Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

Chapter 552 The Return Journey Brings Warmth and New Ideas

The morning in Munich was still shrouded in mist, but Xiao Fangfei had already packed her luggage.

Inside her suitcase, besides her clothes and motorcycle racing materials, were gifts for the people of Qinglongpo. There were also Munich-themed postcards for Ling Jiu'er, each with a blessing written on the back.

The hand-embroidered tablecloth for Aunt Zhang features Munich hops and is a dirt-resistant off-white color; the brewer's yeast for the village chief was bought from a local time-honored shop, as the village chief enjoys brewing and might be able to produce a unique flavor; and a set of small carving knives for Craftsman Chen, which she kept in a blue velvet box to prevent damage during transport.

"Have you brought everything?"

Kong Haoyu made a video call. On the screen, he had just packed his briefcase, and the background was the branch office.

"I've already booked a car to the airport. It'll arrive in about two hours. Just wait at the hotel. Don't carry your luggage yourself, it's heavy." Xiao Fangfei smiled and nodded, picking up the velvet box to show him.

"I've put away the carving knife, and I've also packed all the gifts for everyone, so don't worry. Oh, and I also bought some Munich chocolates for Ling Jiu'er to snack on."

Kong Haoyu's eyes were full of smiles.

“You’re so thoughtful. I spoke with President Pei on the phone yesterday, and he said the kiln shed is all set up and we’re just waiting to go back and add pine branches.”

"Oh, right, President Pei also sent a few photos of Qinglongpo. Look—" He opened the album, and the image of guarding the kiln shed immediately appeared on the screen.

Ling Jiu'er squatted at the kiln entrance, a notebook spread out on her lap, densely filled with temperature and humidity data.

Gu Fanxing stood by the stone table, helping Aunt Zhang arrange sesame cakes, and held a freshly baked one to Pei Luonan's lips.

The village chief rummaged through the pile of pine branches, separating the thin branches from the thick ones.

Looking at the photos, Xiao Fangfei was deeply moved and couldn't help but say, "Ling Jiu'er is too meticulous. This notebook has more detailed notes than the technical parameters I used in the competition."

Kong Haoyu said with a smile, "President Pei said she checks the temperature and humidity more than ten times a day, and even gets up in the early morning to check on them, just in case the clay pottery gets damp. When we get back, we'll help her out a bit so she can get a good night's sleep."

He also opened the information he had saved on his phone, which was the history of porcelain firing at Qingning Kiln. It recorded how the kiln workers in the Southern Song Dynasty selected materials, controlled the fire, and even recorded the lives of the kiln workers at that time.

Xiao Fangfei took the phone and flipped through the old records in the documents, such as "Pine branches need to face the sun for three years, and long stones need to be taken from three feet of soil under Eagle's Beak Cliff..." She couldn't help but say, "These details are so useful. When we get to the site, they can also help Fanxing and Jiu'er."

Two hours later, Kong Haoyu arrived at the hotel on time.

As soon as he entered, he took the suitcase from Xiao Fangfei's hand: "Why is it so heavy? Did you bring too much stuff?"

Xiao Fangfei stuck out her tongue: "These are all gifts for everyone, we can't go back empty-handed."

Kong Haoyu smiled helplessly and took a thermos from his briefcase.

"I've prepared hot soy milk for you, don't drink it cold."

Xiao Fangfei took the thermos, feeling the familiar warmth on her fingertips, just like the chilled drink he handed her during the last competition—always so thoughtful.

On the way to the airport, Xiao Fangfei leaned against the car window, watching the Munich street scenes flash by.

Kong Haoyu, worried that she might be bored, pulled out the photos Pei Luonan had sent and pointed to one of them, saying, "Look at this bamboo curtain by the kiln. It was woven by Aunt Zhang and Ling Jiu'er together. Ling Jiu'er even drew kiln patterns on it. We'll be able to see it when we get back."

Mr. Pei said that on the day of the trial firing, villagers would come to guard the kiln, Aunt Zhang would cook a big pot of corn porridge, and the village chief would prepare fresh corn for the kiln offering—all old customs of Qinglongpo.

Looking at the pattern on the bamboo curtain in the photo—simple kiln lines with a few small pine needles drawn next to it, exuding a cute seriousness—Xiao Fangfei couldn't help but smile.

"Ling Jiu'er is so skillful; this bamboo curtain looks so warm."

It was already evening when the plane landed.

Kong Haoyu pushed his suitcase, with Xiao Fangfei beside him. As soon as they stepped out of the airport, they saw Pei Luonan's car parked on the side of the road.

Gu Fanxing jumped out of the car and waved to them.

"Fei'er! Haoyu! Over here!"

Xiao Fangfei walked over quickly, hugged Gu Fanxing, and felt instantly at ease when she smelled the familiar earthy scent on her.

"You must be tired from the journey. I brought you some hot porridge, it's in a thermos, come on and have some."

Gu Fanxing held her hand and said with a smile in her eyes, and took out two pairs of thick socks from her bag, "These are from my mom. She said it gets cold guarding the kiln at night, so I'm giving you and Kong Haoyu a pair each. Put them on to warm your feet."

On the bus, Gu Fanxing told them about the recent situation in Qinglongpo.

"Master Chen has prepared all the glazes for firing porcelain. He uses feldspar from Eagle Beak Cliff and freshly dried pine needle ash, which is exactly the same as the formula from the Song Dynasty."

The village chief had already aired out the quilts to be used while guarding the kiln, and had also hung lanterns around the shed, making it brightly lit at night.

Ling Jiu'er has already written the script for the documentary; she's just waiting for you to come back and film the actual footage.

Xiao Fangfei took out a postcard and handed it to Gu Fanxing.

"This is for you and Ling Jiu'er. It's a picture of Munich. I wrote a blessing on the back. Please pass it on to her for me."

Gu Fanxing took the postcard, turned it over, and saw Xiao Fangfei's words, "May we all shine in our passions." She couldn't help but smile and say, "That's well said! Ling Jiu'er will definitely like it. She told me a few days ago that when you come over, the three of us will have a good time."

The car drove out of the city and headed towards Qinglongpo.

The scenery outside the window gradually changed from high-rise buildings to rice paddies, the golden rice ears gleaming in the setting sun, and the distant Qinglongpo Slope faintly visible. Xiao Fangfei looked out the window, her heart filled with excitement—she had finally arrived, arrived at this place that Gu Fanxing had mentioned countless times, arrived at this place full of warmth and heritage.

By the time we arrived at Qinglongpo, it was already dark.

Lanterns were lit inside the kiln shed, where villagers were still busy.

When Aunt Zhang saw Xiao Fangfei, she immediately came to greet her, holding a freshly baked sesame cake in her hand.

"Miss Fei'er, try it! It has chopped walnuts in it, it's very fragrant."

The village chief also came over and handed her a cup of rice wine: "It's sweet, not intoxicating, and will help you relax."

Holding the set of small carving knives, Craftsman Chen smiled and said, "Young Kong is very thoughtful! These carving knives are very sharp. Tomorrow I will use them to carve patterns on the clay blanks, and I guarantee they will look beautiful."

Ling Jiu'er ran over with her camera, excitedly saying, "Fei'er, we can have a good get-together tomorrow. After we've had our fun, we can let you experience our great archaeological work."

I'll film our work as proof of our enduring friendship. I've already chosen the shooting angles—the kiln site, the glaze, the pine branches—I can't miss a single detail.

Oh, and I also wrote down the daily temperature and humidity changes in my notebook. Just let me know if you need the data.

Ling Jiu'er then took out a thick specimen album from her backpack, which contained pottery shards she had collected over the past few days. Each shard was labeled with its discovery location and date.

"Look at this piece with the fish pattern. It was found by the well. It should be the bottom of a bowl used by the kiln workers. I even took a high-definition photo of it so you can use it as a close-up when you're editing."

Xiao Fangfei took the specimen booklet, her fingertips tracing the patterns on the pottery shards, feeling the marks of time, and her heart filled with anticipation for what lay ahead.

Pei Luonan and Kong Haoyu carried their luggage to the rest shed together, while Gu Fanxing accompanied Xiao Fangfei to familiarize herself with the environment.

The moonlight spilled onto Qinglongpo like a thin layer of silver gauze. The pine branches beside the kiln emitted a faint fragrance, and the lanterns in the kiln shed swayed warmly and brightly.

Looking into the dark kiln chamber, Xiao Fangfei could almost see the sleeping clay pieces inside, waiting to be awakened by the kiln fire.

She thought to herself: Next, she can fully experience the warmth of Qinglongpo and begin a new experience with Kong Haoyu.