Yang Zhao had been staying at home for three days, and she felt in a daze that she might have to stay with this broken bowl for the rest of her life.
Most of her repair work has been done, and the bowl has been with her for two months.
In fact, strictly speaking, the value of this bowl is not high, at most tens of thousands of dollars, but Xue Miao is willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair it. Two months ago, Xue Miao came to her with this badly damaged pottery bowl and asked her to help repair it. At that time, she was dealing with a Ming Dynasty landscape painting that Xue Miao had given her before. Yang Zhao glanced at the bowl, and said to Xue Miao, "You are getting more and more tasteless."
Xue Miao walked into the living room. He was exhausted after two days and two nights of driving in suits and leather shoes. He flew from California to this small city in northern China, but he always paid attention to his appearance. He sat gracefully on the sofa in the living room.
"Sometimes, the value of things can't just look at the surface."
Yang Zhao put down the small brush in his hand and turned to look at Xue Miao.
"Do you want to tell me that there is a treasure map of a famous ancient tomb hidden in this bowl?"
Xue Miao raised her head and let out a laugh.
"Xiao Zhao, I like your sense of humor."
Yang Zhao didn't bother to talk to him, and turned back to work.
Xue Miao stood up and walked behind Yang Zhao. He raised a hand and gently grabbed Yang Zhao's wrist.
This action is worth studying.
In Yang Zhao's peripheral vision, Xue Miao's fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles. She glanced blankly and said, "In our industry, the most taboo thing is to grab someone's hand." Yang Zhao glanced at Xue Miao, "Especially when you're working."
Xue Miao shrugged innocently.
Yang Zhao put down the small brush, stood up straight and faced Xue Miao.
"Tell me, what's going on."
Xue Miao looked down at Yang Zhao.
"It's hard to say."
"That's a long story short."
Xue Miao talked for a long time, and Yang Zhao got the general idea.
In fact, despite Xue Miao's affectionate description, the story can be summed up in just one sentence - this bowl belongs to Xue Miao's grandma, and when Xue Miao and his wife quarreled, they accidentally served as something to vent their anger.
It may seem strange to others. Although this bowl is not a valuable cultural relic, it is still an antique. Even if you want to vent your anger, you should smash something worthless.
This cannot be blamed on Xue Miao, Yang Zhao once went to Xue Miao's half-mountain villa, and a spittoon in his house was priceless, so it was already deliberate to smash a pottery bowl in a quarrel.
"If it's broken, it's broken. Just pay for a more valuable one."
"No, no, no," Xue Miao shook her head and said, "My lovely Xiao Zhao, you are still too young to understand that the most valuable thing in this world is actually feelings. That pottery bowl has carried my grandmother's emotions for most of her life. is priceless."
Yang Zhao snorted and said, "So you smashed it."
Xue Miao was stuck.
"It was an accident. Everyone is inevitably emotional. It is not surprising that you smashed anything when you are emotional."
Yang Zhao said, "Why didn't you 'accidentally' smash that emerald bottle in your bedroom."
In Xue Miao's bedroom, there is a jade vase with animal face patterns from the Qing Dynasty. It is a treasure that Xue Miao just bought.
Xue Miao said: "I am in a passionate relationship with her, you can't make me a cruel man."
Yang Zhao sneered, "There are many restorers, don't expect me to give up this painting to repair that bowl without oil and water."
Xue Miao smiled softly: "No matter how many restorers there are, I will only trust you. You know that I have a cleansing habit and I don't like messy people touching my things."
Yang Zhao crossed his arms and looked at him coldly.
Xue Miao: "Two hundred thousand."
Yang Zhao raised his eyebrows, the price was very high, much higher than the painting in her hand.
"It seems that this bowl is really important."
Xue Miao shook her head in pain, "My grandmother is almost ninety years old, I'm afraid she won't be able to stand this stimulation, and then I will become a sinner of the family."
Yang Zhao said, "Add a holiday."
As soon as the conditions were discussed, Xue Miao's shrewd eyes returned.
"Holidays? Do you want a vacation? Do you know how fierce the competition in this year's antique auction is? The market is so good, yet you actually ask me for a vacation at this time, Xiao Zhao, don't be so cruel."
Yang Zhao said, "I haven't had a vacation for two years."
Xue Miao said: "What do you want to do on vacation, I have never seen where you go to play."
Yang Zhaojing calmed down and said, "I need this vacation. My younger brother is in the third year of high school this year and will take the college entrance examination next year, but he is not ready. I need to find time to talk to him."
Xue Miao said, "How long will it take?"
Yang Zhao said, "Two months."
"Two months!?" Xue Miao took a deep breath and commented, "It was really a long conversation."
Yang Zhao said, "Two months, if you don't give it, then find someone else to fix it."
Xue Miao walked around the living room, finally leaned against the table and said, "One hundred and fifty thousand, plus two months of vacation."
Yang Zhao narrowed his eyes.
"You profiteer."
Xue Miao smiled lightly, "You are not suitable for negotiating terms with others. What you want is too obvious. I bet even if I don't give you a penny, as long as I have two months of vacation, you will still repair it for me." .”
Yang Zhao turned around and ignored him.
Xue Miao walked behind Yang Zhao, who had a tall figure unique to mixed-race children, and gently embraced Yang Zhao in his arms.
"But I still have to pay you, Xiao Zhao, I am a generous man."
Xue Miao was sprayed with high-end perfume, the smell was very weak, but it lingered around her all the time. Yang Zhao turned around in his arms, pointed his fingers at his chest, and pushed him away.
"I hope you will be more generous to your wife."
Xue Miao chuckled, "It's not that I'm not magnanimous, Xiao Zhao, the arrogance and self-righteous nature of Caucasians, I have a generation gap with them."
Yang Zhao heheed twice, and stopped talking.
Fortunately, Xue Miao was also tired, so he went to the wine rack and took a look at the bottle of wine.
"Can I drink?"
Yang Zhao said, "As you wish."
Xue Miao said okay, then opened the wine, he took a shower first, drank a glass of wine after coming out, and then went into the guest room to sleep in a daze.
Since Yang Zhao moved here, every time Xue Miao came to see her, she would not stay in a hotel, but directly at her home.
Having said that, after Xue Miao sent the bowl, he returned to the United States the next day, but he kept calling every two days to track the restoration of the bowl in all directions.
Yang Zhao yawned and raised his head, it was already dark outside. The weather is very gloomy today. Although it is only six o'clock, it is already like late at night.
It is not difficult to put the bowl together, but it is difficult to make it intact. Xue Miao didn't want her grandma to know that the bowl had been smashed to pieces like the rags on the street, so she asked Yang Zhao to be extra careful when mending the bowl of noodles.
The phone rang, and Yang Zhao answered it. It was a courier call.
This place is no different from the studio in the United States. There are many materials that are lacking. Every time she calls there, she prepares the things and mails them back to her.
On the phone, the courier told Yang Zhao that it was a bit late today, and the courier was not delivered, and if you want to deliver the goods to your door, you have to wait until tomorrow. Yang Zhao didn't want to wait, she urgently needed the paint to repair the pattern on the mouth of the bowl, so she decided to get it herself.
She got dressed and went out with her bag.
As soon as Yang Zhao stepped out of the apartment door, there was a flash of light in the sky, followed by a loud thunder, which was deafening.
Bean-sized raindrops fell drop by drop, and in the blink of an eye, the rain became heavier and heavier.
Yang Zhao looked at the door for a while, then turned around and went back to the house, took an umbrella and rushed into the rain. She didn't drive her own car. Huaken Jinzuo is not close to the express delivery point, and a section of the road is under construction. It is a low-lying area. If the rain keeps falling like this, the car will not be able to get through.
She hails a taxi at the door.
"Eleventh Express Delivery Point."
The driver pressed the meter and started driving towards the destination.
Raindrops hit the glass of the front window loudly. The driver was a little worried and said, "According to this method, after a while, there will be water under the overpass, and it will be difficult to go."
Yang Zhao hummed, "Master, please hurry up."
"I also want to hurry up, how do I go here?"
As the rain became heavier and heavier, Yang Zhao began to regret his behavior of going out. But she still wanted to get the materials.
The driver stopped at the last intersection.
"No, I can't go anymore, I have to turn around here. Girl, get out of the car, you don't have to give me the money."
Yang Zhao didn't say anything, he paid the price and got out of the car.
The moment the car door was opened, Yuhua rushed towards her, and Yang Zhaosan drove away before opening the car. The wind was very strong, the rain was flying around, and the umbrella didn't look the same. Within half a minute, Yang Zhao's body was already soaked.
Yang Zhao braved the storm and came to the courier point. The staff at the courier station were about to get off work. When they saw a dark figure rushing in, they were all startled.
Yang Zhao put away the umbrella.
"I'm here to pick up the courier."
A female staff member looked at her and said in disbelief, "It's raining so hard, so anxious."
Yang Zhao nodded, "It's an international one."
The staff led her to the room where the express mail was kept. There were not many international mail, so Yang Zhao quickly found it. A box, not small. Yang Zhao filled out the form and signed for it, then went out with the box in his arms.
It was already difficult for her to just hold the suitcase, let alone open the umbrella. Yang Zhao sighed, put the box at the door first, and went out to take a taxi by himself.
The rain was so heavy that he couldn't even open his eyes. Yang Zhao stood at the intersection and looked at the passing vehicles.
Her hand kept moving, but no one stopped. Yang Zhao was drenched all over, she put the umbrella in front of her face and ignored her body.
It was not easy for two cars to come. When the driver asked her the direction to Huaken, he shook his head and quit.
"There is already water under the bridge over there, so it's hard to walk."
"How can I go there now?"
Yang Zhao hugged his arms tightly. It was already very cold in September in the north, drenched by rain and blown by strong wind, Yang Zhao couldn't help sneezing.
Just when she was almost desperate, another car stopped in front of her.
The window was rolled down, and the driver froze for a moment when he saw her. Yang Zhao's lips were a little purple from the cold, and she asked the driver:
"Master, Huaken Golden Seat, are you going?"