Chapter 2431: Chapter 2334: Weaving Restoration

Paintings and ancient books should originally be Zhou Shitao’s strong suit. Under normal circumstances, given his formidable position and status, it’s impossible for anyone else to intervene in the field he excels at.

Yet this time, Zhou Shitao voluntarily abdicated, allowing an Old Granny to take charge, which was indeed unusual.

This piqued Huo Sining’s curiosity about the legendary master of restoration, famed for being "Ingeniously Crafted".

That’s right, restoration.

The Mawangdui Silk Texts experienced such a challenging journey.

Painting and ancient books have always been a major category among cultural relics, and the restoration techniques are the most complete in the field of antiquities.

The fundamental process of restoring paintings generally consists of four stages: washing the base, removing old parts, reinforcing and fixing, and retouching, collectively known as wash-remove-reinforce-retouch.

However, these are basic techniques for the restoration of paintings on ancient straw paper, but the Mawangdui Silk Texts were not written on paper; it was on silk.

Ancient silk was mostly made from silk products, which are biological proteins that become fragile after thousands of years of weathering. So, extreme caution is needed during restoration and conservation.

Huo Sining had never seen the Mawangdui Silk Texts when they were first unearthed, but could imagine how challenging it was to restore them in Zhang Xiuchun’s hands.

Nonetheless, the professor never gave up, spending nearly ten years dedicatedly researching and honing the techniques, eventually using restoration skills to present the entire silk-written work.

Such perseverance and determination are truly admirable.

The essence of restoration involves using the warp and weft lines on fabric to mend the damaged areas.

Though it sounds simple, the technique is indeed extremely difficult.

The fabric used in the Mawangdui Silk Texts might have been a remarkable weaving product at the time, but by modern standards, it’s quite ordinary.

Moreover, after more than a millennium of wear and tear, mending the damaged areas was almost an impossible task.

Additionally, the Silk Texts contained over a hundred thousand words and illustrations; these covered the warp and weft lines, creating a plethora of dilemmas to restore the original appearance of the texts.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiuchun was able to undertake this challenging task, thanks to a significant factor — her background.

This Old Granny was once a young lady from a prestigious family, reputedly from a major school of Xiang embroidery, immersed in Xiang embroidery techniques since childhood and inheriting family skills, with superb craftsmanship in women’s embroidery.

Later, this Old Granny received new-style education and even studied in America, making her a new-style female student of the time.

Due to this unique experience, she entered the field of archaeology, uniquely merging her Xiang embroidery skills with textile restoration, creating an independent restoration technique.

This technique might be unfamiliar to most, but Zhou Shitao and his contemporaries had a deep understanding of it.

Zhou Shitao even witnessed Zhang Xiuchun using this technique to restore a severely deteriorated silk painting by Su Shi, called "Bamboo and Rock Painting".

The "Bamboo and Rock Painting" was originally full of mold spots and worn, but after Zhang Xiuchun’s restoration, the painting was immaculate with clear lines, akin to new creation, truly a divine skill!

Therefore, when faced with such an archaeological challenge, Zhou Shitao immediately thought of Zhang Xiuchun.

Though the value of the Cloud Brocade from the Luofu Mountain tomb might not match the Mawangdui Silk Texts, it was not far behind, and its deterioration likely wasn’t much better.

The biological protein of silk becomes fragile over time, compounded by Ge Hong’s tomb being built in a limestone cave.

The cave was continuously humid, with very high moisture content in the air, causing the Cloud Brocade to suffer moisture corrosion, naturally leading to insect holes and mold spots forming.

Moreover, these items, unlike bronze artifacts and gold and silver jewelry, were vulnerable to rat gnawing.

Considering the moisture damage and external forces, one can imagine how dire the condition of the Cloud Brocade was.

Upon entering the burial chamber, Zhang Xiuchun’s expression became animated at sight of those boxes, and her previously hunched back seemed suddenly straightened, transforming her whole demeanor.

Gazing at the boxes of Cloud Brocade, Zhang Xiuchun’s eyes brightened, and she stared at the fabric without speaking for a long time, assessing whether she could handle the items in the boxes.

Zhou Shitao, Xie Daoyuan, and others stood quietly by, none speaking, visibly heavy and tense.

Zhang Xiuchun was the most skilled in their circle, and if even she couldn’t manage, preserving the Cloud Brocade seemed impossible...

Zhou Shitao’s heart was in suspense, waiting as long as he could, then suddenly heard the Old Granny slowly shaking her head, stating:

"The damage is too severe..."

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Shitao’s heart sank, his face darkened.

Could it be that even this Old Granny couldn’t do anything?

Xie Daoyuan and Shi Qingyun also showed disappointment, clearly feeling downcast.

However, the Old Granny didn’t turn around or notice their disheartened expressions, because after pausing, she suddenly continued:

"It can be handled, but restoration will require considerable effort."

Zhou Shitao’s head jerked up, incredulous as he asked, "What did you say?!"

Not just Zhou Shitao, even Xie Daoyuan and Shi Qingyun wondered if they were hallucinating, questioning if they heard correctly and if the Old Granny said it could be handled?

Prepared to abandon the effort, yet unexpectedly the situation turned around, emotions were like riding a roller coaster — suddenly plummeting into an abyss then pulled up to the clouds, bewilderingly.

Still unsure, Zhou Shitao confirmed again, "Zhang Jieyu, are you certain this fabric can be restored?"

But Zhou Shitao’s inquiry was destined to go unanswered, for the Old Granny was entirely absorbed in her world, her focus remained on those boxes of Cloud Brocade, additionally her hearing wasn’t very good, so she didn’t hear Zhou Shitao’s follow-up question.

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