By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 224 The Great Demon King of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Chen Nuonuo never expected to run into Li Younan here again.

She is a very outgoing person, and she is naturally very aware of this.

However, this outgoing personality did not give her any advantage in the dating world.

She felt so miserable. She wasn't bad-looking, and she had never been in a relationship since graduating from university. She finally met a handsome guy who took the initiative to chat her up, but he didn't seem to care about her at all.

It made her doubt the saying that many people regard as truth—that it's easy for a woman to pursue a man.

What was originally just a simple encounter turned out to have a sequel.

She immediately became excited.

After the staff introduced Li Younan, she realized that the handsome man in front of her was actually a top streamer with tens of millions of followers.

My God, a top streamer with millions of followers!
The staff then introduced Master Chen and his granddaughter Chen Nuonuo to Li Younan.

The staff member also introduced Li Younan to the apprentice-mentor model in cultural relic restoration.

He said, "In the field of traditional crafts in my country, the inheritance of skills generally has two modes: family inheritance and apprenticeship."

"As part of traditional crafts, the apprenticeship system is quite common in cultural relic restoration."

"After all, we are restoring ancient artifacts, and in ancient times there were specialized craftsmen who did this job."

"Many of our restorers are from two or three generations of families, and their skills have even been passed down from the Qing Dynasty."

"Only by combining these traditional crafts with modern technology can we truly restore these cultural relics to their original state."

"Although this model is now being impacted by modern education and training, the master-apprentice model still occupies an important position in our field."

Li Younan naturally recorded the staff's account as well.

After greeting Li Younan, Master Chen went back to his work.

Throughout his long career, he encountered one group of journalists after another.

He was used to media coverage and wouldn't disrupt his work rhythm unless asked by the other party. He also knew that what others wanted was a true picture of his work.

He chuckled and tapped his granddaughter on the head, saying, "Let's continue, stop spacing out."

A staff member standing next to Li Younan said, "Working in the restoration of cultural relics is a great test of one's patience. So, you'll know once you get to know more about it. The craftsmen here who can stay in this field for a long time are all relatively mild-mannered."

Li Younan nodded.

At this moment, Master Chen was also explaining some knowledge about cultural relic restoration to Chen Nuonuo, who had just entered the industry.

There were two porcelain pieces in front of them, and there were no other artifacts in the room, only some tools.

Master Chen said, "To learn how to restore cultural relics, you must first learn how to forge them."

"Of course, learning to forge first does not refer to manufacturing fakes, but rather to training the ability to replicate and imitate in the restoration of cultural relics."

"Only by imitating the materials, craftsmanship, patterns, and even the traces of time of ancient artifacts can we fully understand the logic behind their creation."

At this moment, Chen Nuonuo had already focused her attention on her grandfather's story and nodded.

Then Grandpa picked up one of the porcelain bowls and said, "Look at this porcelain bowl you copied. You can't even figure out the simplest way to repair it... You need to practice more!"

Li Younan listened very attentively and, of course, did not forget to record the material.

The grandfather and grandson, engrossed in their work, seemed to have forgotten about Li Younan standing beside them.

They worked for a while, and then Mr. Chen received a phone call. He mumbled some "uh-huhs" to the person on the other end of the line, and finally replied, "Okay, I'll be right there."

The staff member asked curiously, "Are you going out, Mr. Chen?"

Master Chen nodded: "Isn't the anniversary celebration coming up soon? They still want to try restoring that famille rose openwork revolving vase and are planning to invite us over for a meeting. As you know, the restoration of that famille rose openwork revolving vase is a world-class problem, and the institute has held several meetings about it."

The staff member nodded knowingly: "That thing is indeed difficult to repair. I heard that one team alone cannot fix it."

The staff member then said apologetically to Li Younan, "However, you won't be able to go over there to conduct interviews and take notes. Otherwise, I'll take you to another place."

Li Younan shook his head and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter. I think there's some good material here. I'd like to stay here for a while."

The staff member smiled and said, "Okay."

Then he hesitated for a moment: "How long do you plan to stay here?"

"Well, what happened?"

"Oh, don't misunderstand, it's like this, if you're staying here for a long time, I want to take care of something important, and I'd like Chen to keep you company while we chat."

"Oh, it's alright, you can go ahead and do your work."

Li Younan blinked.

The staff member said, "Then I'll excuse myself for a moment. Chen, you and Teacher Li have a good talk."

Chen Nuonuo nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

Only after the staff left did a hint of curiosity appear in Li Younan's eyes.

Chen Nuonuo laughed and said, "Do you know what the staff meant when they said they were going to take care of something important?"

Li Younan shook his head.

"Let me tell you, this is our local slang. He went outside the Forbidden City to smoke."

Li Younan was stunned for a moment: "Smoking outside the Forbidden City?"

It's at least a 20-30 minute walk from here to the outside of the Forbidden City.

However, he soon realized that smoking was definitely prohibited inside the Forbidden City.

It's important to know that management at the Forbidden City, especially in areas not open to the public, is extremely strict. Even boiling water is prohibited; drinking water undergoes purification treatment because the chlorine in tap water can corrode the artifacts. However, what surprised Li Younan was that these experts and craftsmen didn't seem terrified in the face of these artifacts; instead, they appeared quite composed.

At this moment, only Li Younan and Chen Nuonuo remained in the room.

However, Chen Nuonuo at this moment was completely different from the person she had been when the two first met.

Once she started working seriously, she became very focused. At this moment, she had no interest in chatting with Li Younan and all her attention was on the fake porcelain in front of her.

To be honest, the porcelain that Chen Nuonuo made looks obviously fake.

From Li Younan's perspective, the biggest problem is not actually the material, because with the support of modern technology, the material and shape of porcelain can be replicated with modern high technology. The key is that it has to look real.

When restoring porcelain artifacts, in addition to repairing the body and glaze, the restoration of the decoration is the biggest challenge.

The fake thing Chen Nuonuo gave her was for practicing retouching.

When redrawing, it is necessary to match the original artist's brushstrokes and color layers.

It's clear that Chen Nuonuo has a certain level of painting skills; perhaps her grandfather intentionally cultivated these abilities in her when she was very young.

However, the repair work on porcelain is quite different from regular painting. Just adjusting the colors to be similar to the original is already difficult enough for Chen Nuonuo.

She pouted as she mixed paint, but the colors she produced were always slightly different from the real thing.

Li Younan watched with interest for a while before saying, "There's no need to add cinnabar."

Chen Nuonuo paused for a moment, then looked at Li Younan with a puzzled expression.

Li Younan stroked his chin, and then, without saying a word, started mixing colors with the paint in front of Chen Nuonuo.

The paints in front of Chen Nuonuo are not antiques.

Chen Nuonuo hesitated for a moment but did not stop Li Younan—because what she was currently working on was not a real cultural relic, but just a fake one to practice on, so it didn't matter.

As soon as Li Younan mixed the color using several different colors, Chen Nuonuo's eyes widened in surprise.

The pigments used in ancient porcelain were mostly extracted from natural minerals or plants, with complex compositions and no fixed formula.

In addition, the color development needs to be closely related to the glazing method, firing conditions, etc. When repairing, this dynamic adaptation must be simulated. In addition, there are traces of natural aging, so it is difficult to control the pigment mixing process. It must be tried little by little.

Especially the genuine piece that her grandfather gave her to practice on, and the parts that were faded in some places.

Although it was a relatively simple imitation, it was still quite difficult for her, and she would have to try many times to find the best solution.

However, to everyone's surprise, Li Younan mixed the color so effortlessly, so vividly, and in just a few minutes.

what?
What about all that time I spent?

To the naked eye, it seems impossible to distinguish it from the genuine article!

Now that Li Younan had mixed the colors, his hands were itching even more, and he asked, "Is it okay?"

As he asked the question, his paintbrush was already stained with paint. He then pointed to the fake porcelain.

Chen Nuonuo stared in disbelief: "What? You... what are you going to do?"

Li Younan shrugged: "I think this skill is very interesting and I'd like to try it. Is that okay?"

Li Younan once again sought Chen Nuonuo's opinion.

Chen Nuonuo couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are you?"

Li Younan said seriously, "Oh, that's what some places call me too, saying I'm the Great Demon King of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage."

"what?"

"If you don't object, then I'm going to get my hands on you."

Li Younan glanced at the painted patterns on the genuine article a few times.

It must be said that making this fake look exactly like the real thing is indeed very difficult.

This is a Yongzheng famille rose bowl with plum blossom design. The plum blossom branches need to be replicated with the nail-head and rat-tail strokes of the original, and the color of the pollen needs to transition naturally from dark to light. The stiff brushstrokes that are common in modern paintings cannot be avoided. This requires a very high level of skill from the painter.

In addition, the original pigments had faded in some areas, so after painting a few strokes, Li Younan used diluted solvent to gradually fade them. After taking another look at the original, he felt that it had reached about 99% of the original, and then nodded in satisfaction.

To be honest, Chen Nuonuo's initial base makeup was a bit rough; otherwise, the final product would have been much closer to the real thing.

Chen Nuonuo fell completely silent.

Li Younan laughed and said, "How is it? Not bad, right? Hey, what happened to you? Did you change your name to Chen Momo?"

Chen Nuonuo shook her head and looked at Li Younan with a complicated expression for a while.

Grandmaster!

This guy in front of me is definitely a master!

Just from the few moves Li Younan casually demonstrated, Chen Nuonuo knew very well that even if she spent several years practicing, she might not be able to achieve the same level.

Li Younan was too fast. He only glanced at the painting and already knew how to mix the paint and how to paint it. His work was so realistic that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

If he were to pursue this career, he would be a significant asset to the entire field of cultural relic restoration.

At the same time, she became even more curious about Li Younan and asked again, "Who exactly are you?"

Just then, the staff member finally returned.

Upon entering, the first thing they saw on the table was Chen Nuonuo's practice piece, and they immediately clicked their tongues in amazement: "Hey, Nuonuo, you've already graduated? You finished it so quickly?"

Chen Nuonuo said with a complicated expression, "I can't explain it to you in just a few words... I didn't do this."

(End of this chapter)