Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 23

After Chang Yishao’s words fell, it was as if even the stirring wind paused for a moment.

Xie Qingtang had thought Chang Yishao would be a smooth, round pebble, always gentle towards people, but she hadn’t expected her to have sharp edges. She clearly had thrown the sense of danger she had perceived earlier to the back of her mind.

He Yanjin, upon hearing these words, seemed to be struck dumb. A moment later, her body trembled, her shoulders hunched, and she raised a hand to cover her face.

Xie Qingtang turned her head to look at her, and couldn’t help but open her mouth: “I heard Miss He is venturing into the big screen? That actually suits you.” The ability to turn tears on and off at will is a skill; she probably won’t have to worry about showing heartbroken scenes when filming in the future.

In He Yanjin’s view, Xie Qingtang’s words were provocative, and even in her extreme sadness, she had to glare fiercely.

Xie Qingtang shrugged. She didn’t do it on purpose, it was just that her mouth was uncontrollable. It was her petty nature, and even her obsession with “retirement” couldn’t suppress her true self. She probably understood why she was being thrown into this world; it’s hard to change one’s nature, and the compatibility between a trouble-maker and a slacker is too low.

He Yanjin fled in panic. Xie Qingtang’s gaze rested on her retreating figure for a long time before she drew it back. She glanced sideways at Chang Yishao, thinking to herself: according to the development of an angst novel, this moment of “arrogance” would absolutely turn into unspeakable future suffering in the pursuit of the wife. How does the saying go? Abusing your wife feels good for a while, but chasing her will be a crematorium.

Xie Qingtang’s gaze was too obvious. Chang Yishao frowned and asked, “What is it?” Her tone returned to its usual composed calmness, and there was no trace of sharp coldness or, of course, the so-called mockery on her face.

“Nothing.” Xie Qingtang clenched her fist against her lips, concealing a slight cough. She looked up at the sky and exclaimed, “It’s quite a coincidence.” The torrent of melodrama never comes late.

“Is that so?” Chang Yishao curled her lips and said lightly, “It should be Zhou Yunmeng’s arrangement.” As for what intentions that eldest daughter of the Zhou family harbors, perhaps only she herself knows.

The break time quietly slipped away.

Xie Qingtang, preparing to get to work, yawned repeatedly. She splashed some water on her face; the icy touch lingered, and drops of water traced down her hair. In the spreading ripples, she saw her own face—What was she like? What should she be like? In countless transits, she had countless faces, and eventually, she gradually forgot her original appearance.

In this retirement world, the role of the Space-Time Bureau had been completely withdrawn. These were her features, her most authentic look.

She leaned on the sink for a moment, let out a soft sigh, grabbed a towel to wipe her face, changed into her work clothes, and headed towards the wheel throwing area.

The students had already been waiting there early. When Chang Yishao called the roll, the chosen ones were full of joy, while those who were not selected were full of regret. They gathered in groups of three to five, craning their necks to look at the lump of clay and the rotating disc.

There are many methods for forming ceramics, from hand-pinching and slab construction to using molds, wheel-throwing, slip-casting… each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

“…In the process of forming ceramics, the most commonly used method is wheel-throwing, which is what we previously called ‘la pi’ (pulling the blank)…” Chang Yishao’s clear voice echoed around, replacing Xie Qingtang’s “professional” role and making this place her own stage. “The rotating object underneath is called a pottery wheel, also known as a ‘gulu’ (drum), and this process relies on centrifugal force…”

“Teacher Chang, when can we start?!”

“I want to try it first!”

The excited young man was not paying much attention to Chang Yishao’s introduction, his eyes now fixed and shining on the spinning wheel.

“Let Teacher Xie demonstrate first.” Chang Yishao curved her lips, suddenly throwing the matter back to Xie Qingtang. She crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow at Xie Qingtang, her eyes dark and profound, like a bottomless abyss.

Xie Qingtang met Chang Yishao’s gaze and smiled. The demonstration was originally her job, but with Chang Yishao’s “help,” she was naturally too lazy to bother. She even thought that someone would solve the wheel-throwing demonstration for her. Despite her thoughts, she still brushed the dust off her clothes, sat down in front of the empty pottery wheel, took a lump of clay, and slapped it onto the wheel. She dipped her hands in the bucket for a moment, and then sprinkled water onto the clay—the clay began to spin, and her hands started to move. A hollow appeared in the center of the clay, which was then slowly pulled upwards, forming the shape of a cup.

“Bamboo piece.” Xie Qingtang didn’t look up, but Chang Yishao had already retrieved a bamboo piece from the side right at the moment the piece was nearly formed, and handed it to Xie Qingtang.

Since becoming an apprentice at Pingyao, Xie Qingtang had spent a lot of time on wheel-throwing. She was not as good as an old potter who had practiced for many years, but the pieces she made were certainly not bad. Her work was steady, and separating the base of the vessel from the wheel was quick and decisive.

“After wheel-throwing, it’s not over yet. After drying, trimming and hollowing out the foot are needed. But that will be tomorrow’s task,” Chang Yishao chuckled lightly.

“That simple! Let me try!”

Quite a few students had this thought, but there were only five pottery wheels, and the rest waited behind with eager anticipation.

The boy imitated Xie Qingtang’s movements and slapped the clay onto the wheel, placing his hands in the middle of the clay. However, the rapidly spinning clay completely disobeyed him, twisting violently from side to side, as if it was about to fly out of his hands the next moment.

The boy’s face turned red, and he was sweating profusely with anxiety, but the more anxious he was, the more uncontrollable the clay became. A minute later, the whole lump finally flew off, leaving only gasps and mocking laughter.

“Gao Cheng, can you do it or not? If not, next one.” Laughter rang out behind him.

The boy called Gao Cheng was not discouraged and slapped another lump of clay onto the pottery wheel.

It wasn’t just his group; the results for the remaining four groups were equally disastrous. Being able to keep the clay stable on the wheel was already a blessing, let alone pulling it into a shape.

“You see, this craft is not as easy or relaxing as you imagine.” This scene was expected by Chang Yishao. Looking at the group of students who were defeated but not discouraged, and whose interest was even higher, the smile in her eyes brightened.

“Teacher Chang, why don’t you give it a try?” A voice rang out, and after a moment of silence, it was met with the unanimous approval of the students. In their minds, Chang Yishao knew the theory, and she should also be able to operate the wheel.

“Don’t make things difficult for Teacher Chang,” Xie Qingtang raised an eyebrow and smiled. She said unhurriedly, “I’ll demonstrate again—”

“Alright.”

Before the last word was finished, Chang Yishao’s voice sounded.

It was an answer that Xie Qingtang had not expected. She glanced at Chang Yishao, her eyes full of suspicion.

Chang Yishao’s hands were slender and long, probably used for playing the piano or holding a pen, not suitable for this kind of work.

Xie Qingtang was not good at hiding her emotions, and she also disdained to hide them.

Chang Yishao understood the meaning in her eyes. She blinked and lowered her gaze without speaking.

The students were unaware of the unspoken tension between the two. Hearing Chang Yishao agree, they immediately applauded and cheered.

“Teacher Chang, why don’t you compete with Teacher Xie?” These teenagers and young girls, clearly wanting to see a show, pushed their luck, and the cheers grew louder and louder.

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