mtlumby2d Chapter 542 Parting Thoughts on Qinglong Slope
Chapter 542 Parting Thoughts on Qinglong Slope
The excitement of the special exhibition at the Provincial Museum had not yet subsided. Gu Fanxing sat in Pei Luonan's car, the cool touch of the celadon display case still lingering on her fingertips.
Outside the car window, the city's high-rise buildings were gradually replaced by rice paddies in the countryside. The rice seedlings swayed gently in the wind, carrying the fragrance of soil and breeze, which slowly relaxed her nerves that had been tense for several days.
"Professor Wang just sent a message saying that yesterday they received more than 3,200 tourists, and 16 primary and secondary schools have booked study tours for next week."
Pei Luonan gripped the steering wheel, turned his head to look at her, a smile hidden in his eyes.
"Your 'glaze experience area' has become a hit. Many children are holding onto the clay and don't want to leave. Parents surround the staff and ask if they can buy clay sets so they can experience the traditional clay kneading method with their children at home."
By the way, leaders from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau also went. They praised the extremely high fidelity of the glaze color of the Qingning kiln celadon and said they would support us in making a documentary about the Qingning kiln so that more people would know about this history.
Gu Fanxing smiled and nodded, took out the gold-embossed cover of "Archaeological Report of Qingning Kiln" from her bag, flipped through a couple of pages, and ran her fingertips over the fine markings on the kiln site survey map.
"Once we finish up here at the site, I want to collaborate with the museum to create a set of popular science picture books. I'll include the story of encountering a rain shower while searching for feldspar ore and Master Chen's repeated adjustments to the glaze. I'll also add close-ups of fragments and illustrations of the kiln site so that children can directly experience the craftsmanship behind the old techniques, rather than just imagining it from the words."
As the car drove onto the winding mountain road in Qinglongpo, the blue temporary protective shed next to the ruins came into view in the distance, standing out conspicuously in the sunlight.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Gu Fanxing saw Ling Jiu'er squatting on the stone steps outside the protective shed, holding a worn-out notebook in her hands, discussing something in a low voice with Du Fei, who was half-squatting down. Du Fei's fingertips were pointing at the fragmented sketches on the notebook, and the paper still outlined a simple layout of the kiln site. The wind fluttered the hem of his dark blue work clothes, and the scene was filled with a delicate tenderness.
"Jiu'er, Du Fei, we're back!"
Gu Fanxing pushed open the car door and called out.
"I haven't shown you the photos of the special exhibition yet. Under the warm light of the display case, the glaze of the re-fired celadon looks even more lustrous than when it was at the site, as if it were wrapped in moonlight."
Ling Jiu'er looked up, her ear tips instantly turning red. She hurriedly closed the notebook, revealing the small porcelain bowl pattern hand-drawn by Du Fei on the cover.
"Xingxing, wasn't the special exhibition a great success? I watched the live stream yesterday, and the comments were all praising the celadon. Some people even asked when they could come to Qinglongpo to see the kiln site and wanted to see what the old kiln looked like in person!"
Du Fei stood up and casually tucked the stray hairs that had fallen across Ling Jiu'er's cheek behind her ear, the movement as natural as if he had done it a thousand times.
"Didn't you stay at the museum for a few more days? I thought we would have a detailed discussion with Professor Wang about the touring exhibition, such as whether we should bring some replicas of kiln furniture fragments when exhibiting at museums in neighboring cities, so that visitors could see the shape of the support nails and the patterns on the saggars up close."
"Professor Wang will handle the touring exhibition. Our current focus is on organizing the newly discovered fragments from the site, as well as the 3D modeling of the kiln site you mentioned earlier. We need to expedite these steps."
Gu Fanxing walked to their side, her gaze falling on Ling Jiu'er's notebook.
"What were you looking at just now? New fragment data?"
When work was mentioned, Ling Jiu'er immediately perked up, opened her notebook, and handed it over.
"Look, this is a fragment of a Song Dynasty support nail that was cleared from the kiln site yesterday. The height and spacing of this support nail match the support marks on the bottom of the porcelain bowl that were discovered earlier!"
Du Fei also marked his questions in red pen, such as whether the soil adhering to the supports should be sent for testing. He said he would decide when we returned, fearing that inaccurate judgments might affect subsequent research.
Gu Fanxing looked at the contents of the notebook, which clearly marked even the depth of the fire marks on the edges of the fragments and their specific dimensions, and couldn't help but praise it.
"The drawing is so detailed, even more so than when I first started archaeology. Jiu'er taught patiently, and Du Fei studied even more diligently, no wonder he has improved so quickly."
Du Fei scratched his head, his eyes filled with pride: "It's all thanks to Jiu'er's excellent teaching."
Ling Jiu'er was so flattered that she lowered her head and kicked a small pebble at her feet, her ear tips turning as red as ripe cherries.
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan exchanged a glance, both with knowing smiles in their eyes.
These two young people, one teaching meticulously and the other learning diligently, developed a deep bond during their daily interactions, working together to sort through fragments and explore the site.
Just then, Du Fei's phone rang.
He subconsciously took two steps to the side, avoiding everyone's gaze, and pressed the answer button.
"Mr. Zhang?... An urgent project?... Old Zhou suddenly resigned?... Only I know the details of the coordination?... Okay, I understand, I'll go back and handle it as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, Du Fei frowned.
Ling Jiu'er sensed something was wrong, quickly walked over and gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice filled with concern: "What's wrong? Did something happen at the company?"
Du Fei turned around, looked into Ling Jiu'er's worried eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed before he spoke.
“The company has an urgent project with an overseas client. The person in charge, Lao Zhou, suddenly resigned. All the details of the coordination—including technical parameters, schedule, and client requirements—were only sorted out with him and me. No one else can take over. Manager Zhang said that the contract has already been signed, and delaying the progress will not only result in financial losses but also affect subsequent cooperation. He asked me to go back as soon as possible.”
"Then you should go back as soon as possible!" Her voice became hoarse before she could finish her sentence.
These days, she had long since grown accustomed to sorting through the fragments with Du Fei every morning, accustomed to his presence by her side, and even accustomed to sitting together on the stone steps outside the rest shed in the evenings, watching the sunset paint Qinglongpo orange-red, and listening to him tell funny stories about the company—which colleague brewed terrible coffee, which project team was working overtime until late at night. Now, suddenly hearing that he was leaving, she felt a void in her heart, a dull ache.
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan also came over. Pei Luonan patted Du Fei on the shoulder, his tone filled with regret.
"Is it absolutely necessary to leave? Can't we coordinate with the company? After we finish sorting out the fragments, it will only take another week at most, it won't take too long."
Du Fei nodded, his face full of helplessness.
“I mentioned it to Mr. Zhang, but the client is pressing us hard. They need a preliminary plan next week and we need to hold a video conference to check the details, so I really can’t postpone it.”
I also want to stay a few more days, spend time with Jiu'er, and work with you to finish the work at the site.
Ling Jiu'er suddenly looked up, her eyes red, but she forced a smile.
"It's alright, company matters are more important. You should go back and handle them. We can't let the company fall into crisis because of your absence."
If that's the case, not only will the stars disagree, but I won't agree either.
Thank you so much for your company these past few days. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself. Go back home with peace of mind.
Seeing her trying so hard to be strong, Du Fei felt even worse.
He reached out and gently touched her head, his touch as tender as if he were touching a fragile piece of porcelain.
"Okay, I'll go back and take care of things at the company first. I'll come back when I have a chance. Take good care of yourself, don't forget to eat when you're working, and don't go to dangerous areas on the slopes when you're exploring. I've already put a small flag to mark the pit where you almost stepped into last time..."
"I know, I'll be careful."
Ling Jiu'er nodded vigorously, her voice growing softer and softer.
"Eat properly at the office, and don't stay up all night revising plans. Also, don't drink too much coffee, it's bad for your stomach..."
As the sun sets, the wild chrysanthemums outside the rest shed are in full bloom, their pale purple petals glistening with dew, like scattered diamonds.
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan quietly slipped away, leaving the two of them alone.
Du Fei and Ling Jiu'er, who were about to part ways, were reluctant to say goodbye.
The evening breeze in Qinglongpo was filled with the unique bittersweetness and melancholy of youthful farewells, making even the distant laughter and chatter of villagers returning home seem exceptionally far away.