Chapter 41 Jealous
Qin Tian was speechless. She couldn't refute him. She had been talking to him about the significance of cultural relics, while he had been talking to her about common sense. The taxi pulled over, and Tong Zhongyuan got out, holding the door open until she got out, then closed it.
This majestic building, shaped like a bronze vessel, captivated her, held her gaze. Tang Zhixu always said she had no hobbies, only work. If a love of cultural relics couldn't be considered a hobby, then she certainly didn't have any. These artifacts weren't just vessels; they were pieces of history, stories. They connected the dots of history, forming a dazzling necklace. She turned and gazed at Tong Zhongyuan.
"It's not for national honor, but for this artifact, this Buddha statue, which has existed on this land for 1,500 years. It has experienced wars, changes, and vicissitudes of life, but it is still here. It has been admired, passed on, fled, and treasured by countless people, enduring their fate of birth and death, and yet it remains. I know you can't understand it. You sit in the British Museum, and all you see are artifacts looted from all over the world. This is your normal life. Artifacts are just a job for you, and you have long been accustomed to it. But I can't do this. I can't bear to see a artifact that has waited in China for 1,500 years leave this land, leave the place of its birth."
Tong Zhongyuan also looked at her. He had always thought her eyes were beautiful, sometimes dazzling, sometimes piercing. Last time at the Shanghai Tower, there was anger in her eyes, and he knew she was trying to provoke him. Her actions did indeed make him angry, but those attacks were not her intention. But now she was calm, calmly telling him how she really saw him. His heart gradually cooled.
"So what are you going to do? Strip away its disguise, and let it remain on this land forever. Let Sun Minfu, guarding this national treasure he can't cash in, appear in the news again and again, be interviewed, and share his thoughts. You don't need to tell Sun Minfu the facts, listen to his decision, or ask him whether he will hand it over to the great motherland or use it to make a huge fortune. Or do you think that your appraisal of this Buddha statue gives you the right to make the decision for him?"
Qin Tian stared at him blankly. She could hear his sarcasm. This was the first time he had mocked her so mercilessly, not even bothering to hide it. She knew she was a bit stubborn; Tang Zhixu, Song Suiyang, and Ming Yuanxing had all said so. Someone who wasn't understood anywhere must have a problem. But he was Tong Zhongyuan. When she treated him like that last time, he remained polite and only expressed his gratitude. Was she so annoying now? Even Tong Zhongyuan couldn't stand it.
Tong Zhongyuan saw her staring at him with wide eyes, somewhat bewildered, like a child who didn't know what she had done wrong. The palpitations he'd been feeling lately returned. What was wrong with him? He was getting angry with her over something completely unrelated. He'd had his share of conflicts at work over the years, but no matter how big the conflict, his principle was to handle it calmly. His response to personal comments was to not respond, not to retaliate. What others thought was irrelevant.
"I... I haven't figured out what to do. I'm not trying to make the decision for him. I was impulsive when I wanted to smash it. But even if..." she said with difficulty, "even if the Buddha statue can't be liquidated because it's a national treasure, I won't sit idly by. The Shanghai Museum has a bonus, and his situation is special, so the bonus won't be low. They can also accept donations. I think the 600,000 yuan he mentioned isn't difficult to meet. Director Ming is a wise man, and Tang Zhixu can ask him to donate some paintings. Adding up the money, it would be at least over 1 million yuan."
She explained her motives. She wasn't the fanatical patriot he'd assumed, the moralist who disregarded personal interests. She was simply impulsive and thoughtless. But after she finished, she realized Tong Zhongyuan's gaze had grown even colder. Ever since the illness, she could sense his distance was fading. And now, that feeling was returning.
Tong Zhongyuan chuckled. He was worrying too much. No wonder she had the confidence to break the Buddha statue's shell. Someone would cover for her. If she messed up, she could just ask her boyfriend to draw a few pictures as compensation. Anything that could be solved with money was no problem.
"You don't need to explain to me." Tong Zhongyuan took out the phone number and address Sun Minfu had left him from his pocket and handed it to her. "Just tell him your plan. Tell him that he has a pure gold Buddha statue, and persuade him to donate it, and then accept donations from the public. Raise a million to treat his illness, and it will also become a good story. By the way, you can also pick up a few paintings with potential appreciation. He will be grateful to you, and his children will be grateful to you too. Not only will you provide timely assistance, but you will also bring blessings to his descendants."
The piece of paper he handed over trembled slightly in the wind. Qin Tian said nothing, and after a long time he reached out to take the paper. Just as her fingers clamped the paper, his hand loosened and the paper flew away. Qin Tian's eyes followed the paper, but did not chase it. The paper fell on the lawn. She walked over slowly, squatted down to pick it up, wiped it clean, and put it in her pocket. She stood up, without looking at him, and walked towards the Shanghai Museum. Her steps became faster and faster, more and more hurried, like a desperate escape.
He remained there until her figure completely disappeared, not knowing how long he had been standing there.
Qin Tian lowered her head and walked quickly into the library. When she was about to reach the office, Song Suiyang called her.
"Where did you go? Who did you have dinner with? Why did you come back so late?"
Qin Tian lowered his head and walked around her, saying hurriedly: "I have something else to tell you later."
Song Suiyang stared at her back in a trance. What happened? Was she crying? Her voice sounded wrong. It couldn't be possible. She must have seen it wrong.
Qin Tian walked into the office, locked the door, and leaned over the table, burying her head in her arms. Her phone rang several times, but she didn't even look at it. There was a knock on the door, and the door lock clicked, forcing her to look up. Tang Zhixu was standing by the door.
"Why don't you reply to the message?"
"Really?" She lowered her head to look for her phone and hurriedly opened the WeChat interface.
Tang Zhixu walked in, his eyes following her movements all the time.
"What happened?"
"No," she lowered her head to read the message, "Are you asking which movie? It's up to you to decide."
"Look up." Tang Zhixu's voice sounded above her.
She froze, bit her lip, raised her head and smiled.
"Why? So serious."
Tang Zhixu looked at her coldly, his brows gradually furrowed.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
"Don't guess blindly, what could happen?" Qin Tian lowered his head again.
"You think I'm blind. My eyes are so red."
Why did everyone keep asking her what was wrong? She just wanted some quiet time to process it. What could it be? It was just a few unpleasant words from that person. Was it really that hard to deal with? She just needed a little time, just a little bit.
"I'm really fine, I just didn't sleep well. I want to go to the nursing home to see my dad later."
He was silent for a moment: "I'll go with you."
"Tang Zhixu," she raised her head, "This time, I want to go alone."
"Then I'll pick you up after work."
"Um."
This was Qin Tian's first time at the nursing home. She spoke with the person in charge to get a full understanding of the situation. The person who greeted her was a little surprised. Qin Yunjie had previously claimed he had no family. But since his arrival, his daughter and son-in-law had appeared one after another. She told Qin Tian that Qin Yunjie's condition was now relatively stable. They had asked the doctor to prescribe medication for him to prolong his recovery. He was mostly lucid, and if anything happened, they would contact him and his wife promptly.
Qin Tian gave her his cell phone number and said, "Don't contact him, he's my colleague. Just contact me if you have anything."
Qin Yunjie looked in good spirits. Qin Tian rarely chatted with him about work and told him about the current situation of the Ba Tomb. She asked him why he felt that the Jiangcun Tomb was the Ba Tomb. There was a look of nostalgia in his eyes: "To discover history from cultural relics, you need not only professional knowledge and understanding of historical details, but sometimes you also need a little imagination. The history we know is a biography of a winner, it does not record objective facts. You can expand from that imagination and use other archaeological materials and data to support it until your imagination becomes a reality."
She had always viewed her father from the perspective of a daughter, but this afternoon, she viewed him from the perspective of a colleague. She took out the Han Dynasty double-handled cup and handed it to him, explaining the whole story to him.
He examined it carefully and said he didn't remember the incident, but he did remember the two-handled cup. He pointed to the rose pattern on it and said, "At that time, exchanges with the Western Regions were frequent, and some artifacts have ancient Roman characteristics. Wenying, the rose you mentioned should be like this. Unfortunately, I've never seen it."
Qin Yunjie looked up at Qin Tian and pointed at the rose.
Qin Tian stared at him blankly and said softly, "Dad? What did you say?"
"A rose," he said. "The rose you spoke of."
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