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

The flames of the dragon kiln danced in the twilight, like a handful of starlight carried by the wind.

Gu Fanxing squatted on the bluestone slab to the left of the kiln entrance, holding a kraft paper notebook in her hand, the pen tip gliding quickly across the paper.

The flame color and kiln temperature changes were recorded every half hour, and even the opening and closing angles of the ventilation openings were clearly marked.

The edges of the paper were yellowed from pine soot, yet it was filled with writing, with not a single blank space.

"Taking notes again?" Pei Luonan walked over and shoved a thermos full of hot water into her hand. "Du Fei said the fire temperature has stabilized at 1200 degrees. Go to the rest shed and have some hot soup. I'll take over the watch for half an hour."

Gu Fanxing shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the flames at the kiln entrance.

"Wait a little longer. Master Chen said that there might be a mountain wind later tonight, which could cause the fire temperature to drop. I'll stay here a little longer and wait until I'm sure the wind direction won't change before I rest."

Pei Luonan smiled helplessly: "Then I'll stay with you. I just asked the guesthouse owner to make some ginger tea, I'll go get it."

As they were talking, two beams of car headlights lit up at the end of the mountain road in the distance, slowly climbing up the slope.

Less than five minutes later, the Pei family's car stopped in the open space at the bottom of the slope.

Pei's mother carried two huge thermos containers and walked up quickly in her flat shoes: "Xingxing! Come here quickly, the porridge is still warm! I specially added extra mushrooms and chicken. You've been squatting on the slope every day these past few days, you must not have been eating properly."

When Gu Fanxing saw Pei Ma appear, she was so surprised that her jaw almost dropped. She quickly went up to her and said, "Auntie, why are you here so late? It's dark on the mountain road, it's not safe."

"Don't worry, your uncle drove me here. He's watching the car downstairs so it doesn't block other cars."

Pei's mother pulled Gu Fanxing's hand and walked towards the rest shed, not forgetting to take something out of her cloth bag.

"Oh, right, I saw the weather forecast a few days ago and it said the temperature would drop at night, so I sewed you a wristband. Wear it when you're keeping track of the temperature so the wind doesn't freeze your wrist."

Gu Fanxing took the wristband; it had a faint lavender scent, probably specially scented by Aunt Pei. She put it on her wrist, and the warmth spread little by little from her wrist bone to her elbow.

"Auntie, you are so thoughtful, you even thought of this."

"Don't be so polite with your aunt."

With a smile, Pei's mother opened the thermos, and the aroma of mushrooms and chicken immediately wafted out.

"Hurry up and serve yourself a bowl. I also brought some side dishes, your favorite cold black fungus salad, with a little vinegar to cut through the richness."

At this moment, Craftsman Chen also walked over from the kiln entrance, holding a temperature measuring cone in his hand—he had been inserting one into the kiln every hour to observe the melting process.

Upon seeing this, Pei's mother immediately ladled out a bowl of porridge and handed it over.

"Master, you've worked hard. Please have some porridge to warm yourself up."

Craftsman Chen took the porridge and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Madam Pei, you're too kind. I just love this line of work. In another six or seven hours, the temperature will drop a bit, making the glaze even more lustrous—this is all thanks to the insulation cotton that President Pei arranged; otherwise, the temperature would definitely not be maintained if it dropped overnight."

Upon hearing the mention of thermal insulation cotton, Pei's mother suddenly remembered something and called out down the slope.

"Old Pei! Come up here quickly and bring the things over!"

Soon, Mr. Pei came up carrying a black briefcase, with a gentle smile on his face.

"I just chatted with Old Zhang from the guard team downstairs. He said you've been working hard guarding the kiln these past few days, so he specially cooked some sweet potatoes. I'll have his daughter-in-law bring them over later."

He handed the briefcase to Pei Luonan, "This contains the parameter sheet for the thermal insulation cotton. I contacted the insulation material factory in the city, and they will send another batch over first thing tomorrow morning. The thickness and high temperature resistance coefficient are as Master Chen said. Have Du Fei contact the manufacturer tomorrow."

Pei Luonan opened his briefcase. Inside, besides the parameter table, there was a handwritten note with the key points marked by Pei's father: two extra layers of insulation should be laid at the kiln tail ventilation opening to prevent heat loss; the gaps in the kiln door should be sealed with fireproof cotton to prevent cold air from entering; the thickness of each roll of insulation cotton should be checked, and the error should not exceed two millimeters.

Gu Fanxing leaned closer to take a look. The handwriting was neat, and even the data was circled, indicating that it had been checked repeatedly. The contact information of the manufacturer's technician was even marked, in case of any unexpected situations on site.

"Uncle, you even marked so many details, including the technician's phone number?"

"of course."

Mr. Pei said with a smile, "I was afraid that the factory people wouldn't know the situation, so I marked it out. I also talked with the technician for half an hour and explained all the requirements for firing the kiln to him. When the time comes, I'll have them lay it out according to this. If there are any problems, they can go directly to the technician so as not to delay things."

He paused, his gaze falling on the notebook in Gu Fanxing's hand. He gently flipped through a couple of pages and saw that it contained not only written records but also hand-drawn curves showing the changes in kiln fire. He couldn't help but nod in approval.

“Your records are so detailed—more meticulous than the records I kept when I was working on engineering projects back then. No wonder you were able to handle the ‘Qingning Kiln’ matter so thoroughly.”

Gu Fanxing was a little embarrassed: "I'm afraid I might miss something, and then I won't have any reference when I try to refire it later. I need to keep this data safe, because it might be useful for other archaeological teams studying Song Dynasty folk kilns in the future."

"well said."

Pei's father nodded, his tone full of praise.

"That's how archaeology is; you have to be bold enough to explore and dig, but you also have to be meticulous in recording. The fact that you can record all these details shows that you really care about the 'Qingning Kiln'."

I still remember when you came to our house last year and told us you wanted to find 'Qingning Kiln,' your eyes lit up. Back then, I even told Luonan that this girl had a tenacious spirit and was very reliable; she was sure to succeed—and now it seems I wasn't wrong.”

Hearing this, Gu Fanxing felt a warmth in her heart.

She remembered the first time she went to the Pei family. Pei's mother had prepared a table full of dishes, all of which were her favorites. Pei's mother also gave her the family heirloom that had been passed down to Pei's daughter-in-law, and lied to her that it was just a normal return gift.

Later, Pei Luonan said that it was a family heirloom passed down from the Pei family to their daughter-in-law. She also thought that she and Pei Luonan had a contractual relationship, so she had to find an opportunity to return it.

At that time, she was worried that the Pei family might think that archaeology was too hard and not support her work. Now she knows that they not only support her, but have also been silently paying attention to her every step of progress. They remember even the details that she herself did not notice.

"Uncle, thank you and Auntie for always supporting me."

"Silly child, why are you being so polite with us?"

Pei's mother ladled out a bowl of porridge and handed it to him.

"Drink it while it's hot, the porridge is getting cold. If you need anything, just tell us, don't try to handle it yourself. Luo Nan is sometimes a bit slow to understand, if you've been wronged, tell Auntie, and Auntie will teach him a lesson for you."

Pei Luonan smiled helplessly from the side: "Mom, when have I ever been slow to understand? I prepare breakfast for Xingxing every day and remind her to wear a sun hat and mosquito repellent. I'm more attentive than you are."

Everyone laughed, and the warmth spread throughout the rest area.

Gu Fanxing sipped her hot porridge, watching the busy figures of the Pei family: Pei's mother was helping the team members distribute side dishes, Pei's father was discussing with Master Chen the kiln fire control techniques when the temperature dropped tomorrow, and Pei Luonan was organizing the parameter table of the insulation cotton, and even peeled an orange for her.

Suddenly, I realized that this night watch wasn't hard at all; instead, it felt like a family gathering together for the Lunar New Year, full of warmth.

As expected, the mountain wind picked up in the middle of the night.

Together with Pei Luonan, Pei's father helped the team members add two layers of insulation cotton at the kiln tail. Pei's father also personally used fireproof cotton to seal the gaps in the kiln door tightly.

Pei's mother brewed ginger tea in the rest shed and poured a cup for everyone, even Old Zhang, who was on patrol with the guard team.

Gu Fanxing stood guard at the kiln entrance, watching the flames still rise vertically upwards. As the notes in her notebook increased, she felt a sense of peace.

She knew that with so many people accompanying and supporting her, tomorrow's celadon would surely be a success.