Chapter 237: Not a Bad Thing

Kiln site, what kiln site?

Naturally, the kiln site of the Guzhen White Porcelain ancient kiln.

Seeing Lin Sicheng remain silent, the old man smiled again: "Are you wondering why, if I knew where the kiln site was, I didn't say anything after searching Yuncheng for over ten years?"

"Or perhaps, why I didn't let the Archaeological Institute or the Ceramics Research Institute find it, instead of using a bowl to lure you to Taiyuan and rambling on with you for half the day?"

"Because it wasn't until you found the Lao Yaotou in Hejin that I deduced the specific location of the White Porcelain kiln..."

The old man picked up the bowl. "In 1950, I was transferred to the Provincial Light Industry Bureau. During the country's first major industrial survey, I followed several teachers to survey ancient kiln ruins within the province. We found quite a few: Huo Prefecture Kiln, Jiexiu Kiln, Jin Cheng Gu Yao, Huairen Kiln... and so on and so forth."

"It must have been 1960 when we went to Hejin to survey ceramic clay mines in Pan Cun Commune (Town). At the time, villagers dug up some pieces of Fine White Porcelain while leveling the ground. Because the composition of the ceramic clay was very similar, we speculated then that there was very likely a White Porcelain kiln site in the area..."

"But the samples were too few, there were no obvious surface ruins, and the survey was too difficult, so we didn't put in the effort... Then, it wasn't until 1986, during the country's second industrial survey, that we went to Hejin again to improve the Hejin glazed firing craft."

"I stayed for about half a year. Before leaving, a leader from the County Industrial Bureau came by reputation, holding this bowl and asking me to appraise it. At the time, I said this wasn't Song Dynasty Ding Kiln white porcelain, but locally fired Tang Porcelain. He didn't believe me, saying I hadn't seen it correctly."

"Later, I thought that even if it wasn't Ding Kiln, this bowl wasn't bad, so I spent one hundred yuan to buy it. I asked him about it, and he said it was dug up while renovating the foundation of his old family home."

"Afterward, I followed him to the site to take a look. I was quite lucky; not only did I pick up a few pieces of white porcelain, but I also found two pieces of unfired broken fetal clay... From this, I became even more certain that there were Tang Dynasty White Porcelain kiln ruins in the area of Fan Cun Xiang and Seng Lou Xiang..."

"You must be thinking, since I was so certain, why didn't I find it back then?"

The old man sighed: "Because conditions didn't allow it: first, the technological capabilities at the time were limited. Even if we found the kiln site, found enough ruin points and samples, the difficulty of restoring this ceramic craft—which requires extremely high kiln temperatures and extremely harsh firing conditions—was immense."

"Secondly, even if it could be restored, with the industrial level of the province at the time, we couldn't achieve large-scale production. And even if we could mass-produce, in terms of popularity and brand influence, it couldn't be mentioned in the same breath as Jingdezhen."

"To put it bluntly: no matter how well you fire it, if outside merchants don't recognize it, you can at best only digest it within the province. And given the economic level of the eighties and nineties, how many families in our province could afford Fine White Porcelain or Imitating the Ancients porcelain?"

"But the most critical thing was that there were too few clues, making it hard to survey. Rather than wasting time, effort, people, and money only to produce no benefits in the end, it was better to find more coarse porcelain kilns that could produce items ordinary people could afford..."

"Then, a few years later, I retired, and this matter was left unsettled. It wasn't until last month that a student from the Provincial Ceramics Research Institute called me, saying that a large-scale civilian Black Porcelain kiln site from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China had been discovered in the Lao Yaotou area of Longmen Mountain in northern Hejin."

"At the time, I was surprised. With so many mines in Lao Yaotou, finding a porcelain kiln is truly quite difficult. When I asked the Ceramics Research Institute, they said it was found by people from another province, which made me even more surprised."

"I asked in more detail, and had the Ceramics Research Institute bring over a few pieces of white porcelain you had prioritized for collection from Yuncheng. Only then did I know: this bowl I had collected for decades was actually Tang Dynasty Luan Bai Yu Ci? And what you had been looking for all along was also Luanbai Jade..."

Having been called out by the old man, the expressions of Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng changed.

Lin Sicheng, however, remained calm and unmoved.

Seeing he still didn't speak, the old man dipped his finger in tea and drew on the table: "This is Longmen Mountain in northern Hejin, and this is Lao Yaotou. The river flowing right next to Lao Yaotou, this one on the left, is Zhemayu..."

"You must have thought before that there is no porcelain firing without water, and that by following Zhemayu downstream, you would definitely find the kiln site. Because the ceramic clay in Guzhen is basically the same as the fetal clay of the Fine White Porcelain you found, it likely wouldn't be far from Guzhen..."

"But only after leaving Longmen Mountain did you discover that besides Zhemayu, there are two other rivers in this area: Guayu in the middle and Shenyu on the east. It just so happens that the areas of Gan Jian Cun and Beiwuqin Cun between these three rivers all produce ceramic clay, and the composition is very similar to the ceramic clay of Guzhen. In this way, the White Porcelain kiln you are looking for could be built on the bank of any of these rivers."

"And because these three rivers have changed course many times, and the county annals were compiled late, you can't even check which dynasty changed which place. Therefore, after searching for over half a month, you couldn't even determine the ancient river course, let alone the kiln site..."

"But this is not because you are unprofessional; on the contrary, your ability far exceeds many Experts at the Provincial Archaeological Institute."

The old man pointed to the bowl again: "Strictly speaking, I actually plagiarized your line of thinking: using Lao Yaotou as an anchor point, Zhemayu as an extension line, and the excavation point of this bowl as a coordinate, I finally determined the scope of the Tang Dynasty kiln site..."

"And finding the Tang Dynasty kiln site is equivalent to having a new anchor point. You can follow the vine to find the melon, finding the ruins of the Song, Jin, and even Yuan and Ming dynasties... You know very well: the more ruin points there are, the more complete the excavated industrial chain, and the greater the possibility of craft restoration..."

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Mr. Shui, I believe you!"

He indeed believed him: because his archaeological survey plan was designed exactly like that.

If he knew about this bowl, and the location where the old man said the broken fetal clay was discovered, it would be equivalent to determining the exact scope of the porcelain kiln.

Just like that wood ash pit at the Lao Yaotou ruins.

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and shook his head: "However, if what you want, sir, is Luanbai Jade, then I'm afraid I am powerless to help!"

The old man laughed: he wasn't afraid of his refusal, only that he would be like a silent gourd, refusing to make a sound.

"As long as it can be discussed, everything is negotiable!" The old man pointed at the bowl, "This bowl isn't enough, I'll add more: Pingding Sandware, Black and White Carved Flower Porcelain—I'll give you both of these technologies!"

Just as he was about to say something, the old man smiled again: "Actually, this matter doesn't really involve any loss for you personally: the patent is definitely still yours, it's just opening one more branch company (Sub-center) in Shanxi. Who knows, you might even be able to secure one more National Level intangible cultural heritage..."

To be honest, the conditions were very tempting: this time coming to Shanxi, besides the Chengni Inkstone, it was for Pingding Sandware and the black and white Carved Flower Porcelain.

These two technologies were originally restored under the guidance of the old gentleman. With the most detailed data, he could ask about anything he didn't understand immediately. At most, it would take Lin Sicheng one or two weeks to digest seven or eight tenths of it.

To put it conservatively, it could save at least two to three months of time. With that effort, he might have already finished surveying three or four types of famous porcelain in other provinces.

The old gentleman wasn't wrong; for him personally, there really was no loss. And not only was there no loss, but the benefits were significant: once out of Shaanxi, using this point to influence the whole area, including the Restoration Center and his own personal influence, would never be limited to just these two provinces.

But to be honest: that is not how a person should act, and that is not how things should be done.

Even if he had a great, great deal of respect for the old man before him...

Just take one point: how much effort did He Zhuguan spend to get the Provincial Field Research Institute, the Provincial Archaeology Team, and the Provincial Museum Laboratory over here, and they had been working hard for over a month. And he himself? Just by clicking his lips, he would trade them for benefits?

In a flash of thought, Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Mr. Shui, I'm sorry!"

"You said that 'sorry' too early!" The old man smiled, "How about this, I'll have the city contact them first; Xijing will definitely be able to negotiate it well!"

Lin Sicheng smiled and shook his head again: "Mr. Shui, let's wait until there is a reply from the west side!"

He should have anticipated it long ago. Seeing that he was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, Shui Jisheng was not angry at all; instead, he had his son book a restaurant, saying he wanted to have a couple of drinks with Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng politely declined.

In terms of both emotion and reason, he had to inform He Zhigang first.

Lin Sicheng politely took his leave. Shui Jisheng personally saw them out of the private room and had his son see them downstairs.

A few minutes later, the old man's son went upstairs. The door to the inner room was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in his forties came out.

"You heard it all, right!" Shui Jisheng tapped the table, "Strike while the iron is hot; if you want to talk, talk quickly."

The man nodded and looked at the bowl on the table: "Teacher, I mean if, in the event he doesn't agree, we'll just dig it ourselves!"

Shui Jisheng couldn't help but laugh: "What if you dig it out? Just having the Tang Dynasty ruins without a heritage chain, you won't even be able to touch the edge of the Luanbai Jade. Moreover, having been buried for so long, soaked under the river for over a thousand years, the ruins are already tattered and broken; the significance might not even be as great as that Qing Dynasty ruin at Lao Yaotou."

"Furthermore, if you want to restore the craft, you must excavate the entire industrial chain as well as the trajectory of technological evolution. To put it another way: just having the Tang Dynasty one isn't enough; you have to find the ruins of the Song, Jin, Yuan, and even Ming dynasties, and you must have enough samples... I ask you, are you confident?"

The man was stunned for a moment and shook his head: if it were that easy to find, it would have been found long ago.

Shui Jisheng sighed again: "And even if you could find them, who would you have restore it? If it were twenty or thirty years earlier, we old bones might have been able to try."

"But look at us: who among us doesn't whistle when they speak or stumble when they walk now? If you let us restore it for you, you'd be better off preparing a coffin for each of us as soon as possible..."

"Boom—" A group of old men all laughed.

The man was left speechless by the retort.

If it were before, he certainly wouldn't have believed it if the old man had said this. But after knowing how Lin Sicheng found the Lao Yaotou Ruins, he was too lazy to even be skeptical.

In the archaeology profession, sometimes luck is more useful than ability. What's more, that kid has even greater ability.

His own skills were learned from Shui Jisheng; if the teacher said there was no way to restore it, then at the very least, no one in the province could restore it.

He couldn't just run to Jingdezhen and invite an Expert team over, could he?

He could certainly invite them, but the monthly costs would at least be in the tens of millions; could they afford to spend that money?

Looking at it from the other side: could that kid restore it?

The answer is very likely.

For example, the Inverted Pot and Tea Dust Glaze, which are still in the research stage even in Yaozhou, as well as the Blue and White Porcelain Restoration technology, which is mastered by only the Forbidden City across the entire country.

The more he understood, the more incredible the man felt it was. And to be honest: no matter how difficult the Luanbai Jade craft is, it isn't more difficult than Blue and White Porcelain...

Turning these thoughts over, the man thought again: "Negotiating with Xijing shouldn't be difficult; it's nothing more than an exchange of interests. But I feel like this kid is a bit difficult to deal with?"

Isn't that a waste of breath?

If he didn't know, that would be one thing, but since he knows this Bowl is a precursor porcelain of Song Dynasty Luanbai Jade, it is worth at least five or six million.

Yet that kid didn't even give it a second glance...

The old man sighed: "Let's negotiate first!"

Not having gone far, they checked into a nearby hotel.

Returning to the room, Lin Sicheng began making phone calls.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng sat on the sofa, sorting through their thoughts for a long time before they finally cleared them up.

Shui Jisheng already knew that what Lin Sicheng was looking for was the kiln site for Luanbai Jade.

He knew even better that Lin Sicheng wanted to restore the craft.

If it were just finding a kiln site, the local area would certainly welcome it with open arms: because you couldn't move it away even if you wanted to.

But what if it were restoring the craft?

And what if it were likely the Luanbai Jade that started in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Song Dynasties, was supplied exclusively to the imperial courts of various eras, and of which even the Five Great Kilns hadn't fired many pieces?

The key is that the kiln site ruins, the industrial chain, and the original artifact samples were all discovered in Shanxi. If this were snatched up first by another province, all the leaders of the relevant departments should collectively resign.

But as it happens, the relevant departments aren't very confident, at least not confident that they can restore the craft earlier than Lin Sicheng.

So what to do?

Simple, just two words: cooperation.

It is the same logic as the fact that in all the reports and documents regarding the discovery of the Lao Yaotou Ruins in Hejin and Yuncheng, the two words "Shaanxi" never appeared from beginning to end:

The person can be from another province, but the institution must be a local one.

Is it difficult for the Xijing Da Xue Cultural Relic Restoration Center to register a Sub-center in Shanxi?

It is nothing more than an exchange of interests; talking to Xijing Da Xue, talking to the Xijing Cultural Relics Bureau, the Industrial Bureau, the Cultural Bureau, or even talking directly to Xijing City—there is nothing that cannot be discussed.

For Lin Sicheng: in any case, the ultimate goal is to restore the technique and register the patent. What is the difference between doing it in Xijing or Taiyuan?

With the full support of local departments, the ruins will only be found faster and in greater numbers, and the craft will be restored faster as well.

Moreover, with the assistance of the two provinces, there is a high possibility of applying for a National Level project, and the influence of the Lin Sicheng Cultural Relic Restoration Center will reach a higher level.

Lin Sicheng's popularity will also be higher, and there is even that Bowl, as well as the Pingding Sandware and the black-ground Carving Flowers craft.

No matter how you think about it, it is all benefits and no drawbacks?

"This is a good thing, isn't it?" Zhao Xiuneng recalled: "Then why did Lin Sicheng refuse without even thinking?"

Wang Qi Zhi didn't speak: if it were him in Lin Sicheng's shoes, even if he had concerns, he wouldn't be so direct.

But Lin Sicheng just flatly refused?

Because he felt: no matter how great or numerous the honors are, they can only be the honors of the people of Shanxi; what does that have to do with a group of you old Shaanxi folks?

To put it bluntly: once he agreed, during this period, besides Lin Sicheng, he and Zhao Xiuneng, as well as He Zhigang, Tian Jie, Gao Zhangyi, Huang Zhifeng, and Shang Yan, along with the Archaeology Team, the experimental group, and the data group, would have all worked in vain.

And given Lin Sicheng's character, if Shanxi didn't intervene, the names of these people and these units would appear repeatedly in all kinds of documents, reports, and Thesis.

It's a pity...

Zhao Xiuneng moved his lips; the words reached the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back: where in the world is there a perfect situation?

Lin Sicheng is good at everything, it's just that sometimes he considers too much.

Just as he was thinking this, Lin Sicheng came out of the suite, and Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng stood up.

"What did He Zhuguan say?"

"Told us to wait for news! He Zhuguan estimates, estimates it can be negotiated."

Seeing that he wasn't in high spirits, Zhao Xiuneng said solemnly: "Junior Brother Lin, I think this isn't a bad thing!"

Wang Qi Zhi nodded in agreement: "It really isn't a bad thing!"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak.

He Zhigang had said the same thing on the phone.

It is indeed a good thing, but at most, it is a good thing for him alone...