Chapter 71 I want it

After the floral decorations are engraved, the next step is the main event: gluing and joining.

This involves two steps: first, apply glue to the porcelain bottle, spreading it evenly along the cracks, and while it's still slightly damp, attach the twig, which is about the thickness of a match head, onto it.

Only glue half of the joint, leaving the joint exposed, and then let it air dry. Once the glue is secure, weld the joint, and at the same time weld the leaf stem, leaves, and leaf buds.

This is a delicate task, even more delicate than mending porcelain. Because the temperature of the solder is as high as 400 degrees Celsius, if even a single drop falls onto the porcelain bottle, "snap," it will all explode.

Fearing that Li Zhen might be unfamiliar with the techniques, Wang Qizhi changed into his protective suit and replaced her.

Then Wang Qizhi took the torch, Lin Sicheng applied the welding flux, and Feng Lin fixed the protective plate.

Heating, applying flux, cooling... As soon as it solidified slightly, Lin Sicheng would make two quick cuts to remove the excess flux.

Feng Lin pulled out the board, and Li Zhen followed closely behind, applying glue and sticking it in place.

At first, it was a bit slow, mainly because it was the first time Feng Lin and Li Zhen were working together and they couldn't keep up with Lin Sicheng and Wang Qizhi's pace. But after welding a dozen or so places, the two became more and more skilled.

And so, like an assembly line, the four of them worked in an orderly fashion.

When Lin Sicheng finished patching the first, and longest, crack, Shang Yan's pupils couldn't help but shrink.

As they spoke, a series of gasps came from behind them.

In the shimmering light of the glaze, golden willow branches stretch along the bottom of the bottle. The branches are slender and graceful, the newly sprouted leaves glistening with dew, and the buds just about to open, delicate and tempting.

It is clearly a porcelain base with gold branches, but in an instant, it seems like a cluster of willow branches sprouting in the spring, growing out of the soil at the bottom of the jar, climbing up the plum vase, over the belly of the vase, brushing the mouth of the vase, and then slowly hanging down.

It is vivid, lively, natural, and full of life.

Just as Wang Qizhi had imagined, if the willow branches were dyed green, who would dare say they weren't cut from the tree?

No, it doesn't even need to be dyed. It gives people the feeling that "this willow branch was meant to grow like this."

Subconsciously, several graduate students simultaneously recalled the two bowls and the waist drum bottle placed in the ceramics laboratory.

The first one was a graduation project from three years ago by a senior student who was pursuing a doctorate under Professor Lin. The second one was restored by Professor Shang himself.

Similarly, both bowls were repaired using the "first mend the porcelain, then apply kintsugi" technique. Also, both bowls have won awards.

The difference is that the senior student only won an association award, while Professor Shang won the highest award in the provincial intangible cultural heritage category: the Shaanxi Folk Art Mountain Flower Award Silver Award.

One glance is enough to tell the difference.

But now, if you compare it with the plum vase on the stage... well, it feels like no bowl is as pretty as this one?

Of course, it could also be that the bowl is too small, or it's a matter of lighting!

The last one, the waist drum bottle, was restored by Professor Lin himself.

It's quite a coincidence that both are folk kilns from the mid-Qing Dynasty, both are white-glazed porcelain with a glutinous rice body, and both are vases. Even the repair techniques are the same: first mend the porcelain, then engrave and gild.

There's only one point: the mouth of the waist drum bottle is very large, and Professor Lin used the "internal clamping" technique. As the name suggests, the clamps are embedded inside the bottle's cavity and cannot be seen from the outside.

It has also won awards: Shaanxi Folk Literature and Art Mountain Flower Award, Gold Award.

If you compare it to the plum vase on the stage, it feels... well, it seems to lack a little bit of liveliness and naturalness, and it's also less lively.

It's like Professor Lin's waist drum vase in winter, and Lin Sicheng's plum vase in summer...

Of course, it's quite possible that there were too few broken parts on the waist drum vase, not enough space for Professor Lin to compose a picture and develop an exquisite layout...

About ten graduate students had similar thoughts, but as they thought about it, they couldn't continue: they felt a bit guilty.

Good is good, and bad is bad. They have that kind of discernment: so no matter how you look at it, the grandfather's seems inferior to the grandson's.

Then, we looked at each other, bewildered: What happened?

It can't be that Professor Lin held back when teaching his students, can it?

Otherwise, how could my senior brother's bowl, yes, the first one, have been patched up to that terrible state?

The more you compare, the stronger this sense of déjà vu becomes...

With a soft "thump," the plum vase was stood upright, and the group of graduate students came to their senses: It's fixed?

Wang Qizhi chased Feng Lin and Li Zhen away, then he used an agate knife to roughly grind the edges and smooth out the marks, while Lin Sicheng polished it with deerskin.

With a soft rustling sound, the golden willow branches shone even brighter, more vivid, and more natural.

Upon closer inspection, there are no fasteners or cracks.

The porcelain body exudes a subtle coolness, while the golden branches radiate a warm, soft light, blending together seamlessly like water and milk.

It's as if this porcelain vase looked exactly like this when it was first made.

A group of graduate students stared in disbelief, while Shang Yan's face revealed a look of amazement.

Li Zhen and Feng Lin were completely mesmerized, unable to look away. It was as if they couldn't believe that such a work of art could have been created by their own hands.

Hao Jun's eyes lit up. He picked up his phone and circled the plum vase, taking pictures as he went.

After taking the photos, he looked at Lin Sicheng again and asked, "Will you sell it or not?"

Wang Qizhi nodded emphatically: "Sell!"

Shang Yan hesitated, unsure what to say. But before he could open his mouth, Wang Qizhi retorted, "Professor Shang disagrees?"

Shang Yan thought for a moment and shook her head: This is not a porcelain laboratory, and Lin Sicheng is not her student, so why should she disagree?

Seeing that she remained silent, Wang Qizhi smiled: "I hate people who use morality to blackmail others, and who always talk about 'honor' and 'collective'."

Seriously, if Shang Yan dared to say no, he could yell at her until she cried.

Lin Sicheng must have bought the porcelain shards, right?

The gold leaf, paint, and adhesive were also purchased by Lin Sicheng, right?

Lin Sicheng brought all the tools himself, including chisels, scrapers, and polishing tools.

I just used his lab for a bit... No, that's not even using it.

Based on this skill alone, if Lin Sicheng weren't a student of this school, and Shang Yan brought so many students to observe the class, wouldn't the school have to give Lin Sicheng some travel expenses and a big red envelope?

It's good enough that they didn't ask the school for money...

Fearing that things might change if they waited too long, Wang Qizhi waved his hand and said, "Please trouble Secretary-General Hao to contact them as soon as possible!"

"good!"

This was exactly what Hao Jun had been waiting for. He edited the photos into an MMS message and sent it to each contact in his address book one by one:

A Kangxi period folk kiln Xinglin Chuntang white porcelain matte glaze plum vase, restored with gilt and engraving. See the restoration effect for yourself.

Don't ask who fixed it, it was Lao Hao... First come, first served!

After sending the message to the group, he realized what he was doing and looked at Lin Sicheng: "How much?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "One hundred thousand will do!"

The damaged artifact cost 64,000 yuan, and about 100 grams of gold were used, totaling 15,000 yuan. Other materials are negligible.

Feng Lin and Li Zhen are helping out, but they can't let Bai help them.

Even if Professor Wang offered it to me, I wouldn't accept it. I'd have about 10,000 yuan left, enough to treat Professor Wang and Hao Jun to several drinks.

Hao Jun sneered, "Ten thousand? I can't afford to lose face like that... I'll take this bottle for fifteen thousand!"

Wang Qizhi was tempted: "I want one too!"

Just as he finished speaking, his phone chimed. He glanced at it and burst out laughing.

Secretary-General Hao, where is this bottle? If this isn't a photoshopped image, I'll take it for 200,000...

The one who sent the text message was Lin Changqing!