usatvline Chapter 544 Longing for Home at Qinglong Slope
Chapter 544 Longing for Home at Qinglong Slope
Early in the morning, Ling Jiu'er, wrapped in a light coat, squatted in front of the sorting table, frowning as she looked at the 3D model of the kiln site on the computer screen.
I can't seem to get the proportions of the kiln bed details right. I've clicked and clicked the mouse on the screen, but it still doesn't feel right.
"Are you struggling with modeling again?" Gu Fanxing walked over with two cups of hot soy milk and handed one to her.
"Don't be anxious, take your time."
Ling Jiu'er took the soy milk, feeling its warmth on her fingertips, which warmed her heart as well.
“I just want to get it done as soon as possible and then finish the first draft.” She pointed to the screen. “Look at the curvature of this kiln bed. I’ve adjusted it several times according to the survey data, but it still doesn’t feel right. The curvature of the kiln bed in the Song Dynasty dragon kiln should conform to the mountain’s shape, but I just can’t find that feeling.”
Gu Fanxing leaned closer to look at the screen and nodded with a smile.
"It is indeed a bit lacking, but you have done a very good job. For your first time making a 3D model, it is very impressive that you were able to restore the general structure of the kiln site."
Just then, Craftsman Chen came over carrying a bundle of pine branches, his face full of smiles.
"Fanxing, Jiu'er, come and see the porcelain-making materials I've prepared! Yesterday I went to Eagle's Beak Cliff to collect new feldspar, ground it into powder, and dried this year's new pine needles. Let's use the new dragon kiln to fire a kiln of celadon and try out the ancient porcelain-making technique!"
Gu Fanxing and Ling Jiu'er immediately got up and followed Craftsman Chen to look at the materials.
Sacks of pale white feldspar powder were piled up in the corner, and pine needles drying nearby shimmered with a light green hue, the sunlight illuminating them as if they were edged with gold. "Master Chen, you've prepared so thoroughly," Ling Jiu'er exclaimed.
"That's right!" Craftsman Chen patted his chest. "I've already cleaned the kiln chamber thoroughly, and I've even laid pine needle ash on the bottom of the kiln according to the methods used in the Song Dynasty."
The village chief walked in at this moment, carrying a cloth bag filled with plump corn: "Xiao Guzhi, Xiao Ling, this is the new corn that was just harvested this year. I picked out the best ones. Oh, and I also had my wife put the dried jujubes we dried earlier into a jar. They're sweet when steeped in water or used to make tea."
"Thank you, village chief!" Gu Fanxing accepted the corn, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
In the afternoon, Ling Jiu'er followed Gu Fanxing to explore the east side of the kiln site.
Gu Fanxing, holding the surveying instrument, said as they walked, "We haven't explored this area that Du Fei marked last time in detail. Let's see if we can find more kiln tool fragments today. Professor Wang said before that there might be traces of Song Dynasty kiln workers living here. If we can find them, we can have a clearer understanding of the production and living conditions of 'Qingning Kiln' back then."
Ling Jiu'er nodded, holding a small shovel in her hand, carefully examining every inch of the land.
Suddenly, she found a patterned pottery shard under a patch of grass—the shard had simple wave patterns engraved on it, and although it was only the size of a palm, it was clear that it was hand-carved.
"Xingxing, look at this!" Ling Jiu'er exclaimed excitedly, "There are patterns on the pottery shard, it looks like it was hand-carved!"
Gu Fanxing walked over, squatted down, and examined it closely: "This should be a fragment of everyday pottery used by Song Dynasty potters. Look at this wave pattern; it's carved very casually, unlike the delicate patterns on porcelain. It should be from an everyday bowl or jar. I didn't expect we would actually find it. Professor Wang's prediction was really accurate!"
Ling Jiu'er carefully placed the pottery shards into a sealed bag, wrote "Wave-patterned pottery shards from Yaodong Residential Area" on the bag, and then took out her phone to send photos to Du Fei: "We found patterned pottery shards from the Song Dynasty in the area you marked last time! Traces of pottery workers living here, maybe it really is here!"
Not long after, Du Fei sent a video request.
Ling Jiu'er quickly answered the call, and Du Fei's face immediately appeared on the screen—he was wearing a shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and behind him was the company's office, but the smile in his eyes was the same as when he was in Qinglongpo.
"Jiu'er, you guys are amazing! Professor Wang said there was something in that area, and you actually found it!"
I remember that wavy pattern; you often find these kinds of pottery shards near Song Dynasty folk kilns, which means it wasn't far from where the kiln workers lived. Look further north; you might find traces of the foundation!
"Great! We'll head north to explore in a bit!"
Ling Jiu'er nodded, her eyes shining brightly.
"By the way, Master Chen has prepared materials for firing porcelain for you, and the village chief has also left some new corn and dried jujubes. Everyone is looking forward to your return."
Du Fei looked at Ling Jiu'er on the screen, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"I'm also looking forward to going back. Once the project is finished and there's nothing else important, I can return. Don't worry about the 3D model. If there's anything you don't understand, just let me know, and I'll help you look up information and find the answers. Oh, and when I get back, I'll bring you a gift to thank you for your hard work."
"Really?" Ling Jiu'er's eyes lit up. "Then I'll wait for you to come back and take you to see the newly discovered pottery shards, as well as the porcelain-making materials prepared by Master Chen."
After hanging up the video call, Ling Jiu'er felt like she had a little rabbit in her heart, jumping around excitedly.
Looking at her, Gu Fanxing smiled and said, "Look how happy you are. It's just that Du Fei is coming back, isn't it? You're acting like a little wife waiting for her husband to return. Don't be too obvious."
Ling Jiu'er lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, but clutched her phone tightly in her hand: "I just feel... everyone is waiting for him. After he comes back, Qinglongpo will be as lively as before."
In the evening, Ling Jiu'er followed Gu Fanxing to explore the north side of the kiln site, and sure enough, they found several square stones under a layer of soil.
The stones are arranged neatly, like part of the foundation.
"Star, look! These stones look like a foundation!"
Gu Fanxing squatted down and brushed the dirt off the stones with her hands: "It should be the foundation from the Song Dynasty. Look, the gaps between the stones were filled with mud. This was a common way of building houses at that time. I didn't expect that we would actually find it. Let's clean it together. Maybe we can reconstruct the structure of the kiln workers' houses."
Ling Jiu'er nodded, took out her phone and took a picture of the foundation, intending to send it to Du Fei that evening.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people, the wind on Qinglongpo carried the fragrance of rice ears, and the distant sounds of villagers chatting and laughing as they returned home filled the air—everything was so warm and cozy.
When we returned to the rest shed, Craftsman Chen and several villagers were building a wooden frame.
They want to build a shed next to the dragon kiln so that everyone can sit under the shed and look at the dragon kiln.
“Little Gu, look at this shed. Let’s set up tables and chairs here, and brew some tea while firing porcelain. It’ll be so lively!” Craftsman Chen said with a smile.
Looking at the busy villagers, Ou Fanxing was deeply moved.
She knew that what she saw now was not only the neatly arranged fragments and the shade structure, but also everyone's high expectations and heartfelt wishes.
That evening, Ling Jiu'er and Du Fei had a video call.
On the other side of the screen, Du Fei guided her step by step to adjust the scale of the 3D model.
"Adjust the curvature of the kiln bed to 1:1.2, and enlarge the ventilation opening at the kiln tail a bit. The ventilation opening of a Song Dynasty dragon kiln needs to conform to the terrain so that the firing temperature can be even..."
Following his instructions, Ling Jiu'er made adjustments little by little, and the kiln site model on the screen gradually became more harmonious.
"Alright! Finally, it's right!"
Ling Jiu'er said excitedly.
Ling Jiu'er looked at the model on the screen and nodded with a smile.
“Great! It’s even better than the first one I made. When I get back, let’s add some details and include the foundation of the kiln workers’ houses to make the model more complete.”
"Okay!" Du Fei nodded, his eyes full of anticipation.
After hanging up the video call, Ling Jiu'er walked outside the tent and looked up at the moon in the sky.
The moon was very round, shining on Qinglongpo like a thin layer of silver gauze.
She remembered that Du Fei had said he would take her to see the fallen leaves of the sycamore trees downstairs from the company when he came back, but she felt that summer in Qinglongpo was also very nice—there were lush green rice paddies, melodious insect chirps, warm villagers, and the unfulfilled promise she made with Du Fei.
She gripped the pottery shard keychain tightly, thinking to herself: When Du Fei finishes his work and has the opportunity to return to the site, there might be a different surprise waiting for him. At that time, she must let him see a different version of herself, the best version of herself.