Chapter 5: Luxurious Errand Fees
Qin Tian had originally planned to spend three days exploring Oxford, Cambridge, and Bath. But the bronze coin and relief made her uneasy, fearing the seller would deliver them to her hotel without her. After much hesitation, she finished lunch and walked to the British Museum, a block away. She had been there for four or five days, confined to the harbor, and hadn't properly explored the partner's collection.
The British Museum's exhibition halls only represented one percent of its vast treasures. She had carefully studied the catalogues of the non-display collections in the Chinese Pavilion. Her goal on this trip was to explore ancient Roman and Greek culture. She quickly glanced past the massive sculptures and stelae, concentrating on the smaller reliefs and jewelry.
It's hard to imagine that nearly 2,000 years ago, Roman sculpture had reached such an astonishing level. Throughout history, every nation has developed its own unique technology tree, and ancient Rome undoubtedly pushed the tree diagram of sculpture art to its fullest.
She took out a magnifying glass and looked at the relief texture through the glass, comparing it with the pictures of the item on her phone. The more she looked, the more astonished she became. A few passersby saw her fascination and whispered to each other.
Qin Tian took some detailed photos and went to the store to look for the catalog of the Ancient Rome collection. The staff gave her two copies. She asked if all the ancient Roman works not on display were included in the catalog. The staff shook their heads regretfully and said in a Versailles-like voice, "That's impossible. If we wanted to compile a book of the entire British Museum collection, we'd have to open a separate library."
Qin Tian stopped talking nonsense and simply bought a copy of every book in the collection. She had just found a café in the atrium and ordered a cup of coffee when her phone rang. She answered it, almost jumping up and down, hurriedly stuffing the books on the table into her backpack, ran out of the café, and walked quickly all the way around the British Museum until she couldn't help but jog.
She ran all the way back to the hotel. A delivery had arrived. It was Tang Zhixu's rare sneakers. The seller, fearing she'd regret it, had shipped them quickly. Qin Tian sent Tang Zhixu a grouchy message: "Your shoes have arrived." She'd assumed he wouldn't get up for at least another two hours, but he replied instantly.
"Send it back."
She rolled her eyes. "If you don't care about the postage, why ask me to buy it from England?"
Tang Zhixu replied: "The delivery cycle to China is too long, and some sellers are unwilling to do cross-border transactions."
Qin Tian quickly typed: "Forget it, I'll carry it back for you. It's too troublesome to send it back and have to go through customs and declare taxes."
"Then throw away the shoebox and put it directly in the suitcase. Save space and weight."
"Your precious shoes are worthless without the packaging. If the lotion leaks out of your suitcase, I can't afford to pay for it."
"I bought it to wear myself, and I'll throw it away even if the packaging comes back. You don't have to pay for it. I'll be responsible if it breaks."
Qin Tian threw her phone aside. After she washed her hands and changed her clothes, three more messages appeared on her phone.
"I'm getting up now. Remember to unpack it. If you don't want to, send it back."
The next item is a picture. It's a painting of lotuses in the breeze, inscribed with the words, "Crossing the river to pick lotus flowers, the orchid marsh is full of fragrant grasses." The ink on the large lotus leaf is still wet.
"This is for you. It's my errand fee."
Qin Tian studied the shoes for a moment, then asked the front desk for some tape to seal them again and put them in his tote bag. He'd even paid for the errand, so he wasn't going to let his coveted shoes go home without them.
After such a long journey, she didn't want to leave. She just stayed in the hotel, reading the library books, waiting for the package. Fortunately, she received the package from sultan1966 the next day.
As she unpacked the package, she briefly thought she'd made a mistake. No one would stuff an ancient Roman artifact into such a simple cardboard box. That was until she saw the bronze coin resting quietly at the bottom. Its serene, ancient luster, its rough, worn outer ring, and the blurred face of the Byzantine Emperor Justin. It was a genuine ancient Roman bronze coin, likely minted around 500 AD.
A relief of Medusa's head, crafted from pristine white Italian Carnelian stone, shows her hair transforming into serpents, twisting and dancing uncontrollably, her eyes filled with terror. The nasolabial folds have the distinctive concave and convex lines of ancient Roman sculpture, and the zygomatic arches have perfect light and dark contrasts. Minimal wear and tear indicate a well-preserved example of ancient Roman jewelry.
She flipped through the collection catalog and found a gem carved by Octavian Augustus in a similar style, a Roman jewel from the second century AD.
Qin Tian turned on her computer. Under sultan1966's homepage, there were over 20 items for sale. She bit her lip, pacing anxiously around the small room. The prices weren't high, so even if she bought them all and they turned out to be fakes, she wouldn't lose much. But what if they were genuine? If she bought them at this price, the other party could redeem them by claiming a significant discrepancy between the sale price and the item. Besides, if she bought them all, how would she take them back? Would buying too much arouse suspicion?
Qin Tian irritably pulled down his hairband, fell on the bed with disheveled hair, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
After graduating and joining the Shanghai Museum, she'd handled artifacts ranging from auctions fetching tens of millions of yuan each to rare, lost treasures that she'd snagged for a few thousand yuan thanks to tipsters. Those were all Chinese artifacts, her specialty, and something the Shanghai Museum needed. This time was different. Even if she could bring them back, how would the Shanghai Museum acquire these Western artifacts? She mentally prepared herself to give up her madness. But… but she couldn't refuse to pick up a bargain! She curled up in her bed in agony, her hair tangled into a pile of straw.
Tong Zhongyuan was jogging in Regent's Park when he received Qin Tian's call. He had seen her at the Yingbo Café yesterday afternoon and had assumed she'd be out exploring the surrounding area, but she'd actually come to Yingbo. He was about to say hello when she answered the phone and bolted like a frightened rabbit.
Tong Zhongyuan continued walking and answered the call: "Hello."
"Tong Zhongyuan, are you busy? I have something to ask of you." Qin Tian lay on the bed, holding his phone. After a long struggle, he finally had to find him. No matter what he did next, confirming the source of the cultural relics was the first step.
Tong Zhongyuan frowned. No one besides his mother would call him Tony now; even his father called him Tony. Qin Tian's natural, smooth voice made the name sound both unfamiliar and familiar. Furthermore, he did say he needed help, but that was just a subtle way of saying, "I'm willing to help you. For example, if you call 999 ten times and no police come to your rescue, I'll generously lend a hand."
"What's the matter?" Tong Zhongyuan asked under his breath, the wind blowing past his ears.
Qin Tian, with his sharp ears, still heard it and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you panting so hard? Did I disturb you? Then call me when you're done."
Tong Zhongyuan didn't have time to reply; Qin Tian had already hung up, leaving him with only the "beep" of the phone call. Tong Zhongyuan, startled, yanked off his headphones. His rhythmic steps faded, like a cheetah that had lost its grip on an antelope, its energy draining away. His watch showed the call that had disrupted his rhythm in just a few seconds. He walked to the lake, his hands on his hips, his breathing gradually calming. Reluctantly, he put his headphones back on and called back.
The moment Qin Tian picked up the phone, he had completely eliminated the anger in his voice and said calmly, "Tell me, what's the matter?"
"Are you done so quickly?" Qin Tianxia asked subconsciously.
For a moment, Tong Zhongyuan wondered if his Chinese had truly declined, or if Qin Tian hadn't learned Chinese very well either. In the distance, swans floated leisurely on the lake, and wild ducks scrambled ashore to beg for food. He sighed, tucked his fingers into his hair, and said with a wry smile, "Well, I'm done."
"Well, can I see the catalog of artifacts inside your museum? The ones that aren't on display."
She spoke in a dry voice, a tone that sounded like she was afraid of being rejected.
"Sure. The one for the China Pavilion?" A child kicked the ball in front of him and he stepped aside.
"Of course..." Qin Tian's fingers couldn't stop twisting the lock on the cushion. "I also want to take a look at the catalog of ancient Rome and Greece."
"Sure. Come see me at the museum tomorrow." Tong Zhongyuan stretched his ankles and waist. The tourists were dispersing, and the setting sun dyed the lawn and lake a golden hue.
Qin Tian had thought that Tong Zhongyuan's cautious nature would require some effort, but she hadn't expected him to agree so readily, without even asking for the reason. Her pre-made excuses were useless, and she could only stammer, "Well, thank you. I'll contact you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Tong Zhongyuan replied briefly with three words and hung up. CityPop music resumed playing in his headphones, and he quickly blended into the golden scene, running away towards the setting sun.
Qin Tian put down his phone and leaned against the window. The sky was beautiful, a golden hue as clear as a lake. He must have been running outside. She could hear the laughter of children and the unpleasant cries of swans.
"Qin Yizhang, I won! I got here first!" He shouted as he stepped on the railing of the bell tower.
She climbed the last step unconvinced, thinking, what's so great about running fast?
Seagulls circled overhead, croaking. The Huangpu River, unobstructed, churned and gurgling. The breeze rustled the handkerchiefs they had hung on the railings, shimmering as a golden hue enveloped both banks. He turned and held out his hand to her, his smile bathed in the molten gold of the setting sun. Hand in hand, they seemed to see to the ends of the world.
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