usatvline Chapter 554 Busy Guarding the Kiln at Midnight
Chapter 554 Busy Guarding the Kiln at Midnight
In the stillness of the night in Qinglongpo, only the crackling of burning pine branches could be heard. The lanterns guarding the kiln shed swayed gently in the wind, and the orange light fell on the thermometer and hygrometer at the kiln entrance, where the number stopped at 1180°C—20°C away from the optimal firing temperature.
Xiao Fangfei, wrapped in the thin coat given to her by Kong Haoyu, leaned against the wooden stool and dozed off. She was vaguely awakened by a rustling sound. When she opened her eyes, she saw Craftsman Chen squatting at the kiln entrance, holding a thin pine branch in his hand, gently poking into the kiln chamber.
"Master Chen, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Xiao Fangfei rubbed her eyes, got up and walked over.
Craftsman Chen looked up, a bit of kiln ash clinging to the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes: "I just woke up and checked the temperature. It's dropped a bit. I need to add a few thin pine branches to raise the fire. These porcelain blanks are delicate; even a degree difference won't do, especially at midnight when the temperature is most likely to drop."
As he spoke, he picked out a few pine branches about the thickness of a finger from the bamboo basket beside him and handed one to Xiao Fangfei: "Why don't you try it? When you add them, be gentle and don't touch the kiln wall, otherwise it will easily startle the fire. Our elders say 'add pine branches in small amounts and frequently.' Adding three thin branches at a time is much more stable than stuffing in one thick branch, and the fire temperature will not fluctuate."
Xiao Fangfei took the pine branch and, imitating Craftsman Chen, carefully extended it into the kiln opening.
The flames instantly licked the pine branches, warming her fingertips until they tingled. The bitter fragrance of pine resin lingered in her nose, and in a daze, she seemed to see the figure of Grandpa Chen, the craftsman, guarding the old kiln, adding branches and controlling the fire.
At this moment, Kong Haoyu also woke up and came over carrying two cups of hot ginger tea.
"I knew you were here as soon as I heard the noise. Quickly drink some ginger tea, it's chilly in the middle of the night, don't catch a cold."
He handed one cup to Craftsman Chen and the other to Xiao Fangfei, and also helped Xiao Fangfei turn up the collar of her coat: "The wind is blowing in through the cracks in the shed, be careful of the wind. Aunt Zhang said she added some brown sugar to the ginger tea, it will make you feel better."
Xiao Fangfei took the ginger tea, the warm liquid sliding down her throat, the warmth spreading from her esophagus to her heart—the past few days, Kong Haoyu had kept her preferences in mind, even remembering the little thing that she was afraid of the spiciness of ginger tea.
The three men stood guard at the kiln entrance, watching the numbers on the thermometer and hygrometer slowly climb to 1200°C before craftsman Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, that's settled now. You guys go to sleep, I'll keep watch for the rest of the night."
He took out a small, verdigris-covered whistle from his pocket, blew it softly, and said in a clear tone, "If there's a problem with the fire temperature, I'll blow the whistle and you can come over then."
Just as Xiao Fangfei was about to decline, Kong Haoyu tugged at her arm.
"Listen to Master Chen, we still need to organize materials about the kiln workers' lives during the day, so we need to get enough rest."
Back in the rest shed, Kong Haoyu specially laid out a thin blanket for Xiao Fangfei: "The ground is cold, don't catch a cold. I'll set my alarm for three o'clock, then I'll get up and check the kiln temperature."
As dawn broke, the kiln sheds came alive with activity.
Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu helped Aunt Zhang set out breakfast. Looking at the pickled radishes in the bamboo basket, Xiao Fangfei suddenly remembered what Craftsman Chen had mentioned about "side dishes for Song Dynasty kiln workers" and couldn't help but ask, "Master Chen, did the kiln workers eat these when they were guarding the kiln?"
Craftsman Chen was breaking apart a cornbread when he heard this and nodded with a smile.
"Pretty much! When conditions were good, we could boil an egg. Unlike now, we have everything, and we're much happier."
He also pulled out a chipped old rough porcelain bowl from his tool bag: "This is the bowl my grandfather used. He used this bowl to hold porridge and guarded the kiln his whole life."
Xiao Fangfei quickly took out her camera and took a close-up picture of the rough porcelain bowl.
When Professor Li and Pei Luonan checked the kiln temperature together, the number on the screen remained stable at 1200°C.
Professor Li smiled and said, "The temperature is very stable, and the ceramic blank should have already begun to glaze. This afternoon we can take a look through the temperature measuring hole, and we should be able to see the glaze starting to shine."
Ling Jiu'er quickly wrote the data down in her notebook: "Great! I also plotted the daily temperature changes as a curve. I'll send it to Professor Wang after it's burned; he'll definitely find it useful."
While sorting through the Song Dynasty pottery shards she had discovered earlier, Gu Fanxing suddenly noticed that the patterns on several shards could be pieced together: "Look! These shards together look like the bottom of a bowl, and the wave patterns on them are connected!"
Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu quickly went over to take a look, and sure enough, several palm-sized pieces of pottery were pieced together to form the shape of half a bowl bottom, with continuous and natural wave patterns.
Craftsman Chen touched the edge of the pottery shard.
"This must have been a bowl that a kiln worker accidentally broke back then. He couldn't bear to throw it away, so he just left it by the kiln. I never thought that after so many years, we would be able to find it and put it back together."
Xiao Fangfei held up her camera and took pictures of the pieced-together pottery shards. Suddenly, an idea came to her: "We can compile the stories behind these pottery shards and make them into exhibition boards so that people who come to Qinglongpo can learn about the lives of Song Dynasty pottery workers."
Kong Haoyu nodded and wrote down the "old kiln worker's story of guarding the kiln" that the craftsman Chen had told him, intending to add it to the materials later.
Xiao Fangfei followed the craftsman Chen to see the spare glaze: "This is the spare glaze. If the glaze color of a porcelain blank is not enough, it can be refired after it comes out of the kiln."
Chen Gongjin then picked up a thin bamboo stick, dipped it in some glaze, and dripped it into the bowl.
"Look at these glaze drops, they're round and don't spread out, that means the consistency is just right."
My grandfather used to mix glazes entirely by feel, unlike now where we have instruments to measure consistency.
Xiao Fangfei leaned closer to take a look and quickly snapped a picture of the scene with her camera. The glaze droplet in the lens shimmered with a faint luster, like a small green bead.
At noon, Aunt Zhang brought over a big pot of noodles and also put a poached egg in everyone's bowl.
“Guarding the kiln is tiring, so you need to eat more. Fei’er, you said last time that you liked soft-boiled eggs, so I specially cooked them for you. The yolks are just set.”
Xiao Fangfei took a bite of the fried egg, her heart filled with emotion.
Aunt Zhang always remembered her preferences, just like she remembered the tastes of her own family.
Kong Haoyu helped her pick out the scallions from her bowl.
"You don't like scallions, so I picked them out for you. Eat them quickly, they won't taste good when they get cold."
In the afternoon, Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu organized "materials about the lives of kiln workers".
Xiao Fangfei sorted and organized the photos she took that morning, while Kong Haoyu recorded the old stories that Craftsman Chen told her.
"Master Chen said that his grandfather used to guard the kiln. In the cold winter, he would burn pine branches to make it burn brighter, wrap himself in a cotton-padded coat, and sit by the kiln humming folk songs. In the hot summer, he would soak a cloth in well water, drape it over his shoulder, and eat cold cornbread."
As Xiao Fangfei listened, she couldn't help but write next to the photo, "What is being passed down is not only the craft, but also the dedication of the kiln keepers."
Suddenly, I realized that these old stories are more precious than any film footage.
In the evening, Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan added pine branches together.
Gu Fanxing accidentally pricked her hand on a pine branch, and Pei Luonan quickly took out a band-aid and carefully put it on for her.
"Wear gloves next time you're adding pine branches, so you don't prick your hands again."
Xiao Fangfei happened to capture this moment. In the shot, Pei Luonan's eyes were focused, and Gu Fanxing had a warm and beautiful smile on her face.
Kong Haoyu stood beside her and said softly, "These little everyday details are the most touching. Be sure to keep them when you're organizing materials in the future."
It was late at night, and everyone was asleep, but Xiao Fangfei was still organizing the footage she had shot during the day.
Kong Haoyu walked over and handed her a cup of hot milk.
"Don't stay up too late. We still need to send Master Chen to check the glaze tomorrow."
Xiao Fangfei took the milk and looked into Kong Haoyu's gentle eyes. Suddenly, she felt that her previous aversion to relationships was slowly melting away in the face of such warmth.
She whispered, "Kong Haoyu, it's so good to have you by my side."
Kong Haoyu smiled and reached out to pat her head: "I'll always be here."
The kiln fire was still flickering inside the kiln chamber, and the firelight was reflected on the screen. Xiao Fangfei looked at the rough porcelain bowl, the pieced-together pottery shards, the old tools of Craftsman Chen, and the busy figures of everyone in the materials, and her heart was full of anticipation.
I look forward to the new porcelain being fired in three days, and even more so to sharing these stories of inheritance and warmth with more people.