Chapter 24 Don't Touch This Kind of Things

In the few days after returning from Wudu, Zhang Yang focused all his attention on pottery making.

Having learned from his master for so long, his life has always been accompanied by bronze ware.

Eat, sleep, and bronze.

This time I bought a wheel and practiced throwing at home. Finally, my life is more than just the gold and green of bronze ware.

There is also the yellow color of clay.

The wheel of the clay machine turned "whoosh", and Zhang Yang's hands pinched and kneaded, step by step shaping the shape of the vessel he wanted.

It feels like a pottery class on a TV show.

Quite interesting.

Shen Yiyi was originally studying how to boil a bronze mirror with medicine, but was attracted by Zhang Yang and started clamoring to learn it.

However, Zhang Yang rejected her request on the grounds that she was biting off more than she could chew.

"Do what you love, and if you are young, learning everything will only hurt you."

Xiao Shen thought about his future thesis and resisted the urge to rub the pottery jar with his hands and did not disturb Zhang Yang anymore.

Without the interference of women, Zhang Yang made rapid progress.

Of course it has to be faster.

Starting from the day he bought the item at the antique market, he has to make a replica within seven days.

Otherwise it will be too late to refund.

Fortunately, he has improved his abilities in all aspects of pottery to a very high level.

It's like being assisted by God when he takes action.

On the afternoon of three days after the start of work, the first batch of soul bottles (five-linked jars) came out of the kiln.

There are 12 pieces in this batch.

By controlling the air in the kiln, a reducing atmosphere can be artificially created, making it easy to burn gray pottery.

As early as 5000 years ago, the ancestors of the Yangshao culture were able to make gray pottery.

This is naturally not difficult for Zhang Yang who has unlocked his abilities.

But burning it is one thing, and being able to use it after burning it is another.

Colors that are too dark, too light, or uneven cannot meet the requirements of high imitation.

Among these 12 items, Zhang Yang only picked out 4 that were usable.

Another half of it was lost during the subsequent aging stage.

Finally, there are only 2 items left to see.

Zhang Yang placed the two items on the workbench and clenched his fist excitedly.

It was completed in four days at the speed of light.

It is exactly the same as the one next to it that I bought for five thousand dollars.

"Brother, is this the result of your work these past few days?"

Xiao Shen came close to Zhang Yang and looked at the soul bottle on the table, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Yeah, how does it feel?"

"It's good, but a little weird."

Xiao Shen looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

It can be seen that the little girl has something on her mind. Zhang Yang smiled at her and encouraged her:
"It's okay, just tell me what you think."

"For people in our industry, it's easy to filter our own work, so advice from outsiders is very important."

"Really? Then I'll be frank with you."

Shen Yiyi pointed at the figure sculpted on the soul bottle and said:
"This thing looks a bit scary to me."

"It feels a lot like the ones in Southeast Asia where they raise little ghosts."

"Brother, you won't attract any unclean things by making this kind of container, right?"

"..." Zhang Yang shook his head after hearing this.

That's a good point, don't say it next time.

Zhang Yang didn’t think so at first, but after Xiao Shen said that, he felt that it was a bit similar.

"The scientific name of this thing is Soul Bottle." Zhang Yang said seriously.

"You should have heard of it, right?"

"Oh, I know that."

Xiao Shen nodded, and then she pointed at the genuine item Zhang Yang bought on the table and asked:
"Brother, did you copy this one?"

"They feel exactly the same. Is it difficult to imitate at this level?"

"What's the matter? Are you interested again?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

"No no."

Little Shen shook her head like a rattle. She really took Zhang Yang's words to heart and has been concentrating on studying how to make bronze artifacts look old recently.

The effect is very good.

Now she was cooking bronze as soon as she closed her eyes.

When I see the liquid, it feels like medicine.

I only dare to eat the dry version of Malatang.

Last night I dreamed that I was thrown into a pot, and as I was cooking, my skin began to turn darker. I was so excited that I said I had found a new secret recipe for tanning.

"I'm just curious."

"I feel like you have copied it in just a few days, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"It's really not difficult." Zhang Yang nodded.

"This kind of soul bottle should not be valuable, right? Senior brother, why don't you imitate porcelain? Blue and white porcelain and pastel-colored porcelain are all quite valuable." "First pottery, then porcelain, one step at a time." Zhang Yang smiled gently.

If pottery is the foundation, then porcelain is the towering building on the foundation, and it cannot be rushed.

"That makes sense. Senior brother's mentality is worth learning from."

"Haha, really? In that case, let me give you a suggestion, will you listen?"

"Of course I do."

"Okay, then my suggestion is: can you go home and rest for a few days?"

Zhang Yang pointed at his eyes, indicating that the other person had dark circles under his eyes:
"Don't you usually look in the mirror? You have dark circles under your eyes like a national treasure."

"I've filed a record now, and I won't be arrested. There's no need for you to work so hard, right? Take your time."

"It's mainly because I didn't sleep well and often had strange dreams." Xiao Shen said a little embarrassedly.

"That should be choosing a bed."

"Yeah, that's possible. The bed at my house is quite soft."

Xiao Shen nodded and seriously considered going home.

After a long while, he stammered:

"Then... Senior Brother, when I go back, can I bring some potions and new copperware? I want to set up a stove at home."

"sure."

Zhang Yang not only agreed, but even wanted it very much.

If Xiao Shen's family also set up a stove, he could find a reason to "drive" Xiao Shen back home at any time in the future and leave himself enough private space.

When seeing Shen Yiyi off, Zhang Yang even lent her the notes he had made when he first started learning.

Let her study more at home and come to me if she has any questions.

……

That night, Zhang Yang was finally alone at home.

It’s late at night and everyone is asleep. It’s a good time to connect via microphone, with that familiar feeling.

These days, whenever Zhang Yang has free time, he goes to the Douyin homepage of "Ding Quan Jianbao" and is happier to see his number of fans increase than when he makes money himself.

When I opened the live broadcast room, I saw the familiar “10+” in the upper right corner.

Zhang Yang seemed to see tens of thousands of recognition points waving at him.

After waiting for a while in the live broadcast room, he successfully grabbed the opportunity to connect to the microphone.

Video connected.

"Good evening, Brother Quan." Zhang Yang came up and greeted him very politely.

The host deserves to be called brother since he has helped me so much.

"Good evening, brother."

"What treasure do you have?"

"I have an ancestral pottery jar, and I would like to ask Brother Quan to help identify it."

"Clay pots? Could they be bought in the countryside for ten dollars each?"

Ding Quan was joking when he saw what was on Zhang Yang's screen and burst into laughter.

shocked.

"You call this a clay pot?"

"Yeah, isn't this just a jar?"

Zhang Yang took the soul bottle in his hand and spun it around to show the host.

Before the live broadcast, he thought about pretending to be a tomb robber, but felt that if he was too deliberate, it might backfire.

Finally decided to pretend to be a newbie.

"Don't turn around, bro. I'm dizzy looking at it."

"Hold it flat in your hand so I can see it."

"Okay, is this okay?"

Zhang Yang displayed the soul bottle as Ding Quan instructed.

He took the time to take a look at the comments, and he had to admit that the audience had a high degree of recognition for this thing.

[This thing looks old.]

[Open the door with a creak]

[Soul bottle, could it be an heirloom? ]

[Brother must not be telling the truth]

"Okay, this is the perspective."

Ding Quan stared at the video for three full seconds, then suddenly slapped his thigh:
"Brother, this thing of yours is a soul bottle!"

"It was used as a burial object in ancient times, placed on both sides of the coffin of the dead."

"Are you sure it's inherited from your ancestors?"

"It must be handed down from our ancestors." Zhang Yang responded decisively: "It has been handed down from our ancestors for many years. We only found it at home when we moved."

"It's not easy. This thing is hidden in your house. How come your family has not died out?"

"…It should be endless."

"Brother Quan, can you tell what dynasty this is from?" Zhang Yang asked.

"It should be from the Han Dynasty."

Ding Quan nodded, touched his chin and said:
"Brother, I advise you to avoid this kind of thing. I won't say more. Those who understand will understand."

(End of this chapter)