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

Chapter 555 Morning Dew by the Kiln: Preparing for the New Journey

The morning air in Qinglongpo was cool with dew. As soon as Ou Fanxing stepped out of the rest shed, she saw Craftsman Chen squatting at the kiln entrance, holding a piece of transparent glass and looking into the temperature measuring hole.

"Master Chen, what are you looking at?" she walked over and asked softly.

Craftsman Chen looked up, a smile on his face.

"Look at the glaze! The porcelain body inside is already starting to shine, which means the glaze is fired just right. It will be ready to come out of the kiln after another day of firing." He handed the glass shard to Xiao Fangfei.

"Try it and see if there are any 'beads' inside—if the glaze is properly glazed, it will form small water droplets on the surface of the porcelain body, which means it's been fired thoroughly."

Ou Fanxing took the glass shard, brought it close to the temperature measuring hole, and sure enough, she saw that the surface of the porcelain blank had a faint luster, like it was sprinkled with a layer of crushed diamonds.

“It really exists!” she exclaimed excitedly.

The craftsman squatted down beside him and continued to explain: "The more obvious these 'beads' are, the more even the glaze is, and the brighter the porcelain will be after firing. When I was young, the first time I fired porcelain, I took it out of the kiln before the 'beads' appeared, and as a result, the glaze of the porcelain blank was dark, wasting several good blanks."

Pei Luonan had just returned from the living area of ​​the kiln site, holding a newly discovered pottery shard in his hand—the shard had a small "福" (fortune) character engraved on it, and the edges were still intact.

"I found it when I went to check the well. It was probably carved by a potter from the Song Dynasty. Maybe he wanted to bring good luck."

He handed the pottery shard to Ling Jiu'er, who quickly put it into a sealed box and labeled it: "Pottery shard with the character '福' (Fu, meaning good fortune), from the Yaodong residential area, late Song Dynasty."

She even showed the pottery shard to Xiao Fangfei: "Fei'er, look at this 'Fu' character. It's carved very shallowly, and the strokes are crooked. It must have been carved by the child of the kiln worker. Maybe he wanted to give his parents a surprise."

Xiao Fangfei took the pottery shard and carefully touched it: "It's so cute. These are all keepsakes left by our ancestors."

When Gu Fanxing saw Pei Luonan, she quickly took out a thin vest: "Luonan, put it on quickly! It's chilly in the morning, don't catch a cold."

Pei Luonan took the vest and thanked him with a smile, "Thank you."

He put on the vest, which fit him perfectly. Gu Fanxing nodded in satisfaction: "I knew this size would suit you."

In the morning, Professor Li talked to everyone about the porcelain-firing techniques of Song Dynasty potters.

"In the past, kiln workers didn't have thermometers, so they relied entirely on the color of the flame to judge the temperature. When the flame was orange-red, it was the preheating stage, around 1000°C."

When it turns bright white, that's 1200°C, which is just right for firing the glaze of celadon.

If it turns blue, it means the firing temperature was too high, and the porcelain blank is prone to cracking.

Craftsman Chen took over the conversation and picked up a burning pine branch.

"Look at these flames, they're bright white now, which means the temperature is just right. If the flames were dim, we'd need to add more pine branches."

If the flames are too strong, open the kiln door slightly to let in some air.

These are all methods passed down from my grandfather, and they always work.

He also had Ling Jiu'er hold the glass shard and taught her how to judge the temperature by the color of the flame: "Look at the base of the flame. If it's bluish, it means the fire is too strong below, and you need to add less pine branches."

Xiao Fangfei held up her camera and filmed the process of Craftsman Chen's demonstration.

Kong Haoyu held the microphone for her to make sure that every word Chen Gongjiang said could be recorded.

“Look at Master Chen’s hands. Although they are covered with calluses, they are very nimble. His movements in selecting and adding pine branches are very precise,” Xiao Fangfei said softly to Kong Haoyu.

Kong Haoyu nodded: "This is a craft passed down through generations, relying on experience and dedication. It's like repairing a motorcycle; you can tell where the problem is just by listening to the engine sound. It's the same principle."

In the afternoon, everyone worked together to prepare the tools needed for baking.

The village chief and villagers moved several thick wooden planks together, and the village chief even used sandpaper to smooth the edges of the planks.

"Don't let the burrs scratch the porcelain blank." Aunt Zhang and Wang Ma were sewing thick cloth together. Aunt Zhang taught Wang Ma: "When sewing cloth, you need to use 'close stitches,' eight stitches per inch, otherwise the porcelain blank will easily slip on it. You see, the cloth sewn this way is strong and flat."

Wang Ma studied very diligently, not even caring when she pricked her finger with a needle. "For the sake of the new porcelain, this little pain is nothing."

Ling Jiu'er tidied up the notebook: "This way, when you're recording, you can find the corresponding porcelain blank at a glance."

Pei Luonan and Professor Li checked the thermometer, and Pei Luonan even calibrated the data: "Don't let the temperature be inaccurate and affect the judgment."

Xiao Fangfei filmed everyone's busy scenes, capturing every detail from the village chief moving wooden planks to Aunt Zhang sewing thick cloth, and then to Ling Jiu'er organizing the record book.

Kong Haoyu helped her carry the camera tripod and followed her around the kiln.

"Should we take a panoramic photo of everyone preparing together? That would show how well we all worked together."

Xiao Fangfei nodded, adjusted the camera, and captured the busy figures around the kiln shed. The light from the kiln fire fell on everyone, warm and bright.

In the evening, Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu organized the footage they had shot during the day.

Xiao Fangfei sat at the stone table, watching the images on the screen.

Watching the craftsman Chen explain the techniques of firing porcelain, and seeing everyone adding pine branches together, filled me with emotion.

“I’d like to name the documentary ‘Kiln Fire and Original Aspiration,’ what do you think?” she asked Kong Haoyu, looking up at him.

Kong Haoyu nodded and reached out to help her tuck her stray hair behind her ear: "Very good. It not only reflects the theme of porcelain making, but also highlights everyone's original intention of inheritance, as well as the feelings between us."

He also took out a photo from his bag, a picture taken yesterday of Xiao Fangfei and craftsman Chen looking at the glaze.

"This photo is great. You look especially beautiful when you're focused. It could be used as a cover for a documentary."

Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan walked over, holding two freshly made pottery blanks in their hands.

“This is for you and Kong Haoyu. After the new porcelain is fired, we’ll carve our names on it together as a keepsake.”

Xiao Fangfei took the clay blank, which was still warm and had a light glaze on it.

"Thank you, Mr. Pei, Xingxing."

She spoke softly, her heart filled with anticipation.

Gu Fanxing said with a smile, "We can also carve some small patterns on the clay blanks. You can carve a locomotive, and Haoyu can carve the sun. How meaningful would that be?"

In the evening, everyone sat around in the kiln shed, eating dumplings made by Aunt Zhang.

Wang Ma put a dumpling in everyone's bowl.

"This is filled with cabbage and pork. You work hard guarding the kiln, so eat more."

Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu made dumplings together, and Kong Haoyu helped Xiao Fangfei pinch the edges of the dumplings.

"The dumplings you made look like little gold ingots. They'll definitely taste delicious when they're cooked."

Xiao Fangfei smiled and said, "Your wrapping is much prettier; the edges are pinched so neatly."

The villagers and the village chief ate dumplings while discussing organizing a porcelain-making experience activity.

"When the time comes, let people from the city try kneading clay and carving patterns, so they can also experience the old craftsmanship."

Craftsman Chen nodded: "I'll find all the old tools and teach them how to select pine branches and how to judge the heat."

As night deepened, Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu sat together at the kiln entrance, watching the flickering firelight inside.

"I'll be able to see the new porcelain tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. What do you think it will look like?" Xiao Fangfei asked softly.

Kong Haoyu held her hand, the warmth of his palm passing through her fingertips.

"It will definitely be as Master Chen said, after the rain the sky will be clear and especially beautiful. Just like our relationship, slowly warming up and becoming more and more beautiful." Xiao Fangfei leaned on Kong Haoyu's shoulder, looking at the kiln fire, her heart full of peace and anticipation—tomorrow was not only the day the new porcelain was fired, but also the day when her relationship with Kong Haoyu would take another step forward.

The wind blew gently outside the kiln, the lanterns in the kiln shed swayed, and the sound of burning pine branches and everyone's breathing mingled together, creating the most heartwarming night in Qinglongpo.

Everyone is looking forward to tomorrow, to the new porcelain being fired, to the continuation of this tradition, and to the fact that this warmth will forever remain in Qinglongpo and in everyone's heart.