Chapter 61
Cooperative pottery making
An unintentional touch made them both look over at the same time.
"You go first," Jiang Fengyi said, withdrawing her hand. She suggested, "Let's make the simplest cup."
Xiaoya took out another lump of clay and gave it to Jiang Fengyi, who had no hands.
"I have more here, you can do them at the same time."
She demonstrated by dipping her hand into the basin of water.
"First, we need to keep our hands and the clay moist, so that it is easier to shape."
She turned down the speed of the potter's wheel, picked up the spare clay, and threw it into the center of the turntable.
The potter's wheel rotates at a constant speed. With both hands applying even force, the clay is pushed upwards and towards the center. This process is repeated several times until the center is quickly determined.
"You don't need to use too much force. Just take it slow, little by little like I am. You can try it."
Xu began to try. She rolled up her sleeves and, imitating Teacher Xiaoya, held the clay in her hands. The clay in her palms gathered and shaped under the uniform rotation of the potter's wheel, but then quickly collapsed.
"It's not as simple as it seems."
She tried several more times, and the clay finally obeyed, obediently fixing itself in the center of the potter's wheel as she wished.
After following the teacher to complete the first step, she intended to help Jiang Fengyi go to the fixed center, but when she looked, she found that Jiang Fengyi had already followed the teacher to the next step.
Teacher Xiaoya presses her thumb down on the center, creating a hole, and then uses her other four fingers to gently shape the shape along the outer wall. This step is a slow process.
"We must be patient and not rush when we do this step."
"Make sure to leave a 1-2 cm thickness at the bottom, otherwise the clay body will easily collapse."
The clay wall grew taller and thinner in her hands, and after countless rotations, it took the shape of a water cup. Without hesitation, she pushed it over and demonstrated it again.
Applying force inwards creates a vase with a narrow opening; applying force outwards creates a wide-mouthed porcelain bowl.
The limp clay came to life in her fingertips, and she sculpted it into various shapes at will.
"You come here."
Jiang Fengyi poked her thumb down, but the slow-rotating potter's wheel was still too fast for her. Before she could adjust the direction and pressure, the lump of clay in her hand became a deformed container.
Xu comforted her, saying, "I think it's very artistic. Maybe the production team likes this uniquely shaped ceramic cup."
Jiang Fengyi glanced at her: "You try."
Xu followed suit, moving slowly to give herself time to adjust and modify. The clay in her hands gradually took shape, and she used tools such as sponges and scrapers to refine it, making the uneven body smooth.
Teacher Xiaoya praised her: "You did a great job. After the fine-tuning, we stopped the potter's wheel, tightened both ends of the cutting line, and slid it down from the bottom to separate it from the tray."
"Then the unglazed clay is placed in a ventilated place to dry, and finally it is put into the kiln for firing."
Jiang Fengyi is still stuck on the shaping step. Whenever she tries to make some adjustments, the lump of mud in her hand risks collapsing.
"Slow down, don't make too big of a movement with your hands."
After she finished speaking, she reached out and took Jiang Fengyi's hands, which were unsure of what to do.
Jiang Fengyi's hands, smeared with clay, suddenly touched Xu Que's warm palm, and she instantly forgot what to do.
"That's all for now..."
Xu gently guided Jiang Fengyi's fingertips, "Move a little more this way and slowly lift it up."
The sensation on the back of her hand was hard to ignore; Xu's palm was burning hot, while the clay under Jiang Fengyi's hand was icy cold. She held it between them and clearly felt the difference in temperature.
After being modified, the crooked embryo instantly looked much smoother and more fluid.
Xu had a lot of ideas flashing through her mind. She pinched the rim of the cup into two little cat ears, pointing upwards as if she wanted to eavesdrop on human conversations.
Teacher Xiaoya breathed softly and smiled as she looked at the two people in front of her who were engrossed in making ceramic cups.
Sunlight streamed through the studio's glass windows, generously covering most of the workbench.
They were almost head to head, their bodies intertwined, with Xu's arm pressed tightly against Jiang Fengyi's, patiently guiding her movements.
The pottery studio was very quiet, so quiet that Jiang Fengyi could only hear the soft hum of the potter's wheel and the heavy beating of Xu's heart.
"Thump thump—"
The sound was so loud it seemed to engulf her.
Jiang Fengyi didn't have much of an impression of how the ceramic cup turned out.
Xu looked up and immediately noticed Jiang Fengyi's unusual behavior.
Your face seems a little red.
"Perhaps it's from being exposed to the sun."
Jiang Fengyi quickly changed the subject, bypassing Xu and looking at the production team.
"Does doing it like this count as a successful mission?"
"Of course it counts. You've successfully made two ceramic cups, so you'll receive double the mission funds."
Xu's eyes lit up: "I didn't expect such an unexpected gain!"
She took the two thick envelopes handed to her by the staff and then handed them to Jiang Fengyi.
"I'm entrusting it to you for safekeeping."
No longer needing to complete tasks, the two strolled leisurely along the route planned by the production team.
The early autumn afternoon was quiet and long.
The golden sunlight tinged the lush green leaves on both sides of the sidewalk with a warm yellow hue, forcing them to don new clothes and become messengers of the season.
J City has a long history and is an ancient city with a history of over a thousand years.
Every brick and stone underfoot has withstood the wind and sun for thousands of years, bearing the weight of a rich and profound history.
It has witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, countless battles and tears, cheers and joys, and generations of people have taken root here, building new homes on this land.
Standing in this ancient capital with a history of thousands of years, one can't help but feel the insignificance of humankind.
"I am very lucky."
I was lucky to meet and fall in love with Jiang Fengyi.
Jiang Fengyi was focused on the scenery before her and did not hear Xu Que's whispers.
He turned around and asked, "What did you just say?"
What's that thing up ahead?
Jiang Fengyi turned her head and saw a snow-white kitten sleeping on the yellowish grass.
"It's a white cat!"
Its pure white downy fur reflected a halo in the sunlight, and its head rested on a large maple leaf, sleeping soundly without any warning.
Not a single human footstep could be heard.
"Aren't cats supposed to be very wary animals?"
The two of them, along with the photography crew, all approached, but the little white cat still didn't wake up.
Jiang Fengyi squatted down and saw that its paws and face were filthy from being rubbed.
"Is this a stray cat?"
Xu also squatted down in front of the kitten: "It looks like a stray cat."
"His belly was flat; he looked like he hadn't eaten in a long time."
The sound of the cameraman accidentally stepping on a dry branch woke up the sleeping kitten, which opened its heterochromatic eyes and looked around warily.
Upon seeing a group of strangers surrounding it, it jumped into the bushes nearby with a start.
"Its eyes are so beautiful, one blue and one amber."
Jiang Fengyi stood beside the bushes, bending down to search for its figure.
"Once the weather gets colder, this little thing will have neither food nor shelter from the cold." She worried about the kitten, "How will it survive the winter?"
There was a rustling sound coming from under the bushes, and Jiang Fengyi knew that the kitten hadn't left yet.
She asked softly, "Little cat, do you want to come home with me?"
Realizing that she wasn't the only one at home, she looked up at Xu Que again.
Would you like to have another kitten in your home?
"After getting a cat, I no longer need to 'virtually pet' cats online."
Perhaps it was because Jiang Fengyi's voice was too gentle, the lone white cat peeked out from behind the bushes to its side.
With a dirty, smeared face, she timidly looked at Jiang Fengyi.
Tilting its head, its round pupils revealed a hint of curiosity.
It's the age when they love to play.
But it was a white cat, at the very bottom of the stray cat population. Other stray cats didn't want to play with it, and some even bullied it.
Because it loves cleanliness, it can only go against its feline nature by rubbing itself dirty to cover its original fur color in order to avoid being bullied.
It didn't know why the person in front of it was standing there. Did they want to play with it?
The kitten tentatively meowed.
Jiang Fengyi squatted down and opened her arms to her.
"Come here quickly~"
"Meow!"
Seeing Jiang Fengyi showing her affection, the kitten stumbled over and rubbed against Jiang Fengyi's legs. It was very friendly and took the initiative to rub against her legs.
A gray stain was left on the clean hem of the other person's skirt.
"Did you understand what I said?" Jiang Fengyi gently stroked its head, earning a handful of dust in return. "You're such a dirty little cat."
After rubbing against Jiang Fengyi's legs, the white cat ran to rub against his palm, keeping busy. Xu, who was standing nearby, also got a warm rub from the cat.
It was as if fleas had grown on its back, constantly nudging her with its back, or as if catnip had been sprinkled on her skirt, making it addicted and affectionately rubbing against her.
"Since you've agreed, I'll take you home."
Xu Que: "I'll hold it."
"Little kitty, come home with us."
The white cat meowed enthusiastically, its tail held high with delight.
*
The Zhao family has been in complete chaos these past few days.
Suppliers who had not signed contracts suddenly proposed to terminate the cooperation, while business partners who had already signed contracts preferred to pay penalties to cut ties with the Zhao family.
Grandma Zhao gritted her teeth: "Jiang Fengyi, are you trying to drive us to our deaths!"
Zhao Rufei frowned: "Now that things have come to this, we have to get involved with the Song family, which we previously looked down on."
"There is still a slim chance of a win-win situation if the two families cooperate. But if only the Zhao family is left alone, then there is absolutely no chance of turning the tide."
Grandma Zhao said in a deep voice, "I'll handle the mess at the company. You just need to focus on building a good relationship with the Song family."
Zhao Ruxuan also wanted to do her part: "What about me? What can I do?"
"You...you should go back to recording the variety show."
Zhao Ruxuan: "..."
Hospital,
These past few days, Song Siman has been followed by a string of bodyguards to and from work, making her extremely high-profile.
A colleague joked, "Aren't you going a bit too far in dealing with the medical disputes?"
She counted them off one by one: "One, two, three, four... Hiring so many people at once, are you sure you can afford their salaries? The performance bonuses from the past few months haven't even been paid yet."
Song Siman said helplessly, "You don't understand me."
My colleague scratched his head: "I don't really understand you."
Ignoring the opinions of others, she felt only a deep sense of security. She no longer had to live in fear that her mother would send someone to take her back.
Thinking of this, she quickened her pace on her way home.
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