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

Chapter 226 The younger generation is truly formidable! [Bonus chapter for the chubby, ruthless Dragon Alliance Leader!]

Master Chen naturally thought that Li Younan was telling a funny joke.

These young people who use social media are really interesting. How come he can't come up with such a funny joke?
And "Where can I sign up to restore national treasures?" Can the words "national treasures" and "sign up" be put together?

But he soon sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange, because neither his granddaughter nor Xiao Zhang from the office were laughing; instead, they looked surprised.

Surprise was understandable, but the problem was that his granddaughter then asked in a very serious tone, "Besides painting, what else can you do?"

This sentence puzzled Master Chen for a moment. What did he mean by "besides painting"?
At this moment, he suddenly noticed the finished replica on the table. His eyes widened in surprise. He picked up the practice replica and compared it with the real one next to it: "Hmm? When was this made? This painting... hmm, it's alright. You've got the hang of it. It's just that the base coat needs some improvement."

Chen Nuonuo shook her head: "No, Grandpa."

She said shyly, "He drew this."

As he spoke, he pointed at Li Younan.

Master Chen paused for a moment and looked at Li Younan.

Li Younan calmly said, "Master Chen, to be honest, besides being a self-media blogger, I also dabble in crafts such as porcelain, carving, and painting. In addition, I am particularly interested in intangible cultural heritage. You may not know me, but CCTV has reported on me for intangible cultural heritage."

In fact, Li Younan only found out that he had accidentally appeared on CCTV after returning to China.

It has to be said that even for someone like Li Younan who doesn't pursue fame or fortune, this is a very enjoyable thing.

Now you can openly and legitimately take it out and use it as a prop.

After listening to Li Younan's account, Master Chen blinked and tentatively asked, "Young man, what... what did you study?"

……

That's outrageous, absolutely outrageous.

At this moment, Master Chen placed the third, rather difficult, genuine porcelain piece on the table. He then took out a modernly made mold from the box, which was exactly the same as the shape of the porcelain piece, and asked Li Younan to try to restore the pattern, color, and other aspects of the genuine piece.

Meanwhile, Chen Nuonuo excitedly took Li Younan's filming equipment and captured the scene.

Li Younan picked up the genuine article and examined it carefully.

This is a traditional Jingdezhen famille rose porcelain jar. The overall color has faded, the glaze has peeled off, and there is even a small chip on the edge of one part. There is also a thin crack at the handle.

In general, it is extremely difficult to replicate this porcelain jar.

Master Chen said earnestly, "If you can replicate this job so quickly, then I'll have to call you my teacher."

This is not flattery, because when he was learning his craft, his teacher gave him this porcelain jar as a subject.

He spent more than a month carefully studying how to mix the pigments, how to replicate the crack, how to deal with the faded areas, and how to imitate the areas where the glaze had peeled off.

Of course, if he were to do it now, it certainly wouldn't take that long.

On the one hand, current technological advancements offer numerous high-tech methods for restoration, significantly reducing time; on the other hand, his current experience enables him to quickly find solutions.

However, technology is technology, but to perfectly replicate this thing, there are some steps that cannot be done with technology. If he were to do it now, it would probably take three days.

Just now, I heard Chen Nuonuo say that Li Younan only spent a few tens of minutes to complete the color matching and painting of that bowl. The finished product is 99% similar to the real thing, and to the average person, it really is so realistic that it can be mistaken for the real thing.

Unconvinced, Master Chen immediately presented Li Younan with several challenging problems, all related to painting, with the difficulty increasing progressively.

Unexpectedly, Li Younan was not intimidated at all and immediately got to work, quickly providing an answer.

The key point is that Li Younan is not the type to experiment and adjust colors as he goes, nor did he consult any materials beforehand.

He confidently got his hands on the paints and mixed them, as if the child had the exact proportions of all the coloring ingredients in his head.

His painting skills are astonishingly high; the phrase "confident and well-prepared" truly embodies him.

Throughout this process, Master Chen was constantly shocked.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, while experts see the details. As a craftsman who has been immersed in porcelain restoration for many years, especially in the art of porcelain painting, he knows very well that it would be impossible to reach Li Younan's level without at least ten or eight years of training.

He became increasingly alarmed as he looked at the problem, and only then did he bring out the most difficult one.

This problem is no longer a simple drawing and painting process, but a real attempt to replicate a difficult original.

The process involved includes all steps except for the first step of shaping.

If Li Younan can really replicate it and achieve a level of realism that is indistinguishable from the real thing, then he can at least start working immediately in the field of porcelain restoration.

By this time, Li Younan had observed the situation thoroughly and was already confident of success.

He told Master Chen, "I've roughly found the method, but it's not something that can be done in an hour or two."

Master Chen chuckled to himself: It would take me three days to finish this; if this kid could do it in an hour or two, I'd lose face.

However, he still asked with a serious expression, "How long will it take you approximately?"

Li Younan held up three fingers.

Master Chen's eyelids twitched instantly.

Three days?

For a moment, I was even a little surprised. If Li Younan could really replicate this porcelain piece in three days, then his skill level would be even higher than mine, because Li Younan was dealing with this porcelain piece for the first time.

Li Younan frowned: "Three days? No, no, it won't take that long. I mean... a little over three hours." Master Chen's expression immediately froze.

what?
……

Three hours later, it was already evening.

Li Younan found himself inside the Forbidden City until almost dark, which left him somewhat speechless.

Originally, I planned to visit the three locations in the daily check-in task today, but I didn't have much time or opportunity throughout the day. However, it doesn't matter, as Li Younan will most likely be staying in the capital for the next period of time.

Li Younan politely said goodbye to Master Chen and Chen Nuonuo.

After he left, Master Chen slowly closed the door. He still needed to finish up, while Chen Nuonuo quietly squatted beside the table, looking at the almost lifelike replica that Li Younan had made.

She stared intently, making herself cross-eyed, then gently shook her head: "Grandpa, what do you think?"

Master Chen also transformed into Chen Momo and remained silent for a long time.

It's just that smoking isn't allowed in the Forbidden City; otherwise, he would definitely light up a Hongtashan cigarette to calm down.

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to the table, thinking for a long time before saying, "I need to report to the dean."

……

In the dean's office, the dean rushed back, only to find Master Chen already waiting for him.

As soon as the dean came in, he changed into his work uniform and said, "Why did you call me back in such a hurry?"

There is something I must report to you in person.

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

"About the restoration of that revolving vase."

The dean immediately perked up, his expression brightening, and he burst into laughter: "Hey, old Chen, I knew you had a way! Tell me, what breakthrough have you made?"

Master Chen shook his head: "It's not that I've made any breakthroughs, but I've found someone who might be able to repair that revolving vase."

The dean's expression turned serious: "Which unit are you from?"

"Not from the company, but a young man?"

"young people?"

"30 or 40 years old?"

"About 20 years old."

"What? In her early twenties!?"

The dean raised his voice, "Old Chen, are you making fun of me? You need to understand, to repair that revolving vase, the ceramic patching, openwork carving, and famille rose painting all require a level of unparalleled skill. Let alone a young man in his twenties, even a master craftsman in his forties or fifties couldn't find a suitable candidate. Even if that young man started learning these three crafts from birth, he still couldn't reach that level!"

Master Chen sighed softly: "Dean, to be honest, I didn't believe it at first either. But just in terms of pastel painting, my skill level is not as good as his."

Upon hearing this, the dean's smile froze instantly.

Master Chen is mainly responsible for porcelain restoration, but porcelain restoration is further divided into several techniques, and different masters have varying degrees of expertise in those techniques. Master Chen's forte is famille rose painting, and he is at least among the top three in the entire Palace Museum, if not the best.

If even he feels inferior to him, then that young man must indeed be quite capable.

The dean sat down and poured himself a cup of tea: "Tell me in detail what happened?"

Master Chen then recounted to the dean everything that had happened during the day.

After listening, the dean fell into a long silence, still deeply shocked.

Without seeing it with my own eyes, it's really hard to believe that such a young person could have this level of skill.

He shook his head: "Alright, let's assume for now that the child does have this skill. But it's just pastel painting."

Master Chen said, "That young man said he is also very good at carving and porcelain making. What I mean is, let Master Xu and Master Luo test him again. If he really has the skills, then there will be hope for the restoration of our national treasure."

A thoughtful look appeared in the dean's eyes; he was weighing his options, considering the matter. After a moment's thought, he asked, "What was that young man's account name again?"

Master Chen paused for a moment, then shook his head: "I really didn't notice that. Ask Xiao Zhang in the office. He's the one who brought the person here, so he should know."

After a while, the two old men watched Li Younan's video together on their phones.

After watching for a while, the two of them looked at each other, both with puzzled expressions—because Li Younan had basically not shown any video content about these three skills on his short video platform.

However, due to their search, they did see a news clip from CCTV featuring Li Younan creating carved beams and painted rafters and promoting Chinese intangible cultural heritage in the program "Living Alone in the Wilderness," and the two could not hide their shock.

The dean scratched his head: "Old Chen, do you think these young people had some kind of weird stuff added to their baby formula when they were little? It's really effective! How come they know everything? Have you ever met anyone like this?"

Old Chen shook his head: "So, Dean, what do you think we should do?"

The dean slowly put down his phone, and after a moment said twice, "The younger generation is truly formidable, truly formidable!"

Then, he looked at Old Chen and said, "Do as you say. Contact Old Luo and Old Xu, and the three of you come up with a plan tonight. Call that young man over tomorrow and give him a good test. If he really has the ability, we'll let him take charge of restoring that national treasure. I'll handle the reporting to the higher-ups."

(End of this chapter)