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

As the first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the daisies on the tent windowsill, casting dappled patterns of light on the ground, Gu Fanxing was already awake.

"Get up and wash up quickly," Pei Luonan said, walking over and ruffling Gu Fanxing's hair as she woke up. "Breakfast has been heated up in the temporary kitchen; it won't taste good if it gets cold."

After washing up, Gu Fanxing sat down at the table, eating breakfast while flipping through the "Porcelain Bowl Story" she had written the night before.

Pei Luonan sat next to her, talking on his phone with the artifact transportation team. His voice was gentle but serious: "We'll be at the site at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow. Please bring the temperature and humidity monitor and the shockproof foam. We'll take the porcelain bowl out of the incubator in advance to prepare."

After hanging up the phone, he noticed that Gu Fanxing was only focused on revising the manuscript and hadn't touched her porridge much, so he pushed the bowl towards her: "Drink the porridge while it's hot, it'll get soggy when it cools down. It'll be more than an hour on the road, I'll drive, you can sit in the passenger seat and revise slowly, no rush."

After finishing breakfast, the two got into the SUV with their bags. As the car drove away from the ruins and through the country roads, Gu Fanxing suddenly put down her manuscript and frowned: "Luo Nan, yesterday I was organizing the glaze analysis report and found that the iron content of the 'Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl' was 0.6%, but the data on the 'Qingning Kiln' fragments in the Provincial Museum showed that they were all between 0.7% and 0.9%."

What if experts point out the errors during the exhibition setup tomorrow? This would not only affect the professionalism of the report but could also lead viewers to question the authenticity of the porcelain bowl.

She became more and more anxious as she spoke, her fingers clenching tightly.

Pei Luonan paused on the steering wheel, turned to look at her, his calm gaze reassuring: "Don't panic. There's a craftsman named Chen in Lijiazhuang, north of the site. He used to be a senior technician at the provincial ceramics factory. After retiring, he studied the imitation of Song Dynasty folk kiln porcelain, and he especially understands the glaze formula of 'Qingning Kiln'. Last year, the museum even asked him for guidance when sorting out the fragments."

After we finish coordinating the special exhibition today, we'll take a detour to his house to have him verify the data; he'll definitely have a definite answer then. I'll call him now so he doesn't have to go to the fields.”

He then pulled up his contacts and dialed the number. After briefly explaining his purpose, Craftsman Chen readily agreed, adding that he would find the previously measured data in advance.

When the car arrived at the provincial museum, Professor Wang was already waiting at the entrance, carrying a black folder containing display case drawings and parameter tables. "Ms. Gu, look at this round display case," Professor Wang said proudly, pointing to the center of the exhibition hall.

"This was specially made for the 'Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl'. The 'Qingning Kiln' mark on the bottom of the bowl can be clearly seen from three meters away."

Gu Fanxing approached the display case and carefully checked the sealing strips at the glass joints to ensure there were no gaps before handing the photos and documents to the designer next to her.

“These photos show the porcelain bowl fresh from its excavation and the soil layers in the excavation pit. Could you enlarge the photo of ‘cleaning the porcelain bowl after the rain’ and place it in a prominent position on the exhibition board? Add the sentence ‘Archaeology is not only about discovering cultural relics, but also about protecting the warmth of history’ so that the audience can intuitively feel our dedication and know that archaeology is not just cold digging.”

The designer's eyes lit up as he flipped through the materials: "This photo is so captivating! I'll make it into a gradient effect with warm yellow tones, which will perfectly match the theme of 'the lively atmosphere of Song Dynasty folk kilns,' and it's sure to move the audience."

After discussing the details of the display cases and panels, Professor Wang led them to the cultural relics protection room on the first basement floor.

"This box was ordered from the Beijing Cultural Relics Transportation Company. The three layers of foam can minimize vibration, so even if the journey is bumpy, the porcelain bowl will not hit the sides of the box."

Professor Wang pointed to the display screen.

"The temperature and humidity inside the chamber can be displayed in real time, and the data is recorded every half hour. There is absolutely no problem."

Pei Luonan squatted down, gently pressed the shock-absorbing foam with his hand to feel the rebound force, and checked the locks and sealing strips of the box to make sure that every corner was tightly sealed before looking up at Professor Wang.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful. Tomorrow I will go to the site with the transport team, watch the porcelain bowls being packed, and then watch the craftsmen put the bowls into the display cases at the museum to make sure the temperature and humidity control system is working properly before I feel at ease."

After leaving the museum, the two drove to Craftsman Chen's house.

Upon seeing the two arrive, craftsman Chen put down his watering can and greeted them: "Mr. Pei, it's been a long time! This must be Miss Gu, who discovered the 'Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl', right? Such a remarkable discovery at such a young age!"

Gu Fanxing quickly handed over the glaze analysis data, her tone respectful: "Master Chen, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Our tests showed the glaze of the porcelain bowl contained 0.6% iron, but research indicates that 'Qingning kiln' porcelain generally has a higher iron content. We are concerned that this discrepancy might affect the special exhibition next month, and would like to ask you to review the results.

Craftsman Chen took out a thick notebook filled with data on porcelain glaze over the years from inside the house. After looking at it for a while, he pointed to a number in the data: "There's a problem with your data; it should be 0.8%."

The 0.6% result is most likely due to soil from the excavation pit adhering to the surface of the ceramic shard during sampling, which affected the test results.

Last year, I tested a fragment of the bottom of a 'Qingning Kiln' bowl. Its glaze and body were identical to your bowl, and the iron content was exactly 0.8%. This number is accurate; you can confidently use it in the exhibition materials.”

Gu Fanxing finally felt relieved.

"Thank you so much, Master Chen. Without you, I don't know how big a mistake I would have made."

"You're welcome," Chen the craftsman said with a smile, waving his hand. "I'm happy that you young people are willing to put in the effort to protect our ancestors' artifacts."

After leaving Craftsman Chen's house, Gu Fanxing leaned back in her chair and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you remembered Craftsman Chen, otherwise I would have been worried sick all day."

How do you remember so clearly even the glaze colors of the 'Qingning Kiln' that he was skilled at?

Pei Luonan gripped the steering wheel and turned to look at her, a smile in his eyes: "Last time when I was coordinating with the museum on the 'Qingning Kiln' materials, Professor Wang mentioned Craftsman Chen, so I made a point of noting down his contact information and areas of expertise, thinking that maybe I could help you someday. I didn't expect it to come in handy so soon."

As soon as the car arrived at the entrance of the ruins, Pei Luonan's phone rang, and the screen displayed "Kong Haoyu".

Pressing the answer button, Kong Haoyu's anxious voice came through: "Boss! Something bad has happened! Fangfei is participating in the provincial motorcycle league next week. I checked her motorcycle today and found that the brake pump is leaking oil. It needs a special imported part, but I went to two motorcycle shops in the county and they didn't have it. Do you have any spares? If not, I'll have to go to the city to buy some tonight!"

“I have one here,” Pei Luonan said, recalling that he had bought extra spare parts when he helped a friend repair an imported motorcycle last year. “Bring Fangfei over to pick it up now, and while you’re at it, let her come to the site to see the replica of the ‘Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl.’ She’s been under a lot of pressure from driving lessons lately, and a change of scenery and a chat will help her relax.”

Kong Haoyu was overjoyed: "That's great! I'll tell Fangfei right away!"

The next morning, Kong Haoyu arrived with Xiao Fangfei.

Seeing the replica porcelain bowl on the table, her eyes lit up and she quickly walked over, carefully peering closer: "Is this the 'Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl' you found? The pale blue glaze is so beautiful, it must feel warm and smooth to the touch! It's much more exquisite than the photos!"

Gu Fanxing smiled and nodded, explaining to her the process of discovering the porcelain bowl and the special exhibition setup plan.

Xiao Fangfei listened intently, nodding occasionally: "On the opening day of the special exhibition, I'll definitely bring my teammates to support it! Let them all know how amazing my sister is!"

The next morning at eight o'clock, the cultural relics transportation team arrived at the site on time, with three workers carrying professional testing equipment and shockproof materials.

Pei Luonan watched carefully from the side, occasionally reminding, "Please add another layer of thin cotton to the foam groove. The rim of the porcelain bowl is thin, and we're afraid it might get damaged during transportation."

Standing beside him, Gu Fanxing looked at Pei Luonan's serious profile and felt reassured.

After loading the box, Pei Luonan walked around the car to check the securing devices, and only closed the car door after confirming that there were no problems.

Gu Fanxing watched the delivery truck disappear at the end of the road, the sunlight warming her face.

She knew that the journey of the "Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl" had only just begun—it would be displayed in a museum showcase, telling countless visitors about the everyday life of Song Dynasty folk kilns.

And her story with Pei Luonan, like this porcelain bowl that has weathered the test of time, will grow ever more tender and precious through their mutual protection.