Chapter 93
Editor: Princess
The workshop’s first appearance in the circle had to be executed beautifully.
This task was assigned to Gu Shaoyu to manage, while Shen You and the others hurried to complete the remaining work.
Several tempered glass display cases arrived today. By Friday, they would showcase not only antiques but also demonstrate their replicated craftsmanship. This section didn’t require finished products, so time was completely adequate.
Moreover, Shen You had authentic pieces for reference.
She retrieved several hairpieces and half-melted gold ingots from the safe.
Then the three of them divided the work: Yu Xiaosu and Cheng Liang handled basic tasks while she took care of the important parts.
This approach progressed much faster than working alone.
Shen You taught them the techniques she had acquired in the Great Qi Dynasty, holding nothing back. She had already made these methods public to museums.
She felt wthis was perfectly fine, however Yu Xiaosu and Cheng Liang remained excited for quite a while, even asking if they could post about it on social media.
“You can post, just don’t photograph the workshop’s interior.”
Her private collection exhibition hadn’t started yet, so it wasn’t convenient to reveal too much.
“Understood!”
Less than ten minutes after Yu Xiaosu posted, she received a message from her teacher.
“!!! Can you get me an invitation card too!”
Yu Xiaosu’s teacher, Yan Min, had seen part of an authentic piece’s enlarged details in the photo and immediately became interested in the workshop’s upcoming exhibition.
That was an incense ball. Modern versions of the same craft could be purchased online, but the ancient gold and silver refining processes differed from modern methods.
Those mass-produced crafts available in the market only resembled the originals in form but lacked the charm of ancient pieces.
Only antique restoration and replication would spare no expense in pursuing authentic craftsmanship.
The photo showed exactly that, plus it was an authentic piece! And it was an authentic piece preserved in such excellent condition.
It had likely been recently restored, right?
Private collection exhibitions typically invited people from within the circle, and invitation cards were usually not distributed in large quantities.
Yan Min knew this when he asked. If no invitation card was available, he would tag along with Professor Li!
He had already planned it out.
Yu Xiaosu couldn’t make the decision herself and asked Shen You.
“Having Associate Professor Yan attend would be an honor for the workshop.” Shen You had Gu Shaoyu add his name to the list.
Originally, she had planned to consult Professor Li about the guest list. Since this was Professor Li’s student who had taken the initiative to request an invitation, they naturally should provide one.
Around five in the afternoon, affected by the eastern typhoon, the heavy rain that had been brewing all day came pouring down.
The wind outside was too strong, blowing the rainwater into white mist.
Shen You wrapped the damaged carved wood in waterproof cloth and placed it in another waterproof bag.
“All doors and windows have been checked.” Cheng Liang ran over holding an umbrella, his back completely soaked.
“While the rain is lighter now, everyone should hurry home.” Gu Shaoyu looked at Shen You. “I’ll give them a ride.”
“Alright. Send a message in the group chat when you arrive.” After locking the door and informing Uncle Song at the gatehouse, Shen You carried the waterproof bag to the car.
Due to the bad weather, even the busiest section of the antique street had quieted down, with several shops closed.
Seeing that Shen You had arrived, the shop owner warmly welcomed her inside. After examining the items, he indicated that time was somewhat tight, and wooden restoration would inevitably leave traces.
This shop owner’s ancestors had been carving masters with deep expertise in wood and stone carvings for ancient buildings.
Shen You understood the situation and directly offered more money. “Please take extra care with this matter. We’ve set a date for the exhibition and can’t easily change it.”
“I’ll do my best to handle it well for you.” The owner gave his word, mainly because Shen You was genuinely generous, plus he had heard about the morning’s incident.
“I don’t know if I’m qualified to visit Xi Garden and take a look at your private exhibition.”
“You’re being too modest. I was already planning to ask when you’d be free to visit. The workshop’s exhibition will run for two days.”
Shen You showed him part of the guest list on her phone, indicating that his name had been written down long ago and wasn’t just added verbally to seek his repair services.
Seeing Shen You’s respectful attitude, the old master naturally felt pleased and refilled her tea several times.
After chatting in the shop for a while, Shen You said she needed to go home to cook dinner and took her leave.
Over the following week, aside from receiving and delivering goods, Shen You focused entirely on workshop matters.
Confirming the guest list for the exhibition took an entire day. While Gu Shaoyu mainly handled creating and mailing invitation cards, she also needed to stay informed about the situation.
*
This evening brought the final batch of goods.
Half belonged to Li Heng’s orders, while the rest were her own.
Two thousand sets of regular thermal wear and down jackets definitely wouldn’t be enough for sales. This was just the first batch delivered to Liu Zheng’s shop.
Shen You had just settled the previous shipment’s payment with the foreign trade company. Including transportation costs and various miscellaneous fees, plus her partner’s dividends, she had paid out over eight million yuan at once.
The foreign trade company would handle proper accounting records.
She still had tens of millions in cash in her accounts, with the gold and silver ingots stored in the cash register system barely touched.
Counting the gold bars and antiques, she was someone with assets worth seventy to eighty million yuan!
This didn’t even include the storage space, where unsellable items like the Ru kiln incense burner alone were worth ten million yuan.
When Wen Zhi arrived, Shen You was rubbing velvet strips on a wooden board. Basic work didn’t require worry about distraction, allowing her to watch videos simultaneously.
“I’ve already eaten dinner. There are fresh vegetables in the refrigerator. Just cook for yourself.”
He didn’t prepare new food but used Shen You’s leftover ingredients to cook a bowl of noodles.
Shen You opened her mouth to speak, then decided against it. As long as he didn’t mind that her cooking lacked aroma, color, and taste, it was fine.
“What are you doing?” Wen Zhi looked at the green silk thread velvet strips on the table and asked with curious eyes, “Making caterpillars?”
“…” Shen You looked puzzled. “Although… but… haven’t you seen women wearing these in the Great Qi Dynasty? These are velvet flowers!”
“I think I have.” Wen Zhi thought for a moment. However, he had only seen finished products, never anything like this.
“There’s something I need to tell you. Your Xi Garden was burglarized a few days ago. We recovered a carved wooden piece, but it got slightly damaged. I’ve already had it repaired though.”
Since the incident happened while the items were in her care, she definitely needed to inform the mansion’s owner clearly.
Wen Zhi merely responded indifferently with “It doesn’t matter.”
Just then, the wind chime sounded.
Shen You knew that Liu Zheng and Li Heng’s group had arrived, but thinking that they had probably seen Wen Zhi in the Great Qi Dynasty, she wasn’t clear about their political situation there,
So to avoid affecting her business negotiations, she could only push Wen Zhi’s back despite his unwilling expression, guiding him upstairs.
“Quick, go sit on the second floor for a while!”
Wen Zhi had just gone upstairs when the visitors entered.
Hearing footsteps from above, Li Heng’s expression froze for a moment, his eyes looking upward involuntarily.
The staircase was empty, but the sounds just now…
Miss Shen had another person here, and this person could access the upper floor, which should be Miss Shen’s living quarters.
Such special treatment made Li Heng feel stifled. He had never set foot on the second floor even once. Who was this person with the privilege to move so freely in Miss Shen’s shop?
Li Heng’s fingers tightened slightly. He wanted to ask but realized that asking about Miss Shen’s private affairs might displease her.
In the end, he didn’t speak up, although his eyes couldn’t help but glance toward the staircase several more times.