Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

Wang Benquan nodded and said, "That's right. This item should be a replica of a Shunzhi sacrificial vessel made by the imperial kiln in the late Kangxi period, with the aim of filling the gap in sacrificial vessels during the Shunzhi reign."

The craftsmanship and shape deliberately imitate the style of the Shunzhi period, but the body cannot be faked as being made using the official kiln formula from the late Kangxi period.

Xu Xing said, "I plan to restore it, so I would like to borrow all the equipment and materials from the restoration center. I will pay the market price."

Wang Benquan waved his hand dismissively and said, "Why pay any fees? Use whatever you need from the repair center. Just tell Team Leader Chen if you need anything!"

He paused, then added, "However, if this item can be repaired to meet the highest level of compliance standards, and you are willing to sell it, I am willing to acquire it for 17 million after tax."

Xu Xing's heart skipped a beat; the price was higher than he had expected.

During the Kangxi reign, similar ritual vessels once fetched a high price of 26 million.

However, in addition to the handling fee, the auction also requires additional taxes, so the actual amount received is only around 20 million.

Wang Benquan's offer of 17 million for such a damaged artifact in need of repair is already a sincere price with a premium.

"Okay, let's do as Mr. Wang says."

Xu Xing readily agreed.

Wang Benquan smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Then I'll leave this to you. I'm really looking forward to this."

When Xu Xing returned to the porcelain group, Zhu Yong and Liu Jian had already completed the preparations for restoring the Yongzheng blue and white lotus scroll vase.

"XCMG, all materials are ready, we can start anytime."

Zhu Yong reported to the leadership.

Xu Xing nodded: "Okay, let's begin."

Having learned from their previous collaboration, the three of them were already working together very well.

Xu Xing was responsible for the core tasks of bonding, glazing, and firing, while Zhu Yong and Liu Jian were responsible for auxiliary tasks such as cleaning, polishing, and recording.

The restoration process was progressing smoothly. During the downtime while waiting for the glaze to dry and for the electric kiln to fire, Xu Xing took out the fragments of the gui-shaped incense burner and used instruments to conduct detailed tests.

He first used a high-powered microscope to observe the fracture morphology of each fragment and recorded the interlocking points and stress distribution of the fracture.

Then, an ultrasonic flaw detector was used to examine the areas damaged by the staples, confirming the extent and scope of the tire damage.

Finally, a 3D scanner was used to accurately model all the fragments, simulating the complete shape of the vessel on a computer.

After completing these tests, Xu Xing had a clear idea of ​​the repair plan.

The restoration of this gui-shaped incense burner was more complex than that of any other damaged artifact.

The biggest challenge is not the breakage and the breakage of the stitching, but the parts that are damaged by the staples.

Each of the seventeen staples left a hole in the tire.

These holes are small but numerous, and they are distributed in different locations, some even located beneath the glaze.

To repair these holes, the impurities inside must first be cleaned, then filled with a special porcelain clay slurry, and then fired in a kiln to fuse the filler with the original body.

However, the problem is that the glaze of this gui-shaped incense burner still needs to be repaired and the entire piece restored.

The filling of the holes in the staples must be completed before firing; otherwise, the high temperature will cause the holes to expand and cause irreversible damage.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Xu Xingxian determined the steps.

The first step is to clean all the staple holes and fill and initially cure them using a high-temperature resistant metal inorganic adhesive combined with a special porcelain clay slurry.

The second step is to glue all the fragments together to restore the device, and at the same time install a high-temperature resistant alloy bracket inside for multi-point fixation.

The third step is to apply glaze and then fire the item in the kiln.

These three steps combined are extremely technically demanding. Xu Xing is certain that no more than three people would dare to do this, because if there is a deviation, the filling clay slurry will deform inside the kiln, either resulting in a failed glaze repair leaving holes or directly damaging the body.

However, Xu Xing, possessing X-ray vision, could first find a few fragments of fine official kiln pieces from the late Kangxi period, simulate the simultaneous repair and glazing of the body at the metal staples location, and determine the physical and chemical changes at the microscopic level before officially commencing the work.

Once this step is done, filling the remaining gaps with epoxy resin and polishing the surface is very simple.

This solution is more complex than any previous repair. The first step, filling the holes for the staples, alone requires immense patience and meticulous operation.

Xu Xing meticulously recorded the repair plan and saved it to his computer.

The following afternoon, with the assistance of Zhu Yong and Liu Jian, the restoration of the Yongzheng blue and white lotus-patterned vase was successfully completed.

Xu Xing notified the evaluation team to come and conduct the final evaluation, and unsurprisingly, he was rated as excellent.

The performance bonus was paid along with the monthly salary, and Zhu Yong and Liu Jian each received a performance bonus of more than 20,000 yuan, which made them extremely excited.

"Mr. Xu, shouldn't we be repairing that gui-shaped incense burner next?"

Zhu Yong rubbed his hands together, eager to try.

Liu Jian also looked at Xu Xing with anticipation.

Xu Xing glanced at them and said, "That gui-shaped incense burner is my personal property and won't be included in my daily performance evaluation. Are you sure you want to work for me?"

"Sure!"

The two spoke in unison.

Zhu Yong scratched his head and said with a simple smile, "Working with XCMG can teach you a lot, which is much more important than performance evaluation."

Liu Jian nodded in agreement: "Yes, Mr. Xu, please let us work with you. We're not after performance bonuses, we just want to learn more."

Xu Xing nodded slightly as he looked at the sincere eyes of the two people.

Although these two people are not top-notch in terms of talent, they are hardworking and down-to-earth.

He nodded: "Alright, then you can get to work. But let me make this clear from the start: this thing is very difficult to repair and may take several days. There can't be any mistakes along the way."

"clear!"

"XCMG, rest assured!"

Then.

Xu Xing went to the warehouse again and asked Master Zhao for several pieces of Kangxi late-period official kiln porcelain that were completely beyond repair, as well as information on the body material.

After returning to the porcelain group, Xu Xing asked Zhu Yong and Liu Jian to drill holes to simulate the use of metal staples.

He personally prepared the porcelain clay and filled the holes in different amounts, and finally mixed the glaze.

The celadon glaze on this gui-shaped incense burner is different from the celadon glaze on the two Yongzheng pieces that were previously restored.

The celadon glaze of the Yongzheng period is described as "sky blue after rain," clear and lustrous, with a hazy, misty quality.

This celadon glaze piece with the Kangxi Emperor's inscription has a more subdued and restrained tone, and a richer, more lustrous glaze, giving it a warm and jade-like texture.

Xu Xing spent an entire day repeatedly adjusting the glaze formula and firing test pieces to compare color differences.

With the aid of X-ray vision, he accurately reconstructed the microstructure of the celadon glaze from the late Kangxi period, including key parameters such as glaze thickness, bubble distribution, and microcrystal density.

In this process, he also successfully determined the formula and other parameters for filling with kaolin.

The next step was to carry out the formal restoration of that gui-shaped incense burner in one go.