Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

After cleaning, Su Yuan didn't rush to seal it. He wanted to let the bronze medal air dry for about ten hours to ensure it was completely dry!

The next day, continuing from the previous day's steps, he used a brush to apply a layer of sealant to the areas where the harmful rust had been removed.

He learned the formula for this sealant from a retired master craftsman when he was in school.

The TA ethanol solution is diluted to 3%, has excellent penetrability, will not change the appearance of the bronze medal, and will not leave any artificial marks.

This effect is the most suitable!

The wear marks on the tortoise-shaped knob and the scratches left from burial on the side of the inkstone are left behind.

That layer of bronze emerald has a warm, lustrous texture under the light, which is exactly what antique enthusiasts and collectors love.

After processing the bronze seal, Su Yuan waited until it was completely dry before placing it in the brocade box. Finally, he tidied up his tools, cleaned his workbench, and washed his hands.

He stretched his back a few times, closed the door and left the warehouse, going to Lin Xi's office to hand over the bronze seal to her.

He went back to his office and sat down to rest. He looked down so much that his neck was stiff, so he leaned on his desk and rubbed the back of his neck.

In the evening, Su Yuan went to the cafeteria for dinner.

Li Xiulan served him a large bowl of rice, topped with braised pork and greens, more than everyone else's!

"Xiao Su, eat more. You've lost weight since you left for a few days."

Li Xiulan said with a smile. Su Yuan touched his face and said, "I haven't lost weight. Besides, Teacher Zhou's cooking is pretty good."

He smiled and thanked Li Xiulan, then picked up his tray and found a seat.

Chen Xiaohe followed closely behind, carrying his tray, and sat down opposite him. Zhao Cheng also came over and sat down next to him, eating while scrolling through his phone.

"Su, where did that guy Sun Guoliang go?"

Chen Xiaohe stuffed a piece of braised pork into his mouth and asked softly. Su Yuan shook his head: "I don't know. Director Zhang told us not to ask."

"I didn't ask around, I was just curious."

Chen Xiaohe shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth:

"Such a grown man, regardless of what kind of good person he was, just gone like that? His office is still locked, and nothing inside has been touched."

Zhao Cheng looked up from his phone and glanced at Chen Xiaohe: "Alright, stop asking. Even eating won't shut you up."

Chen Xiaohe pursed his lips and stopped asking questions, continuing to eat.

Su Yuan glanced at Zhao Cheng with a smile, but Zhao Cheng continued eating and looking at his phone as if nothing had happened!

After finishing his meal, Su Yuan prepared his dormitory.

Zhao Cheng said a few words to Liu Jun at the door and then went back to his residence.

Su Yuan returned to his dormitory, closed the door, put away his toolbox, took out a bronze mirror and placed it on his bedside table. After washing up, he lay down on his bed.

That wall.

When he sealed the gap, he used that small bronze key and the jade piece. After sealing it, the stele of Yongle Palace remained untouched in the stone coffin.

But now, new fine lines have appeared on the wall.

It's not that he sealed it off; the wall itself is bearing the pressure from the interlayer!

Su Yuan rolled over and looked at himself in the bronze mirror, saying, "Elder Zhong, how long do you think that wall can hold out?"

Zhong Ming's shadow floated in the mirror, hands behind his back, and he thought for a moment:

"It's hard to say, maybe around six months. If the interlayer fluctuations continue to intensify, it could take even less time."

Su Yuan was silent for a moment: "Then what can I do?"

"Go and see for yourself," Zhong Ming said. "You'll only know after you see it. There's no use thinking about it now; the wall won't stop cracking just because you're anxious."

Su Yuan hummed in agreement, then looked at Awu's reflection in the bronze mirror: "Awu, things will be alright, right?"

The next morning, Su Yuan got up at seven o'clock.

After washing up, I went to the cafeteria, where Li Xiulan had already set out breakfast on the counter: millet porridge, pickled vegetables, and steamed buns.

After having breakfast in the cafeteria, Su Yuan went directly to the warehouse.

Chen Xiaohe was quite busy today. Director Zhang asked him to organize the safety inspection report for the first half of the year, and he spent the whole morning working on it in his office!

Zhao Cheng had nothing to do and was chatting with Liu Jun at the entrance of his workplace, while Lin Xi was writing up the restoration file for Su Wu's seal and preparing the handover forms.

Qian Weidong drove out early in the morning to buy daily necessities for his workplace.

Without Han Zhengming or Sun Guoliang here, the air in the office feels sweet!

Su Yuan laid out the information and photos of the Tang Dynasty stone Buddha statues on the worktable in the warehouse and looked at them carefully for a while.

The stone Buddha statue arrived yesterday afternoon, and repairs will begin today.

The Buddha statue's face is damaged, and it looks more serious than it appears in the photos!

Fortunately, traces of the arch of the brow bone, the position of the bridge of the nose, and the height of the cheekbones can still be found on the remaining stone surface.

This stone Buddha statue is 40 centimeters tall and only 13 centimeters wide at its widest point.

Su Yuan took a piece of clay from the shelf, which Chen Xiaohe had found yesterday afternoon. Without delay, Su Yuan began to sculpt a model.

This isn't something that's directly patched onto the Buddha statue. First, the missing parts are restored on clay, and once the shape is confirmed, they are then turned into stone and patched on.

Su Yuan's clay-sculpting technique is very steady!

He first filled in the missing areas with clay, and then, referring to the remaining outline, sculpted the brow ridge, eyes, nose bridge, and the shape of the lips bit by bit.

When he was halfway through carving, Su Yuan stopped and stared at the Buddha statue for a few seconds.

The Buddha statue did not speak, but he could feel it watching him repair it. It was not as talkative as Little Jue, nor did it tremble like the bronze bean.

Su Yuan smiled and reassured the stone Buddha statue, "Don't worry, it will be alright."

After saying that, he continued to adjust the arch of his brow, adjusting it twice until it was completely symmetrical with the other intact brow.

The height of the Buddha statue's nose bridge has been adjusted several times. Each time, only a thin layer can be scraped off, otherwise, if too much is scraped off, it will have to be redone!

After carving the main outline, Su Yuan used fine tools to carve out the eyelids and lip lines.

Nearly two hours later, the model was finally sculpted.

Su Yuan examined it carefully. The sculpted face and the remaining parts connected very naturally, and the outline was consistent with the original style.

Su Yuan tidied up his tools and carefully covered the carved clay model with a damp cloth to prevent it from cracking.

This model needs to be left to dry completely before turning over the stones.

When he finished packing up and came out of the warehouse, Zhao Cheng was coming up from downstairs, holding a stack of newly printed reports.

Upon seeing Su Yuan, he nodded as a greeting and went to Zhang Weiyi's office.

Su Yuan smiled and returned to his office.

Around 3 p.m., Su Yuan was sitting in his office reviewing repaired documents when his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Zhou Peiyuan:

"Xiao Su, the monitoring data for that wall has increased a bit again. The Ninth Division has done an assessment and suggests you go and take a look before the end of the month."

Su Yuan stared at the message for a few seconds, then involuntarily shivered and stammered a "OK".

He put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and looked out at the courtyard. The bronze mirror in his pocket warmed slightly. Su Yuan took out the mirror and whispered:

There was no response to "Elder Zhong?...Elder Miao?" We don't know where they went!

Only Awu's light flashed twice in the middle, which could be considered a response to him.

Su Yuan touched the jade ring on his finger; the Spirit-Locking Bead was pressed against the inside of his finger, both of them were getting hot.

I need to go check that wall again, but this time it probably won't be so easy...