I collect cultural relics in the human world

Chapter 204 Calendar (II)

He Si's eyes, which had just been clear, became confused again. She knew almost nothing about ancient astronomy and calendar theory. Her greatest achievement was probably hearing about the eight bronze astronomical instruments built in the Qing Dynasty. She had only seen them briefly in a magazine, but the 栻盘... She thought about it carefully and it didn't seem to be on that list. It was completely in her blind spot, so she asked, "What is that?"

Qin Jian did not hide anything and answered immediately, "It is a compass created by the ancients based on the cosmic view that the sky is round and the earth is square. Compared with other astronomical instruments, it is more compact and easy to carry. The sky plate is round and can rotate, which is the celestial axis. The earth plate is square and fixed, which is the earth star. Rotating the celestial axis and adding the earth star can be used to calculate the calendar and predict celestial phenomena. The one we are going to use is the most complete lacquer plate from the Han Dynasty that exists today."

"Han Dynasty? I thought it would be an instrument from the Qing Dynasty, such as the Jiheng Fuchenyi or the Huangdao theodolite."

"A'si knows a lot," Qin Jian said with admiration, "those instruments are more sophisticated and ingenious, but I haven't tried them. They are all copper instruments weighing several tons. They are more professional, but not as portable as the 栻盘. During the war years, these extraordinary ancient instruments were taken away, but fortunately they were finally returned to their hometown. When A'si has time, let's go to the Sitian Terrace to take a look."

“Now it’s called the Ancient Observatory.”

"Okay," Qin Jian said with a good temper, "Then when Ah Si is free, let's go to the ancient observatory together. How about we go get the caltrop first?"

"Okay," He Si no longer bothered about the specific place name and immediately got excited, "Where is it?"

"If I remember correctly, it should be with Director Deng."

"He..." He Si thought of the serious man and felt a little nervous, "Will he agree?"

"Don't worry, if I go to borrow it, there's only a 50% chance of success, but if Ah Si asks, he will have to lend it."

"Why?" He Si was confused and couldn't understand why she had such a great reputation.

"Susha Zen robe, Magu portrait, oracle bone fragments, bronze rhinoceros urn..." Qin Jian counted the cultural relics they had collected recently, and turned on the kitchen faucet. He watched the first drop of water fall from the pipe, reflecting the distorted light and shadows around. He held He Si's hand and continued, "There is also the recent upside-down Guanyin and the protection of the ancient cave dwellings. The performance of the Special Cultural Relics Protection Department has recently achieved more than the ten years since he took office. How dare he refuse your request?"

"Exaggerated..." Knowing that Qin Jian was teasing her, He Si muttered this sentence casually. Just after she finished speaking, she suddenly felt that the scenery around her was dissolved by the rain. She couldn't help rubbing her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the Corridor of Mirrors.

Before she could marvel at Qin Jian's speed, she heard someone beside her say, "Oh, by the way, he still owes you a favor. Deng Chensha is his nephew."

He Si's excitement was dashed. She sighed with a gloomy face, "Hey? Why... why are you talking about him again?"

"Provide contrast and deepen the impression." Qin Jian held He Si's hand and walked quickly in the mirror corridor, not forgetting to make the subject clear, "The impression of me."

As soon as the voice fell, the two of them had already stepped out of the mirror door. When He Si thought about her sudden visit and asking for help, she quickly looked at her nose and adjusted her heart to be the most respectful, swallowing the complaints about Qin Jian that were about to come out of her mouth.

But after waiting for a long time, there was no voice from Deng Yizhi or Qin Jian, but there was a sound of unknown machinery running, which made the surroundings particularly quiet. He Si glanced around with the corner of her eyes. The light was dim and no windows could be seen. There were only rows of cabinets extending back. The cabinets were covered with thick blue cloth. It was unclear what was on them. It was obviously not the office of the leaders, but it was somewhat similar to the library of their school - except for the covering cloth.

"Where is this?" He Si finally raised her head and found that she felt very comfortable. The temperature and humidity here seemed to be precisely controlled.

"Warehouse No. 7 of the Special Security Department, let's go." Qin Jian said, already moving between the cabinets with ease, his light footsteps did not leave any sound in the silence. He Si finally understood what Qin Jian meant, tugged at his sleeve, and subconsciously lowered her voice like a thief: "Not so good, didn't you say you wanted to borrow it from Director Deng?"

"I thought about it on the way here. Director Deng is a very busy man. It would be fine if I didn't bother him with such a small matter."

If He Si heard this argument from Fan Yu, she would think it was reasonable. But now that these words came from Qin Jian's mouth, it ran counter to the old-fashioned image of her in He Si's mind. He Si looked at Qin Jian's straight back and felt strange.

After walking a few more steps, Qin Jian suddenly turned around silently. He Si, who was struggling, bumped her head against the solid chest in front of her, touched her forehead, and still didn't speak.

"What are you worried about?"

In fact, He Si didn't think there was anything wrong with borrowing the time converter occasionally. Looking at Qin Jian's sincere doubts, maybe I was making a fuss, He Si thought, and casually said an ancient Chinese sentence: "There is an ancient saying that if you want to use a person, you must ask for it clearly. If you don't ask, it is stealing."

"These antiques have been passed down to this day, and the makers and owners have long since disappeared. Only the physical objects and the cultural skills they carry have been passed down from generation to generation. Director Deng is just keeping them for us, continuing the inheritance and promoting them," Qin Jian said, turning around again, "If Ah Si is really worried, just treat it as an employee benefit."

"There's nothing to worry about." He Si muttered, and moved behind Qin Jian, starting to walk between rows of similar cabinets.

This warehouse with very inconspicuous decoration has a large internal capacity. He Si lost her sense of direction after walking for a while and relied entirely on Qin Jian's back to walk inside. She looked at the unchanging blue, and just when her brain was in a slump, she finally found where the strangeness in her heart came from - the air was dry, all the cabinets were covered with thick cotton cloth, and the occasional exposed cabinet parts were also rough frosted. The floor, ceiling, and all visible walls were uniformly simple cement surfaces. He Si confirmed again that there were no mirrors in this warehouse at all.

"How did you get in?" she said, stopping.

"Alas, Ah Si found me after all." Qin Jian shrugged indifferently. Compared with He Si's solemn expression, he seemed particularly relaxed, even revealing a playfulness that was extremely inconsistent with his personality. "In order to facilitate entry and exit, I left a small entrance here."

"Small entrance?"

"Although the paint on these cabinets is frosted, the material underneath the paint is metal. If you use some tricks to peel off a small piece of the paint, you will naturally have a smooth mirror surface..."

"Ah! You..." He Si heard her voice suddenly rise and echo away among the heavy cabinets, so she quickly covered her mouth.

"Don't worry, there's no one here, and I have the surveillance under my control for the time being. Now we can continue walking."