Chapter 68: Ceramic Repair

Approaching the eleventh month, the weather grew chilly, and the golden willow leaves were covered in white frost.

"Professor Lin, you go ahead and get busy!"

Waving his hand at Lin Zhangqing, Hao Jun closed the car window and started the engine.

Lin Sicheng sighed: "I'm just practicing my skills, repairing things casually, why are you so curious?"

Hao Jun steered the wheel and curled his lip.

To have him find so many broken artifacts at once, and none of them the same. Plus, traveling thousands of miles to specifically bring back so many types of ceramic glaze materials from Beijing—and Lin Sicheng calls this just repairing things casually?

It looked like he was about to do something major, so he had to follow along and take a look: his own craftsmanship didn't need to be top-tier, but as long as he had three or four tenths of Lin Zhangqing's skill, the outsourcing work for the Xijing Rongbao Studio could be handed to Lin Sicheng in the future.

That was why Hao Jun was exceptionally proactive.

It was only three stops away, a few minutes' drive, so Lin Sicheng, feeling helpless, dialed Wang Qi Zhi's number:

"Professor Wang, I've found some broken artifacts and materials, and I plan to use them today. But there are too many, so I need to drive them in; sorry to trouble you to tell the security department..."

"Alright, what's the license plate number?"

"Audi, Shaan A*****"

"Huh, that squinty-eyed fatty from Rongbao Studio, what is he coming to join in the fun for?" A "heh" sound came from the phone, "Alright, I know..."

Lin Sicheng hung up the phone, and Hao Jun squinted his eyes: "That was the one surnamed Wang from last time, right? I only met him once, where does he get such a grudge?"

"It's not a grudge, at most he has some opinions about you!" Lin Sicheng put away his phone and laughed, "When you bought the Sunflower-mouth Plate last time, you knew I knew him, yet you didn't warn him?"

"Nonsense, if I warned him, what would I do if he asked you to haggle the price?"

Just as they hit a red light, Hao Jun stepped on the brake, "I heard from Lao Guan, this person's status is quite unusual?"

"It is quite unusual!"

Hao Jun nodded: "That's good then!"

As for what was good about it... naturally, it was because Lin Sicheng had gained another backer.

It only took five or six minutes to reach the school gate, and after registering at the guard room, the Audi drove all the way to the Experimental Center.

Wang Qi Zhi was waiting downstairs with Feng Lin and Ye Anning.

As soon as he got out of the car, Hao Jun reached out his hand and took the initiative to greet them. His face was full of smiles, and words of "long-admired" kept pouring out.

Wang Qi Zhi was not to be outdone, wearing a scholarly and modest expression.

Are these two really this hypocritical?

Lin Sicheng greeted Feng Lin and handed the laptop to Ye Anning.

The two had spoken on the phone yesterday, and Lin Sicheng had specifically organized it; inside were all website links to foreign oil painting restoration techniques.

Ye Anning treated it like a treasure, her long eyelashes fluttering: "I'll treat you to lunch!"

"I expect once I get busy I won't be able to stop, let's do another day!" Lin Sicheng replied, "Sister Anning, are you not working today?"

Ye Anning blinked her eyes: "Market research can be done at school too!"

Understood: just like Hao Jun, she came to join the fun.

After a few pleasantries, the group helped move the items.

They weren't heavy, but there were many; just the raw materials for mixing the glaze numbered over thirty types, and the five of them had to make two trips back and forth.

Unpacking, opening the seals... looking at the colorful bottles and jars, Ye Anning felt dazzled: "Just for mixing lacquer, do you need this many raw materials?"

"There isn't actually much lacquer, only five types; next is the adhesive, but the most important part is mixing the glaze colors!"

"But I've seen the restoration room at the company, and they only have about ten types?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "A dozen or so is actually quite a lot already!"

The reason Official Kiln porcelain is expensive is because the craftsmanship is complex; not only are there many types of glaze materials, but each one is more expensive than the last.

The main thing is that there are too few samples passed down, so except for the Forbidden City, most research institutions and colleges use Folk Kiln samples for porcelain restoration, so naturally, they use fewer glaze materials.

But the two pieces the old lady gave him to practice on were different; the Delicate Yellow Glaze was fine, as the glaze color was relatively simple. But the latter piece, the large jar with dragon patterns, was a genuine "Wucai porcelain with underglaze blue," commonly known as "Doucai."

If it were just this one, it would be fine. Because Hongzhi Doucai is relatively simple, the process of dyeing colors is less involved, and it only requires a dozen or so glaze materials. But the Chenghua Doucai Wucai porcelain requires as many as thirty-plus types.

Therefore, it is not just expensive now; even in the Qing Dynasty, and even the Ming Dynasty, Chenghua Doucai was ridiculously expensive. Kangxi once commented: The colors of Chenghua kiln (Chenghua Doucai) are exquisite and the quality is fine, surpassing all others, ancient or modern...

To be honest, without practicing a few more times, Lin Sicheng really didn't dare to lay a hand on those two Chicken Cups.

After explaining a bit, seeing Lin Sicheng change into a white lab coat, Wang Qi Zhi checked his watch: "Didn't you ask that teaching assistant of Shang Yan's to help you out? Why hasn't she come yet?"

"She should be here soon..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a flurry of footsteps came from outside, and immediately, led by Shang Yan, a large crowd swarmed in.

Eight Masters students, three Doctors, plus Li Zhen...

Shang Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of her mouth looking as if they were hooked up with wire, stiff beyond description: "Professor Wang, I heard your lab is going to repair Cloisonné again today, I brought my students to observe, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

I was waiting for this move of yours, otherwise, why would I have spread the word to you?

Wang Qi Zhi smiled without warmth: "Of course you're welcome... but we changed it at the last minute; we're repairing porcelain today!"

Shang Yan was stunned: "Repairing what?"

Wang Qi Zhi smiled: "Porcelain!"

"Professor Wang, you're something!"

"You flatter me!"

At that "you flatter me," Shang Yan's face turned green: Why did she bring all her graduate students over?

Because Lin Sicheng's Enamel-colored repair was truly excellent, to the point that even she wasn't very good at it.

It doesn't matter if you aren't good at it, we can learn.

But after arriving, Wang Qi Zhi said "repairing porcelain today"... you surnamed Wang, what are you trying to do?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and Shang Yan was just thinking about how to curse Wang Qi Zhi out. But accidentally catching sight of the bottles and jars on the lab bench, she couldn't help but be stunned:

Good heavens, just the raw materials for mixing the glaze numbered several dozen types?

Suddenly, the anger in his heart dissipated by more than half, and he stared at Lin Sicheng with an indescribable gentleness.

Lin Sicheng stood between the two of them, feeling exceptionally hesitant.

He had always assumed that what Professor Wang meant by "letting that person surnamed Shang see for herself" was for him to take the finished product to show Professor Shang after he had finished repairing the Sunflower-mouth Plate.

Therefore, he had intentionally dragged his feet, thinking that he would practice his skills well first, and it wouldn't be too late to repair the Sunflower-mouth Plate after he finished repairing the Chicken Cup.

By that time, the Fire Qi of the two would have long since dissipated.

He had even specifically instructed Li Zhen that she should take leave if she could, and if she couldn't, he would find another helper himself; in any case, she must absolutely not let anything slip to Professor Shang.

But unexpectedly, Wang Qi Zhi had pulled a big move, hitting someone right in the face?

He didn't even need to guess to know what Professor Wang was thinking: make that person surnamed Shang give up hope as soon as possible, so as to avoid endless trouble!

That made sense too!

Sighing inwardly, Lin Sicheng buttoned his coat and smiled at Shang Yan again: "Professor Shang!"

"Lin Sicheng, not bad, it seems you've learned quite a lot of true teachings from Professor Lin!"

After looking at the labels on the jars and cans, Shang Yan turned and smiled.

"But isn't it very inconvenient to repair ceramics in the Bronze laboratory? Look, you even have to buy the materials yourself? How about this, come to the ceramics room to repair..."

"Professor Shang, that's enough!" Wang Qi Zhi sneered, "Do you believe I'll kick you out?"

Shang Yan also sneered: "Heh, you'll kick me out?"

Lin Sicheng looked helpless, and with a "clatter," he poured out half a box of ceramics.

Sure enough, the laboratory suddenly went quiet.

He put on his gloves and looked at Feng Lin and Li Zhen: "Assistant Feng, Senior Sister Li, help me!"

The two reacted and squeezed out of the crowd.

"Prepare the Iron Anvil, Hook Line, Glutinous Rice Juice, White Porcelain Powder, Stapling, Chisel, Gold Foil, Gold Powder..."

Hearing "Chisel" and "Gold Foil," Shang Yan perked up, no longer caring about the argument: Eh, is Lin Sicheng going to perform Gold Stapling?

Even the graduate students under her don't know how to do that yet...