Chen Qingwu hesitated for an instant, then extended her hand.

But Meng Fuyuan only lightly grasped her wrist.

The guiding force was subtle, almost imperceptible. She got out of the car following the momentum. As she landed, Meng Fuyuan reminded her “be careful.”

The instant she stood steady, he withdrew his hand.

Chen Qingwu stepped on those rocks walking toward the riverbank, hearing rumbling sounds. Looking up and back, it was trucks passing over the bridge overhead.

After this burst of noise, the surroundings actually seemed even more silent.

The air by the riverbank was damp, carrying the mild heat of early summer.

A gust of wind blew past. Chen Qingwu took a deep breath, fresh air flooding into her lungs.

She brushed back her hair, bent down to pick up a pebble from the ground, and flung it toward the river.

A “plop” as it sank to the bottom.

It was as if part of her bad mood had also been thrown out.

She laughed lightly.

Just as she was about to bend down to pick up another, a hand reached in front of her.

Meng Fuyuan’s palm slightly opened, holding a handful of small pebbles of convenient size.

She had never observed carefully before—his fingers were actually this slender. With his sleeves rolled up exposing distinct wrist bones, even that not-particularly-expensive silver wristwatch seemed to be set off with noble origins, priceless.

Chen Qingwu paused, suddenly remembering a past event.

It was still in elementary school, she couldn’t quite remember which specific year.

A new arcade had opened in the mall. Qiran clamored to go. Uncle Meng couldn’t resist, so he had Meng Fuyuan take them, stipulating they couldn’t play too long—once they finished the money given to them, they had to go home.

The exchanged tokens were split half and half between Qiran and her.

That day was an opening promotion with many games offering extra rewards. There was a shooting game that exchanged rewards based on single-round highest scores. First place prize was a 3D puzzle she really liked.

The game gun was a machine gun structure, a very heavy one. With her thin and weak physique, she got exhausted after holding it for just a bit.

Combined with playing shooting games rarely, her operation was stiff. Game tokens flowed in like water, but her score didn’t even make the top ten.

Qiran came over to help play two rounds, only making it to third place. He was still thinking about his own motorcycle racing game, so he told her to forget it, play something easier—as for that 3D puzzle, he’d buy it for her later.

She still silently continued grinding her score by herself until all the game tokens were used up.

At that time, Meng Fuyuan had dropped them off at the arcade then went to the bookstore next door to read. Estimating the time for token consumption, he went to the arcade to pick them up.

When Meng Fuyuan found her, she was staring longingly yet gloomily at the points leaderboard above.

Meng Fuyuan observed her for a while, reached out, and directly took the emptied token basket from her hands, telling her to wait right there, don’t move.

Before long, he came back with the token basket, which now had twenty more tokens in it.

Just as she was about to speak, he said, don’t tell Qiran.

Then handed her the token basket, saying, help me insert the tokens.

She had never thought before that Meng Fuyuan would play games, and moreover play them quite well.

He held the game gun expressionlessly, his shooting accuracy astonishingly precise.

Just one round, and he achieved the high score required for first prize.

She called over the staff member and happily exchanged for the prize. There were still seventeen tokens left. Meng Fuyuan asked her if there was anything else she wanted to play.

She browsed around and took a fancy to a small anthropomorphic tomato toy in the claw machine. Meng Fuyuan used fifteen tokens to grab it out for her.

Two tokens remained, but she was already completely satisfied, so she generously “rewarded” them to Meng Qiran.

Meng Qiran looked at the puzzle and toy she held in her hands and asked, did my brother carry you?

Meng Fuyuan said coldly: I’m not that bored.

She held the toy to cover her face, suppressing a secret smile.

At this moment, that handful of small pebbles in Meng Fuyuan’s hand was like game tokens waiting for her to squander.

Chen Qingwu reached out, picked up two from his palm, raised her arm and threw them out one by one.

Meng Fuyuan’s fingers moved slightly, because the instant she picked up the pebbles, the skin of his palm felt like it had been lightly pecked.

One after another, the pebbles were thrown away.

Meng Fuyuan asked: “Want more?”

Chen Qingwu smiled and shook her head.

She stepped forward, walking along the riverbank. Behind her she heard Meng Fuyuan following at an unhurried pace.

“Did you discover this place yourself?”

Behind her, Meng Fuyuan hummed in acknowledgment.

“Pretty quiet.”

Meng Fuyuan hummed again.

Chen Qingwu didn’t speak for a moment, until passing the reed marsh ahead, where a large stone suddenly stood in the riverbed, the water flow becoming rapid, making rushing sounds.

Meng Fuyuan heard Chen Qingwu speak but didn’t catch specifically what she said, so he stepped forward, “Hm?”

Chen Qingwu’s steps halted as she turned around, “I said…”

She stopped abruptly, because she hadn’t expected Meng Fuyuan to be only half a step away from her. When she looked up, she nearly collided directly with his gaze.

His expression was actually quite ordinary, yet inexplicably her spine tensed.

Last time when she broke the wind chime and cried, he had come over to embrace her.

At that time they were clearly much closer than this moment, so why didn’t it feel anything like now, so uncomfortable.

“…I said, it’s a bit annoying. I still don’t know how to explain this matter to the family.” Chen Qingwu said as if nothing was wrong.

Meng Fuyuan was quiet for an instant before calmly speaking: “Qingwu, you said Qiran doesn’t like you. I think perhaps that’s not necessarily so.”

Chen Qingwu looked up, “Last time you said you were completely neutral.”

Meng Fuyuan nodded.

“Then why are you speaking up for Qiran?”

Meng Fuyuan looked at her: “I’m not speaking up for him, Qingwu.”

That gaze was quiet and sincere, absolutely without any intention to twist logic.

“I think perhaps there’s a misunderstanding between you two.” Meng Fuyuan said again.

Chen Qingwu smiled slightly, “…Whether there’s a misunderstanding or not doesn’t matter anymore. It’s me who doesn’t want him. Whether he likes me or not, I won’t want him anymore.”

Meng Fuyuan didn’t speak.

By rights he should feel secretly pleased, but he didn’t at all, because he only felt that Qingwu’s smile was only on her face, not in her eyes.

Twenty-five years of growing up together—was such affection really that easy to sever?

If she liked Qiran, he’d rather she got what she wished for.

This desolate wind shouldn’t belong to her.

Leave it to him alone.

Meng Fuyuan opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Chen Qingwu said with a smile: “Try to persuade me again and see if I don’t block you.”

Meng Fuyuan said: “I wasn’t planning to persuade you anymore. If this is your decision.”

“This is my decision.”

Chen Qingwu turned around and continued walking forward.

Meng Fuyuan then followed in silence.

After walking for quite a while, Chen Qingwu suddenly stopped, turning to look back toward where they’d parked, “Should we go back? Have we walked too far?”

“Feeling better?” Meng Fuyuan looked at her.

Chen Qingwu nodded.

Meng Fuyuan said: “It’s all up to you.”

“…I want to walk a bit more.”

Meng Fuyuan said: “Okay.”

They walked for a long time, until the lights of surrounding residences became increasingly sparse, and Chen Qingwu finally stopped.

She turned to look back.

It turned out to be such a long stretch of road.

So long that she absolutely didn’t want to turn back anymore.

Meng Fuyuan looked down at her, “Are you tired from walking?”

Chen Qingwu didn’t make a sound.

“Then wait here for me. I’ll drive the car over.”

Before she could say okay, Meng Fuyuan had already turned and walked away.

She just stood in place, watching Meng Fuyuan stride rapidly into that stretch of night.

She waited for a while. Just when she was doubting whether the person had disappeared, she saw car lights illuminate in the distant darkness.

The car drove along the small path on the riverbank, finally stopping by the roadside where wild grass lay flattened.

She suddenly thought of that summer when she was nine, after she’d made that phone call, waiting in front of the small shop for Meng Fuyuan to come pick her up.

As night fell on all sides, she finally heard the ringing of a bicycle bell.

Meng Fuyuan slightly hunched his back, the bicycle approaching like the wind. His feet touched the ground as he stopped in front of her.

He glanced at the rear seat, saying coldly: “Get on.”

Even though his tone was so unkind, the anxiety that had accumulated in her all afternoon suddenly and silently settled.

As if even if the sky fell, she could trust Meng Fuyuan.

At this moment, she stood in the brightness cast by the car lights, seeing the window roll down, Meng Fuyuan leaning out.

“Qingwu.”

“Come get in the car.”

The wood-fired kiln at the creative arts park opened four times a year. The most recent time was just before Dragon Boat Festival.

Chen Qingwu made an appointment in advance with the wood kiln’s person in charge, delivering her completed tea set before the kiln opening.

After the kiln was filled, they lit the fire to begin firing.

Fire for a full twenty-four hours, then cool for seventy-two hours before the kiln could be opened.

In the evening, Chen Qingwu sent Meng Fuyuan a WeChat message: The kiln will open soon. I hope things didn’t get ruined in the firing, otherwise I’ll have to continue delaying Sister An’s timeline.

Very quickly, Meng Fuyuan replied: When will the kiln open?

Chen Qingwu: Estimated around 7 AM.

Meng Fuyuan: May I come watch?

Chen Qingwu: We’ll probably arrive around 6:30, very early.

Meng Fuyuan: That’s fine.

Just past six o’clock, Chen Qingwu received a message from Meng Fuyuan saying he’d arrived at the entrance to the studio that owned the wood kiln.

Chen Qingwu told him to wait a moment, she’d come get him.

The sky hadn’t fully brightened yet. The morning breeze carried a stock of water vapor.

Turning the corner, she saw Meng Fuyuan standing before the door, just a simple outfit of white shirt and black pants. In the pale dawn light, he had a kind of refined elegance—like a young master who disdains brocade and silk, wearing white ramie as spring clothing.

Chen Qingwu waved to greet him.

Meng Fuyuan turned to glance at her, then started walking toward her.

When he reached her, Chen Qingwu explained: “Wood kilns require special fire prevention, so it’s built in the open space in back.”

Meng Fuyuan nodded.

Going around the main building and walking back, there was a factory-style building with an extremely high roof. Inside was a brick kiln built in a stepped formation extending upward.

In front of the kiln was already crowded with people, mostly craftspeople who had come today to wait for the kiln opening.

Chen Qingwu stood on tiptoe to look ahead, glimpsing that there was still space, so she said: “Let’s go a bit forward.”

She squeezed forward through the gaps in the crowd, turning her head to look, only to see Meng Fuyuan still in his original spot, as if unable to imitate her behavior.

So she retreated a step, reached out to grab his arm, “Is this your first time watching a kiln opening—are you only going to watch people’s heads?”

Meng Fuyuan held his breath for an instant, fingers curling then releasing.

Even through the fabric of his shirt, the skin of his arm could clearly sense the warmth of her fingers.

He seemed to lose his ability to think for a moment, just like this being led by her, squeezing through the crowd to the very front.

Chen Qingwu released her hand, reaching into her cargo pants pocket for her phone to check the time.

Meng Fuyuan unobtrusively raised his hand, gripping the place on his arm where she had just grabbed.

“The auspicious time calculated is 6:58, still a bit longer.” Chen Qingwu locked her phone screen and said.

“You have to calculate the time too?”

“Yes.” Chen Qingwu said with a smile, “Consider it psychological comfort.”

“How long does one kiln firing take?”

“This is a newly built wood-fired kiln. Temperature rises relatively quickly—firing for about twenty-four hours is enough. Like the dragon kilns over in Dehua, they only heat up a few degrees per hour, so they might need to fire for over sixty hours. Firing is actually okay—what’s hardest to endure is the cooling time. Generally you need to cool for over three days before you can open the kiln.”

“What happens if you open the kiln early?”

“It might crack. When I was playing with small wood kilns back in the porcelain capital, one time I couldn’t resist and opened it early—that entire kiln was ruined.”

Meng Fuyuan looked at her.

He loved hearing her talk about the work she enjoyed. That kind of spirited radiance let him also forget his troubles.

“Have you been to Dehua?” Meng Fuyuan asked.

“Yeah. I went there before to observe and study. Dehua white porcelain is especially good. Now the masters there can already use ceramics to fire the texture of light gauze.”

Chatting casually like this, before they knew it the kiln opening time arrived.

The various kiln masters each respectfully offered three incense sticks, chanting “Auspicious time, auspicious day, smooth kiln opening.”

Meng Fuyuan glimpsed Chen Qingwu also closing her eyes with hands clasped together, as if nervously praying.

After the simple kiln opening ceremony ended, two masters took hammers and smashed open the brick wall sealing the kiln door.

Smoke and dust scattered everywhere.

The kiln workers entered the kiln, sequentially moving out the saggars and kiln shelves from each chamber. Everyone then went like parents picking up children from kindergarten, claiming their own works one by one.

After waiting quite a while, Chen Qingwu’s batch was finally unloaded.

She couldn’t wait to squat down on the ground, checking the vessels in the saggars.

“The light is better outside, let’s look outside.” Meng Fuyuan rolled up his sleeves, bending down to lift up the square saggar.

“Your clothes will get dirty.”

“It’s fine.”

Walking out, they suddenly heard a cheer.

It turned out someone had fired a kiln-transformed plum vase with extremely good appearance.

Chen Qingwu said “wait for me a moment,” then went over. After getting the owner’s permission, she reached out to gently touch it.

A moment later she came back, saying with a smile: “Borrowing some of his good luck.”

Meng Fuyuan couldn’t control it—the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.

Reaching the open space outside, Meng Fuyuan set down the saggar.

Chen Qingwu squatted down to count her spoils, “Good, good—only one piece got ruined in firing!”

She took out a cup and handed it to him, “Look, look—this one has both fire iridescence and green pooled glaze, so beautiful! Doesn’t it look like that ancient poem, half the river rustling, half the river red.”

Meng Fuyuan took it in his hands, turning it in circles to appreciate it.

“This natural ash glaze from falling ash also looks so good…” She rummaged through those ceramics, her eyes sparkling.

Meng Fuyuan’s gaze moved past the cup, settling on her.

It was still Chen Qingwu’s sophomore year.

He had gone abroad to attend a symposium and had to transfer through North City on his way back to South City, so he took the opportunity to invite Qiran and Qingwu to dinner. The restaurant was in the same direction as Qingwu’s school, so he first picked up Qiran, then went with Qiran to the Art Academy to pick up Qingwu.

Qiran made a phone call. Qingwu didn’t answer, so he said she was probably in the classroom making things, not paying attention to her phone.

Qiran was about to go in to find her. It was his first time at this school and he also wanted to look around, so he followed along into the campus.

Qiran clearly came often and navigated easily to the teaching building where the ceramics department was located.

The student practice classroom was at the innermost end of the corridor.

He stood outside the corridor window. Looking past a row of shelves displaying drying clay pieces, he saw at a glance a girl sitting by the window, completely absorbed in shaping clay.

The window was full of greenery, with broken light between the leaves rippling slightly like water.

She wore a simple white T-shirt, hair casually tied up.

Her hands were full of mud, yet it made that face appear as clean and beautiful as white glaze.

He was dazed for a moment. After being stunned briefly, he then recognized—oh, that was Chen Qingwu.

When Chen Qingwu started seventh grade, he had already gone to university. After that he went abroad for graduate school, came back to start a business, permanently residing in East City. Only seeing her hurriedly during holidays each year, only feeling that this girl had grown taller, her body didn’t look so sickly anymore…

Beyond that, there was virtually no close interaction.

In this instant, he suddenly realized she was no longer that family friend’s little sister who often needed his extra care.

After that, he always thought of that scene inexplicably during his leisure time.

Later when returning to South City for family gatherings, he always couldn’t control looking at her. Initially it might have been hoping to see some shadow of her childhood self, to bridge that indescribable unfamiliar heart palpitation from that glimpse that day.

But the more he looked, the harder it became to look away.

Later one late night, his parents had gone to the Chen house to play cards. He was in the third-floor study working on a financing proposal. Just as he was about to go downstairs for water, he heard her and Qiran return.

The two didn’t linger in the living room but went directly upstairs to Qiran’s room.

Even to this day he still remembered the feeling at that moment—how shocked he was to realize jealousy surging within himself.

Such ugly and unfamiliar emotions—he had never experienced them before.

After that, the more he wanted to expel this jealous obsession, the deeper he sank in his attention to her.

So much so that in the end all that remained was being deeply tormented by a guilty sense of moral transgression, the despair of being mired in a quagmire.

“Look at this one. This is the glaze color from that test piece you chose last time. Fired in a wood kiln it’s even more beautiful than in an electric kiln.” Chen Qingwu held the cup in front of Meng Fuyuan.

Meng Fuyuan didn’t take it. She looked up puzzled.

Meng Fuyuan was looking at her, but also seemed not to be looking at the her before him.

His gaze was deep and profound, like an abyss in quiet repose. It should clearly have been cold, yet it made her gaze feel as if it had been scorched.

Her heart startled as she hastily averted her eyes.

“Let me see.” Meng Fuyuan put down the “half the river rustling, half the river red” in his hand to take the ash-white glaze from her hands.

His voice was clearly this calm, no different from usual.

Yet she still felt alarmed, not daring to look up again to confirm.