Chapter 71 Qin Tian, are you punishing me?
Overnight, everyone returned to normal.
Qin Tian's suspected smuggling case was cleared up, and Song Suiyang breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Tian became the workaholic she was familiar with again. Every time she went to see her, she was immersed in the thermoluminescence laboratory.
Tong Zhongyuan's concentration seemed to have returned. He restored a Song Dynasty Jianyao black-glazed rabbit-hair teacup while he asked her to work on a Qing Dynasty ink bamboo bowl. Under his guidance, she was indeed making considerable progress. At this rate, she felt he should be able to complete his work at the Shanghai Museum in less than three weeks.
Qin Tian occasionally visited her in the restoration room, and he'd seen her interacting with Tong Zhongyuan. She'd briefly suspected something was happening between them, but now it seemed she'd been overthinking it. It was more likely Tang Zhixu had been involved in the incident with Tong Zhongyuan. She texted Tang Zhixu what he'd said that day, and he replied, "Got it."
She thought Tang Zhixu's attitude was a bit strange. It was clearly he who took the initiative to give her the painting, but now he was acting aloof.
Back at Qin Tian's place, Ming Yuanxing received the email and called her back overseas. She didn't hide anything, revealing her personal motive for finding the gilded plate, in addition to her work needs. Ming Yuanxing said he could go on a business trip, but the journey would be long and he was worried about going alone, so she decided to wait until he returned.
The photography department printed the photo in as high a resolution as possible, and the engraving department, after comparing data, hand-painted in the missing parts. The moment she saw the photo, the emptiness in her heart was instantly filled by the impact of this Han Dynasty historical woodblock print, just as she had felt when she saw the gilded woodblock print in the photo studio. At that moment, she was so carried away that she took Tong Zhongyuan's hand. For some reason, she still remembered the warmth of his palm.
She went to the hospital to see Qin Yunjie that night. She was supposed to visit him on the weekend. Because they needed to develop the negatives, she and Tong Zhongyuan went to several photo studios.
Qin Yunjie's first round of treatment hadn't yet concluded, but the doctor was playing chess with him, saying his cognition was recovering. She showed him a photo, and he stared at it for a long time.
"Are you going to look for it?" he asked.
She squatted beside his bed and looked at him.
"Can I go find it?"
He was still staring at it, and he gently stroked the photo with his hand as if he were stroking a gilded plate.
"I've never seen it, but I'm always looking for it."
She wanted to ask him where the information he had collected was, but she did not interrupt him and just listened quietly.
"I once collected a lot of information and went to many places, but found nothing. Wenying said I would never find it." He laughed, his eyes full of nostalgia. "I thought it was a joke between us. Because of her words, and to give her a surprise, I searched silently. Until..."
He paused, his eyes slowly turning towards her.
"It wasn't until she died that I realized I couldn't find it because she didn't want me to. This gilded plate was once her father's glory, and its whereabouts are the greatest secret. It's a bond that belongs only to their family. All the information I collected over the years was wrong, so I destroyed it. Since she didn't want to find it, let it remain a mystery forever. I didn't expect that she still left this negative behind. Perhaps this is fate."
He looked at his daughter. Unknowingly, she had grown so big. Blood was truly magical. Her features and eyes were exactly like hers.
"If you've made up your mind, then go find it. This photo must hold secrets that I can't see. I've tried every way to find it. Yi Zhang, don't follow my old path. Don't believe what you see. Her blood flows in you. If there's anyone in this world who can find it, it's you."
She looked at him and held out her hand, which held a bronze coin with rust peeling off it.
He took it from her hand and looked up at it in the ward light. A smile appeared on his old face.
“So this is what it looks like.”
He turned over, and the rose seemed like her incarnation, and his eyes gradually became moist.
"Let's go to Niya."
She had to go to Niya after all. She couldn't wait for Tong Zhongyuan to accompany her, nor could she wait for Ming Yuanxing's approval. The two thousand year old ruins of Niya were calling her back, like the echo of fate. Going there was her destiny.
She submitted her annual leave application, bought a one-way ticket, and left on Friday morning.
Before leaving, she wanted to say goodbye to Tong Zhongyuan. She didn't want him to think that she had gone there in silence out of spite because he had refused her request to accompany her to Niya. She respected and admired him; he was a trustworthy friend. More importantly, she knew he would recover quickly; perhaps within two or three weeks he would complete his mission and return to England. Perhaps the moment she gazed at the stars in the desert would be the day he left China. She could never predict which side would be their last, so she had to cherish every moment with him.
After work, she went to the restoration department. She knew he had been working overtime, and he had. It was already dark outside the window, and the studio was empty. He was the only one with the lights on, concentrating on restoring a Song Dynasty Jian Kiln black-glazed rabbit-hair teacup.
She walked lightly into his sight. He stopped working and looked up. She smiled and waved the A4 envelope at him, playfully asking, "Want to see it?"
"What is it?" He put down his tools.
She handed him the envelope. He looked at her and opened it. A high-definition, restored A4-sized photo of a Han Dynasty gilded plate appeared before him. He slowly pulled it out and carefully examined each one.
She came over and stood beside him: "What do you think of the restoration?"
He calmly moved away a little. "It's hard to say without seeing the real thing, but this is the best we can do under the current conditions."
"Do you have any other suggestions or reminders?" she asked humbly.
"That depends on what aspect it is. We need to analyze the specific situation." His answer was thorough and complete.
She nodded. That was all he could do. From now on, she was on her own. She put the photo back into the envelope and looked at him, smiling faintly.
"I'm going to Niya tomorrow. So I came here to say goodbye to you today."
His heart skipped a beat and his expression went blank.
"What did you say?"
"I've taken a leave of absence and will be going to Niya tomorrow. I bought a one-way ticket and I don't know when I'll be back. Maybe you'll be gone in two weeks..."
His heart was in turmoil, his mind in a mess, and he couldn't think at all. He heard every word she said, but he couldn't understand it. Didn't she want to go to Niya on a business trip? Why was it a vacation? Why was it a one-way ticket? How long would she be gone? Why did she leave when Tang Zhixu hadn't returned yet? Was she going alone? Why didn't he try to persuade her? All kinds of thoughts came to him, and he could hardly hear what she was saying.
"...I might not be able to say goodbye to you. So, I thought, maybe today will be the last time we see each other. Should we eat together..."
Her voice came intermittently, and he only heard "one last time". The pain from his heart suddenly tightening made him lose control in an instant. He interrupted her rudely.
"Is it because I won't go with you that you have to do such irrational things?"
She was stunned. Sure enough, he would think so. Fortunately, she came.
"No. I never thought so. I applied for a business trip, but Director Ming said to wait until he comes back. But I can't wait..."
"Director Ming's refusal to approve it means he also feels it's inappropriate!" He interrupted her again, his voice filled with unconcealable anger.
"What one-way ticket? What last meeting? Do you know what you're doing? You're a girl, going deep into the desert. What do you expect? If this is a business trip, I'll arrange for you to go with me, including a tour guide and a car. At the very least, I'll send someone to go with you."
She had expected him to react, but she hadn't expected it to be this dramatic. She stammered, "The Niya Ruins aren't that dangerous..."
"Do you think there's anything dangerous? Bringing things from the British Museum back home isn't dangerous, and neither is meeting antique dealers. A gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. No one can be lucky forever."
"I was impulsive the first few times, but Niya is not a dangerous wall..." she tried to defend herself.
"You're not impulsive this time?" He asked her sharply, "Then wait until Director Ming comes back and approves it before you go. Then no one will care where you go."
He was more difficult than she'd thought. She'd only come to say goodbye and explain things. She hadn't expected to deal with a situation like this.
"Okay... I was a little inconsiderate." She didn't want to argue, so she lowered her posture and wanted to end the topic as soon as possible.
"Refund the ticket." He said coldly.
"I can't refund it," she said, grabbing her hair. "I bought a special ticket."
"I'll compensate you."
She was about to lose her temper. She said irritably, "Why should I ask you to compensate me? What right do you have to compensate me? I'm just going to Niya, what's wrong with that? I won't refund my ticket."
After she finished speaking, she noticed that Tong Zhongyuan had gone quiet. His deep gaze, hidden in the darkness, weighed heavily on her heart. His suppressed, low voice came from the darkness.
"?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
