Chapter 132 Sister, go to a bright place and let me check for you
The curved dome stands like a church, and light shines through the red brick grids; beams of sunlight shine on the lonely straight stone steps, like an altar for sacrifice.
Qin Tian's heart trembled, and he held his breath and said, "Is this the altar? Was it originally like this?"
Ding Yiyi said, "Yes. I raised it and reinforced it."
Ding Yiyi showed the two around the museum, explaining everything. She had known this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity the day before yesterday when she received Qin Tian's call. Her triple membership in the National Museum of China, the Shanghai Museum, and the British Museum alone would bring her immeasurable hidden value. If she could unearth a missing piece of Yuan blue and white porcelain from her wood-fired kiln studio, who knows, this abandoned kiln might regain global fame.
After the tour, Ding Yiyi personally brewed two cups of tea for them.
"It will take a long time to fire porcelain pieces like Yuan blue and white porcelain. I have found a master who is specifically responsible for helping you. He is very experienced. Our wood-fired kiln is usually open to tourists, and some tourists come to make pottery. However, it is the off-season now, and there are not many tourists, so it will not interfere with you much. But there is a problem. The porcelain pieces you want to fire are very precious and are not suitable for preservation in public areas. We are in the mountains here, and it is not realistic for you to live in a hotel in the city and go back and forth every day. There are several self-built houses nearby, some of which are mine and some of which were built by my friends. The places are not small and can accommodate people and store goods. I will take you to see them later. If you like them, I can lend them to you. Anyway, no one lives there usually, so I will not charge any extra fees. I have a pickup truck, and you can use it when I am not driving it. You can drive to the city for supplies, walk around, and get familiar with it these days. Apart from that, you can contact me if you have any questions."
Qin Tian smiled and shook hands with Ding Yi. She had felt it the moment she spoke on the phone with Ding Yi that day: they were on the same page, a relationship that complemented each other.
Ding Yiyi took them to a nearby self-built house before dark. Qin Tian had initially assumed it was a typical brick and tile house in rural areas, and was a bit worried Tong Zhongyuan wouldn't be able to adapt. However, she forgot that Ding Yiyi and her friends were art students. The first self-built house captivated her. It was a simple, modern structure with glass walls and transparent glazing. It spanned two floors. The first floor housed a combined dining and living room with an open kitchen, while the second floor contained three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms.
Ding Yi finished showing them around the rooms: "Let's go to the second one. It's a little further away from here."
Tong Zhongyuan replied, "Don't look at it, just leave it. I'll go to the car to move the luggage."
"Wait a minute," Qin Tian stopped him, "maybe there's something more appealing behind it that you like?"
"That's not important." Tong Zhongyuan smiled faintly and went to unload the luggage from the pickup truck.
Ding Yi handed a key to Qin Tian. "This house happens to be mine, and it's closest to the studio. I originally wanted to use it as a B&B, but it was hard to rent, so I left it empty. The house isn't big, but it's big enough for the two of you. There's a bicycle in the yard, so it's convenient for going to the nearby small supermarket to buy things. You can't order takeout here, so if you can't cook, I can prepare two extra lunches for the studio at noon, and you can eat them in the evening."
Tong Zhongyuan pulled their luggage in and asked Ding Yiyi, "Can we borrow the car today? Let's go shopping downtown."
Ding Yi originally planned to show them houses today, then send them back to the city to stay in a hotel. They could move in after they were settled and cleaned up. Unexpectedly, Tong Zhongyuan took one look at the first house and unloaded his luggage.
"Sure. Just return the car to me tomorrow morning."
Qin Tian drove Ding Yiyi back to the studio. Ding Yiyi and Qin Tian got along very well and he gave her some tips.
"Try not to go out after dark. The ecology is getting better and better now, and sometimes you'll encounter wild boars..."
Before coming, Qin Tian also thought about renting a house for Tong Zhongyuan in the local area. But this arrangement did not include herself. She thought about staying in a hotel for a few days first, and when the model and data from the porcelain factory arrived and the kiln was successfully opened, she would go back. She never thought that this wood-fired kiln was in the deep mountains, Ding Yiyi's arrangements were so thoughtful, and Tong Zhongyuan has always been a man of action. She didn't even have time to say an objection, and she had to live with him on the first day of landing. It would be okay if it was before, even if her roommate was Tang Zhixu, she would be OK, but it happened now, and it happened to be Tong Zhongyuan. It has become more and more difficult to resist him, and she has no confidence at all.
After Ding Yi got out of the car, Tong Zhongyuan took the passenger seat. Not long into the drive, he received a call. Although the conversation was entirely in English, Qin Tian caught a few words that suggested they were discussing thermoluminescence. Qin Tian recalled yesterday's bet, which had veered off topic, turning into a trip to Jingdezhen to open a kiln. This was a rare opportunity to defeat Tong Zhongyuan; she couldn't let him get away with it.
After Tong Zhongyuan hung up the phone, she coughed lightly and said, "Partner?"
"right."
Tong Zhongyuan had no intention of concealing anything. Yesterday, he spoke to Eithans and asked him where he had taken the sample. He replied, "Where the white bubbles were."
Tong Zhongyuan ran his fingers through his hair. This answer was exactly what he had thought: he was going to lose.
"Eithans, take the sample from another part."
"What do you mean? This is the best place to take a sample. The most basic principle of thermoluminescence testing is to avoid damaging the integrity of the artifact. Compared to the bottom of the cup, the white bubble spot is already exposed outside the embryo, so taking a sample here is the least destructive."
"I know," Tong Zhongyuan replied, "Take the sample from another part."
"That's impossible. The sampling point must be approved by the customer. I can't change it at will and cause secondary damage."
"If he disagrees, then refuse to issue the report and return the money to him."
"No, no, you have to tell me why. Did you identify it with your naked eyes and think it was a fake?"
He was silent for a moment, then said, "My girlfriend said you took the wrong sample."
"Ha!" Eithans laughed without a trace of laughter. "Ha! You have to choose a side today. Tell me, me or your girlfriend."
"My girlfriend."
Eithans angrily argued with him, feeling insulted. He ultimately promised to ask the client to change the sampling point. However, if the problem persisted after the new sampling, he would video call his girlfriend and have her personally apologize.
Just now, news arrived. The sample from the bottom of the cup had come back, revealing it was fired within the past 50 years. His voice was like a defeated rooster.
"Why? How did your girlfriend know I did something wrong?"
The two samples yielded starkly different results, leaving only one possibility: the cup was fake, and the bubble spot was genuine. The counterfeiter had used a Southern Song Dynasty-era mold to create a replica, misleading the appraiser into using the flaw as the sampling point.
Qin Tian won. If it weren't for her, his clients would have paid a huge price for the fakes.
"Yes. The partner changed the sampling point and retested it. This cup is a fake." He told Qin Tian honestly.
Qin Tian raised his eyebrows, but he didn't hide it.
"Ha, do you remember what we said?"
"Remember. I lost." He turned his head to look at her, asking for her opinion, "Is this okay? I will..."
Qin Tian chuckled. She knew he was going to default on his debt. Even though the bet was a joke, it was still a good idea to play a trick on him. She would wait and see what he had to say.
"I will fulfill the agreement. But can I still call you by your name in the workplace and in front of acquaintances?" Tong Zhongyuan said.
Qin Tian was a little surprised. How could he be so flexible? She really didn't believe he could be so shameless.
"Then in front of strangers or in public, whenever you need to call me, just call me sister." She said with a smile.
"It's a deal."
Qin Tian soon discovered that Tong Zhongyuan was indeed a man of his word. First, at the supermarket, she picked out two sets of bedding. Although Tong Zhongyuan denied it, she could tell that he was a bit of a germaphobe when it came to personal items and didn't like using things that had been used by others.
The two designs she liked were on the top shelf. Just as she was about to go find the supermarket clerk, Tong Zhongyuan grabbed her and took the gift box down from the top shelf.
She squatted on the ground and checked the size of the bedding marked on the outer packaging. He also squatted down and put his head next to her.
"Do you want this set, sister?"
Her heart skipped a beat and she looked at him in shock. He met her gaze with a half-smile, without a trace of embarrassment.
The second time was during dinner. After they finished eating and paid the bill, they squeezed out from the crowded table. A waiter came towards them with a tray of food, and suddenly he slipped and stumbled. Tong Zhongyuan was quick-witted and pushed Qin Tian behind the customer who was eating. The man was hit by her and the food on his chopsticks flew out. Before Qin Tian could stand firmly, the tray in the waiter's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter", right where she had just passed. The whole restaurant was silent. Qin Tian came to his senses and apologized to the unlucky customer. The customer was very reasonable and said it was okay.
After leaving the store, Tong Zhongyuan was still looking her up and down. She asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"
He answered without hesitation: "I'm afraid that you'll get splashed with glass shards and cut yourself when you take off your clothes later..."
Suddenly, Qin Tian felt hot from his face to his neck.
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