Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and said in a profound way: "In this line of work, sometimes living is more painful than dying, and sometimes dying is cleaner than living."

Su Yuan was completely confused and didn't ask any further questions. The two went downstairs, and the lights were still on when they arrived at the cafeteria.

Li Xiulan and the dishwasher were cleaning the stove when they saw them come in. They pointed to the two meals left on the stove.

"They've all already eaten. This is for you. Eat it quickly, or it'll get cold."

Su Yuan and his companion thanked him and sat down with their trays. Zhao Cheng sat opposite them, and the two ate in silence, neither of them speaking.

After dinner, Su Yuan said goodbye to Zhao Cheng and went straight back to his dormitory.

After washing up, he lay down on the bed and placed the bronze mirror beside his pillow. A point of light shone inside, flickering as if it were looking at him.

"Awu," Su Yuan called softly.

The light flickered on briefly.

"How much do you know about that wall? I only sealed one crack in that fissure; I know nothing else."

The light spot lit up again, then slowly moved, drawing a circle and then a line on the mirror surface.

Su Yuan didn't understand...

Zhong Ming's voice drifted from the mirror: "She's saying there's a path inside that wall."

"The way?" Su Yuan sat up.

Miao Deyu chimed in from inside: "The path in the mezzanine isn't for people to walk on, it's for them. If you have something from the Su family, you can walk through it too."

Su Yuan frowned: "Where does it lead?"

"I don't know... Miss Awu said she'd been there, but it's hard to say in her current state. Once you're in the mezzanine, she can show you the way."

Su Yuan lay back down and stared at the bronze mirror.

That wall, Sun Guoliang's disappearance, Han Zhengming's unusual quietness, the ripples in the interlayer...

Everything was mixed together, like a tangled mess. Su Zhi's sword-making was in the toolbox, was it about to be used?

"Mr. Zhong, when you have time, please ask A-Wu if the place that road leads to has what she's looking for."

"OK."

Su Yuan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Su Yuan woke up at 6:30 the next morning.

It was still dark outside the window, and the light in the bronze mirror was still shining. He glanced at it, then got up and washed up.

He strolled into the canteen and saw Liu Jun drinking porridge. He nodded when he saw Su Yuan come in. Li Xiulan saw him, quickly served him a bowl of hot millet porridge, and handed him two steamed buns.

"Xiao Su, why are you up so early today?"

"I can't sleep."

"This child, she seems to have a lot on her mind..."

Around 7:30, Chen Xiaohe and Qian Weidong strolled over with their trays, plopped down opposite Su Yuan, and whispered, "Su, I have something to tell you..."

"Last night, Lao Qian said there was some noise in the warehouse again."

Su Yuan glanced at Qian Weidong, who had worked the night shift and nodded with sleepy eyes.

Chen Xiaohe's expression didn't seem like he was joking. Qian Weidong said:

"What I heard during my patrol wasn't Little Jue and the others talking, but another sound, like something crawling inside the wall."

Su Yuan put down his chopsticks, his heart sinking.

"I'll go check right away." Su Yuan took a couple of sips of porridge, left the unfinished steamed buns, and walked out.

Chen Xiaohe called out from behind, "Hey, let's eat together after we finish!"

Qian Weidong also stood up: "I'll go with you."

Su Yuan waved his hand: "Brother Qian, you've worked the night shift all night, rest first, I'll go check on things."

Qian Weidong thought for a moment and didn't insist: "Okay, call me if you need anything."

Su Yuan waved his hand and left the cafeteria.

He quickly arrived at the storeroom, took out the bronze mirror, and Zhong Ming's reflection appeared on the mirror:

"It looks like something went wrong over there, affecting this place. Do you remember we talked about a spot in this room before...?"

"Yes, I remember."

As Su Yuan spoke, he examined the Awu terracotta figurine. Zhong Ming hummed in agreement, then looked around with his hands behind his back, finally fixing his gaze on the area beneath the Awu terracotta figurine stand!

"Last night, the entrance underneath might have moved."

Zhong Ming's voice softened: "Fortunately, it's not serious. It's just that the wall over there cracked, which increased the pressure in the interlayer, and this area is also reacting."

Su Yuan squatted down and looked at the ground beneath the shelf.

The brick-paved floor looks normal, but you can feel a slight vibration when you put your hand on it!

"Can this entrance be opened?" Su Yuan asked.

"Not now," Zhong Ming shook his head. "It's not the right time yet."

Su Yuan withdrew his hand, stood up, and looked at the Awu terracotta figurine. His phone vibrated. It was a message from Zhao Cheng:

"Are you in the warehouse, Xiao Su? Director Zhang wants you to come to his office now."

Su Yuan replied with an "okay," put the bronze mirror back in his pocket, and left the storeroom to walk towards Zhang Weiyi's office.

He bumped into Lin Xi in the corridor. She stopped, holding two file folders, and asked, "Su Yuan, why do you look so pale?"

"It's nothing, I just...didn't sleep well last night."

Lin Xi glanced at him, hesitated, and finally only said, "Take care of yourself..."

Su Yuan knocked on Zhang Weiyi's office door. Zhao Cheng was also there. Zhang Weiyi pointed to a chair and asked Su Yuan to sit down.

"We just received news from the Ninth Division that the crack in that wall has widened again this morning. It's now over a meter long, and the widest part is about three centimeters."

Su Yuan's heart sank: "So fast?"

Zhang Weiyi took out a map from the drawer and opened it wide, with several marks drawn on it in red pen.

"This is the survey done last week at the Ninth Division. The red circle marks the location of that wall, and the blue line marks the boundary of the mezzanine."

His hand traced the direction from the wall to the renovation center:

"At the current rate, the fluctuations in the interlayer will reach our warehouse within a month. To be precise, it will reach the entrance beneath the Awu terracotta figurines."

Su Yuan stared at the line, recalling Zhong Ming's words.

"Director Zhang, I was in the warehouse just now and I noticed a slight vibration at the entrance. It's not normal; it's probably caused by increased pressure in the interlayer."

Zhang Weiyi and Zhao Cheng both looked at him at the same time.

"Are you sure?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"I'm sure. I can feel it when I put my hand on it, and Elder Zhong in the bronze mirror also confirmed it."

Zhang Weiyi remained silent for a while before putting the map away.

"Don't make this public for now."

He glanced at Su Yuan, then at Zhao Cheng: "Including Chen Xiaohe, otherwise that kid would be scared out of his wits. As for Qian Weidong... he knows."

Su Yuan nodded.

"And also, Xiao Su," Zhang Weiyi stood up and walked to the window, "get ready. We're going to keep watch over that wall the day after tomorrow. We can't wait any longer."

Seeing that Zhao Cheng was staring at him, Su Yuan said, "Okay."

As they came out of the office, Su Yuan and Zhao Cheng stood side by side in the corridor. Qian Weidong, who had just finished his meal, came up the stairs and stopped when he saw them.

"Director Zhang came to see you? Was it about that wall?"

Qian Weidong asked, and Zhao Cheng nodded.

Qian Weidong glanced at both ends of the corridor and said in a low voice, "Last time it was Xiao Su and me who went, but I probably won't be able to go this time. When you go, please bring more things."

"Although I don't have any great skills, if anything happens, just call me anytime and I'll drive over."

Su Yuan felt a warm glow in his heart: "Thank you, Brother Qian."

"No need to thank me, we're all in this together." Qian Weidong smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to walk towards his office.

Su Yuan watched his retreating figure, then glanced at Zhao Cheng beside him, and thought of Chen Xiaohe and Zhang Weiyi as well.

Although these people each have their own skills and temperaments, they are all reliable in critical moments!