73: Chapter 73 Your move has opened up a new path

Su Huairen nodded gently, his eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.

The brushstrokes were remarkably similar to the techniques of an antique-imitating artist, yet they possessed a seasoned, sophisticated flair that only a veteran who had immersed themselves in this craft for decades could produce.

Yet, the young man before them looked no older than his early twenties.

Fang Jiye stood beside Jiang Peiyuan, looking awkwardly like an "outsider." His mouth was slightly agape, unable to speak; after all, he was a bronze expert, not well-versed in porcelain or calligraphy and painting. It was a case of "different trades, different worlds," and he couldn't chime in on the whispered conversation between Jiang Peiyuan and Su Huairen.

Time ticked away, slower than a "snail's crawl."

Hu Tian's movements were fast within the slow, possessing a rhythm stronger than "jazz." Each stroke was precise and flawless, without any hesitation or need for rework.

The degree of pigment penetration, the weight and speed of the brushstrokes, and the direction and angle of the patterns were all handled perfectly, achieving "absolute precision."

About an hour later, Hu Tian put down his brush and gently flexed his wrist.

"The stitching is done."

He said calmly, his tone as indifferent as if he were "commenting on the weather today," as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.

Jiang Peiyuan and Su Huairen exchanged a glance, then leaned in together to take a closer look.

The previously broken blue-and-white porcelain shards were now joined together; the seams were as smooth as a "mirror," and the patterns at the joints showed almost no trace of repair.

The intricate circles of blue-and-white patterns flowed seamlessly across the original cracks, as if they had never been broken, appearing completely natural.

"This... how long has it been?"

At this moment, Director Zhang Mingyuan couldn't help but speak up, his voice sounding as surprised as if he had "seen a ghost." "Less than an hour?"

The three professors shot a glare at Director Zhang Mingyuan, their eyes as sharp as "knives," forcing him to laugh to cover his embarrassment. He looked as disheveled as a "rat crossing the street." Of course, the others just lowered their heads, pretending not to see, managing only to "turn a blind eye," as one shouldn't casually meddle in the affairs of superiors.

Su Huairen remained silent, tracing the air with his aged fingers in a motion as gentle as a "caress," though his fingers didn't touch the porcelain, only lightly tapping the air as if afraid of damaging it.

"In my seventy years of life, I have never seen anyone else capable of this technique."

His voice was slightly hoarse, his tone filled with a sentimentality like "sighing at life," carrying a complex sense of emotion. "In the restoration business, the hardest part isn't the technique, but the patience and focus. Little Hu, to be able to complete it in one go like you, without a single hesitation—this isn't something that can be taught; it's a gift, it's 'a talent bestowed by the heavens.'"

Hu Tian just smiled slightly, his expression as modest as a "primary school student." He didn't say much more and immediately turned his attention to the electric kiln that had finished preheating.

"Is the temperature ready?"

He asked, looking up.

"Yes, it's stable at 800 degrees, with a fluctuation of no more than three degrees."

The staff member in charge of adjusting the electric kiln answered immediately.

Hu Tian nodded, carefully removing the porcelain cup from the fixture with movements as gentle as "holding a baby," and steadily placed it into a special sagger. He then opened the kiln door and slowly pushed the sagger inside, his actions "cautious and meticulous."

"How long to fire it?"

Li Hao couldn't help but ask.

"Ten minutes or so will do."

Hu Tian closed the kiln door and said indifferently.

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Peiyuan and Su Huairen were both stunned again.

"Ten minutes?"

Jiang Peiyuan repeated in a low voice.

Su Huairen frowned slightly. In his experience, firing for blue-and-white porcelain restoration, even for the simplest pigment curing, took at least forty to fifty minutes. It was a case of "slow work yields fine results," where temperature, time, and atmosphere could not be neglected in any aspect; after all, "a tiny error can lead to a massive discrepancy."

Ten minutes, in his concept, was almost impossible.

He wanted to say something, but saw that Hu Tian had already calmly taken a small thermometer from his toolbox, inserted it into the temperature-measuring hole on the side of the electric kiln, and pulled up a chair to sit down, looking composed, as if all of this was within his expectations.

The few people in the room looked at each other, and eventually, all chose to wait in silence.

Time passed minute by minute, the electric kiln emitted a faint humming sound, and the porcelain cup inside the sagger was quietly subjected to the high heat.

About twelve minutes later, Hu Tian stood up, put on heat-resistant gloves, and slowly opened the kiln door.

A blast of heat rushed out.

He unhurriedly took out the sagger, placed it on the heat-insulating mat next to it, waited quietly for a moment to let the temperature drop slightly, and then took out the porcelain pieces inside.

Professor Zhou was the first to lean over to look.

He saw that the pigments on the porcelain shards had now completely penetrated the body, the colors were full, the luster was restrained, and the blue of the blue-and-white pattern was deep without being gaudy, almost identical to the color on the original pieces.

"Did it work?"

Zhang Mingyuan widened his eyes.

Hu Tian did not answer; he just held the porcelain cup in his hand, examined it carefully under the light, and then shook his head slightly.

"There's one last step."

As he spoke, he turned and took a small porcelain basin from the equipment Li Hao had brought, then took a small sealed jar from the bag he carried with him.

Su Huairen looked at the jar and asked, "What is this?"

"Tea."

Hu Tian opened the lid, and a faint tea fragrance immediately permeated the room.

Su Huairen was stunned: "Tea?"

Hu Tian didn't explain further; he poured the tea leaves from the jar into the porcelain basin, then had someone bring a pot of hot water and poured it into the basin, controlling the water temperature to about seventy or eighty degrees.

The tea leaves slowly unfurled in the hot water, the pale yellow tea soup rippled in the basin, emitting a quiet, elegant scent.

Everyone watched in confusion, not knowing what this step had to do with restoration.

Hu Tian slowly placed the assembled porcelain cup into the tea water, letting it be completely submerged in the tea soup.

"A tea wash."

He said, "The final step."

Jiang Peiyuan, Su Huairen, Fang Jiye, Zhang Mingyuan, Sun Qiming, Qian Siyuan, Li Hao, and several staff members watching from the side, all looked at each other.

The term "tea wash" was not something no one had heard of.

In the antique circle, a tea wash was a maintenance method used to nurture teapots and cups, allowing the objects to absorb tea oils through long-term immersion in tea, gradually developing a patina.

But that was maintenance, a long process, and completely different from restoration.

Moreover, this porcelain cup had just come out of the kiln, the body still warm, and to just throw it directly into the tea water was simply unheard of.

Su Huairen finally couldn't help it and asked: "Little Hu, what are you trying to do with this step...?"

Hu Tian looked up at Su Huairen, pondered for a moment, and said: "Old Su, don't find it strange when I say this. The hardest part to deal with in blue-and-white porcelain restoration isn't the color, but that layer of patina. Colors can be mixed, but the patina is a trace left by time. With conventional methods, the repaired area and the original area will always have a slight difference when viewed under light."

Su Huairen nodded slightly; he deeply agreed with this point.

"Tea contains tannic acid and tea polyphenols. At a specific temperature, it can penetrate the surface layer of the porcelain glaze, simulating a texture close to a patina in a short time."

Hu Tian paused, "This formula is something I figured out myself. The tea used also has requirements; it must be aged white tea, stored for at least ten years."

Su Huairen was silent.

He had been struggling and working in the restoration industry for decades, having seen all kinds of restoration methods, various traditional crafts, and modern technologies, all used by various restoration experts.

But he had never even heard of this "tea wash" trick, let alone seen it.

He looked down at the tea water in the porcelain basin; the porcelain cup lay quietly inside, the color of the tea soup appearing warm and tranquil under the light.

Time passed bit by bit, the whole room was so quiet that one could only hear the faint sound of the electric kiln dissipating heat and the occasional gentle sloshing of the tea water.

About twenty minutes later, Hu Tian took a pair of thin cotton gloves from his waist, put them on, slowly took the porcelain cup out of the tea water, and gently wiped off the moisture on the surface with a soft cotton cloth.

He held the porcelain cup up to the light, turning it slowly, examining each seam one by one.

Su Huairen couldn't help but lean in, and even Jiang Peiyuan, who had always maintained a bit of reserve, unconsciously moved closer at this moment.

Under the light, the assembled porcelain shards had a layer of warm luster on their surface, the blue-and-white patterns at the seams were continuous and smooth, and what was even more astonishing was that the patina luster on the entire porcelain surface, whether in the original parts or the repaired parts, showed almost no difference.

That warm, restrained sense of antiquity was perfectly integrated, as if it had never experienced shattering, as if this object had always been complete.

Su Huairen stared at it for a long time without saying a word.

His eyes were actually slightly red.

Seventy years. He had walked this path of antiques for seventy years, having seen countless broken objects reborn in the hands of restoration experts, and also seen countless objects that left regrets after restoration.

He had never seen anyone be able to bring a restored piece to such a level in such a short time.

"Little Hu..."

His voice trembled slightly, "Who did you learn this method from?"

Hu Tian shook his head calmly and said indifferently: "I didn't learn it from anyone; I figured it out myself."

Su Huairen opened his mouth, and after a long time, he sighed slowly.

Jiang Peiyuan patted Su Huairen's shoulder gently, then looked at Hu Tian, his eyes carrying an indescribable complex emotion—amazement, admiration, and a hint of subtle curiosity.

"Little Hu, with this technique, you haven't just restored a cultural relic."

Pausing for a moment, Jiang Peiyuan then slowly continued, "With this technique, you've opened a new path."

Hu Tian did not answer; he just gently placed the restored porcelain cup back on the table, took a step back, and watched it quietly.

Under the light, the Ming Xuande blue-and-white porcelain cup, which had weathered hundreds of years of vicissitudes, now presented itself before everyone in a near-complete state, exuding the tranquility and depth belonging to its era.

Fang Jiye stood on the side, silent for a long while, finally just exhaled gently and murmured: "This... this is truly the most amazing restoration technique I have ever seen."

Li Hao stood nearby, looking at the porcelain cup on the table and then at Hu Tian, grinning with a somewhat silly smile.