Chapter 133 In the call of love, the body and soul awaken together

Qin Tian's face and neck suddenly felt hot. Even as she got into the car, her heart was still pounding. Her face was so obvious, Tong Zhongyuan must have seen it. But he ignored it and took the driver's seat.

"Your night vision is not good, I will drive it at night."

On the way back, Qin Tian mostly stared out the dark window, and Tong Zhongyuan didn't bother to engage in conversation. Yet, the atmosphere in the car wasn't awkward despite the lack of conversation. The road was unfamiliar and winding, the music swayed, and the two of them, familiar yet distant, felt like she had known him for a long, long time, yet also like she knew nothing about him. Regardless of which way it was, with him by her side, she felt at ease, safe, and excited. It felt like, together, they could go anywhere.

This morning, she was awakened by the sound of birds. Qin Tian opened her eyes drowsily and thought for a while. She was now in the deep mountains of a small town called Fuliang in Jingdezhen City.

She turned over and closed her eyes again. She didn't need to go to the museum today.

There was a faint sound of a door opening, and light footsteps came from the next room. Although the sound was extremely light, Qin Tian suddenly became extremely awake.

Tong Zhongyuan. She is now living under the same roof with Tong Zhongyuan.

Heat quickly rose on her back, and a light sweat broke out. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head. They had been busy since returning from the city yesterday. In less than a week, she and he had already renovated the house twice. Last night, while she was making the bedding, he had tacitly walked to the end of the bed and shook out the sheets with her, expertly tucking them tight and tucking them under the mattress. An indescribable intimacy flowed between them.

He walked to the window, checked it, drew the curtains, and walked towards the door. As he passed her, he turned and smiled, whispering, "Good night, sister."

Qin Tian regretted it deeply. How could this happen? She had clearly won the damn bet, but now these two words were like a shame switch for her. She blushed whenever she heard them.

She chased him to the door and shouted, "Hey! Cancel it. I'm letting you go. You don't have to call me sister from tomorrow on."

The corners of his mouth rose higher and he nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Through the window, the hazy morning light passed. Qin Tian covered his eyes. Don't test her like this. The attachment that grew in the isolated mountains was just like the love he felt alone in China. It was as fragile and illusory as a soap bubble, yet gorgeous and alluring.

When she went downstairs, Tong Zhongyuan had already prepared breakfast.

Like a chameleon, he adapted his attire, hairstyle, and even demeanor to the surroundings. Deep in the mountains, he wore a loose-fitting sweatshirt, his hair fluffy and soft, a carefree and relaxed expression. In just one night, he had become one with the villa, the very man of it.

After breakfast, he said he was going to ride his bike to the studio and asked Qin Tian to sit on the back seat. She didn't want to, because she wasn't here to film a campus youth drama with him. She said, "Either I give you a ride or I'll walk."

She spoke quickly and regretted it right after she finished. She now knew that Tong Zhongyuan had a strong sense of self-esteem, but he didn't have the superior dignity that most men have when facing women. He would definitely say, "Then give me a ride."

She was not wrong at all. Sure enough, Tong Zhongyuan said these five words, not a single word wrong.

"You're so heavy, I can't even pedal." She complained, holding onto the handlebars. "Just walk over there."

Tong Zhongyuan got off the back seat: "You ride first, I'll jump on."

"You want us to fall into the ravine together early in the morning?"

"No. I'm pretty good at jumping off cars, so I was up there before I knew it."

"Then if that fails, we'll just walk over there."

"good."

Qin Tian couldn't resist him. After all, it was she who came up with this lousy plan. She got on the bike, pedaled twice, steadied herself, and then pedaled hard, trying to use her speed to leave him behind and ride all the way to the wood kiln.

Ideals are beautiful, but reality...? She had only moved a few feet when she felt a warmth against her waist. He put his arm around her waist and sat on the back seat. She swayed only slightly, and the bike continued to move safely along the narrow mountain path. As he said, he was very good at jumping off the bike.

She carried him through the shadows of the trees, the morning wind dancing on the treetops, blowing their hair. The sound of the wheels turning was continuous, he could feel the warmth of her body on his arms, and the sound of his heartbeat, like a gentle stream of water, filled his chest.

Ding Yiyi met them at the door. The last few steps were a bit steep, and Qin Tian pedaled hard until he finally made it up the slope. Ding Yiyi then saw that the person in the back seat was Tong Zhongyuan, and she smiled. She had noticed yesterday that these two had a special relationship and were not the colleagues Qin Tian had described.

The kiln master Ding Yiyi had assigned them arrived. He was in his forties, dark-skinned, and spoke with a slight accent. He walked around and said, "Let's start a kiln first. It's like falling in love. Before you get married, you need to get to know each other, hold hands, and kiss."

Qin Tian nodded repeatedly and asked, "Master, then, do we need to do any ceremony to open the kiln now?"

The master's eyes lit up and he gave her a thumbs up.

"I thought you city folk wouldn't believe this. Actually, to make something this difficult, you have to worship the Kiln God. Without the Kiln God's help, you won't be able to make anything in this mountain for your entire life."

"Then how do we do it? Please give me some guidance."

"Let's do it ourselves and keep it simple. Just buy two live chickens and a bottle of wine."

At noon, everyone in the studio enjoyed delicious free-range chicken. The master drank a little too much and went to take a nap.

Even tourists are rare this season, and the studio teachers are so idle that they have to spray the prepared clay with water from time to time to keep it moist.

Ding Yi asked the two men, "Have you ever made pottery?"

Qin Tian had only seen it in movies and videos, but had never made it herself. She looked at Tong Zhongyuan, who had always been dealing with porcelain and should have more experience than her.

"Two or three times." Tong Zhongyuan replied.

Ding Yiyi said, "Want to try pulling clay?"

Yuan blue and white porcelain only requires the production of missing pieces; the porcelain factory will provide the molds, and there is no need for throwing the embryo. But Qin Tian was very interested. She is an experiential person who understands things through exploration and learning.

Ding Yi, noticing her interest, called the teacher over. Tong Zhongyuan listened intently as the teacher explained the key points to Qin Tian. The potter's wheel quietly turned as the teacher demonstrated, producing a curiously shaped white pot.

"This type of shape is more difficult to pull. You can try smaller ones first, like cups and bowls."

Qin Tian placed her hands on the clay and realized that pulling the clay was far more difficult than it looked. She tried several times, but the lump of clay, just as it was taking shape, would turn back into a puddle of wet mud. The experience was magical, the shape emerging from the clay and returning to the clay, as if Nuwa had failed to create human beings.

She looked up, and just as she had thought, a beautifully shaped spring vase was taking shape on the potter's wheel in front of Tong Zhongyuan. His hand was steadily suspended in the air above the potter's wheel, and the rotating clay passed through his fingers again and again, and the subtle touch was imperceptibly transformed. The spring vase silently transformed into the shape he wanted. He stopped the potter's wheel, took the vase and put it aside. The teacher looked at him in surprise, then remembered that he was an expert in cultural relics restoration, and was relieved. The teacher probably felt that he was a little redundant, so he walked away and never came back.

Qin Tian tried a few more times, finally pulling out a crooked cup. Looking at Tong Zhongyuan again, he had pulled out an elegant wide-mouthed bowl. She simply kneaded the cup back into a ball of clay and watched his movements intently. He had already finished closing the wide-mouthed bowl and glanced at her potter's wheel.

She couldn't help but ask, "Aside from steady hands, are there any other techniques?"

Tong Zhongyuan thought for a moment and replied, "Compared to mastering other techniques, it's easier to steady my hands."

"Is there a skill to having a steady hand?"

Tong Zhongyuan stood up, washed his hands, and walked over to her. He pulled a pair of wireless headphones from his pocket, leaned over, tucked the strands of hair behind her ear, and put them on. A gentle, classic old song instantly filled the dome of the old wood-fired kiln, echoing in the afternoon sun, in the air she breathed, and in her throbbing heart.

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes

Love is all around me and so the feeling grows

So if you really love me,e on and let it show

You know I love you I always will

"This is the song I listened to when I first learned restoration." His voice came from afar. "Slow down your breathing, calm your mind, and follow its rhythm. Slowly place your hands on the embryonic soil."

The moist clay spun in her hands, from her fingertips to her palms, like a woman who had been sleeping for a long time.

She held her breath, concentrating, and slowly closed her hand. The mouth of the pottery vase became thinner and thinner as she worked. Just as she was about to stop the potter's wheel, her fingers trembled, and the mouth of the vase slipped through her hand, like a woman who suddenly fainted, doubled over. Her hand lost its stability, and the clay returned to its original state.

She dropped her hands, looked up, and closed her eyes. This was the closest she had ever come to success!

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze met Tong Zhongyuan's. There was a smile in his eyes, but not mockery. He reached out and touched her ear, removed one earphone, put it on himself, and sat down across from her. The potter's wheel turned continuously, round and round. Across the wheel, he took her hand, slowly interlacing his fingers from the back of her hand to between her fingers, and guided her hand to the white clay. The moist, warm clay undulated endlessly in their clasped hands.

There's no beginning, there'll be no end

e on and let it show

The overwhelming echo of singing, the heartbeat like a rushing river, ready to burst out, unable to hide, the white soul swirled and rose from their hands. He gazed at her in the vastness of time.

The moment her cell phone rang, she freed her imprisoned fingers and pushed the already formed pottery bottle over. The newly born embryonic soil returned to the chaos of unenlightened nature.

She walked away as if escaping from a fire, washed her hands, and picked up the phone on the table. The name on the caller ID surprised her.

"Teacher Qin, is it convenient to talk?"