Zhang Moyan didn't sleep much all night. Last night, after she discovered that the porcelain pieces of the Wang family's plum vase had two layers of bottom layers, Xiao Xingyu carried the box into the backyard workshop and never came back.
When everyone had breakfast, Xiao Xingyu and Xiao Guotao were not seen at the table. She asked Uncle Chai, who said that the grandson and grandpa had breakfast in the studio. In short, it was best for everyone not to disturb them.
Zhang Moyan had a vague feeling that the secret was about to be revealed. He was currently in the process of doing so, and the result still had to wait.
The whole morning was spent in boredom, and I didn't know how many times I checked my cell phone, until it was close to ten o'clock when Xiao Xingyu suddenly called me.
"Mo Yan, come to Grandpa's place. We have made an important discovery."
Zhang Moyan rushed to Xiao Guotao's yard immediately, crossed the threshold and walked into rows of porcelain racks like a warehouse. Xiao Guotao and Xiao Xingyu were already waiting for her at the workbench.
Xiao Xingyu came up to her and took her hand: "Wait a moment, Mrs. Yuan is on her way."
"Okay." Zhang Moyan's eyes slowly glanced at a plum vase glued together on the large workbench. Judging from the shape of the vase, it should be the Wang family's Sima Guang smashed vase. Why can it only be judged from the shape of the vase?
Judgment? Because the glaze layer on this plum vase has been thrown away, leaving only a bare body.
Not long after, Mrs. Yuan, Wang Zhongguo and Xiaowa arrived, and Xiao Weizhou and Xiao Huai were also called over by Xiao Guotao.
Xiao Guotao said to Zhang Moyan, "I've been waiting for a long time" and beckoned everyone to come forward. "Yesterday, Xingyu's wife discovered that there were two layers of fetal substance under the glaze of this plum vase. Xingyu brought it to me overnight to study it.
After analysis, we suspected that the two layers of clay were made at different times. In order to find out why the embryo had to be made twice, we decided to remove the glaze layer and the outer layer of clay from the plum vase. Sure enough, we discovered the hidden secret.
, look at this!"
"Is this... sculpture porcelain?" Xiao Huai couldn't help but sigh.
"That's understandable." Xiao Xingyu stood aside with his arms folded, giving up his spot to others.
Zhang Moyan looked at the bottle pointed by Xiao Guotao, and saw a pattern carved on the gray plain body using the inscription method. In fact, the structure of the picture was very similar to the previous "Sima Guang Smashing the Vat".
There are several characters on the ground, but they don't look like children but adults. There is also something like a large vat in the center of the picture. The upper body of a little girl is outside, but the lower body is not inside.
"Brother Yu, what's going on here? The expression on the person above is so weird. Why does it look so weird?" Xiaowa expressed his feelings directly and couldn't pretend at all.
However, what he was talking about was exactly what Zhang Moyan felt. This painting did not have the rejuvenation feeling of the previous picture of Sima Guang smashing the vat. Instead, it exuded a strong gloomy and suffocating temperament.
Mrs. Yuan and Wang Zhongguo couldn't see any reason to worry: "What does this mean? Is this the secret of the legendary azure glazed porcelain hidden in our family?"
Xiao Xingyu was silent for a few seconds: "I think so."
Yuan Hongying, Wang Zhongguo, and Xiaowa were refreshed at the same time, and changed their admiring eyes to look at the vase again.
Yuan Hongying asked excitedly: "What is this secret? What does this painting express?"
Xiao Xingyu and Xiao Guotao were silent at the same time.
"Is it possible..." Xiao Weizhou speculated with a cautious tone, "Is this a human sacrifice?"
"Human martyrdom?!" Wang Zhongguo was startled, and his hair stood on end, "This, this...how could this be a human martyrdom?"
Xiao Xingyu put down his folded hands, took a complicated look at the gray-white plum vase carvings, and narrated eloquently: "The manuscript of Tsinghua University's "Ancient Famous Kiln Data Collection" records a legend that the emperor issued an imperial edict to burn
When he was making new azure porcelain, the two porcelain officials failed to fire and were beheaded. The third porcelain official failed to fire even two kilns. Finally, his 7-year-old daughter jumped into the third kiln while the porcelain was being fired.
Finally, the sky-blue porcelain was successfully fired."
Wang Zhongguo almost fainted when he heard this: "No, it's impossible! Is this what this painting is about? How could our family's ancestral secret...how could it be this?"
Xiaowa pointed furiously at the thing that looked like a vat that half of the little girl was submerged in, and asked loudly: "So what is this thing?!"
Xiao Huai: "It is a kiln for firing porcelain."
"ah?"
The room was as quiet as after a bomb was dropped. Zhang Moyan, Yuan Hongying, Wang Zhongguo and Xiaowa looked shocked and couldn't believe it for a long time.
After a while, Zhang Moyan asked in confusion: "Why do we need to sacrifice people? Grandpa, haven't you made a few pieces of azure glazed porcelain? You probably didn't need to sacrifice people, right?"
Xiao Xingyu affirmed: "Of course not. Murder is against the law. How could grandpa be so heartless?"
Xiao Guotao said slowly: "The firing process of azure glazed porcelain is very difficult to observe, and there are many legends. It is a common saying that agate is put into the glaze. There is also a folk legend that is not widely circulated that people were martyred, but these two have passed through me
Years of experimentation have had no effect."
"Ah?" Xiaowa was frightened, "Master Guotao, you have used people before..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao Xingyu glared at him, and he hurriedly covered his mouth and silenced himself.
"Of course not," Xiao Guotao said, "The main component of agate is silica. I have tried mixing agate in glaze and firing it, but it has no effect. I think it is probably because agate was also a precious gemstone in ancient times. This legend
It is to increase the nobility of azure glazed porcelain. As for human sacrifice, although I have never used human sacrifices, I have tried adding various animal bones to the kiln and firing them together, and adjusted various proportions and blended them.
Even with the possible heat, I did not achieve success. The azure glaze porcelain I accidentally fired has nothing to do with these two raw materials, and it is more due to luck!"
After everyone heard what Xiao Guotao said, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Yuan Hongying lowered her head and smiled bitterly, stretched out her old hand and gently touched the plum vase, and said with some sadness: "Finally the truth has been revealed. It turns out that our family really hides the secret of azure glazed porcelain. Maybe one of our ancestors also felt this
The secret was incorrect, so I sealed it with new clay. Perhaps that was when our Wang family began to leave the porcelain business."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Your ancestors of the Wang family are wise!" Xiao Guotao said, "Compared with our family, the Chen family in Tongchuan and the Geng family in Hangzhou, your Wang family has lived a great life over the past few hundred years.
I am happy and peaceful, and I have not suffered any losses because of the azure glazed porcelain."
Yuan Hongying took Xiaowa and Wang Zhongguo's hands and nodded with mixed feelings.
"Mo Yan," Xiao Xingyu put his arms around Zhang Moyan's shoulders, his voice was soft and solemn, "There is something important, have you noticed it?"
Zhang Moyan held her breath subconsciously: "What is it?"
Xiao Xingyu stared at her, tapped the little girl depicted on the plum vase with his index finger, and swallowed: "When you were kidnapped by the kidnappers, they must have wanted your mother to exchange the plum vase for you. Your mother
Without consent, it’s not that I don’t want you, but that I’m saving you.”
Zhang Moyan seemed to have been hit by a sudden bullet in the heart. He stood frozen on the spot, unable to move.
Xiao Xingyu's eyes gradually turned red as she looked at her: "I think Zhang Shunqing must have guessed the secret hidden in this bottle back then. He also told your mother this secret, that is, to make azure glazed porcelain, a girl must be used."
Naturally, we don’t believe in this dehumanizing folk remedy, but those Japanese people don’t necessarily believe that! If they know about this method of killing a girl, they will definitely try it, and they happen to have a ready-made girl on hand, right?
?”
Zhang Moyan couldn't help but burst into tears, one by one. She felt like a huge bell was roaring in her head. It was extremely difficult for her to breathe, and her heart felt like it was being clenched together and it was painful.
It is difficult to describe in words how she felt at this moment, the strong regret and resentment, both sad and happy, sad and excited... It turned out that she was not a child abandoned by her mother! Her mother loved her! She loved her.
! At this moment, the beautiful woman who smiled tenderly at her in her dream finally emerged from the shackles of darkness, embracing her with a warm and gentle brilliance, making every cell of her body wrapped in love and trembling!
Suddenly, a series of messy footsteps sounded from far to near.
"It's not good, it's not good!" Uncle Chai's rushing shout interrupted Zhang Moyan's sudden realization.
Xiao Weizhou hurriedly came outside: "What happened? Are you so panicked?"
Uncle Chai was out of breath and said: "Oh no, Chen Guanfu, Chen Guanfu brought a Japanese to our museum in Xiao Sheng!"