In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

Song Xiaoyi wanted to say, "I don't understand painting, what's the point of showing me this?" But then she thought about it again and realized that Sister Qiu naturally knew she didn't understand painting, but there must be a reason why she asked her to look at it.

Written by Zhou Chen of Suzhou in the midsummer of the year Gui Si in the Jiajing reign.

When Song Xiaoyi examines a painting, he usually looks at the inscription first. He naturally recognizes the Hongzhi era and the year Gui Si. Song Xiaoyi counts the year on his fingers, and Wu Lao says from the side, "The year Gui Si is 1533 AD."

In 1533, during the Jiajing reign, Qiu Ying was almost forty years old, and Song Yunqiu was over sixty.

Zhou Chen of Gusu, Song Xiaoyi naturally knew this Zhou Chen, who was Tang Bohu's teacher and Qiu Ying's painting teacher.

Upon closer inspection, Song Xiaoyi seemed to understand that this painting was most likely mounted by Song Yunqiu, except that there were two hidden small square pieces at the bottom of the ribbon with the startled swallow design!

Therefore, Song Yunqiu was unsure!

According to Song Yunqiu's calculations, if we take the year Gui Si as the starting point, more than 30 years have passed since then, so Song Xiaoyi needs to confirm this.

Song Xiaoyi really couldn't understand it and couldn't make a conclusion. The two small square pieces hidden under the Jingyan belt were usually regarded as evidence of forgery or works attributed to someone else. But there was a lot of provenance seals below them. If you looked carefully, there was even one from Qiu Ying.

Upon seeing the seal, Song Xiaoyi turned to look at Song Yunqiu, who nodded, indicating that the seal belonged to Qiu Ying himself.

Song Xiaoyi finally decided to try using an Advanced Appraisal Technique.

[Ding! After authentication, this painting is titled "Peach Blossom Spring," commissioned by a Suzhou merchant named Xiang Zhouchen during the Jiajing era. However, it was painted by Zhouchen's disciple, Qiu Ying, and mounted with the assistance of Qiu Ying's mother. Authentication complete.]

Sure enough.

With both Mr. Wu and Wu Fei present, there were many things that couldn't be said, so Song Xiaoyi could only say that he didn't understand.

"Was there two pieces buried under the 'Surprising Swallow' ribbon below that headdress?" Old Wu asked.

"There are definitely two pieces. But they're not fakes; I need to think about it."

"Miss Yunqiu, do you mean to first confirm that this is indeed the mounting technique used by the Wu family during the Xuanhe era?"

"Yes, this must be the mounting technique of the Wu family during the Xuanhe period."

"Wu's Xuanhe-style mounting of the 'Surprising Swallow' silk with the character 'Buried'—are there other rules involved?"

"Mr. Wu, why don't we just open it up and examine it? Anyway, this painting is badly damaged and will eventually need to be remounted."

"It's different. This one belongs to a friend's collection. He watched the video last time, went home to check it out, and discovered this problem before sending it to me. If you want to remove it, you need the owner's permission."

"I see."

However, they couldn't bring themselves to discuss it, and Song Yunqiu couldn't say everything. The four of them returned to the living room, where Old Wu and Song Yunqiu chatted for a while about the techniques of mounting paintings. Song Xiaoyi couldn't understand what they were talking about, and he was also feeling drowsy after driving all day.

"Xiao Yi, you can rest here tonight. My friend is coming over tomorrow morning, and we'll continue our discussion to see if we can find a way to open it up."

After arranging the guest rooms, Wu Fei left, and Song Xiaoyi immediately fell asleep.

But Song Yunqiu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, her mind constantly wandering to the signature on the painting and Qiu Ying's seal. The painting style was very familiar, and Song Yunqiu thought it was very likely a copy by Qiu Ying, but she wasn't sure, since it was a work from more than thirty years later, and even if it was Qiu Ying, the style would certainly have changed a lot.

After getting up and dressing, Song Yunqiu left her bedroom and wandered aimlessly along the courtyard corridor.

After pacing around the corridor several times, she realized that she was lost in the courtyard.

There was a room with lights on ahead. Song Yunqiu quickened her pace and walked over. It turned out to be the ancestral hall of the Wu family.

Song Yunqiu's eyes flashed like lightning as she swept across the ancestral hall's shrine. She only glanced at it once, but when she saw the topmost memorial tablet, her eyes widened as she looked down. Sure enough! Her own name, "Wu Yunqiu," was on the right side of the third row!

The Wu family's Xuanhe mounting tradition has different rules than other families. Direct descendants of the family learn "Wu family Xuanhe mounting" and pass the examination. Regardless of gender, memorial tablets can be placed in the ancestral hall, with men on the left and women on the right!

Indeed! Old Wu is a descendant of the Wu family!

Song Yunqiu straightened her clothes, stepped steadily across the threshold, knelt down, touched her forehead to the ground, and kowtowed.

"How dare a woman enter the ancestral hall! You...you..."

In fact, when Song Yunqiu opened the door to leave the bedroom, Old Wu heard the sound and followed her from a distance, wanting to see what she was up to. By the time Song Yunqiu stepped into the ancestral hall, it was too late to stop her!

Song Yunqiu looked up at Old Wu, but did not get up or reply. Instead, she finished the kowtow ceremony and slowly stood up.

"In my Xuanhe Wu clan, women are allowed to enter the ancestral hall, with men on the left and women on the right. Didn't you notice this clan rule?"

"!!!" Old Wu trembled in shock. "Xuanhe Wu Clan! Could you also be a descendant of our Xuanhe Wu Clan? No wonder you know so much about the Xuanhe Wu Clan's paperwork!"

Song Yunqiu did not reply, but looked at the first memorial tablet in the middle of the third row on the right. "That's me."

"!!!"

Startled, Old Wu staggered back half a step, grabbing the doorframe to steady himself. His face turned deathly pale, his Adam's apple bobbing but no sound came out. His withered hands gripped his sleeves tightly, his knuckles turning blue. "You...you...you...you tell me..."

"The first one from the right in the third row, Wu Yunqiu, that's me."

Song Yunqiu pointed to her own memorial tablet.

"Song Yunqiu... Wu Yunqiu... Wu Yunqiu... Song Yunqiu..." Old Wu's lips trembled. "So your surname really is Wu, not Song!"

Old Wu had someone investigate Song Xiaoyi's identity. He also investigated Song Xiaoyi's cousin, who had appeared out of nowhere, after the last family banquet. He only felt that her temperament was unusual, but he didn't pay attention to it because he couldn't find any information about her.

It turns out my intuition was right here!

Old Wu pinched his thigh to confirm this wasn't a dream, then took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and prostrated himself three times in a standard kowtow, saying, "Wu Dalei, an unworthy descendant of the Xuanhe Wu family, pays respects to our ancestor!"

"Get up." Wu Yunqiu helped Old Wu up. "When I came here last time, I felt that you should be a descendant of my Xuanhe Wu family, but you don't even know the secret method of Xuanhe mounting, so I can't confirm it."

"Reporting to the Ancestor, I am ashamed to say that the latter half of the family genealogy was burned in the war."

"Ancestor, why are you following Song Xiaoyi...?"

"It's a long story, and the ancestral hall isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the room, wake up Xiao Yi, and let him tell you."

"Alright, alright, please come this way, Ancestor."

Song Xiaoyi was suddenly woken up from his sleep. Still a little disoriented, he vaguely saw Song Yunqiu and Old Wu standing in front of his bed. He muttered, "Huh? It's already dawn?"

"Brother Yi, get up quickly. I have confirmed that Wu Dalei is a member of my Wu clan."

"Huh? What, Wu Dalei?" Upon hearing this, Song Xiaoyi abruptly stood up, glancing at Old Wu, who wore a smile that was seven parts smile and three parts respect, and then at Song Yunqiu, whose expression remained unchanged. "What's going on?"

"Xiao Yi, I saw our ancestor worshipping the Wu family ancestors in the ancestral hall at home. After a conversation, our ancestor said that you could answer my question."

Ancestor? Forefather? What nonsense is this?

"Oh no!?"