I'm full of rebellion against fate

Chapter 439 Excavation and Restoration

"Go ahead and dream!"

Dongfang He was so angry that he woke up. Chang Ningchen also woke up quickly to comfort the man. He said, "Feng Bingyan is already dead. Don't be angry with him. Just let him go!"

That guy was still thinking about Chang Ningchen at the end, it was so infuriating! Dongfang He was still very angry.

Seeing Dongfang He like this, Chang Ningchen took the initiative to kiss him on the cheek and said, "Don't look at anything else later. I will accompany you well tonight."

With Chang Ningchen's assurance, Dongfang He was instantly happy. Seeing that it was still early, he pulled the man to kiss him.

Chang Ningchen couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Dongfang He was becoming more and more childish. You know how steady he was when they first met!

Dongfang He was hugging someone with a sweet heart. Chang Ningchen was becoming more and more gentle! You know, when they first met, he was so irritable!

Chang Ningchen came to this site and worked for years. Then he suddenly thought of the main thing and asked, "Whose tomb are we digging?"

Dongfang He didn't stop his work, as if he didn't hear Chang Ningchen's question.

Chang Ningchen looked at Dongfang He and asked again.

Dongfang He sighed and said, "We are digging Cao Gong's tomb."

"puff!"

What the hell?! Cao Ah Man! Chang Ningchen's mouth dropped open in shock. Then he asked, "Then how long will we finish digging?"

Dongfang He shook his head and said, "It wasn't healed when I came through here, and it's only recently discovered. I guess it'll take a long time to dig it out, so let's dig slowly!"

According to legend, after Cao A'man died, his son Cao Zihuan followed his will and opened all the gates of Yecheng on the day of the funeral. He ordered people to carry 72 coffins out of the city from the east, west, south and north and bury them separately.

However, although this had some effect, it was not significant, because Cao Gong's tomb had been looted many times in history, resulting in the destruction or loss of many important cultural relics.

The cultural relics in Cao Gong's tomb were severely damaged. The gui, bi, and ding that symbolized his lofty status were all smashed, the stone tablets were broken and incomplete, the weapons were destroyed, and the skull and face were damaged.

These destructions could be the work of modern tomb robbers, or they could be the evil deeds of ancient tomb robbers. Stealing burial objects is one thing, but they also slap Cao Gong in the face!

Cao Gong's tomb faces west and east at a direction of 110 degrees. Its plane is in the shape of a Chinese character "甲". It is a multi-chamber brick vaulted tomb consisting of a tomb passage, a tomb door, a sealing wall, a corridor, front and rear main chambers and four side chambers. It was discovered in 2006.

It was discovered because of a tomb robbery hole. In the following years, it was often visited by tomb robbers, so rescue excavations were started. Only then did experts confirm that this was the tomb of Cao Gong!

Because of this, there was a saying that went around in those years: "Talk about Cao Cao, and Cao Cao's tomb will be robbed."

Dongfang He asked curiously, "When we were discussing secret codes before, you said Cao Cao rode a camel in battle. Why is that?"

Chang Ningchen smiled and said, "I saw this on an entertainment program. It made a lasting impression on me, so I used it as a code."

Dongfang He was a little speechless after hearing Chang Ningchen's explanation, but they had experienced so many worlds together, so he was no longer surprised by Chang Ningchen's abstraction.

In addition to excavation work, archaeological work also includes the restoration of cultural relics. The restoration of various cultural relics is different. Bronze, lacquerware, silk, bamboo slips, pottery, etc. are all restored by specialized personnel.

For example, the restoration of some bronze artifacts requires the use of chemical agents and physical tools to remove harmful rust and glue together the jagged cracks. For inscriptions or patterns, existing ones need to be protected, damaged ones need to be repaired, and worn ones need to be restored.

In order to make the overall tone of the cultural relics consistent and as close as possible to their appearance when they were unearthed, and to cover up the traces of restoration, the last step in the restoration of most cultural relics is usually "aging and coloring".

In the field of cultural relics restoration, the effect of "aging and coloring" is also an important criterion for judging cultural relics restoration skills.

The restoration of ancient ceramics generally requires more than ten steps including testing, cleaning, reinforcement, bonding, and patching. Coloring and aging is the last step, and it is also a very meticulous job. It requires not only superb skills, but also keen observation and analysis capabilities of colors.

Lacquerware restoration requires the use of raw lacquer, which is toxic. It contains urushiol, benzoquinone and other toxic substances. These substances can be absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes, causing acute poisoning. In severe cases, they can lead to respiratory failure or even death. Traditional Chinese medicine calls this "lacquer sore."

Almost everyone is allergic to raw lacquer. There's no cure for this allergic reaction; the only option is to endure it until the body has fully adapted and developed antibodies to combat the allergic reaction. This is a difficult hurdle most lacquerware restorers must overcome.

Restoring bamboo slips demands patience and experience. Each slip must be washed with pure water to remove any surface stains. Then, with a fine brush tip, the stains are gently touched to the slip's surface, allowing the running water to remove them. This skill alone requires years of practice, so don't take it lightly. A single mistake could mean the disappearance of an ancient character.

For archaeology, every word is a heritage of civilization, and the bamboo slips carrying countless characters are also cultural treasures that have spanned thousands of years.

Then our descendants will be surprised to find that the Analects they need to memorize has been serialized! Many books written thousands of years ago have been published in supplementary chapters and extended and revised editions, and there is more and more content to memorize!

Any broken cultural relics found must be numbered and sent for repair. This is because of disasters and catastrophes such as fire, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, water level changes, floods, tsunamis and other natural disasters.

In addition, cultural relics may be damaged due to time or changes in material, causing them to break or crack, which increases the difficulty of restoring them.

"What's even more despicable is that tomb robbers' destruction of burial objects also increases the difficulty of restoring cultural relics. It's fine to read tomb-robbing novels, but don't try to imitate them.

The kings of a thousand years ago were no pushovers either. Quicksand tombs, poison gas tombs, and mercury tombs are all terrifying. Furthermore, public security agencies are waiting for them. Therefore, a gentleman who loves wealth must earn it in a proper way.

Chang Ningchen looked at Dongfang He and started his nagging education again. Dongfang He nodded repeatedly. He was also shocked after seeing so many tombs.

It is heartbreaking to see the tomb full of holes dug out by robbers, the burial objects looted, the murals dug out, the utensils smashed, and the bones of the tomb owner scattered everywhere.

After Dongfang He got the golden finger that allowed him to go to any cemetery, he could go to any tomb he wanted. He was much freer than tomb robbers. He could see all kinds of amazing treasures every day. If he couldn't see enough, he could go to the museum.

It’s just that they haven’t visited Sanxingdui yet, they can go and see it next month! Dongfang He took Chang Ningchen’s hand and smiled at him.

Chang Ningchen pulled his hand back. He always felt that Dongfang He's smile had some ill intentions.