Chapter 235 Should we keep the kiln site?
"Pfft," a handful of flour, and mold appeared on the dark red wood cutting board.
A palm-sized dough ball is kneaded quickly, then cut with a few snips, and dough fish the thickness of a little finger float to the surface of the pot.
Boil thoroughly, rinse with water, then scoop it into the tender braised pork, stir-fry a few times, and the aroma is irresistible.
Shanxi cuisine, braised pork with scissor-cut noodles, also known as stir-fried scissor-cut fish.
Tan Wu had specifically instructed that his master knew Lin Sicheng's habits inside and out and had given him special instruction.
Actually, it was the same pot of meat, nothing special. The only difference was that the noodles were cooked lightly, just boiled once and then scooped out.
Thinking that the separately prepared food must be delicious, Ye Anning scooped out a spoonful, chewing until her cheeks ached.
"It's so hard, how are you going to eat it?"
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "I have a good stomach!"
Ye Anning rolled her eyes and kicked him again.
Lin Sicheng picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly, asking, "Why are you here?"
“The data team is well-staffed, and I don’t know anything about the lab work, so staying here would just be a hindrance. My uncle said he was coming to see you, so I came along…”
"How's the recruitment task your company assigned you going?"
Ye Anning didn't take it seriously: "It doesn't start until the end of June, it's still early!"
It's already mid-May, a month at most, is this still early?
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "How about this: since they're just sitting there anyway, could you submit my original work by Chen Du and the Zhanjing famille rose cup by Empress Xiaocheng (Emperor Xianfeng's birth mother) to see if they can be selected..."
Ye Anning paused for a moment: Those two items have been examined by experts from the Palace Museum. They are as real as can be. How could they not be selected?
The first item was "transferred by imperial decree," and the second was an imperial artifact from the Qing court. Whenever they were auctioned, they would at least be among the top few, if not the grand finale.
Wang Qizhi, sitting right next to her, suddenly remarked, "It's just a task to get her done, why would she need two? The genuine Chen Du piece is enough..."
Ye Anning didn't speak, but pursed her lips: I don't know this?
My uncle talks a lot.
After finishing their noodles, the group sat under a tree to cool off.
As they were chatting, the Mercedes-Benz screeched to a halt in front of the village committee, and Zhao Xiuneng jumped out of the passenger seat.
Zhao Da followed behind, carrying a small box in his hand.
"Oh, Professor Wang is here too?"
"Secretary-General Tan, no need to rush, we've already eaten in the county..."
After exchanging greetings, the father and son came over carrying their suitcases. Wang Qizhi asked Ye Anning to bring two small stools.
After the two sat down, Zhao Xiuneng opened the box: "I just received it this morning. It's a bit strange, and I'm not quite sure about it, so I brought it over for my junior brother to take a look."
Even Zhao Xiuneng wasn't sure?
Wang Qizhi became interested and moved closer.
A white porcelain bowl with an everted, slightly thickened rim. The body is pure white, and the porcelain body is firm and fine-grained.
The glaze is beautiful, white and lustrous, with a uniform texture, giving it a slightly translucent, jade-like feel.
Tap it, and it sounds like metal or stone. Turn it over and look at the foot; the bottom center is concave, with a small circular ring.
"The body is a bit thick, but the glaze is well-fired, somewhat similar to the white porcelain shards we collected before. The only problem is that it's too new; it doesn't look like an antique, more like it was just fired."
Wang Qizhi examined it carefully: "Mr. Zhao, where did you get it from?"
"This morning, I was just about to leave when the front desk called to say that someone had left something for my junior colleague. When I went downstairs, the person was already gone, leaving only a bowl... Oh, and a phone number!"
Zhao Xiuneng reached into his pocket and pulled out a hotel notepad.
It's a mobile phone number, very distinctive, clearly from Taiyuan.
Wang Qizhi frowned: "What do you mean?"
"I don't know! I didn't even see him. The waiter said it was a man in his fifties who left the bowl and left, saying it was for Junior Brother Lin, and didn't say anything else."
That's strange.
Why would someone send Lin Sicheng a bowl for no reason?
Just as he was wondering, Lin Sicheng squinted and picked up the bowl, and Wang Qizhi was startled again.
Having been teacher and student for almost a year, Wang Qizhi knew Lin Sicheng's personality all too well. You could say that if you put a knife to Lin Sicheng's throat, he wouldn't just remain calm, he might even smile at you.
But this time, Lin Sicheng was unusually solemn: his brows furrowed, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he didn't blink.
He first examined the glaze, then the base, tapped it, and then touched it.
Finally, the bowl was put down, but the person stared at it without moving.
Thinking he was stumped, none of them spoke. After a long while, Lin Sicheng pointed to the bottom of the bowl: "This is Tang porcelain, a white-glazed bowl with a thick lip, jade-like walls, and a white base!"
What?
Wang Qizhi suddenly froze, and abruptly lowered his head: No... how new is this bowl?
Upon closer inspection: the glaze is glossy, like silver and snow, without a single flaw. There are no signs of aging, not even a trace of patina.
Looking at the bottom, it is pure white, delicate, warm and smooth, without any stains.
If Lin Sicheng said it was new porcelain, Wang Qizhi would believe him without question. But if he said it was Tang dynasty porcelain… well, no matter how he looked at it, he thought it was impossible.
Subconsciously, he turned around: Zhao Xiuneng wasn't much better off, his neck was stretched forward, his eyes were slightly bulging, and he looked "stunned".
Because it was so new, Zhao Xiuneng said he wasn't quite sure. He had guessed that it might be an old object, but even if it was old, it couldn't possibly be as old as "Tang Dynasty" artifacts.
It wasn't just the two of them; everyone was stunned.
Lin Sicheng patiently explained: "The so-called 'like new' in the appraisal and auction industry refers to this kind of porcelain: porcelain that has been passed down for hundreds or thousands of years, but has basically no signs of aging and still looks like new."
"The reasons for its formation are not complicated: First, the box is sealed and kept out of the light, avoiding cleaning, wiping, and physical wear and tear from moving around. At the same time, there is basically no human contact, so there will be no pollution or corrosion from oil, sweat, etc. Therefore, a patina layer formed due to 'glassy aging' will not appear."
"But the most crucial element is the top-quality clay and glaze. This means high-purity clay, high-purity glaze, high-temperature firing, resulting in a hard, dense glaze with extremely strong anti-aging properties."
"Rare, but not difficult to identify!"
Lin Sicheng took out a magnifying glass and tilted the bowl slightly:
"No matter how well preserved it is, or how new it looks on the outside, after thousands of years, the inside of the porcelain will inevitably change... Look here, this is the reorganization of the mineral structure within the glaze, forming flocculent spots and crystalline structures... If examined with instruments such as X-rays or vitrification instruments, it will be even more obvious..."
Several people crowded forward: under the magnifying glass, they could vaguely see the milky white filaments, like those found inside jade, and slightly shiny transparent spots...
Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng exchanged a glance: It's not difficult to identify someone, but that's on the premise that they've seen and understood them, like Lin Sicheng.
Like those two, they are quite knowledgeable, but today they have truly seen the world.
Ye Anning had heard of it, but had never seen it.
She thought for a moment: "I think there are some in the Forbidden City."
certainly.
In the late 1980s, more than 20 pieces of porcelain were unearthed from the underground palace of Famen Temple (Baoji, Shaanxi). In addition to 13 pieces of Yue ware celadon, there were also eight pieces of Tang Dynasty Xing ware white porcelain.
Because they were all sealed in boxes and stored in a cellar, the twenty-one pieces of ancient porcelain were basically unoxidized. When they were first unearthed, the experts were quite surprised: they were newer than those that had just come out of the kiln.
Afterwards, thirteen pieces of celadon were sent to the Shaanxi History Museum, while the eight pieces of white porcelain were borrowed by the Palace Museum, which then became known as Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou.
But that's the Forbidden City; it's not unusual for it to have any rare or unusual items in its collection.
As far as Lin Sicheng knew, the oldest "Nu Skin" porcelain in private collections was a Ming Xuande blue and white Sanskrit monk's cap ewer that Christie's acquired from England, which is only about 600 years old.
But this bowl is from the Tang Dynasty? Even if it's from the late Tang Dynasty, it's still 1,100 years old.
One more point: to achieve an extremely strong anti-aging glaze, in addition to high-purity clay and glaze materials, the glaze must be formed under extremely high temperatures. The minimum kiln temperature is 1400 degrees Celsius.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, the highest kiln temperatures achieved by the Xing and Ding kilns were no more than 1300 degrees Celsius. Therefore, to fire a bowl like this, besides skill, luck was also essential…
The group of people were stunned: according to Lin Sicheng, even if this bowl was not a unique piece, it was definitely a treasure.
Therefore, this is no longer a question of how much money it is worth, but rather the kind of piece that could be placed in the central exhibition hall of the Palace Museum or the National Museum of China.
But inexplicably, and specifically named, it was given to Lin Sicheng?
For example: Who would give hundreds of millions to a complete stranger for no reason?
What's even stranger is that they just left a phone number, didn't say anything more, and didn't even give a name?
They had never even heard of such a strange thing before...
After glancing at the phone number on the note, Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "It must have been burned around here!"
Tan Wu felt a sudden buzzing in his head, and his scalp tingled: "Teacher Lin, where did you mean?"
"Guzhen!" Lin Sicheng turned the bowl over. "This is Guzhen porcelain clay!"
The group of people were stunned again.
In the two months since he arrived, he had collected at least six or seven hundred, if not a thousand, broken pieces of porcelain. Lin Sicheng handled them countless times.
Laboratory tests were conducted daily; the proportions of elemental components, the changes in the body and glaze color were already etched into Lin Sicheng's mind. How could he possibly be wrong about simply comparing the body?
The question is, is this Tang Dynasty porcelain?
What does this mean? It means that the porcelain-making history of the Hejin Ancient Kiln is earlier than the Song and Jin periods speculated by Lin Sicheng, dating back at least a thousand years.
Suddenly, Tan Wu's eyes lit up like light bulbs.
But Lin Sicheng was not happy: Who would have nothing better to do than give someone such an expensive gift?
No matter how you look at it, it seems suspicious and strange...
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, took out his phone, and dialed the number on the note.
The group of people perked up and started listening intently.
The phone rang five or six times before it was answered, and a deep, resonant voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, my surname is Lin, Lin Sicheng!"
"Oh? Teacher Lin, hello, hello..."
He replied, his voice slightly lower, "Dad, the phone is ringing!"
"Please invite him over. Let's talk in person when he arrives!"
"Oh, okay... Teacher Lin, my dad is getting old and his legs aren't very strong. If you have time, could you come to Taiyuan?"
certainly.
For no reason at all, an antique worth millions or even tens of millions of dollars is sent to you without any explanation or even a name.
Even more surprisingly, it happens to be related to the ancient kilns of Guzhen that he has been searching for. It's like a pillow falling from the sky while you're dozing off.
Not to mention Taiyuan, Lin Sicheng would have to go to Guangdong or Hainan.
"Alright!" He nodded. "May I ask your surname, sir?"
"My dad forbids me to say it. He said if his name is mentioned, you might not come!"
How is that possible?
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, how do we contact each other?"
"Teacher Lin, call me when you arrive in Taiyuan, and I'll come pick you up!"
"Okay, thank you for your help!"
You're too kind!
After Lin Sicheng hung up the phone, the group of people became even more peculiar: they said five or six sentences, but apart from telling him to go to Taiyuan, they didn't say anything else useful.
The crucial point is that when asked what their surname was, none of them dared to say it.
Wang Qizhi suddenly had a whimsical thought: "Could it be... that the surname is Yu?"
Surname Yu?
Yu what? Yu Dahai, the famous Yu Dahai who dug up Zhang Anshi's tomb in Shaanxi.
Lin Sicheng shook his head.
The fact that they were able to deliver the items to the hotel shows that they were fully aware of his recent whereabouts, and further indicates that they knew his background very well.
If it were really Yu Dahai, he would have sent Lin Sicheng peanuts long ago. Why would he need to send a bowl worth hundreds of millions of dollars and then invite him to Taiyuan?
Looking at the bowl in his hand and considering the context, he realized it was most likely related to the ancient white-glazed porcelain kiln site he was currently searching for.
But just to be on the safe side, it's best to be cautious. After all, Lin Sicheng does things that normal people don't do.
Wang Qizhi looked at Tan Wu and asked, "Secretary-General Tan, could you check that number?"
"good!"
Tan Wu nodded, got up, and made a call. He got the answer in no time: the phone number belonged to a Mr. Zhang, a section chief at the TY City Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and that he had been using the number for almost ten years.
Zhang, a section chief at the Taiyuan Federation of Literary and Art Circles?
Searching his memory, Lin Sicheng realized that he had never met such a person, not even in his past life, let alone in this one.
But at least we can be sure they're not bad people.
He picked up the white porcelain bowl and put it into his bag: "Teacher, senior brother, are you going?"
Of course I'll go.
Putting aside the question of what connection this bowl has with the Guzhen ancient kiln that Lin Sicheng is looking for, who would be so bored as to give someone such an expensive antique?
Wasn't he afraid that Lin Sicheng would run away with the bowl?
Why was Lin Sicheng invited to Taiyuan, and what were they going to talk about?
It's no exaggeration to say that Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng were as curious as cats scratching at their hearts.
Just in case, Wang Qizhi asked Tan Wu to call two criminal police officers from the municipal bureau to accompany them. The nine people in three cars headed straight for Taiyuan.
It took almost four hours to drive less than 400 kilometers.
As soon as he got off the highway, Lin Sicheng dialed that number again.
The phone rang twice before it was answered: "Teacher Lin!"
"Hello, we've arrived!"
"Oh, so fast? Teacher Lin, please wait a moment..."
It was as if the microphone was covered; the sound was not very clear.
But it didn't last long, just a few seconds, before the voice became clear again: "Teacher Lin, ask the driver, he should know Zhonglou Street, we're at Ganhexiang next door!"
Lin Sicheng replied and hung up the phone.
Not only did the driver know, but he also knew: the only "China Time-Honored Brand" in Shanxi's tea industry.
Founded during the Xuantong era, it was a well-known tea shop in Taiyuan during the Republic of China period, and has been in business for over a century.
The most famous is jasmine tea, which is delicious and inexpensive: the cheapest is 20 yuan per jin (500g), and if you want to drink it in a teahouse, you can sit there all day for 3 yuan a cup.
In his past life, Lin Sicheng frequently visited Shanxi as a technical advisor...
It's not far, only three kilometers from the highway exit, you'll be there in the blink of an eye.
The two-story building still retains the style of the Republic of China era, with green walls, gray roofs, wooden doors, and red windows.
A man in his fifties was standing at the entrance. When he saw two Shaanxi A license plates and one Shanxi M license plate stop, he quickly walked down the steps.
As soon as Lin Sicheng got out of the car and stood up, a pair of hands reached out to him: "Teacher Lin, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
There were nine people, men, women, young and old, ranging in age from the oldest, Zhao Xiuneng, to the youngest, Zhao Da. One was as refined as Tan Wu, and the other as tall and strong as two policemen.
This man recognized Lin Sicheng at a glance, which shows how well he knew him.
The key point is that he was extremely polite, not only extending both hands but also slightly bending over at the waist.
Lin Sicheng quickly grasped his hand: "Hello, sir, what is your surname?"
"I'm not worthy of the title 'sir'!" the man chuckled. "No need for formalities!"
No... even now, you don't even dare to say your last name?
Besides, this isn't a dangerous place. Do you think hearing your last name will scare me away?
With a hint of suspicion, Lin Sicheng pointed to the bag in Zhao Da's hand: "Was that white bowl delivered to Hejin by you, sir?"
"Yes, my dad asked me to deliver it!" The man smiled. "Teacher Lin, my dad's upstairs, let's talk about it when we get up!"
"good!"
Lin Sicheng followed the man, and the rest of the people followed behind.
Upon reaching the second floor, the man led Lin Sicheng into a fairly large private room.
The layout is typical of tea rooms: a mahogany tea table, armchairs, sofas and coffee tables, and a mahjong machine by the window.
Several antiques were placed on the tea table, and the two sides were filled with people, six or seven men and women, all of whom were quite old. The youngest was probably the man who had come to pick him up, and the rest were around sixty or seventy years old.
In the central, head-of-the-table position sat an elderly woman with snow-white hair and a short, thin frame.
Hmm, this one should be the oldest, at least eighty or above... Wait, that's not right!
After a quick glance and a change of thought, Lin Sicheng was about to greet him when he paused.
Then, he turned his head and looked at the man who had brought him up: These two men look like they were made from the same mold, aren't they father and son?
But that's not the point; it's about the old man, whom he knows.
Of course, it was in my past life.
Shui Jisheng, a native of Shuocheng, Shanxi, graduated from JX Provincial Ceramic Vocational School (Jingdezhen) in 1945 and was later assigned to Shanxi Industrial Company. After liberation, he joined Taiyuan Light Industry Bureau.
From then on, he devoted himself to ceramic research and ceramic archaeology, investigating more than 70 ancient kiln sites throughout the province. The Hunyuan Kiln, Jiexiu Kiln, and Bayi Kiln, which are the most famous in Shanxi, were all discovered and excavated by Mr. Shui.
At the same time, he presided over the restoration of lost crafts, including Pingding pottery, Pingding black glaze carving, Shanxi glass, Chengni inkstones, and so on.
Half of the lost crafts in Shanxi that are listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list were restored under the guidance of Mr. Shui.
When he retired in 1990, he was the chief engineer of the Light Industry Department of SX Province, the chief engineer of the Glass and Ceramics Research Institute of SX Province, a member of the China Arts and Crafts Committee, a director of the China Ancient Ceramics Research Association, and a senior ceramic engineer.
It can be said that he was not only the founder and pioneer of Shanxi's ceramic industry, but also a key figure in the protection of Shanxi's traditional culture.
In addition, he is a highly authoritative expert and scholar in China. His book, "Reference Series on Microscopic Traces in Historical Kilns," covers all kiln systems and famous porcelains from the Tang Dynasty to the Republic of China.
Analyzing the microscopic traces of the body, glaze, bubbles, crazing, patina, aging, porcelain clay, glaze, and so on, provides a scientific basis for the identification of ancient porcelain specimens.
Even now, Lin Sicheng keeps a copy of it by his bedside and flips through it whenever he has time.
He's not the only one studying it; any expert in porcelain appraisal will inevitably encounter this topic, including porcelain experts at the Palace Museum.
It must have been around 2014 when the Palace Museum invited him to give a lecture. At that time, Lin Sicheng even made a special trip to consult him…
At this point, Lin Sicheng understood why the phone number he left belonged to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles: he was not only an archaeologist and ceramics scholar, but also a famous calligrapher and seal engraver.
Lin Sicheng knew even better why his son dared not say what his father's surname was.
In Shanxi, this man is an indispensable figure in any field related to archaeology and ceramics. The surname "Shui" is so rare, and combined with that white-glazed bowl, anyone with a little knowledge can easily guess it's him.
Seriously, if Lin Sicheng had known it was this person, he would never have come, even if you killed him.
He was even considering running away.
Think about it: the old man's son went straight to the hotel, which shows that he had already found out everything clearly before going there.
This includes my search for the ancient kilns in Guzhen, the samples I collected, and the analysis and research I conducted.
More importantly, the moment Lin Sicheng saw that bowl, he concluded that the egg-white jade technique of Guzhen white porcelain originated from the kiln that fired that bowl.
The old man had dedicated his life to archaeology and porcelain research; how could he not know the value of this bowl?
Without even needing to conduct tests, just by comparing a piece of porcelain he had collected, he could guess what he was planning: to restore the craftsmanship of egg white jade without the knowledge of Hejin and Yuncheng.
The key point is that he just gave away a unique piece of porcelain worth millions, maybe even tens of millions, without a second thought.
To put it nicely, this is called "spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones." To put it bluntly: you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub...
But since we're already here, are we really going to just leave without saying goodbye?
With a sigh, Lin Sicheng bent over and bowed, saying, "Hello, Mr. Shui!"
"Huh?" The old man was surprised. "We've met before!"
Lin Sicheng shook his head and pointed to the old man's hand.
The experienced man raised his hands and looked at them, then suddenly realized: how much porcelain must one touch, and how much iron oxide must seep in, to dye the skin on one's hands brownish-black?
Wow, impressive! Those eyes are like knives.
The old man gave me a silent compliment, then became somewhat suspicious: "In Shanxi, I'm not the only one who's studied porcelain for most of my life. How do you know it's me?"
Lin Sicheng pointed to the box: "Because of that bowl!"
Wait, it really is?
Ordinary people wouldn't know what kind of kiln Lin Sicheng was looking for in Guzhen, or what its connection was to this bowl.
"Please sit down!" The old man stood up, leaning on his cane, and walked to the sofa. "Please sit down!"
"Okay!" Lin Sicheng nodded and walked over.
The others followed behind, completely bewildered, and took their seats one by one.
The waiter brought over tea, the aroma of fine jasmine filling the air.
The old man gestured for him to speak: "Xiao Lin, is it alright if I call you that?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Okay!"
"Alright!" the old man said with a smile. "Then let's discuss this further?"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, then sighed: "Mr. Shui, let me make this clear first, I don't want the bowl!"
As if he had expected this, the old man showed no surprise and leaned back slightly: "You don't want the bowl, right? How about the kiln site?"
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