The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 653 It's so cold, I'm playing in the mud in Northeast China...

"Continue with the soil and brick analysis experiments!"

"Why weren't the changes in chemical properties of clay after it's fired into bricks taken into account?"

"Speed ​​up! If we haven't produced results here yet, and the kiln over there is already built, your papers will be wasted!"

The students—and the researchers from the Xing Kiln archaeological team—were kept busy by Professor Zhang, wishing they could work 18 hours a day.

Even so, they couldn't keep up with Shen Le's pace. So much so that when Professor Zhang saw Shen Le wandering around the construction site, he was quite annoyed and grabbed him to join the experimental team.

And so, barely managing to keep up with the work schedule, the design of the dragon kiln was finalized on the same day the experiment was completed, and a suitable formula for the clay and slurry used for firing bricks was found.

Yes, when building a porcelain kiln, after laying the bricks, a thick layer of special mortar is applied to the inside of the kiln to seal it and prevent air leakage.

Different types of refractory bricks require different types of mortar. The same type of clay requires different amounts of water, different mixing steps, and the desired consistency of "fine particles and strong adhesion"...

Every detail, even if it was done in Ganzhou before, had to be tried by hand step by step in a different region with different soil.

Fortunately, Shen Le has experienced bricklayers who have personally built ancient dragon kilns.

There are master potters who are very familiar with ancient kilns and can serve as the soul of a kiln firing team. They are known as "master potters".

There are also porcelain spirits who can communicate directly with porcelain and seek answers by cheating—even just a simple "yes" or "no" answer can be of great help!
With everyone working together, the damaged kiln was finally cleaned up and a restoration plan was finalized.

Next, the bricklayer specially rented a small brick kiln, fired a batch of bricks, and used the newly fired refractory bricks to build the arched roof on the remaining part of the kiln.
The firebox and kiln bed were built piece by piece, the interior was coated with mud, and a layer of sticky loess was laid on top.
Finally, after the entire kiln was basically dry, the master craftsman personally took charge of drying and testing the repaired dragon kiln:
Throughout the entire restoration process, Shen Le didn't even have the qualifications to get involved. He could only run around, helping to move bricks, help carry soil, and help carry buckets of mud into the kiln.
When preparing for the test firing, he and all his students squatted in a row and made "bang," "bang," "bang," "bang" sounds in the nearby workshop:
"It's so cold. I'm playing in the mud in Northeast China... Although Northeast China is very big, I don't have a home in Dalian..."

The group of people sang incoherently as they worked. They couldn't help it; their work was just too tedious.

Although it was a trial firing, it was conducted according to the requirements of a formal kiln firing, including thermal testing. Since testing was required, the kiln couldn't be fired empty; it had to be filled with the materials to be fired.

These things all have to be made by these students, working hard and diligently!

As novices, they weren't even qualified to throw pottery or make bowls and plates; they could only make kiln tools, such as saggars used to hold porcelain blanks...

These saggers may be a little crooked, a little slanted, or uneven in thickness, but that's not a big deal. Just let the students practice!

This time, the entire kiln bed must be filled with saggars, and at intervals, the saggars must be stacked densely to form firebreaks.

Saggers are actually available for sale, but Professor Zhang said, "Anyway, they should be given some practice. Once they're proficient with saggers, they can become more skilled at making porcelain blanks later..."

Several people worked themselves to the bone to finish making all the saggars before the kiln was built, then fired and let them cool.

When some saggars were filled with porcelain blanks and others were empty, they were neatly stacked into the kiln under the direction of the kiln master. By then, the students' song had been changed to a different version.

The melody remains the same, but the lyrics have become increasingly cheerful:

"Just bought a plane~"

He picked up the casket;

"Just bought a plane~"

Passing the sagger;
"My newly bought plane got shot down~~~"

Standing on tiptoe, stretching out my arms, I stacked the saggars brought in from outside to the highest point, forming a solid wall!

The dragon kiln was long and narrow, and it took a full five days just to stack all these things—during which time they were stacked too tightly or too loosely, too high or too low, requiring constant rework.

Only after all the kiln was finished, the kiln sealed, and firewood added, did all the students cheer and sit in a circle, leaning to one side or the other:
"It should be all better now, right?"

"Should we be able to handle it?"

"If this round of firing goes smoothly, without blowing up the kiln, and the porcelain inside is fired correctly, then our mission is complete, right?"

"No way! You've finished your task, but I still have my work to do!" The student who was singled out by Professor Zhang to calculate values ​​and write a paper wailed with a bitter face.
"Measuring the temperature inside the kiln, conducting thermal tests, calculating the airflow and aerodynamics, there's so much to do!"

As it turns out, people's joys and sorrows are not shared. Apart from him, the other students laughed and joked incessantly, almost ignoring his noise.

Only Shen Le lay on the ground, his head supported by his hands, his eyes slightly closed. His spiritual energy had already seeped into the kiln, sensing the rise and fall of the kiln's spiritual energy and the changes in its breathing.

"It seems to have come back to life a little... I hope this time, if the test firing is successful, it can be fully revived, and the porcelain tower can be fired inside to make it whole again..."

He waited patiently, feeling the flames rise little by little in the firebox, and the hot gas rising rapidly, billowing out from the chimney at the top.

Feel the heat permeate all the saggars, seeping out little by little along the refractory brick walls of the kiln, drying and scorching the mud plaster on the brick walls, until it solidifies into one with the entire kiln;
Feeling a wondrous power surging within the kiln, the ancient aura gradually awakens, merging with the power representing new life, and entering the saggar and the porcelain blank…

From the moment the firewood was first added to the firing of the entire kiln of porcelain, even the first bisque firing took a full thirty-six hours.

In Jingdezhen, there would be kiln workers, including kiln support masters, kiln frame masters, and kiln stand masters, who would lead several shifts of kiln workers to take turns controlling the firing temperature.
But in this unfamiliar place, they could only rely on the stake-carrying master sent by Mr. Zhao to persevere and direct the students to take turns working:
Wearing heavy long-sleeved clothing, thick fireproof gloves, and a special fireproof helmet, they threw firewood into the fire door, handful by handful, and still got scolded by the master:
"too fast!"

"too slow!"

"Hurry up! Faster! Honestly, a bunch of students, all delicate and pampered, I might as well hire a few laborers!"

Students from top universities were verbally abused but dared not retaliate, much less throw a tantrum. They were merely helping to deliver firewood; the master craftsmen, visibly, were working far more hard than them.

Even with the help of two beautiful women, the master piling master could only take a nap for an hour occasionally during these 36 hours.

Once they open their eyes, they stay in front of the kiln day and night, climbing to the top of the chimney to watch the fire, watching the fire from the kiln door, and using the firelight to illuminate the fire...

"It's done."

Thirty-six hours later, the two beautiful women, one on each side of the stake-holding master, suddenly spoke at the same time. At the same moment, Shen Le, standing behind them, also spoke:
"It's cooked!"

Professor Zhang glanced at Shen Le in surprise, then at the two radiant beauties in white porcelain, and swallowed back the question, "How did you know?" She watched as the master craftsman directed the kiln workers to level the fire. After two or three rounds of leveling, once the pine wood in the kiln had burned out, the kiln entered the extinguishing stage.

After two days of cooling, the kiln door was opened, and the fired porcelain and saggars were taken out and inspected one by one:
"Firing successful!"

"This one is a success too!"

"This one was a success too..."

"Success rate over 80%!"

"Very good! Let's start calculating the thermal data and prepare to write the paper!"

"Ah! Teacher, please don't..."

A large group of students were screaming, cheering, clapping, and making a ruckus. Some were even squatting on the ground, picking and choosing items, putting one down and picking another up.
The sponsor, Shen Le, promised them that they could take back any of the porcelain pieces fired this time as souvenirs, even just a few!

He repaired the kiln himself, made and stacked the saggars himself, delivered the firewood and watched the fire himself, and carried the porcelain out of the kiln himself!

Even if it's just a bisque firing, even if it's only covered with a simple layer of white glaze, even if the shape isn't elaborately designed or carved...

This is also a very meaningful piece of porcelain; I absolutely have to take one back with me! I can brag about it for the rest of my life!
"Ah! My porcelain bowl with my name engraved on it! It's broken!!!"

"Serves you right! Who told you to carve your name on it! The first firing is already unstable, and by carving line after line, it's even more likely to crack!"

The students chatted, complained, and bickered, busy with their own things. Meanwhile, Shen Le had already reached the stake-holding master, a broad smile on his face, and presented him with a small porcelain bottle in both hands:

"Master, you've worked so hard... Have some water! Take a rest!"

The stake-carving master, his face covered in dust and soot, took the bottle from Shen Le, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go. Immediately afterward, he shivered, tilted his head back, and exhaled a long breath.
"Phew—what kind of water is this! Which spring is it from? I feel so refreshed!"

"There are more here, there are more." Shen Le magically produced two more small porcelain bottles, one celadon and one white porcelain, with smooth curves and a glaze as smooth as jade.

This time, the stake-setting master didn't get a result, but instead gave Shen Le a deep look:
"What? Is there any work assigned to me?"

"Once this kiln is fired, I'll need your help again." Shen Le smiled broadly, almost bowing, and presented the bottle to the kiln master with both hands.

These two bottles contain spiritual water that he collected in the secret realm. In the secret realm, it was just ordinary spring water, but in the outside world, it can be described as having abundant spiritual energy.

It relieves fatigue and nourishes the spirit; even minor injuries and ailments can be significantly improved after just one bottle!

The staking master had been working with Mr. Zhao's team for a long time and knew a bit about it. He took the bottle and held it tightly in his hand, staring at Shen Le.

Shen Le gave a slight bow and led him to the back, winding his way around until they reached the back of a house.
"Here's the thing, I want to put this white porcelain tower back into the kiln and fire it again, so that it can be reassembled from its fragments. I'll need the master craftsman to help me control the fire then—"

With money, extra rewards that money can't buy, and the full trust of the patron, the pile driver happily agreed.

After resting for two days, he personally directed Shen Le to fix the porcelain pagoda fragments in the kiln, apply enough porcelain powder to the broken edges, seal the kiln, add firewood, and start firing.

This time, as soon as the flames started, Shen Le's expression turned serious. The two white porcelain demons also looked grim, staying close by and circling the kiln.

The next day, one of them suddenly leaped up and jumped into the fire door:
"what!!!"

The pile driver cried out in alarm and lunged towards the kiln door, but Shen Le grabbed him. Shen Le, covered in sweat, kept whispering:
"It's alright! It's alright! It's not afraid of the fire, just wait patiently, it'll be out in a bit!"

The pile driver stared blankly. This middle-aged man in his forties was pale and had purple lips under the heat of the kiln. He was trembling all over.

Fortunately, after a few breaths, the white porcelain demon that had jumped into the kiln leaped out again, stood still in front of the kiln door, dusted itself off, and was still spotless.
"not too good."

He shook his head at Shen Le with a sullen face, and took two steps closer:

"The porcelain tower hasn't absorbed enough spiritual energy to fully close. I'm afraid... you'll have to think of another way."

Shen Le: "..."

No!
I've worked so hard, gone through so many days, paid such a high price, and asked so many favors!
From university professors to local archaeological teams, and then to the Special Affairs Bureau, I went through a whole string of troubles, only to be told in the end that it couldn't be done?
I……

But by then, it was too late to turn off the fire, extinguish the kiln, and bring out the white porcelain tower.

Shen Le gritted his teeth and served his master diligently, helping him finish firing the kiln, extinguishing the fire, and allowing it to cool.

As soon as the kiln door opened, before the craftsmen could even step inside and remove the porcelain tower, Shen Le rushed in and threw himself at it. Without touching it, without dismantling the supports, he let out a long sigh:
No.

Sure enough, it doesn’t work.

On the porcelain tower, cracks crisscrossed, and the porcelain powder that had been applied beforehand was absorbed into it once again, leaving not a trace.
Meanwhile, the porcelain pagoda fragments continued their relentless, dissatisfied banging against each other. The little oil lamp diligently flew in, acting as their mouthpiece, constantly chattering:

【not enough! 】

【not enough! 】

Too little!

That's not enough! Let's do it again! Let's do it again!

Grandpas, I'm begging you on my knees! If your fever relapses, I'll help you relapse;
You wanted to re-fire in the kiln where you were born, so I went to great lengths to find the kiln for you and used a lot of manpower, resources, and connections to restore it.

If this isn't enough, you can't expect me to jump into the kiln myself and burn my body to light your fire, can you?
They say, "You didn't repair this kiln, so they can't get the power to do it!"

Shen Le: "..."

Do you expect me to smash up this half-kiln that I just added, then mix the mud, fire the bricks, build it up again, and fire the kiln all over again?

Oh my God! ! !
(End of this chapter)