Chapter 714
At the end of October, Su Miao received a fax from Hu Xiaodie who was far away in the UK. The process of receiving this fax was particularly complicated.
At present, the connection between the mainland and foreign countries has just started, and communication is very inconvenient. There are mainly several forms:
The most efficient way is to make international long-distance calls, which are mainly used for important communications on urgent matters and are rarely used by ordinary families and individuals.
Moreover, not everyone can use it. You need to apply to the post and telecommunications bureau for permission to have this function.
Generally, these are the telephones of enterprises or government agencies. International long-distance calls can only be made with a foreign affairs or official business certificate. Private use is generally not approved.
Moreover, international long-distance call charges are as high as 30 RMB per minute. Just a few minutes of talking can cost a month's salary, which is very expensive.
Relatively affordable are letters and international mail. Traditional mail is the main way for ordinary individuals to communicate across borders, and is divided into ordinary mail and airmail.
Shipping through the international postal system is less expensive and usually takes one to two weeks, or even longer, from abroad to domestic destinations.
This method makes it difficult to track logistics information and it is easy for items to be lost. People often have to wait for a long time and then find out that the package has been lost in the sea.
Airmail charges are higher, but it can be delivered within a week and has a lower loss rate, making it suitable for sending important letters or small packages.
The fax method used by Hu Xiaodie is slightly less time-efficient than international calls.
Often it is the main method of file transfer in a business environment.
The disadvantage is that it requires a fax machine, which is usually only available in foreign-related companies, hotels, post offices and other institutions. The time difference between the two places is also something that needs to be considered.
Not far from Su Miao's home, there is a foreign-related hotel. Perhaps to make extra money, it has opened an international fax service.
After receiving the fax, call the number on it to contact the recipient to pick up the item and collect the fee.
On Saturday holiday, Su Miao received a call from the hotel notifying him to pick up his luggage. Since he had contacted Hu Xiaodie twice in this way before, he did not find it strange this time.
Su Miao wrapped his thin coat tightly around him and walked quickly towards the foreign-related hotel.
The fountain in front of the hotel was still running, and the water droplets reflected tiny rays of light in the sunlight. A few children gathered around to watch and even reached out to touch the water.
"Hello, I'm here to pick up a fax. The phone number is XXXXX, Su Miao."
Su Miao spoke to the front desk staff, his voice a little hurried than usual because he had just walked fast.
The staff member checked the record book and looked up at her: "Ms. Su, right? Fax from Gangcheng, the charge is 4 yuan."
Su Miao counted out the money from his wallet and handed it over, then took the paper covered with words.
She looked at the beginning and saw that it was indeed Hu Xiaodie's handwriting, but the handwriting was lighter than the previous two times, and there were some more wrinkles on the sides, as if the original manuscript was not printed flat.
"Hong Kong City?" Su Miao asked doubtfully, drawing the sidelong glances of several well-dressed guests nearby.
She quickly lowered her voice: "Isn't it from England?"
The staff member looked at the registration form and confirmed:
"The sending number is indeed from Hong Kong. We are only responsible for receiving and forwarding..."
Then, with an embarrassed look on his face, he looked around for a moment before moving closer and saying:
"However, things have been a bit strange lately. The higher-ups have announced a suspension of fax transmissions to and from the UK. We don't know the exact reason."
He suddenly realized he had said too much and quickly straightened his face: "This copy of yours was transferred from Hong Kong, there is no mistake."
This... Has the situation become tense again? We should be negotiating the return to Hong Kong City now.
She thanked him and walked to the hotel lobby with the fax.
The lounge area in the lobby was covered with dark red carpet. Su Miao found a corner by the window and sat down, eager to read carefully.
Dear Miaomiao:
When I saw the words, the letter had been tossed around for a long time.
Suddenly, we are unable to send letters directly to China from here in England. We have failed three times in our attempts. The postal clerk said the lines were blocked, but I suspect it is more than that.
Fortunately, my uncle lives in Hong Kong, so I can use the transit point...
The following content of the letter made Su Miao's heart pound.
“…
... His family has a collection of celadon-glazed vessels, the glaze color of which resembles "blue clouds after rain"...
…
...The alumnus said that this item was brought back from the East by his great-grandfather. When asked for details, he avoided the topic and talked about other things...
..."
Su Miao stood up suddenly and hit his knees on the edge of the coffee table.
The pain made her gasp, but what frightened her even more was the contents of the letter.
The general meaning is that Hu Xiaodie met an alumnus whose family has a title this semester. He is very interested in Eastern civilization and is very friendly to Asian students. He often invites them to his castle to hold parties.
Half a month ago, he asked Hu Xiaodie about traditional Chinese musical instruments. Hu Xiaodie added a lot of descriptions to her own understanding, which made the schoolmate's eyes turn into little stars.
Last week, when Hu Xiaodie visited his home again, she brought along the flute that she had practiced diligently for more than ten years. Her performance of "Gu Su Xing" completely stunned everyone.
The alumni's parents were also very happy to hear her. They invited her to stay for dinner and asked their son to take her to see their collection.
There is a room in the castle dedicated to storing the collections that their family has collected from all over the place. Of course, as the family is now in decline, most of the treasures are heirlooms.
Hu Xiaodie found a set of porcelain in the display cabinet among a bunch of shiny things.
Unlike the modern porcelain bowls they usually use for eating, this set is sky blue glazed with patterns on it. It looks very old and very similar to the Ru kiln porcelain that Su Miao had talked about with them before.
Before, when Su Miao was explaining science to them, he also specifically told Hu Xiaodie that during the difficult period, countless national treasures were lost overseas.
If Hu Xiaodie is seen abroad and has the means to buy her, and the price is within Su Miao's affordability, she must be informed.
Hu Xiaodie asked the classmate about the origin of the porcelain set. He admitted that it came from China nearly a hundred years ago, but he was hesitant about how it came from.
Therefore, she speculated that the alumni's ancestors might have participated in the activities of the Eight Bandits. Even if they were not accomplices, they were at least accomplices who bought into the dirty work.
She took photos of the set of porcelain because she loved it very much.
However, the faxed photo was too blurry for Su Miao to identify, so he sent it by airmail.
It was really hard to keep this matter in my heart, so I decided to send her a fax to tell her about it.
The above is what Su Miao extracted from the letter, and he added some details based on his own imagination.
If it were written in plain language, I would have to send several copies, which would be such a waste of money.
Fortunately, Chinese characters are profound and extensive, and a page full of classical Chinese text explains everything clearly.
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