Old Ji quickly explained, "The place where Li Houzhu lived was called Chengxin Hall. This person was fond of calligraphy, painting, and poetry, so he specially ordered a batch of high-quality paper and named it Chengxin Hall. In the entire world, only Li Houzhu had this Chengxin Hall. Not only in modern times, but even in that era, this paper was comparable to gold."
Ji Nanshan explained in detail that such an item was a treasure.
Upon hearing Ji Nanshan's words, Shen Tianyin nodded in shock, "I never expected that such a piece of paper would have such a significant origin."
"More than that,"
Old Lei shook his head, "After the fall of the Chen Dynasty, Li Houzhu became a ruler of a fallen kingdom. Only a handful of his Chengxin Hall paper have survived, collected by calligraphers and painters of all generations. Nowadays, it is likely only a name, not an actual object."
Shen Tianyin's eyes widened in surprise, "So precious, it seems that even if this painting is ruined, this paper alone can recoup the cost."
Her face, no longer showing displeasure, her beautiful eyes curved into crescents, like the bright moon hanging in the sky, breathtakingly beautiful.
"It's a pity that this painting has a hole burned in the middle. Repairing it is extremely difficult, and this paper is basically ruined. If it cannot be repaired, I'm afraid no one will be willing to buy it."
Just as Shen Tianyin was getting excited, Old Lei suddenly poured cold water on her.
"Is that so?"
The joy on Shen Tianyin's face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of doubt as she looked at Ye Fan.
Ye Fan did not speak, merely looking at the damaged painting thoughtfully. After a long while, he moved his gaze away.
"There is a way to repair it, but I will need a picture of the painting, even a replica will do."
Upon hearing his words, the disappointment on Old Lei's face was instantly replaced by shock.
"You said you can repair it?"
Even he did not dare to make such a bold claim.
Giving Old Lei a sideway glance, Ye Fan ignored him and said to Shen Tianyin, "Have someone find a photo of this painting, and then prepare a piece of Huimo ink. Leave the rest to me."
He was full of confidence. What outsiders considered impossible, Ye Fan spoke of as if it were child's play.
Seeing Ye Fan's resolute attitude, Shen Tianyin's smile reappeared, "I'll have someone prepare it right away."
Holding up her skirt, she hurried off to contact someone.
Old Lei, however, looked at Ye Fan with a solemn expression and asked, "Young friend Ye, repairing ancient paintings is different from authenticating antiques. This requires extremely professional skills."
Even the experts in calligraphy and painting restoration he knew might be helpless with this painting.
"So what? Are you doubting me, Old Lei?"
Ye Fan asked coldly, his attitude exceptionally indifferent.
Quickly shaking his head, Old Lei felt as if struck by lightning, "You jest, young friend Ye. How could I possibly doubt you? I was merely a little concerned. Since you are so confident, I too am looking forward to it."
His tone changed instantly. He did not want Ye Fan to find fault with him.
A smile curved on his lips. Satisfied with Old Lei's reaction, Ye Fan continued to crouch down and polish the meteorite iron.
By midday, Shen Tianyin hurried back, holding a photograph and a palm-sized inkstone.
"Crystal clear and with a full sense of layers, it is indeed Huimo,"
Glancing at the inkstone, Old Lei clasped his hands behind his back and nodded.
Giving Old Lei a sideway glance, Ye Fan showed annoyance.
This old man was too fond of showing off. Who didn't know it was Huimo?
However, the quality of this inkstone was good. It was not easy to find such a piece nowadays. It seemed Shen Tianyin had put in a lot of effort.
Seeing that the core item had been brought, Ye Fan brushed the dust off his clothes, then asked the helper to prepare a brazier, white vinegar, and other items.
After cleaning everything, he took all the items to the appraisal stage.
Repairing a damaged painting was a meticulous and laborious task, requiring not only extremely keen observation skills but also immense patience and a quiet environment.
He glanced at Old Lei and the others. Seeing that they had no intention of leaving, Ye Fan could not force them away. He could only say sternly, "Whatever you see later, do not be alarmed. I need quiet. Otherwise, if I fail, this painting will be ruined."
Old Lei and Ji Nanshan were both experts and naturally understood the reason. Shen Tianyin nodded heavily.
This was the first time she had seen Ye Fan attempt to restore a damaged painting, so why would she cause him trouble?
Ye Fan patiently soaked the blank areas of the damaged painting in white vinegar and then heated the white vinegar.
Only when the white vinegar began to bubble and the room was filled with the aroma of vinegar did he take it out.
Then, with lightning speed, he quickly cut off a piece from the blank area.
Upon closer inspection, the piece that was cut off was completely soaked in white vinegar.
The remaining part, however, was completely untouched by the vinegar.
Such a precise maneuver was enough to shock Old Lei and the others.
Gasping in amazement, Old Lei's eyes widened like copper bells.
"Divine skill, truly divine skill."
He cried out silently in his heart, but kept his mouth firmly shut, not daring to make the slightest sound.
At this moment, Ye Fan took the Huimo inkstone and quickly ground the ink.
In just a few breaths, a rich aroma of ink emanated from the ink box.
He quickly coated one side of the cut paper with ink and then inlaid it into the void of the damaged painting.
Ye Fan picked up a wolf-hair brush from the table, looked at the photograph, and began to draw rapidly.
His movements were so swift that they left only afterimages, as if he were not painting but stirring ink.
When the last stroke was completed, Ye Fan put down the wolf-hair brush, lit a lamp, and began to bake the mended area.
"This, how can this be? The ink is not yet dry. Baking it like this might cause it to crack."
Old Lei cried out anxiously in his heart, but he choked back his words and swallowed them.
Ji Nanshan also frowned, clenching his fists anxiously.
"Crack."
Suddenly, a crisp sound was heard. Although not loud, it was clearly audible in the hushed room.
"Not good, it's going to fail."
Ji Nanshan exclaimed in alarm.
Old Lei lamented, "This kid is too careless. How could he do this?"
The paper being baked instantly cracked, and a piece of paper as thin as a cicada's wing instantly detached, covered in black ink.
"No, this, this is actually layered. What exactly does this kid want to do?"
Old Lei squinted and saw that the mended area on the scroll still remained. Only a layer of paper had fallen off just now.
Ye Fan had already seen the expressions of Old Lei and Ji Nanshan. He smiled slightly and said, "Chengxin Hall has six layers. Depending on the ink saturation, only three layers need to be retained. This way, it can achieve the same ink diffusion as the original painting."