Chapter 23: Always holding hands and wandering through the fragrant bushes
Tong Zhongyuan raised his eyes and nodded slightly to her. Song Suiyang stood aside and said, "Teacher Tong said the restoration work is complete and asked me to sign for it. I... I'm not worthy. Qin Tian, you sign it."
Qin Tian's gaze shifted from Tong Zhongyuan to the revolving vase. She donned her gloves and gently stroked the vase. The ancients spoke of a broken mirror being mended, reconciled, and perhaps this was the case. Even if shattered, he could mend it until there was no trace left. On the surface, there was no trace. Those broken, fragmented parts were hidden beneath the perfectly smooth glaze, forever present, though never to be seen again. Qin Tian set the revolving vase aside, took the record sheet, and signed his name.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"I went to the antique shop and got a box to pack it up first. I was scared to leave it like this." Song Suiyang said that her nightmare was that it would be her turn to make up for it next time.
It’s a good thing Qin Tian came, otherwise he would have gone to look for her. Tong Zhongyuan picked up a wrapped gift box from the table and handed it to Qin Tian.
"I won't say enough words of thanks, I hope you can accept it."
Qin Tian took the gift box and shook it, but heard no sound.
"What is it?"
Tong Zhongyuan didn't answer and handed her another envelope.
"The SIM card is inside."
Qin Tian didn't answer.
"I don't usually use this card, so you can keep it as a souvenir. It might come in handy if you come to China for exchanges in the future."
Tong Zhongyuan pondered for a moment, did not insist, and put away the envelope.
"Thank you very much."
Qin Tian fiddled with the gift box. She didn't receive any WeChat spending notification for this item. He must have bought it at a mall that accepted VISA payments.
"What is it?" she asked again.
Tong Zhongyuan looked at her. He knew her, and there was no getting around this question. If he didn't answer, she would probably tear it apart right away.
"A watch," he said, adding, "Not a very expensive one."
Qin Tian held the gift box. The price of the watch represented the value of the favor he owed her. If she refused to accept it, he would be upset. She raised her head and smiled at him.
"Okay. Thank you. I'm welcome."
Tong Zhongyuan looked away and breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Tian's phone rang. It was Ming Yuanxing.
"Xiao Qin, is Xiao Tong in the restoration room? I just got back from the museum. Would it be convenient for you to ask him to come over?"
Qin Tian hung up the phone and said to Tong Zhongyuan, "Director Ming is looking for you."
Tong Zhongyuan was about to leave when he remembered something and turned to look at Qin Tian.
"Wait, I probably won't come over to say goodbye."
Qin Tian nodded: "I know. I have something to go out this afternoon. Let's say goodbye now."
Tong Zhongyuan nodded, raised the corners of his mouth, and reached out to her again.
"Again, nice to meet you, Qin Tian. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." She took his warm, firm, calloused hand.
Ming Yuanxing saw Tong Zhongyuan walk into the office, stood up and asked him to sit on the sofa in the reception room.
"Didn't they say it would take three weeks? How come it's fixed so quickly? Are you going back tomorrow?"
Tong Zhongyuan smiled and said, "Yes, this morning's flight."
"If I had known you were leaving so soon, I would have moved my business trip to next week. I've been so negligent and neglectful lately that I haven't treated you well."
"Of course not. My colleagues at the Shanghai Museum are all very nice to me. I've repaired the Heart-Transforming Bottle, and Qin Tian just signed for it. Song Suiyang should bring it over for you to review later."
Ming Yuanxing looked at him comfortingly: "Little boy, your mother's skills reached their peak after the age of 45. You are only 30 now, and there is much to be feared."
"Compared to my mother's, it's still a long way off. Don't expect too much, it's only been restored to a barely presentable state."
Ming Yuanxing laughed. "When I saw you as a child, I never thought you would be like this when you grow up. You were so naughty back then, running around with Qin Tian all day long, and making her cry every other day."
Tong Zhongyuan slowly raised his head.
Ming Yuanxing was still immersed in memories: "You've changed, and she's changed too. I still remember when she was little, she wasn't like she is now, a well-behaved and gentle girl. When you weren't around, she was so quiet, just sitting in her father's seat and painting. When you came, the whole museum was filled with your voices. Now, you're quiet. But she's always in a hurry and has a very stubborn temper."
Someone knocked gently on the door, interrupting Ming Yuanxing's recollection. Secretary Su handed Ming Yuanxing the certificate of discharge.
"Director, the release certificate for the British Museum's artifacts has been issued. Please stamp it."
"Oh," Ming Yuanxing opened the drawer and took out his personal seal. He took a look at it to make sure there was no problem, and then stamped it.
After Ming Yuanxing stamped the document, he handed the certificate of release of the cultural relics to Tong Zhongyuan.
"Qin Tian has already told you. Tomorrow, please take the artifacts back from your museum. I've called your director, and he knows everything that happened. He knows you're not responsible at all. I'll send a car to meet you at the gate tomorrow morning. Just give the exit certificate to Old Li. He's already packed the artifacts. I've already taken care of everything."
Tong Zhongyuan lowered his head, his eyes aimlessly scanning the coffee table. He casually picked up a bottle of mineral water. He subconsciously unscrewed it, but didn't drink it, and put it back. After a few seconds, he picked up the certificate.
There were thirteen artifacts in the British Museum, and he had a deep impression of every one of them. He was particularly impressed by the two in the Chinese Pavilion, the same two he had brought to China this time. The blank spaces on the certificate of release were stamped by everyone who had handled them.
He put down the certificate and his eyes lingered on the name for a long time - Qin Tian.
"Xiaotong, Qin Tian was careless this time, and it's caused you a lot of trouble, right? The night the news about your museum came out, she kept calling me. I told her I would never implicate you, and she even cried. She must have learned her lesson from this incident. I hope you don't take it to heart. Her current impulsive and unyielding personality is probably also influenced by that incident. She was there the day Old Qin left the Shanghai Museum. Later, after Qin Tian joined the Shanghai Museum, I also realized that she worked so hard not only to do a good job, but also to hold her breath. She represented not only herself, but also herself and Old Qin back then."
Ming Yuanxing sighed and smiled for a moment, "Alright, let's not talk about the past. Now you are all experts in your respective fields. The new generation replaces the old."
Tong Zhongyuan walked out of Ming Yuanxing's office. He stopped as he passed the cultural relics appraisal team. He didn't know how long he stayed there. A colleague came over and seemed to want to say hello, but ultimately nodded and left.
After an unknown amount of time, he continued walking forward. The narrow corridor at the entrance of the Shanghai Museum's appraisal group was the longest corridor he had ever walked.
He returned to the restoration team. Song Suiyang came up to talk to him, but he interrupted her and said he would talk later, then walked into the restoration room alone. On the restoration table, on his toolbox, there was a small box.
In the box is a bloodstone seal with four characters - let's be at peace together.
Let us drink to the east wind and be at ease together.
.
Song Suiyang wanted to tell Tong Zhongyuan that his colleagues in the restoration room wanted to see him off, but Tong Zhongyuan told her to wait, his expression unusual. Just as Song Suiyang was about to return to her workstation, she heard a door slam open and Tong Zhongyuan emerged from the restoration room. She quickly turned around, expecting him to come looking for her so quickly. However, he simply walked past her and out of the room. The sound of hurried footsteps faded outside the door.
He ran in the corridor of time, crossed the endless corridors, and came to Qin Tian's office.
There was no one in the office, the door was locked, and on her desk lay an unopened gift box.
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