Chapter 101 Blind Date
Tang Zhixu was a bit annoyed. The call he received this afternoon was from Ms. Wang. He'd thought it was about the Chunhua Pavilion Letter, but it turned out to be about introducing him to a girlfriend. As Chinese people age, two genes awaken: the vegetable-growing gene, and the matchmaker gene. Regardless of one's position, this is undeniable.
Ms. Wang, mistaking his response for youthful shyness, smiled and offered to introduce him to a girl who would be just right for him. He was immediately overwhelmed. His parents and relatives, already aware of his temper, hadn't dared to provoke him after a few attempts, and it had been quiet for almost two years. Older colleagues had brought it up a few times, but he'd always laughed it off. Besides, there were rumors about him and Qin Tian, but over time, no one mentioned them. He had a good impression of Ms. Wang: capable, intelligent, decisive, and fluent in English. He knew that a good relationship with her would be beneficial, but it had nothing to do with his personal affairs.
He politely declined, saying he was too busy with work and had no time for a relationship. Ms. Wang, who had been on a business trip with him for three weeks and had become quite familiar with him, immediately lectured him, "Xiao Tang, that's not right. Don't make excuses. As soon as you heard it was an introduction, you didn't even want to meet. How you met isn't important; what matters is whether you can chat together. I'm just introducing you. Whether it works out is your business. Do I really have to force you to get married? Tolerance is a sign of greatness. This girl is truly wonderful."
After chatting for a long time, he finally added her on WeChat. Then he went back to work. When he had some free time, he saw she had sent him a few messages. He didn't feel like chatting, and didn't have the time. He figured he'd just give her a try. Qin Tian had stood him up, so he replied, saying he was busy lately and that they could just have a quick dinner near the Shanghai Museum tonight, after which he had to work overtime.
He wanted to make it quick. He had already invited her, so if she didn't want to, he didn't need to ask again. The timeframe was tight, and the location was self-serving. Ms. Wang said the girl came from a very well-off family, and he figured she wouldn't tolerate being ignored. But she readily agreed, even going so far as to reserve a seat.
Tang Zhixu was a little late and hurried to the restaurant. He looked around. A beautiful girl in a white dress raised her hand and waved to him. He walked over and the girl stood up and smiled.
The girl was wearing delicate makeup, a sleeveless dress, and a pearl-colored tweed jacket draped over her shoulders. He wondered, is she not going to work, but dressed like this?
He greeted her, sat down, and asked her, "How did you know it was me?"
She smiled and said, "I saw the photos."
He was puzzled. He had no photos in his Moments, and he had never sent any to Ms. Wang. Seeing his expression, the girl smiled even more brightly. She opened her phone and sent him a photo.
He clicked on it. It was a photo of him painting at An Siyuan's house. He was so engrossed he didn't even realize the photo was taken. The person standing beside him, looking down, was An Siyuan.
He finished the meal in less than an hour. Afterward, he asked the girl how she was going home. She said she drove. He politely said goodbye and went back to the hotel.
He didn't come out of the museum until one in the morning. There were several WeChat messages on his phone, one of which was from a girl.
"I'm home. I had a great time tonight. I'll treat you next time."
He touched his face. She was even interested in something like this? What did she see in him? If he were a woman, he would tell a man who treated her so poorly to get out of here!
Qin Tian hadn't slept well the previous night, but she still set her alarm and woke up at 9 a.m. Although Tong Zhongyuan hadn't said when he'd be back, it seemed like it was coming soon. That morning, she went to the Apple store and bought the same outdoor watch he'd given to Ah Pa. She quickly browsed the store again, but couldn't find a particularly suitable gift. He had everything, and she didn't have his taste.
As the agreed time approached, she hurried back. On the way, she received a call from Sotheby's, informing her that the Western Zhou chime bells had arrived at the international port in the Lingang New Area at 8:00 AM. Unexpectedly, the shipment arrived on a weekend, so she sent Ming Yuanxing a message, saying she would inspect the goods that afternoon and then seal them at the port. They would arrange a vehicle to pick them up when the Cultural Heritage Department returned to work on Monday.
Ming Yuanxing called back directly.
"I'll coordinate with the Cultural Heritage Department. I'll have them go to Lingang right now. Once you've inspected the goods, you can leave them alone and bring them back."
Ming Yuanxing had been almost invisible since returning from Hong Kong. The story of the Western Zhou chime bells hadn't been publicized at all, leaving virtually no one aware of them. But he had resolved the issue of the artificial reproduction. As far as she knew, not only had the National Museum of China given up on purchasing the bronzes, but several other third-tier museums had also decisively rejected bronzes of unknown origin. These bronzes would likely end up on the black market. Not wanting to harm anyone, Qin Tian sent the data to several well-known private authentication agencies in China. She had done everything she could.
"By the way," Ming Yuanxing said, "Did you know that Xiaotong is going back? I haven't taken good care of him in the past three months. Please keep an eye on him for me. If he needs anything, please tell me. I'll prepare it in the next few days."
"He doesn't need anything." She thought to herself, how could she know what he needed, and besides, he looked like he had everything.
"I didn't explain it clearly. I was talking about restoration. The Shanghai Museum has a lot of materials on He Wu's past restoration work, including porcelain pieces she had restored. Although He Wu later went to the UK, she spent the peak of her career at the Shanghai Museum. It might help Xiao Tong improve his skills."
Qin Tian hung up the phone, feeling a sense of emotion. Tong Zhongyuan had defied Director Ming's wishes by refusing to restore national treasures for the National Museum. Director Ming, however, was magnanimous and unconcerned with Tong Zhongyuan's stance. He prioritized his professional pursuits and fully supported his continued ascent. He deeply understood the difficulty of achieving sainthood on this narrow and lonely path.
She ran into Tong Zhongyuan at the entrance of the corridor. He asked in surprise, "Where did you go so early in the morning?"
She couldn't say that she went to buy you a gift, so she told him about the Western Zhou Dynasty chime bells.
"Let's eat first. After dinner, I'll go to Lingang."
"I'll go with you."
"No need," she hesitated. "Lingang is so far away, and it's rare for us to have a weekend off. You should have a good rest."
"I haven't been to Lingang New Area. I want to go and see it."
He already knew her; she prioritized the other person's situation over her true feelings. Rather than respecting her every choice, he'd better pull her to his side. He'd made plans that afternoon and planned to go after lunch. But this unexpected mission appealed to him even more. The Western Zhou chime bells were like a secret between them, and he loved going with her to witness their arrival. Besides, Lingang Port was conveniently located near his planned destination, so it wouldn't be too late to go there that evening.
Tong Zhongyuan had originally planned to meet at a Michelin-starred restaurant, but he knew Qin Tian's personality. The Xizhou chime bells were already waiting for her at the harbor, and she wouldn't be able to take her time savoring the food. He canceled the appointment, had a quick meal with her, and then set off.
When they arrived, the Cultural Heritage Department hadn't arrived yet. Qin Tian completed the paperwork and found two workers to help her unpack and inspect the goods. The 14 Western Zhou chime bells were ancient and warm, even stained with a brownish hue of dried clay. Several lines of inscriptions were engraved on both sides of each bell. Qin Tian touched the inscriptions with a glove. It was a source of controversy, and also of reputation. Her next task was to decipher and sort the inscriptions, to prove to the world that the Shanghai Museum had made no mistake, and that the Ming Yuan Museum would not make any mistakes either.
Tong Zhongyuan examined the chimes one by one. Chimes 3 and 8 were slightly damaged, so repairing them wouldn't be difficult. However, the damaged area of chime 8 contained an inscription. While the bell itself could be repaired, deciphering the inscription would require archaeological research. Qin Tian approached him.
"Director Ming said Dai Lihua would be responsible for the restoration. I haven't told him yet. Do you think he can do this level of restoration?"
Bronze restoration is not as easy as porcelain restoration. Its applications are relatively limited, the objects are heavy, and require extensive chemical stripping and welding, making it generally a specialty reserved for men. In the bronze industry, the objects requiring restoration are often crude, and even imperfect restorations are not considered daunting. For this reason, bronze restoration is held in far less regard than porcelain restoration. His mother was perhaps the only woman skilled in bronze restoration. Due to her physical limitations, she only worked on small, delicate later bronzes, primarily ornaments and decorative items. She alone applied her meticulous approach to bronze restoration. Although he didn't interact much with the people in the department, he had a general understanding of the situation. Dai Lihua and Yang Xin were both able to repair it, but only to the point of repair, and neither could restore the damaged inscription.
He put down the magnifying glass and stood up.
"I can fix it."
"Dai Lihua can't do it?" Qin Tian was a little confused. Didn't he leave immediately? Didn't he turn down the National Museum's request? Why would he need to help with such a small defect? Besides, she had only seen him repair porcelain.
"He can do it, but he can't do it as well as I can."
She knew he was telling the truth, but this was the current situation of the Shanghai Museum.
"But... aren't you going back..."
She spoke softly, as if he had forgotten about it and she didn't want to remind him but had to.
"This damage will be fixed quickly in two or three days," he said nonchalantly. "The key is these two inscriptions. Dai Lihua can't restore them."
Qin Tian squatted down and took a look. It was indeed true. The problem was that the two inscriptions had not yet been deciphered. How could they be restored? She asked in surprise, "Can you restore it?"
"Neither can I," he replied, "but you can. Once you tell me what these two words are, I can restore them."
"But that will take a very long time. Only after the entire article is translated can we guess what these two words are."
"Then I'll keep these two words until you tell me."
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