Chapter 155 What? He's the neighbor?
Another, even louder, crisper sound came from next door.
This time, it was a glass vase that fell.
Qu He turned around following the sound.
And the osmanthus blossoms in her hair were swept up by the wind again because of this sudden movement.
Drifting and floating.
It landed gently at Zhou Shi'an's feet.
He looked at the small osmanthus flower at his feet, and the throbbing in his heart was interrupted by the sound of shattering, and he sank back down.
Qu He frowned, looked at the closed window on the second floor, and muttered softly, "This new neighbor is a bit careless."
She turned around and saw Zhou Shi'an staring blankly at the ground.
She raised her hand and waved in front of him, "Brother Shi'an, what are you looking at?"
Zhou Shi'an suddenly came to his senses.
He looked up and gave an awkward smile. "No, it's nothing."
Zhou Shi'an changed the subject, "By the way, would you like to come with me to the ceramics factory?"
"A ceramics factory?" Qu He exclaimed in surprise. "Hasn't that been closed for many years?"
The Yujia Ferry Ceramics Factory was my grandfather's life's work. When the new factory was built and relocated, all the staff and equipment were moved there. This old factory was originally slated to be demolished and filled in, but my grandfather insisted on keeping it.
But after my grandfather passed away, the old factory fell into disrepair and eventually closed down completely because no one was there to manage it.
Zhou Shi'an smiled mysteriously, "Ahe, you don't really think that I came back to China this time just to help my family pick those few baskets of grapes, do you?"
Qu He teased him, "Isn't that right? After all, in Uncle Zhou's eyes, those few grapevines at home are much more important than you, his precious son."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyebrows curving into crescent moons.
Zhou Shi'an smiled along, but quickly became serious: "Yujia Ferry has developed well in recent years. The government intends to promote local tourism, and the ceramics factory is a very good promotional tool."
His gaze drifted into the distance, filled with nostalgia.
“Yujia Ferry is by the sea. There is mud, trees, and kilns here. Even my grandfather took ceramics out of here, so I want to bring more people here. I also discussed this with Teacher Qi Mo this time. In the next few years, we will focus on this place and promote our ceramics in a different way.”
He withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Qu He again, his eyes burning with passion. "Ahe, would you like to be with me? Let's stay here together, just like when we were little."
Qu He unconsciously picked at her nails.
Fuxing Ceramics Factory, carrying on her grandfather's legacy—Zhou Shi'an's words touched her deeply.
However, she thought of the online opinions, which, although suppressed, were still unpredictable, and her marriage with Zhuang Bieyan was not yet properly resolved.
She was even more afraid that she had misunderstood. His words just now seemed to be more than just an invitation to work; they also contained other emotions that she could not respond to and dared not think about.
That newly ignited enthusiasm was extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
"I.."
"It's okay, I can wait for you."
Zhou Shi'an noticed her concerns and hesitation, and considerately interrupted her.
"This matter requires careful consideration and there's no rush."
He smiled, cleverly concealing his disappointment. "So, are we still going to the ceramics factory today? Although it's still under renovation, the basic shape is already taken shape."
Qu He felt a warmth in her heart, but the longing for her old home still prevailed. She nodded emphatically, "Go!"
“Okay! Let’s go then.” Zhou Shi’an smiled and shook the two jars of osmanthus jam in his hand. “But I have to go home first to put down Teacher Lian’s gift. I can’t let it break.”
"Oh dear, I should have given you a bag to put it in. Or should I get it for you?"
Zhou Shi'an dodged her outstretched hand and joked, "Don't do that. If I let you carry all this, your aunt will scold me for being ungrateful and making you do chores when we get home."
"hey-hey..."
The laughter and chatter gradually faded away with each footstep, disappearing into the courtyard filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.
The wind rose again, swirling up the fallen osmanthus blossoms.
A small crack was quietly opened in the window on the second floor next door.
A pair of well-defined hands gripped the window frame tightly, the fingertips turning white from the force, and even the wrists were trembling.
......
The changes at the ceramics factory were greater than Qu He had imagined.
The rusty roller shutter door has been removed and replaced with a silver automatic sliding door.
There were piles of cement and steel bars at the entrance.
Returning to familiar places, memories I thought I had long forgotten resurfaced in my mind.
As soon as Zhou Shi'an arrived, the foreman called him over to discuss the details, while Qu He wandered around inside by herself.
She walked to the kiln area, where two electric kilns stood alone in a corner, unused for years, their doors covered with a thick layer of ash.
"Ahe?" A familiar voice called from behind.
Qu He turned around and saw a middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing a mask and overalls, standing behind her.
The middle-aged man pulled down his mask, revealing two rows of big white teeth in a smile. "Don't you remember me? Your Uncle Tu! The Uncle Tu who took you to fire the kiln and teach you to mold clay when you were a kid."
"Uncle Tu!" Qu He's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward in surprise. "You...you're here!"
Uncle Tu took off his gloves, picked up the thermos and took a sip. "It's Shi An. He called all of us old buddies from the ceramics factory here. He also told us about the government's plans, saying that we would be in charge of firing the kilns and teaching tourists how to make pottery in the future."
"This is a great thing for our Yujia Ferry, so of course everyone is willing to do it. Besides, it's hard to find a job now that we're getting old, and Shi'an is really looking out for us old folks."
Hearing Uncle Tu's words, Qu He's vision blurred.
With society developing at an increasingly rapid pace, this group of veteran craftsmen who have dedicated most of their lives to ceramics have returned to this familiar stage thanks to Zhou Shi'an's return and efforts.
They dedicated most of their lives to ceramics, and now, the kiln fire has reignited the flame of their hope.
At this moment, ceramics are far more than art and commodities to them; they are a spiritual sustenance and a continuation of life, which is far more meaningful than any award or honor.
After finishing his water, Uncle Tu put his gloves back on and continued working.
“You haven’t been back for many years. I remember when you were a child, you would always pester us old masters to learn how to fire a kiln.”
"I owe it all to you for teaching me, otherwise I wouldn't have achieved what I have today."
"You silly girl!" Uncle Tu stopped what he was doing, pointed at her with his finger, and smiled so much that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. "Your mouth is still as sweet as when you were a child. You know how to make people happy."
He said he would grab a shovel and start shoveling building materials from the ground.
Dust particles danced in the sunlight.
Uncle Tu's muffled voice came from under his mask, "It's dusty here, you should move away so you don't get your clothes dirty."
"Okay." Qu He obediently went around to the other side.
Watching her jog away, Uncle Tu seemed to recall something amusing.
“You’re still the same as when you were little, so energetic and impulsive. I remember back then, you fired several kilns in a row to make that little swallow, but you were never satisfied. You said it wasn’t lively enough or pretty enough, which made your grandfather very angry. He said you were such a stubborn girl.”
He was shoveling leftover building materials, making a lot of noise that almost drowned out his words.
Qu He only vaguely heard a few words and didn't understand the specific content. She shouted, "Uncle Tu, what did you just say? What are you burning?"
Uncle Tu stopped what he was doing when he heard her words.
At this moment, Zhou Shi'an finished his business and came over. He called out to Qu He from afar and waved to her.
"Uncle Tu, Brother Shi An is calling me over. I'll come and chat with you another day."
"Go ahead, go ahead. Be careful."
"Okay, okay, I understand."
Zhou Shi'an stood against the light, watching the girl in the dress run towards her, her footsteps treading on the golden carpet of the ground.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the air was misty with fine dust particles.
Light steps, flowing hair.
The image of the little girl with pigtails who always followed behind her when she was a child perfectly overlapped with her at this moment.
It was as if time had turned back.
He was momentarily dazed.
The footsteps grew closer, and Qu He asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Shi'an snapped out of his daze and handed over the mask, saying, "Here, take this. It's dusty in the factory."
"Is that all?" Qu He took the mask and put it on, revealing her big eyes as she looked at him.
"Yes, that's it. Let's go, I'll explain it to you properly."
The two then walked around the factory, looking at everything.
Zhou Shi'an and Qu He introduced the preliminary renovation plan and ideas, and Qu He occasionally chimed in with her own words.
The two chatted as they slowly walked back to the alleyway where Qu He lived.
Zhou Shi'an walked her to her doorstep. "Are you free tomorrow? I'll take you to see the newly arrived clay and machinery."
Qu He was about to agree.
A creaking sound came from next door.
The iron gate was pushed open.
The footsteps grew closer.
Qu He and Zhou Shi'an turned around at the same time.
Zhuang Bieyan slowly walked out from behind that iron gate.
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