Chapter 22: Small Mouth Tainted with Poison

Chairman Ding thought for a long time: "Who is Zhuang Wanfang?"

Several people around looked at each other, but no one made a sound.

It seems no one knows?

He patted Hao Jun again, his eyes smiling: "Secretary-General Hao must know."

Don't mention it, Hao Jun really didn't know.

But he knew that Lin Sicheng would never speak without a reason in front of so many people.

Think about that chicken feather duster.

Think about that Vajravarahi.

Then think about that Inverted Pot at the Cultural Relics company.

It was also based on this that he had a sudden idea and let Lin Sicheng try it out, half-jokingly. Of course, it wouldn't matter if he didn't know; he just wanted to let him show his face in front of his seniors.

But he didn't expect this kid to really be able to explain the ins and outs?

"It seems Secretary-General Hao doesn't know either?"

Ding Liang shook his head and sighed: "Tsk, with so many experts here, are we actually inferior to a college student? Come, little Lin, tell us about this Zhuang Wanfang!"

These words were a bit malicious: you are the one who has a grudge against Lin Zhangqing, not us.

The perspective is also small; why make things difficult for a child in front of so many people?

Just as Hao Jun was about to speak, Director Guan of the Municipal Appraisal Center patted Lin Sicheng on the shoulder: "It's fine, you go ahead and educate Chairman Ding!"

Ding Liang snorted coldly, but didn't dare to say anything.

Since it had reached this point, how could Lin Sicheng possibly back down?

At the very least, he had to make Chairman Ding understand that his grandfather didn't send him here just for those eight hundred yuan.

"Mr. Zhuang was a contemporary agronomist, tea scientist, and expert in tea tree cultivation. He was a professor at Zhejiang University and Fudan University, and a founder of contemporary tea tree cultivation studies in China.

He authored works such as 'Tea Works', 'Tea Tree Biology', 'Tea Economy', and 'Tea Trade'... In the eighties, he received a handwritten certificate of commendation from a leader at the Great Hall!"

Seeing Lin Sicheng speaking so articulately, everyone was stunned: not only did such a person exist, but his background wasn't small either?

Being able to receive a certificate of commendation meant his contribution to the country and society was significant; the previous evaluations really couldn't be considered flattery.

Ding Liang pondered for a moment: "Isn't this just a scientist? What does it have to do with the cultural circle?"

The implication was that different professions are like different mountains, so isn't it normal that we haven't heard of him?

"After retiring, around the early eighties, he was hired as the deputy director of the Tea Science Research Institute at the People's University. At the same time, he served as a director of the Tea Culture Society in both Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, presiding over tea culture research and the promotion of the tea Dao.

The former is a research institution, and the latter two are the earliest official academic groups in the country initiated by provincial departments, dedicated to promoting tea culture and tea Dao theory to the world!"

Hao Jun's eyes lit up: "Chairman Ding, look, does it have something to do with the cultural circle now?"

And the connection was extremely significant!

Ding Liang kept a cold face and pointed at the bamboo basket: "Fine, according to you, this set of tea vessels was carved by him, right?"

"It wasn't carved by him; he only wrote this poem, but this set of items was indeed a gift for him!"

"How can you prove it?"

"The provincial news broadcast and the provincial newspaper both reported it, but it was a long time ago!"

What the hell?

Everyone was stunned again.

"In '88, the Japanese tea beverage giant Ito En surveyed the domestic tea market, planning to cooperate in building large-scale tea garden bases. At that time, there were four intended locations: Anxi in Fujian Province, Xinchang in Zhejiang Province, Gao County in Sichuan Province, and Pingli in Shaanxi Province..."

"Because Professor Zhuang communicated frequently with Japanese tea science groups, his reputation in the Japanese tea science circle was also very high. He also served as a director of the Tea Culture Society in Fujian and Zhejiang, so he became one of the accompanying representatives for the inspection team."

"Afterward, they went to Shaanxi Province for inspection. Although no agreement was reached, when they left, the relevant departments still presented the inspection team and all the accompanying representatives with exquisite local specialties."

"Knowing that Mr. Zhuang particularly admired Tang Dynasty tea vessel culture, they specifically asked a local famous woodcarver to carve a set of pure handmade Twenty-Four Vessels of the Great Tang for him..."

Ding Liang narrowed his eyes: "A famous master carved it like this?"

Lin Sicheng sighed: "It was only two days in total, twenty-four pieces in all; how else was the master supposed to carve them?"

Hao Jun burst out laughing: even without eating or drinking, it was only forty-eight hours, averaging two hours per piece, and it had to be pure handmade; it was already not bad that it could be carved neatly.

Of course, "famous master" is also relative. To be honest, from modern times to the present, Shaanxi Province hasn't produced any famous woodcarvers.

He happily clapped his hands and pointed at the staff member responsible for recording: "First, use the computer to check... Lin Sicheng, '88, Ito En, provincial newspaper, right?"

"The provincial newspaper only reported the inspection team's itinerary; the gift-giving was in the evening paper and the cultural newspaper."

The staff member was very fast, and with a few clatters, they pulled up the provincial newspaper's report on the inspection team from that time.

The headline was quite large: Promoting Tea Dao Culture, Letting Qin Tea Go Global... and the Pingli Trip of the Ito En Group.

Checking the morning paper again, the headline was equally large: Culture Knows No Borders, Folk Art Connects the World.

The article was very long, focusing on how happy the inspection team representatives were when they received local folk art pieces, such as opera masks, paper-cuts, and waist drums, and how they praised them.

It was also accompanied by photos, and the Twenty-Four Vessels of the Great Tang were ranked quite high.

Looking closely, isn't that the basket on the table?

Including the poem on the Tea Bucket, the patterns on the Tea Ladle, and the silver foil decorations on the Tea Tongs.

They were all experts who played with their eyes; at a single glance, they knew this was absolutely the same set of items.

"So it wasn't taken away at that time?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "It was taken, but it probably went around in a circle and flowed back."

Don't mention it, this set of items was really quite heavy.

"And where was it collected from?"

"Teacher Hao, this tea set wasn't collected; it was sorted out from the Museum's Treasury..." the staff member tapped the computer, "Wait a moment, let me check... Huh, it really was collected, but it was collected four years ago..."

"Collected from where?"

The staff member paused: "It was from Director Liu of the Tea Culture Research Institute!"

Huh, did it really flow back?

This person is not an outsider, but a famous collector, and the Artifact Research is even one of the sponsors for this exhibition.

Thinking back to before, Ding Liang spoke wildly: "This poem is neither literary nor colloquial, neither sensible nor logical; one look and you know the author has no culture."

"How was such a thing even collected?"

And look how it turned out: one is a Scientist, the other is a famous collector in this province?

Looking at Ding Liang's face, which looked even more miserable than if he had eaten excrement, the more Hao Jun thought about it, the more amused he became.

"Lin Sicheng, does your school even teach tea studies?"

Lin Sicheng said unhurriedly: "The school doesn't teach it, my grandfather does; he likes to study all sorts of messy things when he has nothing to do."

Hao Jun almost laughed out loud: what counts as messy things, does Calligraphy and Painting count?

This kid curses without using dirty words; his little mouth is like it's been quenched in poison.

Ding Liang gritted his teeth, blue veins bulging on his forehead. If looks could kill, Lin Sicheng would have died eight hundred times over already.

But he happened to be in the wrong, for instance that line: did Old Lin really do it just to earn those eight hundred yuan?

It's only because Lin Sicheng has good self-restraint; if it were Hao Jun, he would have spat in his face.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, yet he had no way to vent; Chairman Ding let out a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.