Chapter 172 Correcting Papers
The mahogany floor gleamed with an oily sheen, and the air conditioner hummed softly. A bunch of green ivy drooped down from the windowsill, swaying gently.
The principal held a piece of paper, examined it for a long time, and then pushed it forward.
The official document, with its red header, prominently displayed the following line: "Letter Regarding the Temporary Transfer of Comrade Lin Sicheng."
Parentheses: Public Security Bureau.
Wang Qizhi sneered inwardly: Public Security Bureau?
Why don't you ask the ministry to send me one?
Without even thinking, he shook his head: "No time!"
The principal paused for a moment.
What puzzled him was not Wang Qizhi's attitude or speed, but the letter itself.
Let's look at it again: Yes, the title unit is Public Security Bureau, and the seal below it also says Public Security Bureau.
"What did Lin Sicheng do to warrant a letter of secondment from a department-level unit?" the principal asked suspiciously. "Director Qiu even called me?"
"He didn't do anything special!" Wang Qizhi said casually. "Just recently, he helped the Cultural Relics Bureau and the Public Security Bureau appraise a batch of stolen goods... I guess he got used to it and wanted to transfer him over to use it again!"
"The case isn't finished yet?"
“Probably not!” Wang Qizhi paused. “But Principal, this isn’t about whether the case is closed or not; it’s about Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou: once it’s borrowed, it might never be returned.”
The principal glanced at the document: "It can't be that bad, can it? He's still a student, he doesn't even have any organizational affiliation."
“Principal, look closely: this is the Public Security Bureau… Look at the bottom, isn’t that Director Qiu’s signature? They can create a file for Lin Sicheng like it’s nothing.”
"Principal, think about it again: if Lin Sicheng were incompetent, why would the Public Security Bureau have to send a letter?"
Wang Qizhi scoffed, "The Municipal Bureau did want to send a letter, but Deputy Director Chen brought it up twice, and I turned it down..."
The principal was stunned.
Has Lin Sicheng's level of appreciation reached such an outrageous level?
Then think about Lin Changqing in his prime. At most, the Municipal Bureau of Forensic Science would make a phone call to the school to say something. There was no official letter.
He thought for a moment and said, "Then I won't transfer you!"
"Of course I can't transfer. At most, I can go and help out when things aren't going well... and I can't help for long, maybe a day or two at most..."
Wang Qizhi breathed a sigh of relief: "Principal, we've been submitting our application materials for over a month now, and the district's cultural and tourism bureaus have been preparing for over a month as well. We've even organized an expert group."
"Just because he's helping the Public Security Bureau, he, the applicant and successor, can't find the time? If Lin Sicheng really gets transferred, will we have to wait even longer?"
Oh right, applying for World Heritage status!
Then I definitely shouldn't lend it...
The principal nodded, then gave a half-smile: "Last time you said it was at the provincial level, how come it's become the district this time?"
Suddenly, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Wang Qizhi's face: he had acted impulsively and boasted too much.
When he returned to Beijing for the National Day holiday, he went to see his second sister and his father-in-law, but they both turned him down: "Wang Qizhi, do you think applying for national-level projects is child's play?"
It's not that Lin Sicheng's skills were insufficient, but rather that you need to spread the word widely and popularize it among the masses. Through publicity and demonstration, you can enhance public cultural identity and confidence, and strengthen national spirit.
Otherwise, what do you think is the point of applying for World Heritage status? Is it just to give you an award?
Go back home obediently and come down one level at a time...
Wang Qizhi knew perfectly well that he had simply been too hasty, and as a result, he had been scolded several times...
But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, and he's not in a hurry anymore: they're all like wolves, seeing Lin Sicheng is like seeing Tang Sanzang's flesh, everyone wants to take a bite.
Let's wait and see: from the district level to the province, it will take at least one to two years. From the province to the national level, it will take another two years. In three or four years, it's not even certain whether Lin Sicheng will still be in Xi'an.
Firstly, the scope of "blue and white porcelain restoration techniques" is too narrow according to the requirements of the national intangible cultural heritage list.
First, the time span: it only represents the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and at most half of the Republic of China period.
Secondly, the geographical scope is limited to the Jingdezhen area, and even then, only a small number of kilns. At most, it may involve a very few folk kilns in other provinces, but it is not representative at all.
The third aspect is the craftsmanship and the scope of application: the phrase "royal kiln" alone limits these two points to a rather narrow range.
In plain terms: If you want to gain public recognition and play a role in cultural identity and national cohesion, the prerequisite is that the public must have some understanding of it.
But what if you say "blue and white porcelain"?
Sorry, I've heard of it, but who the hell has ever seen it?
To put it bluntly: Wang Qizhi's envisioned "blue and white porcelain restoration technique" is basically equivalent to a dragon-slaying technique. Applying for approval at the district or city level shouldn't be a problem.
With a little effort and some maneuvering, reaching the provincial level isn't impossible. But the national level... Wang Qizhi, what are you thinking?
These are my father-in-law's exact words.
Not only did they explain it to him in detail, but they also offered advice: to apply for national-level first-class status, the coverage must be broad enough, such as the time span, geographical scope, and public acceptance.
Since Lin Sicheng could even repair blue and white porcelain, and the inheritor (Old Lady Zhao)'s skills came from the Qing Dynasty's Imperial Household Department, then he must be able to repair any kind of porcelain. So why not expand the scope of coverage?
For example, remove the "blue and white" part and apply directly for "porcelain restoration".
Wang Qizhi could only say that his father-in-law truly stood at a high enough level: from the Han Dynasty to the Republic of China, from the coast to the northwest and northeast, spanning two thousand years, how many famous kilns and porcelains have appeared?
Leaving aside whether Lin Sicheng could fill in the gaps, and even without knowing everything, let's just select the most representative part. The process of collecting information alone would take years.
Raw material characteristics, technological features, historical context, lineage, current status, value, etc.—which of these cannot be determined without on-site investigation?
As soon as Wang Qizhi finished speaking, he was scolded by his father-in-law: "Without on-site investigation, without comprehensive understanding and learning, what are you applying for World Heritage status for?"
When he returned and told Lin Sicheng about it, he was quite calm and even said that Director Shan was right.
If national-level projects were so easy to apply for, the Shanghai Museum wouldn't have been applying from 2004 to 2021 before finally succeeding.
But Wang Qizhi was in the middle of a great time and wouldn't listen to any advice...
After a moment's thought, Wang Qizhi returned the secondment letter.
Everyone stood up, and fearing the principal might be easily swayed, he emphasized again: "Principal, it's settled then, no one will lend it to anyone who comes to borrow it!"
"Don't worry!" the principal nodded. "Oh, by the way, when will the district come to review it?"
"I can come anytime," Wang Qizhi patted his chest. "How about this afternoon?"
The principal was taken aback: "So fast?"
"certainly!"
Don't you even look at what Lin Sicheng has been doing lately?
Let alone the district level, if you just tell the city: "We need a review," an expert panel will be at the school within two hours...
Assuming Wang Qizhi had used connections, the principal thought for a moment and said, "We need to accompany him and receive him, so we definitely need to make some preparations... Can he come tomorrow?"
Wang Qizhi nodded: "He'll definitely come... Principal, if you don't believe me, I'll call and invite him right now..."
The principal was skeptical, but picked up the landline.
At first, the conversation went quite normally, and the other party was very polite after learning that it was the principal.
But when they heard "review of the blue and white porcelain project," the other party immediately became enthusiastic, saying that the bureau leaders (district cultural bureau) had instructed that the review team could come at any time.
Tomorrow is fine, even today is fine.
Finally, I asked if the successor and applicant was named Lin Sicheng.
Wang Qizhi was never mentioned from beginning to end.
The principal felt that something was wrong.
I was about to ask Wang Qizhi, but when I looked up, he was already gone...
...
The snow was swept into piles, resembling rows of graves.
The soles of my shoes crunched as I stepped on the broken ice.
But after walking a few steps, Wang Qizhi stopped again.
Not far away, downstairs from the experimental center, there was a Cheetah parked.
It was an ordinary blue license plate, without police lights or a permit. But Chen Peng stood beside the car, grinning at Wang Qizhi.
The letter was just sent out, and they've already come looking for us?
What do you want to do? If force doesn't work, try a softer approach?
Director Li was absolutely right; this Deputy Director Chen truly has no sense of shame whatsoever…
With a snort, Wang Qizhi walked over, just about to say something sarcastic, when the back door opened and Li Chunnan got out of the car, rubbing his hands together.
He rubbed it until it was slightly warm, then reached out again: "Professor Wang, I'm sorry to bother you again!"
Wang Qizhi sighed.
He certainly wouldn't hold back when dealing with someone as shameless as Chen Peng. A few sarcastic remarks when he was in a good mood, or a few curses when he was in a bad mood, were all acceptable.
But if it were Director Li, even if he had opinions in his heart, he wouldn't show them on his face.
He quickly grasped her hand, saying, "Director, you're too kind... It's cold down there, please come to my office first!"
"good!"
Li Chunnan replied, glancing around the laboratory building: "Professor Wang, is Xiao Lin doing experiments inside? I know he's busy, so I didn't want to disturb him..."
Wang Qizhi said, half-jokingly, "Yes, it's incredibly busy: he only rested for two days after coming back, and then started working overtime again... He has to work overtime; he's in charge of the lab, the studio, and two projects. I can keep an eye on the lab, but with the studio, if he's not there, the projects have to stop..."
Li Chunnan smiled and said, "Professor Wang, I know... the department sent the letter out of respect. That's why Chen Peng and I came here specifically to visit you, Professor Wang..."
That's more like it.
Wang Qizhi nodded and led the two into the experimental center.
The office was right next to the laboratory. As they passed by, they heard Lin Sicheng's voice and instinctively stopped to look through the glass.
The laboratory was large. Lin Sicheng stood on the platform, holding two sheets of paper in his hand, while Zhu Kaiping (PhD) stood to the side.
Below, a row of people sat, each with a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, writing incessantly.
"Brother Zhu, it's certainly good to explore new perspectives from the standpoint of traditional desalination methods or technologies that have already been systematically proven. For example, the pulp wrapping method, the electrolytic desalination method (copperware preservation technology)..."
"But if we do vertical segmentation, firstly, the impact factor of the journals that can be published is too small; secondly, the overlap is too high; and thirdly, the difficulty is too low... We might only be halfway through our demonstration experiment when we suddenly find that others have already published their papers? It would mean that all our previous efforts were wasted, time-consuming, laborious, and expensive..."
"Therefore, we must widen the moat, wide enough that others can't catch up. Secondly, it's best to open a separate track... I'll give you two points for your reference, senior: In ancient times, in addition to lacquering, tung oil, beeswax, and resin were also used to prevent rust on bronze artifacts... So why were they able to prevent rust?"
"The principle is actually the same as painting: the biological substances adsorb to form a film that is both waterproof and oxygen-proof, providing protection for the bronzeware... But no one has studied exactly which biological substances are involved."
What exactly is the film formed? Is it more for protection, corrosion inhibition, or even biodegradation? Nobody has studied that... So, could we give it a try...?
Zhu Kai listened quietly for a long time, then frowned: "Junior brother, that already involves the level of biotechnology..."
“That’s right!” Lin Sicheng nodded. “But no one says that those who study cultural relic protection can’t study biotechnology… We’re studying rust prevention technology for bronze artifacts. Whether it’s chemical, biological, or physical technology, any technology that can prevent rust is a good technology!”
Besides, it's just plant extraction; at most, you might need to study amino acids and derivatives. It's not particularly difficult for Senior Brother Zhu, is it?
Zhu Kaiping's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
For a biochemistry PhD like him, it's not particularly difficult, but if given to a cultural relics technology expert who only studied physics and chemistry, it would be like reading a book written in heaven.
Tell me, is this moat wide enough?
Moreover, its feasibility is extremely high... otherwise, it would be impossible for it to have been used for thousands of years!
Zhu Kaiping quickly took the paper: "Junior brother, the direction you proposed is quite promising, but I've never heard of it before. Has anyone done any research on it?"
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "The cost is too high, and it won't last!"
Zhu Kaiping suddenly realized.
To put it another way: even if a patent is applied for, there is currently no market for it.
But within three or four years at most, it was revealed that most of the metal rust inhibitors and slow-release agents from Europe and the United States were carcinogenic.
Only later did international organizations begin large-scale research on corrosion inhibitors made from pure natural plant extracts; Lin Sicheng only started about five or six years earlier.
Hmm, which institution was the first one? I think it was in Switzerland or the United States?
But it doesn't matter, I'm just idling around anyway...
He went on to explain the details, and Zhu Kaiping simply sat down and picked up his notebook.
Wang Qizhi was confused, but his experience told him that the direction Lin Sicheng proposed might lead to many patents.
Moreover, it involves not only the protection of cultural relics, but also industrial technology and everyday applications...
Li Chunnan and Chen Peng obviously couldn't understand it.
After looking for a while, Chen Peng pointed and asked, "Professor Wang, who is that? He looks a bit older."
"Dr. Zhu is a key researcher in the lab. Those below are master's students!"
Ah, Doctor?
But I felt a little restrained standing in front of Lin Sicheng?
Chen Peng thought for a moment, then, pretending to know what he was talking about, remarked, "The atmosphere for discussion is quite good!"
"What discussion?" Wang Qizhi frowned. "He's correcting Dr. Zhu's paper, and the others are just auditing the class..."
"What?"
Chen Peng was stunned. "Isn't he only a senior in college?"
Wang Qizhi paused for a moment, then scoffed, "He's not even a policeman yet, but he's done plenty of things he shouldn't have?"
Even someone as thick-skinned as Chen Peng couldn't help but blush slightly...
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