mtlumby2d Chapter 533 Kiln Site Clues Hidden in Glaze Color
Chapter 533 Kiln Site Clues Hidden in Glaze Color
Before the hustle and bustle of the special exhibition opening had completely subsided, Gu Fanxing, carrying the glaze formula hand-drawn by craftsman Chen, sat in the research room of the provincial museum, repeatedly stroking the "iron content 0.8%" marked on the formula with her fingertips.
Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the paper and making the craftsman's handwriting on the edge of the recipe even clearer—marks left by the old man with a fountain pen, each number a testament to his passion for the ancient kiln.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Pei Luonan walked in carrying two cups of warm coffee, handing one to Gu Fanxing, his gaze falling on the recipe paper, "Chef Chen's recipe?"
Gu Fanxing nodded, took the coffee, and sipped it, feeling the warmth slide down her throat.
“Look here, Master Chen said that in addition to iron, the glaze of ‘Qingning Kiln’ also contains local kaolin clay, which was only produced in Qingshan Town in western Yang County in the late Song Dynasty.”
If we can find the kaolin mine pit from back then, we might be able to follow the clues to the kiln site.
Pei Luonan leaned closer and pointed to the three characters "Qingshan Town" on the recipe: "This morning I had Du Fei check the local chronicles of Yang County. There are indeed records of kaolin mining in Qingshan Town during the Song Dynasty, but the mine was later abandoned and its specific location was not clearly marked in the documents."
However, Du Fei said that there are still old miners in Qingshan Town who can tell the legends from back then, and we can go to the town tomorrow to ask them.”
Gu Fanxing's eyes lit up, and she put down her coffee and stood up.
"Really? Then let's set off first thing tomorrow morning!"
She had been hoping to find the kiln site for a long time, and now that she heard there was a clue, she was so excited that her fingertips were slightly hot.
Pei Luonan smiled and pressed her shoulder: "Don't worry, I've already asked Du Fei to book a guesthouse in town, and I've also spoken to Professor Wang. He said he'll send two museum researchers with us to help record clues."
You've been busy with the special exhibition all day, take a break first, don't overwork yourself.
Looking at the tenderness in Pei Luonan's eyes, Gu Fanxing felt a sense of peace in her heart.
He was always like this; while she was excited about archaeology, he had already arranged everything perfectly, leaving her with no worries whatsoever.
She leaned against Pei Luonan's chest and whispered, "With you here, I feel like I have nothing to be afraid of."
“Of course,” Pei Luonan lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her head. “I will be your support. Whether it’s finding a kiln site or studying porcelain bowls, I will be with you.”
Early the next morning, Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan, along with Du Fei, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Zhou, researchers from the museum, drove to Qingshan Town. As the car left the county town, the scenery outside the window gradually changed from tall buildings to low-rise tiled houses. Occasionally, old farmers could be seen leading their cattle along the ridges of the fields by the roadside, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil and grass.
The branches of an old locust tree by the roadside stretched out at an angle, with several corn cobs hanging from the trees where villagers were drying. Seeing them carrying exploration tools, a few children followed behind and asked curiously, "Are you here to dig for treasure?"
Pei Luonan smiled and squatted down to show the children a small porcelain shard they carried with them, saying softly, "It's about finding the story of the old kiln. You might see it in a book someday."
"Qingshan Town is just ahead."
Du Fei pointed to the town ahead.
“I contacted Uncle Li, an old miner in town, yesterday. He said he was waiting for us under the old locust tree at the east end of town. His father was a miner in the kaolin mine back then.”
When the car stopped under the old locust tree, an elderly man with gray hair was sitting on a small stool, slowly drinking tea from a rough porcelain bowl.
Upon seeing Gu Fanxing and his group, the old man quickly stood up: "You've come looking for the kaolin mine, haven't you? I'm Uncle Li."
"Hello, Uncle Li, thank you for your help."
Gu Fanxing stepped forward and grasped the old man's hand, speaking respectfully.
"We're looking for the kaolin mines used in the late Song Dynasty's 'Qingning Kiln.' We heard you know any clues?"
Uncle Li nodded and led the group toward the east end of the town: "When my father was alive, he often told me that there was an old mine pit on Qinglongpo in the east of the town. The soil that was dug out back then was light blue, unlike other places."
The mine collapsed later, and no one has dug there since. However, last year there was a lot of rain, and some shards of porcelain were washed down the slope. I picked up a few pieces; see if they're what you're looking for.
As he spoke, Uncle Li took out a cloth bag from his pocket. Inside were several light blue porcelain shards, the glaze of which was almost identical to that of the "Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl".
Gu Fanxing took the porcelain shard, gently running her fingertips across the glaze, and said excitedly, "Yes! This is a shard from the 'Qingning Kiln'! Uncle Li, I can't wait to go find it. Could you please take us to Qinglongpo to take a look?"
Uncle Li led the group toward Qinglongpo, telling them stories of his father's past along the way: "My father said that back then, the soil in the mine pit had to be washed three times with water before it could be sent to the kiln to make porcelain. There were so many kiln workers back then, and the firelight from the kiln at night could be seen all over town..."
Qinglongpo is not far from the town; it only takes about ten minutes to get there.
The slope was covered with wild grass. Uncle Li pointed to a collapsed pit and said, "This is it. The shards of porcelain that were washed down last year were picked up from the edge of this pit."
Gu Fanxing squatted down beside the pit and carefully examined the soil layers.
Sure enough, there was light blue kaolin in the soil layer, as well as scattered pieces of porcelain.
She took out a small brush and carefully cleaned the soil around the edge of the pit. Suddenly, a piece of porcelain with a kiln mark was revealed. Although the mark was blurry, it was clear that it was a unique pattern of the "Qingning Kiln".
"We've found the markings!" Gu Fanxing exclaimed excitedly. "This must be the kaolin mine used by the 'Qingning Kiln'! If we follow the mine down the mountain, we might just find the kiln site!"
Pei Luonan squatted down beside her, helping her hold the edge of the pit to prevent the soil from slipping: "Don't rush, let's mark the location first, and then bring tools to explore it carefully tomorrow. It's getting late today, and the mountain road is difficult to walk on, so let's go back to town to rest first. Safety first."
Gu Fanxing nodded, looking at the porcelain shards in the pit with anticipation in her heart.
She knew that finding the mine was only the first step, and many more challenges awaited them, but as long as they could find the site of the "Qingning Kiln," it would all be worth it.
By the time we got back to the guesthouse in town, it was already dark.
Pei Luonan asked the guesthouse owner to prepare a few light dishes, and also specially asked the owner to cook corn porridge, which Gu Fanxing liked.
At the dinner table, Xiao Lin and Xiao Zhou were still excitedly discussing their discoveries from the day, while Du Fei was organizing the photos and videos he had taken that day, preparing to send them to Professor Wang.
As Gu Fanxing sipped her corn porridge and looked at the busy but happy people around her, she suddenly realized that the significance of archaeology lies not only in discovering history, but also in meeting a group of like-minded people in the process—people who work together, explore together, and share the joy of discovery for the same goal.
Pei Luonan noticed that Gu Fanxing was lost in thought, so he picked up a piece of her favorite green vegetable and put it in her bowl: "What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about how to explore tomorrow?"
Gu Fanxing shook her head and said with a smile, "I was thinking that if we could find the kiln site, we would know how the 'Qingning Kiln' fired porcelain back then, and we could restore the porcelain-making techniques of the late Song Dynasty. Maybe we could even find more complete artifacts. At that time, we could add an exhibition area on 'Qingning Kiln Porcelain-Making Techniques' to the special exhibition, so that more people can learn about this forgotten kiln."
“Yes,” Pei Luonan said, holding her hand with unwavering determination in his eyes. “We will definitely find the kiln site and realize your dream. No matter what difficulties we encounter, I will be with you.”
As night deepened, the chirping of cicadas outside the guesthouse gradually subsided.
Gu Fanxing leaned against Pei Luonan's chest, looking at the moonlight outside the window, her heart filled with hope. She knew that tomorrow would be another challenging day, but as long as Pei Luonan was by her side and she had the support of the team, she would have the courage to face everything—because their goal was to make the "Qingning Kiln," which had been dormant for thousands of years, shine brightly again before the world.