Chapter 93: I Can't (Bonus: Thanks for the tips, subscriptions, and votes)

On the laboratory bench, porcelain shards were spread out in a scattered manner.

Lin Sicheng would occasionally piece them together, and occasionally examine them closely.

Below the bench, the four of them stared at Chen Huaizhi, their eyes full of suspicion, also revealing a few traces of disbelief.

Campus recruitment content is certainly public. Regardless of whether it is for a Doctor, Master, or Intern, the specific requirements for applicants and the work content after taking the post are written in great detail.

For example, the "Comprehensive Research Assistant" position Chen Huaizhi applied for: a major in metal Cultural Relics Protection or archaeology, with a minor in ceramics Cultural Relics Protection-related fields, and one must possess a certain amount of experimental experience.

It was even the case that Feng Assistant emphasized during the interview: ceramics Cultural Relics Protection is a hard requirement; if one does not possess this, no matter how well one has studied metal cultural relics-related subjects or how rich one's experience is, one will not be hired.

So at the time, they were all very confused: in a laboratory that focuses primarily on metal research, there is almost no use for knowledge of Ceramics, so why hire such a Research Assistant, and even offer a salary on par with a Doctor applying for a core Researcher position?

Now they know: besides having to participate in the laboratory's research projects, Chen Huaizhi also has to do private work for Lin Sicheng... private work!

Taking the school's money, is it really this blatant?

And, an undergraduate, who hasn't even graduated yet... Laboratory Vice General, Project Co-lead...

For a moment, the minds of those few people were like a tangled mess, not knowing how to complain.

And that feeling they had just shifted slightly, thinking "the mentor is quite reliable," instantly flew to the ends of the earth.

They just felt that it was even worse than a makeshift troupe...

Just as they were shocked and suspicious, Chen Huaizhi stood up and walked to the side of the laboratory bench.

Her figure was tall, and her features were also exquisite; even wearing a lab coat, it still outlined graceful lines.

Her voice was also soft, speaking slowly and gently: "Junior Brother Lin, do you need help?"

Lin Sicheng didn't even lift his head: "Not for now!"

"Oh!"

Chen Huaizhi nodded and stepped back.

The other four looked at each other: so they're already cozying up?

Chen Huaizhi saw it in her eyes, smiling without saying a word.

In university, she and Li Zhen were in the same dormitory. This application was suggested by Li Zhen.

So she knew very clearly: whether Lin Sicheng was using a backdoor as the other four thought, or if he truly had the ability.

She knew even more clearly the weight Lin Sicheng held in Professor Wang's heart...

The atmosphere was somewhat quiet; the few of them no longer had the heart to discuss and stared at the laboratory bench.

Lin Sicheng was methodical, neither fast nor slow. In no time at all, he had categorized and restored the positions of all the broken porcelain.

The first was a Ming Yongle Official Kiln "Purple-Gold Glazed Fine Sandpaper Sprinkled Gold Bowl": the whole body was sauce-colored, glazed on the inside, bright as a mirror, as if dyed purple-gold, hence called purple-gold glaze.

The exterior was a plain body; before entering the kiln, it would undergo a sanding treatment, while adding glaze material particles containing "Iron Oxide" and "ferrous oxide". After firing, the surface of the object would present unique "sprinkled gold-like" spots.

Not many were fired, and even fewer were passed down; if it weren't a damaged piece, the price would be at least a million. So just this one broken Bowl, which was also missing a large piece, cost a full thirty-eight thousand.

The advantage is that it is only missing that one piece, so it is relatively easy to repair.

The second piece was not bad either: a Ming Jiajing Dehua Kiln Pig Fat White Glazed Bowl.

As the name suggests: the glaze surface is lustrous, thick, and delicate, oily but not shiny, warm and moist like jade, presenting a visible, frozen pork lard-like greasy texture.

Moreover, the body quality is extremely thin; although dense, it is translucent, absolutely counting as a boutique among Dehua Pork Lard White.

Unfortunately, it was even more broken: over twenty pieces pieced together, and there were still more than ten holes. Roughly calculated, at least one-third was missing.

To want to complete it, repair it well, and even bring out the value that a damaged piece should have, one must have extremely superb craftsmanship.

After roughly cleaning it once, Lin Sicheng began to solidify the body: which is roughly applying a layer of raw lacquer on the broken edges, then baking it dry.

The steps were relatively simple, so Lin Sicheng was extremely fast, one brush and one smear, then placing it into the Electric Kiln.

Forty-some pieces of sauce-colored and white porcelain, finished in fifteen minutes.

The so-called "experts watch the technique, laymen watch the show." Even as graduate students, during their university years, they didn't distinguish between copper or porcelain; they had to take all practical courses for all categories.

Those people below at least knew the process flow of various restoration methods, and even more so knew how porcelain body solidification should be done.

But just with this speed of Lin Sicheng's, even the mentor wouldn't be faster than him. The key is that it was too casual, like brushing sauce on a barbecue skewer.

The problem is, just aiming for speed, did you brush it evenly?

Although they thought this in their hearts, they knew: Lin Sicheng really knew how to do it, at least much, much more proficiently than they were during their university years.

But it wasn't strange: Professor Lin is so famous, everyone who should know, knows. Lin Sicheng has been influenced by what he has seen and heard since childhood, so he must be much stronger than ordinary people.

The few of them thought to themselves; Lin Sicheng took out the baked porcelain pieces to Natural Air Drying and began to mix the lacquer.

The raw materials were not many, just five kinds: black lacquer, egg white, glutinous rice flour, along with raw lacquer and brick powder.

But the expressions of the few gradually became strange: besides a few types of lacquer, there was only one scraper and one brush on the long table, and no other tools at all.

No drill, no hammer, and even less Stapling, or even plaster or chemical glue.

What is this for: Lacquer Repair?

The so-called Cultural Relics restoration is also divided into stages; undergraduates are only taught Artifact Research, to put it bluntly: just stick it with glue, and use plaster for all missing parts.

Neither repairing the color nor repairing the glaze; in Lin Sicheng's words: anyone with hands can do it.

Only at the graduate student stage are Exhibition Repair and Commercial Repair taught. This is to restore the original appearance of the object as much as possible, restoring its ornamental value, artistic value, and even economic value.

The former is very difficult, the latter even more so.

And the relatively more difficult Exhibition Repair, according to the integrity of the vessel shape and the degree of difficulty, is further divided into Stapling, Gold Stapling, Gold Repair, and raw lacquer.

The Plum Vase that Lin Sicheng repaired last time used the first two. What he is preparing to do now is the last one, and also the most difficult one, raw lacquer, also known as Lacquer Repair.

It's not that he deliberately wanted to increase the difficulty, but because the vessel shape is incomplete, this method must be used: using Lacquer Thread Stacking to fill in the gaps, then repairing the color and glaze.

If you ask where the difficulty lies?

First, one must not destroy the artistic perception of the original vessel, and must also highlight the retro feel and the beauty of imperfection of the repaired part.

Secondly, and this is the most critical: porcelain is porcelain, lacquer is lacquer; these are two completely different substances, and the difference in the expansion coefficient between the porcelain body and the lacquer body is extremely difficult to master.

If the lacquer body shrinks, the repaired part will leave a very obvious gap. If the lacquer body expands, the repaired vessel shape will fall apart, and it might even crack the originally intact porcelain pieces.

At least five or six years of accumulated experience are needed to barely manage to avoid cracking or shrinking. Therefore, although the school has relevant courses, not many people study them.

Even if they do study, most only learn the theory-oriented Artifact Research, rather than the practice-oriented technical restoration.

That is why these few people have such strange expressions: they find it hard to believe that Lin Sicheng could even do this.

The problem is, seeing his technique for stabilizing the mold and mixing the lacquer is so proficient, he has clearly practiced it?

The few looked at each other, and seeing Lin Sicheng had finished mixing the lacquer and was preparing to shape the mold, Feng Lin gestured with her chin: "Chen Huaizhi, go help."

The female Master was stunned for a moment, her expression stiffening slightly: "Feng... Feng Assistant, I don't know how!"