Upon entering the shop, Guan Yunkai noticed there wasn't much inside except for a few pieces of jewelry displayed in a cabinet. Hu Zhenghan sat despondently, while a handsome young boy guarded a basket containing a sleeping infant. Guan Yunkai couldn't help but be surprised upon seeing the boy, he turned to Zhou Di and whispered:
"It seems I've won my bet. If Wasoku people find out this child is here, the Yang family might have some concerns."
Zhou Di chuckled and replied:
"What are you talking about? Why do you think there is any connection between this child and the Yang family? He is actually a nephew from my famly clan, named Zhou Chun. He's apprenticing here with me. His family.... his parents disappeared when the Wasoku army invaded my village. He was also adopted by my wife so now he calls me Pa. Zhenghan, this is Mr. Guan Yunkai. We're here to restore antiques. If you're interested in learning, it could be a good opportunity for you. Besides, we don't have much stone material left, and in these turbulent times, even if we carve treasures, no one is going to buy them. Let's put that aside for now. Chun'er, what are you doing here? I told you that you have to focus on learning to draw first. Have you finished your practice?"
"Not yet. I am looking at my younger brother and have a question, that is, why he is so ugly?"
Zhou Di also glanced at his son, feeling helpless and said:
"Yeah, you're right and he is quite ugly. I never expected my son to look like this. Maybe it's because I'm not so handsome myself."
Hu Zhenghan, sitting nearby, couldn't help but laugh:
"Newborn babies are always like this. He will look better in about a month."
Guan Yunkai asked:
"How old is this baby?"
Zhou Di's expression turned somber, saying:
"A little over a week. His mother...she took her own life."
The room fell silent for a moment before Guan Yunkai sighed and said:
"Don't keep an infant near the door. The baby's resistance is very weak, especially without breast milk. You need to take extra care of him. It would be better for you to find a nursing mother so he can have some milk, or, it that's not possible, you'll have to buy milk powder for him even though it is very expensive."
Zhou Di said with a helpless sigh:
"You're right. It should be enough with the money from An Yuanxi to buy milk powder for him."
Zhou Di almost broke into tears as he held his son close, overcome with distress. Guan Yunkai and Hu Zhenghan also felt a pang of sorrow. Both of them felt sorry for this baby's misfortune. Yang Zichun suddenly spoke up:
"Pa, I will help you take care of my brother."
Zhou Di touched his head gently, kissed his forehead and said:
"Thank you, Chun'er. Pa is very pleased to hear this."
Yang Zichun looked up at Zhou Di, his face lit with a pure, innocent smile.
The next day Adjutant Tanaka arrived, bringing everything what they had requested, along with two antiques and their fragments. He said to Guan Yunkai:
"There are still many fragments left to be separated. If you're going to continue with this, don't forget it. In addition, I also warn you that if there is any trickery, none of you will survive."
Tanaka's words were harsh and menacing. After checking the items, Zhou Di asked Guan Yunkai:
"Why aren't there the pieces you have collected? You told me that officer knew about them and they were meant for patching."
"I think he has forgotten them. I just mentioned them to you once, and then I took the pieces myself. I've hidden them somewhere in the bureau. Next time when I go back to the bureau, I will bring them here myself."
In this way, Zhou Di's small shop gradually transformed into an antique restoration workshop. Though the shop remained open, Hu Zhenghan lacked the skills needed for antique restoration. Instead, he spent his time observing Zhou Di and Guan Yunkai at work on restoring antiques, or carving some small pieces of jewelry to sell on the side. Despite the scarcity of customers, they occasionally managed to make some sales.
Yang Zichun always stayed close to the basket containing Zhou Aichen, feeling a strong sense of responsibility to keep his promise to his Pa to care for his younger brother. He made sure to keep Zhou Aichen in sight at all times, entertaining him to prevent him from crying and even taking him along wherever he went.
Zhou Di also assigned Zichun homework, starting with the basics of carving ---- line-drawing. Yang Zichun diligently began learning sketching. In order to avoid exposing his identity, Zhou Di didn't send him to school. Instead, he procured textbooks and taught him at home every evening, having him recite Tang poetry and Song lyrics. Even Guan Yunkai occasionally contributed by sharing historical stories and events with Yang Zichun, enriching Zichun's understanding of history. Yang Zichun found these stories captivating, thanks to Guan Yunkai's eloquence and humorous anecdotes, which sparked his interest and increased his enthusiasm. Even Zhou Di and Hu Zhenghan often listened to them with great interest, captivated by Guan Yunkai's storytelling.
Over time, Zhou Di discovered Guan Yunkai's impressive range of talents in calligraphy, painting, history and Chinese classical literature. Guan Yunkai generously imparted these skills with Yang Zichun, further enhancing his learning experience. However, the progress of Zhou Di and Guan Yunkai's restoration was extremely slow, almost as if they were deliberately dawdling over their work. Despite this, it became clear that Zhou Di's restoration skills surpassed Guan Yunkai's. This revelation surprised Guan Yunkai. Privately, he remarked:
"I never expected your restoration skills to be this good. I have seen your carvings before. My father and I once attended an auction where one of your carvings was listed under the Yang family's name. That's how I figure out who was assisting you. My father bought one or two items, which were exquisitely crafted, with intricate carvings in the carving style of our Guan family. The carving was delicate and the polishing was flawless. The luminosity and angles of the stone material were masterful executed."
Zhou Di smiled and said:
"You're quite skilled at this but I don't understand how you recognized my pieces. I've heard there is another person who is also good at this styel of the carving."
"Lin has given up his carving, who works in an auction house now. By the way, Zhou Di, do you know who first introduced the carving technique in the Guan family?"
"My master did not provide many details, just mentioned that the first generation of carvers in the Guan family was a woman."
"Yes, that's correct. Our ancestor was indeed a woman named Guan Yue during the Yuhong Dynasty era, around the same time as ZhouXie's mummy. I've heard that this ancestor lost both her parents at a young age and was raised by a friend of her father's, a man surnamed Feng. She developed an interest in jade and began learning jade carving at a young age. Being a woman, her carvings were exceptionally delicate. Later, she married Mr. Feng's son and her second son inherited her surname, establishing our lineage. For over a thousand years, our family has primarily focused on jade carving, passing down the tradition through generations. Now there are three of us in our generation. Besides you and me, there is another surnamed Lin."
"Really? You mentioned that Lin gave up the carving and worked in the auction house, right? I once had an employee named Fei Qiang. I heard that he was your apprentice."
"Lin is a unusual person. Although he studied under my father for about three years and showed some talent in jade carving, his nature is impatient and impetuous. If not for the circumstances of life, he would not be working in an auction house, preferring to wander around. He's more of a traveller than a craftsman. As for Fei Qiang, well, actually I wouldn't exactly call him my apprentice. My father liked him quite a bit and I taught him a little for my father's sake but I've never been particularly fond of him. I always thought he was a bit opportunistic."
As Zhou Di carefully worked on restoring an item, Guan Yunkai observed and said:
"I think he is really skilled at carvings in the Guan family's style."
"My brother, you don't need to restore it so meticulously. An Yuanxi will take everything anyway."
"I just feel sorry for these treasures if I'm not able to restore them with soul and heart. By the way, when will you bring those pieces you collected here?"
"I've told you before that I have no place to hide them so I stored them in a utility room in the basement of the bureau. Although there are many pieces, I don't think we have the ability to restore all of them, especially since I'm not sure I have collected all the pieces. In addition, I can't be certain if many of them are fake. I'll do my best to find the fragments left by An Yuanxi. The next time I go there and I'll try to bring them back."
"Put in extra effort to bring more pieces here."
"Of course."
In the dead of night, after the two children had fallen asleep, Zhou Di cautiously made his way through the hiding place and emerged carefully, refraining from using a flashlight. Fortunately, the building was deserted at night and the rooms in the basement were not in use. Relying on his familiarity with the bureau, he located fragments Guan Yunkai had hidden, consisting of numerous small pieces from various items, such as jade, porcelain, clay and pottery. However, he refrained from taking them, unwilling to reveal the hiding place to anyone. If Guan Yunkai couldn't bring them back to the shop, Zhou Di would have to take action on his own. Zhou Di then attempted to find more items from An Yuanxi but encountered many rooms to be locked. His search was unsuccessful. Unable to linger any longer, he retreated to the hiding place, secured the small door with its hook and quietly made his way home.
Wang Lei's remaining fleet engaged in fierce resistance against Wasoku navy at sea, ultimately sinking two enemy warships while losing three of their own due to the insufficient ammunition. They were forced to retreat south to Liao's military port for rest and reorganization. After declaring war, Liao Feng personally commanded the navy to defend against the Wasoku's naval attacks, while his eldest son, Liao Yuanpeng, led the army northward to support the retreating Yang family troops. Unfortunately he had not received any news from Yang Chen. Although many of Yang family's forces had retreated, there was still no word on the whereabouts of Young Marshal, which deeply worried Liao Yuanpeng. He didn't dare inform Yang Tianhu this news, fearing that the aging Grand Marshal wouldn't be able to bear the burden of his favorite son, Yang Chen, being missing, along with two sons fighting on the battlefield. The pressure on the shoulder of Grand Marshal was mounting as he faced the Wasoku's invasion in the east and growing trouble in the west from Feng Xiao.
Seeing an opportunity with Yang Tianhu and his troops caught between the Wasoku's invasion and the Chen family's betrayal in the north as well as the Wasoku troops in the east, Feng Xiao suddenly lauched an attack from the west, aiming to quickly seize control of the Chen family's western territory and encroach on the Yang family's western lands. From his opinion, the Chen family had betrayed not only the Yang family but also the entire country so he declared war on the Chen family. However, during his assault on the Chen family, Feng Xiao's army was met with not only fierce resistance from the Chen family's troops but also the formidable weapons of the Wasoku's elite soldiers. This unexpected setback forced the Feng family's army to retreat and redirect their forces toward Yang Tianhu's territory. This sudden reversal left Yang Tianhu somewhat at a loss, forcing him to not only resist the Wasoku's attacks in the east but also strengthen his defences in the west. Recognizing this situation, Liao Feng immediately sent reinforcements ---- one of his troops to attack Feng Xiao's army stationed at the southwest border, relieving some of the pressure on Yang Tianhu.
Seeing the dire situation, every member of the Yang family took action in their own way. Yang Jing urged his employees to work overtime in military production. Yang Zheng and Yang yang, both serving in the military, were fighting against the Wasoku forces on the battlefield. The women of the Yang family began using their influence to manage various affairs. Yang Sanhua took charge of the production and distribution of civilian and military supplies, while Yang Sihua organized students for fundraising and propaganda to encourage enlistment. Even the two ladies also left the home to help pacify refugees and set up the porridge sheds. The only ones left at home were Mrs Yang and Jiang Fengtian. Mrs Yang was suffering from illness due to worry a lot about her three sons on the battlefield and Jiang Fengtian was pregnant.
Similarly, the Liao family also sprang into action. Yang Erhua led efforts in organizing numerous refugee camps and fundraising activities in the south. Her husband, Liao Yuanfang, also joined the army while participating in various social activities to support his father and elder brother. The women of the Liao family were equally active, either assisting Yang Erhua and Liao Yuanfang or using their influence to offer strategies and assistance for the war effort. Everyone supported each other, working together for the common cause.