usatvline Chapter 534 The Old Kiln Reappears, Revealing the True Nature
Chapter 534 The Old Kiln Reappears, Revealing the True Nature
As the first rays of sunlight climbed over Qinglong Slope, Gu Fanxing, along with Pei Luonan, Du Fei, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Zhou, stood by the mine pit they had discovered the day before, carrying exploration tools.
The dew dampened their trouser legs, but it did not dampen their enthusiasm in the slightest—everyone's eyes shone with anticipation.
“We’ll split into two groups today,” Gu Fanxing said, pointing to the area below the slope. “Pei Luonan and I will be in one group, exploring southwards from the mine; Du Fei, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Zhou will be in the other group, exploring northwards from the mine. Pay close attention to the porcelain shards and kiln tool fragments in the soil. If you find anything unusual, contact the other party immediately.”
"Alright!" everyone responded in unison, picking up their tools and beginning the exploration.
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan walked south along the mine pit, carrying small shovels and brushes, carefully examining every inch of the land.
The grass on the slope grew very densely. Pei Luonan was afraid that Gu Fanxing would get scratched by the grass, so he walked ahead and helped her clear away the grass. He also reminded her from time to time: "Watch your step. The soil here is a bit loose. The rain just stopped yesterday, and the stones are slippery."
Gu Fanxing watched Pei Luonan's retreating figure, her heart filled with warmth.
He was always like that, taking care of her in the details so she could focus on the exploration with peace of mind. She crouched down and gently dug away a layer of soil with her small shovel, when suddenly, the shovel hit something hard.
"Luonan, look!" Gu Fanxing exclaimed excitedly, "There's something here!"
Pei Luonan immediately squatted down and helped her clean up the mud.
As the soil was gradually removed, a brick bearing the marks of fire was revealed—the brick was dark red in color, and its surface had patterns from kiln fire, clearly indicating that it was a brick from the kiln back then.
"They're kiln bricks!" Pei Luonan's eyes lit up with surprise. "This place must be close to the kiln site!"
Gu Fanxing nodded and continued exploring southward. After walking a few steps, she found several fragments of kiln tools in the soil—the support nails used to place porcelain blanks back then. The fragments were still covered with a light blue glaze, exactly the same as the glaze of the "Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl".
"A support nail!" Gu Fanxing picked up the fragment, her hands trembling with excitement. "Luo Nan, let's hurry this way, the kiln site must be nearby!"
The two quickened their pace, following the clues of the kiln bricks and supports southward. After walking about two hundred meters, a flat piece of land appeared before them—the soil layer on the surface was very thin, and they could vaguely see the neatly arranged kiln bricks underneath, as well as several circular depressions, which were clearly the locations of the kilns from back then.
"We found it! We found the kiln site!" Gu Fanxing excitedly hugged Pei Luonan, tears streaming down her face. "Luonan, we really found the kiln site of 'Qingning Kiln'!"
Pei Luonan hugged her tightly, gently patting her back, his voice filled with excitement: "I knew you would find it. Xingxing, you're amazing!"
He took out his phone and immediately called Du Fei, telling them to come over right away.
Before long, Du Fei, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Zhou ran over. When they saw the kiln site in front of them, they were so excited that they couldn't speak.
"It really is a kiln site!"
Xiaolin squatted down beside the kiln bricks, carefully touching the bricks.
"Look, the way these kiln bricks are arranged is exactly the same as the kiln structure of folk kilns in the Song Dynasty! And these depressions should be the combustion chamber and kiln bed from back then!"
Xiao Zhou took out his camera and started taking pictures of the kiln site: "I'm going to send these pictures to Professor Wang so he can be happy too! We've really done a great job!"
Gu Fanxing squatted by the kiln bed, using a small brush to clean the fragments from the soil.
He carefully brushed away the dirt with his fingertips, not even noticing the dirt stuck under his fingernails. Pei Luonan handed him a wet wipe and said softly, "Wipe your hands first, don't rub your eyes. We'll need to examine the fragments carefully later."
She looked up and smiled, still clutching the barely visible fragment in her hand: "I'll wipe it later. This fragment looks like it has a mark; maybe it can help identify the kiln."
Sure enough, a short while later, a fragment bearing the clear mark of "Qingning Kiln" was revealed—this was the clearest kiln mark they had found so far, even more complete than the one they had seen on the porcelain bowl before.
“Look at this mark!” Gu Fanxing held up the fragment. “It’s a complete ‘Qingning Kiln’ mark! Now we can be 100% certain that this is the kiln site of the ‘Qingning Kiln’!”
The crowd gathered around to look at the fragments, their eyes filled with excitement.
Pei Luonan felt gratified seeing Gu Fanxing's happy expression.
He knew how much effort Gu Fanxing had put in to find this kiln site—she had consulted countless documents, visited numerous sites in Ciyang County, and even kept track of clues about the kiln site during the special exhibition.
Now, her efforts have finally paid off, and he is happier for her than anyone else.
At noon, the group ate some dry food at the kiln site and then began preliminary surveying of the site.
Gu Fanxing held a measuring tape and carefully measured the dimensions of the kiln, while Pei Luonan recorded the data. Du Fei, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Zhou were responsible for cleaning the soil on the surface of the kiln bed and searching for more fragments.
"The kiln is about five meters long and three meters wide, and it is a typical Song Dynasty dragon kiln structure."
Gu Fanxing said as she took the measurements.
"The advantage of dragon kilns is that they heat up and cool down quickly, making them suitable for firing celadon, which perfectly matches the glaze characteristics of 'Qingning kiln'."
While cleaning the kiln bed, Xiaolin also discovered a complete porcelain mold: "Look at this mold! It's used to make bowl blanks, and it's exactly the same shape as the 'Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl' we found!"
Gu Fanxing took the mold and examined it carefully: "That's right! The curvature and size of this mold match the porcelain bowl perfectly. With this mold, we can more accurately reproduce the porcelain-making process of 'Qingning Kiln'."
By evening, the preliminary surveying and clearing work was basically completed.
Looking at the kiln site before her, Gu Fanxing was filled with emotion—this kiln site, which had been dormant for thousands of years, had finally reappeared before the world thanks to their efforts.
It not only witnessed the prosperity of folk porcelain making in the late Song Dynasty, but also embodies the wisdom and hard work of countless kiln workers.
"We will contact Professor Wang tomorrow to apply for a formal excavation."
Gu Fanxing looked at everyone with a firm tone.
"We must protect this kiln site and let more people know its story."
Pei Luonan grasped her hand, his eyes full of support: "Okay, I'll coordinate with Professor Wang tomorrow. No matter how difficult the excavation work is, we'll face it together."
After packing up their tools, the group walked along the mountain path toward the town.
The setting sun cast long shadows of them, and the air seemed to still hold the warmth of a thousand-year-old kiln fire.
Gu Fanxing looked at Pei Luonan beside her and thought to herself: Perhaps this is the charm of archaeology—it allows us to converse with the ancients and reunite with history in the long river of time, and in the process, we have our loved ones by our side to witness every precious moment together.
Back at the guesthouse, Gu Fanxing was still excitedly organizing today's survey data and fragment photos.
Pei Luonan brewed her a cup of warm osmanthus tea and placed it beside her: "Don't overwork yourself. You've been running around all day. Get some rest. There's a lot to do tomorrow."
Gu Fanxing took the teacup, took a sip, and felt a warmth spreading from the bottom of her heart.
She leaned against Pei Luonan's chest, looking at the photo of the kiln site on the computer screen, and whispered, "Luonan, thank you for always being there for me. Without you, I probably wouldn't have found the kiln site so quickly."
Pei Luonan lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, his eyes full of doting: "Silly girl, why are you being so polite with me? In the future, we will discover more history together and witness more miracles together."
The moonlight streamed through the window, falling on the computer screen and on the two people's clasped hands.
Gu Fanxing knew that their story with "Qingning Kiln" had only just begun—more secrets awaited them to explore, and more wonders awaited them to create.