Chapter 12 Who is willing to do it (Thanks to the 001 chief @Cheng_Da)_3

"My grandmother and my grandfather share the same last name."

"Ah? Why is that? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Xuan Shi had had his fair share of surprises today.

"You're going to visit my hometown with me. Even if I don't tell you, you'll naturally find out."

Nie Guangyi began to recount his family's past: "My father is quite old, born in 1952. On the day he was born, the Wan'an Bridge that burned down last night was destroyed by a once-in-a-century flood."

"Do you mean Wan'an Bridge was rebuilt once in 1952?"

"No, the work done in 1952 cannot be considered a rebuild, but rather a major repair."

"How can it only be considered a major repair when it was destroyed?" Xuan Shi found it hard to understand.

"Yes."

Nie Guangyi explained the reason to Xuan Shi.

Wooden arch bridges, though they can be destroyed by floodwaters, are not particularly vulnerable to erosion.

The flood of 1952 swept away two arches and twelve spans from the northwest end of Wan'an Bridge.

About eighty to ninety percent of the wooden structures were washed downstream.

The streams in the mountainous area where Wan'an Bridge is located are narrow with steep gradients; thus, when the water rises rapidly, it also recedes quickly.

Nie Guangyi's grandfather, ignoring the newborn child in his home, picked up half of the usable wooden structures along the stream's path.

Building a bridge requires at least several thousand wooden components, and Wan'an Bridge, of course, had more than the average three-section or five-section 'seedlings'.

With these original "parts," the major repairs to Wan'an Bridge were able to preserve much of its original appearance.

"Because Wan'an Bridge was destroyed on the day my father was born, he was considered an ominous person," Nie Guangyi said to Xuan Shi. "Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"Well, superstitions were hard to avoid in the rural areas back then." Xuan Shi said, "Feudal superstitions were inevitable."

"Really?" Nie Guangyi tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "Yet, twenty years earlier, the same bridge fell from over eight meters high, and my grandfather emerged unscathed, which was considered auspicious."

"Is that so..." Xuan Shi was momentarily at a loss for words.

Nie Guangyi continued, "Do you think our family has a special connection with this bridge?"

"Hmm." Xuan Shi nodded his head.

That was something he simply couldn't deny.

"Fate allowed my 'ominous' father to be given away when he was not even three years old," Nie Guangyi sighed heavily and said, "Which is why I really dislike my father."

"Ah? That's..." Xuan Shi finally organized his thoughts, "You can't blame your father for that, can you? He was not even three years old, what choice did he have..."

"No, what I mean is, even though his last name is Nie, why did he have to help a family with a different surname? My father didn't marry until he was nearly forty because of that family that didn't want him."

Xuan Shi looked at Nie Guangyi with a hint of confusion before turning back to face the direction they were driving.

"You don't understand, do you?" Nie Guangyi sought affirmation.

"I... don't quite understand, what does helping others have to do with when one gets married?"

"If you don't understand, let it be. I'll tell you something else you won't be able to comprehend. You're well aware of my high school grades, right? Couldn't I have easily gotten into Tsinghua?"

"Hmm, I remember your first choice was Tsinghua Architecture. But in the end, you chose Tongji University to carry out research with your father." Xuan Shi felt it was time to offer some consolation, "The architecture program at Tongji is one of the best in the country."

"Do you know why I ultimately didn't go to Tsinghua?"

"Didn't you say at the time you wanted to coast through life under Professor Nie's protection?"

"You believed that? If I really thought that way, why would I start participating in all sorts of international exchanges as soon as university began?"

"What was it all for, really?" Xuan Shi wondered right after his college entrance exam had ended.

Xuan Shi's scores were also extremely good, the kind that would allow him to easily get into one of the 985 universities.

However, compared to Nie Guangyi, who could easily get into Tsinghua University, there was still a significant gap.

Nie Guangyi had once given him two explanations.

The first was to waste his time under the protection of Professor Nie.

This explanation wasn't reliable.

But when Nie Guangyi followed up with his second reason—[it was all because I didn't want to leave you].

Xuan Shi instantly felt that the first reason seemed more plausible.

True or false, the matter never reached a definitive conclusion until the very end.

After many years, Nie Guangyi finally provided a straightforward answer today, "Because, the respected Professor Nie applied for a project on the traditional craftsmanship of Muguang Bridge construction, an intangible cultural heritage."

"And then what?" Xuan Shi pressed on.

"Well, Professor Nie was just a pure academic and didn't have the practical skills. Although he had secured the project, he couldn't possibly complete it alone. And his son, that is me, happened to have shown talent in this area from an early age."

"So your dad changed your college application?" Although he had asked the question himself, Xuan Shi still found it somewhat astonishing.

"That's correct, the venerable Professor Nie, at the last moment, changed his son's university choices on the college entrance application."

"Why is that?"

"To become an authority in this field."

"But wasn't your grandfather already the inheritor of the Muguang Bridge traditional construction skills, a national heritage?"

"A skill is only listed on the 'Urgent Safeguarding List of Intangible Cultural Heritage' when it's on the verge of extinction," Nie Guangyi countered, "What young people like us would be willing to do this?"

==========

[Piaoliu Commentary]:

"Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" might be elaborated on later.

Just supposing, if any of you are interested in the stories therein...

Research on "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" is extensive and, much like "Redology," the opinions are legion.

Even the total number of people recorded in this painting can spark debates among generations of researchers.

Bai Shouyi's "A General History of China" mentions over 500.

Qi Tengqian's "Zhuo Tang Wen Hua" mentions over 1600.

The difference is more than threefold.

This seems like it should be a relatively scientific question, right?

Look it up on Baidu, and you might even find the number 815.

Not a single version is universally accepted.

Ancient paintings have no copyright.

Thus, it's quite easy to find a high-definition version of "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" online.

For those of you who are bored, feel free to dive into the research.

Remember to balance work and rest, and do your eye exercises frequently~