Chapter 71

Chapter 71

On this day, Su Hua woke up early.

A driver took her to Tianshou Pavilion, located in the Antique City.

Tianshou Pavilion was an antique shop run by Hua Tianshou. It specialized in official kiln porcelain, bronzes, jades, scholar’s objects, and calligraphy and paintings.

Today was an auspicious day he had personally selected, suitable for the formal apprenticeship ceremony. The older generation placed great importance on such traditions.

For the occasion, he had even invited a witness: Qi Baisong.

When the auspicious hour arrived, Hua Tianshou sat regally in a huanghuali wood armchair in his office.

Qi Baisong announced in a clear voice, “The apprenticeship ceremony shall begin.”

Su Hua held her apprenticeship petition and read it aloud. Once finished, she performed a formal bow to Hua Tianshou and offered him tea as part of the ritual.

After drinking the tea she offered, Hua Tianshou placed the cup on a side table, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a red envelope to hand to her.

Su Hua was slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected that he would give her a red envelope while accepting her as his disciple.

“Thank you, Master,” she said, accepting it respectfully.

The red envelope was quite large and felt thick and substantial. Su Hua tucked it into her bag.

She then pulled another red envelope from her bag and offered it to Hua Tianshou with both hands. This was a card Gu Beixian had prepared for her before she left. It contained one million yuan, with the PIN written on it in advance.

Hua Tianshou stroked his beard and looked at the envelope without taking it. “I am taking you as my disciple purely because we share a common affinity. Skills are things you can’t bring with you at birth or take with you in death. My own descendants have no interest in learning, so being able to pass this on to you is our shared destiny.”

Su Hua turned a pleading gaze toward Qi Baisong, silently asking for his help.

Qi Baisong smiled as he took the red envelope and pressed it into Hua Tianshou’s hand. “I know you aren’t short on money, but this is a token of Xiao Su’s sincerity. Just take it. Once Xiao Su learns this craft from you, she’ll be able to earn even more in the future.”

Hua Tianshou couldn’t argue with that, so he accepted it with a chuckle.

Following that, Su Hua began her studies under him.

She already had a foundation, so she picked things up quickly. The steps for restoring ancient ceramics were similar to restoring ancient books and paintings. Both began with cleaning, followed by the actual restoration.

Once the ancient porcelain was fully assembled, the restorer would proceed with color matching, painting the cobalt blue or other colors, and finally glazing.

The art of restoring ancient ceramics was a comprehensive artistic creation involving modeling, sculpture, color theory, calligraphy, painting, and chemical engineering.

Technique was vital, but one also needed an artistic sensitivity toward colors and shapes.

Su Hua had studied the restoration of ancient paintings and calligraphy under her grandfather since childhood. She was particularly skilled at painting and copying, giving her a very strong artistic sensitivity. Hua Tianshou had taken her as a disciple precisely because he valued her talent in this area.

After teaching Su Hua the basic steps of ceramic restoration, he left her upstairs to practice while he went downstairs to have tea with a regular customer.

Su Hua was currently holding a piece of old porcelain used for practice, working on the cleaning steps.

A shop assistant came up to call her, saying that Elder Hua requested her presence.

Su Hua set down her work, washed her hands, and went downstairs.

When she reached the first floor, Hua Tianshou pointed to a Qing Dynasty Dragon-Pattern Vase held by a customer. He said to Su Hua, “Now, Master will teach you how to appraise treasures. Take a look first-is this Dragon-Pattern Vase a Da Kai Men piece?”

Da Kai Men was antique trade jargon meaning a genuine article with obvious authentic characteristics.

Su Hua walked over, but just as she was about to examine the Dragon-Pattern Vase, she realized the man looked very familiar.

He had a buzz cut, tanned skin, deep-set features, and a resolute, handsome face. He was tall, rugged, and striking.

It was actually Gu Jinyao.

She exclaimed in surprise, “Mr. Gu, what are you doing here?”
Upon seeing Su Hua, a flicker of surprise flashed in Gu Jinyao’s eyes, though his expression remained composed.

He gave a faint smile and asked, “What are you doing here in Elder Hua’s shop? I recall you were working at Gubaozhai before.”

Su Hua’s lips curved upward. “I just formally acknowledged Elder Hua as my Master today.”

Gu Jinyao was even more astonished. “Not long ago, I wanted to become his disciple, but he refused to take me. To think he’s accepted you… it seems you carry quite a bit of weight.”

Hua Tianshou stroked his beard and said leisurely, “Taking a disciple is all about affinity. The moment I saw Xiao Su, I knew she was meant to be my student.”

Gu Jinyao’s lips twitched into a smile. “You always have your reasons, Elder. Su Hua, come and take a look at this Dragon-Pattern Vase.”

“Alright.”

Su Hua put on a pair of white gloves from the shop. She carefully took the Dragon-Pattern Vase from his hands and placed it onto the velvet cloth on the counter.

She picked up a magnifying glass and began to study it with professional poise.

As she examined it, she commented, “This Dragon-Pattern Vase has a beautiful shape and a full, rich glaze. The dragon depicted is finely detailed, and the scales look lifelike. You can tell the artist was incredibly skilled.”

She then checked the bottom of the vase. “It’s an official kiln piece from the Kangxi period, written in regular script. The aging marks on the base are very natural. It should be a genuine Da Kai Men piece.”

Her expertise lay in the restoration of ancient calligraphy and paintings. Although she was just beginning to delve into ancient ceramics and didn’t know much yet, she could guess about seventy or eighty percent of the truth just by looking at the brushwork and the glaze.

Hua Tianshou’s eyes brightened. He gave her a thumbs-up and praised, “Look at that! My disciple has only been under my wing for a day and she’s already ready to graduate.”

Su Hua laughed. “Master, please don’t tease me. I was just talking nonsense.”

The group sat and drank tea for a while before Gu Jinyao had to leave.

The reason he had brought the Dragon-Pattern Vase today was because of a crack on the rim; he had come to ask Hua Tianshou to restore it.

Su Hua remembered the Withered Tree and Cold Crows Painting she had done for him. It was finished and sitting in the trunk of her car.

She decided to take this opportunity to give it to him, saving her the trouble of finding another time later.

She stood up and said, “I’ll see you out.”

Gu Jinyao’s stern, cold features softened. He looked at her and said, “Alright.”

The two walked out one after the other. Su Hua walked to the rear of her car and used her key to open the trunk.

She leaned over, picked up a wrapped scroll from inside, and handed it to Gu Jinyao.

As Gu Jinyao reached out to take it, his fingers accidentally brushed against hers.

A wave of numbness prickled his fingertips, as if a strange electric current had surged through his heart.

He froze for a moment, standing still. The gaze he leveled at Su Hua was filled with an overwhelming tenderness that he couldn’t pull away.

Liking someone is impossible to hide. The person involved might be blind to it, but to an outsider, it is clear as day.

Not far away, the driver-who was smoking under the shade of a tree-witnessed the scene.

He grabbed his phone, quickly snapped a photo, and sent it to Gu Beixian.

Gu Beixian had specifically ordered this, and the driver didn’t dare disobey.

When Gu Beixian received the message, he was sitting at his desk reviewing documents.

Hearing the WeChat notification, he picked up his phone and opened it.

He glanced at the photo. His face remained uncannily calm, showing not a single ripple of emotion. Only the depths of his eyes held a very faint trace of mockery.

Setting the phone down, he picked up the document he hadn’t finished and continued reading. Once done, he signed his name in a bold, flowing script and put it back in its place.

Then, with a sudden sweep of his arm, he shoved every document on the desk onto the floor.