Transmigrated Into an Ancient Filial Piety Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

After Li Yunzheng left Ji Huan’s courtyard, he stayed in Xiniu Village entertaining guests. People came endlessly to congratulate him. For the first time in his life, Li Yunzheng felt such prestige. He was so elated, as if he had not just passed the scholar exam but had become the top scholar.

Later that evening, the crowd at Li Yunzheng’s house gradually dispersed. His parents felt they had never been so proud in their lives.

“Yunzheng, you’ve truly brought honor to our Li family. All the years your mother and I supported your studies were worth it. Now you’re a man with a scholar’s title,” Li Yunzheng’s father said, his face beaming with a smile that never faded.

“Yes, Yunzheng, now that you have a title, it’s time to settle your marriage. I’ll have a matchmaker find you a good Kunze from the county. A Kunze from a rural family isn’t worthy of you,” Li Yunzheng’s mother quickly added.

The smile on Li Yunzheng’s face faded. He looked at his parents seriously and said, “Father, Mother, I went to see Yubai today. She’s not doing well in Dongniu Village. Ji Huan isn’t treating her well either. I promised to marry her before.”

“Yunzheng, you can’t be foolish. Have you forgotten what happened? Jiang Yubai is a jinx who brings harm to those close to her. You can’t marry her,” his mother hurriedly advised, terrified that Li Yunzheng might actually marry Jiang Yubai.

“But I can’t forget her. And Mother, she’s been married to Ji Huan for a year now, and Ji Huan is still perfectly fine. That proves those rumors are false. Jiang Yubai isn’t like what the rumors say,” Li Yunzheng countered.

“You still can’t risk your life. Besides, Jiang Yubai has been married twice. The first time, she caused Zhang Tiehu’s death during the wedding ceremony. A woman like her doesn’t deserve you, not even as a concubine,” his mother continued.

Li Yunzheng thought about his mother’s words and found some truth in them. As a scholar now, marrying Jiang Yubai as a wife might indeed be beneath him. But as a concubine, it could work. He decided to persuade his parents over the next few days, hoping they might agree.

—

The next morning, Ji Huan woke up early to prepare for making Jianzhan tea bowls. They still needed many things to get started.

When she woke, Jiang Yubai was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Ji Huan walked to the kitchen door but hesitated. She withdrew her hand from the doorknob. Jiang Yubai was avoiding her, and Ji Huan didn’t know what to say if she went in. Feeling a headache, she turned and went to the backyard to hitch the mule cart to fetch water.

Few households in the village had wells. Ji Huan’s household had bought three large water jars. One was in the kitchen for cooking, and the other two were in the courtyard for daily use. Fetching water from the river once a day was usually enough.

When the sound of footsteps faded, Jiang Yubai’s grip on the dough tightened slightly. It must be her sister, she thought. She had been avoiding Ji Huan these past few days, and with Li Yunzheng’s visit yesterday, Ji Huan probably didn’t want to talk to her. Just thinking about it made Jiang Yubai’s heart ache terribly. She was the one who chose to distance herself, yet she couldn’t bear it.

She quickly wiped her hands and dried her tears, comforting herself inwardly. Though Ji Huan was cold to her now, it meant Ji Huan was absolutely safe. Jiang Yubai no longer had to worry about jinxing her sister.

Soon, Ji Qiao’s voice came from outside as she pushed the door open. “Yubai-jie, I’m here to help you,” she said.

Jiang Yubai quickly turned away to wipe the tears from her face.

Ji Qiao, sensitive from her days at the Zhang household where she had to read people’s faces, immediately noticed something was wrong.

The young girl hesitated, unsure whether to enter or leave, and softly asked, “Yubai-jie, why are you crying? Did you fight with Sister?”

Jiang Yubai turned around, her eyes still slightly red. “No, we’re fine, Qiaoqiao. Don’t tell Ji Huan I was crying. She’s been very busy these days, and I don’t want her to worry.”

“But you…” Ji Qiao started.

“I’m really fine. I’ve just been dreaming about my mother lately and miss her. Ji Huan has a lot going on. Don’t distract her with my issues. Don’t worry, I’m really okay,” Jiang Yubai said, forcing a small smile for Ji Qiao.

Ji Qiao felt Jiang Yubai didn’t seem okay, but since Yubai-jie said so, she didn’t want to meddle in her sisters’ affairs. She nodded and agreed. “Alright, if you don’t want to talk to Sister, you can talk to me. It’s better than keeping it inside.”

“I’m really fine, Qiaoqiao. Come help me cook porridge,” Jiang Yubai said, shaping the dough into roughly equal-sized buns to steam in the big pot, trying to change the subject.

Ji Qiao, now busy with a task and seeing Jiang Yubai seemed fine, felt a bit relieved.

When Ji Huan returned with the mule cart full of water, breakfast was already set out in the dining room by Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao.

Ji Huan filled the three water jars, washed her hands, and went to the dining room.

Ji Qiao’s eyes lit up when she saw Ji Huan, but remembering her sisters might have fought, she held back her words. She glanced at Ji Huan, then at Jiang Yubai, staying quiet.

Ji Huan looked at the silent Jiang Yubai across from her and then at Ji Qiao beside her. She shook her head with a helpless smile. “What are you all looking at? Let’s eat. We have a lot of work today. Once we start firing the bowls, it’ll only get more tiring. The kiln fire needs constant temperature, so in a couple of days, it’ll be even more exhausting.”

“Sister, what about Yubai-jie? Is she coming with us?” Ji Qiao asked, hoping to create a chance for her sisters to reconcile. The tense atmosphere at home was scary, and with her sisters fighting, she barely dared to breathe.

Jiang Yubai’s gaze met Ji Huan’s, and Ji Huan looked back. She felt a bit wronged. When alone, the little bad rabbit wouldn’t look at her or talk to her. Only because Ji Qiao was here did Jiang Yubai glance at her.

But Ji Huan knew she couldn’t manage alone. “Yes, she’s coming with us,” she said, then turned to Jiang Yubai. “Is that okay?”

Jiang Yubai nodded. “Yes.”

After answering, she quickly lowered her head to drink her porridge. Her eyes reddened slightly again. She didn’t want Ji Huan to notice and used the porridge to hide it. Had she and her sister grown so distant that they only exchanged a few words?

Ji Huan, thinking about fetching yellow clay, didn’t notice Jiang Yubai’s change. Ji Qiao did, though, and nudged Ji Huan.

Ji Huan snapped back and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Qiao, remembering Jiang Yubai’s request, hesitated and shook her head. “Nothing, Sister. What do we do first?”

“First, we’ll fetch a cart of yellow clay nearby, then buy a large stone mill and some big wooden basins. Lastly, we’ll chop two carts of firewood. That should cover the initial preparations,” Ji Huan said after thinking.

As Ji Huan spoke, Jiang Yubai listened quietly. She hadn’t realized making tea bowls required so much preparation. She worried about how the final products would turn out.

After breakfast, the three cleaned up briefly and set out. They went to the nearby mountain base to collect yellow clay, abundant in Dongniu Village. Near their home, Ji Huan used a pickaxe to dig, while Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao shoveled the clay onto the cart. They worked quickly, filling the cart in no time.

After delivering the clay to the backyard, they went to a villager selling stone mills and bought the largest one. Ji Huan’s strength made it possible; otherwise, it would have taken three or four people to move it. With the mule cart, they brought it back.

Their frequent activity in the village sparked gossip. Neighbors, seeing Ji Huan bring back a large stone mill, couldn’t help but talk.

“What’s with Ji Huan? She must have spent all the money from her family split by now, right?” one said.

“Yeah, has she gone mad from the Ji family’s anger? Buying so much stuff and building a kiln in her backyard—what’s she up to?” another added.

“Poor kid,” someone remarked.

Ji Huan ignored the gossip. After delivering the mill, Jiang Yubai stayed to prepare lunch, while Ji Huan and Ji Qiao went to a nearby forest to chop firewood.

Though Ji Qiao wasn’t as strong as Ji Huan, she was quick. With her help, they filled a cart in no time, delivered it, and went back for another. They worked until noon.

When they returned, Jiang Yubai had lunch ready. “Sister, Qiaoqiao, go wash your hands. You must be hungry,” she urged, setting out the food.

Ji Huan glanced at Jiang Yubai, her eyes deepening. She hadn’t hugged Jiang Yubai in days, and the little bad rabbit hadn’t called her “Sister” either. Her hands itched to hold Jiang Yubai close, but she had to respect Jiang Yubai’s wishes. Jiang Yubai didn’t want closeness now.

Ji Huan sighed, rubbed her itchy hands, and went to wash in the courtyard. When she returned, Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao were already in the dining room.

They ate a simple lunch. Ji Huan looked at the piled-up items in the backyard and felt a headache coming on.

Ji Qiao, looking at the pile, swallowed nervously and whispered, “Sister, how do we use all this?”

“No rush. We’ll do it step by step,” Ji Huan said, taking a deep breath and rolling up her sleeves to start.

The first step in making Jianzhan was grinding the clay and glaze materials into fine powder. In modern times, this was easy with machines, but here, Ji Huan only had the stone mill. Luckily, she had a mule. Grinding by hand would have been exhausting.

“Let’s set up the mill first,” Ji Huan said. The items were scattered from being brought back. She lifted the mill’s base to stand it upright, with Ji Qiao and Jiang Yubai helping.

After some effort, they assembled the mill. Ji Huan fixed a long piece of wood into the mill’s center hole and made a triangular pulling device to ensure the mule moved in a circular path. She covered the mule’s eyes with cloth to prevent dizziness.

While Ji Huan worked on the mill, Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao hammered large glaze rocks into smaller pieces for easier grinding. The glaze’s low hardness helped, or the mill might not have worked.

Once the mill was ready, Ji Huan joined them, and soon, all the rocks were broken into small pieces.

Ji Huan hitched the mule to the triangular device, covered its eyes, and prepared everything. The three took turns adding stones to the mill, letting the mule pull it to crush them. The powder was collected in a large wooden basin.

The process was dusty and tedious, but making Jianzhan required patience and care.

Ji Huan gradually regained the feel of firing bowls from her past life. But without masks, the dust was a problem. Worried about health risks, she decided to make some. “Yubai, this is too dusty. We might inhale too much. I’ll draw something for you to sew. It’ll block some dust,” she said, looking at Jiang Yubai, needing a reason to talk to her.

Jiang Yubai’s fingers trembled slightly, her ears reddening. She hadn’t spoken properly with Ji Huan in days. She longed to cuddle in Ji Huan’s arms like before but couldn’t risk harming her sister.

Clenching her fists to suppress her feelings, she replied calmly, “Okay, I’ll try to make it.”

Ji Qiao, adding stones to the mill, was thrilled to see her sisters talking. “Sister, I’ll watch here. You and Yubai-jie go make it. The dust is bad,” she said eagerly.

Ji Huan nodded, finding Ji Qiao’s words oddly phrased but not dwelling on it. She looked at Jiang Yubai, who was still sitting.

With Ji Qiao’s urging, Jiang Yubai stood reluctantly and walked to the front courtyard. Her heart raced. She hadn’t been alone with Ji Huan in days and didn’t know how to face her.

Ji Huan followed, sighing softly. The little rabbit still didn’t want to be close. She wiped her sweaty forehead and entered the room.

Having bought pen and ink earlier, Ji Huan clumsily picked up a brush and drew a mask-like shape. “This is it. Sew two or three layers to block dust better. Leave four straps to tie around the head,” she explained.

Jiang Yubai nodded. “Okay, it shouldn’t be hard.”

She turned to find cloth in the cabinet. Ji Huan’s heart ached. Jiang Yubai spoke more to Li Yunzheng than to her. Thinking of Li Yunzheng angered her—a spineless man boasting about a mere scholar title.

Jiang Yubai, holding the cloth, saw Ji Huan still there and pursed her lips. “Sister, go work. I’ll bring it when it’s done,” she said.

“Oh,” Ji Huan replied reluctantly. The little rabbit was pushing her away again.

Thinking of the Jianzhan, Ji Huan left obediently. Once she was gone, Jiang Yubai exhaled in relief, her palms sweaty.

Skilled at needlework since childhood, Jiang Yubai quickly sewed the masks. She brought them to the backyard, where the three put them on. The glaze was nearly ground, filling two large basins.

Ji Huan started grinding the clay. Though it looked soft, it had hard impurities that needed to be powdered. With experience, they worked faster, finishing the grinding soon.

Ji Qiao took the mule to the shed, filling its trough with feed. The mule had been a big help.

Next was sifting. Ji Huan set up a large sieve over an empty wooden basin. She shook the sieve while Ji Qiao added the ground clay. This made the clay smoother. The glaze was sifted similarly.

The process was time-consuming. Ji Huan and Ji Qiao sifted while Jiang Yubai prepared dinner. By mealtime, they had sifted one and a half basins of clay and glaze each.

After a simple dinner, Ji Huan moved the four basins to the storage room, adding water to each. This step, called aging, let impurities float to the surface. The next day, they would drain the water, leaving usable clay and glaze.

They worked until dark, then heated water and rested. Ji Huan fell asleep instantly, exhausted despite her system-enhanced strength. The hard work was just beginning.

The next morning, they ate breakfast and resumed work. The glaze basins were set aside. Ji Huan kneaded the clay, a patient process to remove air and impurities for better molding and to prevent cracking.

“Qiaoqiao, Yubai, take a small basin and collect some dry grass. Get plenty,” Ji Huan instructed while kneading.

“Sister, what’s the grass for?” Ji Qiao asked curiously.

“Burn it into ash and sift the finest ash for later glaze mixing. Don’t tell anyone about making Jianzhan,” Ji Huan added.

“Don’t worry, Sister, we understand,” Ji Qiao said, grabbing a basin and leaving with Jiang Yubai.

Ji Huan wiped her sweat, continuing to knead. Without modern machines, everything was labor-intensive. She hammered the clay with a stick, then kneaded it repeatedly for nearly an hour.

When Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao returned with sifted ash, Ji Huan stopped. Her clothes were soaked, her face and forehead sweaty.

Jiang Yubai watched, unable to resist. She took a handkerchief, looked aside, and handed it to Ji Huan. “Sister, wipe your sweat. You might catch a cold.”

Ji Huan took it, feeling wronged. Before, Jiang Yubai would have wiped her sweat herself. Now, she wouldn’t even look at her.

After wiping her face, Ji Huan saw Jiang Yubai slip away. Ji Qiao, seeing the remaining clay, volunteered to knead and hammer it. Jiang Yubai went to cook lunch.

Ji Huan carved a round wooden board, fixed it to a stump base, and made a simple pottery wheel by inserting a stick through a hole in the board. She adjusted it until it felt right.

She took over Ji Qiao’s work, sending her to help Jiang Yubai, and continued hammering the clay.

After lunch, Ji Huan told Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao to rest. The next step, throwing the clay, was hers alone. She hoped to make good tea bowls as her stepping stone.

“Yubai, Qiaoqiao, rest well. I’ll handle the afternoon,” Ji Huan said.

“I’ll help,” Jiang Yubai offered, pained by Ji Huan’s dusty appearance and the complex process.

“No need. Only I can do this step now. I’ll teach you throwing later. It’s a skill that takes years. We need to rest in shifts to balance work and rest,” Ji Huan explained gently.

“Okay, I’ll come find you after a nap,” Jiang Yubai said, feeling awkward alone with Ji Huan but unwilling to let her work alone.

“Go rest,” Ji Huan urged.

She went to the backyard. The kneaded clay was tougher. She divided it into small balls, kneaded them, and used the wheel to shape a small tea bowl quickly.

Ji Huan smiled, relieved. Modern machines made this easier, but she had finished throwing. She used a wooden strip to trim the bowls, setting each carefully on the ground before starting the next.

An hour later, over a dozen bowl blanks lined the courtyard. Jiang Yubai, curious, stared wide-eyed. “Sister, can these go into the kiln now?” she asked.

Ji Huan shook her head, continuing her work. “It’s not that easy. They need two firings. The first eliminates substandard ones. The second firing leaves few high-quality bowls. That’s why wood-fired Jianzhan are precious.”

Even in modern times, with advanced technology, not all bowls were perfect due to uncontrollable factors. Temperature control was key, and without thermometers here, it was a challenge for Ji Huan.

She threw more blanks, standing occasionally to stretch her aching back. Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao, curious about the wheel, watched. Ji Huan smiled at Jiang Yubai. “Want to try? It’s not as easy as it looks.”

Jiang Yubai nodded, hoping to learn to ease Ji Huan’s burden. She took a small clay ball, placed it on the wheel’s center, and spun it, trying to shape a bowl like Ji Huan. But her creation was uneven, like an irregular narrow bottle.

She looked at Ji Huan, aggrieved. “Sister.”

Ji Huan’s lips curved up at being called “Sister.” She comforted gently, “It’s hard. For your first try, a bottle is good. I’ll teach you later. For now, rest.”

“Sister, I’m not tired. I want to learn,” Ji Qiao said, curious how Ji Huan made each blank similar. She and Jiang Yubai sat on small stools, watching.

Ji Huan explained while working. “Watch the hand position and force. Too much force deforms the blank. Too little makes the walls too thick, risking cracks in the kiln. The technique must be steady and light, like this…”

She demonstrated, knowing it wasn’t quick to learn. Unlike modern electric kilns with precise controls, she relied on experience.

Having blind-fired before in her past life, she had some experience, though yields were low.

As dusk fell, Ji Huan finished turning one basin of clay into blanks, saving the rest in case of errors. Nearly a hundred bowls were made.

“Let’s eat,” Jiang Yubai said, having prepared dinner with Ji Qiao. Ji Huan washed her hands, her clothes smelly, but she didn’t change, needing to continue.

“Sister, you worked all day. Rest first,” Ji Qiao said, worried.

Ji Huan was tired but pressed for time. They had spent a lot, and couldn’t afford to idle. The blanks needed to dry slightly before bisque firing, or they’d crack.

She shook her head. “No, the first bisque firing starts soon. I’ll rest after.”

“Sister, I’ll help. You worked all day. Your body can’t handle this,” Jiang Yubai said, pained by Ji Huan’s dusty state.

“It’s not easy. Bisque firing has a heating curve. It’s my first time with this kiln, and I’m not confident about the temperature,” Ji Huan explained softly.

She knew she couldn’t overwork long-term—her past life ended that way—but she needed initial capital. Selling Jianzhan required careful partnerships to avoid trouble.

Too tired to think, Ji Huan felt better after eating sweet potato porridge. After resting briefly, she went to the backyard.

She lit an oil lamp, placed the ninety-plus blanks on a clay tray, put them in the kiln, sealed the door, and began adding firewood.

Estimating time, she raised the temperature steadily to 750°C before stopping. The kiln needed to cool naturally before opening.

Sweating, her clothes wet and dry repeatedly, Ji Huan worked until 1 a.m., when the temperature seemed right.

She urged Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao to rest, but they insisted on staying. Ji Huan added firewood occasionally, explaining, “Preheating unglazed blanks at low temperature strengthens them and weeds out fragile ones. The temperature’s about right now. We can remove the firewood and let the kiln cool.”

She extinguished the fire, finally able to rest.

Jiang Yubai had prepared hot water. Ji Huan washed, cleaned her smelly clothes, and hung them to dry. By nearly 3 a.m., she collapsed into bed.

Waking to bright daylight, Ji Huan’s body ached from the intense labor. She washed in the courtyard, noticing Jiang Yubai and Ji Qiao had already fetched water.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” Ji Huan asked while washing.

“No need, Sister. You were up late. Yubai-jie and I had nothing to do, so we got the water. With the mule, it’s not tiring,” Ji Qiao said, unloading buckets.

Ji Huan helped, filling the jars quickly. Jiang Yubai, worried, urged, “Sister, I kept food warm for you. Eat first.”

“Okay,” Ji Huan nodded, following Jiang Yubai to the kitchen.

Jiang Yubai looked at her, concerned. “Will you work late again?”

Ji Huan nodded. “Probably no sleep tonight. The second firing is critical. One mistake, and all this work is wasted.”

“What can I do to help?” Jiang Yubai asked eagerly.

Ji Huan smiled softly. “Just take care of yourself. Don’t wait up tonight. You and Qiaoqiao sleep early. We can’t all stay up. Be good, okay?”

Hearing Ji Huan’s gentle tone, Jiang Yubai’s heart warmed. She had distanced herself, yet Ji Huan was still so kind, thinking of her.

She bit her lip, looking at Ji Huan. How could there be such a wonderful Qianyuan?

Seeing Jiang Yubai silent, Ji Huan smiled and continued, “Be good, both of you. If I get sick, you can care for me. If we all stay up and get sick, what then?”

“Okay, I understand,” Jiang Yubai nodded obediently, willing to follow Ji Huan’s words despite their distance.

Ji Huan ate, stretched, and prepared for a long day in the backyard. Starting late, she worked through lunch, ready to continue until evening.