Chapter 75

Chapter 75

After taking a day to rest and recover, Su Hua returned to Tianshou Pavilion.

In the morning, Hua Tianshou focused on teaching her the fundamental skills of the trade, specifically how to properly clean ancient ceramics.

The process required the use of specialized chemical reagents. Su Hua had to learn everything from the specific types of chemicals to the precise mixing ratios required for different materials.

While Su Hua might not have been particularly adept when it came to the complexities of romance and love, she possessed an extraordinary natural talent for these technical crafts. She understood every concept the moment it was explained to her.

It seemed God was fair when creating people; it was impossible for anyone to be absolutely perfect in every aspect of life.

Su Hua remained busy throughout the entire morning.

Time seemed to fly by as she worked.

After they finished lunch, Hua Tianshou insisted on taking her to the antique shop next door to pay a social visit.

Su Hua did not dare to ignore her Master’s wishes, so she followed him along.

As soon as they stepped through the entrance, Hua Tianshou raised his voice and let out a loud shout: “Old Chu! Chu Daisong! Get down here this instant! I want to introduce my new disciple to you!”

His voice was so booming and resonant that it could be heard clearly on both the upper and lower floors.

Hearing the commotion, Chu Daisong emerged from the appraisal room on the second floor. He held onto the railing and slowly made his way down the stairs.

Su Hua looked at him closely.

Chu Daisong appeared to be around the same age as Hua Tianshou, likely somewhere in his eighties.

He was dressed in a white silk exercise suit, and his hair was a stark, silvery white.

Although his face was etched with many deep wrinkles, his eyes remained incredibly bright and sharp when he looked at someone.

In his hand, he was expertly rolling two walnut baubles that had been polished to a high, oily gloss through years of handling.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, Hua Tianshou pushed Su Hua toward him. In a clearly boastful tone, he said, “Old Chu, this is the new closed-door disciple I’ve taken on, Su Hua. She is also the biological granddaughter of the ‘Restoration Master’ Su Wenmai. A true genius of a girl.”

Su Hua gave him a small, whispered reminder: “Master, I am twenty-three this year. I’m not really a ‘girl’ anymore.”

Hua Tianshou shot her a quick glance. “In my eyes, you are a girl, and you will always be a little girl.”

Chu Daisong studied Su Hua with a beaming smile. He stroked his chin and praised, “This disciple of yours is excellent. Her appearance is quite similar to how Qinwan looked when she was young.”

Qinwan referred to Hua Qinwan, Hua Tianshou’s eldest daughter.

Upon hearing the name “Qinwan,” Hua Tianshou’s eyes turned slightly red, and his mood visibly plummeted.

He let out a heavy sigh and said, “It is a pity for that child. If she hadn’t suffered such a trauma, she would be a healthy and whole person today.”

Chu Daisong also let out a sigh of agreement. “Indeed, who could say otherwise?”

Hua Tianshou glanced at Su Hua, his eyes growing even more bloodshot with emotion. “The baby girl that Qinwan had during her second pregnancy… if she hadn’t died so young, she would be about the same age as Su Hua is now. What a tragedy.”

Chu Daisong’s eyes also grew misty. “A tragedy indeed.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very heavy and somber.

The group sat down in silence.

A shop assistant brought out tea for them.

The two old men sat in their traditional armchairs with their eyelids drooping, lost in their memories of the past, neither of them speaking a word.

The thick, heavy silence made the entire room feel incredibly oppressive.

Su Hua picked up a teacup and handed it to Hua Tianshou, saying in a gentle voice, “Master, please have some tea.”

Seeing how gentle and well-behaved she was, Hua Tianshou’s earlier grief seemed to dissipate.

He took the teacup from her hands, took a slow sip, and said to Chu Daisong, “Don’t be fooled by the fact that my disciple’s background is in restoring ancient books and paintings. She is incredibly bright and can even appraise porcelain. If you don’t believe me, you can test her yourself.”

This was the true purpose behind him bringing Su Hua here today.

He wanted to show off his disciple.

To put it simply: disciple-flaunting.

Other elderly people their age had already started flaunting their great-grandsons and great-granddaughters.

Hua Tianshou didn’t have any of those to brag about for the time being, but he had a disciple he could be proud of, and he was certainly going to flaunt her.

Chu Daisong remained skeptical. He called for his assistants to bring over several “old” items.

Among them were genuine antiques as well as modern craft pieces that were faked to look like ancient artifacts. He wanted Su Hua to identify them.

The shop assistants each held one “antique” and stood in a line in front of Su Hua.

Su Hua took a Qing Dynasty Dragon-Pattern Vase from the first assistant.

With just a quick look, she pointed at the dragon depicted on the vase and said, “The scales on this dragon weren’t painted with much skill, and there is also a problem with the way the claws were drawn.”

Her meaning was clear: it was a fake at first sight.

It wasn’t a real antique, but a modern piece that had been artificially aged.

Hua Tianshou stroked his beard and shot a triumphant look at Chu Daisong. “Well? Isn’t my disciple impressive?”

“Don’t be in such a rush. It’s possible she just happened to guess correctly,” Chu Daisong said, looking at Su Hua with a meaningful expression.

He felt that there was no way such a young girl could be that skilled. He was convinced that Old Hua was just bragging.

Su Hua then took a sky-blue lotus bowl from the second assistant.

After only a single glance, she spoke up.

She said, “This bowl follows the style of the Northern Song Ru Kiln, yet it features the ‘crackled’ glaze characteristic of the Ge Kiln.”

In other words: it was a fake.

Hua Tianshou clicked his tongue in admiration.

Aiming another look at Chu Daisong, he said with great pride, “This girl only officially became my disciple yesterday, and I have only taught her how to clean porcelain so far. But look at her-she understands everything. She even knows about the Ru and Ge kilns.”

Su Hua gave a slight smile. “My grandfather’s home had many books on these subjects. I’ve loved reading them since I was a child, so I committed the details to memory.”

Chu Daisong smacked his lips. “Old Hua, what are you so proud of? That is the result of Su Wenmai’s hard work. What does it have to do with you?”
His tone was thick with disdain.

Hua Tianshou was stung by the dismissal.

He slammed his hand onto the table. “I don’t care! Anyway, Su Hua is my disciple now. Having such an outstanding student makes me proud! It makes me honored!”

Su Hua couldn’t help but chuckle.

She hadn’t expected Hua Tianshou to have this kind of personality.

He was extroverted, flamboyant, and assertive-very much like a mischievous old child.

He was the polar opposite of her grandfather, who had been low-key, reserved, and solemn.

Su Hua took a Long-necked Gourd Vase from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty from the third assistant.

Without even looking closely, she pointed at the pattern on it.

“The oil colors used here are modern chemical pigments,” she said.

She turned it over and checked the base of the bottle.

“The characters on the mark are too mechanical; they were printed on.”

The look in Chu Daisong’s eyes shifted.

It was no longer a look of contempt or suspicion.

Instead, it was one of genuine admiration.

Su Hua then picked up a Celadon-glazed Small Water Jar from the Ming-Qing period from the fourth assistant.

In ancient times, a water jar was known as a “Water Pourer.”

Its primary purpose was to add water to an inkstone.

Small, exquisite, and highly ornamental, it was also known as the Fifth Treasure of the Study.

As soon as Su Hua touched it, her eyes lit up.

She said, “This is a genuine antique. It feels very smooth. Over time, the porcelain has become jade-like.”

A brilliant light immediately flashed in Chu Daisong’s eyes.

He gave her a thumbs-up and praised her repeatedly. “Good, good! This girl is so naturally gifted-far better than Suosuo. That girl only knows how to fly to Paris and London every day for fashion shows. She buys pile after pile of designer clothes and bags. When I ask her to learn antique restoration and appraisal from me, she refuses to learn no matter what, saying it’s a job only for old fogies.”

Hearing the name “Suosuo” out of the blue made Su Hua’s heart skip a beat.

She suddenly realized that Chu Daisong was Chu Suosuo’s grandfather.

If Chu Suosuo knew her grandfather was talking about her like this behind her back, she would probably be fuming.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

On this day, Hua Tianshou dragged Su Hua along to visit Chu Daisong again.

Though he called it a visit, it was really just an excuse to show off his disciple.

Since becoming Hua Tianshou’s disciple, Su Hua had to do more than just learn the craft.

She also had to accompany her Master to various antique shops every few days.

She walked slowly behind him, cradling a freshly restored Five-Colored Plum Blossom Pattern Yuhuchun Vase.

She was incredibly reluctant in her heart.

Having grown up by her grandfather’s side, she had developed a reserved and modest nature.

She truly didn’t want to follow her Master around to brag everywhere.

However, seeing the old man’s high spirits, Su Hua didn’t dare disobey her Master’s orders.

The two arrived at Chu Daisong’s Daisong Studio.

Chu Daisong was sitting by the window, sipping tea.

Hua Tianshou pointed at the Yuhuchun Vase in Su Hua’s arms and said, “Old Chu, this is the first vase my disciple has restored. It was shattered into nineteen pieces, yet she managed to make it look flawless. She’s only been learning for two short months and can already reach this level. None of your disciples could do that, right?”

After being crushed repeatedly for over two months, Chu Daisong had grown used to it.

He lifted his eyelids slightly but remained silent.

After a moment, he picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and said to Su Hua, “Girl, I specialize in the restoration of Bronze Ware. If you’re interested, come find me after you’ve finished your apprenticeship. I’ll teach you personally.”

Before Su Hua could even speak, Hua Tianshou rushed to intervene.

“No way! Hua’er is my disciple. Old Chu, you’re being underhanded, trying to steal my disciple right in front of me. How can you do something so wicked?”

Chu Daisong curled his lip, too lazy to argue with him.

If Old Man Hua could snatch Su Wenmai’s prize student, why couldn’t he take a disciple of his own?

Creak!

The glass door was suddenly pushed open.

A flashy young woman walked in.

The woman was dressed in high-end designer labels and ten-centimeter heels, clutching an incredibly expensive Ostrich Leather Bag.

Before she even reached them, the cloyingly sweet scent of expensive perfume wafted into the room.

Su Hua glanced back over her shoulder.

It was Chu Suosuo.

A faint smile played on Su Hua’s lips.

Chu Suosuo swayed her slender waist as she walked toward the tea table, calling out sweetly, “Grandpa, Grand-”

When her gaze landed on Su Hua, Chu Suosuo froze instantly, and the rest of her words died in her throat.

It took a long while before she could make a sound.

“Su… Su Hua? What are you doing here?”

Hua Tianshou stood up and patted Su Hua’s shoulder. He introduced her with a beaming smile, “Come, Suosuo, let Grandpa introduce you. This is the final disciple I took on two months ago-the genius girl, Su Hua.”

Thud!

The bag in Chu Suosuo’s hand hit the floor.

Her face turned deathly pale.