Chapter 74: Obstacle
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
There were several porcelain shops in the south of the county city, the largest of which was the Li porcelain shop.
Because the Li porcelain shop was the first to make colored porcelain, it was famous in the county and even the capital. Its founder had once been summoned by the emperor.
However, the younger generation was not that capable, causing the shop to gradually decline, but the Li porcelain shop still had a place in the porcelain world.
The porcelain master that Tang Jinghong introduced was called Li Zhenzong. He was in his forties and wore black robe all year round. There was a big mole at the corner of his mouth.
Everyone knew that he had a grand wish. He wanted his porcelain to enter the palace again.
Li Zhenzong was a member of the Li family and also the person in charge of the Li family’s porcelain business. No one in the Li family could make porcelain better than him. He was very respected in the family.
At this moment, Li Zhenzong was teaching the juniors in the family how to make the porcelain embryo more round and smooth when he heard a shout outside. “Li Zhenzong, someone is looking for you.”
The Li porcelain shop occupied a large area, about six hundred square meters. It was divided by a wall into two parts, the inside and the outside. The outside was for guests and the office, and the inside was for making porcelain.
When Li Zhenzong heard the voice, he walked out.
As soon as he walked out, he saw a dignified young man and two beautiful girls.
One of the two girls was taller and thinner. She had a neat ponytail and looked elegant and high-spirited. The other girl was shorter and her eyes were filled with curiosity like a cat’s eyes.
Beside the three of them was his son, Li Shaoting.
Li Shaoting had a valiant appearance and was very tall. He looked 50% like Li Zhenzong. “Father, do you still remember Jinghong? The two girls beside him are from the same village as Jinghong. Their names are Chu Qingzhi and Chu Qingshuang.”
Chu Qingzhi and Chu Qingshuang walked forward and bowed. “Hello, Uncle Li.”
Li Zhenzong smiled and nodded, but he was very puzzled as to why they were here.
Tang Jinghong immediately explained to him. He handed the wine in his hand to Li Zhenzong and smiled. “Uncle Li, here’s the wine. I hope you can take in another disciple.”
Li Zhenzong was about to reach out to take the wine when he heard this. He immediately retracted his hand and said solemnly, “Jinghong, you know I don’t take in disciples anymore.”
Tang Jinghong smiled faintly. “Uncle Li, don’t be in a hurry to reject me. Let us explain.”
Li Zhenzong nodded slowly. He glanced at Chu Qingzhi and Chu Qingshuang and asked kindly, “Which one of you wants to be my disciple?”
Chu Qingshuang stepped forward nervously. “Master, I want to be your disciple.”
Li Zhenzong waved his hand. “I’m not your master yet. It’s better to call me Uncle Li.”
Li Zhenzong had a good temper, but he was also very principled.
When Chu Qingshuang heard this, she was at a loss. She quickly said nervously, “Master, I’m sincerely here to acknowledge you as my master. I…”
Chu Qingzhi went forward and gently held Chu Qingshuang’s hand. “Sixth Sister, don’t be anxious. It’s fine.”
Chu Qingshuang was a 13-year-old girl who had never seen the world. When she encountered such a situation, she panicked. She looked at Chu Qingzhi aggrievedly. “Master, are you unwilling to accept me?”
When Li Zhenzong saw that tears were welling up in the eyes of the little girl, he quickly said, “No, no. What I mean is that I want to take in a talented and persistent disciple.”
He sighed. “Everyone says I make good porcelain, but I have a sore spot.”
He gestured for everyone to sit down and said slowly, “For the past ten years, I’ve been looking for a disciple, but I haven’t met a good one. They either lost interest after learning for a few days or couldn’t learn it no matter what. I happened to meet a talented one, but he found making porcelain a lowly and dirty job.”
Chu Qingshuang quickly said, “Master, I don’t know how talented I am, but I’m not afraid of dirt. I also have perseverance. For example, when I was three years old, I started making figurines with mud. Now that I’m thirteen years old, I’m still doing it. I made a lot of things from mud, and every one of them was especially beautiful. Master, if you take me in as your disciple, I can show you all the good things I made.”
Li Zhenzong was a little surprised. “Do you really like to make all kinds of things with mud?”
Chu Qingshuang’s eyes lit up. “Of course. I even made a small house. It’s very beautiful.”
Li Zhenzong’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the heavens had really sent him a disciple he wanted?
“Qingshuang, do you mind making something for me to see?”
Chu Qingshuang said confidently, “Okay, Uncle Li, feel free to give me some pointers. As long as it’s something I’ve seen, I can make it.”
Li Zhenzong thought for a moment before stading up and waving at Chu Qingshuang. “Qingshuang, come in with me.”
Chu Qingshuang agreed happily. “Ok.”
The group of them entered the inner place where the porcelain was made. This place was divided into many areas according to its function. There were people making porcelain embryos, drying porcelain embryos, burning porcelain embryos, and polishing porcelain. The entire place looked very neat and tidy. The employees were busy in an orderly manner.
The temperature here was relatively high. Everyone had a wet handkerchief on their shoulders.
Li Zhenzong brought them to the place where porcelain embryos were made. There were all kinds of tools and materials here. A few people were making porcelain embryos, one was making a bowl, and the other was making a vase…
Li Zhenzong pointed at the empty seat. “Qingshuang, sit here.”
Chu Qingshuang sat down obediently. “Master, what do you want me to make?”
Li Zhenzong took out a blueprint and handed it to her. He said expectantly, “Make this. As long as you can do it, I will take you in as my disciple.”
Chu Qingzhi glanced at the blueprint. It was a three-legged incense burner. Needless to say, it was complicated.
After Chu Qingshuang looked at the blueprint, she tilted her head and thought for a while before starting to make it.
She looked serious and focused, as if she was immersed in a certain state and had lost herself.
When Li Zhenzong saw Chu Qingshuang in this state, his eyes flickered and he slowly became excited. Yes, yes, yes. This is the feeling. This is the state. Qingshuang is amazing!
Chu Qingzhi smiled slightly… The world was not short of geniuses. What was in shortage was the eyes to discover geniuses.
The few people who were making porcelain embryos couldn’t help but stop what they were doing and look at Chu Qingshuang in unison. Could she succeed on the first attempt?
At this moment, the incense burner had already come into shape.
Then, she started making the legs.
There were three legs on the incense burner. One had to be especially careful in this part. Otherwise, the legs would either be of different sizes and lose their beauty. The other was that the surface had to be smooth and round so that it would look good after burning.
As time passed, more and more people came to watch Chu Qingshuang make the incense burner..
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