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

Chapter 556 New Porcelain Reflects Original Aspirations

On Wednesday morning, before dawn, the area around the kiln in Qinglongpo was already crowded with people.

The craftsman, Chen, was wearing a newly washed blue cloth shirt and holding a long copper hook in his hand.

This is a tool used to hook open the kiln door. It was passed down from his grandfather, and you can still see fine polishing marks on the copper hook.

"When hooking the kiln door, you have to follow the seam of the wooden frame, don't force it. This kiln door has a newly made cedar frame from last year, it's very brittle, it would be a pity to damage it," Craftsman Chen said as he demonstrated to everyone.

As soon as the kiln door was opened a crack, a burst of hot air rushed out, carrying the fragrance of pine resin and celadon.

Everyone stepped back a little, and only after the heat dissipated slightly did Craftsman Chen continue to hook open the kiln door, revealing the neatly arranged porcelain blanks inside.

"Measure the temperature first!" Professor Li shouted.

Pei Luonan quickly inserted the probe of the thermometer into the kiln, and the number on the screen showed 1180°C—just the right temperature for the kiln to be removed from the furnace.

"The temperature is just right! We can move the porcelain blanks now!"

Professor Li said excitedly that he almost dropped his notebook.

Ling Jiu'er quickly wrote "Oven temperature 1180°C, ambient humidity 65%" in the record book and drew a big smiley face next to it.

Craftsman Chen was the first to enter the kiln, holding a thick cloth in his hand, and carefully picked up the top piece of porcelain blank.

The moment the porcelain blank was taken out, everyone held their breath.

The porcelain blank is light blue all over, and the glaze is as even as a piece of jade. When the sunlight falls on it, you can see a faint luster flowing, just as craftsman Chen said, "the sky is blue after the rain".

"It's done! It's done!" the village chief shouted excitedly, throwing his straw hat to the ground. The villagers cheered along with him.

Xiao Fangfei quickly pressed the record button, and the camera followed the celadon piece closely, capturing every detail from the craftsman Chen's hands to the glaze of the porcelain blank, and then to everyone's excited expressions.

Standing beside her, Kong Haoyu couldn't help but take out his phone to capture this precious moment, and even took a close-up of the glaze on the porcelain blank: "Look at this luster, it's even brighter than the old porcelain in the museum."

Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan walked into the kiln together, each picking up a piece of porcelain blank.

Gu Fanxing's porcelain blank has a faint wave pattern, which she had specially carved on it before. Now, after being fired in the kiln, the wave pattern seems to have come alive, with a faint bluish luster.

"It's so beautiful!" Gu Fanxing said excitedly, her eyes shining. She carefully touched the glaze, which was as delicate as a baby's skin.

Pei Luonan looked at the porcelain blank in her hand and said with a smile, "It's even better than I imagined. Our efforts haven't been in vain." His porcelain blank had a small "star" engraved on it, a surprise for Gu Fanxing.

Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu also went into the kiln and picked up their two porcelain blanks.

A small motorcycle pattern was engraved on Xiao Fangfei's porcelain blank, with the wheels and handlebars clearly visible. Kong Haoyu had stayed up all night to engrave it for her. Kong Haoyu's porcelain blank had the character "Fei" engraved on it, along with a small sun. This was the pattern from Xiao Fangfei's motorcycle sticker. "Look, our porcelain blanks are all fired very well!"

Xiao Fangfei said excitedly, her eyes full of smiles, and she held the porcelain blank up to Kong Haoyu.

"Your motorcycle carving is so realistic, you even copied the little stickers I put on."

Kong Haoyu nodded and reached out to wipe the kiln dust off her face: "Just like our relationship, it has only grown more beautiful with the test of time."

Everyone moved the porcelain blanks onto the wooden boards. The pale blue porcelain blanks gleamed in the morning light, like a small "sky".

Craftsman Chen walked up to the porcelain blank, picked up a piece, examined it against the sunlight, and said with a smile, "The glaze is even, there are no cracks, and the firing temperature is just right! It's even better than the first piece of porcelain I fired when I was young!"

Professor Li also came over and picked up a piece of porcelain blank: "The glaze is very pure, almost identical to the celadon of the Qingning Kiln in the Song Dynasty. This is a successful restoration!"

Aunt Zhang picked up a piece of porcelain blank with wavy patterns and couldn't help but admire it.

"It's so beautiful! The color, the luster, it's even more beautiful than the porcelain I bought in the city!"

Next, everyone began to carve their names on the porcelain blanks.

Craftsman Chen took out the set of small carving knives and handed them to Xiao Fangfei: "Use this to carve first. It's sharp but won't damage the glaze. When carving, you should 'enter lightly and move the knife slowly,' don't rush."

Xiao Fangfei took the carving knife and slowly carved the three characters "Xiao Fangfei" on her porcelain blank.

Kong Haoyu stood beside her, helping to hold the porcelain blank: "Be careful, don't carve it crooked."

Then, Kong Haoyu also carved the three characters "Kong Haoyu" on his porcelain blank, and also carved a small heart next to it.

Pei Luonan helped Gu Fanxing hold the porcelain blank and said, "Carve slowly, don't rush, it will look better if you carve it clearly. Look how good the glaze is, don't ruin it."

Gu Fanxing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I learned how to carve patterns from Master Chen, so I'm sure I can carve them beautifully."

Ling Jiu'er carved her name "Ling Jiu'er" on her porcelain blank, along with a small pine needle—a symbol of Qinglongpo. Craftsman Chen stood beside her, instructing her: "When carving pine needles, you must 'pick one needle at a time,' don't use too much force, otherwise the glaze will crack. Carve along the lines of the glaze, that way the pine needles will look natural."

Ling Jiu'er nodded and carved according to Master Chen's method. Sure enough, she carved quickly and well.

The village chief and Aunt Zhang also engraved their names on the porcelain blanks, preparing to place them in the village's exhibition hall so that all the villagers could see them, and also so that people who come to Qinglongpo could see the new porcelain from Qingning Kiln.

After carving their names, everyone took a group photo by the kiln.

Xiao Fangfei held up her camera and filmed the lively scene.

Everyone held their own porcelain blank, their faces full of smiles. The light from the kiln fire fell on them, warm and bright.

“I’m going to put this at the end of the documentary,”

Xiao Fangfei said with a smile, "Let everyone see the warmth of Qinglongpo and the heritage of Qingning Kiln."

She also showed everyone the footage she had just filmed.

At noon, everyone held a simple celebration ceremony in the kiln shed.

The village chief took out some newly brewed rice wine and poured a cup for everyone. The cups were newly fired celadon cups—small, exquisite wine cups specially made by craftsman Chen, with a delicate glaze.

"Cheers to the new porcelain from Qingning Kiln!" the village chief shouted, raising his glass.

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together. The sweet aroma of the rice wine spread in their mouths, and their hearts were filled with happiness and satisfaction.

Aunt Zhang held Xiao Fangfei's hand and said with a smile, "Fei'er, come to Qinglongpo often in the future. Next time you and Haoyu come, Auntie will make dumplings for you, and I'll serve them in the newly fired celadon bowls. They'll definitely taste delicious."

Xiao Fangfei nodded, her eyes filled with emotion.

"Auntie, I will definitely come often. When the documentary is released, I will send it to you as soon as possible. It shows you helping to sew thick cloth and cook dumplings."

In the afternoon, Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu sat at the stone table organizing the documentary footage.

Watching the scenes on the screen—the craftsman Chen's ramblings during the firing ceremony, everyone's company while guarding the kiln, the cheers when the new porcelain came out of the kiln, and the smiles on everyone's faces—I was deeply moved.

As the sun sets, the sky above Qinglongpo is tinged with a pale red, and the porcelain blanks beside the kiln gleam faintly in the sunset.

Everyone stood by the kiln, looking at the celadon porcelain, their hearts filled with anticipation.

We hope that these celadon pieces will allow more people to learn about the story of Qingning Kiln, that this heritage will continue, and that the warmth of Qinglongpo will forever remain in everyone's heart.

Looking at Kong Haoyu, Gu Fanxing, Pei Luonan, Ling Jiu'er, Chen the craftsman, and the villagers, Xiao Fangfei suddenly realized that the kiln fire in Qinglongpo not only produced beautiful celadon, but also the warmth and friendship between people.

This warmth and affection, like the legacy of Qingning Kiln, will forever remain in Qinglongpo and in everyone's heart.