Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 18

Xie Qingtang had little interest in Chang Yishao’s melancholy past.

Unless Chang Yishao had specific requests, her free time was spent in the study. Occasionally she’d casually appease the viewers in her live stream, but the rest of the time was dedicated to the flood of inspiration pouring out of her. In some previous worlds, she had encountered many crafts, including porcelain, but she had never experienced them firsthand. The feeling of hearing about it versus personally engaging with it was entirely different, no wonder some once said, “Art comes from mud.”

—Sister, what are you busy with? The frequency of your live streams has changed recently.

—You’re the only streamer I’ve seen who clocks exactly three hours. Seriously, aren’t you trying to make money?

Xie Qingtang rarely paid attention to the buzz in her live stream, but after the old artist Chang Hua helped her out that time, she started keeping an eye on some Weibo updates. Seeing similar replies now, Xie Qingtang felt guilty for a few seconds—she was indeed too neglectful, she still needed to contribute more for her retirement fund. She thought for a moment and replied, “Experiencing life for creative inspiration.” Before long, subsequent fans followed up, inquiring about the status of her work. Xie Qingtang was straightforward, telling the fans to “come to the live stream.”

The tune she had written earlier was completely scrapped, but Xie Qingtang didn’t feel it was a loss. Being busy with the master craftsmen at the kiln, plus personally witnessing the firing of the “Tenmoku Glaze” where it was “one kiln born, one kiln dead,” her heart was currently only filled with “porcelain.” The song was not fully finished yet; she only showcased a small segment during the live stream.

—What’s this song called?

—Is the young lady working as a kiln apprentice? By the way, my sister’s practical activity is this too.

—Is it a fan song for the live stream show ‘Beauty Like Porcelain’?

Xie Qingtang didn’t read the barrage of comments much, casually replied with “Haven’t decided yet,” and then ended the broadcast, leaving behind a chorus of wailing fans.

May.

In Xie Qingtang’s plan, she could treat even working days as holidays, let alone the May Day long weekend. However, things did not go as planned. After half a month of “training,” she was required to “gloriously take up her post” to welcome the students from Gantang Academy who were coming for practical activities during the short holiday.

In front of the main gate, Qi Yu’s long scroll depicted the “life and death of porcelain,” and the practical activities were set to begin here.

The leaders of the groups were the class teachers and the history teachers from various classes. Xie Qingtang spotted the tall Chang Yishao at a glance—the teachers and students who came here were all wearing the specially designed “Porcelain Hoodie.”

“Are you looking at Chang Yishao?” Qi Yu, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow. She actually disliked such occasions, but couldn’t withstand the constant nagging of the old master, so she only showed up symbolically and helped out here.

Xie Qingtang nonchalantly responded with an “Mhm.” Isn’t it normal to look more at whoever is good-looking in a crowd?

Qi Yu, however, misunderstood her meaning. She frowned, and after a moment, said: “Chang Yishao likes these things very much. But He Yanjin—” Qi Yu didn’t finish her sentence. She was silent for a moment before adding the four words “vulgar and unbearably crude,” which was the worst evaluation she could utter.

Xie Qingtang did not respond.

Qi Yu added: “Back when Chang Yishao wanted to study history, He Yanjin made a fuss for a long time. She thought Yishao should study management or finance, so she could compete with her brothers for the family business later.”

Probably watched too many rich-family struggle dramas, Xie Qingtang thought to herself. She withdrew her gaze from Chang Yishao, looked at Qi Yu with a hint of amusement, and said, “Painter Qi, you are talking a lot today.” This person had always been cold and unapproachable. The evaluation she heard from other masters was that Qi Yu had been this way since childhood, not cute at all, and nothing like Old Qi. But having truly spent time with her, she wasn’t so terrible after all.

Qi Yu: “…”

“Ceramics is a general term for pottery and porcelain. The firing of pottery has a long history, and porcelain evolved from pottery, using porcelain clay to form the body… ①” Chang Yishao lowered her eyes, her gaze on the painting, and there was no exchange of looks with Xie Qingtang. Amidst the students’ whispers, her voice was clear and pleasant. She moved from celadon, black porcelain, to white porcelain, and finally transitioned to the major famous kilns—the students were getting restless, their young faces beaming with youthful smiles, their eyes filled with eagerness. Compared to this historical segment, they were clearly much more interested in personally getting hands-on with the firing of porcelain.

Chang Yishao sighed helplessly as she watched their expressions. Her eyes met the history teacher from the next class, as if in a silent discussion. The students’ urging reached her ears one after another. Chang Yishao looked up, exchanged a glance with Xie Qingtang across the crowd, and then turned to her colleague next door. After a short discussion, they decided to lead their respective classes forward.

“Teacher Chang, are we going to do the firing now?”

“Teacher Chang, do we sculpt it ourselves? Or are there molds where we just press the clay in?”

The two halves of the classes totaled fifteen students, all asking questions one after another, their eyes shimmering with curiosity.

Chang Yishao smiled and replied: “We will let the professional masters at the kiln explain.” There were quite a few classes and groups coming to Pingyao, coupled with the fact that the place was also undertaking a reality show filming task, there was a shortage of manpower. Actually, there were quite a few people like Xie Qingtang who were stepping up.

“Is it this sister! The sister in the painting!” an exclamation rang out. “Teacher Chang, choose her, choose her!”

Am I being selected like a cabbage? Chang Yishao was slightly amused. Her gaze swept over the remaining students. The pursuit of beauty is an instinct; compared to the serious-looking masters, the students were indeed more willing to be close to Xie Qingtang. Of course, there was a dissenting voice: “Doesn’t look very professional, could she be an actress?” But the protest of the few was ultimately drowned out by the majority.

Chang Yishao walked a few steps forward, with only about a zhang (approx. 3.3 meters) distance between her and Xie Qingtang. Her eyes held a subtle sparkle of a smile as she spoke: “Teacher Xie, these are my students, I’ll have to trouble you.”

Xie Qingtang met Chang Yishao’s gaze, let out a soft “Hmph,” and smiled brightly: “How can anything concerning Teacher Chang be considered trouble?” Her eyes were lively, and every smile and gesture carried a certain charm. This light, floating sentence fell into Chang Yishao’s ears with a strange, inexplicable flavor. It was as if all ordinary words became extraordinary because of their subtle relationship.

Chang Yishao’s smile was softer than usual.

Xie Qingtang raised an eyebrow without further thought. She straightened up and took a step forward. As she brushed past Chang Yishao, she left behind a soft chuckle that only the two of them could hear: “Teacher Chang, this outfit of yours is really nice.”

Like a spring breeze passing by, Chang Yishao’s ear felt a little ticklish. She reached up and lightly brushed a strand of hair from her temple.

She turned to gaze at Xie Qingtang, who had already joined the students, her eyes warming slightly.

Qi Yu, who had been standing to one side, suddenly said: “She is different from He Yanjin. Have you developed feelings for her?”

Chang Yishao glanced at Qi Yu and said blandly: “You’re talking too much today.”

Qi Yu: “…” She had only said one sentence.

Support