Chapter 17: Nuclear Radiation

The sky was gradually darkening; General Manager Bai arranged for staff to set up lights, and Lin Zhangqing also turned on his high-intensity flashlight.

The two merchants carefully moved out that celadon pot.

Lin Sicheng followed behind the old man, took a look as usual, and then his eyelids twitched: a Yaozhou Kiln celadon carved-flower handled inverted flow pot, and judging by the shape and glaze color, it was actually from the Northern Song Dynasty?

As the name implies, it is a pot filled with water from the bottom, containing a mechanism inside; the structure is very complex.

The number of surviving pieces is actually slightly higher, at least more than the Qunfang Xianrui Bowl from the Kangxi period. Including those unearthed domestically, lost abroad, and in private collections, there should be forty or fifty of them.

But when it comes to value, the Qunfang Xianrui Bowl cannot even be considered a younger brother in front of it. Because this bowl represents the highest craftsmanship and technological level of the Yaozhou Kiln from the Tang Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

If it is real, calling it a "national treasure" is more than enough.

Lin Sicheng let out a breath and looked carefully again:

The main outline is carved with a wide background, with bamboo brush patterns hooked inside, and the relief effect is obvious. Moreover, the pattern lines are smooth, the layout is sparse and dense, and it has the typical "every knife reveals the clay" molding technique of the Yaozhou Kiln during the Song Dynasty.

Looking at the glaze color: the layer is moist, uniform and deep, the body and glaze are tightly combined, and the glaze surface is smooth and bright, giving one a strong, translucent, glass-like texture.

Looking at the junction of the ring foot and the body glaze, it presents a unique "turmeric yellow." This is because Yaozhou porcelain clay is rich in iron, which reacts with the olive-green glaze material, a unique characteristic of Yaozhou Celadon.

Looking at the bubbles, they are uneven in size; looking at the spur marks, they are small and regular. Looking at the patina, it is thick and natural...

Lin Sicheng slowly widened his eyes: it seems... everything is correct?

So the more he looked, the more he felt this thing was authentic.

Subconsciously, he recalled the scene of seeing a Northern Song Yaozhou Celadon inverted flow pot for the first time in his previous life: hosted by the Provincial Government, with the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Museum of China, the Forbidden City, and Peking University invited, and CCTV interviewing.

It is no exaggeration to say that Lin Sicheng was already accomplished and well-known in the industry at that time, but he only looked at it for a few moments through the vacuum display cabinet and didn't even get to touch it.

Now it's the opposite; he can look at it however he wants and touch it however he wants... is he really just here to broaden his horizons?

It wasn't just him; the old man was no better: eyes wide and mouth agape, the high-intensity flashlight and magnifying glass seemed nailed to one spot, and he looked for a long time. Only after confirming there was no mistake would he move forward a little.

After looking at the lid, he looked at the mouth; after looking at the mouth, he looked at the body; after looking at the body, he looked at the ring and foot.

Inch by inch, he almost took an endoscopic inspection to reach into the spout and water-filling hole to look inside again.

Knowing what it would mean if this item were authentic, everyone else was very quiet.

It wasn't until half an hour later that the old man straightened his back.

General Manager Bai was a bit impatient: "Professor Lin, how is it?"

The old man told the truth: "I don't see any problems for the time being."

Suddenly, General Manager Bai let out a sharp breath: this pot was inspected by him, applied for by him, and he personally sent it for testing, and applied for funds from company leadership and the Municipal Bureau.

Whether he can advance another step this year depends on this final push.

The other staff were also very excited: the honor belongs to everyone; if the leader has merit, they can also bask in the glory.

The two merchants looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

General Manager Bai gave another wink, and the Assistant picked up the folder, but Lin Zhangqing waved his hand: "No rush to sign; is there an appraisal report?"

"Of course there is!"

General Manager Bai waved his hand, and the Assistant handed over several documents.

Lin Zhangqing looked at them carefully, and Lin Sicheng also leaned in a little closer.

Carbon-14 dating can be done by the Provincial Museum, the Cultural Relics Bureau, and even the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau. But fearing errors, General Manager Bai went to Beijing personally.

The testing unit was the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Center; besides the Chinese Academy of Sciences, there is no more authoritative place in the country.

At the same time, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry was also performed, and the dating interval of the sample was 1000-930 years.

The third report was thermoluminescence, and the testing unit was the Shanghai Museum.

It's not that Beijing doesn't have it, but so far, the Shanghai Museum has the highest level of testing for thermoluminescence antique dating methods.

The result was no surprise; the dating interval was 1100 to 900 years.

The span is slightly larger than Carbon-14, but this is because the testing principles are different, so the conclusions are different.

Finally, an endoscopic inspection was also done, and the internal structure, body quality, body color, and age were also fine.

Looking at it this way, it seems there really is no problem with this thing?

But Lin Zhangqing's brows furrowed even tighter.

After a long while, he turned his head to look at Lin Sicheng, "Did you see it!"

"I saw it!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "But the logic is wrong!"

Lin Zhangqing was stunned, then sighed, a flash of relief appearing in his eyes.

"Saw it" meant that Lin Sicheng also didn't see any problems. This was not surprising; didn't even he fail to see it?

"Logic is wrong" meant that this document could not be signed.

Lin Sicheng didn't know for the moment why his grandfather was only a Consultant, yet seemed to be the one making the final decision, but that didn't stop him from being suspicious:

In his previous life, it wasn't until around 2023 that the provincial cultural relics department bought back an inverted flow pot from overseas, which filled the gap of "the Northern Song Yaozhou inverted flow pot originated in Shaanxi Province, yet Shaanxi Province had no inverted flow pot."

But it is only 2007 now, so where did this one come from, and where did it end up?

Secondly, the specifications are not enough. Recalling his previous life, it involved the Provincial Government, national-level units, and CCTV; it was almost at the level of renting a screen in Times Square in the United States to announce it to the whole world. Today's setup is not just shabby, it is eerie.

Of course, it could also be that the time hasn't come yet, and the units at all levels lack awareness. But no matter how low the political awareness is, shouldn't a bureau leader have come, and three or five equally authoritative experts been invited to conduct a joint appraisal?

Regardless of anything else, what if his grandfather took dirty money?

Third, the price is wrong: 6.6 million?

Even though it is only 2007, adding a zero is unnecessary, but doubling it would be no problem at all.

Could it be a patriotic person promoting their style?

Subconsciously, Lin Sicheng looked at the two merchants: calm and composed, indifferent and relaxed...

With just three reports and that many words, Lin Zhangqing read them back and forth twice.

After thinking for a while, he picked up the magnifying glass again: "Lin Sicheng, you provide the light, I will look at the inner body from the water-filling hole again!"

The old man asked two staff members to help again.

Because the pot had to be turned upside down, with the bottom facing up and the mouth facing down. The key was that this thing was a single integrated piece, and the top was the overhead handle, so it had to be suspended in mid-air; otherwise, one careless move would break the handle.

Lin Sicheng sighed: Another suspicious point, the merchant is too bold.

If this thing were his own, how could he agree to do this?

And no money has been paid yet, what if it gets dropped?

The old man is the same, once he gets excited, he stops caring about anything...

In a flash, Lin Zhangqing took the Magnifying Glass, covered the water-filling hole with it, and signaled for Lin Sicheng to shine the light.

Lin Sicheng used one hand to gently support the overhead handle, while the other pressed the Flashlight, directing a strong beam of light toward the lens.

Then the old man picked up the endoscope inspection report, looked at the lens, and then took another look at the photo on the report.

He even directed him while looking: "Lin Sicheng, a little to the left!"

"To the right, more to the right..."

Lin Sicheng was suddenly amused: Is the old man really looking at the inner tire?

No, he was indeed looking at the inner tire, but the way he was looking made it clear he suspected the inspection report was fake.

Huh, don't tell me?

Just as he was secretly amused, the old man told him to step back two paces and switch to a diffused light.

Lin Sicheng obeyed, stepped back two paces, and clicked on the Flashlight.

But as soon as the light hit, he subconsciously squinted his eyes.

The so-called diffused light was a halo of light that, apart from the bottom, also enveloped the entire body of the pot.

The Glaze Layer was not as bright as before, but it was more moist, and vaguely, it gave one a visual sensation of "deep emerald."

To put it plainly, it was green.

But this is an ancient Celadon; it can be grayish, yellowish, or whitish, so how could it be "greenish?"

Fearing it was an issue with the angle, Lin Sicheng tilted his chin toward the Assistant holding the pot body, the same girl who had come downstairs to meet them earlier: "Assistant, isn't it very beautiful?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone had a strange look on their faces: No... what is this kid trying to do?

Seeing his grandfather glare at him, Lin Sicheng came back to his senses: He had been thinking too intently and hadn't made himself clear.

"I was asking about the pot, isn't it very green, like Jadeite?"

Let's just assume you were asking about the pot.

The old man nodded: "It is quite green, probably because of the diffused light!"

Is that so?

Lin Sicheng switched back to the strong light.

Assuming he was just covering up his embarrassment, Lin Zhangqing said nothing, but the expressions of the others became even stranger: Why is this kid so oblivious to the occasion?

If you want to flirt, go flirt later?

In an instant, the good impression they had of him earlier shattered with a bang.

Lin Sicheng didn't care at all, just staring straight at the still-green pot body, his brain spinning rapidly.

As time passes, ancient porcelain does indeed change color; this is common knowledge.

If it is specifically Celadon, if the glaze quality ages, it will turn yellowish.

If it is affected by dampness or other external interference, the pigment structure of the Glaze Layer changes, and it will turn grayish.

If exposed to the sun for a long time, affected by ultraviolet rays, it will turn whitish.

But this one, why is it turning green?

It's not that it can't turn green: the cyan color is composed of green and blue; if the pigment decomposes, the green molecules remain unchanged while the blue molecules gradually decrease, this phenomenon will occur.

But the conditions are extremely harsh, unless there is very strong external factor interference, such as nuclear radiation.

Nuclear radiation? Huh, something seems wrong...

Lin Sicheng turned his head and looked at the two appraisal reports on the table: one for Carbon-14, one for Thermoluminescence.

Nuclear radiation, Thermoluminescence...

A flash of light crossed his mind, Lin Sicheng's face turned pale in a "whoosh," and he gritted his teeth.

Fuck you!