Chapter 81: The First Lesson in Entering the Workplace

The midday sun baked the bluestone slabs until they were slightly hot, and the rising heat, carrying the fragrance of ingredients, drifted into the nostrils.

The flow of people was shoulder to shoulder, bustling and noisy.

Suddenly, a clapper sounded, and the explosive theatrical singing voice, like silk being torn asunder, pierced into the ears.

Yet all of this was so out of place with the two young women on the side of the street.

They closed their eyes, facing the direction Lin Sicheng had left, their hands pressed together tightly against their foreheads. Their eyelashes trembled incessantly, and they chanted silently, as if they wanted to knead all their prayers into this noisy, worldly atmosphere.

Fragmented, mysterious, solemn, and grave.

Ye Anning looked back, then looked again.

"What are they doing?"

"Chanting, praying to the gods; it is 'Bon'!"

Ye Anning looked again, then turned her head back, her eyes sparkling.

Lin Sicheng smiled: "The original doctrine of the Bon Religion is that all things have spirits, and everyone can communicate with the divine... It is also because of this that they gave me the mask, believing that I, too, can communicate with the divine. So, they are not praying to me, but to the gods..."

Ye Anning was half-believing and half-doubting, always feeling it wasn't as simple as Lin Sicheng said.

She pointed to the mask: "What is this?"

"It is Aliduo from the twelve phases of the Baima Tribe's mask, also known as the Great Ghost, meaning god!"

"That sentence you just said, the one at the end, what does it mean?"

"May the life root not perish, and may one return to life after death: to burn away all the karmic obstacles of the previous life, to sweep away all the obstacles of the present life, and to drive away all illnesses and demons of the next life..."

Seeing her blinking her eyes, looking ready to count on her fingers, Lin Sicheng smiled: "There are indeed only eight characters, but this is the Bright Eight-Character True Mantra of the Bon Religion..."

So, how could the meaning contained within be limited to just the few sentences he had just spoken?

Ye Anning's lips twitched, and she made no further sound.

Recalling that scene in her mind: although she couldn't see his expression, Lin Sicheng's posture was solemn and his tone was grave, and coupled with this mask that was as majestic as it was ferocious, if she were those two girls, she would bow too...

"Hmm, which eight characters are they?"

Lin Sicheng paused: "You had best not learn them, and even if you do, don't say them casually... because in different ethnic beliefs, the meanings derived from Bon doctrine vary greatly, and the differences are very significant, which could very likely lead to misunderstandings."

Ye Anning thought for a moment: "What about the Tibetans? What would happen if I said it?"

Lin Sicheng sighed: "You would get beaten!"

Ye Anning nodded obediently: "Then I won't learn it!"

Wang Qi Zhi, following behind the two, sneered silently: Ye Anning, when you were at home, why didn't I see you being this obedient?

I haven't even finished one sentence, and you've already come back with three?

Just as he was cursing inwardly, Ye Anning asked curiously: "Your school doesn't seem to teach this, I mean the Tibetan language?"

Lin Sicheng replied without hesitation: "I read a little from books!"

In fact, the Baima language diverged from the ancient Qiang language, and the difference from the Tibetan language is absurdly large: even greater than the differences between various dialects within the Tibetan language.

However, Ye Anning was only curious for a moment, so he did not explain further.

But not knowing what she thought of, her eyes lit up: "What about Sanskrit? Do you know a little of that too?"

"What specifically?"

"Buddhist scriptures!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment and looked back at Wang Qi Zhi: What a coincidence, isn't it?

I just looked at one with your uncle.

He nodded: "I do know a little!"

"That's great..." Ye Anning rubbed her hands in excitement, "The week before last, a client sent over a Sanskrit Buddhist scripture scroll. It looked quite old, so I accepted it.

But our Supervisor said the item wasn't right, and the teacher (Appraiser) from the Calligraphy and Painting Department also said there was a problem with it, telling me to return it... but the client is acting like a rascal, insisting on putting it up for auction!"

"I remember that Poly doesn't collect any deposit when soliciting antiques, right?" Lin Sicheng was particularly curious, "Then how is he acting like a rascal?"

Ye Anning puffed out her cheeks: "When I accepted it, she secretly recorded the audio and edited it..."

Understood: taking things out of context, cutting off the beginning and the end.

For example, Ye Ning'an said: "It looks like an authentic piece..." Cutting out "looks like" makes it "is an authentic piece."

Of course, one wouldn't admit to it in a lawsuit, but encountering someone this shameless is very troublesome.

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Does that client come every day?"

"Not every day, but at least three times a week. When he comes, he plays the recording in the company... it's just really annoying!"

As expected?

Wang Qi Zhi frowned tightly: "Why didn't you mention this when you got home?"

Ye Anning shook her head: "Little Uncle, it's really useless to find you: if it's not this time, there will be a next time!"

Wang Qi Zhi understood in a second: someone is playing dirty behind the scenes.

The reason is simple: Ye Anning is a connection hire.

Poly is Poly after all; for ordinary people: to get into Poly, besides being excellent enough, one must also have enough luck.

Regardless of whether you are from Tsinghua, Peking University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, or the other art academies, fresh graduates must intern for one year, and after becoming a permanent employee, sit at the counter for another year.

Ye Anning, on the other hand, just joined the company and skipped the four stages of internship, becoming a permanent employee, sitting at the counter, and being a sales clerk, becoming a business Assistant directly.

To put it more officially: this is the necessary path to enter the management level, and at this step, she is already equivalent to a reserve cadre.

One can imagine: her colleagues' eyes were almost red with envy, terrified that she wouldn't make a mistake.

Now it's fine, they've finally caught her...

Wang Qi Zhi put down his chopsticks: "Then how do you want to solve it?"

Ye Anning thought for a moment: "Actually, Little Uncle, I feel that the item really has no problems!"

"What, are your Supervisor and your company's Appraiser all blind?"

Wang Qi Zhi glared at her, "Besides, we've already reached this point, why do you still care whether the Cultural Relics are real or not?"

"Of course I have to care: even if I'm going to die, shouldn't I die knowing the truth? If I just retreat in confusion like this, I won't be reconciled!"

Sighing, Ye Anning looked at Lin Sicheng, rubbing her hands together incessantly, her eyes sparkling with hopeful light: "Lin Sicheng, please help..."

Her expression was pitiful, and her voice was soft and sweet, giving Wang Qi Zhi goosebumps all over: "Ye Anning, speak properly!"

"I won't!"

Looking was certainly necessary, but Lin Sicheng didn't dare to make any absolute promises: "Let's take a look first; if it really doesn't work, we'll have Senior Brother Hao come over to take a look too!"

Wang Qi Zhi's eyes lit up: how could he have forgotten about the squinty-eyed Pangzi Senior Brother?

The two were proper alumni of Peking University, though Wang Qi Zhi was five years his junior, studying Inorganic Cultural Relics Conservation (with a primary focus on metal Cultural Relics).

Hao Jun specialized in Buddhist archaeology, which included the cultural exchange of Buddhism between China and foreign countries. The "foreign" in this context mainly referred to India, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

He wouldn't dare say he understood Sanskrit perfectly, but he had at least dabbled in it.

Wang Qi Zhi made the final decision: "Alright, we'll go as soon as we finish eating!"

It was an authentic Shaanxi restaurant, but they didn't order many fancy dishes, trying their best to order dishes that would come out quickly.

While eating and chatting, Wang Qi Zhi asked about the client's identity again: he was still a seasoned collector.

Therefore, the possibility that someone was playing tricks behind the scenes had increased even more.

This could also be considered the first lesson Ye Anning had received upon entering the workplace...