Chapter 53: The Old Workshop, the Shaded Green Pond
"Mr. Yi, is there something I can help you with?" The question was polite, almost distant.
At the teahouse, Yi Chilian held a black game piece between his fingers, his brow creasing slightly. This Sui Yi—had he truly forgotten his voice? Or was he simply feigning ignorance again?
Remembering how he'd been hung up on last time, his tone dropped a notch. "I heard you met with Jiang Yunxiu?"
...
Who told you that?
"He's not a good person, you know. Has a penchant for luring young girls..."
...
Are you really bad-mouthing your childhood friend to me?
"Don’t meet him in private. If something happens, I won’t be able to save you..."
Sui Yi was stunned for a moment before regaining her composure and replying softly, "Mr. Yi, you must be mistaken. I haven't met with your friend in private, nor do I have any such intentions, so you needn’t worry..."
Yi Chilian’s lips curved slightly; the game piece at his fingertip suddenly seemed more pleasing to the eye.
"Social status is important—I would never aim for someone like Mr. Jiang, nor do I intend to. There’s no need for you to call me about matters like this again..."
Clack!
The piece landed on the board with a crisp, assertive sound.
Yi Chilian narrowed his eyes, his tone faint. "Status, is it? I wouldn’t have thought someone so young would have such insight."
"It seems Mr. Yi is always reminding me how young I am, but in truth, I'm not so young—perhaps it's just that you’re a bit more mature yourself..."
"I’m twenty-six—not old by any means."
...
"I’ve given my warning. Considering I've saved you twice, you’d do well to keep that in mind... Don’t meet with that kid in private again. All right, the signal here is bad, I’m hanging up!"
The call ended. Mr. Yi felt a rare sense of satisfaction. Ha! This time, it’s my turn to hang up on you!
Returning from the restroom, Jiang Yunxiu caught sight of Yi Chilian with a faint ripple of amusement on his usually impassive face.
"Who was that on the phone? You look awfully pleased..."
"Was I smiling?" Yi Chilian's expression turned bland.
...
Don’t lie! Even with three eyes I could see you were smiling!
Jiang Yunxiu sneered, lowering his head to resume the game—only to glance at the board and his face darkened.
"Yi Chilian, what’s the meaning of this?"
"Hmm?" Yi Chilian scanned the board indifferently. "Your pieces are surrounded. I’ve captured nine of them. That’s right."
Damn you!
We’re playing Five-in-a-Row, not Go!
——
"Hey, Sui Yi, how did you get that scar on your ankle?"
As they carried the buckets back, Ah A had noticed the thin, ring-shaped mark around Sui Yi's ankle.
"It’s always been there."
---
Sui Yi held her phone, recalling Yi Chilian’s peculiar words, feeling a bit suspicious. Was he really just pressing her to repay a favor so urgently?
But she quickly put that thought aside; the matter with Ye Zhang was more pressing.
Ah A, who knew there might be trouble at Sui Yi’s home, said, “I just spoke to Old Lin. That group—those people—they’re not from our Jiangnan district. They might have some powerful backing. The authorities seem wary, there’s no record of them at all.”
“Is that so…” Sui Yi frowned. If that was the case, it was even trickier.
“Yes. He also said it might be something about your grandmother’s ancestral tomb that interests them. They seem to have a clear goal in mind; otherwise, they wouldn’t go to such lengths. You’d best look into the origins of the tomb.”
“I’m not from around here—I only arrived a few years ago, so I’ve never heard any rumors. But the villagers have mentioned that things weren’t exactly peaceful here long ago.”
Such rumors always carried a mysterious air, something the elders avoided discussing, while the children treated them as mere stories.
As they walked, Zhang Yang and the others followed behind, absorbed in their phones, the click-clack of QQ chat keys tapping away.
Zhao Yue and Wen Ling, who had initially been hostile toward Sui Yi, had softened their attitude—mainly because her fighting skills were too formidable.
They didn’t dare provoke her!
The two boys had also settled down, but their gazes toward Sui Yi burned even brighter.
Everyone has a hero’s dream, and Sui Yi’s calm confidence and decisive action had been too dazzling—she’d resolved a crisis with ease, so unlike those other girls who shrieked at the sight of cockroaches.
She was never pretentious, always generous and poised!
Unfortunately, since they hadn’t befriended her sooner, the two boys could only follow behind, racking their brains for ways to strike up a conversation…
They walked on, and as this was the first visit to the area for the students and Ah A, Sui Yi and Wang Pu decided to take the longer route to see the real porcelain kiln.
In China, many place names are drawn from local characteristics—just as the country’s name in English, “China,” comes from its porcelain.
The Porcelain Kiln, colloquially known as Jiaotan or Jiaotan Kiln, was a major base for firing blue-and-white porcelain bowls for everyday use in the Jiangnan region during the Qing Dynasty, established in the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty.
It combines residential buildings, ancient ceramic production lines, old temples, and opera stages, preserving the ancient village structure centered around handicraft workshops from the dawn of the commercial economy. As it was a small, private kiln rather than an official one handed down from antiquity, it was modest in scale, known only in the Jiangnan area.
Luckily, most of it was well-preserved and maintained. The local farmers were simple folk, the atmosphere steeped in antiquity. Sui Yi and the others wandered through two-story wooden stilt houses—massive, with deep corridors and beams reeking of age and decay. People still lived inside; the elderly were hardly surprised to see visitors, as tourists came often.
Beyond the stilt houses lay the Three Halls and the ancient opera stage. Walking among these structures, it was as if they’d returned to the bustling days of the Ming and Qing dynasties, mingling with the common people.
Zhang Yang and his friends were mainly interested in playing with clay at the old workshop—in other words, pottery-making!
The workshop was ancient. Upon entering, Sui Yi spread her magnetic sense, seeing a pale mist clinging to the buildings—a sign of their age.
The cultural aura here was less dense than that of books, but the ancient porcelain bowls were another matter entirely.
There was only one potter in the old workshop, a middle-aged man of nondescript appearance, with a certain woodenness typical of craftsmen. He was courteous and unpretentious in speech. The locals called him Master Shen, though he was an outsider who’d settled here more than a decade ago.
He never left the kiln, not even to visit the village below—a solitary, eccentric man who could endure loneliness.
Sui Yi didn’t join the others in playing with clay; instead, she wandered around the workshop. Ah A, knowing Sui Yi was always independent, followed, eyeing the clay and pondering what style Sui Yi might like.
The workshop wasn’t large—there was a front yard, a main courtyard, and a rear yard. The main courtyard was the biggest, with kilns and drying rooms. The rear yard, some distance away and connected by a long, shadowy corridor, was the sort only someone as free-spirited and bold as Sui Yi would explore alone.
After a while, she pushed open the door to the rear yard. Before her lay a secluded courtyard, opening onto the hillside. Fallen leaves fluttered down, settling on the ground. Damp air mingled with the moss sprouting between the blue stone tiles, decaying with the years.
The scent was raw and metallic, thick with moisture; the silence and gloom weighed heavily, giving the place an eerie air.
Sui Yi didn’t care much for such places. She was about to leave when, glancing to her right, she caught sight of a pool.
A channel from the mountain fed spring water into the pool. When full, the water spilled over onto the stones; when not, the mist kept the place dank.
But the water itself was clear, almost serene.
By the pool stood a banyan tree, its leaves deep green, neither large nor small, its roots gnarled, rising four or five meters tall.
It had an ancient presence.
A thick canopy of leaves shaded a third of the pool—a scene hard to put into words.
Interest piqued, Sui Yi, shoes still damp, jacket draped over her arm, wandered over.
She peered into the pool—the water was deep, crystal clear, yet the deeper she looked, the murkier it seemed, as though silt or water plants obscured the bottom.
Her own face was reflected on the surface.
Above, the lush green leaves hovered, glowing with life.
The breeze rippled the water, twisting her reflection and the leaves into something warped and sinister.
Slowly, the distorted leaves morphed—shaping another face.
That face dropped down!
Startled, Sui Yi instinctively backed away.
Splash!
The twisted, unrecognizable face was terrifying; the black, shadowy creature it belonged to landed on the edge of the pool, crouched like a giant monkey.
It pressed low...
Before Sui Yi could see clearly, it lunged; claws—if they were claws—snatched her ankle.
So fast—far quicker than that young man had been!
Sui Yi’s eyes flashed cold. She was about to kick the shadow away when a surge of force gripped her calf and yanked her violently.
The strength was terrifying—enough, she thought, to lift a small car with ease.
Let alone a girl who barely weighed ninety pounds!
Her jacket flew from her grasp—
Splash!
Sui Yi was dragged wholly into the pool!
Water sprayed everywhere, the great crash echoing outward—
"What was that sound?" Ah A was first to react, glancing toward the rear yard.
Master Shen, who was guiding Zhang Yang and the others, paused, then said, "Wait here, I’ll go take a look..."
"Sui Yi isn’t here!" Ah A had already thrown aside her half-shaped clay bowl and was running for the rear yard.
Wang Pu and the others rushed after her!
Master Shen, worried for them all, naturally followed.
——— (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian to vote and leave a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.reading.)