Chapter 188 Yaozu in the Mountain Village (Part 3) *Beep!* The campaign to be a good person is underway...
Song Xi took the medicine and dragged Song Ce back to the room.
She gently lifted the shirt off her younger brother's back, looked at the slightly bleeding wound, and tears welled up in her eyes again: "Xiao Ce, it's all my fault for dragging you into this."
“Sister, Mom passed away early when I was little, and you took care of me while you were going to school. Back then, you never thought I was a burden!” As he spoke, Song Ce gave a bright smile and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the tuition.”
For some reason, seeing her younger brother's serious expression, Song Xi subconsciously believed him.
More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Song Ce carefully put the restored copy of "Yi Zhun Jing Lue" into his schoolbag, gave a few brief instructions to his father and Song Xi, and then, under the pretext of going out to work and earn money, he boarded a bus alone and traveled all the way to Xing City.
The summer sun was still scorching, and the leaves of the ash trees lining the streets were somewhat wilted. He didn't linger in the city center, but went straight to a huge grandstand surrounded by a large crowd of pedestrians.
As Song Ce listened to the host's passionate opening remarks, his gaze fixed on the northwest direction. Sure enough, after the host finished reading the lengthy introduction, an elderly man with gray hair and plain clothes led a young man onto the stage.
After the two sat down, the young man next to them said something, and the old man frowned slightly, looking disapproving. Song Ce ignored the complaints of those around him and squeezed towards the old man and the young man.
When he squeezed to within two or three meters of the two, he heard the young man say with a defiant look on his face, "Master, Mu Qing has been personally taught by you since childhood. I am confident that I can try my luck with this ancient book!"
Bai Jingyuan sighed softly before saying, "Mu Qing, the ancient book I brought to demonstrate today has such a wide gap between the mortise and the page that even I dare not claim I can successfully repair it. Take my advice: there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. Remember to keep a low profile and keep an eye on things in secret."
Zhang Muqing pursed her lips, but ultimately took a step back, which could be considered as having heeded her master's teachings.
No sooner had Bai Jingyuan finished speaking than a clear, youthful voice suddenly rang out from the audience not far away: "Sir, may I see the ancient book you are restoring?"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted in a cacophony of boos and jeers. One person, with a stern face, impatiently said, "Where did you come from, student? Do you know what kind of occasion this is? Behave yourself and don't cause trouble!"
"Exactly, at your age you should go home and study hard! Try to get into a good university in the future."
"That's not how it works. As the saying goes, heroes have emerged from among the young since ancient times! Mr. Mu Qing on the stage is only in his early twenties, but do you dare to say that you are better than him in the field of ancient book restoration?"
"Who is Mr. Mu Qing? He is a disciple of Mr. Bai Jingyuan. At the age of sixteen, he won the championship of the Qiaoli China Ancient Book Restoration Skills Open Competition! In the same year, he won the titles of Most Valuable Ancient Book Restorer and Most Promising Master! Such a genius is one in a million. How can we ordinary people compare?"
"Then how do you know this student can't be the next Mu Qing? After all, at his age, what do people his age know about ancient book restoration? In my opinion, he must have a teacher!"
"Fine, fine, fine, I can't argue with you. Talk is cheap, we need to see some real action!"
Seeing this, Bai Jingyuan smiled and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. His intelligent eyes were fixed on Song Ce, without any arrogance or contempt. "Young friend, do you know the rules of ancient book restoration?"
Song Ce nodded and said, "Light, heavy, slow, and urgent, restore the old as it was, and protect the original appearance and value of the ancient books to the greatest extent possible."
"good."
Bai Jingyuan rarely showed a smile, and continued, "Come up here! The ancient book I need to restore is a fragment of a Ming Dynasty travelogue manuscript, which is severely damaged." As he spoke, he took out a brocade box from the wooden box behind him and carefully opened it in front of Song Ce.
On the yellowed old paper, the lower right part of the travelogue manuscript was almost completely missing, severely damaged by insects, as if even the slightest force would cause irreparable secondary damage.
When Song Ce leaned closer for a closer look, he noticed obvious signs of repair on the first few pages on the left. Although the restorer had tried to minimize the gaps, the repaired areas were still too thick due to the patching process. From the side, the manuscript of this travelogue was noticeably thicker to the naked eye.
Seeing that Song Ce remained silent, Bai Jingyuan couldn't help but sigh softly.
Given his current reputation and status, spending 50,000 yuan on a tattered travelogue is nothing. However, he feels a sense of regret if it cannot be repaired.
"Young friend, do you have any leads?"
Song Ce smiled faintly and said calmly, "Old sir, your ancient book is severely damaged and I'm afraid it will be very difficult to repair..."
Bai Jingyuan's initial enthusiasm had completely subsided, and he no longer placed his hopes on the still-immature young man before him. He casually remarked, "Indeed, I was too hasty."
Song Ce's gaze lingered on the Ming Dynasty travelogue manuscript. After a moment of thought, he continued, "But it's not entirely hopeless."
Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyuan's eyes widened suddenly. He leaned forward slightly and asked earnestly, "What insightful opinion do you have, young friend? I would like to hear it in detail."
“If you look closely at the repair marks on the left side of this manuscript, the previous restorer used paste around the wormholes and then covered them with paper of the same color. This method is mostly used for minor cases of insect and rodent damage. For severely damaged areas like the right side, it would be better to use paper of the same color and properties for patching.”
Zhang Muqing, who had been silent, couldn't help but lean over and ask curiously, "You mean, the restorer's paper isn't suitable?"
Upon hearing this, Song Ce looked at Zhang Muqing and said sincerely, "In my opinion, Shan Xuan is more suitable than Jia Lian."
Bai Jingyuan listened to Song Ce's analysis and nodded repeatedly. "I didn't expect that you, young friend, would have such insights into ancient book restoration at such a young age. May I ask your name?"
"Song Ce".
"So his surname is Song..."
Bai Jingyuan looked at his closed-door disciple Zhang Muqing beside him and saw that his face was full of "I knew it" expressions. He paused and smiled, "Young friend Song, you and Muqing are about the same age. If there is an opportunity in the future, the two of you can have a competition on the same stage."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Muqing smiled proudly and extended her hand, saying, "I would be delighted."
Song Ce smiled and shook hands with him.
After Bai Jingyuan and Zhang Muqing finished their activities, Song Ce was naturally invited to the VIP room by the master and apprentice.
"Just now, young friend Song said on stage that he had something to ask of me, I wonder..."
Upon hearing this, Song Ce smiled shyly, a hint of embarrassment on his fair face. "To be honest, Elder Bai, I have an ancient book from the Song Dynasty that I would like to ask you to take a look at."
"The Song Dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyuan's eyes immediately lit up. "Quick, take it out!"
Song Ce nodded slightly, took out the book "Yi Zhun Jing Lue" wrapped in layers from his bag, and gently placed it on the wooden tray.
Upon seeing this, Bai Jingyuan quickly took out his magnifying glass and examination light, his entire face almost touching the ancient book.
"Excellent! Such neat and elegant Chongyan script! Thin black borders, single borders on all four sides, the characteristics of the text center are... Let me see, the year of the preface and postscript, the Holy Song Dynasty... the engraving letter, and there is also a colophon at the end of the volume. The font is beautiful, and the collation and engraving are also exquisite..."
After a long while, Bai Jingyuan suddenly raised his head and looked at Song Ce with a fanatical expression: "Young friend Song, are you selling your book 'Yi Zhun Jing Lue'?"
Song Ce was a pragmatist, and immediately asked, "I wonder how much Mr. Bai is prepared to offer?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyuan laughed heartily and said, "Back in the late Ming Dynasty, these Song Dynasty editions were already being purchased page by page. I, Bai Jingyuan, will not underestimate young friend Song's age; I can offer 15 million for this copy of 'Yi Zhun Jing Lue'."
Zhang Muqing, who was standing nearby, added at the opportune moment: "Mr. Song, last year Tangzhi Auction House auctioned a copy of 'Guangji Zatan' for 9.51 million. However, that book was severely damaged, and even a national-level restorer didn't dare to take it on easily. This copy of 'Yizhun Jinglue' has been restored by a master, and its quality is extremely high. It is very rare and has great historical reference value. If it encounters a fellow enthusiast, it is very likely to break the 20 million mark."
Seeing that Song Ce did not speak, Bai Jingyuan became anxious and hurriedly said, "If young friend Song has any objections to the price, we can discuss it further."
Clearly, this Mr. Bai was also a fanatic of Song Dynasty editions of books.
Song Ce had always harbored a desire to befriend Bai Jingyuan and his apprentice Zhang Muqing. After a moment's thought, he no longer hesitated. He smiled slightly and said, "Elder Bai, there's no need for further discussion..."
Hearing this, Bai Jingyuan felt a chill in his heart. After all, the number of ancient books from the Song Dynasty that have survived is extremely small, let alone a book that has already been restored; its value is truly incalculable. Just as he was about to try to persuade him further, Song Ce continued, "I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
Bai Jingyuan was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily: "Good! Good! Young friend Song is indeed straightforward! Mu Qing! Go and prepare the contract!"
Zhang Muqing stood up in response and prepared the contract in less than ten minutes. The contract was clear and concise, and the payment terms were also detailed: a deposit of five million yuan was required upfront, with the balance due within seven days. If the balance was not paid on time, an additional five percent interest would apply.
Song Ce had no objections to the contract and immediately picked up his pen to sign it.
Soon, Bai Jingyuan took out his phone and made a call, asking the other party to go to the bank to transfer the money.
About fifteen minutes later, Bai Jingyuan's phone rang. He answered it, nodded slightly, gave a few brief instructions, and then hung up.
"Young friend Song, the five million deposit has been transferred to your bank card. You can check your bank card balance by phone first." As he spoke, he gestured for Song Ce to use the phone next to him to check.
After thanking Bai Jingyuan and making a phone call to confirm that the money had arrived, Song Ce shook hands with Bai Jingyuan and Zhang Muqing again before preparing to leave.
"Wait a moment!"
Zhang Muqing handed over a discreet business card and smiled, "Mr. Song, this is my business card. Please feel free to contact me anytime regarding the final payment and handover matters."
Song Ce took the business card and carefully put it away. He stood up and said, "Mr. Bai, Mr. Zhang, it was a pleasure working with you today. I won't disturb you any longer."
Bai Jingyuan nodded and personally escorted Song Ce to the VIP room door, laughing heartily, "Young friend Song, if you have any good stuff here in the future, be sure to think of this old man!"
"must."
After resting for a night in the city center of Xing City, Song Ce went straight to the train station and bought a ticket for a direct train to the capital that day.
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Author's Note: [Fireworks]
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