After the first hour, they had finished their first pieces.
By the second hour, their second pieces were done as well.
The embroidery group came over to observe.
Ji Chen saw the calligraphy works and felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Then he looked at the paintings, and his face turned serious.
“Brother Yu, you said you weren’t good at painting that’s deception!”
Yu Shiqing had painted one of the poems used in the calligraphy competition.
His style was spontaneous and expressive, with deep artistic meaning.
Wei Yuanju admired it, walking around to get a better view, and said,
“Teacher Yu, could you paint one for me when you have time? I’ll hang it in my study. No rush, just whenever you’re free.”
Yu Shiqing replied, “Sure.”
“You’re seriously boosting others while putting yourself down!” Ji Chen pretended to choke Wei Yuanju’s neck.
When Yu Shiqing turned away, Ji Chen gritted his teeth,
“Teacher Wei, how could you hog it for yourself? You only asked for one!”
Wei Yuanju chuckled, “I can’t bring myself to ask for two. One is just right.”
Not far behind, Su Yayi patted her chest and made a promise to Yu Shiqing,
“Brother Yu, leave the rest to us!”
For the third hour, they chose ceramics.
Jiang Yu was very interested in this topic and learned quickly.
Su Yayi, after comparing herself to him, lost all confidence.
So after one hour of learning, she bragged that she didn’t need any help with the final project and would handle it alone.
Jiang Yu, seeing that, decided not to go to the next class. He stayed behind to continue shaping clay.
Yu Shiqing was also made to stay by Su Yayi and didn’t attend the class either.
He watched Jiang Yu complete one piece, then slam another lump of clay down.
“What are you making this time?” Yu Shiqing asked.
“A bowl,” Jiang Yu replied.
Yu Shiqing looked at the half-finished piece on the table. “Not satisfied?”
Jiang Yu furrowed his brows, focused. “Making two.”
Seeing that, Yu Shiqing didn’t interrupt. He opened another potter’s wheel and, referencing the teacher’s model, quickly made a jar.
Jiang Yu noticed from the corner of his eye. “Make a bowl with me.”
As Yu Shiqing looked over, Jiang Yu simply said, “Double insurance.”
“Okay.”
Yu Shiqing didn’t have a particular interest in pottery, but since Jiang Yu wanted a bowl, he casually started shaping one again.
The teacher watched for a while and then guided them through the next steps.
By the time they were ready for carving, Jiang Yu turned to Yu Shiqing.
Yu Shiqing smiled and asked, “What do you want to draw?”
Jiang Yu said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
The teacher said, “You don’t have to carve. These three bowls already have great shapes.”
“No. I want to carve.”
After thinking, Jiang Yu said, “Let’s draw ‘Clear Skies After Rain.’”
Yu Shiqing said, “Okay.”
Jiang Yu picked the two bowls they had made and placed them in front of Yu Shiqing, handing over a brush.
“How are you going to draw it?”
Yu Shiqing smiled at him, took the brush, and sat down.
Jiang Yu sat beside him and watched as Yu Shiqing gently painted on the dry surface.
With a few strokes, a miniature world appeared.
Soon, the painting was complete.
Yu Shiqing wrote the title on the bowl:
“Rain Ends”
The teacher praised him, “As expected of someone trained in art. It’s really beautiful.”
Jiang Yu took the bowl.
The image showed the river they had taken one side had ripples and willows hanging low;
the other side was calm, with willows swaying in the wind.
Ahead was a dock with boats arranged in lines, and phoenix tree leaves drifting in the air.
The next bowl showed the courtyard they saw after landing, covered by phoenix trees, with red tiles behind, distant carriages, people walking, and alleys.
As Yu Shiqing drew the riverbank again, he added two silhouettes.
When he was about to draw the third, Jiang Yu asked beside him,
“What’s that?”
“People,” Yu Shiqing replied.
Jiang Yu fell silent.
He casually added, “No need to draw so many.”
Yu Shiqing didn’t mind and stopped drawing. Then he wrote:
“Clear Skies”
He turned to Jiang Yu. “Is that enough?”
“Yes,” Jiang Yu said.
Then he picked up the carving knife, carefully traced the inked lines to carve patterns.
Afterward, he carved two letters into the bottom of the bowl.
Yu Shiqing asked, “What did you write?”
Jiang Yu handed it to him.
It was their initials: Y and J.
“Y” for “Yu Guo” (Rain Ends), and “J” for “Tian Qing” (Clear Skies).
The camera zoomed in on the bottom of the two bowls meaningfully.
Then, under the teacher’s guidance, they applied glaze.
The bowls looked like art pieces and were admired by the other team.
Ji Chen lost it.
“You’re not giving us a chance at all!”
In front of everyone, Jiang Yu placed the bowls at the kiln.
The teacher said, “They should be ready by tonight. You can do other tasks in the meantime.”
Wei Yuanju came over, clicking his tongue in admiration.
“Looks like your group’s pieces will sell for a good price.”
Jiang Yu frowned. “Sell?”
Wei Yuanju blinked. “Yeah, it says on the mission card. After the competition, the pieces will be sold in a charity auction to promote the local culture.”
Especially since the two bowls together formed a scene. Not only were they artistic, but also meaningful very appealing.
Jiang Yu frowned even deeper. “These two bowls won’t be sold.”
Then he picked up a spare third bowl, glazed it, and sent it to the kiln.
“Use this one for the contest.”
Ji Chen was happy for a second but quickly felt crushed.
Even the spare one Jiang Yu made looked better than the ones their group did.
Su Yayi arrived and overheard Jiang Yu’s words.
She asked, “Jiang-ge, why can’t those two bowls be sold?”
“I’m taking them home to use.”
Jiang Yu then looked at Yu Shiqing. “One is for you.”
Yu Shiqing smiled. “Thanks.”
Seeing the initials on the bottom, he already guessed Jiang Yu’s intention. So, this didn’t surprise him.
But the livestream chat exploded again:
“Wow! They just gave and accepted bowls? Isn’t there a meaning behind that?? Are they treating this show like a real couple program??”
“It’s over… these two don’t know the meaning of low-key! Teachers! This is a livestream! Can you not be so obvious?!”
“Ahhhh! Please be careful!! I still want to see you two on screen for a few more years! Don’t get exposed!!”
