Chapter 37 Treasure Island (6) "I want to learn."...
With a soft, adorable kitten with honey-colored eyes perched on his shoulder, passersby no longer looked at him with the same avoidance and disdain as before, but instead cast curious and kind glances at him.
Ah Kun was initially a little uncomfortable, but as he gradually felt more and more attention, he straightened his shoulders and began to experience this novel feeling that he had never had before.
It seemed that the people around him were no longer hostile towards him.
When they arrived at the familiar door on Longyun Street, the kitten on his shoulder moved slightly, jumped down automatically, landed steadily on the ground, and looked up at him.
Ah Kun took out his key, pushed open the door, and silently stepped into the yard.
Recently, due to community service and weekend visits to the education center, Ah Kun's routine and daily life have returned to the same level as everyone else's. He's busy every day, but his restless heart has calmed down a lot.
Now, as soon as you return to the empty bungalow, the desolation and silence easily engulf you.
He usually prefers to wander the streets rather than go home early and be alone.
Knowing that there's a kitten waiting on the street makes me feel much better than before.
Ah Kun paused in closing the door, looking at the kitten that had been keeping him company for many days: "How about... you come in and stay?"
No way.
Chi Chi glanced at the small yard, which was piled with clutter and had uneven ground. It was never cleaned up. There wasn't even a comfortable place for the kitten to lie down and sunbathe. It was better for it to stay outside.
She flicked the tip of her tail, turned around, and jumped onto the wall in a few swift movements. She found a flat spot, lay down, and watched as the other person closed the door.
Shoes shuffled across the concrete floor, the tap inside the house was turned on, producing a short, sharp sound of running water, followed by the sound of something heavy falling onto the bed, and then everything fell silent, leaving only the sound of the wind and the boy's breathing as he drifted off to sleep.
After 60 hours of community service and classes, Ah Kun was called back to the police station.
The old police officer's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment. The boy's reckless street rage seemed to have lessened somewhat; it had actually worked.
“I’ve seen the community’s evaluation form,” Old Chen said. “You work very diligently, and you haven’t missed any classes at the education center. Your attitude is good.”
Ah Kun stood in front of the table without saying a word.
"This is a small lesson, and it also gives you a chance. You have a long road ahead of you, and how you choose to go about it is up to you."
The young police officer added, "If they do it again, it won't be so easy."
"Did you hear that?" Old Chen asked one last time to confirm.
Ah Kun was silent for a few seconds before finally humming in agreement.
"Alright, go back now." The other person waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.
When Ah Kun walked out of the police station, there was no long lecture or stern warning as I had imagined. It was just a closing statement and some admonitions. I had thought that he would feel relieved and relaxed after the punishment was over.
But what followed was a lot of free time and a sense of bewilderment.
What should we do next?
Should I go to internet cafes and billiard halls to follow instructions like before, or should I go back to my cold, empty home?
Ah Kun was still standing at the entrance of the police station, not knowing where to go. He then slowly crawled out from behind the police station and saw that the other person was still in a daze. He jumped from the other person's trouser leg onto the other person's shoulder.
The kitten slapped the human with its paw: "What are you standing there for? Get to Old Lin's place and get to work."
"If we go early, we might be able to get a free lunch," 1221 said.
The slightly itchy touch on his face and the meowing of a cat in his ear brought him back to his senses. Ah Kun took a deep breath, started walking towards the workshop.
The workshop door was ajar, as if it knew they would come.
The rhythmic sound of a potter's wheel came from inside. When Ah Kun pushed the door open, Uncle Lin was facing away from the door, intently using the potter's wheel to trim the rim of a shaped ceramic bottle.
Without turning his head after hearing the noise, he asked, "Is everything settled at the police station?"
"Hmm," Ah Kun responded, a little awkwardly, as he took the kitten off his shoulder and put it on the ground.
He walked to the corner of the wall with practiced ease, picked up his tools, and began cleaning up the kiln ash and sweeping the yard.
After sweeping the floor for a while, Ah Kun's gaze unconsciously drifted to the pottery bottle in the other person's hands. The clay was rotated and shaped, and every bit of force was just right. Before long, the turntable was stopped, and the other person began to make the next identical pottery blank.
Remembering his clumsy attempt last time, Ah Kun opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he closed his mouth and continued sweeping.
It was almost noon when Uncle Lin stopped what he was doing, washed his hands, went to the stove in the house, took out the groceries he had bought that morning, and began to prepare a simple lunch.
Ah Kun silently put down the broom and said to the kitchen, "I'm going to buy lunch boxes. I'll come back this afternoon."
"I thought you came so early just to freeload lunch." Uncle Lin had already brought out a large bowl of soup. "Sit down and eat. After you finish, you'll have to help me move that pile of clay blanks onto the rack to dry."
Chichi was also a bit hungry, and adhering to the principle of "why not take advantage of a free meal", she shamelessly followed him into the house.
She watched Uncle Lin scoop rice into the bowl. When he got to Ah Kun's bowl, the rice was so plentiful that it was overflowing, and he even pressed it down with the rice spoon before adding a little more.
On the table were freshly stir-fried greens, a plate of steamed fish, a bowl of steamed eggs, and a large bowl of radish and old duck soup.
Steaming white mist still floated above, and the aroma of rice mixed with the colors of the dishes wafted over.
Ah Kun dug a hole in the mountain of rice with some greens and steamed egg, then scooped out a few spoonfuls of old duck soup to soak the rice in.
Chichi watched as the other person picked up a piece of duck meat from the bowl, then, as if to remind him, raised his front paw and touched Ah Kun's leg. He then straightened up, leaned on the chair, and sniffed with his little nose.
Ah Kun tossed the perfect duck leg he had his eye on to the kitten, then slurped down the soup and rice.
While he was still reluctant to part with the duck meat, someone else finished eating it first.
"If you don't have enough rice, go get some yourself," Uncle Lin said, watching the bowl of rice being devoured in the blink of an eye.
"I can't eat that much."
Ah Kun wiped his mouth, took the bowl to the kitchen, and chose to eat another bowl of rice instead of washing the dishes.
He still ate quickly, but no longer wolfed down his food. Occasionally, he would glance at Uncle Lin, who was slowly picking up food at the same table, and unconsciously put one of his legs down from the chair.
After finishing his last bite of food and washing the dishes himself, Ah Kun got up and went to move the pottery blanks that needed to continue drying, as instructed by the other party.
The duck leg meat was very firm, and it took me quite a while to finish it.
Uncle Lin glanced at the boy who was humming a nonsensical tune while working, and went to get the ceramic bowl that had been fired last time, which was imprinted with a kitten's paw print.
He poured some water and placed it in front of the kitten, saying to Ah Kun, "This bowl is for your cat."
"She is not my cat."
“I am not his cat.”
Ah Kun and Chi Chi spoke at the same time, but one of them made a meow that humans couldn't understand.
The strange tacit understanding made the old man raise his eyebrows, but he didn't say anything more and went to move the pile of pottery blanks with Ah Kun.
Chi Chi carefully examined the newly fired bowl. It was round and glazed. The paw print she had made seemed to have been enhanced, becoming clearer. The water in the bowl rippled slightly, reflecting the kitten's curious face.
It feels a bit strange.
After all, the kitten witnessed this bowl being made from scratch, and the water tasted even sweeter. At times like this, the kitten greatly admired the skillful hands of humans.
Ah Kun also secretly glanced at the kitten's bowl as he passed by, probably feeling the same way as Chi Chi.
After all the dozen or so clay blanks were moved outside the courtyard, Lin Bo carefully checked them several times, paying attention to the distance between them and the wall: "Hopefully, no thieves will climb over the wall and break them this time."
Ah Kun could tell from the other person's sarcastic tone that they were mocking him, and he snorted, "When exactly are you going to teach me how to do these things?"
"Want to learn?"
Ah Kun retorted angrily, "Didn't you say you wanted me to be your apprentice?!"
"Go and polish the ceramic cup for me first."
"Boring," Ah Kun said sullenly as he continued doing his chores. "No fun at all."
After drinking his fill of water and admiring his bowl, Chi Chi went over to watch the boy polish the cup. The work was indeed not very interesting; all he had to do was smooth out the rough parts.
The kitten, as if it were a familiar face, went into the workshop and watched Uncle Lin work.
The other person was holding a thin pen and drawing something in front of the table. As soon as she jumped onto the edge of the table, her eyes were drawn to the other person's drawing.
In no time, the other party sketched an elegant porcelain vase design with a pen. The lines were very smooth, and even the patterns on it were lifelike.
Ah Kun looked up, glanced at the drawing on the paper on the table, and unconsciously stopped what he was doing: "Old man, you can draw?"
Lin Bogang put down his pen: "You find it strange? Otherwise, do you think those patterns on porcelain just appeared out of thin air?"
He pulled out a new sheet of white paper, picked up his pen again, looked at the simple clay pottery in the yard, and with a few strokes, the lotus scroll pattern that matched the dozen or so pottery vases appeared on the paper.
Wow, that's amazing.
Chichi's little head almost touched it, her eyes filled with admiration.
"It takes decades of experience and skill to draw quickly and well, to be able to draw the desired pattern without thinking," 1221 said.
Ah Kun was also quite engrossed in watching.
For the first time, he discovered that this old man had something special about him; his seemingly ordinary hands could create art with ease.
Uncle Lin pulled out a drawer, took out the sketches inside, and gave them to Ah Kun.
Ah Kun took them out and looked at them one by one. Then he felt that they looked familiar. The kitten jumped onto the other's shoulder and looked at the manuscripts as well, and also felt a sense of familiarity.
The kitten looked around the workshop, its gaze sweeping over the ceramic ware that was displayed on the tables and shelves every day: warm teacups, simple and elegant vases, and the bottles, jars, bowls and plates that they used every day in the kitchen.
The pottery pieces seemed to come alive, corresponding one by one to the drawings in Ah Kun's hands, all made by Uncle Lin.
"That's amazing," Chi Chi exclaimed.
“Truly silent craftsmen.” 1221 also admired, “How did humans first come up with the idea of shaping bowls and plates from clay and then firing them in fire? That’s the magic of creation.”
"Want to learn?"
Uncle Lin asked Ah Kun, who was still stunned, once again.
It's straightforward and understated, like a simple invitation.
The boy pursed his lips, and for the first time, the shape of the soil was clearly reflected in his eyes, which always flickered with unease and anxiety.
As if he had made up his mind, Ah Kun's eyes finally became serious, and his voice was a little dry as he uttered two words: "I want to learn."
The moment those two words were spoken, it was like two nails being driven into the ground and embedded in his heart. Finally, a faint line appeared at the corner of Uncle Lin's usually serious eyes and twitched upwards.
"From now on, come to the workshop at eight o'clock every morning. I'll start by teaching you how to make clay."
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