Chapter 68 Curium Gold
As the National Day holiday approaches, the weather is getting cooler, and the golden willow leaves are covered with white frost.
"Professor Lin, you're busy!"
Chao Lin Changqing waved his hand, and Hao Jun closed the car window and started the car.
Lin Sicheng sighed: "I was just practicing and doing some quick touch-ups, what's so strange about that?"
Hao Jun turned the steering wheel and pursed his lips.
He was asked to find so many damaged artifacts at once, and they couldn't be the same. He also traveled a long way from the capital to find so many different kinds of porcelain glaze materials. Was Lin Sicheng just casually patching things up?
It looks like they're going to do something big, so I have to come and watch: the skills don't need to be superb, as long as you have 30-40% of Lin Changqing's skill, then the outsourcing work of Xijing Rongbaozhai will be contracted to Lin Sicheng from now on.
Therefore, Hao Jun was exceptionally proactive.
It's only three bus stops away, just a few minutes' walk. Frustrated, Lin Sicheng dialed Wang Qizhi's number.
"Professor Wang, I've found some scraps and materials that I plan to use today. But there's too much, so I'll have to haul them in by truck. Could you please let the security department know?"
"Okay, what's the license plate number?"
Audi, Shaanxi A*****
"Hey, what's that squinty-eyed fat guy from Rongbaozhai doing here?" A "Heh" came from the phone. "Okay, I got it..."
Lin Sicheng hung up the phone, and Hao Jun glanced at him sideways: "Is it that guy surnamed Wang from last time? I only met him once, why is he holding such a grudge?"
"I wouldn't call it resentment, at most I just have a bit of a problem with you!" Lin Sicheng put away his phone and chuckled. "Last time you bought the sunflower-shaped plate, you knew I knew him, but you didn't remind him?"
"Of course! If you remind him, what if he tries to bargain with you?"
The light was red, and Hao Jun slammed on the brakes. "Old Guan said this guy's identity is unusual?"
"It's quite extraordinary!"
Hao Jun nodded: "That's good!"
As for what's good about it... of course, it's because Lin Sicheng has gained a powerful backer.
In just five or six minutes, we arrived at the school gate, registered at the guardhouse, and the Audi drove all the way to the experimental center.
Wang Qizhi, along with Feng Lin and Ye Anning, waited downstairs.
As soon as he got out of the car, Hao Jun reached out his hand and greeted him. His face was full of smiles, and he kept saying how much he had heard of him.
Wang Qizhi was equally impressive, displaying a refined and humble demeanor.
Are these two really hypocrites?
Lin Sicheng greeted Feng Lin and then handed the laptop to Ye Anning.
The two spoke on the phone yesterday, and Lin Sicheng specially compiled a list of websites containing information about oil painting restoration techniques from abroad.
Ye Anning was overjoyed, her long eyelashes fluttering as she said, "I'll treat you to lunch!"
"I'll probably be too busy to stop, let's do it another day!" Lin Sicheng replied. "Sister Anning, aren't you going to work today?"
Ye Anning blinked: "Market research? You can do that at schools too!"
I understand: just like Hao Jun, he's here to join in the fun.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group helped move the things.
It wasn't heavy, but there was a lot of it. There were more than 30 kinds of raw materials for glazing alone, and five people made two trips back and forth to carry it.
Unpacking, opening... Looking at the colorful bottles and jars, Ye Anning felt dazzled: "Just for mixing paint, do you need so many raw materials?"
"There are actually not many types of lacquer, only five. Next is the glue, but the most important thing is to mix the glaze!"
"But I've noticed that the company's restoration lab only has about ten types?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "More than ten kinds is actually quite a lot!"
The reason why official kiln porcelain is so expensive is because of its complex craftsmanship and the variety of glazes, each of which is more expensive than the last.
The main problem is that too few samples have been passed down. Therefore, apart from the Palace Museum, most research institutions and universities use samples from folk kilns for porcelain restoration, and naturally use less glaze.
But the two pieces the old lady gave him to practice with were different. The delicate yellow glaze was alright, but the glaze color was rather simple. However, the large jar with a dragon and floral pattern was a genuine "blue and white porcelain with polychrome decoration," also known as "doucai."
If it were just this one piece, it wouldn't be so bad. Hongzhi doucai porcelain is relatively simple, with fewer dyeing processes and only a dozen or so types of glazes required. However, Chenghua doucai porcelain has as many as thirty different types of polychrome glazes.
Therefore, it's not just expensive now; even in the Qing Dynasty and even the Ming Dynasty, Chenghua doucai porcelain was ridiculously expensive. Emperor Kangxi once commented: "The colors and glazes of Chenghua doucai are exquisite, surpassing all others throughout history..."
To be honest, Lin Sicheng wouldn't dare to touch those two chicken cups without practicing them several times.
After explaining for a bit, seeing Lin Sicheng change into a white coat, Wang Qizhi glanced at his watch and asked, "Didn't you ask Shang Yan's teaching assistant to help you? Why isn't she here yet?"
"It should be soon..."
As soon as she finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and then, led by Shang Yan, a large group of people entered.
Eight master's degree holders, three doctoral degree holders, plus Li Zhen...
Shang Yan narrowed her eyes, her lips curling up as if by wire, her expression stiff: "Professor Wang, I heard your lab is repairing cloisonné again today. I'd like to bring my students to observe. You won't mind, will you?"
That's exactly what I've been waiting for. Otherwise, why would I send you this message?
Wang Qizhi gave a forced smile: "Of course you're welcome... but it's been changed at the last minute. We're getting the porcelain repaired today!"
Shang Yan was taken aback: "What do you mean by 'supplement'?"
Wang Qizhi smiled and said, "Porcelain!"
"Professor Wang, you're amazing!"
"You flatter me!"
Shang Yan's face turned green after hearing the compliment: Why did she bring all her graduate students with her?
Because Lin Sicheng's enamel repair skills were truly exceptional; in fact, she herself was not very skilled at it.
It's okay if you don't know how, we can learn.
But when he arrived, Wang Qizhi said, "I'm getting some porcelain repaired today"... What are you trying to do, Mr. Wang?
Growing angrier by the thought, Shang Yan was plotting how to give Wang Qizhi a thorough dressing-down. But then she caught a glimpse of the bottles and jars on the lab bench and paused, momentarily stunned:
Goodness, there are dozens of ingredients just for mixing glazes?
Suddenly, most of the anger in his heart dissipated, and he stared at Lin Sicheng with an indescribable kindness.
Lin Sicheng stood between the two, looking extremely hesitant.
He always thought that Professor Wang's so-called "letting the Mr. Shang see things" meant that he would show Professor Shang the finished product after he repaired the sunflower-shaped plate.
So he deliberately delayed, thinking that he should practice first, and then he could finish repairing the chicken cup before repairing the sunflower-shaped plate.
By then, their anger had long since dissipated.
He also specifically instructed Li Zhen that she should take leave if possible, and if she couldn't, she should find someone else to help her. In any case, she must not let Professor Shang know.
But unexpectedly, Wang Qizhi pulled off a big stunt, specifically targeting people's faces when he hit them.
He didn't even need to guess to know what Professor Wang was thinking: to make that guy surnamed Shang give up as soon as possible, so that it wouldn't go on forever!
That's right!
With a sigh, Lin Sicheng buttoned up his shirt and smiled at Shang Yan, "Professor Shang!"
"Lin Sicheng, not bad! It seems you've learned a lot from Professor Lin!"
After glancing at the labels on the bottles and jars, Shang Yan smiled.
"But repairing porcelain in the bronze ware lab is so inconvenient! Look, you even have to buy the materials yourself. How about this, you come to the porcelain lab to have it repaired..."
"Professor Shang, that's enough!" Wang Qizhi sneered. "Believe me or not, I'll kick you out?"
Shang Yan sneered, "Heh, you want to chase me away?"
Lin Sicheng looked helpless and poured out half a box of porcelain with a "whoosh".
Sure enough, the laboratory fell silent.
He put on his gloves and looked at Feng Lin and Li Zhen: "Teaching Assistant Feng, Senior Sister Li, please help!"
The two realized what was happening and squeezed out of the crowd.
"Prepare anvil, hook line, glutinous rice juice, white porcelain powder, metal staples, chisels, gold leaf, gold powder..."
Upon hearing about chisels and gold leaf, Shang Yan perked up, forgetting all about arguing: "Huh, Lin Sicheng wants gold leaf repaired?"
Even her graduate students don't know how...
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