Chapter 7

Liu Yiyang's words earned a nod of approval from Teacher Ye.

No matter how easy Liu Yiyang made it sound, as if it were all down to luck, the reality was far from it. He knew very well that without a solid foundation and experience, even reading a lot of books wouldn't necessarily help one spot the issues with the bottle.

If reading more books guaranteed the ability to spot problems, then every expert could just go back to reading books instead of practicing.

"Xiao Liu, there's no need to be modest. Regardless of the reason, we owe you a great deal this time. Without your reminder, we wouldn't have found the problem!"

Teacher Ye spoke slowly, and Teacher Zhang beside him nodded silently.

This time, we really owe Liu Yiyang. Without him, both of us would have been fooled. If such a mistake were to become public, it would be a significant blow to us.

In a way, Liu Yiyang indirectly helped us.

"Teacher Ye, there's no need to be so polite. This is what I should do!"

Liu Yiyang sat up straight and spoke softly. His expression was calm, showing no pride or arrogance from spotting the forgery before the experts.

Lin Liang had been observing him all along. Seeing his demeanor, he nodded inwardly again.

Lin Liang had always had a good impression of Liu Yiyang, and now it was even better. He felt somewhat fortunate to have brought Liu Yiyang into the VIP room. If not for his spontaneous decision, the loss this time would have been significant.

After Liu Yiyang and Teachers Zhang and Ye finished their polite exchanges, Lin Liang said, "Xiao Liu, I will report today's incident to the boss. Your due reward will certainly not be lacking. Additionally, there's something else I want to discuss with you!"

As soon as he spoke, Teachers Zhang and Ye stopped talking, and Liu Yiyang turned to face him.

"Old Tian has formally submitted his resignation. He's getting older and wants to return to his hometown to enjoy his grandchildren. We can't refuse such a request. Initially, we planned to hire an experienced maintenance technician, but Old Tian recommended you, saying you are fully capable of the job. We also have high hopes for you and have decided to let you take over Old Tian's position as the chief maintenance technician in the store!"

Lin Liang's words earned a nod of approval from Teachers Zhang and Ye.

Manager Lin was a straightforward person. He directly said that Old Tian recommended Liu Yiyang, rather than claiming it was his own decision. If he had said it was his own decision, Liu Yiyang would have thanked him instead of Old Tian.

This was a reflection of Lin Liang's character. He never took credit for things that weren't his. The more he did this, the more others trusted and respected him.

Old Tian is resigning, and I'm to take over his position?

Liu Yiyang looked up at Lin Liang, feeling a bit excited. He had suspected it before, but it wasn't confirmed until now. Lin Liang's words made it a reality.

He wasn't particularly interested in Old Tian's position, but taking over would certainly come with a raise, which would improve his and his family's living conditions.

This was the key point for him.

"What, no confidence?" Seeing that Liu Yiyang didn't speak, Lin Liang smiled again.

"No, I have confidence!"

Liu Yiyang quickly shook his head. He had been thinking about the future, and Lin Liang mistook his silence for a lack of confidence. If he were really seen as lacking confidence, it would be a significant loss.

"Ha ha, good to have confidence. Old Tian's salary is 9,000 yuan per month, working four days a week. Since you are part-time, we will pay you 210 yuan per hour. How does that sound?"

Lin Liang laughed and directly addressed Liu Yiyang's main concern.

He was still in school and couldn't work full-time, but 210 yuan per hour for part-time work was a decent salary. Among his classmates, no one had a higher salary under normal circumstances.

Moreover, 210 yuan was double his previous 100 yuan salary, which was much better than the few dozen yuan raise he had expected.

This meant that in the future, his salary alone could support his entire family. His younger brother wouldn't have to worry about tuition, and his parents wouldn't have to work so hard to make a living. They could rest whenever they wanted.

Liu Yiyang was lost in thought. Seeing that Lin Liang was looking at him, he quickly nodded and said, "Thank you, Uncle Lin. I think it's great!"

"Ha ha!"

This time, not only Lin Liang but also Teachers Zhang and Ye laughed heartily.

Liu Yiyang was still a student, and his thoughts and emotions were clearly visible on his face. However, this made them feel that Liu Yiyang was genuine, and they liked this young man even more.

After settling the salary issue, Lin Liang let Liu Yiyang leave.

He himself had to go report to the boss. Although he had shares in the store, they were not significant, and such matters needed to be reported to the big boss. He would also take the opportunity to mention Liu Yiyang.

In Lin Liang's view, Liu Yiyang was definitely a talent worth cultivating. He even considered having Liu Yiyang stay and work in the store after graduation.

"Yiyang, come over here!"

As soon as he came out, before going downstairs, Liu Yiyang was pulled to the back by Lin Feng, stopping at the door of the warehouse.

Lin Feng looked around outside before letting go of Liu Yiyang's hand.

"Yiyang, tell me quickly, what's wrong with that dragon-patterned cylinder bottle? How did you spot that it was a forgery?"

Making sure no one was around, he asked urgently.

Actually, he had been very curious about this answer, so he had been waiting for Liu Yiyang to come out. However, he hadn't neglected his work. Before Liu Yiyang came out, he had finished his tasks, storing the ten pieces of blue-and-white porcelain and placing some in the store, while keeping a few in the warehouse.

Liu Yiyang looked at Lin Feng and suddenly smiled, saying softly, "Brother Lin, do you remember the set of books you introduced to me last time?"

"Books? You mean the 'Detailed Explanation of Blue-and-White Porcelain' series?"

Lin Feng recalled and immediately remembered the set of books he had bought for Liu Yiyang from a friend.

The set consisted of eight books, all about blue-and-white porcelain. The entire set cost over 200 yuan. Liu Yiyang had hesitated for a long time before finally buying it. He had just finished reading it, but only skimmed through it. He wasn't sure why he could recall it so clearly.

"Yes, that set of books. One part specifically discusses blue-and-white porcelain from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, with detailed explanations of Shunzhi blue-and-white, especially the painting techniques of dragons during the Shunzhi period!"

Liu Yiyang smiled, feeling grateful to Lin Feng.

If not for Lin Feng's recommendation, he might not have bought the set of books. Without the books, even if he had known there was a problem with the bottle, he wouldn't have been able to point it out.

"I've read that set of books too. I remember the Shunzhi blue-and-white, but today the bottle seemed fine in every aspect. What exactly was the problem?"

Lin Feng frowned, thinking hard but still unable to figure out the issue, so he asked Liu Yiyang again.

"The bottle itself had no major problems. The main issue was the painting technique. The books mentioned that the 'one dragon, five clouds' pattern was a technical challenge at the time. The edges of the dragon where the clouds overlapped were always painted very vaguely because the techniques and ideas of the time were not advanced enough. They used this vague pattern as a solution. However, the bottle we saw today had this aspect handled very well, which was impossible at that time!"

Liu Yiyang explained slowly, finally making Lin Feng understand everything and resolve his doubts.

After careful recollection, Lin Feng's eyes suddenly brightened. He also remembered this point. Looking back at the bottle, the 'one dragon, five clouds' pattern was indeed painted very well, with perfect handling of the fine edges.

"Ah, I finally understand!"

Lin Feng exclaimed loudly. His level was limited, unlike Teachers Zhang and Ye and Lin Liang, who could spot the problem as soon as it was pointed out.

Actually, if the bottle had been examined alone, it might not have fooled Teacher Ye. If he had looked closely, he would have noticed this small issue.

However, today, with over ten pieces of blue-and-white porcelain together, and the cylinder bottle being a perfect imitation in terms of material, glaze, and blue-and-white pigment, and the painting being meticulously replicated, it had blinded them to the subtle differences in the painting technique.

However, even the best painting has its flaws. The painting was too good, and the cleverness backfired, leading to this mistake.

This mistake was very small, just a tiny detail. With so many characteristics of Shunzhi blue-and-white porcelain, it was easy to overlook. If Liu Yiyang hadn't initially determined it was a forgery and recalled all the details, he wouldn't have noticed this tiny flaw.

"No wonder Teachers Zhang and my father knew immediately when they saw it. The problem was here!"

Lin Feng continued, with a hint of regret on his face, seemingly disappointed in himself for not spotting the issue.

Turning back, Lin Feng said again, "Yiyang, I never expected you to spot such a tiny detail just by reading books. It seems your talent is indeed much stronger than mine!"

As he spoke, Lin Feng's eyes showed a complex expression.

His eyes were filled with envy and a touch of jealousy, but more importantly, happiness and blessings.

When Liu Yiyang first joined the store, Lin Feng felt that this young man, who was younger than him, was very good. He, who usually didn't interact much with others, made an exception for Liu Yiyang.

Now, his initial impression had been proven correct.

Even if the books were placed in front of him and he examined the dragon-patterned cylinder bottle again, he might not have spotted the issue. This was the gap between him and Liu Yiyang.

Not to mention, Liu Yiyang had spotted the forgery before the experts.

He could only attribute this to talent. Liu Yiyang's talent was indeed much better than his. This incident made him truly convinced. If not for Liu Yiyang's explanation, he would still be in the dark.

"Brother Lin, I'm off work. See you tomorrow!"

After explaining everything, Liu Yiyang bid farewell to Lin Feng. He still needed to find Liu Wei and was in good spirits, wanting to go home early.

"Alright, see you tomorrow!"

This time, Lin Feng didn't hold him back. He waved, still pondering over Liu Yiyang's words, thinking about whether he should read the books more carefully.

Liu Yiyang made him feel pressured.