"Sigh!" Xie Wei couldn't help but sigh when he thought about all this.
"What? Mr. Xie doesn't want to go on a date with me?" Bai Shiying smiled and glanced at Xie Wei. "We can find a place to have a good chat."
"No need, I'd be happy to go on a date with Miss Bai." Xie Wei knew that he had to admit defeat when necessary, and there was another principle: never mess with a woman.
Bai Shiying was still satisfied even though she knew Xie Wei was forced to do so.
arrive.
The two stood in front of a shop with three large golden characters on the signboard: "Tao Yi Yuan" (陶艺苑), which looked like a place for making pottery.
Upon entering, the lobby on the first floor was empty, with only a few exhibits on display.
"White doll, you've come," came an old man's voice from the shadows inside, and then a figure leaning on a cane walked out.
Xie Wei saw that the old man was nearly seventy or eighty years old, not in good health, with a pale face and white hair, looking very old and frail.
Bai Shiying addressed the old man as "Grandpa Tang".
Xie Wei bowed slightly, performing the junior's greeting.
The old man noticed him as well and asked in a low voice, "White doll, what's this?"
Seeing the situation, Bai Shiying, who called herself "my boyfriend," intimately took Xie Wei's arm and rested her head on Xie Wei's shoulder.
“Miss Bai, it’s never right to deceive the elderly,” Xie Wei said quietly, in a voice only he and Bai Shiying could hear.
"I didn't lie to you. You'll be my boyfriend sooner or later." Bai Shiying gripped Xie Wei's arm tightly. It was strange how women could become so strong in these kinds of situations.
"Good, good, good," Old Tang said after looking Xie Wei up and down.
With Xie Wei's help, Old Tang led them to the second floor.
The second floor is where the actual pottery is done. It seems that the owner bought the second floors of the two neighboring shops, making the space particularly large. Each pottery-making area is separated by a distance so that they do not interfere with each other, which also shows the owner's emphasis on ceramics.
Since it was Xie Wei's first time doing pottery, Old Tang asked the two of them to sit down and gave a demonstration, which served as a form of instruction.
Bai Shiying moved a chair behind her and patted it, indicating that Xie Wei should sit there.
Xie Wei could only sigh and obediently sit down. Since he had already agreed to a date, he should try his best to meet the other party's requests; this was a basic principle.
For someone doing pottery for the first time, it's more difficult for two people to work together than for one person to do it alone, but Old Tang didn't say much. He wasn't that stubborn.
As Tang Lao demonstrated and explained, Bai Shiying's slender palm was pressed against Xie Wei's outer side, as if glued on, while Xie Wei was imitating Tang Lao's movements to make pottery.
Old Tang had finished, but Xie Wei's clay was crooked and twisted. Bai Shiying laughed out loud when she saw Xie Wei's "work".
Xie Wei glared at her before she stopped.
Old Tang wiped his hands and looked at the two of them playing around, his eyes filled with a touch of nostalgia.
Old Tang was about to go downstairs, leaving space for the young man. Seeing Xie Wei preparing to get up and help him, he waved his hand to tell him to sit down and gave Bai Shiying a thumbs up, as a sign of approval for her good taste in men.
Bai Shiying was naturally happy to receive Tang Lao's approval and nodded with a smile.
She picked up the clay blank, partially enveloping Xie Wei's hand, and guided him to begin making pottery.
"You can do that?" Xie Wei looked at Bai Shiying's skillful movements, slightly surprised.
"Hmm," Bai Shiying nodded. "Teacher Tang is my teacher, so I naturally learned a little bit from him."
Hearing Bai Shiying's words, Xie Wei lowered his eyes slightly. He didn't know anything about her over the past five years.
“Grandpa Tang’s son was the founder of the Tang family in Wandu,” Bai Shiying suddenly said.
"The Tang family of Wandu? The Tang family of Wandu that is famous for its inside painting art?" Xie Wei was somewhat surprised. He couldn't keep his fingertips steady, and the clay body was deformed by the small movement, eventually becoming a waste.
Inside painting, also known as snuff bottle painting, is a special craft that uses a specially made deformed fine brush to hand-paint intricate images inside the bottle blank made of materials such as glass and crystal. It is known as a "Chinese wonder" and is one of the intangible cultural heritage techniques.
Looking at the waste material in front of him that could no longer be processed, Xie Wei looked somewhat awkwardly at the back of Bai Shiying's head, where the scent of pomegranate lingered.
Bai Shiying didn't think anything of it, and rinsed and rubbed the waste before continuing to use it.
"Then why would he come to the capital?"
“He is from Anhui and has settled down in Anhui. His wife is from Beijing. After his wife passed away due to illness, Grandpa Tang came to Beijing and opened this shop.” Tao Pei and Xie Wei’s hands obediently followed Bai Shiying’s hand.
"At the time, I was somewhat resistant to the Bai family's business. It was probably instinctive; I felt that those things were somewhat unattainable for me. My mind was in turmoil, and I wanted to find a place to calm down."
"I walked in here, and Grandpa Tang seemed to sense that I had something on my mind, but he didn't say much. He brought me here to experience pottery, and as time went on, I became familiar with Grandpa Tang. He's always been the one teaching me pottery techniques."
"It was only later that I learned about his relationship with the Tang family of Anhui and the reason why he came to the capital. Part of my entry into the circle was also inspired by Grandpa Tang."
"..." After listening to Bai Shiying finish telling the story, Xie Wei could only respond with silence.
Why aren't you saying anything?
I don't know what to say.
“You can say anything, you're making me seem silly,” Bai Shiying leaned against Xie Wei, one hand spinning the base, the other holding Xie Wei's hand as he slowly shaped the clay. “Like, for example, the romantic love story of Grandpa Tang and his wife.”
"I can't do that now..." Xie Wei wanted to say that he had broken his promise and couldn't be of one mind with one person, but before he could finish speaking, Bai Shiying interrupted him.
“I understand. I brought you here and told you all this because I wanted to tell you that I've experienced a lot in the past five years that you don't know about, and you've made many changes as well. My thoughts are also different from before, and you don't need to imprison yourself with past promises.”
"I……"
"I saw the wish you left at Lingshan Temple," Bai Shiying said, her voice trembling with tears. "Guess what I wished for?"
The ceramic piece has already taken shape; all that's left is for Mr. Tang to fire it.
Bai Shiying turned around and looked at Xie Wei.
Xie Wei
"Um?"
"You said it yourself, since I've already rejected the past, then nothing from before counts. Shall we start over?"
"Put aside your resentment, and I'll pursue you properly." Under the lights, Bai Shiying held Xie Wei's face, making them look at each other. Her eyes seemed to hold her whole world, which was incredibly captivating.
"You haven't washed your hands yet," Xie Wei said, leaving clay residue on Bai Shiying's nose with his fingertips.
"Shall we go take a shower together?"
"……good"
A single encounter amidst the golden rain and dew surpasses countless meetings in the mortal world. Tender feelings flow like water, a beautiful time like a dream; how can one bear to look back on the path to the Magpie Bridge?
(One chapter a day, no pressure at all. I've already started a major cleaning at home. Every time someone enters my room, I have to rush to change the page. It's both funny and frustrating.)
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