Chapter 81 The First Lesson in the Workplace
The midday sun made the bluestone slabs slightly hot, and the rising heat, along with the aroma of the ingredients, wafted into our nostrils.
The crowds were shoulder to shoulder, bustling and noisy.
Suddenly, a clapper sounded, and the explosive operatic singing pierced the ears like tearing through clouds and silk.
All of this seemed so out of place with the two girls on the street.
They closed their eyes, facing the direction Lin Sicheng had left, their hands clasped tightly against their foreheads. Their eyelashes trembled incessantly, and they silently chanted, as if trying to blend all their prayers into the bustling atmosphere of the house.
Disjointed, mysterious, solemn, and dignified.
Ye Anning looked back once, then looked back again.
What are they doing?
"Chanting, praying to the gods, that's 'ben'!"
Ye Anning looked again, then turned back, her eyes sparkling.
Lin Sicheng smiled: "The original doctrine of Bon religion is that all things have spirits, and everyone can communicate with the gods... That's why they gave me the mask, believing that I can also communicate with the gods. So, they're not praying to me, but to the gods..."
Ye Anning was skeptical, feeling that it wasn't as simple as Lin Sicheng had described.
She pointed to the mask: "What is this?"
"Aliduo, one of the twelve appearances of Cao Gai (mask) of the White Horse Clan, is also known as the Great Ghost, which means god!"
"What did you mean by that last sentence you just said?"
"May our life force never perish, and may we be reborn after death: may all the sins of our past lives be burned away, may all obstacles in this life be swept away, and may all illnesses and evil spirits in our next life be driven away..."
Seeing her blinking her eyes, as if she were counting on her fingers, Lin Sicheng smiled: "It is indeed only eight characters, but these are the eight-character mantra of enlightenment from the Bon religion..."
Therefore, the meaning it contains goes far beyond what he just said.
Ye An's lips moved slightly, but he remained silent.
Replaying the scene in her mind: Although she couldn't see his expression, Lin Sicheng's posture was solemn, his tone dignified, and coupled with that mask that exuded both ferocity and authority, if she were one of those two girls, she would have bowed down...
"Hmm, what are those eight characters?"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "You'd better not learn it, and even if you do, don't talk about it casually... because the meanings of Bon doctrines vary greatly among different ethnic groups and beliefs, which could easily lead to misunderstandings."
Ye Anning thought for a moment: "What about the Tibetans? What would happen if we told them?"
Lin Sicheng sighed: "We'll get beaten up!"
Ye Anning nodded obediently: "Then I won't learn!"
Wang Qizhi, who was following behind the two, sneered silently: Ye Anning, why haven't you been so well-behaved at home?
I hadn’t even finished one sentence, and you’ve already said three?
While she was cursing under her breath, Ye Anning asked curiously, "Your school doesn't seem to teach this. I mean, Tibetan?"
Lin Sicheng replied without hesitation: "I read a little bit of it in a book!"
In fact, Baima language evolved from ancient Qiang language, and its differences from Tibetan are ridiculously large: even greater than the differences between various dialects of Tibetan.
However, Ye Anning was only curious for a moment, so he didn't explain further.
But then she had an idea, and her eyes lit up: "You know a little Sanskrit too, don't you?"
What exactly is it?
Buddhist scriptures!
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, then turned to look at Wang Qizhi: What a coincidence, isn't it?
I just read one with your uncle.
He nodded: "I do know a little bit!"
“That’s great…” Ye Anning rubbed her hands excitedly. “The week before last, a client sent me a Sanskrit Buddhist scripture scroll. It looked quite old, so I accepted it.”
But our supervisor said the item was incorrect, and the art department's appraiser also said there was a problem with it, so they told me to return it... But the client is being unreasonable and insists on bidding!
"I remember that Bao Li doesn't require any deposit when collecting antiques, right?" Lin Sicheng asked with great curiosity. "Then how did he manage to renege on his promise?"
Ye Anning puffed out her cheeks: "When I received it, she secretly recorded it and then edited it again..."
I understand: taking things out of context, omitting the beginning and the end.
For example, Ye Ning'an said: "It looks like an authentic work..." If you cut off "looks like", it becomes "It is an authentic work".
Of course, I won't admit it in court, but it's very troublesome when you encounter someone so shameless.
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Does that client come every day?"
"It's not every day, but it comes at least three times a week. When it comes, it plays recordings at the company... It's really annoying!"
really?
Wang Qizhi frowned: "Why didn't you tell me when you got home?"
Ye Anning shook her head: "Uncle, it's no use coming to you: if it doesn't happen this time, there will be a next time!"
Wang Qizhi immediately understood: someone was sabotaging him behind the scenes.
The reason is simple: Ye Anning is a person with connections.
Baoli is Baoli after all. For ordinary people, to get into Baoli, besides being good enough, you also need to be lucky enough.
Regardless of whether you are from Tsinghua University, Peking University, or the Central Academy of Fine Arts or the Academy of Fine Arts, all fresh graduates must first complete a one-year internship, and then work at the counter for another year after becoming a full-time employee.
Ye Anning, on the other hand, skipped the four stages of internship, probation, counter work, and salesperson as soon as she joined the company, and went straight to being a sales assistant.
To put it more formally: this is an essential step towards entering management; once you reach this stage, you're essentially a reserve cadre.
Needless to say, her colleagues were extremely worried, fearing she might make a mistake.
Well, that's great, we've finally caught them...
Wang Qizhi put down his chopsticks: "So how do you plan to resolve this?"
Ye Anning thought for a moment and said, "Actually, Uncle, I think there's really nothing wrong with that thing!"
"What, are your supervisors and your company's appraisers all blind?"
Wang Qizhi glared at her, "Besides, things have already come to this point, why are you still concerned about whether the stuff is real or not?"
"Of course we have to care: even if we're going to die, shouldn't we at least understand why? I'm not willing to just retreat like this in a muddle!"
Sighing, Ye Anning looked at Lin Sicheng, rubbing her hands together repeatedly, her eyes shining with hope: "Lin Sicheng, please help me..."
With a pitiful expression and a soft, sweet voice, Wang Qizhi got goosebumps all over: "Ye Anning, speak properly!"
"No way!"
"We definitely need to take a look," Lin Sicheng said, but he didn't dare to make any promises: "Let's take a look first. If it doesn't work out, we'll have Senior Brother Hao come and take a look too!"
Wang Qizhi's eyes lit up: How could I have forgotten about the chubby senior brother with squinty eyes?
Both are genuine alumni of Peking University, but Wang Qizhi is five years younger and studied inorganic cultural relics protection (the main field is metal cultural relics).
Hao Jun specializes in Buddhist archaeology, which includes cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign Buddhist cultures. The "foreign" in "Chinese and foreign" mainly refers to India, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
I wouldn't say I'm an expert in Sanskrit, but I've at least dabbled in it.
Wang Qizhi made the final decision: "Okay, we'll go after we finish eating!"
...
It's an authentic Shaanxi restaurant, but we didn't order too many fancy dishes; we tried to order the ones that would be served quickly.
While eating and chatting, Wang Qizhi inquired about the client's identity: he was a seasoned collector.
Therefore, the possibility that someone is behind this is even greater.
This can be considered Ye Anning's first lesson in entering the workplace...
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