Chapter 32: Some People Are Always Different

"Glug, glug..."

The laboratory was filled with the scent of tea; the Iron Certificate lay quietly at the bottom of the tea liquid, occasionally bubbling.

This was to let the tea tannins react with the rust layer, soaking statically for twenty-four hours, then retrieving and drying it before using Ultrasound to vibrate and remove the rust.

It requires repeating this five to six times, with a duration of over a week.

But Lin Sicheng said in a text message that this wouldn't clean it thoroughly, and that it still required electrolytic cleaning and chelating agent treatment to wash away the loose rust and harmful rust.

Afterward, it still requires processes like Desalination, Dechlorination, Corrosion Inhibition, and Sealing and Protection.

He even listed the detailed steps and sent them to him via text message. But to be honest, Wang Qi Zhi didn't really understand them.

And it wasn't just him; apart from a few select units like the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Beijing University of Technology Department of Materials, the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Museum of China, and the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, there were very few people in the country who understood it.

Even these units only began research last year after the "Iron Cultural Relic Protection Plan" was listed by the state as an "Eleventh Five-Year Plan Key Social Science Research Project."

Before this, domestic technology for the protection and restoration of Iron Artifacts was basically a blank slate. The reason was simple: the country had no money and could only prioritize the heavy over the light, and the urgent over the slow.

It was also for this reason that the few papers Lin Sicheng mentioned were concentrated in 2006.

It was also for this reason that Wang Qi Zhi found it strange: it meant that apart from journal papers, Lin Sicheng had no other channels or avenues to access this kind of information.

But to say that just based on a few papers, Lin Sicheng could understand the specific technical content, digest it, and even reverse-engineer the specific experimental details and precise data, that is complete bullshit.

Let alone Lin Sicheng, even Einstein couldn't do it.

But then the problem arose: he called a friend at the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and the friend actually said that what Lin Sicheng sent him was the standard process for Artifact Restoration of ironware.

Including the bottle of acid Lin Sicheng had just mixed: if Wang Qi Zhi's test was correct, that was the standard "Ironware Rapid Rust Removal Solution."

It was true that it had hazards, but it was completely controllable.

What was more critical was: the patent had only just been applied for, and the developer, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, hadn't even started mass production yet; how did Lin Sicheng know the specific ratio data?

The more he thought about it, the stranger it became; Wang Qi Zhi felt this student was full of question marks.

The keyboard clicked a few times, and Wang Qi Zhi snapped back to reality.

Feng Lin was staring at the computer screen, her lips bitten tight, her eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out.

Looking closely again: *Archaeology*, 2006, Issue 8: "Ultraviolet Imaging: Application of Surface Penetration Combination Imaging Technology in the Analysis of Rust Layer Composition on Ironware."

The research content was fine, the journal was fine, and the sponsoring organization was even finer.

The problem was Lin Sicheng: who reads a journal and remembers the year, month, and day so clearly?

Thinking about it this way, that kid was even stranger.

He tapped the table: "Little Feng, let's get off work!"

"Ah? Oh, oh, okay..."

Feng Lin came to her senses, holding the mouse and clicking the 'X' repeatedly. Wang Qi Zhi then realized she hadn't just opened this one, but many, all of which were journals and Thesis papers Lin Sicheng had mentioned before.

It seems she was triggered?

That's normal.

I'm a professor, and wasn't I also stunned to the point of being dumbfounded?

Just as he was thinking this, Feng Lin looked up, her expression filled with shame, her eyes revealing shock and even confusion: "Professor Wang, these papers... I can't understand any of them!"

Wang Qi Zhi moved his lips, not knowing how to comfort her.

Different professions are like different mountains; it's normal that you can't understand them.

Including the process Lin Sicheng just sent him and the sealed bottle of potion, didn't he also fail to understand them?

Wang Qi Zhi sighed: "Every trade has its master; your research direction is different from his."

Is that so?

Feng Lin bit her lip: "But Professor Wang, Lin Sicheng is only a senior? And... and... he failed so many subjects before?"

Wang Qi Zhi was speechless: That's right, Lin Sicheng is only a senior, where did the "research" come from?

And he's a poor student?

He had heard the rumors: Lin Sicheng didn't want to attend Xida, so he was at odds with Professor Lin and intentionally slacked off, failing every subject.

But in private, he was more studious than anyone and learned faster than anyone.

But even if he learns fast, it's impossible to learn *everything* fast, right?

And it's even more impossible to be so excellent that he shows off in everyone's face in every subject?

Appraisal and picking up bargains could be attributed to family heritage, but what about the research?

Without entering the laboratory and relying on armchair theory, don't even think about it.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Qi Zhi said something particularly pretentious: "Some people are always different from the rest!"

After a slight pause, he smiled again: "Don't dwell on it, let's get off work!"

Feng Lin sighed deeply: "Okay, Professor Wang!"

Life must go on, and work must go on even more; there is always someone better, and there is always a heaven beyond heaven, so there is really no need to take it to heart.

Feng Lin turned off the computer and then turned off the lights.

After leaving the laboratory and locking the door, she suddenly remembered: "Professor Wang, since the laboratory is looking to hire an Intern, can we hire Lin Sicheng?"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned for a moment: Huh, why didn't he think of that?

An Intern position is obviously impossible; even if he were willing to hire him, would Lin Sicheng be willing to come?

He makes hundreds of thousands at a time; unless his brain was kicked by a donkey, he wouldn't be willing to work like a beast of burden for twelve hours a day for a monthly salary of less than a thousand.

But he could let him study as a graduate student; he is now in the first semester of his senior year, isn't the timing just perfect?

After pondering for a moment, Wang Qi Zhi shook his head again.

A couple of days ago, he heard people say that Professor Liu, who teaches *Scientific Archaeology*, and Professor Shang, who studies ceramic restoration, both wanted Lin Sicheng to take their graduate entrance exams.

At the time, many people said that with Lin Sicheng's good-for-nothing appearance, he shouldn't even think about the exam unless these two guaranteed his spot, so it must have been Professor Lin using a Backdoor.

He had been skeptical at the time, but now it seems his skepticism was well-founded:

If Lin Sicheng were a fool, how could he have deduced his profession, or even his specific work address and unit, just by glancing at his hands?

This kid is like an awl in a bag; his sharpness is showing, and he can't hide it much longer.

Therefore, even if he wanted to recruit him, he might not be willing to come: after all, from a commercial perspective, working with Bronze is certainly not as good as working with porcelain; if he were to take an exam, he would take the one for Shang Yan's graduate program.

Because the state does not allow the sale of Bronze.

But human effort can achieve anything.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Qi Zhi took out his phone, but after calling twice in a row, it kept indicating that the line was busy.

Forget it, I'll ask him in person tomorrow.

"You contact Teacher Yang and ask what classes Cultural Relic Protection Class One has tomorrow. If there is time, I will have Lin Sicheng come over to talk in person."

"Alright, Professor Wang!"

Feng Lin responded and dialed the phone.

After a while, Feng Lin hung up the phone: "Professor Wang, tomorrow Cultural Relic Protection Class One only has two main courses: Soil Site Protection and Stone Cave Reinforcement... but Teacher Yang said that Lin Sicheng asked for leave again, saying his brother is sick!"

Isn't this nonsense again?

The teachers in the college all know that Lin Sicheng is the only child of the third generation; that is precisely the reason why Professor Lin kept him under such strict control.

So, where would he get a brother from?

Wang Qi Zhi took out his phone and sent a text message: Where did you get a brother from?

The phone vibrated, and Lin Sicheng glanced at it.

No way... it's only been a few minutes since he asked for leave, how did Professor Wang know?

As for a brother, he doesn't have a biological one, but can't he have a sworn one?