Chapter 51 (Combined)
Zhao Dongsheng made a hasty judgment based solely on the fact that Yan Ruyi got out of the police car, concluding that Yan Ruyi had caused trouble outside.
Director Liu shook his head.
The cultural relics appraisal center is currently managed by Jiang Dongming. However, Jiang Dongming is a typical intellectual who only cares about cultural relics research. We have mentioned to him several times that he does not want to manage the appraisal center and just wants to do research in peace and quiet.
The appraisal center now only has four senior staff members: Jiang Dongming, Qian Yingjing, Zhao Dongsheng, and Lao Fu.
Jiang Dongming is obsessed with research, Qian Yingjing is a free spirit who doesn't want to worry about anything, and Lao Fu will retire in another year.
Only Zhao Dongsheng is suitable in terms of both age and experience.
Moreover, although Zhao Dongsheng didn't say it explicitly, his words implied that he wanted to be promoted further.
He also considered promoting Zhao Dongsheng to the position of director of the appraisal center.
But now, he has to reconsider.
With Zhao Dongsheng being so petty, handing the appraisal center over to him might lead it astray.
Let Jiang Dongming continue in his position for a few more years, and then let him step down when a more suitable candidate is found.
Yan Ruyi led the police and Zheng Fengxia upstairs.
When they reached the second floor, Zhao Dongsheng came out of Director Liu's office and immediately asked, "Xiao Yan, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"
Ma Zhenguo, the policeman who came with Yan Ruyi, didn't recognize Zhao Dongsheng and thought Zhao Dongsheng was Yan Ruyi's superior. He quickly explained for Yan Ruyi, "Comrade, you misunderstood Comrade Yan. She didn't cause any trouble. She was acting bravely and helped Comrade Zheng Fengxia."
Zhao Dongsheng, "..."
Director Liu also came out of his office. He knew Ma Zhenguo and invited Ma Zhenguo and the others into his office.
Ma Zhenguo briefly explained the situation.
Zheng Fengxia took out the broken jade bracelet and placed it on Director Liu's desk.
Director Liu, “Old Zhao is an expert in jade. Since he’s here, could you help him appraise it?”
If the bracelet isn't broken, it's not easy to tell at a glance whether it's real or fake.
After all, distressing is only superficial.
However, since the bracelet is already broken, it's much easier to judge based on the cross-section.
Genuine pieces, due to their age, exhibit natural color penetration from the outside in, with a smooth color transition and the presence of calcification.
Fake antiques have a single, superficial patina. If acid etching is used to create an aged appearance, it will produce pits that are larger on the outside and smaller on the inside.
Therefore, Zhao Dongsheng quickly determined that this was a genuine antique. Based on the patina, the craftsmanship and shape of the jade bracelet, it should date back to the Qianlong period.
The Qianlong era was only about two hundred years ago.
Ma Zhenguo: "Amazing! On the bus, Comrade Xiao Yan recognized this as an antique at a glance and even said the year. It seems that a strict teacher produces outstanding students."
Ma Zhenguo saw Zhao Dongsheng holding the broken jade bracelet, touching it, examining it with a magnifying glass, and after a long time, he finally determined that it was an antique from about two hundred years ago.
Yan Ruyi, however, recognized him at a glance.
He had always assumed that Zhao Dongsheng was Yan Ruyi's superior, so when he praised Yan Ruyi, he also mentioned Zhao Dongsheng.
When your employees are highly capable, you, as a leader, feel proud, don't you?
Zhao Dongsheng was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to respond or not. He looked quite embarrassed and finally forced a smile before saying to Ma Zhenguo, "I am not Xiao Yan's boss. She is very capable, and I cannot be her boss."
Ma Zhenguo was a straightforward person who couldn't keep his thoughts to himself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. When you came up here just now, you criticized Xiao Yan for making a mess. I thought you were her boss."
Zhao Dongsheng felt that he and Yan Ruyi were incompatible, and that as long as Yan Ruyi was around, nothing good would happen to him.
He made an excuse to go and prepare an expert report, and then went back to his office.
Zheng Fengxia asked Director Liu, "I heard that you can repair this bracelet here. Could you help me fix it? My parents passed away when I was very young, and my grandmother raised me. Now she is gone too. She left me this bracelet, and it's broken."
As Zheng Fengxia spoke, she started to cry again.
Director Liu, "I'll call the repair center and ask Lao Zhou to come and take a look."
Ma Zhenguo said, "You just need to fix it. Whoever broke the bracelet should pay for it."
Director Liu made a phone call and asked Zhou Changlin from the repair center to come over.
Director Liu said, "Old Zhou, could you take a look and see if this bracelet can still be repaired?"
The jade bracelet was broken in two. Zhou Changlin picked them up one by one and examined them. “It can be repaired. Although the bracelet is broken, the fracture surface is basically intact. It can be glued together directly with adhesive, or it can be repaired by wrapping the jade in gold.”
It's easy to understand how adhesive can be used to directly bond things together, but it's not so easy to understand how gold can be wrapped around jade.
To put it simply, "gold-wrapped jade" involves driving a nail into the broken edge of a jade bracelet and then wrapping it with a gold sheet. It is generally suitable for bracelets with severe breakage.
If you like the combination of gold and jade, you can also use this method to repair it. This repair method is more secure, and the combination of gold and jade also has a good meaning.
It's a perfect match.
Zhou Changlin briefly explained the two repair methods to Zheng Fengxia and asked her which method she wanted to use.
This is a bracelet left to her by her grandmother. Zheng Fengxia wanted to restore the bracelet to its original state as much as possible, so she chose the first option.
Zhou Changlin took the broken bracelet and left, telling Zheng Fengxia to come back in a week to pick it up.
Zhao Dongsheng's side has also completed the appraisal report.
Now that the jade bracelet had been identified as a genuine antique, there was no further news for Yan Ruyi. Ma Zhenguo simply took Zheng Fengxia back to the Public Security Bureau.
As for how this matter will ultimately be resolved, that's a matter for the Public Security Bureau.
Because of this delay, it was almost noon when Yan Ruyi arrived at the office.
As soon as she entered the office, Xia Pengfei and Liang Shi started urging her to treat them to a meal.
Seeing Yan Ruyi's confused expression, Xia Pengfei said, "Weren't you selected as an outstanding employee of the listed company?"
Yan Ruyi asked excitedly, "You really got the award?"
Xia Pengfei was speechless. "You've been in the bureau the whole time, how come you're not as well informed as Xiao Liang and me?"
Yan Ruyi said, "I was so focused on dealing with Zheng Fengxia's bracelet that Director Liu forgot to tell me."
She simply called Jiang Dongming to confirm.
Jiang Dongming: "The list has been released, and I've already seen it. Your name is indeed on it."
Although I was mentally prepared, I was still very happy to be selected.
When it was time to leave work, Cao Shengde also came over. Hearing that Yan Ruyi had been named an advanced worker in the city, he also insisted that Yan Ruyi treat him to a meal.
When Song Yiping arrived, he heard a burst of laughter and chatter in the office.
He went inside and asked, "What's all the commotion about?"
Xia Pengfei: "Xiao Yan has been recognized as an outstanding worker in the city, and we're having her treat us to a meal."
Song Yiping took out two bags of milk candy and placed them on his desk. "It's definitely worth celebrating. Ruyi and I will treat everyone to candy."
Cao Shengde said with a smile, "We must eat this candy to share in the joy."
Yan Ruyi exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know I was named an outstanding worker? You even bought candy for me?"
Song Yiping: "I ran into Director Chai on the way, and that's what he told me."
So on the way here, I stopped by a store and bought two bags of milk.
Her husband, Commander Song, is so thoughtful; he bought the candy without her even having to ask.
If there weren't so many people around, she would have been tempted to give her commander Song a kiss.
The phone rang, and Xia Pengfei picked up the receiver and called out to Yan Ruyi, "Xiao Yan, someone is looking for you."
Yan Ruyi took the phone. "This is Yan Ruyi."
"Comrade Yan, this is Qian Dongcheng. I arranged to call you at 5:30 this morning."
Today was full of twists and turns; Yan Ruyi had almost forgotten about Qian Dongcheng.
She only remembered after receiving his call that she had arranged to have someone call her at 5:30.
Yan Ruyi asked him where he was, and Qian Dongcheng said he was at his home on Wutong Road. He said he had a lot of things to do and hoped that Yan Ruyi could come to his home.
Yan Ruyi was surprised to find that he lived on Wutong Road.
Her and Song Yiping's new house is at No. 68 Wutong Road, while Qian Dongcheng's house is at No. 98 Wutong Road.
Yan Ruyi had made an appointment with him and would be there soon.
Song Yiping said, "I'll take you there."
Song Yiping took Yan Ruyi to No. 98 Wutong Road.
Qian Dongcheng had been standing at the door waiting for her. When he saw Song Yiping, he felt that he looked familiar. He looked Song Yiping up and down and asked uncertainly, "Are you Song Yiping?"
Song Yiping: "I am, and you are?"
Qian Dongcheng: "Your dad and I used to be comrades-in-arms. Later, I was discharged from the army because of my injuries. I saw you when you were a child. You look a bit like your grandfather, but we haven't seen each other for so many years that I hardly recognize you."
Qian Dongcheng never expected to see his old comrade's child today, and warmly invited Song Yiping to his home.
Song Yiping originally planned to send Yan Ruyi to the new house and then continue making beds.
Since it wouldn't be appropriate to leave immediately, he went to Qian Dongcheng's house with Yan Ruyi.
Qian Dongcheng's house was deserted and quiet, clearly indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.
Qian Dongcheng brought over two chairs, wiped off the dust with a rag, and invited Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping to sit down.
“I don’t live here, so there’s nothing here. If I hadn’t been forced to, I wouldn’t have been so embarrassed to invite Comrade Yan here.”
Yan Ruyi: "Where is the antique you want appraised?"
"They're all kept in the inner room."
Qian Dongcheng led Yan Ruyi into the inner room.
Against the wall in the inner room stood a dark cabinet, sturdy in shape, with three layers, each locked.
Qian Dongcheng took out the key and opened all the cabinets.
The three shelves were filled with porcelain, the large pieces about two feet tall and the small pieces the size of a palm.
Qian Dongcheng said, “To be honest, my father liked to collect antique porcelain, but he didn’t know much about this field. Although he bought a lot of antiques, no one knew whether they were real or fake, and he didn’t allow anyone to ask. He passed away last month, and when I was sorting through his belongings, I found that this cabinet was full of porcelain. I’m an amateur myself and know nothing about this field. I’ve been wanting to ask Comrade Yan to help me take a look, but I never had the chance. Today, I went to the police station to cancel my father’s household registration, and it was just a coincidence that I ran into you.”
Yan Ruyi glanced at it first. There were three cabinets with hundreds of porcelain pieces, but not half of them were genuine antiques; most of them were fakes.
Even among genuine antiques, there are very few rare gems.
This single Ming Dynasty clove-glazed lotus leaf bowl, in terms of both condition and glaze, can barely be considered a rare item.
There is also a genuine Qing dynasty famille rose peach blossom vase, but unfortunately it has a small chip at the mouth.
That's how it is with antique collecting; even a small, insignificant flaw can greatly reduce its value.
Yan Ruyi separated the real and fake money and gave them to Dongcheng District.
Qian Dongcheng took it all in stride and laughed, "Luckily, the old man is no longer here. Otherwise, if he knew that half of the antiques he bought at a high price were fake, he would have fainted on the spot."
Yan Ruyi picked up a fake five-colored floral and flowing water white porcelain bowl and said to Qian Dongcheng, "This bowl is so well made that it's hard for laymen to tell the difference. No wonder your father was fooled."
Qian Dongcheng said to Yan Ruyi, "Comrade Yan, you are currently in charge of the establishment of the auction house. After the auction house is completed, the antiques left by my father will be auctioned by the auction house, and all the proceeds will be donated to the Cultural Relics Bureau."
Yan Ruyi never expected that Qian Dongcheng would want to auction off these antiques.
All the proceeds from the auction were donated.
Although these antiques are not rare varieties, they are not all common items either. If they were sold in an antique shop, they could fetch at least four or five yuan.
If it were put up for auction, the price would probably be even higher.
He simply donated it without hesitation.
Qian Dongcheng said, "When my father was young, he wanted to work in cultural relics and archaeology protection, but unfortunately he never got to do so. Donating the money from the auction to the cultural relics bureau can be considered as fulfilling his wish before he died. As for these fakes, they should all be destroyed to prevent them from being circulated and harming people."
Yan Ruyi thought for a moment and said, “I have a suggestion. Although these imitations are fake, they are well made. Why don’t we mark them and put them in craft shops to sell as handicrafts?”
Yan Ruyi felt it was such a waste to destroy all such beautiful porcelain.
Why not sell them as handicrafts? That would be a source of income.
If it's marked, you don't have to worry about it ending up in the antique market again.
Upon hearing this, Qian Dongcheng's eyes lit up. "Comrade Yan's suggestion is excellent. I happen to have a friend who works in an arts and crafts shop. I'll go talk to him tomorrow and see if we can put it on consignment at the arts and crafts shop."
Qian Dongcheng offered to pay Yan Ruyi for the appraisal fee, but Yan Ruyi refused to accept it.
Yan Ruyi said, “Personally, you are Song’s father’s comrade-in-arms and my elder. Officially, you are going to put these antiques up for auction, and the money from the auction will be donated to the cultural relics bureau. According to regulations, I cannot charge you an appraisal fee.”
Qian Dongcheng said cheerfully, "Since that's the case, I won't give it to you. But I still want to express my gratitude. I'd like to treat you both to a meal. Would that be convenient for you?"
Having a meal was no problem at all, and Song Yiping had no issues with it either, so Yan Ruyi readily agreed, "Thank you for the expense, Uncle Qian."
Song Yiping smiled and glanced at her.
That little girl is very clever. Just now she was calling him Comrade Qian, but now she's calling him Uncle Qian.
The change in address immediately brought the two closer. If Qian Dongcheng wanted to change his mind and not put those antiques up for auction at Carliday, he probably wouldn't have the nerve to back out.
The auction house hadn't even opened yet, but she had already brought the items over for auction.
The next day at work, Yan Ruyi went to the Cultural Relics Bureau to report to Director Liu and Jiang Dongming.
The Cultural Relics Bureau's slush fund has been consistently short of funds, and Director Liu has been racking his brains to find ways to raise money.
After hearing Yan Ruyi's report, he laughed so hard his eyes almost disappeared.
Yan Ruyi took the opportunity to negotiate with him, "Director, once the money for this batch of antiques arrives, could you allocate a portion to us as funding? I don't need much, just one-third will do."
When Jialide was first established, Director Liu only approved 200 yuan for her.
She's incredibly frugal, wanting to stretch every penny in half.
Later, when she couldn't hold on any longer, Director Liu approved her work funds twice more. The first time, he approved 200, but the second time he reduced it by half and gave her only 100.
The preparatory office was very stingy. Xia Pengfei and Liang Shi even discussed whether they should sneak into the antique shop at night and steal the items to sell.
Director Liu also felt that he had made too many promises, so he readily agreed, "Alright, once the money from the antique auction arrives, I'll approve one-third of it for your expenses."
Yan Ruyi expressed her gratitude to Director Liu and took the opportunity to flatter him, laying the groundwork for requesting funding next time.
Director Liu said, "Xiao Yan, the Municipal Trade Union wants you to speak on stage as a representative of the advanced workers at this commendation meeting. I think this is an opportunity to showcase your personal style, so I agreed on your behalf. When you have time, please prepare your speech."
Yan Ruyi, "..."
She wondered why Director Liu was suddenly being so generous; it turned out he was waiting for her here.
She wanted to take back her flattery!
Flattery can't be taken back, and speeches still need to be written.
She dislikes writing essays, and even more so, she dislikes writing speeches.
She only submitted her monthly ideological and work reports when she absolutely had no other choice but to do so.
It was written based on Luo Huihui's work report.
She lay on the table, racking her brains, and after a long time, only one line appeared on the paper: Respected Leader.
It was even more difficult for her to give birth than for her second sister-in-law to write an article.
After sitting for a while, he slumped onto the table, regretting, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have asked Director Liu for money."
Song Yiping said, "Even if you don't ask Director Liu for money, he will still let you go on stage to speak."
This is the same mentality as parents: when their child is outstanding, they want the whole world to know.
Song Yiping has written speeches before and has some experience. "There are formulas for writing these kinds of articles. You just need to follow the formula and put it in."
He put down the wood he was sanding, walked over to Yan Ruyi, and saw that Yan Ruyi had been sitting for a long time with the same line of text on the manuscript paper. He couldn't help but laugh.
Yan Ruyi looked up at him angrily, "Don't laugh."
She was sitting in a chair, and Song Yiping was supporting himself on the table with both arms, completely encircling her in his arms. When she looked up, she was face to face with Song Yiping.
Song Yiping lowered his head and kissed him.
Once the kiss started, Yan Ruyi couldn't stop. She was almost out of breath when she pushed him away and ordered him, "From now on, you must stay at least three steps away from me. Don't interfere with my writing of my speech."
Song Yiping obeyed the order, released her, and sat back down to continue working.
Yan Ruyi humbly asked him, "What formula did you just mention?"
"When writing a speech, you should first introduce yourself, then talk about your achievements and gains at work, then look to the future and express your vision, and finally thank your leaders. The word count should be between 800 and 1,000 words, and the speaking time should be controlled within 5 to 6 minutes."
Song Yiping provided Yan Ruyi with a solution in just a few words.
She thought her commander, Song, was truly capable, excelling in both literary and martial arts.
He forgot the order he had just given, ran to Song Yiping's side, kissed him, and then ran back to write his speech.
With a clear idea in mind, Yan Ruyi's thoughts flowed freely.
After all, she did all the work herself, and she kept track of everything she did.
She was truly grateful to her superiors, because all her superiors were good ones who not only didn't make things difficult for her but also supported her work, making them far better than Luo Huihui's superiors.
Anyway, every time she met Luo Huihui, Luo Huihui would say a few words to her boss.
A speech of more than 800 words was quickly written.
She was still somewhat unsatisfied and felt she could write another 800 words.
However, her team leader, Song, said that it's best to keep the speaking time to 5 or 6 minutes, otherwise it's easy to annoy the audience.
From the audience's perspective, she also doesn't like listening to long-winded speeches.
Song Yiping praised her, saying, "Your words are substantial; they are well-written."
Yan Ruyi was also very satisfied and folded up her speech and put it in her handbag.
After lying down for a while, my arms and legs were a bit stiff, so I stood up and moved my hands and feet around.
Song Yiping pulled her into his arms and massaged her wrists. "You've been writing all day, why don't you go out and relax?"
Yan Ruyi thought for a moment and then suggested, "Why don't we go see Grandpa?"
Speaking of this, Yan Ruyi felt quite guilty.
Grandpa Song is an elder, and she should have visited him long ago, but for various reasons, she has not been able to.
Song Yiping naturally agreed. Every time the old man called, he would mention it again, asking when he could see his granddaughter-in-law.
Yan Ruyi stood up. "I need to go home. I bought a gift for Grandpa and left it at home."
Song Yiping escorted Yan Ruyi back home.
Ye Hongzhen steamed some meat buns. Just as they were done, she heard that Yan Ruyi was going to visit Grandpa Song, so she took a clean steamed bun basket, filled it with meat buns, and then went to the main room to get two cans of milk powder.
Yan Ruyi bought the milk powder; she bought four cans in total, and gave two cans to Li Yan, who was pregnant, so she could supplement her nutrition.
The other two cans were given to Ye Hongzhen and Yan Guoqiang.
Yan Ruyi bought high-end milk powder, which Ye Hongzhen and Yan Guoqiang couldn't bear to drink. They originally wanted to save it for Miaomiao, but now it came in handy, so Yan Ruyi took it to Grandpa Song.
She also took two jars of her homemade hawthorn jam.
In early winter, people from the countryside often come to the city to sell hawthorns. She bought a large basket of them and made hawthorn jam according to a traditional method she had heard about. When she tasted it, she found it to be quite good, sweet and sour. She could even eat two more big white steamed buns after spreading it on them.
Thinking that people often have poor appetites as they get older, and that hawthorn can stimulate the appetite, I got two jars for Grandpa Song.
It won't spoil easily in cold weather, so you can eat it slowly and it will last all winter.
These were all Ye Hongzhen's kind gestures, and Song Yiping did not refuse, taking everything to the car.
Once in the car, Song Yiping asked Yan Ruyi, "What gift did you bring for Grandpa?"
"Duan inkstone".
Song Yiping nodded.
In fact, he had no idea what a Duan inkstone was.
Yan Ruyi glanced at him sideways, "I knew you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Song Yiping felt that Yan Ruyi's expression at this moment was a true inheritance from his grandfather.
I feel that Yan Ruyi is the old man's true granddaughter.
Grandpa Song lives in a village called Liuzhuang, which is under the jurisdiction of Lizhen Town and is about 100 li away from the city.
From the city center to Yuli Town, the roads are all paved. But after passing Yuli Town, the roads become all dirt roads.
The road is fairly flat, but it turns into a muddy road when it rains or snows.
Last time Yan Ruyi went to Song Yiping's house, because of the heavy snow, Grandpa Song was stuck inside and couldn't come out.
Otherwise, the two of them would have been able to meet last time.
Song Yiping had traveled this road many times before, but this time was different. From Yuli Town to Liuzhuang, there was a construction team repairing the road. Half of the roadbed had been laid, and the other half had already started to be paved with asphalt.
The newly built road leads all the way to the entrance of Liuzhuang Village.
Song Yiping pointed to a small courtyard at the entrance of the village and said to Yan Ruyi, "That's the house where Grandpa lives."
It's cold, and there are hardly any people in the village.
Song Yiping parked the car in front of the courtyard, opened the door, and got out.
This is a typical rural courtyard, with three main rooms, two west rooms, and two east rooms.
The yard has been divided into rows, probably used to be planted with vegetables, but now that it's cold, it's empty.
As soon as the two got out of the car, a man came out of the main room. He was the old man's bodyguard. When he saw Song Yiping, he saluted him and said, "Commander Song!"
Song Yiping returned the greeting before asking, "Is the old man not home?"
"I went to play chess with Grandpa Zhang."
The guard was going to Grandpa Zhang's house to call Grandpa Song, but Song Yiping said, "I'll go. You take the things from the car inside."
Grandpa Zhang is Grandpa Song's chess friend. They both love playing chess, but they are both terrible at it. However, they are both inexplicably confident that they are better than each other. Every time they play chess, they argue fiercely, and once they almost got into a fight.
No matter how fierce the argument, they would always make up the next day and still arrange to play chess together.
Yan Ruyi said quietly, "You have ruined the image of Grandpa in my mind."
Song Yiping, "What image did Grandpa have in your mind before?"
Yan Ruyi thought for a moment, "Tall, cold, and with a murderous aura."
After all, the old man was a veteran of the war.
Song Yiping wanted to know Yan Ruyi's first impression of him, "And what about me? What was your first impression of me when you saw me?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Commander Song, "Wife, what was your first impression of me?"
Yan Ruyi exclaimed in shock!
Commander Song: I'd like to ask, what kind of situation would shock my wife at first glance?
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