Chapter 40 Two People with Conflicting Values
Someone grabbed her wrist mid-air. She looked up in shock. Tong Zhongyuan looked down at her and shook his head.
Tong Zhongyuan received a message from Qin Tian canceling his lunch break and planned to go to the cafe to buy a sandwich for lunch. The security guard saw him and handed him a note, saying that while he was gone, an old man named Sun, the one who had been clamoring for treasure appraisal, had come to him several times. Seeing that he was away, he left him his phone number and address, asking him to contact him when he returned. He had just been there again, pestering Teacher Qin to leave the museum together.
Qin Tian didn't know how he found this place, but he came just in time. She put down the hammer and said excitedly: "Tong Zhongyuan! Do you know what I found?"
He pulled her up from her seat and walked into the yard. Sun Minfu didn't know what was going on and followed her out with a puzzled look on his face. Tong Zhongyuan said, "Mr. Sun, there's something going on at the museum. I'll talk to my colleagues."
Sun Minfu said "Oh" and walked back to the room.
She didn't need to say anything; he knew what was going on the moment he saw her about to smash the Buddha statue. But she was too thoughtless. Once the hammer hit, there was no turning back for Sun Minfu.
Qin Tian came to her senses when she saw Sun Minfu go in. She was too excited again and shouldn't have taken action directly, but she was still extremely excited. She was smiling like a child who found a shell with pearls on the beach, and she told the story of how she discovered the abnormality in a very detailed manner.
"You know what? If I'm not mistaken, it should be a pure gold Buddha statue," she said excitedly.
"What are you going to do?" Tong Zhongyuan asked calmly.
"Of course, you have to peel off the outer shell of the chrysanthemum stone. If the chrysanthemum stone is carved right next to the Buddha statue inside, then this Buddha statue is most likely a genuine Tang Dynasty artifact! You know, it's almost impossible for people to have Tang Dynasty artifacts anymore. It's incredible!"
"Then what?" Tong Zhongyuan asked.
Qin Tian was stunned. Then? Then a national treasure was revealed. What was he talking about then?
“And where will this Buddha statue go?”
Qin Tian was stunned. If it was truly a Tang Dynasty artifact, this Buddha statue couldn't be circulated. It would either remain in Sun Minfu's care, unable to be converted into cash. Or, he could donate it to a museum, and he would receive a bonus—a symbolic bonus. The rush of blood gradually subsided, and she habitually bit her finger.
There's no better solution, except to release the statue. Is it possible to see Sun Minfu auction it off as a Republican-era replica? That's only 200,000 yuan. The Shanghai Museum can afford that. But that's all. It's not that the Shanghai Museum doesn't have funds, but they're used to redeem cultural relics from overseas. Compared to artifacts lost overseas, the possibility of using a large budget to purchase folk artifacts is almost zero.
"What do you think we should do?" Qin Tian asked Tong Zhongyuan. She had seen it all over the past month. He was not only professionally competent, but also steady and thorough, never letting anything slip through the cracks. When she was with him, she'd unconsciously do what he said.
Tong Zhongyuan looked at her without saying a word. He had a way, but he knew it would make Qin Tian furious. Qin Tian looked back at him curiously, waiting for his answer. Judging from his expression, he must have thought of something, but why didn't he say it?
"Anyway, don't knock the shell off yet."
"No," Qin Tian held him back, "You've thought about it, right? You figured out what to do, but you didn't tell me."
Tong Zhongyuan's eyes fell on her hand that was pulling at his sleeve.
"Let's go back first and discuss it slowly."
He walked into the room and explained to Sun Minfu that Qin Tian had just discovered that the age of the Buddha statue was controversial, but the matter was still unresolved. They should return to the museum to discuss the matter and give him an answer in a few days. He gave Sun Minfu his phone number.
Sun Minfu asked: "Should I still send it to the auction house for the autumn sale?"
"No, please keep it safe. I'll contact you soon."
"Let's go," Tong Zhongyuan came out and left with Qin Tian, "Have you had lunch?"
It was already past lunchtime, so Tong Zhongyuan found a nearby restaurant for a quick meal. Qin Tian thought he meant to start discussing it after leaving Sun Minfu's house, but even after the dishes were served, he showed no sign of discussing it. She couldn't help but ask, "What plan are you thinking of?"
Tong Zhongyuan ate his meal silently without answering. This matter had nothing to do with him. How did he end up here, and in this dilemma? At this point, Qin Tian wouldn't give up until he told him. After finally picking all the ginger from the shredded pork, he spoke slowly.
"I have an idea, but you will never agree."
Qin Tianqi said: "You didn't even say it, how do you know I don't agree? Besides, the things are not mine, so it doesn't matter whether I agree or not."
He looked her straight in the eye. "Given the statue's current condition, it can be exported as a Republican-era replica."
This answer was so unexpected that Qin Tianxia subconsciously asked, "Why are you leaving the country?"
"Find an auction house in Hong Kong or the UK. They can fetch a fortune."
Qin Tian was stunned. Did he mean to preserve the current Republican-era guise and then recreate the Buddha statue's golden body once they arrived in Hong Kong? She was worried she had misunderstood Tong Zhongyuan. She gathered her thoughts and asked, "Are you saying we should send it abroad like this first, and then peel off the chrysanthemum stone once we get to Hong Kong?"
Tong Zhongyuan had finished eating. He put down his chopsticks and did not answer the question directly.
"If someone had told you an hour ago that this Buddha statue could fetch a high price at an auction in Hong Kong, would you have suggested Sun Minfu go? This Buddha statue, before you even opened it with the hook, was a replica from the Republican era."
Qin Tian looked at him straight in the eye. He was still so eloquent, and his words made so much sense. But she knew he wasn't right. She asked him again, "Do you mean to send it abroad, then peel off the chrysanthemum stone, and auction it overseas as a golden Buddha statue?"
Tong Zhongyuan's premonition became even worse, and he even regretted coming to see her. He didn't come here to conflict with her.
He scanned the code to pay and said to Qin Tian, "Let's go back first and talk later."
Qin Tian suddenly felt that this scene was somewhat familiar. Last time at the Shanghai Center, he didn't want to answer and was eager to leave. And she got carried away and did something stupid. She swallowed her simmering dissatisfaction and followed him out of the hotel. Tong Zhongyuan took a taxi and opened the door for her as usual. After she got in, she found that he hadn't closed the door. She looked up in surprise. He said, "Get in a little."
She inexplicably sat in, and he also got in and sat next to her. She glanced at the passenger seat, which was empty and nothing was placed in it.
Although he sat beside her, he showed no interest in discussing the matter. She thought, perhaps the topic was over for him. If she didn't bring it up again, he wouldn't bring it up again. But she couldn't do it. She didn't want to argue with him, but she had to know his attitude towards the Buddha statue.
"I've already discovered it," Qin Tian said. "Time can't be reversed. Now it's no longer a replica from the Republic of China era; it's a national treasure. Whether it was an hour ago or half an hour ago, you ask me to pretend I didn't find it. I can't do that. You said letting it leave the country in its current state is smuggling."
Tong Zhongyuan closed his eyes. He regretted it, truly regretted it. He shouldn't have come, let alone spoken the truth in his heart.
"Qin Tian, I'm only telling you my opinion. Please don't judge me with such harsh words. This isn't smuggling. All we can confirm is that it's a replica from the Republic of China era. Your speculation about it being from the Tang Dynasty hasn't been confirmed."
"That's because you stopped me! Otherwise I would have confirmed it by now!" She didn't hear the first half of the sentence at all, and only raised her voice for the second half.
Tong Zhongyuan clasped his hands together, silent. He told himself to stop. There was no point in discussing this further. Let her smash the outer shell of the Buddha statue, let her shatter Sun Minfu's hopes, let her experience the pain of Sun Minfu possessing a national treasure but having no money to pay for his illness, let her be consumed by an indigestible guilt. What did all this have to do with him?
Qin Tian stared at him, his furrowed brows, tightly pursed lips, and an impatient look caught her eye. He must be utterly fed up with her; if they weren't in the taxi, he would have wanted to flee again. However, when his gaze met hers, it was calm and patient. "To you, this Buddha statue is a national treasure. To Sun Minfu, it's a treasure that will bring his wife safety."
She shook her head in disappointment. He didn't understand her, not at all: "No, it's not a national treasure for me, it's a national treasure for itself, it's a national treasure for all of China."
He sighed deeply inwardly. He had known this would happen. That was why he hadn't wanted to tell her. They were two completely different people, with no foundation for mutual understanding.
"Do you think Sun Minfu's national honor is more important, or his wife's health? For him, the meaning of a family heirloom is that it can be cashed in when he needs it most."
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