Chapter 179: Testing the Waters

The sky was about to brighten, and the plastic door curtain rattled in the wind.

The oil tea and soaked flatbread were out of the pot, shimmering with a clear light; as the long ladle was raised, the soup stretched into amber-colored threads in mid-air.

One ladle made one bowl, just right.

Lin Sicheng carried his tray and glanced around, then sat at an empty seat; the three people at the same table all raised their heads in unison.

Liu Dong, Wang Hong, and a sculptor from the Research and Development Center.

They were likely the same as the previous two, all apprentices of Director Meng.

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Squeeze in, it's lively."

The three were stunned, not knowing what to say.

Lin Sicheng ignored them further, picked up his chopsticks, and ate a bun with a mouthful of soup.

His table manners were very refined, but his speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, six fist-sized buns and a bowl of soup were down his throat.

He pushed the bowl forward, took out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and glanced at Liu Dong again.

Knowing he had something to say, Liu Dong put down his chopsticks.

"It's nothing, Minister Liu, you go ahead and eat!"

Lin Sicheng leaned back: "I was just asking, when will Director Meng be back!"

What was he trying to do, trying to save the nation through a circuitous path?

A trace of vigilance rose in Liu Dong's heart, and he sized him up a few times: "Still a while!"

"Minister Liu, don't be nervous, I was just asking casually."

Lin Sicheng wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "I just came over to tell Minister Liu: since it will be a while before Director Meng returns, we will head back to Xijing first. See if there's a chance to visit again in the future..."

They were leaving just like that?

It seemed the arrangements of the past two days had worked; they felt that even if they observed and learned, they wouldn't learn anything, so they might as well head home.

They should have gone back long ago, but why was this kid the one to notify him?

He looked behind him; that Professor Shang and the female teaching assistant were sitting across from Director Du. They were a bit far away, and he didn't know what they were saying, but he saw there seemed to be a piece of paper on the table that the two kept pushing back and forth.

It couldn't be that they still wanted some data before leaving, could it?

They definitely couldn't get it: without his own word, Du Liangzhi couldn't even enter the data room.

Thinking secretly, a trace of a smile finally appeared on Liu Dong's cold face, which had been stiff for more than ten days: "Right, it is better to go back early; it's windy and dusty here, and the coal smoke is heavy too, surely not as comfortable as Xijing."

Lin Sicheng was noncommittal: "Today is the last day, I'll take one more look at how Teacher Wang (Wang Hong) mixes the glaze, and do an on-site summary by the way.

Besides, we've been bothering you for nearly twenty days, and the expenses aren't small; the costs that should be settled must be cleared... so I came over to tell Minister Liu, please calculate the expenses for the laboratory side as well... if it's not enough, we will make up for it in time..."

As he spoke, he stood up and smiled again: "You all enjoy your meal!"

Wang Hong and the other person looked at each other, while Liu Dong looked over at Director Du's table: so the thing the two were pushing back and forth was a check?

They were quite particular?

Immediately, Shang Yan and Li Zhen also stood up, and Liu Dong took a peek: "Let's go, let's go over and ask Director Du."

Wang Hong and the other person exchanged a look and followed behind.

They had likely already finished eating, as the tabletop was very clean, and there was indeed a check in front of Du Liangzhi.

Taking a careful look, Liu Dong nodded secretly: fifty thousand!

They lived in an ordinary guesthouse affiliated with the Industrial Bureau and ate in the Porcelain Research Institute's cafeteria; for eight people to eat and live for twenty days, thirty thousand was the absolute limit.

They only used the laboratory a bit, plus some materials; twenty thousand was more than enough.

Looking and looking, Liu Dong discovered something wrong again: the stamp on the check was not the financial seal of Xida, but "Lin Sicheng Ceramic Restoration Studio," as well as Lin Sicheng's personal seal.

Huh, did that kid pay out of his own pocket?

Just as he was guessing, Du Liangzhi sighed despondently, looking hesitant: "Lao Liu, we've really offended them this time!"

Liu Dong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: no wonder it was a personal seal?

Since they hadn't learned anything, it couldn't be called a learning exchange, and the exchange training between the Industrial Bureau and Xida that Dean Su mentioned naturally wouldn't count.

And after that, it would certainly be strictly business. Since it had nothing to do with Xida, naturally, every cent spent would be accounted for.

So, would you accept this money or not?

Even if you didn't accept it, you wouldn't gain any favor, so it was better to accept it.

Thinking secretly, Liu Dong laughed again and pointed at the check: "Even if we offended them, the only one offended is this kid, what is Director Du worried about?"

Du Liangzhi was stunned, not knowing what to say.

It was true that he was a kid, but precisely because he was a kid, this matter seemed strange: if he didn't have some influence, how did he become a Cultural Heritage Inheritor?

Du Liangzhi had understood this principle long ago, which was why he specifically reported it to the leadership.

The idea was good, but in the end, the crooked monk chanted the scripture crookedly; the more it was chanted, the more crooked it became, and finally, it turned out like this.

But it had already turned out like this?

Sighing again, Du Liangzhi pushed the check: "Put it into the institute's account, remember to write a detailed report to the Bureau... oh right, remember to reconcile with the hotel, and the cafeteria: they paid for it..."

"Don't worry, Director Du, I will handle it personally!"

After replying, Liu Dong put the check into his pocket.

After a slight pause, Du Liangzhi thought that since it was their last day, he should let Liu Dong be a bit more polite. But thinking of Liu Dong's usual style, the words that reached his lips were swallowed back.

It would be useless to say it, so let it be.

Sighing secretly, he stood up and went downstairs; Du Liangzhi returned to his office.

Then, he smoked one cigarette after another.

With his thirty-plus years of experience in government offices, he always felt something wasn't right: to be looked down upon like this, yet that kid didn't show the slightest bit of unhappiness. What he was like on the first day he arrived, he was still the same on this last day?

To be able to keep his composure so well, and to have such deep hidden motives, could this be an ordinary kid?

No, he had to report this to the leadership.

Everything was laid out plainly and straightforwardly, naturally including the things Liu Dong did: check the materials after copying them, and no asking questions while observing and learning...

The bureau chief was so angry he cursed out loud.

But what could cursing do?

It was still that same old saying, things had already reached this point...

As always, at eight-thirty, the Research Center started work on time.

Quite a few people came today: Shang Yan, Li Zhen, Lin Sicheng, Sun Le, plus Zhang Feng.

Thinking it was the last day, and since Lin Sicheng had made it clear that a summary still needed to be done, there would certainly be many people coming, so Liu Dong didn't pay it any mind.

He even broke his usual pattern and greeted Shang Yan.

Shang Yan snorted through her nose, but Liu Dong remained indifferent: having sent away the plague god and received the money in real gold and silver, let her snort if she wanted to.

He sat to one side and brewed a cup of strong tea, feeling both comfortable and leisurely.

The nine workstations remained as they were, performing the final trimming and finishing work on the porcelain bodies.

It was still Wang Hong's side, with four people gathered in a circle.

Having even met provincial-level leaders, Wang Hong wasn't exactly nervous, but she always felt something was a bit strange, and she would look at them from time to time.

"Professor Shang, this is Director Meng's top student, Teacher Wang Hong. She comes from a professional art background and her knife skills are extremely proficient... Teacher Wang, this is Professor Shang!"

Liu Dong was not far away, and Wang Hong just nodded slightly. Shang Yan hated everyone associated with the person she disliked, feeling that Meng Shufeng's student was nothing special, and likewise just nodded.

Then, she stared at the formed lotus-pattern jar in Wang Hong's hands: "Looking at this decoration, it doesn't quite look like Ding Kiln work?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Yesterday, we trimmed the body again, and the thickness of the body was reduced by nearly half. It's equivalent to carving it all over again..."

Shang Yan was stunned, her eyes filled with deep disgust: No wonder the raw body the day before yesterday was nearly a centimeter thick?

Was this misleading them once not enough, so he misled them a second time?

Having taught for half a lifetime and studied porcelain for half a lifetime, she had truly never seen someone who could be so disgusting...

She suppressed her anger and looked carefully for a moment: "And what carving method is this?"

"Yue Kiln from the Five Dynasties, Secret Color Porcelain... It was restored by the Light Industry Ministry in the seventies, but because the glaze color and patterns were slightly too simple, they didn't build a kiln..."

"Ah, no wonder I don't have much of an impression of it?"

The two asked and answered, but Wang Hong's face turned red bit by bit.

Even though Liu Dong had said: that Lin Sicheng dared to apply for Cultural Heritage Inheritor status and could become an Artifact Restoration expert, he should have some ability and wouldn't fail to see that the institute was fooling him.

But to have it pointed out to his face, and even pointed out so clearly, Wang Hong couldn't keep her composure no matter how thick-skinned she was.

At the same time, she was also a bit strange: the Ding Kiln Line Carving Technique from the day before yesterday was one thing, but yesterday's secondary trimming used the deep carving of the Yue Kiln.

Just as he said, although the technique had been restored, there was no kiln built, and major colleges and universities wouldn't teach it. Very few people understood it, just like Professor Shang.

But where did he learn it?

Having barely spoken a few times, it wasn't easy to ask directly, so Wang Hong just made a wild guess.

After dawdling for more than an hour, the body was considered finished, and Liu Dong said they would air-dry the body and start preparing the glaze in the afternoon.

Even though he had expected it, Lin Sicheng was still stunned for a moment, staring at Liu Dong for a long time.

Liu Dong had a smile on his face: "Does Little Lin have any opinions?"

"No!" Lin Sicheng sighed, "As long as Department Head Liu is happy!"

At first, Shang Yan hadn't reacted, but hearing the tone of Lin Sicheng's voice, she realized belatedly: Was this man surnamed Liu afraid they would steal the glaze formula, so he wanted to send them away?

No... it was just Celadon, which had been fired from the Han Dynasty to the Republic of China; the Yue Kiln, Longquan Kiln, Ge Kiln, and Di Kiln in the south, and the Ru Kiln, Xing Kiln, Yaozhou Kiln, and even the Ding Kiln in the north had all fired Celadon.

So, what was there to keep secret?

Just as she was gritting her teeth in anger, Lin Sicheng had already reached the main entrance and turned back to call out: "Professor Shang!"

Shang Yan followed him over, fuming: "This is too much!"

"Professor Shang, don't be in such a hurry to get angry. Perhaps he thinks that since it's the last day anyway, maybe Department Head Liu really wants to show us some unique skills: Yaozhou Celadon does indeed have a secret glaze, Tea Dust Glaze!"

Shang Yan didn't believe a single word: "Lin Sicheng, do you think that's possible?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "What if?"

Shang Yan sneered: "Heh!"

He even had to check the materials when copying them; could he show you Secret Color Porcelain?

Lin Sicheng, what are you thinking?

Just right, they took the opportunity to pack their luggage and checked out of the laboratory. They still ate lunch at the cafeteria, and at two o'clock sharp, the group arrived at the Research Center.

Sure enough, the glaze had already been prepared.

Still treating them as if they were transparent, Liu Dong arranged for several people to apply the glaze. Once applied, they could be put into the kiln for firing.

Shang Yan's anger came and went quickly, and she walked around to take a look at each one.

But it was useless; just looking at the glaze, it was a deep, dark pool of green, and Shang Yan really couldn't tell if it was the Tea Dust Glaze that Lin Sicheng had mentioned.

Looking at Lin Sicheng again, he was staring at the brush in Wang Hong's hand, and let out a "Heh."

There was no Tea Dust Glaze at all, it was just Yaozhou Kiln Celadon glaze. But this was recorded clearly and plainly in ancient literature...

This Department Head Liu was really... he didn't know how to evaluate him.

Just watching quietly, Lin Sicheng didn't say another word until all the porcelain bodies were sent into the Electric Kiln.

Was that it?

Just to fool himself, he acted out a play for three days, and incidentally fooled themselves as well?

With this batch of twenty or so pieces, all of them were incongruous, defective products; what was the use of firing them?

Lin Sicheng sighed deeply: "Department Head Liu, one last trouble: having been here for nearly twenty days and observed on-site for so long, regardless of whether we learned anything, we still need to summarize and verify. Can I pull a few pieces of clay, I'd like to try my hand..."

Oh right, Lin Sicheng had said in the restaurant that he wanted to summarize on-site.

But how to summarize... just based on watching for these three days?

The key is, what you watched wasn't even real technique, was it?

Liu Dong wore a strange expression, but he didn't say anything, and had the mold maker pull three plain clay bodies according to Lin Sicheng's requirements.

One was quick-dried, two were kept moist; Lin Sicheng changed into his work clothes and held knives in both hands.

"Professor Shang, please help me record the video... Li Zhen, Sun Le, take notes!"

The few people were stunned for a moment, and then, the eyes of Shang Yan and Li Zhen widened in unison.

They didn't know what Lin Sicheng was going to do, but this expression, this tone, and this style—could they be any more familiar with it?

(End of chapter)