1979: My fiancée is a goddess

"Boom boom boom——"

A knock on the door startled me awake from the dimly lit room shrouded by curtains.

Cheng Kaiyan, fast asleep in bed, blinked her sleepy eyes and subconsciously called out to the door, "Who is it?"

"It's me. I'm leaving Tokyo tomorrow morning."

Cheng Kaiyan heard Teacher Shuihua's voice outside the door and quickly got up to open it.

"Here are your tickets, make sure you hold on tight so you don't lose them."

The door opened slowly.

Teacher Shuihua, dressed in a polyester shirt and black trousers, with a pipe in her mouth, stood at the door, her searching gaze falling on Cheng Kaiyan, and handed over two train tickets.

"Okay, we understand."

The morning light was dim, and Cheng Kaiyan rubbed her eyes, feeling a little dazed, before taking the train ticket.

"Remember to pack your clothes and luggage in advance. Do you have any warm clothes? It's cold there, so if you don't, remember to buy a couple. Do you still have money? Also, make sure you have your ID and documents, don't forget anything..."

Shuihua probably felt that Cheng Kaiyan was only in her early twenties, so she couldn't help but give her a few more words of advice out of concern.

"Yes, there are more, I understand."

Cheng Kaiyan snapped out of her daze and nodded.

I have mixed feelings; time flies so fast.

Before we knew it, today was the last day.

I'm leaving Tokyo tomorrow for Hokkaido.

Are you going out again today?

Shuihua took a drag of her cigarette and suddenly asked.

Cheng Kaiyan had told him last time that Comrade Zhao Ruixue refused to act, but he still left early and returned late. What was he doing?
"Ah."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded without saying anything more.

"..."

Shuihua frowned and thought for a moment, then finally said only, "Say goodbye properly. Who knows when we'll see each other again? After all, it's hard to meet when you're abroad."

"Hehe, yeah, then it'll probably take more than a year."

Cheng Kaiyan was somewhat surprised that this nearly seventy-year-old man was still concerned about this.

No wonder the films he made were so emotionally nuanced and rich; it seems that handing love letters to this old man shouldn't be a problem.

As for Ruixue, there really won't be any more opportunities to meet after this.

Thinking of this, he forced a smile.

These days, it's not as easy as just going abroad or returning home.

Most international students return to their home country after graduation unless absolutely necessary, but some choose not to return.

Even if Ruixue has the ability to return to China, she might not be willing to see him again.
"I won't bother you anymore."

Shui Hua could vaguely sense that the young man in front of her was somewhat depressed.

Knowing roughly what he was thinking, he patted his shoulder lightly, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and turned to leave.

"Crack!"

The door is closed.

Cheng Kaiyan watched Teacher Shuihua leave, then clicked the door shut.

Once the room was quiet again and the light dimmed, he looked down at the two slightly crumpled train tickets in his hand:
Shinjuku to Otaru, departure time 10:00 AM.

"The last day... It's good that after today, it will truly be over."

He put his ticket in his pocket and placed the other one on the table, weighing it down with a water glass.

Cheng Kaiyan turned around and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

"Hiss... Let's go!"

Looking at himself in the mirror, he splashed a handful of cold water on his face, which made him shiver and wake up completely.

……

"Drip..."

Cheng Kaiyan walked along the bustling street with a normal gait. Skyscrapers stood all around her, and the faint morning light reflected off the glass curtain walls, creating a dazzling effect.

The blue and white trams sped through the streets, leaving behind the piercing sound of their horns and the smell of rusty gasoline...

Across the street, many white-collar workers carrying bags lined up to buy breakfast, and there were also queues in front of the vending machines, making it quite lively.

Cheng Kaiyan didn't eat in the cafeteria, but went to queue up and bought some breakfast, such as sandwiches and sushi.

He ate as he walked, occasionally taking casual photos of the street scenes with the camera hanging around his neck.

Today's schedule isn't too packed; it's basically just going to a nearby clay sculpture shop with Qingmei to make clay figurines.

He stumbled upon this shop a while ago when he was practicing guitar at Akiko Musical Instruments.

very close.

When he left yesterday, he told Zhao Ruixue the exact location, and the two agreed to meet at the store entrance.

Before he knew it, he had walked out of this street lined with tall buildings, and the sunlight finally illuminated his entire body.

Aside from their neater appearance, the streets, which are no more than six stories high, are almost no different from those in China.

Not far away, on a high platform, a tall and slender figure stood under a cherry tree, quietly looking this way.

A simple white dress swayed gently in the morning breeze, creating a hazy and beautiful scene, clean and elegant as snow.

"Auspicious snow!"

Cheng Kaiyan looked at that familiar figure, raised her hand high, waved, and shouted loudly.

The two approached each other from one side of the stairs.

As she approached, Cheng Kaiyan looked up at the person in front of her. Sunlight streamed in from behind, casting a pale golden halo over her fair face, revealing the extremely fine downy hairs that were faintly visible in the light.

"It's finally here. Is this for me?"

Zhao Ruixue tilted her head and smiled at him, looking at the breakfast she was carrying.

"Yes, I know you won't eat by yourself."

Cheng Kaiyan climbed the steps and walked up the street side by side with Zhao Ruixue. The clay sculpture shop was located on the street above.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Besides, you're being kept by me now, so eating some of yours is nothing."

Zhao Ruixue took the breakfast bag from his hand, took out a sandwich, and ate it slowly.

The two found a seat, sat down and ate and chatted, looking down at the winding street shrouded in morning mist.

“I just checked, and the clay sculpture shop isn’t open yet. Let’s sit here for a while.”

Zhao Ruixue's lovely cheeks puffed out a little as she chewed her food before speaking.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

Cheng Kaiyan smiled and nodded, saying that sitting in the sunshine, enjoying the scenery, and feeling the breeze was a very nice experience.

It would be nice if the last day passed peacefully and uneventfully.

It's eight o'clock.

The two ended their conversation and turned to walk towards the street.

When passing by the music store, Cheng Kaiyan took a special look and found that Sister Qiu Meizi was eating instant noodles.

"What is this doing?"

Zhao Ruixue asked.

"This is where I learned to play the guitar."

Cheng Kaiyan smiled, then led the rather surprised Zhao Ruixue into the room, saying, "Sister Meizi."

"Oh? You're here? This..."

Akiko, holding a fork and picking at her instant noodles, stared in surprise at the two people who walked in, but then she quickly laughed:
"What a beautiful girl! No wonder Xiao Cheng went to such lengths to confess his feelings to you. Did you succeed?"

"Ah."

Cheng Kaiyan glanced at the girl beside her and nodded with a smile.

"Actually, I don't need to put in any effort to confess. If it's him, I'll say yes."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruixue smiled and naturally raised her hand to put her arm around Cheng Kaiyan's.

"Great!"

Akiko gave them a thumbs up and gestured for them to sit down.

"No need, we were just passing by and came in to take a look. We have something to do in a bit."

Cheng Kaiyan waved her hand in polite refusal.

"All right……"

The three chatted casually for a while, then turned and left.

……

"Hello, are you open for business?"

"We're open for business, please come in, guests." At the entrance of the clay sculpture shop, Cheng Kaiyan and Zhao Ruixue were led into the house by a young female apprentice.

The two looked around curiously.

The sunlight outside the glass door illuminated the painted clay sculptures displayed on the shelves, which came in a variety of styles and carried a touch of eeriness unique to Japanese folklore.

However, most of the clay sculptures were covered in dust, so business doesn't seem to be very good.

After looking around, Cheng Kaiyan asked, "Can we do it ourselves?"

"Of course! Many young couples come to our shop to do crafts together. It's a very romantic thing."

The female apprentice glanced at the two of them and said softly, "I'll take you to the clay sculpting studio. Follow me."

Led by her, we walked towards the clay sculpting studio at the back of the shop.

The room was neither too big nor too small, and rather simple.

A low table, four straw mats, and a plate on the table with many clay sculpting tools.

Examples include paint, bamboo carving knives, and wire for shaping.

Of course, the most common items are various types of clay and molds used for sculpting.

The three sat down inside the house, and Cheng Kaiyan and Zhao Ruixue learned the female apprentice's name: Xingzi.

"You two, please have some tea."

Xingzi hurried out, brewed a pot of hot tea, poured it into cups, and politely handed them to the two of them.

"Thank you."

Zhao Ruixue was sitting on a cushion, holding up her teacup and sipping her tea.

She was wearing a dress, so she asked Miss Kyoko for an extra cushion to put on top of it.

What kind of clay sculptures do you want to make?
Traditional clay sculptures can be roughly divided into two types: one is air-drying without firing, and the other is kiln-fired ceramicizing.

The former takes less time, only a few days to air dry, while the latter is more delicate and beautiful, but requires a more complicated firing process..."

Ms. Kyoko gave a detailed explanation of each process, as well as its advantages, disadvantages, and precautions.

"It's air-dried without cooking, right?"

Cheng Kaiyan made a decision: they didn't have the time to fire the kiln.

"Okay, I'll get you the soil right away."

Ms. Kyoko said she understood, got up and walked to the glass cabinet next to her, and brought over a small basin and placed it on the table.

Cheng Kaiyan looked up and saw a basin of bright red clay, which is also a type of clay commonly used in clay sculpture.

"Making a good clay sculpture is quite difficult for beginners, but it's relatively easy if you don't have high expectations."

You can use a mold to press out the shape, or you can shape it by hand and then slowly carve it into the shape you want. This is what most people do. Let me demonstrate for you, and you'll see..."

As Ms. Kyoko spoke, she reached into the clay and took out a small piece, slapped and kneaded it on the workbench to shape it, and then pinched it into the shape of a little person.

In just a few minutes, the mud began to take on a human shape.

"Clap!"

"awesome."

The two bystanders couldn't help but applaud.

Zhao Ruixue glanced at Cheng Kaiyan subconsciously, her eyes filled with doubt. How come the clay figures this guy makes are so ugly?
"what happened?"

Cheng Kaiyan scratched his head, not knowing what was going on.

"nothing."

Zhao Ruixue suppressed a laugh and quickly shook her head.

"That's about it. Next, use a bamboo knife to refine the shape and add decorations with clay."

Faced with their praise and applause, Ms. Kyoko lowered her head shyly and explained to herself.

"We think we understand."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded, took two clods of soil from the basin, and handed one to Zhao Ruixue.

"That's good. I won't bother you any longer. Please feel free to come to me if you have any questions."

Seeing this, Ms. Kyoko got up and left.

Only the two of them remained in the room, heads down, playing with the sticky mud in their hands.

"What's next?"

Zhao Ruixue asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Let's knead it like dough first. The clay is too wet right now, let it dry a bit."

Cheng Kaiyan placed the mud on the workbench and kneaded it into strips.

Zhao Ruixue followed his lead and did as he said.

During this time, some clay was added in from time to time.

After a short while, the clay embryo was able to take shape.

The two of them rolled it into a cylindrical shape, about half the size of an arm, and then began to shape it.

"I understand, now I can start making the little figures!"

Zhao Ruixue clenched her fist and formed a small, oval-shaped head. Not finding it very attractive, she patted it, shaping it into an irregular circle.

Next, the clay figure under the head was flattened slightly to make it resemble a human, and some more clay was used to form strips that stood on either side of the body to serve as arms.

In no time, an ugly human-shaped clay figure appeared.

"Look, look! Ah Yan! This is you!"

Zhao Ruixue waved the clay figurine in front of Cheng Kaiyan, her fair face flushed with excitement, and her delicate palms were tinged with a light reddish-brown.

"……as long as you are happy."

Looking at the clay figure in front of her, which only had a head and a body, Cheng Kaiyan couldn't help but smile helplessly. It was clearly a cute and simple little clay figure, somewhat like a Russian nesting doll.

"what's next?"

Zhao Ruixue pressed on with great interest.

"Next, we'll carve out the facial features, hair, and clothes using bamboo strips..."

As Cheng Kaiyan spoke, she carefully placed the clay figure, which was in the initial stage of its shape, onto the table.

Zhao Ruixue looked closely and realized that the clay figure was slender and tall, with hands, feet, and a neck. Although it was simple, it looked more like a human than her own.

I was a little disappointed, but I quickly realized that the clay figure was obviously made in my own likeness!
Thinking this way, Zhao Ruixue felt a little happier.

The two then used bamboo strips to draw lines on the head, creating hair, facial features, and a collar...

However, these were all quite difficult. Cheng Kaiyan and Zhao Ruixue simply made a few cuts to get the basic shape.

Before long, the two clay figures were successfully completed.

After being modified, Cheng Kaiyan's clay figure looked strange, with a severely unbalanced upper and lower body proportion.

On the contrary, Zhao Ruixue's clay figurines are more pleasing to the eye, but they are not particularly beautiful.

"Haha! Mine is cuter."

Zhao Ruixue proudly raised her chin, looking incredibly smug!
"Amazing! Truly a talented woman."

Cheng Kaiyan smiled and praised her, then reached out and tucked the girl's sparse hair behind her ear.

"What a nuisance!"

Zhao Ruixue scolded playfully.

Since it looked really bad, we called Ms. Kyoko in to help fix it.

Then the two of them took advantage of this time to make pottery.

On the rotating workbench lay a lump of moist, soft mud, and I placed my fingertip on it.

As it rotates, the mud is slowly shaped by the fingers.

Through the cooperation and constant repetition of these childhood sweethearts, one failed clay brick after another piled up in the basin at their feet.

Finally, after much difficulty, they managed to make a simple little bottle.

However, when the two looked up, they realized that each other's hands and faces were inevitably covered in mud, and they burst into laughter.

Haha! Look at your face!

at noon.

"Ayan!"

Zhao Ruixue and Cheng Kaiyan stood at the shop entrance. Her eyes were fixed on a pair of small clay figurines placed side by side in a small box in her hand, and a satisfied and happy smile appeared on her lips.

"what happened?"

Cheng Kaiyan subconsciously turned around and looked down.

The next second, a sweet fragrance of snow wafted over.

Immediately afterwards, I felt two cool, moist lips quickly press against my face.

"A reward for you."

Cheng Kaiyan was taken aback, but then heard the girl in front of her, her cheeks slightly flushed, bite her lip and then speak very naturally and calmly. (End of this chapter)