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

Before the morning mist had even dissipated at Qinglongpo, the sound of tinkling and clanging could be heard.

Gu Fanxing pushed open the tent door and saw that Craftsman Chen was leading several villagers to build a new wood-fired kiln next to the kiln site.

"Master Chen, you've started building the kiln so early?" Gu Fanxing walked over and handed him a cup of hot soy milk.

Craftsman Chen took the soy milk and said with a smile, "I was so excited last night that I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about getting the kiln built as soon as possible and firing celadon as soon as possible."

Pei Luonan also came over, holding a drawing in his hand: "This is a structural diagram of the dragon kiln drawn based on the kiln site survey data. Master Chen, take a look and see if it matches the kiln you built?"

The craftsman, Chen, took the blueprints, compared them to the kiln's structure, and nodded repeatedly: "They match! They match! Even the size of the ventilation openings is the same. The wisdom of the Song Dynasty kiln workers is truly remarkable!"

More and more villagers came, some helping to move bricks, some helping to mix mud, and some even bringing their own pine wood—hearing that they were going to fire "Qingning Kiln" celadon, everyone wanted to do their part.

Gu Fanxing felt a surge of warmth as she watched everyone bustling about.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Professor Wang, telling him about the progress of building the kiln.

Professor Wang has contacted the provincial museum and plans to add an "Ancient Porcelain Firing Method" exhibition area to the special exhibition. The re-fired celadon will be placed in the exhibition area, and a documentary about kiln building, blank making, and firing will be shown.

"Professor Wang said that once we fire the celadon, he will send a truck to transport it and will also invite the media to report on it so that more people will know that the 'Qingning Kiln' has been successfully revived!"

When Gu Fanxing told everyone the news, the villagers cheered immediately.

The kiln construction went smoothly, and by the afternoon, the dragon kiln was basically completed.

"The kiln is built, and the firewood is stacked up. We'll start making the blanks tomorrow!" Craftsman Chen clapped his hands, looking at the dragon kiln he had built with pride in his eyes. "Tomorrow I'll teach everyone how to make porcelain blanks using the molds found at the kiln site. I guarantee they'll be exactly the same as the porcelain blanks from the Song Dynasty!"

The work of making blanks began early the next morning.

Craftsman Chen placed the porcelain molds he had cleared from the kiln site on the table, and then took out the mixed clay—it was made by mixing kaolin from Yang County with water, just like the clay used by kiln workers in the Song Dynasty.

"To make the clay, you first need to knead it to remove the air bubbles, otherwise it will crack when fired," Craftsman Chen explained while demonstrating. "Knead the clay clockwise with even pressure until the dough no longer sticks to your hands."

The villagers all gathered around, watching intently.

The shopkeeper also put aside her business and came over to learn how to knead the clay: "I'll give it a try, maybe I can make a decent porcelain bowl!"

Gu Fanxing also picked up a piece of clay and started kneading it, just like the craftsman Chen.

At first, the clay ball always got sticky, so Pei Luonan came over, took her hand from behind, and helped her adjust the pressure: "Don't rush, use a light touch, knead slowly, and knead out all the air bubbles."

Under Pei Luonan's guidance, Gu Fanxing gradually mastered the technique, and the clay she kneaded became round and smooth.

She placed the clay ball into the mold and gently pressed it with her hand to fill every corner of the mold—this was her first time making a porcelain blank, and she felt both nervous and excited.

"Press lightly, or the mold will crack."

Craftsman Chen came over and helped Gu Fanxing adjust the pressure of the massage.

"Look, pressing it like this makes the porcelain blank even in thickness, and the fired bowl will look better."

Gu Fanxing nodded and, following the method Chen the craftsman had described, slowly pressed the clay ball. Before long, a porcelain blank was finished—although not as neat as Chen's, it was still quite presentable.

"Well done!" Craftsman Chen said with a smile. "To produce something like this on your first try, you have a real talent!"

Looking at the porcelain blank she had made, Gu Fanxing felt a great sense of accomplishment.

She took out her phone and started a live stream, letting netizens watch the process of making the clay.

During the live stream, netizens left comments such as, "Amazing! It looks so difficult!" and "Looking forward to the final celadon!"

The work of making blanks lasted for two whole days, and everyone made more than fifty porcelain blanks in total—bowls, plates, and bottles, all of which were common shapes of the "Qingning Kiln" in the Song Dynasty.

Every day, craftsman Chen would stand beside the porcelain blanks, watching them slowly dry: "Porcelain blanks must be dried in the shade, not in the sun, otherwise they will crack. In the Song Dynasty, potters would put the porcelain blanks in a well-ventilated kiln to dry in the shade, and they would have to dry them for seven days before they could be glazed."

Seven days later, the porcelain blank was finally dry.

Craftsman Chen began to teach everyone how to trim the blanks—using a small knife to make the edges of the porcelain blanks more regular and the foot rim smoother.

“Trimming is the most challenging part of craftsmanship,” said Craftsman Chen, carefully trimming a bowl blank with a small knife. “Look, the rim needs to be trimmed thinner so that the bowl will be lighter after firing; the foot needs to be trimmed rounder so that it will be stable on the table.”

Gu Fanxing also picked up a small knife and tried to trim the clay.

At first, she always made the porcelain blank too thick. Pei Luonan came over and patiently taught her: "Hold the knife at an angle and scrape gently. You'll get the hang of it after a few more tries."

With Pei Luonan's encouragement, Gu Fanxing gradually mastered the skills of trimming clay.

Although the first bowl she shaped was not perfect, the shape of the bowl was already visible.

After the blank is shaped, it's time to apply the glaze.

Craftsman Chen placed the prepared glaze in a porcelain basin and taught everyone how to apply it: "The glaze should be applied evenly, neither too thick nor too thin. You can use a brush, or you can dip the porcelain blank into the glaze—this was a common method used by Song Dynasty potters to dip the glaze in, which makes the glaze color more even."

Gu Fanxing chose the glazing method.

She took a bowl blank, carefully placed it into the glaze, gently turned it around, and then slowly took it out—the bowl blank was evenly covered with a layer of light blue glaze, like a thin veil.

"Great! It's spread very evenly!"

Craftsman Chen said with a smile, "Once the glaze dries, it can be put into the dragon kiln for firing!"

After the glazing was completed, craftsman Chen chose an auspicious day—three days later in the morning, a suitable day for firing the kiln.

He also invited all the villagers and the staff of the war association to participate in the lighting ceremony.

On the day the fire was lit, Qinglongpo was packed with people.

Professor Wang also came, bringing with him leaders from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau.

The white-haired old lady also came, holding a photo of the porcelain bowl that her family had lost years ago.

Even the young man who had previously stolen porcelain shards came, carrying a cultural relic protection manual.

"Now, I hereby announce that the 'Qingning Kiln' celadon re-firing ceremony has officially begun!"

Professor Wang's loud voice echoed across Qinglongpo.

Craftsman Chen, holding a torch, walked to the dragon kiln, his eyes filled with excitement.

He looked at Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan beside him, then at the villagers around him, and then at the kiln site in the distance, before lighting the pine needles at the kiln entrance.

The flames shot up with a "whoosh," illuminating everyone's faces in a red glow.

The villagers cheered, and netizens flooded the live stream with comments like "Congratulations" and "Long live the heritage!"

Gu Fanxing leaned against Pei Luonan, watching the flickering flames, her heart filled with emotion.

She recalled the rainy day when she first discovered the porcelain bowl in the excavation square, the afternoon when she found the kiln site, and every detail of finding feldspar, testing the firing of pottery shards, shaping the clay, and glazing it—all the efforts had meaning at this moment.

"Luonan, look how bright the flames are!"

Gu Fanxing said softly, her eyes glistening with tears.

Pei Luonan held her hand tightly and responded softly.

"Yes, this is the fire of 'Qingning Kiln,' the fire of inheritance. It will continue to burn and will never be extinguished."

The flames burned ever brighter, like a beating heart, protecting the millennia-old culture and illuminating the path to the future.

Gu Fanxing knew that the story of "Qingning Kiln" would continue—it would become celadon in a display case, footage in a documentary, and a legend in children's mouths, slowly settling and softening in time, and being passed down forever.