Chapter 65: Spring
The others didn't have the guts to watch this horror movie, so they went to rest in the tent on the other side of the dune. Mai Sui had made good arrangements for them, with food and drinks, so they had to share it among the four of them.
"If I had known there was a plate of cut fruit here, I wouldn't have eaten his oranges. Don't all stand there, let's take a break. Oh, we've been in so much trouble these past two days." Qi Xiuchun pulled out a stool and sat down, rubbing his shoulders with his hands, his fingers stained with the herbal aroma of the plaster.
"Let's eat! Let's have a celebration dinner!" Hang Liumei saw a gas stove for hot pot on the table, and the meat and vegetables were also prepared. She remembered the barbecue that was interrupted by uninvited guests. It was the same evening, and this time she couldn't waste the scenery.
"Come on, they have what they have now, and the four of us are all heroes. Our trip is not in vain!" Halfway through the meal, Hang Liumei took the lead in raising her glass.
Qi Xiuchun said, "It's not just the two of them. Look at how much we've done this time. We've seen the grottoes and painted. The only thing is that the cup is gone. Forget it, that's how things are. When you think you're done with the last thing, another problem will pop up. I'm happy today, so let's not talk about these things. Come, I wish you, Hang Liumei, all the best on your trip to Japan!"
Hearing this, Hang Liumei's thoughts drifted off again. After finishing the apricot tea at the bottom of her cup, she picked up her chopsticks and fished aimlessly in the pot, picking up a piece of uncooked beef and putting it in her bowl.
"You can't eat this yet!" Qi Xiuchun snatched her chopsticks away, stood up, and bent over to check the stove: "Why did the pot stop burning? Why is there no fire?"
Pu Zhihe took out a small iron can and shook it: "It's out of gas. Let's change the gas can."
"There is no spare gas tank." Xiaomai looked around and called the service desk but the line was always busy.
"I'll go directly to the tourist center to buy it. It's quick to go there and back." Pu Zhihe said and went to find the dune bike that Mai's father had just ridden.
"I'm going too." Xiaomai said to her grandmother and followed her.
A large sand dune separated the campground from the visitor center. Pu Zhihe pressed the accelerator, but the car kept slowing down and eventually sank into the sand, trapping them in the middle of the desert. Xiaomai checked and concluded the car was out of gas.
Pu Zhihe looked around. It was almost dinner time, but there was not a single tourist passing by. They could only keep calling the visitor center. Finally, someone answered, but the car was occupied, so they could only wait.
The wind started to blow, and Pu Zhihe's asymmetrical skirt was easily blown up. She sat sideways in the car, with her hands on her knees, looking at the sun gradually setting on the other side.
Xiaomai lay on his back in the sand, his whole body shaped like a "big" character. The wind blew sand into his eyes and nose, so he turned his head to the side and just saw Pu Zhihe's back and her flying hair.
The sky was getting dark. Xiaomai could see half a moon and what seemed to be a few stars, but still no one came.
He suddenly asked, "Sister Zhihe, have you read the book Dunhuang?"
Although I already know the answer, I only ask it once, and everything is over after asking it.
Pu Zhihe was bending over to empty the sand from her boots. She didn't hear what he said clearly, so she asked, "Huh?"
Xiaomai repeated the question. Pu Zhihe put on her shoes and replied casually, "I haven't read it." After two seconds, she said, "But Xiaomai, thank you."
"Why thank me? Don't thank me," Xiaomai thought. So that's what it felt like. He turned his head and closed his eyes. A light shone on his face, and Xiaomai opened his eyes to see that their escort had arrived. He stood up from the sand, and the earring box in his pocket fell out. Xiaomai picked it up and put it back in his pocket, knowing he would never take it out again.
Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun waited for them to come back but they couldn't eat either, so they simply moved some stools together and watched the sunset.
The afterglow cast a halo around the hilltops in the sky. Hang Liumei tidied up her wind-blown hair, turned to look at Qi Xiuchun, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Sister Xiuchun, did you see the Buddha's light when you were in Dunhuang?"
"What Buddha's light? Is it the same one you said you saw on the mountain in 1995? I seem to have seen it, but it's different from what you described. You hadn't come yet at that time. One night, I couldn't sleep, so I ran outside to hang out. You said I was so brave, but when I was about to reach the ninth floor, the wind blew against my head, and it was pitch black all around, but I was actually scared. Now I think I was probably homesick. You said there was no one at home who cared about me, so I didn't know who to think of when I missed home. I just missed my mom."
"Didn't your mother leave by then?"
"Yes, but when I was little, I always pretended that she didn't leave. When I woke up in the morning, the house was empty, so I pretended that my mother got up early and went to work in the fields. We only had one meal in the morning and at noon, which was sauerkraut, potatoes, and rice porridge. Others ate first, and when it was my turn, there were only leftovers. When I ate, I pretended that my mother had saved them for me. Sometimes I would steal my grandmother's eggs. Before going to school, I would go to the chicken coop to get one and then find a place to cook it. When I ate, I would pretend that my mother brought it to me, and tell myself that she was partial to me and wanted me to nourish my body. Later, it seemed that I really felt that my mother was still alive, but we could not meet each other. Then my father remarried, and I grew up. How stupid can that be to deceive myself like this!" Qi Xiuchun was laughing at himself, but he lowered his head and wiped the corner of his eyes.
Hang Liumei stroked her back and hugged her shoulders tightly: "This is not stupidity, this is wisdom. You have reinterpreted life and death. If you were by my side when my grandmother passed away, I would have been comforted by your method."
Qi Xiuchun smiled, blew her nose, and said, "Oh, I'm off topic. I was talking about Buddha's light! I ran out that night because I missed my mom. I saw I was already at the bottom of the ninth floor, so I just sat there. I thought to myself, Mom, don't blame me for walking so far. You need clothes to eat and you don't want to marry an old man with a crooked mouth. If you understand, if you don't blame me, just tell me."
"Then I saw a small circle of white light behind the cliff of Mogao Grottoes. I thought to myself, that's not the sun, the sun rises on the other side, and the circle of white light flickers. So I pretended it was my mother calling me. I sat down and cried my heart out until it was almost dawn. As other places got brighter, the light there gradually faded, and eventually it disappeared, so I went back to my room to sleep. From then on, I felt relieved, and I never missed home again. Isn't that amazing?"
Hang Liumei nodded and said, "It's amazing, it's great, it's a pity that we haven't seen it together."
"I say, are you still unwilling to give up?"
“It’s nice to see it once in a lifetime.”
"I'm talking about the cups we made, and the grotto."
Hang Liumei glanced at Qi Xiuchun and said, "I don't know what to say. I always feel like it's not over yet. Such beautiful murals. Zhihe also reminded me that there are Thousand Buddhas and White-robed Buddhas in them, just like the one in Cave 254. You remember them, right? I later wondered if I had gone astray. In fact, what I can't forget is the rainstorm in 1995. Everyone fought for their lives to save the Mogao Grottoes, and the golden light on the top of the mountain, which attracted us to discover this place... That was the only time in my life that I saw the Buddha's light..."
Qi Xiuchun patted Hang Liumei's thigh and said, "Then do it, Xiaomei! Put the Buddha's light into the cup!"
"You mean painting it on? Making a new one? If we hurry up, it seems that it can be done--" Hang Liumei asked while rubbing her leg.
"No, don't draw it! We have to create light! The cup is still a cup, but the Buddha's light is the Buddha's light. Have you forgotten that we have seen glowing cups!" Qi Xiuchun had an idea, stood up excitedly and muttered to himself while turning around.
Hang Liumei pondered what she said, and recalled that one year when it was almost Chinese New Year, she and Qi Xiuchun went to the county town and happened to come across a market. There were two stalls competing with each other to sell luminous cups. Both said that their luminous cups were made of genuine jade. Hang Liumei liked utensils, and Qi Xiuchun liked jewelry and jade, so both of them were unable to walk.
When they approached, the two families were arguing fiercely. One was boasting about how they had selected the finest jade from the Qilian Mountains, and how they had crafted it according to the descriptions of "Fenglinzhou" in Dongfang Shuo's "Records of the Ten Continents in the World": "The knife is one foot long, the cup can hold three liters," and "the white jade is so fine that it shines brightly at night."
Hang Liumei only remembered a few words. Decades later, she learned how to use the Internet. One day, she remembered the name Dongfang Shuo and looked up the book. Only then did she realize that the man had used strange stories to scare the other person.
His cup looked the same as the bronze ware on the cultural relics stall. It was said to be called a "jue". It had a complex appearance, but the walls of the cup were thin and transparent. He protected the cup body with one hand and supported the three legs of the "jue" with the other hand, holding it high for everyone to see.
Looking at what another family took out, they found only an ordinary high-footed cup, which looked very clumsy in comparison. Passersby laughed at him for being at a disadvantage. He smiled contemptuously, took out a small gadget from his sleeve, half-hidden it in his sleeve, and shone a light on the cup, which reflected a blue light.
"A luminous cup, a cup that can glow at night is called a luminous cup. Qilianshan, humph, go back to your old mountain cave and find some good things before coming out. You still want to compete with me, you are so outstanding!" As soon as these provocative words came out, the other party put down his "jue" and rushed over to wrestle with him.
The onlookers were also excited. Some tried to stop the fight, some fanned the flames. Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun were squeezed so tightly that they couldn't see anything. Then they heard shouting and the sound of things being smashed, and then the place erupted in chaos. They hurried back to the institute, and in the end, they didn't know who won or lost.
"Later, when I worked in this business, I realized that the things those two people made were nothing special, and they were not precious jade. The thing that glowed was actually fluorite. He shone the ultraviolet flashlight on the cup and it glowed. If he can do it, we can do it too, Xiaomei. Let's use fluorite to make Buddha's light, and we will have new cups!" Qi Xiuchun became more and more excited as he spoke, and he wished he could use their clasped hands to convey the half-formed cup in his mind to Hang Liumei's head.
Half of their bodies were bathed in the last bit of sunlight, their faces were sunburned, and Hang Liumei's hands were sweating uncontrollably.
Why not try again? It's not the end yet, and she doesn't want to leave like this.
After returning, Hang Liumei, Qi Xiuchun and Pu Zhihe closed the door and went into three different rooms to draw patterns. They first gave their own ideas and then learned from the others.
However, having an inspiration is one thing, and drawing it is another. It is impossible to start painting with inspiration as soon as a few shots on TV change. At this moment, the three of them were scratching their heads, regretting that their clumsy hands could not keep up with the subtle feelings that flashed through their minds.
After a busy day and night, Pu Zhihe opened the door with a tired look on her face. Xiaomai and her family of three were absent-mindedly watching TV in the living room. When they finally saw someone coming out, Mai Sui pushed Mai's father's thigh and moved aside to make room for Pu Zhihe.
Pu Zhihe leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes, and asked, "Are they still in seclusion?"
The others all looked at the closed door and nodded. As they were talking, Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun came out.
The three of them didn't bother to eat, so they spread their works on the dining table. The Buddha statues were all based on the white-robed Buddha, sitting cross-legged with his robes hanging down, and a circular halo around his head.
Qi Xiuchun and Pu Zhihe discovered that Hang Liumei's Buddha had no facial features.
"This - Xiaomei? Why haven't you finished painting yet?" Qi Xiuchun picked up Hang Liumei's painting and asked.
Hang Liumei sat at the dining table, her chin in her hand, shaking her head. "You see, your drawings are one way, and Zhihe's are another. We can't unify. No matter how I draw, it doesn't seem right. I always feel like something's missing. When we went to see the Buddha statue in Cave 257, I remember you said your teacher taught you that some parts can be repaired and some shouldn't. From then on, I felt that some parts should be painted, and some shouldn't be. Everyone has their own Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in their hearts. You and I, we and everyone else, everyone has a different Dunhuang in their hearts. If anyone is curious about what's on my cup, then go to Mogao Grottoes and see these 180,000 Buddhas for yourself!"
Everyone savored the flavor of it, as if there was a mystery that seemed to be unspeakable. The next step was to find Zhao Xiaowei to turn this painting into a reality.
Zhao Xiaowei held the blueprint in his hands, his eyes widening in amazement at first. But after hearing the idea, he looked troubled. "Teachers, this drawing is absolutely beautiful, but this cup is also extremely difficult to make. You have to hollow out a piece and embed the polished fluorite into it to make the Buddha's halo. This, this is too difficult. I really want to make it for you, but with my scrap metal and my subsistence skills, I really can't do it!"
Qi Xiuchun, always one to rise to the occasion, couldn't bear to hear his discouraging words. She grabbed Zhao Xiaowei's arm and said, "What if we don't do the hollow inlay? We can just make the halo of the Buddha statue thinner and then put a piece of fluorite next to it. Is that okay?"
Zhao Xiaowei still had the same expression as before and shook his head helplessly.
Qi Xiuchun frowned in frustration: "If this is to make earrings, necklaces, or rings, I can do it immediately. Why is it so difficult to make a cup? Xiaomei, why don't we take it back to Xi'an? At most, I can make a gold or silver cup out of it for a small price!"
"That's not what we intended," Hang Liumei said, not expecting such a roadblock. "Porcelain has its own artistic conception. Let's think of another way."
"There is a way," Zhao Xiaowei, who had been silent all the time, remembered something and stood aside with his chin in his hand, muttering, "Maybe we can do it that way... but not necessarily..." Finally, he seemed to have figured something out, and told Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun that he was going to find a master to ask something, and he had to leave first.
Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun wanted to follow as soon as they heard it. The others were worried that they would overwork themselves and insisted that they go home to eat and rest while waiting for news from Zhao Xiaowei.
It was not until the next night that the two anxious women finally received a reply from Zhao Xiaowei. Hang Liumei then asked Zhao Xiaowei on the phone to pick them up at the street corner and go to the kiln together.
After getting in the car, Hang Liumei looked back and saw no one followed. She turned around and urged Zhao Xiaowei to drive: "Let's go, let's go. If they find out, they'll make us go back to bed again. Xiaowei, what you just said on the phone is possible. How do you say it?"
"Teacher Hang, the stuff has already started cooking. I'm just rushing to make a sample. Alas, if you hadn't been calling me, I wouldn't have wanted to tell you so early. It's still uncertain whether it will work. I'm afraid it will be another case of trying to catch water with a bamboo basket—"
Qi Xiuchun patted the back of his round head and said, "What are you afraid of? Don't be afraid! Whether you're driving a car or running a kiln, just keep going. We're not afraid of the consequences of doing this!"
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