Chapter 247: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Sitting in the car, watching Sun Jiamu's brows knit into the character "mountain," Wu Hui smiled: "Do you feel like you can't make sense of any of it, like it's all child's play?"

Sun Jiamu nodded vigorously.

A National Level site excavation, with a Person in Charge barely in his twenties—at first listen, it sounds like a joke, doesn't it?

The key is that from discovery to excavation, it only took ten days or so. If this got out, wouldn't the historical, archaeological, and even the entire academic community explode?

But looking at the local leaders, whether from provincial departments or city and county levels, each one is calmer than the last, each one more at ease than the next?

Sun Jiamu just felt that this place, this matter, was riddled with strangeness everywhere.

Wu Hui leaned back against the seat: "He is Wang Qi Zhi's student!"

Sun Jiamu paused, his face looking odd.

They were former colleagues, so of course they knew each other. But one managed archaeology and the other conducted Cultural Relics research; they weren't in the same department, so they weren't very close.

But Sun Jiamu at least knew what Wang Qi Zhi's background was...

Seeing at a glance that he had misunderstood, Wu Hui shook his head: "I mean that the laboratory Wang Qi Zhi took charge of after transferring to Xida has actually been managed by this kid all along. Including those two key projects, they were designed by this kid single-handedly; Wang Qi Zhi just lent his name..."

Sun Jiamu was suddenly stunned.

Is the leader talking about the "Iron Artifacts" and "Copper Metallurgy Origins" projects that Wang Qi Zhi is working on?

Department Head Wu had mentioned it before and even joked with him at the time: Wang Qi Zhi has some nerve; he hasn't even been out of the Cultural Relics Bureau for two years, and he dares to cut off his old boss's path?

That would be one thing, but he even dares to snatch the rice bowl from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences?

At the time, he was even surprised: did this second-generation rich kid suddenly have an epiphany?

So it turns out, it was that kid who did it?

But at the age of just over twenty, to independently design a National Level project... Sun Jiamu just felt it was even more bizarre.

Wu Hui smiled again: "You just got back from a business trip and haven't had time to catch up: actually, Yuncheng... to be precise, the sites that kid discovered in Hejin are not just this one, but three."

"The first is the Lao Yaotou Kiln Site; although it is a Qing Dynasty porcelain kiln, it is the most complete ceramic firing site with the most intact craft chain preserved in Shanxi to date."

"The second is the Beiwuqin Tang Kiln. As soon as it was unearthed, it pushed back the history of porcelain firing in Shanxi from the late Song and early Jin dynasties to the Tang Dynasty. But that is secondary; the point is that when Lin Sicheng was surveying the fuel remains, he also discovered the Jiao Tan Site..."

Division Chief Sun's eyelids twitched: "Coke from the Tang Dynasty?"

"More or less... because there is no dating technology for coal-type materials yet, we can only test auxiliary specimens from the same stratum, such as animal bones or porcelain shards. Both have dating margins of error, so we currently infer it to be the early Five Dynasties period... but I think the late Tang Dynasty is highly likely!"

Never mind the Tang Dynasty; even if it were the Five Dynasties, it would still be nearly two hundred years earlier than previous discoveries.

Furthermore, coke is not only related to porcelain firing but also involves the history of metallurgy and even the tracing of industrial origins.

But this isn't right.

Having worked in archaeology for half his life, this was the first time Sun Jiamu had encountered such a concentration of sites: three major discoveries, all concentrated in one small county-level city?

The timing is even more concentrated: discovered one after another within just three months; from an archaeological perspective, the probability is lower than winning the lottery twice.

Wu Hui sighed again: "Compared to that, this is actually nothing. The difficult part is: all three sites are beneath the surface, and there are no iconic remains on the surface."

"Especially the two porcelain kiln sites: Yuncheng had been planning to restore Fahua Ware and had been looking for the kiln site since around 2000. They searched for eight years without a clue, but as soon as that kid arrived, one after another..."

Sun Jiamu suddenly realized: no wonder Lin Sicheng has so many titles?

The first site fills a historical gap in the province. The second pushes the province's porcelain firing history back by two dynasties. The third even pushes it back to prehistoric civilization?

And that's not even counting the Tang Dynasty coke at Beiwuqin or the Pottery Carved Silkworm Pupa at Guduo Village; just these two items alone would easily be selected as major national historical discoveries of the year.

But the problem is, since it's so difficult, how did Lin Sicheng find them?

X-ray vision?

That's nonsense...

Wu Hui pinched the bridge of his nose and recalled: "I read the survey report. The first time, he found the kiln site based on the abnormal distribution of plants within the site area..."

"To be specific: Lao Yaotou is located in a mountainous area and is in the center of a ceramic clay mine. The river changed course, and the soil is compacted. Not only is it short of water, but it also lacks the nutrients and conditions required for the growth of vegetation. Yet, on the barren, bald beach, there grew a patch of lush reeds?"

Lin Sicheng inferred from this that there should be wood ash remains from the porcelain firing underneath, and then he poked an exploration probe and found the Wood Ash Pool..."

"The second time at Beiwuqin, he inferred from a white glazed bowl that looked brand new that the excavation site might be the remains of an ancient Kiln God Temple. Then, using this as a base, he inferred the orientation of the kiln's supporting workshops based on the mountain terrain and river course... This time it was even faster, taking only one day..."

"The excavation report contains the sketch he drew at the time, and compared to the excavation site, it is perfectly accurate..."

"As for this last one..." Wu Hui paused slightly, "Wang Qi Zhi said this one was indeed a coincidence!"

A coincidental coincidence?

Sun Jiamu opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

At first listen, it all sounds quite simple?

But if you haven't studied botany or plant archaeology, who would know what grass should grow on a barren beach and what shouldn't?

If you don't have years of field archaeology experience, who would know what kind of growth environment reeds need and what their habits are?

You could rack your brains and still never link it to a porcelain kiln.

And the second time, first you have to have a considerable understanding of Tang Dynasty folk ceramic cultural beliefs: what gods are worshipped in the south, what gods are worshipped in the north, and what offerings are placed during sacrifices?

How should the temple be built, in what orientation, and what is its corresponding position to the mountain terrain, river courses, and core workshops like the Kiln Furnace?

And how many Tang Dynasty porcelain kilns are there?

Counting across the country, those that are systematic, complete, representative, and have reference value can be counted on two hands.

You might not use this knowledge once in ten or eight years; schools don't teach this kind of knowledge at all, and even various cultural and archaeological institutions study very little of it.

No one is bored enough to waste time learning this kind of knowledge, so even if you want to check the data, you don't know where to look.

So where did Lin Sicheng learn it, and how did he manage to find the Beiwuqin kiln site in just one day??

Thinking it over, Sun Jiamu felt there was only one possibility: through constant practice, Lin Sicheng's knowledge and experience had accumulated to a terrifying degree.

But then the problem arises: he hasn't even graduated yet, so where did he get the practical experience?

The more he thought about it, the less it made sense. Sun Jiamu opened his mouth: "This kid... why is he so eerie?"

"Eerie isn't the word, but he is indeed quite unique!"

Wu Hui nodded, "According to Wang Qi Zhi, this kid learns things extremely fast, has a photographic memory, and is self-taught... Those two projects at our bureau and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were things he dug out from journals and public data..."

Scrape?

Scraping journal theses to reverse-verify research conclusions is not uncommon. But that is only under the premise that the research unit's project has been completed, the thesis has been fully published, and it is supported by core data.

As for those two projects at the Wang Qi Zhi Laboratory, the Cultural Relics Bureau and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have only just begun their research and have only published a few general journals.

To put it bluntly: there is no core data at all, and it hasn't even been researched to that extent, so where did Lin Sicheng scrape it from?

Subconsciously, he recalled Lin Sicheng saying at the venue: RTK has an accompanying manual, and it isn't difficult to convert the application scenario; you just need to change the system parameters.

At the time, Sun Jiamu thought, can this kid really brag like that?

For this "changing parameters" he spoke of, the Technicians at the Archaeology Management Division need about two months of intensive training to basically master it.

But thinking about it now: he has reached the level where he "can deduce the core data of a project based on a few public reports and dares to snatch projects from the Cultural Relics Bureau and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences," so isn't modifying RTK parameters according to a manual just like child's play?

Sun Jiamu felt that using the word "eerie" was no longer enough to describe it...

After pondering for a long time, he still felt it was incredible, and he bared his teeth as if he had a toothache: "Where did Wang Qi Zhi dig up this monster?"

Wu Hui shook his head: "No, he's just a student from Xida, a senior this year!"

What the hell, a university student?

Sun Jiamu was stunned again: "No... if he's this excellent, why is he still in school?"

Wu Hui nodded in deep agreement: "But he'll graduate in another month. I talked to Wang Qi Zhi; this time the teacher and student are joining the group together. We'll assign them a small team, let Wang Qi Zhi hold the title, and let Lin Sicheng be in specific charge. Then, after the campus recruitment in August, the Division will reserve a spot for that kid."

Sun Jiamu secretly praised: Killing two birds with one stone?

I don't know if this kid is easy to use, but Wang Qi Zhi is truly easy to use.

Everyone who has used him knows...

Amidst these thoughts, the car drove to the site, and a group of people climbed out of the car in a swarm.

With just one look, Sun Jiamu knew why the locals were so anxious.

In this kind of typical loess Taidi terrain, whenever the rain is heavy, a huge chunk collapses at once.

Even though the ruins are located in the center of the Taidi, because there is too little vegetation, they will inevitably be washed away by floods, causing varying degrees of damage.

Before, they didn't know; since they know now, they must certainly take effective protective measures...

After observing roughly, the visiting group went up to the Taidi.

Below the slope is soft loam; one step down, and the entire shoe can sink in. Fortunately, to facilitate the transport of archaeological equipment, Lin Sicheng filed an application and had Hejin urgently build a gravel road.

Following the slope up to the Taidi, two massive steel roof frames stood in the center of the terrace top.

The exterior of the steel sheds was paved with a thirty-centimeter-high walkway made of stone bricks, and drainage ditches were dug around them; there was no time for hardening, so they used plastic edge guards for the base.

Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu calculated: these two steel roof frames, along with the walkways and flood drainage ditches, must have been built before the excavation of the ruins. Even with overnight construction, it would take five days to a week.

In this way, the time Lin Sicheng spent excavating the ruins should be even shorter than what was written in the report: within ten days.

But that is secondary; the key is the planning and layout: the exterior of the ruins is clean; let alone weeds or vegetation, you can't even see a single pebble.

And don't look at it as just a brick-paved walkway; its function is extraordinary: you can walk on it on sunny days, rainy days, and even when there is a flood.

Besides that, there isn't half a footprint to be seen inside or out, which shows that after the walkway was built, regardless of entry or exit, whether for excavation or steel frame construction, or even going around a long way, all work could only enter the ruins area through this one path.

Look again at that pyramid-shaped mound of dirt outside the door: this should be the topsoil, intermittent layers, and virgin soil scraped out from within the ruins when marking squares and scraping surfaces.

It's not strange to pile it here, because the ruins haven't been completely excavated yet, and subsequent analysis and testing may be needed.

But what is strange is that such a huge pile of dirt is as fine as flour?

This shows it was really scraped down layer by layer with a scraper, and then sifted through a fine-mesh sieve. So, let alone missing Cultural Relics, even a piece of pottery slag wouldn't be missed.

Subconsciously, Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu turned their heads, looked at Lin Sicheng beside them, and then looked at each other: does this kid have obsessive-compulsive disorder?

To be honest, can the national Field Research Institute and Archaeology Team manage things this strictly and in such detail?

Secretly astonished, Sun Jiamu turned back: "Teacher Lin, when scraping the surface, how many people were working on-site?"

"One hundred and twenty, divided into two teams working in shifts, and each team was divided into ten groups!" Lin Sicheng said concisely, "Four people in each group were responsible for scraping the surface, and two for transporting and sifting the soil!"

That means there were at least sixty surface scrapers on-site at the same time?

Plus the technicians for secondary screening and the archaeology team members conducting continuous inspections, at any one time, there were at least one hundred construction personnel on-site.

With so many people, management is the first big problem: archaeology is not like other things; it emphasizes slow work for fine results. If one is slightly careless and the shovel digs a little too deep, the whole group, or even the whole team, has wasted a day's work.

It is very likely that they would have to redo the work, and the time consumed would likely be two or even three times what it was before.

Therefore, finishing the work in about ten days, in Sun Jiamu's view, was like driving a flock of ducks onto a perch...

Secretly changing his thoughts, Lin Sicheng led them into the warehouse.

There was a duty officer at the entrance who stood up and said hello. Lin Sicheng smiled, picked up a pen, and signed his name in the registration book.

After signing, Lin Sicheng pressed the alcohol gel dispenser on the wall, wiped his hands carefully, gestured to the registration book, and then pointed to the changing room next to it: "Two leaders, I'm sorry, the preparations were a bit rushed, and there aren't quite enough clothes!"

Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu were both stunned.

What does that mean?

Need to sign, wash hands, and even change into a Protective Suit?

The procedure is certainly correct; the National Cultural Heritage Administration Archaeology Division and the Archaeology Management Division have it all clearly posted on the walls. The three elements for entering ruins: anti-bacterial, anti-dust, and anti-pollution.

Even local archaeological institutions certainly have the same regulations and ordinances. But to be honest, how many actually implement them seriously?

If it were before, Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu would certainly think: is this kid trying to give us a show of force?

But having just seen the layout outside the warehouse and that pile of dirt finer than flour, the two no longer had any doubts: this kid just has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

No matter what kind of leader or expert you are, or where you came from, if you dare not sign, not wash your hands, and not change your clothes, he would dare not let you in—do you believe it?

So, sign it!