frightfiction Chapter 560 Whispers by the Kiln Hide Secrets
Chapter 560 Whispers by the Kiln Hide Secrets
The day after the donation ceremony of Qingning Kiln Intangible Cultural Heritage Commemorative Porcelain, Qinglongpo finally returned to its usual tranquility.
Inside the kiln shed, Pei Luonan and Gu Fanxing were checking the follow-up documents for the intangible cultural heritage application.
"Once these materials are compiled, they can be submitted to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center for registration."
Gu Fanxing rubbed her sore wrists and put the documents into the file folder.
"I never imagined that applying for intangible cultural heritage status would be so complicated. Luckily, you've been there for me all along."
Pei Luonan put down his pen and looked at her reddened fingertips—the busy days had left her hands covered in clay dust, and her fingertips had faint calluses.
He reached out and gently brushed the stray hairs from her hair, his voice tender: "Why are you being so polite with me? I'm very happy to do this with you."
His fingertips were slightly cool, and Gu Fanxing subconsciously shrank her neck, a faint blush rising on her face.
Looking at her shy appearance, Pei Luonan felt a familiar flutter in his heart, remembering how she had rejected his marriage proposal after the Long Weiwei incident.
Now that the intangible cultural heritage has been approved and cultural and creative products are selling like hotcakes, everything is on track. He knows that his opportunity has finally arrived.
"Oh, by the way, Aunt Zhang said she made some new sesame candy and invited us to try it."
Pei Luonan snapped out of his thoughts, smiled, and changed the subject, wanting to take this opportunity to find out more about Gu Fanxing's thoughts.
Gu Fanxing's eyes lit up and she immediately stood up: "Great! Aunt Zhang's sesame candy is the most fragrant. The last time I ate it was the day the test firing was successful."
The two walked side by side toward Aunt Zhang's house. The maple leaves on the roadside were scattered all over the ground, making a rustling sound when they were stepped on.
As Gu Fanxing walked, she said, "Once the intangible cultural heritage education base is built, we can plant some osmanthus trees next to it. When they bloom in autumn, the fragrance can waft to the kiln, which will make the students feel good during class."
Pei Luonan nodded, keeping her words in mind.
"I'll ask the village chief to help me find saplings tomorrow, the kind with a long flowering period and a strong fragrance, what do you think?"
Gu Fanxing nodded with a smile: "That's great! I also want to set up a display wall at the entrance of the base to post the stories and photos of kiln workers from all over the years, so that everyone can know how difficult it is to preserve and pass on the Qingning Kiln."
In Aunt Zhang's yard, sesame candy was already drying on a bamboo tray, the golden sugar strands coating plump sesame seeds, emitting a sweet aroma.
"Fanxing, Luonan, try it! It's fresh out of the pot and still a little warm."
Aunt Zhang picked up two pieces of sesame candy and handed them over.
"I added honey to this, so it's more moisturizing than before. You've all been so busy lately, you need to nourish yourselves more."
Gu Fanxing took the sesame candy, took a bite, and found it sweet but not cloying, with the aroma of sesame spreading in her mouth.
Seeing her satisfied expression, Pei Luonan took the opportunity to ask Aunt Zhang, "Aunt Zhang, do you think Fanxing has been more relaxed lately? I see she's smiling more."
Aunt Zhang glanced at him with a knowing smile.
"That's right! With the intangible cultural heritage approval granted, and cultural and creative products selling well, she finally felt relieved."
"Luonan, Fanxing is a thoughtful child. She always wants to do her best in everything. Now that the Qingning Kiln matter is settled, it's time for her to start thinking about her own marriage."
Upon hearing this, Gu Fanxing blushed even more and quickly changed the subject.
"Aunt Zhang, please don't make fun of me. By the way, how's Lin Xiao's cooking? I think she's improved a lot lately."
Aunt Zhang sighed, "This child is a good prospect. He can endure hardship, and Master Chen is willing to teach him. He will definitely be able to shoulder the responsibility of Qingning Kiln in the future. Unlike you, you always keep yourself too tense. You need to relax when you should."
After leaving Aunt Zhang's house, Pei Luonan felt more confident.
He knew that Gu Fanxing didn't dislike him; she had just been hurt before and was afraid to give her heart away again. What he wanted to do was to give her a heartfelt proposal that she would willingly accept, and let her know that their future, like the legacy of Qingning Kiln, would be solid and warm.
In the days that followed, Pei Luonan began to make preparations discreetly.
He first contacted a senior jewelry designer, specifically emphasizing that he wanted to design a ring inspired by the celadon of Qingning Kiln.
"It must be made exquisite; she likes things that are understated and unassuming."
Pei Luonan repeatedly instructed the designer, "Also, the ring box should be made of celadon, with the characters 'Star' and 'South' engraved on it. The engraving should be shallow, so that it won't be noticeable unless you look closely."
At the same time, he also secretly discussed it with Ling Jiu'er, Kong Haoyu, Xiao Fangfei, and Du Fei.
"Fanxing likes the osmanthus grove on the east side of the kiln site the most. How about we set up the proposal venue there when the osmanthus blooms?" Pei Luonan lowered his voice and conspired with everyone in the kiln guard shed.
“I want to lay a layer of pine needles on the ground, place small lanterns made of celadon around it, and put some pottery shards that she collected, so that the whole place has both the characteristics of Qinglongpo and our shared memories.”
Ling Jiu'er's eyes lit up.
“That’s a great idea! I can also help you make some photo display boards, putting up photos of you from the first discovery of the kiln site to the joint application for intangible cultural heritage status. It will definitely be very touching.”
Xiao Fangfei nodded.
"I can contact friends in the motorcycle community and ask them to help record some blessing videos, which will be played at the event to enhance the atmosphere."
……
To avoid arousing Gu Fanxing's suspicion, Pei Luonan continued to manage the affairs of Qingning Kiln with her every day.
They went together to the construction site of the intangible cultural heritage education base to check on the progress and communicated with the education bureau about the details of "intangible cultural heritage entering schools".
Occasionally, he would use the excuse of "going to the city to buy materials" to secretly follow up on the production of the ring and ring box, or discuss the specific process of proposing with his friends.
On one occasion, Gu Fanxing casually asked, "Why have you been going to the city so often lately? Is there something you're hiding from me?"
Pei Luonan's heart tightened, but his face remained expressionless.
“The intangible cultural heritage education base needs a batch of display cases. I’ll go and take a look at the samples, in case the ones others choose don’t meet your requirements.”
As he spoke, he took out several design drawings of display cases from his bag and showed them to Gu Fanxing.
Gu Fanxing nodded in satisfaction.
"That's great, let's choose this one. You've really thought of everything."
Pei Luonan breathed a sigh of relief, but his resolve to give her a surprise only strengthened.
He knew that Gu Fanxing valued his archaeological work, and the elements of the proposal, including celadon and pottery shards, were all to make her feel that this proposal was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a well-thought-out decision and a solemn promise for their future.
That night, the two sat together in the kiln shed, watching the flickering firelight inside the kiln.
Pei Luonan paused, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his voice.
"Once the intangible cultural heritage education base is completed and the inheritance of Qingning Kiln is fully stabilized, we will compile the stories here into a book and make a more detailed documentary so that more people can know the beauty of Qinglongpo."
"When the time comes, I can accompany you to see the outside world and visit other kiln sites for research and learning. Would you like to?"
Gu Fanxing raised her head, her eyes shining.
“I’m willing! I also want to go to Jingdezhen to see how the kiln workers there fire porcelain. Maybe I can learn new skills that I can use to preserve the Qingning Kiln.”
Pei Luonan looked into her bright eyes and felt a warmth in his heart—he knew that she was not only the person he liked, but also the person he wanted to protect for the rest of his life.
He hoped that their future, like the kiln fire of Qingning Kiln, would always be bright and full of hope.
He quietly took out his phone from his pocket and sent a message to the designer: "Make the ring and ring box as soon as possible, the osmanthus will be in bloom soon." He put his phone away, squeezed Gu Fanxing's hand again, and looked at the fire in the kiln, silently looking forward to the moment when the osmanthus would bloom—at that moment, he would make a lifelong promise to her and let the kiln fire in Qinglongpo witness their love.