Of course, Master Chen thought Li Younan was telling an amusing joke.
These young people playing around with self-media are really interesting. Why couldn’t he come up with such a funny joke?
Also, "Where to sign up to restore national treasures"? Can the words "national treasure" and "sign up" even be used together?
But he quickly felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange because his granddaughter and Xiaozhang from the office didn’t laugh; instead, they looked a bit surprised.
Surprise was reasonable, but the problem was, his granddaughter then asked very seriously, "Besides painting, do you know anything else?"
This statement left Master Chen a bit puzzled for a moment. What does "besides painting" mean?
At this point, he suddenly noticed the replica already completed on the table. With a hint of surprise in his eyes, he picked up this practice imitation and compared it with the genuine piece right beside it: "Hm? When was this made? This painting... Hmm, not bad, you’ve grasped the technique somewhat, though the base needs a bit more improvement."
Chen Nuonuo shook her head: "No, Grandpa."
She said sheepishly, "This was painted by him."
As she spoke, she pointed at Li Younan.
Master Chen was taken aback and looked toward Li Younan.
Li Younan calmly said, "Master Chen, to be honest, besides being a self-media blogger, I dabble in pottery, carving, and painting skills in my spare time, and I have a particular interest in intangible cultural heritage. You might not know me, but CCTV once reported on me because of intangible cultural heritage."
In fact, it was after returning to China that Li Younan found out he had accidentally been featured on CCTV.
One has to admit, even for someone like Li Younan who doesn’t chase fame and fortune, this is quite an exhilarating thing.
This was the time to bring it out openly for a bit of showing off.
After listening to Li Younan’s account, Master Chen blinked and asked tentatively, "Young man, what did you... major in?"
Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.
At this moment, Master Chen was placing a third, quite challenging genuine porcelain piece on the table. He then took out a modern, technologically produced mold that was identical in shape from a box and had Li Younan try to replicate the pattern and colors of this genuine piece.
And beside him, Chen Nuonuo was excitedly holding Li Younan’s filming equipment, capturing this scene.
Li Younan picked up the genuine piece and carefully observed it.
It was a traditional Jingdezhen pastel porcelain jar, with overall fading, glaze loss, and even a chipped edge at one section, with a fine crack at the handle.
Overall, replicating this porcelain jar would be extremely difficult.
Master Chen said seriously, "If you can replicate this craft this quickly, then I would have to call you a master too."
This statement was not exaggeration, because when he was learning his craft, his teacher gave him this very porcelain jar as an assignment.
Back then, he spent more than a month seriously studying how to mix color components, how to replicate the crack, how to handle the faded areas, and how to mimic the glaze loss.
Of course, if he were to do it now, it definitely wouldn’t take as long.
On one hand, with current technological advances, many high-tech methods can be used for restoration, significantly reducing time; on the other hand, his current experience enables him to quickly find solutions.
However, regardless of technology, to truly replicate this item some steps can’t be mechanized. If he were to do it now, it would take about three days.
Just then, upon hearing Chen Nuonuo say that it only took Li Younan a few dozen minutes to complete the color mixing and painting on a previous bowl, reaching a 99% similarity that could fool the average person, Master Chen was skeptical.
Not to be outdone, Master Chen immediately gave Li Younan several difficult challenges, all about painting, with increasing difficulty.
Unexpectedly, Li Younan wasn’t fazed at all and got straight to work, quickly providing answers.
The key was that Li Younan wasn’t trying and adjusting colors as he went, nor did he consult any references in advance.
He confidently mixed those colors as if his mind contained the exact ratios of every color composition.
And his painting skills were astonishingly high, embodying the phrase "confidence in one’s craft."
Throughout this process, Master Chen was continuously astounded.
The saying goes that outsiders watch the show, but insiders see the technique. As someone deeply immersed in the craft of restoring porcelain, especially the art of painting ceramics, he knew that reaching Li Younan’s level would require at least ten years of dedicated training.
The more he watched, the more he was amazed, hence bringing out this most difficult challenge.
This task was no longer just about painting but truly replicating a challenging genuine piece.
While the shaping was the first step, all the other processes were included.
If Li Younan indeed could replicate this with a lifelike, undistinguishable result, he could immediately start a career in porcelain restoration.
At this moment, Li Younan had observed enough and was thoroughly prepared.
He told Master Chen, "I think I’ve found the method, but this can’t be done in just one or two hours."
Master Chen chuckled to himself: It takes me three days, so if this boy were to finish in just an hour or two, that would be really embarrassing.
But he kept a serious expression and asked, "How long do you think you’ll need?"
Li Younan held up three fingers.
Master Chen’s eyelid twitched immediately.
Three days?
For a moment, there was even a bit of surprise. If Li Younan could really replicate this piece of porcelain within three days, then his skill might even surpass his own, because it’s important to know that it was Li Younan’s first time dealing with this piece.
Li Younan frowned slightly: "Three days? No, no, no, it won’t take that long. I mean... maybe a bit more than three hours."
Master Chen’s expression instantly froze.
Ah?
Three hours later, it was already evening.
Unknowingly, Li Younan had stayed in the Forbidden City until dusk, which left him speechless.
He originally planned to check off those three destinations in the task for the day, but the whole day left him no time or chance. But it was okay; in the coming days, he would most likely be staying in the capital.
Li Younan politely bid farewell to Master Chen and Chen Nuonuo.
After he left, Master Chen slowly closed the door, needing to wrap things up, while Chen Nuonuo quietly squatted beside the table, looking at the nearly perfect replica made by Li Younan on the table.
She stared hard, making herself cross-eyed, then gently shook her head: "Grandpa, what do you think?"
Master Chen turned into Chen Momo, not speaking for a long time.
If it weren’t for the fact that smoking wasn’t allowed in the Forbidden City, he would surely have lit a Hongtashan cigarette to calm down.
He pulled a chair beside the table, sat down, pondered for a long time, then said, "I need to report this to the Director."
In the Director’s office, the Director hurried back, and Master Chen had been waiting for quite a while.
As soon as the Director came in, he changed into his work uniform and said, "Calling me back in such a hurry over the phone, what’s going on?"
"There’s something I must report to you in person."
"Oh, okay, go ahead."
"About the restoration of that revolving vase."
The Director immediately perked up, his expression invigorated, and laughed heartily, "Ah, you old Chen, I knew you’d have a way! Tell me, what’s the breakthrough?"
Master Chen shook his head: "It’s not that I have a breakthrough; I found someone. He might have a way to restore that revolving vase."
The Director’s expression became serious: "Which organization is he from?"
"He’s not from any organization, just a young man."
"A young man?"
"Is he in his thirties or forties?"
"In his twenties."
"What? In his twenties!?"
The Director raised his voice, "Old Chen, are you kidding me? You must know that to restore that revolving vase, the skills of ceramic patching, hollow carving, and famille rose painting all have to reach the pinnacle of mastery. Not to mention a young man in his twenties, even master craftsmen in their forties or fifties can’t find a suitable candidate. Even if he started practicing these three crafts from the womb, it’s impossible to reach that level!"
Master Chen sighed slightly: "Director, to be honest, I didn’t believe it at first either. But just in terms of famille rose painting, I can’t compare to him."
Hearing this, the Director’s smile suddenly froze.
Master Chen mainly focused on porcelain restoration, which itself had subdivisions into various crafts, with different craftsmen excelling in some aspects over others. Master Chen was most skilled in famille rose painting, ranking at least in the top three in the whole Forbidden City Museum.
If even he felt inferior, then the young man indeed had some skills.
The Director sat down and poured a cup of tea: "Tell me in detail, what happened?"
Master Chen recounted the day’s events to the Director in detail.
After hearing it all, the Director fell into a long silence, still shocked.
Without seeing it firsthand, it was truly hard to believe that someone so young could possess such skills.
He shook his head: "Alright, let’s tentatively believe that this young man truly has such skills. But that’s just with the skill of famille rose painting."
Master Chen said, "The young man claimed that he was also very good at carving and porcelain making. My thought is, let’s have Master Xu and Master Luo test him as well. If he truly has such abilities, then the restoration of our national treasure could be hopeful."
The Director’s eyes showed a glimmer of thought, weighing and contemplating. After thinking for a moment, he added: "What was that young man’s account name again?"
Master Chen was taken aback, then shook his head: "I really didn’t pay much attention; you might want to ask Xiaozhang in the office. He was the one who brought him in, so he should know."
A while later, the two old men were watching Li Younan’s videos on their phones.
After watching for a while, they exchanged puzzled looks—because on Li Younan’s short video platform, there were almost no videos showcasing these three skills.
However, due to their search, they found the CCTV news segment introducing Li Younan on the show "Alone in the Wilderness," where he created intricately carved and painted structures, promoting Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Both men couldn’t hide their shock.
The Director scratched his head: "Old Chen, do you think these young folks really had something unusual mixed into their milk powder that worked? How can they do everything? Have you ever seen anyone like this?"
Old Chen shook his head: "So, Director, what do you think we should do?"
The Director slowly put down his phone, then said twice in a row: "The young are to be reckoned with, indeed, the young are to be reckoned with."
Then, he looked at Old Chen, "Let’s do as you suggested. Contact Old Luo and Old Xu. The three of you come up with a plan tonight, and have that young man come over tomorrow for a proper assessment. If he truly possesses those skills, let him take charge of restoring our national treasure. I’ll handle reporting it to higher-ups."

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