together: which way the wind blows in the room, how the paper on the table is curled up, and whether there are shadows when the light shines on it."

After listening, Master Zhou remained silent for a while before nodding with a smile.

"Well said."

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

"She can even push a piece of paper away in the wind?"

"On-site investigation of restored ancient books, right?"

"Paper is light and behaves itself when still, but it's prone to problems when it moves. That's a very accurate statement."

"Ling'er wasn't looking for paper; she was observing how the entire space was breathing."

The staff put the tattered pages back in their place, and Mr. Zhou took the opportunity to explain the very slow restoration process to everyone.

"First deacidify, then wash, then patch the paper, and finally flatten it."

"You can't rush any step," he said. "If you rush, the paper will be ruined and the words will smudge."

Chen Doudou listened attentively, then suddenly asked a question.

"What if the book says it's a chicken leg? Can we still get it back?"

Lin Jia closed her eyes.

"Chen Doudou, can you please get yourself out of that chicken leg first?"

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Shen Ling'er thought about it seriously.

"It can be filled in," she said, "but if the word is already missing, you'll have to guess from the context."

"You can't just guess. You have to look at what was said before and after, and piece it back together like a jigsaw puzzle."

Master Zhou nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"Yes, that's often how ancient books are restored. We look at the surrounding sentences, the paper color, the ink marks, and then slowly try to find the original meaning."

Zhao Lei laughed while muttering to himself.

"Teacher Ling'er has now entered cultural heritage reasoning mode."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"If you say less today, you'll embarrass yourself less."

Zhao Lei: "..."

At noon, the repair center arranged a simple lunch for everyone.

There weren't many dishes, but they were all refreshing: steamed fish, stir-fried vegetables, tofu soup, and a bowl of millet rice.

The first thing Chen Doudou said after sitting down was, "The food here smells very nice."

Lin Jia: "..."

Zhao Lei had just taken a sip of soup when he almost choked on his laughter.

"DouDou, your use of adjectives is starting to go in a strange direction."

Chen Doudou is very serious.

"Because no one fights for food here, and no one makes noise, the food smells peaceful."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"This statement is not entirely accurate, but it's understandable."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Bai Sisi couldn't stop laughing.

"Even Teacher Ling'er approves, which means Dou Dou is being a bit artistic today."

After the meal, Master Zhou took everyone to see the framing room. A newly restored old painting hung on the wall, next to several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings awaiting framing. The room was softly lit, and there was a faint smell of paste in the air—neither pungent nor greasy.

Master Zhou pointed to an old calligraphy and painting and said, "The most difficult part is not patching up the tear, but making it look like a complete work of art after it's been patched up."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lei immediately asked, "Then what are you most afraid of?"

Master Zhou smiled.

"The worst thing is when people are impatient or go too far with the treatment."

Shen Ling'er stood aside and watched for a while, then suddenly pointed to the edge of the scroll.

"There's a slight bulge here."

Master Zhou immediately went over.

"where?"

Shen Ling'er explained it very clearly.

"In the bottom right corner, there's a small gap between the backing paper and the base paper that hasn't been flattened. It's not noticeable now, but after a while, as the air gets humid, it will slowly bulge out. Once it bulges, the edges will curl up first, and if it curls up for too long, it's prone to cracking."

Master Zhou looked down and examined it carefully for a few seconds, then looked up with obvious surprise.

"You have a really good eye."

Shen Ling'er shook her head.

"It's not about good eyesight, it's just that it doesn't look right."

She paused, then added.

"If something is fixed, but it doesn't feel right to the touch, look right, or hang up right, then it's not properly fixed."

Master Zhou nodded solemnly.

"You've hit the nail on the head. Repairing a crack isn't about hiding it; it's about preventing it from getting worse in the future."

Zhao Lei had completely given up struggling and whispered directly to the camera:

"Dear viewers, today at the ancient book restoration center, Teacher Ling'er discovered three problems: pages blown away by the wind, paper damp, and mounting not being flattened."

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"You're making it sound like a report."

Zhao Lei immediately changed his tune.

"She noticed three things to pay attention to."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"It sounds better this way."

The barrage of comments started exploding again.

"Hahaha, this report is just like Zhao Lei's style."

"Ling'er really knows how to cultivate; she's not just saying that."

"Her 'things don't look right' prediction was so accurate; that's how you fix things."

"Master Zhou ran into a fellow professional today."

Before leaving, Master Zhou specially gave the children a small set of rubbing paper and a blank card showing how to repair ancient books.

Holding the card, Zhao Mengmeng asked sweetly, "Can I draw on this?"

Master Zhou nodded with a smile.

"Sure, you can draw anything."

Zhao Mengmeng thought for a moment and then carefully drew a small flower.

Chen Doudou took the card and first drew a large outline of a chicken leg.

Lin Jia was too lazy to stop her anymore.

"He'd probably feel uncomfortable if he didn't draw chicken legs today."

Shen Ling'er looked down at his drawing, thought for a moment, and said:

"This drawing style suits you very well."

"The lines are very direct, without any bends."

"But if you really use this to repair ancient books, Master Zhou will repair your books first."

The person around burst into laughter.

Zhao Lei laughed so hard he had to lean on the table for support.

"Teacher Ling'er's job experience today is basically to conduct a systematic review of traditional crafts."

Master Zhou smiled too.

"It's rare to see someone her age who can see things this way."

Yang Mi looked down at her daughter, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Shen Ling'er simply folded the blank instruction card and stuffed it into her small bag.

"I'll show it to my dad when I get back," she said casually. "He'll know what I understood today."

Yang Mi paused slightly, then smiled.

"Okay, show it to him."

Zhao Lei, who was standing nearby, perked up his ears and was about to chime in, but then remembered the "low-pitched voice training" the production team had been giving him these past few days, so he swallowed his words back and only managed a low "hmm".

Bai Sisi laughed so hard her shoulders shook when she saw him like that.

"You really look like you've been retrained."

Zhao Lei nodded seriously.

"I'm already making progress."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"There's something there today."

Zhao Lei immediately sat up straight.

"Did you hear me! I have a little bit!"

Shen Ling'er added a sentence.

"But you are still far from peace."

Zhao Lei: "..."

That evening, the topic of ancient book restoration experience also became a trending topic.

#Shen Ling'er notices signs of dampness in the ancient book#

#Shen Ling'er finds the torn page blown away by the wind#

#Ling'er says things look messy because they haven't been fixed properly#

#Five-year-old child visits ancient book restoration center#

#Zhao Lei got punished with paper today#

The comments section was as lively as ever.

"I thought she would be very quiet today, but Ling'er has figured out the whole process again."

"She can even push out a piece of paper that's blown away by the wind; it's so absurd it's almost reasonable."

"The saying in ancient book restoration, 'If it doesn't look right, it hasn't been properly restored,' is so powerful."

"Zhao Lei really looked like he was casually groomed by the entire audience today."

"How much exactly did Shen Fei teach her? Why does everything seem like she's dismantling the structure?"

In the hotel, Shen Ling'er neatly put the rubbing paper, schematic cards, and a small packet of repair samples she had brought back today into the box.

Yang Mi helped her pull up her small bag and asked in a low voice, "Are you happy today?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"happy."

"It's not noisy here, and everything is very well-made."

"People who are serious about their work will not be chaotic when they stand together."

Yang Mi smiled.

"You seem to really like this kind of place."

Shen Ling'er thought about it seriously.

"like."

"Because although the items are old, they haven't been treated carelessly."

"Things that can be properly repaired will look very stable."

Yang Mi patted her head, his heart softening.

In the next room, Zhao Lei was posting on his WeChat Moments on his phone.

[Ancient Book Restoration Experience: A truly successful restoration is when the book looks smooth and natural.]

[Shen Ling'er's verification: A little bit today.]

After reading it, Bai Sisi laughed and asked, "Now you don't even include summaries in your WeChat Moments anymore, you just copy Ling'er's quotes directly?"

Zhao Lei was very serious.

"That's called professional development."

Bai Sisi laughed out loud.

The next morning.

The production team did not rush to leave Jingdezhen.

The convoy departed from the hotel, wound its way through an old street, and finally stopped in front of an old courtyard with gray-tiled roofs.

A wooden plaque hangs at the entrance.

[Traditional Pharmacy and Chinese Medicine Processing Experience Center]

As soon as Zhao Lei got out of the car, he first looked at the sign, then at Shen Ling'er.

He's made it a habit now.

Whenever he arrived at a new place, he would first check whether Shen Ling'er could see through his disguise.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Bai Sisi couldn't help but laugh: "Why didn't you try to start today?"

Zhao Lei lowered his voice: "In a place like a pharmacy, I think I'd better respect the smell first."

Shen Ling'er was led down by Yang Mi and smelled the scent in the air.

There was a faint scent of herbs in the courtyard.

It's not the pungent kind, but rather a blend of dried tangerine peel, licorice, mint, and dried herbs.

Shen Ling'er looked up at Zhao Lei.

"You're right to shut up this time."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Bai Sisi laughed so hard her shoulders twitched.

"It was certified right from the start."

Zhao Lei immediately whispered to the camera, "Dear viewers, today's job experience is at a traditional Chinese medicine shop."

"I have already obtained permission from Teacher Shen Ling'er to be muted."

Shen Ling'er corrected earnestly: "It's not permission, it's that you haven't made any mistakes yet."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The comments section was already flooded with messages early in the morning.

"Hahaha, no mistakes so far!"

"The ancient book restoration just finished, and today I'm experiencing the pharmacy."

"Does Ling'er know anything about medicine?"

"She already had medical skills, but I don't know if the production team dares to explore that."

As soon as Chen Doudou got out of the car, her first words were still very steady.

"Does the pharmacy serve food?"

Lin Jia was already numb.

"This is a pharmacy, not a restaurant."

Chen Doudou was a little disappointed.

Shen Ling'er thought for a moment and said, "Pharmacies usually don't serve food, but some medicinal herbs smell like food."

Chen Doudou's eyes lit up: "Can we eat it?"

Shen Ling'er looked at him and said very seriously, "Not necessarily. Being able to eat and being able to eat whatever you want are two different things."

Chen Doudou immediately became serious.

"Then I won't eat it."

Zhao Lei couldn't stop laughing.

"DouDou's survival instinct is getting stronger and stronger in front of Teacher Ling'er."

An elderly man walked out of the courtyard.

The elderly man's surname is Meng, and he is a veteran pharmacist hired by this experience center.

He was wearing a dark cloth shirt, his hair was gray, his fingers were clean, and he spoke slowly.

Welcome everyone.

"No doctor's appointment or prescription today."

"We only teach the children about medicinal herbs, showing them the basics of weighing, wrapping, and processing them."

"In the field of traditional Chinese medicine, the worst thing is chaos."

"Medicinal herbs cannot be identified arbitrarily, dosages cannot be arbitrarily determined, and cooking time cannot be arbitrarily controlled."

Shen Ling'er nodded upon hearing this.

"That's correct."

Master Meng was taken aback, then smiled and looked down at her.

"Young lady, you know about medicine too?"

Shen Ling'er shook her head.

"I don't really understand it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lei's shoulders immediately tensed.

Because he is too familiar with it.

Whenever Shen Ling'er says "I don't really understand," she usually goes on to explain what others actually know.

really.

Shen Ling'er continued, "But when it comes to medicine, you can't just look at whether the name sounds nice or not, or whether it smells good or not."

"You need to check where it came from, how well it was dried, how thickly it was cut, whether it's moldy, and whether it's been bitten by insects."

"Also, medicine will change in taste and color if it's left out for a long time."

"If you take the wrong item or measure it incorrectly, something meant to help someone might end up causing trouble."

Master Meng's eyes became noticeably more serious.

"That's a very sound statement."

Zhao Lei slowly turned to the camera, his voice very low.

"Dear viewers, this is Teacher Ling'er's first lesson at the pharmacy."

"Medicines should not be identified or taken indiscriminately."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"This sentence is acceptable."

Zhao Lei's eyes lit up.

"I managed to stay calm again today."

Bai Sisi cautioned, "Don't get too excited."

Zhao Lei immediately stopped.

Master Meng led everyone into the main hall of the pharmacy.

Upon entering, everyone was immediately drawn to the cabinet with a hundred-piece set of books on the wall.

One entire wall is made up of small drawers.

Each drawer has a label with the name of the medicine.

Dried tangerine peel.

Angelica sinensis.

Astragalus.

Poria cocos.

Licorice.

Mint.

hawthorn.

Ophiopogon japonicus.

The wooden drawers were neatly arranged, their handles polished to a shine.

Zhao Mengmeng whispered, "So many small cabinets."

Bai Sisi smiled and said, "This is full of medicinal herbs."

Zhou Xiaoyu asked curiously, "How do they remember where they put it?"

Master Meng smiled and said, "It depends on habit, and also on rules."

Keep frequently used medications in an easily accessible place, and separate medications that are easily mixed up.

"Pay extra attention to drugs with similar names or shapes."

Shen Ling'er stood in front of the Hundred Treasures Cabinet and looked at it for a while.

She didn't pull out the drawer, but just looked at the arrangement of the cabinets and the wear marks on the edges of the drawers.

"This cabinet is arranged quite well."

Master Meng asked with a smile, "Where can I go?"