Chapter 42 Treasure Island (11) Black Cat Sticky...

When they met the police again, the police brought them bad news.

“That group is slippery and hasn’t made any moves yet. We’ve checked several places they frequent, but we still can’t find them. It seems they’ve become more vigilant since last time and know that we’re keeping an eye on them.”

Ah Kun wasn't too surprised; he had expected this result.

Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, those people have been mingling for years and know better than anyone how to hide themselves.

"Can't the police find them?" Chichi asked 1221.

“The police can’t go around arresting the same group of people every day. After all, resources are limited, and prevention is more practical than continuous pursuit,” 1221 said.

"Be careful and pay attention to where you go. If you notice anything unusual or find out where those people are, contact us immediately."

After the police officer left, the workshop fell silent for a moment.

Uncle Lin picked up a blank piece and trimmed its edges, then asked Ah Kun, "Are you scared?"

Ah Kun paused for a moment, then lowered his head: "A little."

Those people knew where he lived and where Uncle Lin's workshop was located. They could suddenly appear at any time to retaliate against him for calling the police, which made him always feel uneasy.

Ah Kun then took a day off and went to a door and window shop to use the money he had earned during this time to customize a sturdier new iron gate.

It wasn't for decorating his own yard, but for decorating Uncle Lin's workshop.

The old door was removed and a new cast aluminum iron door was installed. The cold, hard metal reflected the light, giving the whole yard a sense of security. Ah Kun also installed the heavy-duty anti-theft lock that he had specially selected.

Uncle Lin glanced at the old door, which was only mottled but not broken, and was replaced without blaming the other party for acting first and asking for permission later. He simply said, "You've only just started earning a few dollars and you're already wasting it like this."

Ah Kun waved his hand: "Anyway, I have nowhere to spend the money, so just consider it as my rent for this period of time."

After the door and lock were replaced, the boy didn't rest. He mixed a bag of cement and used it to make a dense ring of broken glass shards on the wall.

"Safety is good." Chi Chi stared at the ring of dangerous, pointed objects on the wall, "but how am I going to climb over this wall in the future?"

1221: "Let Ah Kun open the door for you."

"Okay." Chi Chi watched the other person's careful movements, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the glass on the wall. There was no way to insert a glass pane on the other side of the ceiling, but the kitten could go in and out from there.

She looked up at the ceiling, and Ah Kun, having finished his work, also looked at the only place where they couldn't set up a defense line.

"There's no way to apply cement to this shed."

He was worried about what to do with this small area.

“Come down, the door has been replaced, the walls have been reinforced, but life still goes on as usual.” Uncle Lin said, standing in the yard, “We can’t let a few rats in the gutter keep us from even leaving the house.”

Ah Kun then gave up on this small piece of land and climbed down the ladder.

Uncle Lin said to the boy who was still packing up the ladder, "Wash your hands and come over, I need to mix the glaze."

"Got it," Ah Kun readily agreed.

Uncle Lin took out several treasured porcelain jars containing mineral powders of different colors. He then took out a bowl and began to mix the glaze, mixing it evenly according to the proportions. His movements were slow and careful, and not a single powder was spilled.

“This is our family’s unique glaze formula,” Uncle Lin said as he poured water into the mixture and ground it finely with a pestle. “My grandfather taught it to my father, my father taught it to me, and now I’m teaching it to you.”

Ah Kun squatted down and watched as the chemical powder in the jar mixed with water and adhesive, turning into a deep-colored and glossy glaze.

The other party explained to him the characteristics of each mineral raw material, the amount in the formula, the order of mixing, the glazing method, and the control of the temperature during firing.

"One color goes into the kiln, but a myriad of colors come out," said Uncle Lin. "This is the imperial kiln's formula. Even a slight error can lead to a huge mistake. Every step of the error will affect the texture of the porcelain."

He gave the prepared glaze to Ah Kun and asked him to apply it to the unglazed piece: "Give it a try."

Ah Kun put aside his usual carefree attitude and devoted himself wholeheartedly to practicing his unique glaze technique.

He repeatedly mixed, glazed, experimented, and recorded the results, waiting outside the kiln to observe the situation after the kiln was opened. At first, he always failed.

The fired porcelain was either the wrong color, or it flowed and deformed, or it peeled off completely, which was even more frustrating than when I first started learning to throw a potter's wheel.

Uncle Lin just watched from the sidelines, occasionally offering a few pointers, but mostly letting Ah Kun experience the differences in each firing, learn from his failures, and figure out his own feel for the craft.

Sometimes, when I wake up late, I can see Ah Kun frowning and studying the failed glaze under the lamplight late at night.

During the day, the other party would stand guard at the kiln entrance, waiting to open the kiln, with fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, and would not leave for even a moment.

They hopped onto each other's shoulders and waited together for the moment the kiln would be opened.

After Ah Kun started mixing, glazing, and firing the kiln himself, each time he opened the kiln it was like opening a blind box, and his heart was on a rollercoaster ride.

After countless failures, one morning, as the kiln fire gradually died down, Ah Kun carefully opened the still-warm door and took out the celadon porcelain bottle that he had tested countless times.

It is warm and lustrous all over, with a bluish-green hue and a smooth, flowing glaze, just like the sample fired by Uncle Lin.

"Wow!"

Gazing longingly at the crystal-clear, lustrous glaze of the porcelain vase, resembling the blue sky after rain, I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

We finally succeeded.

It was worth it for the other party to stay in front of the kiln day and night, recording data and adjusting the temperature every day, and starting over again and again.

"Look, I've fired it!" Ah Kun excitedly held up the porcelain bottle and handed it to Uncle Lin.

Looking at the jade-like luster restored to the glaze, and then at Ah Kun's eyes, which were still sparkling with light despite their large dark circles, Uncle Lin's usually serious face softened, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He took the porcelain bottle, ran his fingertips over the delicate glaze, and said softly, "...Good."

Just that one simple word made Ah Kun feel that all the suffering he had endured was worth it.

To celebrate his breakthrough, Uncle Lin unusually offered, "Let's close up shop early tomorrow and I'll take you to Pingxi to see the sky lanterns."

Ah Kun's eyes widened, and he nodded repeatedly in surprise.

"What is a sky lantern?" Chichi asked 1221.

"It's a paper lampshade with a candle lit underneath. It uses the principle of hot air rising to make the sky lantern fly, just like the hot air balloon you've ever ridden in," 1221 said. "When people light sky lanterns, they make wishes and pray for blessings, hoping that their wishes will fly to the sky and be conveyed to the gods."

"So that means there will be lots of hot air balloons?" Chichi's honey-colored eyes lit up. "We definitely have to go see them!"

The kitten ran up to the two people, wagged its tail, sat down properly, and meowed twice at the humans.

"Take me with you."

The anticipation in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Ah Kun turned to Uncle Lin and asked, "After we pack up, should we drive straight there?"

You can drive without taking public transportation and bring your cat along.

Uncle Lin nodded.

"Yay!" Chichi gave 1221 a high five.

Before setting off, I went to the familiar magnolia tree yard again, and the other person was still in the same old spot, blending into the shade of the tree.

The kitten ran over, nuzzled the other's leg affectionately, tilted its head back, and invited, "We're going to see sky lanterns tonight, you know, the kind that fly and you can make a wish. Do you want to come with me?"

“I can introduce you to my human friends. They are very nice and will definitely be willing to take you along.”

His dark eyes gazed at her calmly, as if he could read the expectation in her eyes, but his fingertips rested on the cold metal frame of the wheelchair, stroking it almost imperceptibly, without giving any response.

"So, are you going?"

Chichi was worried that the other person would think it was inconvenient for them to be in a wheelchair, so she quickly said...

She had it all planned out. She would ask Ah Kun to lend a hand. He could sit in the back of the truck, and the wheelchair would be placed in the back of the truck bed, which would be very convenient.

The kitten gestured with its paws, describing the travel scene it imagined in its mind.

She stared intently at the other person, waiting for a reply.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, broken only by the rustling of leaves. Under the hopeful gaze that lingered for so long, the other party finally refused.

Like a bubble that had just risen and been popped, it quickly deflated, and the kitten's tail drooped down.

Chichi stared at the hand hanging below the wheelchair, feeling a bit itchy to bite it. He bared his canines as if to take a bite, but in the end, he just licked it.

"Then I'll come find you again next time."

*

When we arrived in Pingxi, the setting sun had already painted the sky orange-red, and many people had already gathered in the valley.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, although not as grand as the Sky Lantern Festival, tourists still flock to the area.

As soon as the small truck found a parking space, Ah Kun couldn't wait to open the door, scoop up the kitten that was still curiously looking around, and take it to buy a sky lantern.

The shop is filled with all kinds of sky lanterns, some are simple single colors, some are two-color or four-color spliced, and the most eye-catching are the colorful and larger eight-color lantern king.

"So many lanterns." Chichi squatted on Akun's shoulder, her eyes wide with excitement.

"The colors of these sky lanterns are significant. Each color represents a wish—for career, love, health, or anything else. The more colors you have, the more blessings you can pray for," 1221 told the kitten.

Ah Kun generously bought three of the most expensive eight-color LED lights, symbolizing that everything would go smoothly and perfectly, unlike other lights where you have to choose the colors yourself, it's a one-step solution.

He paid very readily, earning his own money through pottery making, and spent it with great confidence.

Uncle Lin shook his head at Ah Kun's extravagant manner, but didn't say anything to spoil the mood. He just watched as the shop assistant packed up the three huge eight-colored lanterns.

After buying the lights, they walked with the crowd, enjoying the street scene.

As night gradually falls, the tranquil night sky is brought to life by the few tourists scattered on the ground.

When we arrived at the designated launch area, a number of people had already gathered on the open space in the valley. Scattered sky lanterns were slowly rising into the night sky, like colorful stars.

Ah Kun opened the packaging, took out three lamps, carefully unfolded the thin paper cover, first handed one to Uncle Lin, and then gave one to the kitten.

Uncle Lin took it, walked to the side with his back to the noise, and wrote down his wishes slowly and solemnly, stroke by stroke.

Ah Kun quickly wrote down his wish, and when he turned around, he saw Chi Chi squatting in front of the sky lantern that belonged to the kitten, looking thoughtful and hesitant about his wish.

The boy thought for a moment, then grasped the kitten's paw and applied paint to its paw pads.

"If you can't write, just put a paw print on it and tell the sky lantern to bless you with everything."

That's great!

Chichi glanced at his paw pads, which were covered in color, with satisfaction, and then solemnly stamped a mark on the paper cover, leaving a clear plum blossom paw print.

Light the candle below with a lighter. The warm flame glows inside the paper cover, carrying blessings as it leaves your palm and slowly flies into the night sky.

He unconsciously held his breath, watching as his and Ah Kun's sky lanterns floated up one by one, trembling precariously.

"It really flew up there." His honey-colored eyes were filled with the starlight in the sky.

Hundreds of sky lanterns rose one after another, like a Milky Way flowing upstream, being released into the sky and illuminating the faces that looked up.

He kept staring at his sky lantern until it floated high into the sky, out of sight, before finally pulling his aching neck back.

Uncle Lin found a spot to sit down under the open sky, while Ah Kun casually lay down on the ground with his arm as a pillow. The kitten, having seen enough of the view from the sky, glanced casually at the secluded wall behind him amidst the cheers of the crowd.

I spotted a unique figure.

A completely black cat sat quietly behind them, its posture upright, hidden in the darkness, completely out of place with the surrounding hustle and bustle.

Drawn to the other's golden pupils, she forgot about the lights in the sky.

The other person had a unique demeanor; their calm gaze and familiarity made Chi Chi blink curiously and stand up from beside the human.

Chi Chi initially observed from afar, but seeing that the other party seemed aloof and exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, she dared not approach rashly.

After a while, I noticed that the other person was just sitting there quietly, without any aggression or unease, so I slowly mustered up the courage to approach.

She nimbly leaped onto the wall where the other person was, stopping at a polite distance, and wagged her tail at them in a friendly and harmless manner.

Anticipating that the other party might ignore them or feel disturbed and walk away coldly.

To everyone's surprise, the black cat turned its head, its molten gold eyes falling on her and staring at her for a few seconds.

He hesitated for a moment before getting up and stepping forward, intending to exchange scents with the other person and greet them politely.

Unexpectedly, the other cat noticed her approach and instead of leaving, it stood up and shortened the distance until the two cats stood face to face on the wall.

The other person lowered their head and very lightly and quickly touched the kitten's head.