NFBE Chapter 553 Kiln Fire Reflecting the Night: The Initial Heart
Chapter 553 Kiln Fire Reflecting the Night: The Initial Heart
On Tuesday morning, before the sun had fully risen, Qinglongpo was already bustling with activity.
Aunt Zhang and several villagers stood guard by the kiln shed, carrying freshly cooked corn porridge. The aroma of the porridge mingled with the fragrance of pine branches, attracting early birds to circle on the kiln roof.
The village chief, wearing a newly washed blue cloth shirt, held three incense sticks in his hand and gently wiped them against the kiln opening.
This is an old custom in Qinglongpo: the kiln must be cleaned before lighting the fire, in order to pray for a smooth firing process.
Craftsman Chen squatted beside the pile of pine branches, carefully selecting the "fire-starting pine branches" to be used to start a fire. Each branch had to be of uniform thickness and rich in oil so that it could start a fire quickly.
Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu got up early.
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan placed the offerings on the stone table at the kiln entrance—a bowl of freshly ground feldspar powder, a plate of new corn from the village chief's house, and a jar of pine needle ash dried by Craftsman Chen—all the most substantial things from Qinglongpo.
Gu Fanxing even placed two pieces of candied tangerine peel that her mother had sent next to her, and said with a smile, "Let the kiln god taste the sweetness too, and bless us to fire good porcelain."
Pei Luonan helped her unwrap the candy wrapper and said gently, "Be careful with your hands, don't get cut by the wrapper."
At 7:00 AM sharp, the lighting ceremony began.
The craftsman took the incense from the village chief, bowed three times to the kiln opening, and then stuck the incense stick into the soil at the kiln opening.
He picked up a pine branch for kindling, lit it over the incense stick, and with a crackling sound, flames shot up.
He carefully extended the pine branch into the kiln opening, softly reciting the words passed down from his elders.
"May the kiln god protect us, keep the fire temperature stable, and ensure the porcelain doesn't crack. May the craftsmanship of Qingning Kiln be passed down..."
Ling Jiu'er held up the camera, the lens closely following Chen Gongjiang's movements, from lighting the pine branches to extending them into the kiln opening, not missing a single detail.
Kong Haoyu held up the microphone, getting as close as possible to the kiln opening, and recorded the crackling sound of burning pine branches, as well as the muttering of Craftsman Chen.
Xiao Fangfei stood to the side, taking close-up photos with her phone, and occasionally reminding Ling Jiu'er: "Jiu'er, take a picture of the color of the flame. Professor Li said that the flame is orange-red at the beginning, which is a key indicator of the preheating stage."
The flames gradually grew stronger inside the kiln, and the orange-red light shone from the kiln opening, warming everyone's faces.
The villagers lined up and took turns adding pine branches to the kiln, whispering a blessing as they did so.
As Aunt Zhang added pine branches, she smiled and said, "I hope the celadon I make will be as beautiful as the Star Girl."
When the village chief added the message, he said, "I hope that the reputation of Qingning Kiln can spread further and let more people know about our Qinglongpo."
Xiao Fangfei and Kong Haoyu also joined the queue.
Xiao Fangfei held a pine branch in her hand and carefully extended it into the kiln opening. The flames licked the pine branch, warming her palms.
Looking at the flickering flames in the kiln, she suddenly felt her eyes well up with tears—this wasn't the engine fire from the motorcycle racing track she was familiar with, but it was a fire that made her feel more at ease, a fire of inheritance, a warm fire.
Kong Haoyu stood beside her and gently patted her back: "Don't get excited, we still have three days and three nights to guard the kiln."
At noon, Professor Li and Pei Luonan recorded the kiln temperature together.
Professor Li held the thermometer and inserted it into the temperature measuring hole at the kiln opening. The number on the screen slowly jumped to 1000°C. He smiled and said, "The temperature is just right! The preheating stage is going smoothly. At this rate, we can reach the firing temperature of 1200°C tonight."
Pei Luonan wrote the data down in his notebook and drew a small flame pattern next to it: "After the firing is finished, I will organize this data into charts and add them to Ling Jiu'er's data book. In the future, others will also have a reference when studying Qingning Kiln."
Gu Fanxing and Xiao Fangfei sat in the kiln shed, eating sesame cakes made by Aunt Zhang.
Xiao Fangfei took a bite, the aroma of sesame mixed with the crunch of walnuts, her mouth was full of sweetness.
"Aunt Zhang, your cooking is amazing! It's even better than the pastries I had in Munich."
Aunt Zhang smiled so much her eyes narrowed: "Eat more if you like it. Guarding the kiln is tiring. If you get hungry, just tell me and I'll bake some more for you."
In the afternoon, Xiao Fangfei began filming Chen, the craftsman, mixing the glaze.
Craftsman Chen sat at the stone table, holding a porcelain bowl in his hand. He added water to the feldspar powder while stirring it clockwise, his movements slow yet firm.
"Look at this glaze. It needs to be stirred until it's as thick as rice porridge. It can't be too thin or too thick. If it's too thin, the glaze will be uneven after firing. If it's too thick, it will crack."
As Chen stirred the mixture, he explained it to Xiao Fangfei.
"Our elders say that the glaze needs to be stirred three hundred times. Only when the number of times is sufficient will the glaze be even and the fired porcelain bright."
Kong Haoyu stood beside him, occasionally handing Chen, the craftsman, some water.
Xiao Fangfei noticed that Chen's hands were covered in calluses, yet they were exceptionally nimble, and his movements as he stirred the glaze were meticulous.
She suddenly remembered how focused and serious she was when she repaired motorcycles—it turns out that whether it's porcelain or motorcycles, the dedication to one's passion is the same.
At night, the kiln shed was filled with lanterns, making it brightly lit.
Everyone sat around the shed, drinking the rice wine brewed by the village chief, eating the peanuts made by Aunt Zhang, and chatting.
Professor Li told everyone about the lives of kiln workers in the Song Dynasty: "In the past, when the kiln workers were guarding the kiln, they would gather together like this, chatting about everyday life and the craft of firing porcelain. Sometimes they would even sing folk songs."
Craftsman Chen continued, "My grandfather said that in the past, when firing a kiln, you had to stay there for seven days and seven nights. The kiln workers took turns sleeping, and no one dared to leave, for fear of causing problems with the fire temperature. Now we have temperature measuring instruments, which is much more convenient, but the old rules cannot be abandoned. Guarding the kiln is guarding your heart. Only with a sincere heart can you make good porcelain."
Xiao Fangfei listened attentively.
Kong Haoyu sat down next to her and warmed the rice wine in her cup: "Don't drink it cold, it's bad for your stomach."
Xiao Fangfei took the cup, feeling a warm glow inside.
She suddenly remembered her past aversion to relationships, and everything Kong Haoyu had silently done for her.
He rushed from Paris to Munich to help her repair her motorcycle, remembered all her preferences, and accompanied her to Qinglongpo to guard the kiln. Every detail revealed his sincerity.
She turned to look at Kong Haoyu and said softly, "Kong Haoyu, thank you."
Kong Haoyu was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Thank me for what?"
Xiao Fangfei shook her head, her eyes full of seriousness.
"Thank you for always being there for me, allowing me to try to believe and to try to hope."
Kong Haoyu held her hand, the warmth of his palm passing through her fingertips.
"I will always be with you, accompany you in the competition, and help you turn every expectation into reality."
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan sat not far away, watching them and smiling at each other.
Gu Fanxing said softly, "Look at them, aren't they wonderful? Just like this kiln fire, it started as a small flame, but slowly it grew stronger."
Pei Luonan nodded, pulled Gu Fanxing into his arms, and handed her a piece of candied tangerine peel.
This was sent by Aunt Gu; it's very sweet.
"We're the same. From being strangers at the beginning to having a tacit understanding now, it's been a gradual process. In the future, we'll guard the kiln together many more times and watch many new porcelain pieces come out of the kiln together."
It was late at night, but the kiln fire was still flickering inside, its orange-red light reflecting on everyone's faces, warm and bright.
Xiao Fangfei leaned against Kong Haoyu, watching the flames at the kiln opening, her heart filled with calm and anticipation.
She knew that the kiln fire was not only firing porcelain, but also burning everyone's good intentions, and burning her and Kong Haoyu's future.
Three days later, the new porcelain will be ready, and her story with Kong Haoyu will only just begin.
The wind blew gently outside the kiln, the lanterns in the kiln shed swayed, and the crackling sound of burning pine branches mingled with everyone's breathing, creating the warmest night in Qinglongpo.
Everyone knows that once dawn breaks, the kiln temperature will stabilize, and once the new porcelain is fired, the story of Qingning Kiln will gain another warm touch. Their lives, like the kiln fire, will forever be bright and full of hope.