Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System-Chapter 88 - 83: Blue-and-White Porcelain [8,8 Words!]_5
The old factory village in Jingdezhen carries the mingling scent of kiln fire and soil in the air.
Li Younan and Zhu Qingyue are seated on small stools in a shabby workshop, facing plain white ceramic blanks and blue-and-white materials.
At this moment, Zhu Qingyue is meticulously sketching some pattern on a cup with a thin brush, utterly focused. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
The one teaching them to paint the blanks is Sister Chen from the workshop.
She doesn’t speak much, always standing behind them with a gentle smile.
Qingyue paints cautiously, while Li Younan casually dabs a few strokes of landscape lines.
Occasionally, Sister Chen gently advises, "Keep your hand steady, use less material on the brush tip, go slowly... you can add a little branch here..."
Her voice is soft, tinged with a local accent.
When it’s her turn to demonstrate, it’s a different story. She takes the brush, sits in front of the turntable, and without exerting much force, her wrist gently guides the brush, and smooth vine leaves unfurl around the cup, the strokes clean and crisp, almost alive.
Li Younan and Qingyue nod in agreement.
"Sister, your skills are really impressive," Qingyue genuinely compliments.
Sister Chen bashfully lowers her head, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the hem of her apron: "I’ve been doing this for decades, my hands have gotten familiar."
She gestured to some finished bowls and plates on a nearby shelf, "It’s just making these to make a living."
It’s only upon chatting that they learn Sister Chen relies solely on her craftsmanship. She doesn’t understand the internet, can’t shout out promotions, nor is she adept at storytelling or packaging. At the end of the day, she only creates a few pieces, earning just a small fee for each handmade item.
Actually, there are quite a few people doing live streaming in Jingdezhen, and they make a lot of money; compared to these traditional artisans, it’s like they exist in different worlds.
"Such good things should be seen by more people," Qingyue quietly remarks as she gazes at the elegant unfinished pieces on the shelf.
Sister Chen maintains her gentle demeanor, smiling slightly: "I’m quite pleased just having people like and come paint."
She turns to organize the painted blanks, her movements slow and adept.
The workshop is small, and sporadically groups of tourists come in, all here to experience ceramic painting.
A young couple, the girl giggling as she paints a crooked smiley face on a cup then insists on taking a photo; another guy casually outlines some landscape contours and impatiently asks the master, "Can you hurry up with the firing? I have a flight to catch tonight."
Sister Chen and another painter watch from the side, wearing an accustomed smile mixed with a hint of helplessness, responding while helping to salvage and tidy the poorly painted blanks.
They’re used to it; it’s part of the business with people who just come for novelty, leaving a "been here" mark.
Li Younan sits on his small stool, holding the plain white cup in his hands.
It’s his first attempt at painting ceramics, naturally feeling awkward.
But Li Younan is not in a hurry.
The diffusion of blue-and-white material on the ceramic blank is quite fascinating, with the amount of material on the brush tip, the heaviness and swiftness of strokes, each leaving different traces.
It’s a very interesting experience.
Li Younan doesn’t fret over not having acquired painting skills yet.
He taps a little water, trying to gently blur a spoiled area, and the ink color surprisingly disperses into deep and shallow layers.
"Here, try holding the brush more upright, lightly tap down, like this..."
At some point, Sister Chen stands behind Li Younan again, her voice slightly brighter than when guiding others.
She probably notices Li Younan is contemplating rather than just going through motions.
She picks up a thin brush beside her and lightly demonstrates a small dot on the blank space of Li Younan’s cup; instantly, the ink dot takes on the texture of moss-covered rocks. "There, that’s it, no rush, take your time."
Following her advice, Li Younan holds his breath and meticulously sketches and corrects one bit at a time.
Zhu Qingyue, at some point, has put down her brush. She doesn’t smile; there’s a seriousness in her eyes, watch silently as Younan intently paints and adjusts, noticing Sister Chen occasionally bending to offer a word or two of guidance.
Li Younan indeed is different from the others; he’s not the least bit impatient.
In Qingyue’s gaze there’s understanding, and also a touch of... curiosity.
...
A few days later, Li Younan and Zhu Qingyue return to take their fired ceramics.
The kiln fire dwindles, transforming blank pieces into warm white ceramics, and the blue-and-white colors settle, revealing their unique blue.
Sister Chen takes out their items one by one and carefully wraps them in old newspapers.
The cup Qingyue painted, with elegant sprawling blue orchids.
She learned how to paint when she was a child.
As for Li Younan’s bowl, the mist of distant mountains was surprisingly good.
"Here, let’s trade." Suddenly, Qingyue pushes her pretty cup toward Li Younan.
"Huh? I’m getting the better deal here!" Li Younan blurts out playfully.
Despite being so gentle, Zhu Qingyue can’t help but punch Li Younan.
Sister Chen watches as they exchange, pursing her lips in a smile without saying anything.
Before leaving, Li Younan takes out his phone and asks Sister Chen, "Sister, can I take some footage of this workshop? Just capturing you painting."
Sister Chen pauses, rubbing her hands on her apron, feeling slightly uneasy: "Film me? What’s worth filming about me..."
"Your painting is really good," Qingyue quietly chimes in, her tone very sincere.
Seeing the earnest looks of the two of them, Sister Chen finally shyly nods: "Well... you can film, just don’t let it delay your time."
No posed shots; the camera simply sweeps quietly.
After shooting, Li Younan tells Sister Chen, I’ll try to post it online when I get back. She simply responds with an "okay," still feeling slightly bashful.
Stepping out of the workshop, the alley remains quiet and long. Qingyue holds the pack with the ugly bowl as if it’s a treasure.
"Are you thinking of helping Sister Chen with some publicity?" Qingyue hums a tune; suddenly, she thinks of something and looks up to ask.
Li Younan shakes his head, "I wouldn’t say that..."
His gaze deepens a bit.
"Today, Sister Chen and the previous master who taught us how to make blank pieces are real artisans. They earn purely through their craftsmanship. Jingdezhen is quite popular, but it seems like it has nothing to do with them, which... doesn’t feel right to me."
"Even though I can’t do much, I still want to bring Sister Chen’s story to light."
Speaking his mind without filtering, Li Younan finishes and notices Qingyue staring blankly at him, then breaks into a laugh, "What’s up?"
Zhu Qingyue lowers her head with a smile, "Nothing... just a kind of indescribable happiness."
"Ha."
"Leaving tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, I’ve stayed quite a while."
"I need to keep heading west too... want to join me for a stretch?"
"Sure, about the fare..."
"Oh, come on... just a moment ago, I felt you had a good vibe!" Qingyue protests, a bit anxiously.
"I’m not an artsy type, whatever vibe you felt definitely isn’t what you think..."
"Hm."
