After putting out the fish, Ma Dan's four children were very conscientious and started looking at the fish. Liang Chuan didn't care. If someone needs the fish, just take it. Don't take advantage of the mentality of getting something for nothing. It's even better if you can help others with their difficulties.
Catching fish is an entertainment thing in itself, done on a whim. The water and grass in Nanxi River are abundant, and the sight of so many fish in the river makes people feel itch. It is only by chance that they are caught back for everyone to replenish their health. If you can still make a daily income from catching fish with this fish clam, you can consider placing a large piece of fish clam to start an industry.
The children watched quietly. Liang Chuan did not stay. He came to Fengshan. Li Erhua's craftsmanship was now unique. He had always wanted to see Yang Xiu's family craftsmanship! Sichuan kimchi, I think it will have something to go with it when I drink some wine in the future. Such a crisp and delicious thing makes Liang Chuan's mouth water.
Liang Chuan thought of the guy who slept on the upper bunk. After graduation, he went to Guangdong for two years, but failed to make a name for himself, and finally returned to Sichuan. The two of them had always been marginalized figures in the class in college, but the two were brothers who refused to admit defeat. As a result, the two of them made a lot of fools of themselves. After graduation, every time I think back on it, the two of them would laugh at each other on the phone, and they would always pick up something from the past and tease each other.
Liang Chuan couldn't remember how many times this friend had eaten kimchi brought from his hometown. When the two of them had no money, they would go to the canteen to get a bowl of cheap rice with no side dishes or soup. The two of them could eat many meals just with kimchi. . The sour kimchi sometimes feels more fragrant than the big pot dishes in the cafeteria, and it has a taste of home.
Because he likes to eat, Liang Chuan will also ask his classmates for advice on how to make such delicious kimchi. This was not a trade secret anyway, but the classmate said it very cheerfully, pouring all the beans to Liang Chuan.
There are not many people making pottery jars in Fengshan. Each family can only have one water vat, or a rice vat for better ones. Even so, the business is not easy to do. A tank can be used for decades. If it breaks, you can have it repaired by a tank maker instead of just throwing it away. Whether this business is popular in Fengshan depends on whether the Zheng family has opened a store. If there is no store, it means there is no business at all.
Liang Chuan searched all afternoon and asked many villagers who shook their heads. Liang Chuan asked until he reached Xinghua, and then someone pointed him in a direction. There was a pottery jar shop in Xiayuan. It might be difficult to find it. Now this one It might get dark if you click on it.
Xiayuan, like Fengshan, is a township under the jurisdiction of Xinghua County. This place is more remote than Fengshan, located in the upper reaches of Nanxi River. To get from Fengshan, you have to pass through Xinghua County first. The difference between the two townships is that the people here are poorer than Fengshan, and the folk customs are more fierce than Fengshan. The Xinghua government is very strange. Fengshan is a rich town, and Xiayuan is so poor that they have to eat tree bark, but they can still collect a lot from here through the annual tax collection.
Liangchuan passes through the county seat and continues along the riverside path. A Nanxi stream feeds all the people of Xinghua. The stream here is getting clearer and clearer, and it is becoming more and more turbulent. The river channel has become narrower, and there are more and more exposed rocks on the river bed. It took thousands of years of grinding to create the geological landforms we have today.
As soon as Liang Chuan stepped into the boundary of Xia Garden, the villagers here looked at Liang Chuan with some ill intentions. Fortunately, Liang Chuan always had a harmless face, and he didn't carry any sharp weapons. He always looked at everyone with a hello expression on his face, and then politely inquired about the location of the pottery jar shop.
Xiayuan pottery jars are quite famous, because Xiayuan produces a kind of soft mud with high viscosity and strong plasticity. The texture is very fine and belongs to loess. It is specially used to make pottery jars. It has unique advantages and can be made in the county. It has the breathability of pottery and a hint of the toughness of porcelain, which is a unique blessing. Furthermore, this place is already in a mountainous forest, so digging kilns and burning vats requires a lot of wood, and water is also very convenient.
If I had known earlier, I would have brought He Baozheng here with me. This old boy has been busy in the fields these days. He is just waiting for a spring rain to help him water the crops in the field so that the buds can grow. But Hengjian is waiting. Go, but there is no sign of rain. People are becoming more and more worried. Planting crops on the north bank of the Nanxi River is such a headache. Seeing the water in front of them, they just can't get it. I can only carry buckets to the stream and carry buckets there. It's far away and I can't water my own land even after a day of exhausting work.
The houses in this area become more and more dilapidated as you go further back. Many of the thatched houses built with lumps of earth and bricks have cracks. Some of the cracks are so big that it's a bit shocking to see. The land here is even poorer than that in Fengshan. There are only a few dry lands on the mountain, and the crops that have been planted have not yet emerged.
"Brother, is there anyone selling pottery jars here, big jars like that?" Liang Chuan asked an older farmer.
The old farmer didn't see what he was doing, but he looked like he was very busy. He didn't even raise his eyelids and said, "Go further by the stream to Yaoxia Village."
Finally he got some clues, "Thank you, brother."
Liang Chuan continued walking along the river bank, but the further he walked, the more something felt wrong. Logically speaking, a village like this that relied on craftsmanship should be in pretty good condition. However, the further back he walked, the more desolate and dilapidated the village felt. The exposed yellow mud on the mountain top is becoming clearer and clearer, and it is really different from the common red soil in Xinghua.
First one, then two, three and then more and more pottery jars appeared beside the road. Then there were dozens or hundreds of pottery jars lying quietly beside the stream, on the roadside, and at the foot of the mountain. The dark brown glaze on the wall of the jar shines dazzlingly in the sun, as if telling the ancient atmosphere of this ancient village's craftsmanship. The pottery jars scattered on the roadside are all damaged, and the degree of damage is quite serious.
There is a boundary stone on the side of the road with two big characters written on it.
You can see a workshop at Liangchuan at the entrance of the village. The workshop was so dilapidated that it looked as if it was about to collapse. The old bamboo supports were shiny with oil, and small plants seemed to have taken root among the thatch piles.
There are four or five men with their heads buried in the workshop doing handicrafts. Each of them is covered with a thick layer of mud. If you sit quietly in the workshop, someone who doesn't know better would think it is a clay sculpture. There are old and young, and there are a few women. The scale of this workshop seems to be quite large.
Seeing Liang Chuan coming, everyone in the workshop was indifferent, and even the passion for doing business was gone. Liang Chuan looked at the work in their hands for a long time before he came back to his senses. Although they didn't have the passion for doing business, they really took the work seriously. Every time they hit the clay, they fell hard, and then they hit it hard. If you rub it on the ground, you will never grind it down.
Liang Chuan was afraid of disturbing their work, so he shouted softly: "Is the shop owner here? I want to buy a vat."
"Brother Jin, someone bought a vat." A woman was sitting on a chair, rolling mud strips up in circles. When Liang Chuan asked, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Wow, that's so breathtaking." It was so powerful that it made Liang Chuan's eardrums ring.
A young man suddenly came out of a thatched hut next to the workshop. He was very young. Different from other vat-making masters, this young man was more energetic. When he saw Liang Chuan, he was even more affectionate, and he was wearing a pair of rag shoes. ran over.
"Brother, do you want to buy a tank? What style do you want? Come on, let's take a look later."
After Liang Chuan followed, there was a wide open space behind the thatched hut, with dozens of jars neatly stacked, some large and some small, some had been glazed and sparkled in the sun, and some had not yet been glazed. But the naked tank looks like a porcelain tank.
"Now, all the tanks we made are here. You can choose what kind of tanks you want."
"Are you the shop owner?" Liang Chuan asked curiously.
"Yes, just call me Lao Jin." Lao Jin said humbly. The young man's name is Lao Jin, but he doesn't look much older than himself. Moreover, people in this era have to do heavy work for a long time. They all age very quickly. If they look young, they are really young.
Liang Chuan couldn't help but take a closer look at Lao Jin's face. I'm afraid this kid was not much older than him. Said: "You are not very old, why are you called old?"
Lao Jin grinned and smiled sheepishly: "We don't talk about size, but seniority. The seniority in this craft is the oldest in our family. I am also in charge of this vat kiln. So they either My name is Brother Jin, or Lao Jin."
"So that's it, your business doesn't seem to be very popular."
"There's nothing I can do about it. Things are getting worse year by year. New officials have come, saying that they will always implement benevolent governance and the people will live a good life. Everyone has gone out to make a living. I feel that this business is not as good as before. Done."
"What's the reason?" Liang Chuanman asked.
"Our craftsmanship has been passed down from generation to generation. Year after year, everyone is pounding clay, kneading clay, coiling rods, trimming, drying, glazing, and firing in the silent pottery workshop. The days are watching. It is very comfortable, but this trade requires both dexterous hands and great patience. The products are not as beautiful as porcelain. It is not as easy as farming. Year after year, there are only a few people in our village. Broken Kiln, formerly known as Yaoxia Village, used to be a vat maker, but later they refused to do so. Now, except for the older generation, there are not many young people who rely on this kiln to make a living."
Speaking of this, this young craftsman seemed to be worried about their profession: "It is said that now is a peaceful and prosperous age. Young people have gone to wealthy areas such as Bianliang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Who is willing to stay in the mountains and learn this? Promising work."
Liang Chuan said: "That can't be said. The ancestors' work cannot be wasted casually. Besides, it is worthless now. If it is done well, it will be passed down from generation to generation. A good tank will not be without someone who knows the goods."
