Notes on the Nineties’ Lost Pieces

In the early 1990s, everything in the winding, narrow Qian Cao Alley was still bleak and run-down. Only Ye Xiaoman, who lived at No. 62, and the Tang-dynasty silk she was restoring at her workbench shone so brilliantly... But the veteran restorer took one look at the young woman, removed his reading glasses, furrowed his brow, and shook his head in disapproval. “How old is she? Bringing someone like this in will only cause trouble. She’s useless!” Meanwhile, the old beat cop assigned to the alley district studied the registration book uncertainly. “Ye Xiaoman? Is that really her name? Why does the household registration officer in her hometown say the head of her household is surnamed Dong?” Only the old director of A City’s archaeological institute looked unusually delighted. “Oh, she’s an absolute godsend!” Amid all the questions and commotion, Ye Xiaoman focused her mind, shutting out the world as she immersed herself in her work... In the end, only Lu Zhengming’s longtime friend, who had insisted on bringing Ye Xiaoman to A City, spoke to him earnestly from the heart: “Be careful if you put her to work!” But Lu Zhengming, head of a national restoration project, leader of the textile artifact restoration team, and a leading researcher, remained calm amid the storm of public opinion and replied to everyone: “One Ye Xiaoman is worth an entire work team!” But then... (Lu Zhengming’s inner monologue, ten thousand words omitted.)