Chapter 90

Looking at Zhao Wanqing's joyful face, Jiang Ping's old habit kicked in again, and he deliberately shook his head and sighed, "I never thought you would be someone who doesn't keep your word!"

Unexpected by Jiang Ping's description, Zhao Wanqing couldn't help but frown and said, "How am I not keeping my word?"

"Last time, you said that as long as I could cure your scar, you would agree to any condition I asked for," Jiang Ping said with a look of having been wronged. "Today, you just want to thank me properly. Isn't this not keeping your word?"

Although she knew Jiang Ping was joking, Zhao Wanqing didn't want to give him the impression that she was unreliable. She immediately said seriously, "My intention is that the original condition I promised you remains unchanged, and I will also thank you properly. This way, it shouldn't be considered not keeping my word, right?"

"Of course not," Jiang Ping said with a grin. "To be honest, I haven't even thought about what to ask for. But it's fine, I have two more months to think about it, no rush!"

Jiang Ping's words were overly aggressive, and his expression was full of ill intent, making Zhao Wanqing feel somewhat flustered. She finally realized that if she continued to argue with Jiang Ping, she had no chance of winning.

Zhao Wanqing, being a mature woman, wouldn't continue this somewhat ambiguous topic. Instead, she changed the subject, "Jiajia has been much better recently, almost back to how she was before the accident. It's all thanks to you."

Jiang Ping, of course, knew when to stop talking about such topics. Since Zhao Wanqing had changed the subject, he nodded lightly, "Jiajia is a very cute girl. I'm happy to help her. You don't need to worry about her; everything will be fine."

After so many events, Zhao Wanqing increasingly believed in Jiang Ping's abilities. She nodded lightly, "Yes, I believe you!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Wanqing felt she might have said something wrong, and her face couldn't help but turn slightly red.

However, this time Jiang Ping didn't take the opportunity to say something ambiguous. Instead, he stood up and said, "It's not early anymore, I need to go back. Just rest well. I promise that by National Day, you can take Jiajia out for a trip without any worries."

Zhao Wanqing didn't expect Jiang Ping to leave so soon, which made her feel a bit surprised and a faint sense of regret. However, as a mature woman, she controlled her emotions well, politely saw Jiang Ping to the door, and watched him walk down the hallway before gently closing the door. Even Zhao Wanqing herself didn't realize that she had a gentle smile on her face as she watched him leave.

Although Jiang Ping told Zhao Wanqing he was going home, after leaving, he first went to the city's largest chemical store to buy the chemicals needed to age the agarwood figurine.

To age the agarwood figurine to a flawless degree, over a dozen chemical substances were required. Being cautious, Jiang Ping deliberately bought several more types of chemicals to confuse people, resulting in nearly thirty different chemicals in total.

Fortunately, the chemicals Jiang Ping bought were all very common and wouldn't be dangerous as long as they weren't ingested. Plus, with his young face and high school student identity, the store owner was willing to sell him these chemicals.

In addition to these chemicals, beakers, test tubes, and alcohol lamps were also necessary. Jiang Ping spent several hundred yuan buying these chemicals and tools. He also spent over ten yuan on a taxi to transport everything back to the courtyard in Huahua Alley.

The next day, Jiang Ping arrived early at the courtyard in Huahua Alley and began the aging process for the agarwood figurine. He used a balance and a graduated cylinder to precisely measure the required chemicals, then dissolved, heated, mixed, and filtered them in various ways, finally obtaining a complex chemical solution.

In addition to this chemical solution, which only Jiang Ping knew the formula for, he also heated a piece of fresh fatty meat he bought from the market in the morning using an electric stove, extracting all the fat. After several filtrations, Jiang Ping carefully added some of the fat to the previously prepared chemical solution, thoroughly mixing the fat and the chemical solution. Finally, he obtained the drug needed to age the agarwood figurine.

However, successfully preparing the chemical solution was just the first step. Next, he needed to use this mixed solution to treat the agarwood figurine. Although this step sounds simple, it is the most crucial part of the aging process.

The older an object is, the more its surface will form a special luster due to oxidation, light exposure, and human touch. In the antique world, this is known as "patina."

In most cases, the patina on an object's surface is not uniformly distributed but varies in thickness based on its shape. For example, the more prominent parts of the figurine Jiang Ping carved, such as the cicada perched on the tree trunk, would logically be touched more often, so the patina would be thicker and shinier. In contrast, the recessed parts, such as the calligraphy "The cicada's noise makes the forest even quieter," would be touched less often, so the patina would be thinner and less shiny.

Although this principle is easy to understand, it is not easy to implement. For example, how thick the patina on the cicada should be and how thin the patina on the calligraphy should be is not something everyone knows. Additionally, the age of the object must be considered. Everyone knows that the older the object, the thicker the patina, but it must be within a believable range, which is a significant test of the forger's experience.

Therefore, in the antique world, everyone knows that a skilled forger often has expert-level skills. Otherwise, the forged items can only deceive amateurs and will surely be exposed to experts.

Of course, this was not a problem for Jiang Ping. In his previous life, he was an expert in forging art and antiques, and aging was too easy for him.

Since Jiang Ping set the carving age of the figurine to 20 to 30 years ago, just two thin layers of the chemical solution were enough. Of course, the cicada and other prominent parts required a few more layers of the chemical solution, but this didn't take too long. By noon, the application of the chemical solution was complete.

Jiang Ping put down the wolf-hair brush and stretched lazily. Now he had to wait for the chemical solution to dry before proceeding to the next step.

However, Jiang Ping didn't plan to stay and wait. Instead, he was going to have lunch. It was already noon, and his stomach was already growling.

Jiang Ping opened the door and walked out, just as Zhang Chenlin returned at noon.

===分割线===

Here is the first update for today, please continue to support with recommendations and collections!

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