Chapter 234: Wait for Me, You Bastard

The office window was open, and smoke curled and drifted, ethereal and faint.

Several leaders held documents, their eyes filled with surprise.

Why had Secretary-General Tan been intentionally or unintentionally approaching Lin Sicheng these past few days?

Naturally, it was because he had been entrusted by them.

The reason was not complicated: it was an indisputable fact that this excessively young Teacher Lin had discovered the ruins.

Publicly or privately, emotionally or rationally, Hejin, Yuncheng, and even the province all had to solemnly say thank you to him.

Secondly, according to this Teacher Lin, the Old Kiln Head Ruins were only a part of it. There should be even earlier ruins, such as those from the Ming or Yuan dynasties.

To be honest, if they relied on themselves to find them, they would likely end up finding nothing at all, just like before, nine times out of ten. Therefore, they still had to ask him for help.

After consulting with each other, the leaders felt that the official level should indeed be downplayed as much as possible; if they could avoid mentioning "Shaanxi," they shouldn't mention it.

But at the individual level, it not only couldn't be downplayed but had to be strengthened; at the very least, they couldn't let this Teacher Lin feel that they were discarding him after the task was done.

Of course, it would be best to make him one of their own; wouldn't going from "Shaanxi" to "Shanxi" be the best of both worlds?

As it turned out, before they even had a chance to say it, he had already launched a massive satellite on the spot?

He could appraise, restore, research, and perform archaeology... a pile of expert titles, and the key was, he was only twenty-one?

And, he was a Person in Charge of a key laboratory at Xida, a National Level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage projects, and a Person in Charge of provincial support projects.

Just ask, how much sincerity would the local area have to show to make this Teacher Lin interested?

Becoming one of their own was out of the question; now, they could only try their best to mediate and maintain the relationship.

"Old Tan, you still have to explain it; try not to cause any misunderstandings!"

Tan Wu nodded: "This Teacher Lin is still very reasonable and said he understands our difficulties. He is also very straightforward and speaks directly: we don't need to increase the stakes, just follow what was agreed upon for the initial phase.

If there are any more ruins discovered later, just give him a few more test samples. He doesn't need complete artifacts; porcelain shards from the waste pits will do, even if he has to pay for them."

A pile of waste porcelain shards, how much could they be worth?

The leaders nodded in unison: "No problem!"

"There's more!" Tan Wu looked up at the Industrial Bureau General Manager, "General Manager Chen, try to make the data on your Chengni Inkstone as detailed as possible!"

"Rest assured!"

General Manager Chen agreed readily, but Tan Wu was still a bit uneasy.

Because he came from a technical background himself, he knew exactly what researchers were like: as soon as you asked them for data or figures, it was like trying to steal their wives?

What if they secretly guarded against him and did something to the documents; wouldn't that be harming someone?

He prepared to remind General Manager Chen first, but the words reached his lips and he paused: although they were both in Yuncheng and of the same rank, one was in the city and one was in the county; he and Chen Zongnian were at most acquaintances, not very close.

If he pointed things out too clearly, it would be equivalent to offending someone.

Besides, he was just guessing wildly here.

He thought for a moment: "General Manager Chen, when the data is delivered, let's go together!"

Chen Zongnian nodded: "Good!"

The group discussed things further, mainly regarding the excavation of the Old Kiln Head Ruins and the survey of potentially existing kiln sites.

According to normal procedures, since the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology had already taken over, they didn't need to worry about it anymore and only needed to provide logistical support.

But the Old Kiln Head Ruins were too large; it would take at least two or three years of excavation before the Archaeological Institute could free up their hands.

By then, what if they couldn't find anything else?

The group thought about whether they should ask their superiors for instructions and communicate with Lin Sicheng again: if he could find them early, he should try to find them as early as possible!

Just as they were discussing, Chen Zongnian's phone rang.

Had the people from the Chengni Inkstone Research Institute arrived?

"General Manager Chen, why so fast?" Tan Wu was stunned, "Is the data okay?"

"Secretary-General Tan, they have been preparing for three days? Besides, it's just photocopying; what could go wrong?"

Tan Wu thought for a moment and stood up: "General Manager Chen, I'll go with you!"

The rear-projection big-screen TV had a very clear picture. On the screen, Rui Xiaodan, wearing a police uniform, sat by the river, and the image gradually became illusory.

Immediately, the ending theme song played, and the credits rolled on the screen: The End.

Lin Sicheng was not yet satisfied and pressed pause.

Ye Anning sat to one side, staring at Lin Sicheng's profile: he had been resting for several days, and Lin Sicheng was either sleeping or watching the video.

She called him to go back to Xijing and he wouldn't go, to sing and he wouldn't go, to watch a movie and he still wouldn't go. He wouldn't even go to the Yellow River beach for a stroll.

He just stared at that broken TV, watching it over and over, back and forth, just that one show: "The Way," which he had already watched for the third time.

"Is it really that good?"

"It's alright!" Lin Sicheng stretched, "I'm just researching whether this TV series will be banned."

Ye Anning had watched a few episodes along with him and didn't think there was any problem.

"This was just released this year, why would it be banned?"

"Class!"

As soon as these two words were mentioned, Ye Anning stopped talking. But she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You've been holed up for three days, go out for a walk? Let's go eat casserole."

"Eating it every day at the hotel, aren't you tired of it?"

Ye Anning was indifferent: "I don't just stare at the same dish every day?"

But Lin Sicheng was already tired of it: "I'll take you to eat Fancun lamb hubu."

"Why go to Fancun?"

"The ones in the city aren't authentic!"

As soon as food was mentioned, Ye Anning became happy; just as she was preparing to call Wang Qizhi to ask if he was going, the doorbell rang once.

Fang Jin came out of the inner room to open the door, and Lin Sicheng glanced over and stood up.

"Secretary-General Tan!"

Four people entered the room, and Tan Wu introduced them:

"Teacher Lin, this is Director Chen from the Municipal Industrial Bureau, and these two are Deputy Director Yao and Technician Tong from the Jiang County Chengni Inkstone Research Institute!"

"Please, please come in..."

Lin Sicheng hurriedly greeted them, Fang Jin went to wash the Tea Cups, and Ye Anning turned on the electric kettle.

Once the group was seated, Director Chen took a document bag from Deputy Director Yao's hand and placed it on the coffee table.

"Teacher Lin, this is the information on the Chengni Inkstone. Regarding the subsequent kiln site matters, I must ask you to put in more effort!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled: Quite direct?

But this is better: equal exchange, each taking what they need!

He nodded and tore open the seal.

There was quite a lot, roughly thirty or forty pages; the paper still gave off the smell of Oil Ink, and one could tell at a glance it had just been copied and bound.

Lin Sicheng flipped through it casually and began to read.

Knowing that those who do Artifact Research all have some strange quirks, Tan Wu and Director Chen did not mind.

However, the two people behind them were taken aback: Shouldn't one wait until the guests have left to read it?

But flipping through it so fast, faster than reading ten lines at a glance, what could you possibly see?

Just as they were secretly pondering this, Fang Jin brought over tea, and the group said thank you.

It didn't take long, probably only five or six minutes, for Lin Sicheng to flip through the entire document.

After closing it, he thought for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the four people in turn before landing on the face of that Deputy Director Yao.

"You two, may I ask a few questions?"

The two looked at each other and nodded: "Teacher Lin, feel free to ask!"

"Alright, the Chengni Inkstone uses the sedimentary clay from deep within the ancient Fen River riverbed, which requires filtering, washing, and then air-drying. But during the air-drying process, cracking of the Chengni occurs; how do you solve that?"

The young Technician did not make a sound, and Deputy Director Yao adjusted his glasses: "Scooping, beating, and kneading, just like working dough. Then, seal it for aging!"

"Without adding anything else?"

Deputy Director Yao paused: "None!"

"And the temperature?"

"Fifteen degrees!"

"What about the firing cycle?"

"Seven to fifteen days!"

"What about temperature control after entering the kiln?" Lin Sicheng gestured, "I mean, for different stages, is different temperature required?"

Deputy Director Yao's eyes flickered: "Not necessary, a constant temperature between nine hundred and one thousand degrees is sufficient!"

"Good!" Lin Sicheng smiled: "How is the kiln transmutation effect controlled?"

"This cannot be controlled; it depends on the metal element content in the Chengni, as well as changes in weather, temperature, and humidity during the firing..."

"Oh, is that so?" Lin Sicheng said with a half-smile, "What about the fuel? Coal, electricity, or firewood?"

Deputy Director Yao lowered his head slightly: "Electricity is the most convenient, but the color is relatively monotonous. Coal and firewood have better kiln transmutation effects, but the temperature is uncontrollable, so the success rate is extremely low!"

"Understood, thank you, Deputy Director Yao!" Lin Sicheng stood up and reached out his hand, "I will do some more Artifact Research!"

The four people were stunned.

What does that mean?

The tea was still steaming, and they hadn't even had a chance to take a sip, yet you are already showing us the door?

Tan Wu and Chen Zongnian looked at each other, realizing it belatedly: air-drying temperature, firing cycle, kiln entry temperature... if these data were all in the document, Lin Sicheng would have no need to ask again.

That means, it wasn't in the document?

Recalling this, Tan Wu's eyelids twitched: even the type of fuel used wasn't written down?

Half an hour ago, he was still worried about whether they would tamper with the document or change the data. As a result, this happened in the blink of an eye: the man surnamed Yao didn't change the data; he simply didn't provide it at all?

In an instant, a surge of anger rose up. He opened his mouth to scold, but Deputy Director Yao bent over, his face full of smiles:

"Teacher Lin, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed: I was in such a rush that the people below didn't print the full version?"

"I'm sorry, I will go back immediately to reprint a copy and have it delivered to you tomorrow!"

"Good!" Lin Sicheng handed the document back, "I'll trouble you, Deputy Director Yao..."

Before he could finish, Tan Wu waved his hand: "No need for tomorrow, do it this afternoon... Yao Xinglong, your institute has a fax machine, right?"

He didn't even use his title, but called him by his name directly?

Sweat broke out on Deputy Director Yao's forehead: "Yes... yes!"

Tan Wu glanced at him indifferently and sighed: "Teacher Lin, I've let you see something embarrassing!"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "It's only human nature!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zongnian's face turned black. Only now did he understand what Tan Wu meant when he reminded him in the office earlier to "make sure the information is thorough."

Thinking back to his own matter-of-fact remark just now, he felt his face burning.

Teacher Lin, please put in effort regarding the kiln site... put in effort, if I were Lin Sicheng: I'd put in effort for your damn sake?

The more he thought, the angrier he became; he wished he could give Yao Xinglong two slaps.

Forcing a smile and offering a few more assurances, the group left the suite.

As soon as the door closed, Chen Zongnian's face turned cold, his gaze piercing over like a knife.

"When we were in the lobby, when Secretary-General Tan asked you, what did you say: 'Leaders, please rest assured, the information is absolutely fine'... is this what you call 'fine'?"

"Old Yao, do you know that a Qing Dynasty porcelain kiln site was discovered at Lao Yaotou? The key is that there is more behind it; it could be Ming Dynasty, it could be Yuan Dynasty, or even Jin Dynasty or Song Dynasty... We had everything planned out well, asking people to help look for more, and look at how it turned out—you, damn it, you played this game?"

"Yao Xinglong, do you have any sense of the big picture at all? Was your brain kicked by a donkey?"

Yao Xinglong looked sheepish: "The two leaders, we didn't say we wouldn't give it, we just thought there were still two months left, so we wanted to drag it out a bit longer!"

Chen Zongnian was too lazy to even talk to him and checked his watch: "It's ten-thirty now, I'll give you three hours!"

"Alright, alright..."

Yao Xinglong agreed readily, and after Tan Wu and Chen Zongnian left, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It was over now; he had offended them completely. But since it was already done, it was too late for regrets.

It was also like seeing a ghost: that young man didn't look like he had many years on him, so why were his eyes so sharp?

It wasn't at all what Tan Wu and Chen Zongnian thought, that the data wasn't provided in full and much of it wasn't written down.

He had actually only blurred it slightly and secretly hidden a few key data points. Even the County Industrial Bureau and Director Lin (the Craft Restoration expert) had checked it back and forth three times and hadn't discovered it.

But that Teacher Lin had just glanced at it a few times?

The Technician beside him looked bewildered: "Teacher, how did that person discover it? I feel like he just flipped through it casually?"

Yao Xinglong agreed deeply: wasn't it just flipping through it casually?

Looking young, yet he was an expert...

Chen Zongnian regretted it so much his guts turned green: if he had known, he should have just photocopied a copy from the bureau directly.

Although it was a bit much and a bit messy, a full dozen volumes of files, and he didn't know which could be used and which couldn't.

But it would have been better than losing face, right?

Getting angry was one thing, being furious was another, but the matter had already happened; even if you killed Yao Xinglong, what could you do?

He had a dark face: "Secretary-General Tan, what should we do?"

What else could they do?

Tan Wu sighed: "Report to the leader first!"

Chen Zongnian nodded and immediately took out his phone, but before he could finish speaking, a "clatter-bang" sound came from the phone.

The two looked at each other: nine times out of ten, Vice Mayor Yao Xing had smashed his cup.

You couldn't blame the leader for being angry: not to mention the consequences, just ask, could they afford to lose this face?

And to lose it all the way outside the province?

The call was hung up immediately, and after about ten minutes, it was called back.

Chen Zongnian kept saying "mm, mm, mm," and the two talked for quite a while.

After hanging up, Tan Wu couldn't wait: "What did he say?"

"Mayor Yao said he has already reported it to the city, and the city will step in to resolve it!"

"How will they resolve it?"

Chen Zongnian paused and sighed: "The city leaders said, our intangible cultural heritage techniques aren't just limited to the Chengni Inkstone, right?"

Besides the Chengni Inkstone, what else did Yuncheng have?

The carved rhinoceros horn lacquerware of Jiang County, the Mother-of-Pearl Inlay of Jishan, or the Gold and Silver Filigree... all were techniques preparing to apply for National Level intangible cultural heritage status.

Now it was great: originally they only needed to give the Chengni Inkstone, but because of Yao Xinglong's mess, they had to compensate with one more type?

The two gritted their teeth in unison: Yao Xinglong, you just wait for me...

(End of chapter)