antique masters in modern times

Because too many reporters came to interview recently, Yinglao didn't show up at school these two days.And because Yanyou's identification of fakes is quite interesting, many people want to know how he did it, so many reporters want to ask him for an exclusive interview.

Fortunately, Yanyou left school to do fieldwork as soon as the term started, and students from other departments didn't know him.And the teachers and students in this department have already received the words of Mr. Ying, but whenever anyone inquires about him, they don't know anything.That's why Yan You can continue to attend class without interruption.

However, the reporters' pursuit of Mr. Ying left a deep impression on him, so he chose to leave early and return late these days to avoid being recognized on the road.

Early this morning, he got up and finished washing while it was still daylight.Just as he was about to leave after carrying his schoolbag, he saw Murong Hui, who was also neatly dressed, standing at the door with a smile on his face: "I remember you don't have classes until after ten o'clock, so I'll take you to a place first."

"Why, things have progressed? But didn't you say last night that you are waiting for Zhong to bow his head now?"

"It's not that, it's another matter. I have something to give you." Murong Hui leaned against the door frame, seemingly casually, but actually was so nervous that his palms were sweating slightly.

Yan You asked strangely, "What holiday is today?"

Afraid of Yan You's questioning to the end, Murong Hui simply took his schoolbag, grabbed his shoulders and walked out together: "You will know it when you see it."

"...Okay." Seeing that Murong Hui refused to say anything, Yan You didn't ask any more questions, but his heart became more and more curious.

Murong Hui also quietly breathed a sigh of relief: he had brought two gifts back to China, and he originally wanted to wait for the Mid-Autumn Festival to give them to Xiaoyan together, so as to win the praise of the full moon.Unexpectedly, being caught by the accident, the plan was aborted.He was not willing to wait until the incident was over, so he chose today, and quickly asked Xiaoyan out while he was free.This is a major event related to the happiness of the rest of my life, so I can't delay it.

"Put on a hard hat."

He even borrowed a motorcycle from Liang Guozu.He pulled out the helmet and put it on for Yan You before buckling it on for himself.

Yan You originally wondered if he had discovered some delicious breakfast shop, or a second-hand shop hidden in a small alley, but he didn't expect to ride a bicycle.Just as he was about to ask a question, Murong Hui's slender fingers brushed his cheek lightly when he was wearing his hatband. At that moment, he could clearly see the subtle and indescribable tenderness in his eyes.

...something seems to be wrong.

Yan You felt something touch quietly in his heart.But the motorcycle crossed one road after another, drove into another winding long alley, and parked steadily in front of an old mansion. During the short drive, he still couldn't figure out why.

The walls on both sides of the house can't be seen at a glance, it probably occupies an entire alley, which is quite large.It's just that the gate that has faded to gray red, the incomplete steps, and the green grass growing wildly on the wall all show that it has been abandoned by the owner for many years.

Murong Hui opened the door and introduced: "This is my family's old house in Forty-Nine City. It was not sold when I left, and I entrusted it to a few servants who were sent home to take care of the sweeping. But these years, they are all getting old. Grandpa I just sent a message back saying that I don’t need to clean it anymore. I came here a few days ago to clean it up a little bit, but it’s still messy, don’t mind it.”

He has always been careless and rarely speaks in such a cautious tone.The strange feeling in Yan You's heart came again, he didn't know how to answer the words for a moment, he was stunned for a while before he said: "...No."

Pushing open the creaking gate, stepping over the high threshold, Yan You looked around, and found that the house was bigger than he imagined.Judging from the layout of the front yard alone, there are at least four or five small courtyards in the back.Although the vermilion lacquer of the surrounding Xuanchuang corridors is mottled and heavily eroded by wind and rain, it can still be seen that the auspicious patterns carved on them are very delicate.

Although the flower wall and screen wall next to it have been destroyed, the pattern of the year can still be vaguely seen.It is not difficult to imagine how prosperous and beautiful the place was when the owner lived here.

"Come with me, over here."

Murong Hui led Yan You, along the passage that was barely cleared, passed through two courtyards, and finally stopped in front of a hall.

On the top of the hallway is an attic for storing sundries, and the bottom is dark and deep, with no daylight all year round, giving off a deep sense of coldness.

Murong Hui took out the flashlight that he had prepared long ago and tied it to his wrist, leaped forward, grabbed onto the beam above, stretched his toes straight, and kicked somewhere where the wall and the dome meet with a thud.

Following a rumbling sound, Yan You was surprised to find that the ground below had moved a few feet away, revealing a large hole with a ladder embedded in iron bars.

"This is... the secret room of your ancestral home?"

In Sijiu City, it's nothing new for wealthy families to have secret rooms.Yan You just didn't expect that Murong Hui would bring him here, so he couldn't help asking: "What did you ask me to do?"

"Look at what's inside."

In fact, Murong Hui originally wanted to say that he would give you the contents inside, but when the matter came to an end, he found that he couldn't say it, and couldn't help cursing himself for being useless.He stuttered and explained, "When my family moved out, I sold everything that could be sold, and almost all the things that were originally stored here were taken away. The remaining things that were not easy to dispose of were put in it. Although it’s not worth anything, it’s still quite old—oh yes, when my great-grandfather escorted a certain Liyuan master to tour abroad, he brought back a jade mural from a merchant on which the sun never sets. "

The origin of the jade carving murals is very legendary, but if we go on in detail, Murong Hui was afraid that he would get further and further away from the topic, so he vaguely mentioned it, and quickly said the most important thing: "Aren't you good at repairing? Take it to practice. There are other things too, if you like, just take it."

During the period of the Republic of China, there was only one Liyuan master who went abroad to perform, and Yanyou also went to Xiyuanzi to praise him.However, at that time the master's reputation had not yet reached its peak.By the time the master's name resounded at home and abroad with his foreign tour, it was already after his death.He still saw the grand occasion from the materials.

Originally poor and rich in culture and martial arts, Murong's family protected the nine-ranked Wu Zong, their power should not be underestimated, let alone how rich their family was.Something that can be taken back by the head of the house must be good.

Yan You felt that he would not be rewarded for his lack of merit, so he declined politely: "That can be regarded as a family heirloom of your family, how can I be ashamed. Why don't you stay, it's also a thought."

Murong Hui wants to say that my biggest wish is to give it to you.But I was afraid of scaring people away, so I had to hold back and used my usual hard work: "When my great-grandfather brought it back, he wanted to ask your master to repair it, but unfortunately he had disappeared at that time. I don’t have this skill, so I have to put it aside for now. No matter how rare something is, it’s useless to leave it like this. You have such a good skill, so just take it as a favor and accept it.”

Yan You blinked, only to realize that the "your master" that Murong Hui said was himself.

The former head of the Murong family wanted to restore antiques by himself?For a moment, Yan You had mixed feelings of vicissitudes.

Personnel changes, countries change, only objects are passed down from generation to generation.After going around and around, it was finally sent to him again, opening up the dusty past again.

Perhaps, this is God's will.

Immersed in remembrance, Yan You nodded subconsciously: "Okay, then I'll take a look and see if it can be repaired."

Murong Hui thought that he would have to spend more time talking, but he didn't expect Yan You to agree without hesitation, and he was overjoyed.

Just as he was about to speak, seeing Yan You's expression in a daze, he quickly stopped talking.

People who are obsessed with a certain way often have a kind of obsession, and most of the external manifestations are in a daze, and what's more, they cry and laugh, and behave insanely.People who don't know it just think they have weird tempers, but Murong Hui is a martial idiot himself, knows that feeling, so he is not surprised, and will not disturb.

After a while, Yan You came back to his senses from the emotion.Seeing Murong Hui standing quietly at the side, with a slight movement in his heart, he suddenly understood what he was thinking.

This kind of feeling of connectedness has been there before in Guangzhou, but it is not like this time, it is vivid but natural.It seems that they have known each other for many, many years, and they are nothing more than best friends.

Whether it was then or now, Yan You has many friends, but none of them is like Murong Hui, who can understand each other's thoughts with just a look without even listening to the sound.

Inadvertently, the weird feeling when I first entered the door resurfaced again.Yan You faintly felt that this feeling seemed to have surpassed friendship.But what should it be?He couldn't answer for a while.

Unable to think of an answer, he was inexplicably agitated, so he said, "Let's go down and have a look first."

"Well, this entrance is not deep, I'll go down first, then you just jump down, and I will follow you."

"...I can climb ladders."

Being resolutely rejected by Yan You, Murong Hui had no choice but to regretfully give up his plan to take the opportunity to hug her.

The walls of the passage below are covered with thick stone slabs to insulate the damp, but there is a faint musty smell.Probably because the entrance was made secret, the door of the secret room was not equipped with too many traps, and it was only locked with an old-fashioned Citigroup, which opened easily.

There is no light in the room, so I scanned the four corners with a flashlight and looked around. Yan You estimated that there were about ten square meters inside.There are a lot of boxes scattered all over the place, and there is a antique shelf in the corner.

Murong Hui came here a few days ago, and immediately lit up the hanging kerosene lamps one by one, and the secret room suddenly became clear.

Turning off the flashlight, Yan You bent down to look at the half-open boxes, and found that Murong Hui was not self-effacing, and that there were really inconvenient things inside: Su-made glazed porcelain pillows, glazed screens on the kang, multiple drawers of ebony dressing Boxes, mahogany statues of Maitreya... There is even a well-made cooked copper cooking pot.Yanyou recognized this style. In the past winter, wealthy families would use it to make sheep and scorpion hot pot.

They are all solid and exquisite everyday utensils.Through these things, Yan You seems to have seen the entanglement of the Murong family's female family members: sell but can't sell, lose it and give it away but don't want to give it away, why don't you just lock it up, maybe someday it will come in handy again.

Seeing Yan You watching carefully, Murong Hui hurriedly said: "Xiao Yan, do you still like it? I'll borrow a car, and we'll take them all back."

"...No need. When your family moves here, you can put these things back in the room, which will complement each other." Yan You felt that Murong Hui was a little too enthusiastic today.

"Oh...then take a look at this." Murong Hui hugged a carved lacquer box placed on the ancient shelf, and put it on a sheepskin box at his feet: "This is the pair of carved jade murals."

The whole body of the box is black, with delicate lacquer patterns carved with dragons and phoenixes. Although it has been through decades, the colors are still bright and elegant.It is larger than the violin case, and it is heavy in the hand. Presumably the size of the mural is not small.

Yan You had been curious for a long time, and reached out to open it, but pressed the buttonhole a few times but there was no response.

Pointing the flashlight at it, I realized what was going on: "This is a wheel lock. You can see that there are five wheels on the lock body, each with ten uppercase numbers engraved on it. You need to know the password set at that time to unlock it."

A few days ago, Murong Hui was exhausted when he came over to do the cleaning. When he got to the secret room, he just dusted the box casually. Seeing that the box was exactly the same as what Grandpa said, he didn't open it for inspection.Hearing that Yanyou said that it couldn't be opened, he was dumbfounded: "Huh? There was a combination lock before? Grandpa never said this, why don't you smash it open."

Yan You hurriedly stopped: "This lock ring is very thick, if tools are used, the things inside will inevitably be bumped, why don't you ask your family."

"……All right."

Originally, I planned to present treasures to make Xiaoyan happy, and then come up with another gift.Unexpectedly, things didn't go his way, Murong Hui couldn't help but feel a little helpless, thinking that this is not a good omen.

Yan You couldn't help laughing at his dejected look: "It's not a big deal, but I'll just look at it later. Anyway, something happened recently, even if I open it right away, I can't fix it right away."

"This is different..." Murong Hui muttered in a low voice, and regained his strength: No matter what, you must not give up halfway, you must give the gift out today!

With a bang, he took out the gift box that had been hidden away, and handed it to Yan You with both hands: "Actually... this is just for you."

Compared with the carved lacquer box just now, the gift box is another kind of modern delicacy.The delicate burgundy velvet shell is tied with a beautiful ribbon, which makes people want to see what good things are inside.

But Yan You hesitated for a moment before reaching out to pick it up: "Why are you so solemn?"

The strange tenderness in the morning appeared in Murong Hui's eyes again, but this time, it was a little more nervous and uncertain: "I want to ask you something. Can we all——"

Staring at the flushed Murong Hui, Yan You felt more and more strange.For a moment, he was suddenly frightened for no reason, as if he was faintly worried that Murong Hui would say something astonishing.

Before he could react, he had already blurted out: "Friends for life? For sure. I'll see what the gift is first."

When he said the word "friend", he felt a little lost for no reason, but he was more relieved: what else could they be related to other than friends?

While speaking, he untied the ribbon and lifted the lid of the box.

I saw a large glass bottle on the base, and there was a beautiful handmade boat inside.The hull of the ship turned out to be in the Chinese style, with the dragon head and yellow sails, and the masts connected vertically.There are also several small dolls wearing winged leaf hats and official uniforms on the deck, with all facial features and lifelike expressions.One of them stood at the front and seemed to be of the highest rank, holding a dragon scroll in his hand.

"Did you make this? These dolls are dressed up by officials of the Ming Dynasty. Is there any special significance?"

Yan You looked at it with great interest, but didn't notice Murong Hui's blank expression.Seeing that there were still writings on the scroll, he asked again: "Is this an imperial decree? What is written on it? Why is it written in English?"

"It's not English, it's Latin... This is the treasure ship I made after hearing the story of Zheng He's voyages to the West. I used Latin because I didn't know how to write Chinese characters at that time. I..." Murong asked in a gray tone: " Xiaoyan, do you understand what it means?"

Yan You shook his head: "I haven't learned Latin." In fact, his English is also a mess, even if he has the memory of the original owner, it's useless.

"..."

Murong as suddenly wanted to go back to the past, and he was fiercely fierce: he decided to hide the good faith in the bottom of the bed. Why should I write more in Latin in one fell swoop?It's true that Dad can't read Latin, but he can look it up in the dictionary or ask my uncle!

But having said that, how did he know back then that the person he liked would be far away in the motherland, and would not have learned Latin like himself?

"Is it very important? Then tell me what it means." Yan You felt that it was a bit like the spelling of tea in English, but I don't know if it has the same meaning.

Murong Hui rubbed his face, and decided to fight another day.The lock that cannot be opened has already foreshadowed everything, he should have understood: "It's nothing...it's getting late, I'll take you to school."

The secret room is designed to require at least two people to carry things outside, which is very troublesome.Fortunately, Murong Hui had already prepared cloth ropes to tie things behind his back.

He originally thought that Xiaoyan would choose to recite the jade murals by himself, after all, they were his favorite ancient relics.Unexpectedly, Xiaoyan directly picked up the handmade boat.After closing the box and shaking it tentatively, he confirmed to him, "Is a slight shock okay?"

"It's okay, I fixed it with glue."

Seeing that he valued the things he gave more, Murong Hui's mood immediately improved a lot.He belongs to the optimist personality who shines brightly when given some sunshine, and just now he just tried to confess, not a failure of confession, there is still a chance.

After locking the secret room, the two left the old house and sent their things home before transferring to school.

Afraid of being surrounded by reporters, Yan You let Murong Hui enter the school through the back door.Unexpectedly, as soon as I got to the office building of the Department of Archeology, I jumped off the motorcycle and was stopped by someone.

It was a middle-aged man with a strange face, Yan You thought the reporter had chased him here, until the other party bypassed him and pulled Murong Hui aside, he realized that this was probably an old member of Murong's family who secretly helped investigate.

Fearing that they had something secret to discuss, Yan You moved a few steps away.As he was taking off his helmet, he suddenly felt that someone was staring at him. When he looked up, he happened to meet the gaze of a thin, silver-haired old man.

The old man looked like a scholar, holding a cane in his hand, flipping through a document.Seeing that Yanyou noticed him, he smiled and nodded.

There are quite a few old people like this in the school, probably some retired professor.Thinking about it, Yanyou looked away.

At this time, Murong Hui suddenly clasped his shoulders, his expression became extremely serious: "Xiao Yan, something serious happened! Zhong Gui is dead!"

died? !

Yan You was surprised: "How could it be! Didn't you be fine yesterday?"

Before Murong Hui said anything, the strange man explained uncomfortably: "It's all my fault. There was no one in the office building last night. I didn't go upstairs because I was afraid of being discovered. I stared at the opposite side. Later, seeing that he turned on the light, he also I thought he was going to stay in the office overnight, so I went to the side to buy some food, and found nothing unusual when I came back. But the next day when his employees came to work, they screamed and ran out after a short time. Only then did I know, He is already dead..."

The matter has come to this point, and blame is useless, Murong Hui just sighed and asked, "What did the police say?"

"I eavesdropped on the police's conversation, saying that he might have committed suicide in fear of crime."

"suicide?"

When Yan You heard this judgment, he immediately frowned.Although he has never been in contact with Zhong Gui, but after listening to Murong Hui's recount of yesterday's situation, he can probably guess the character of that person: he is arrogant and arrogant on weekdays, but when it comes to big things, he is as timid as a mouse and can't stand it at all. gas.But this kind of people generally cherish their lives. How could they commit suicide until they are desperate?

Murong Hui also thought of this, but hesitated for a moment, but then denied his guess: "If it's the US side... no, it only took three or four days from the counterattack to the investigation of the company, so it shouldn't be that fast That's right. And although he made a big mistake, there's no need for their organization to get rid of him in such a hurry, otherwise it will arouse suspicion."

Yan You also agreed with this deduction, and before he could speak, he saw that some students had noticed this side, and after thinking about it, there would be no result if he just stood here and discussed it out of thin air, so he said: "Let's tell Elder Ying about this first, see Can you get some news from the Public Security Bureau?"

Murong Hui nodded, but in no hurry to leave, he asked the man some details.

With Zhong Gui's death, not only was the clue of the organization cut off, but he couldn't even get an answer to his long-standing question, why the Guangzhou company suddenly moved.

Thinking of this, Yanyou's footsteps towards the office building became a little more sluggish.One accidentally bumped into the old man just now.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?" Yan You quickly apologized, then picked up the folder that he had knocked off and handed it over.

Noticing that there was still a photo lying on the ground, before bending over, the old man took a step ahead and took it in his short body: "Little classmate, it's okay."

Seeing that the old man was safe, Yan You felt a little relieved.Taking advantage of the situation, he picked him up: "Old man, then I will go first."

"Goodbye."

Watching Yan You's back, the old man dusted off the photo, smiled slightly, and clipped it again.

If Yan You sees the photo, he will be shocked: the young man in the photo is actually himself.

The news of Zhong Gui's death also surprised others.Ying Lao entrusted someone to inquire at the Public Security Bureau, but there was no news for a long time.

The person who had promised to be on his side seemed to be unable to go wrong, but it turned out to be irreparable. Murong Hui was caught off guard and made Murong Hui blame himself very much.

Seeing that the news couldn't get out, he couldn't sit still any longer, took the keys of the motorcycle and went out, going to ask some of Zhong Gui's confidantes to see if he could find anything.

"I will go with you."

Unlike people who grew up in peaceful times, Yan You had seen many assassinations and purges in those days.Since Zhong Gui believed that it was impossible for him to commit suicide, he naturally locked his doubts on the organization that was hidden in the dark but seemed to know everything.He was afraid that if he went one step too late, all the clues would disappear completely, so when he heard Murong Hui's suggestion, he immediately stood up.

Yinglao wanted to stop him.But after thinking about it, I feel that at this point, no matter whether it is the killer under the mysterious organization or not, even if they stop investigating now, the other party may not let me go.Then he warned: "Then be careful, Murong Hui, you have to protect Xiaoyan. I'll find a few more old friends here, and ask them to help urge the investigation."

Regarding Zhong Gui's every move in Huaxia, including the company's detailed information, Murong Hui had asked someone to check it out.Now he took out the employee roster, compared with other information, he picked out a few employees who usually hang around Zhong Gui. He originally planned to go door-to-door to find someone, but after hearing Yan You's suggestion, he went to the company first .

Yan You was right, the incident happened suddenly, and the employees who came to work were all dumbfounded.Coupled with the inspection by the tax bureau yesterday, people are unavoidably panicked.

Although it was already lunch time, there were still several people wandering downstairs, looking blankly at the office where the yellow line was pulled and the police were coming in and out.Probably worrying about who to ask for the unpaid wages.

Murong Hui only knew the names of those people, but he didn't have any photos, so he simply asked them one by one.

Soon, a tall and thin man appeared in response. After recognizing Murong Hui, his originally bewildered expression became even more disturbed: "You are the person who came with the tax bureau yesterday... What do you want to do?"

Seeing that he didn't question his identity, Murong Hui happily pretended to be confused: "Your Manager Zhong died strangely, I want to ask you some questions."

The young man licked his lips: "I have told the police everything I need to say."

"Oh? But I think the police probably don't know that besides working for Zhong Gui during the day, you also hang out with him after get off work. A while ago, Houhai seized several dance halls suspected of trading in flesh and blood. You seem to be regulars there? "

When the absurd things he had done were told nonchalantly, the young man's face suddenly turned purple, and he hurriedly walked a few steps towards the end of the alley, avoiding the curious eyes of his colleagues before asking in panic: "You, how do you know? "

"If you want others to know, you have to do nothing. Don't worry, I'm not even interested in your nonsense. I just want to ask you about Zhong Gui's usual affairs. You can say whatever comes to your mind. The more detailed the better." .”

Although he has never studied criminal investigation, Murong Hui also knows that the seemingly exhaustive investigation does not represent everything.The people around the other party often have some details that are ignored by the investigation.

The young man felt relieved and began to think back: "He has a bad temper, but as long as he is coaxed, he will be very happy. When he is happy, he will take the initiative to raise his salary, so I often please him..."

Patiently listening to the young man chattering about the history of the horse for half an hour, but found no clues, Yan You interrupted unbearably: "Recently, has he behaved differently from the usual, or has there been any strange things around him?" People? Think about it carefully."

"A while ago, the company made a lot of money, and he was very happy. Later, something happened, and he was very angry. Speaking of it, he seemed to have a premonition about the tax inspection, and he shut down the company two days ago. I also saw He's tidying up things—you don't know, he usually doesn't even bother to throw waste paper into the trash can, he just throws it away and waits for the cleaners to clean it up. Only when he's upset, he will tidy up the most important things."

Murong Hui asked: "Do you know what they are?"

The young man thought for a while, and said: "Checkbook, safe key, passport, etc... By the way, there is something strange in shape, like a Y-shaped plug without a wire, it looks weird, but he seems to have been Carry."

"Y-shaped plug?" Murong Hui raised his eyebrows, and suddenly thought of something, he took out a pen and paper and hurriedly drew an outline: "Like this?"

"Yep."

After asking a few more words, Murong Hui waved his hand: "Thank you for your cooperation, that's it for today, I'll look for you next time I need it."

After the young man fled away, Yan You asked, "Did you find anything?"

"We probably have to go to Zhong Gui's residence tonight—if I'm not mistaken, the thing he mentioned should be a key to a safe." Murong Hui revealed the first time since he learned of Zhong Gui's death. A smiling face, but more serious than not smiling: "Sanqing bless you, I hope you can find clues."