I will die, why will I die?
Zhang Si did not answer my question, he only said that he wanted me to go hiking with him tomorrow morning. If he told me something about Old Ghost while hiking, then my trip would be worthwhile.
"Uncle-Master, do you have a place to stay at home?"
Zhang Si smiled and said, "The hotel rooms are spacious and bright, and they even provide condoms."
I was confused and glanced at Lin Han, whose face was flushed.
"Can you cook me another bowl of Qiaoguo noodles?"
I found that Lin Han had eaten all the noodles and was a bit hungry, so I couldn't help but ask.
"There's no more food for today, let's start early tomorrow."
Uncle-Master Zhang Si finished speaking, untied his apron, and went inside. When he came out, he was already in a suit and tie, his hair slicked back with pomade, giving him the appearance of a cunning old fox. For some reason, I found this Zhang Si somewhat repulsive, always feeling like his gaze was lingering on Lin Han, utterly lacking in decorum for his age.
"I have a car, shall I drive you to the hotel?"
"No need, Uncle-Master, we can find a place to stay ourselves."
"Then, when you leave, please lock the door for me. See you tomorrow."
I watched Zhang Si leave in a hurry, feeling a bit puzzled. I asked Lin Han, "Do you think he's a bit strange?"
"It's as if he's not the same person."
I was also surprised, thinking that I'd settle into the hotel first, and then see what kind of person this Zhang Si really was when we went hiking tomorrow. I'd act according to the circumstances.
"Let's go," Lin Han said.
"Let's tidy up the bowls and chopsticks."
Zhang Si had casually handed this restaurant over to us. It wouldn't be good to leave the dirty dishes on the table after eating. Even if we didn't wash them, we should at least take them to the kitchen. I walked inside, and Lin Han helped me.
The kitchen was relatively clean and tidy. In front of the stove, there were several pieces of paper with the same characters written on them: Qianlong Nian Zhi. The crude paper had only a few characters, and I didn't pay much attention to them. But Lin Han stared at those characters, lost in thought.
"What's wrong?"
"I remember a story."
"What story?"
"About the Three Treasures of Mount Tai."
Lin Han's expertise in antiques was not shallow. It was everyday for her to connect a few characters with some treasures. The Three Treasures of Mount Tai were famous throughout the land, namely the Agarwood Lion, the Warm and Cool Jade Gui, and the Yellow Glazed Gourd.
These three treasures were all national first-class cultural relics. Nominally, relics of this caliber were stored in museums. However, the actual procedure was not like that; the originals were secretly collected, and the first-class relics displayed to the public were replicas.
The story of Qianlong Nian Zhi spoke of a director of an arts and crafts company. That year, the director led a team to replicate two national treasures. The first was the Agarwood Lion, and the second was the Warm and Cool Jade Gui.
The replication of the Agarwood Lion was very successful and soon met national standards. However, the Warm and Cool Jade Gui encountered many problems. To make it visually and tactilely realistic, the selection of materials was a difficult process. The director and his subordinates traveled far and wide, touching all the usable stone materials, and after half a year of effort, they finally selected a type of material in Shandong, called "frozen stone," commonly known as Laizhou Jade.
After selecting the material, everyone began to shorten the construction period and work with meticulous craftsmanship. However, no one could have imagined that the four characters "Qianlong Nian Zhi" would be so difficult to reproduce. The director initially found several great calligraphers to imitate the style of the Qing Dynasty official script. These calligraphers mostly started from the Qin and Han scripts, and some even used obscure styles like finger calligraphy. The characters they imitated were still quite different from the genuine characters on the Warm and Cool Jade Gui in terms of spirit and essence. After several months of effort, there was still no result.
Finally, a few leaders learned that this director was also a calligraphy enthusiast and simply asked him to try. As a result, the work of this obscure director, in its simulated form, was remarkably similar in spirit to the original, and it was immediately adopted.
Today, both of these replicated national first-class cultural relics are displayed in the Dai Temple Museum.
...
Lin Han had no reason to tell me such a calm and uneventful story, like plain water. But I understood that she was telling me something: the key to imitating the Warm and Cool Jade Gui lay in those four characters, Qianlong Nian Zhi.
Calligraphy is a very mysterious thing; every person's handwriting has a unique spirit. For two people's handwriting to be very compatible in terms of spirit is also a rare kind of fate.
In the forging of cultural relics, many people like to use computer replication, which looks identical. However, such replicated cultural relics lack that touch of vitality that completes the painting of the dragon's eye. In the eyes of true collectors, replicas are always replicas and will be seen through at a glance.
Now, both Lin Han and I have concerns.
I thought to myself, why would a person like Zhang Si, who lives a carefree life, want to replicate other people's cultural relics? Lin Han's concern was direct and decisive. She asked me, "Could this be related to your death?"
"Why will I die?"
"Your Uncle-Master said so."
I don't believe in metaphysics in this world. I can't tell if Lin Han is a bit superstitious. I think this is a setup. First, I need to understand the setup and figure out my position and role within it. If I have an inevitable outcome of death in a setup, it means I am a very important tool in this setup.
...
I have read Li Jiu's sheepskin diary several times and have gained significant insights. How to transform the strategies in the opponent's layout into one's own counter-strategies requires game theory, not metaphysics.
To give a simple example.
I am currently playing rock-paper-scissors with Zhang Si. He told me that he will throw paper next. At this point, I will face a choice of winning or losing. If I choose to believe Zhang Si, I will throw scissors, and I will win this round. If I believe this is a tactic of Zhang Si, I will choose to throw paper. Because if he told me that throwing paper is a false proposition, his ultimate goal is to trick me into throwing scissors, and he will throw rock to counter me. If I throw paper, I win.
This is a simple game theory using rock-paper-scissors. The situation in terms of time is much more complex. It will be very difficult for me to judge the truth or falsity of this proposition.
Zhang Si said I will die. This is not metaphysics at all; it is a proposition, meant to help me overcome difficulties or a fatal proposition.
...
I cannot tell Lin Han about this kind of thing. I can only think about how to get her back to Beijing or Xi'an, so I can go all out and see what Zhang Si is up to.
For this reason, Lin Han and I, each with our own thoughts, arrived at the hotel.
"Shall we share a room tonight?"
Lin Han suddenly proposed this, and I felt a headache coming on: "What's going on?"
"For you."
"Uncle-Master mentioned the way to avoid disaster, saying we should get married, but he didn't say we should sleep together."
"Tang Nan, I know you are a responsible person. If I get pregnant with your child, you will definitely marry me, right?"
I opened my arms, and Lin Han naturally leaned into my chest. I asked her, "Do you feel anything?"
"It's like a dream."
"How many children do you plan to have?"
Lin Han blushed: "That depends on your ability."
...
I gently pushed Lin Han away: "To be my wife, it's not enough to just have children for me. I want someone unique!"
"What do you mean by unique?"
I whispered a few words in Lin Han's ear, and she looked surprised.
That night, Lin Han did not stay with me. She made some arrangements by phone. The next day, two people came to the hotel, one named Boss Wan and the other named Shopkeeper Tong. Lin Han put on airs and wanted to replicate an item she liked, which was the Warm and Cool Jade Gui from Dai Temple.
...
I did not participate in Lin Han's arrangements and went our separate ways. I went to Zhang Si's Shandong cuisine restaurant early. The slicked-back Zhang Si from yesterday was gone, replaced by a more honest and simple Shandong old man. This simple Zhang Si, wearing an apron and sleeve protectors, meticulously cleaned the restaurant until it was spotless. When I arrived, he went inside and brought out dishes. A table full of Shandong cuisine, compared to yesterday's tofu balls and braised pork rice, today's dishes surprised me.
I tasted a little, and the flavor was completely different from yesterday's. If yesterday's Shandong cuisine was acceptable, today's was absolutely five-star chef quality.
"This dish is delicious. By the way, Uncle-Master, what did you mean yesterday when you said I would die?"
"I don't understand, I don't understand metaphysics."
I was even more surprised to hear him say that: "You don't understand, but these words came from your mouth."
"Then ask me again after two o'clock this afternoon."
"What do you mean?"
"Are you full? If you are, let's go up the mountain."
...
I went up the mountain with Zhang Si. Zhang Si's health was excellent. At seventy years old, he walked with the vigor of a young man, far surpassing me. I exercise regularly, but exercising and climbing a mountain are two different things. I was bent over, panting, and seeing Zhang Si, who had fallen behind me, I shouted, "Uncle-Master, let's go a little slower, I can't keep up."
"No, I must reach the South Heavenly Gate before two o'clock this afternoon."
In the morning, when I mentioned metaphysics at breakfast, Uncle-Master said he didn't understand and told me to ask him again after two o'clock. Now, climbing the mountain, we also had to reach the South Heavenly Gate by two o'clock, the summit of Mount Tai. What was the meaning of these two o'clock times?
Is it related to metaphysics?
I wanted to ask Zhang Si, but he was focused on climbing the mountain. I tried several times. Each time I briefly surpassed Zhang Si, he would overtake me in a zig-zag motion like a mountain porter. Gradually, I realized that he had a technique for climbing: zig-zagging, which seemed to add distance but wasn't as tiring. Moreover, Zhang Si seemed to climb often; this level of exertion was not difficult for him.
The problem was, climbing was not my strong suit. Because I was delayed, we did not reach the South Heavenly Gate at two o'clock in the afternoon. In fact, we were close, with only some steps left.
I noticed that Zhang Si's breathing had changed. He was no longer breathing with ease; his previous technique had disappeared. He gasped for breath with every step he took. I was puzzled, and then it suddenly dawned on me, could it be...
Indeed, my watch showed past two o'clock.
This demeanor was absolutely not that of the slick-haired old rogue I had met last night. This demeanor was very similar to the refined scholar I had first encountered wearing an apron.
So that's how it is? I understand!