Chapter 50: Give it a Try

Qiu Ji had been running its business in the county town for many years, flourishing and with its fair share of methods.

Niu Er, seeing the situation, took a step back, feigning a sheepish smile twice. Then, like a mouse, he quickly vanished without a trace.

“Disgusting character,” one of the assistants spat on the ground, instructing the others, “Next time we encounter such a person, just kick them out. Don’t let them soil our Qiu Ji!”

Unaware of the commotion outside, Jiang Chunshi was busy selecting and inspecting the unloaded wood alongside Chang Yong’an.

Meanwhile, Niu Er hurried away until Qiu Ji was out of sight, then he breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against a tree.

“That Jiang Chunshi, that little rascal…”

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud “thud” as a large branch from the tree he was leaning on suddenly broke off and fell directly onto his foot.

There was a faint sound as if bones were cracking. Niu Er was initially stunned, then let out a howl of pain, sounding like a pig being slaughtered.

The street became increasingly lively.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mixia had been quite busy lately, working on designing puppet patterns for Qiu Ji.

Adhering to the principle of top-notch service, Jiang Mixia planned to mold the batch of drawn patterns into three-dimensional shapes using clay for the convenience of the woodworkers at Qiu Ji.

However, crafting clay figures was no simple task.

The soil quality and the right water content both had an impact on the final product.

Jiang Mixia tried digging soil from the ground, from beneath the tree roots at the doorstep, and even from a small earth mound, but the results were not satisfying.

Just as she was fretting over this, Jiang Chunya arrived, carrying a small bamboo basket, and eagerly entered the yard. “Sister, I’ve brought you a treasure. Look!”

Jiang Mixia leaned over to see.

The bamboo basket was filled to the brim with soil.

But the color seemed different from the usual soil, with a slightly yellowish hue, and the texture felt different from the usual soil as well.

“What is this?” Jiang Mixia examined it closely, then confirmed, “This should be clay.”

“Where did you find this soil?”

“It’s from the wasteland near the river. We used to go there often to dig it up and play with it. The clay we made from this soil always turned out sturdier than from other places, so I thought it would be handy for you to make clay figures. That’s why I brought some,” Jiang Chunya replied with a smile.

“You’ve been a great help. I was just worrying about not finding suitable soil,” Jiang Mixia expressed her gratitude.

Clay is soil with low sand content and strong stickiness. Because it doesn’t easily allow water to pass through, it possesses good plasticity. Various types of clay are typically used for pottery and ceramics.

Jiang Mixia wasn’t highly knowledgeable about professional matters, but she knew enough to work with the clay to create the display clay figures for Qiu Ji.

“You’ve truly done a great job,” Jiang Mixia praised Jiang Chunya, “When I go to deliver the patterns to Qiu Ji, I’ll buy you some red bean cakes from the town to enjoy.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

Getting a basket of soil in exchange for red bean cakes made Jiang Chunya’s eyes squint into narrow slits with joy.

With the clay now at hand, Jiang Mixia wasted no time. She added water to the clay and began crafting the clay figures.

Jiang Chunya felt that receiving red bean cakes for bringing a basket of soil was taking advantage of Jiang Mixia’s kindness, so he helped her with the clay.

The clay felt much better than regular clay, and Jiang Mixia began sculpting a small, cute tiger according to the pattern—Jiang Datou , small body, and adorable.

The tiger pattern consisted of a series, including a smiling tiger, an angry one, a sleeping one, and a playful and cute one. Capturing these nuanced expressions and actions in the clay figures to make them lifelike was no easy task.

Despite Jiang Mixia’s frequent stress-relief soft clay sculpting in modern times, she found crafting these clay figures to be quite laborious.

After an hour of dedicated work, she had only completed one figure. The intense focus and concentration had taken a toll, and she needed to stop, have a sip of tea, and take a short break.

Jiang Mixia casually poured a cup of tea for Jiang Chunya and gestured to him, “Take a break and have some tea.”

“Sure.” Jiang Chunya set down the shapeless clay he was working on, washed his hands, and then joined her for tea.

Throughout these actions, he appeared disheartened, lacking energy, like an elderly person worn out by life.

“What’s wrong? You seem so low-spirited,” Jiang Mixia said as she handed him some dried fruit to eat.

Song Jingyun had a sweet tooth, and the family was now well-off, so Jiang Mixia had bought plenty of dried fruits and preserves in town. The dried apricots had a sweet and tangy taste.

Jiang Chunya accepted the dried fruit but didn’t eat it. Instead, he let out a long sigh. “These clay figures are just so difficult to make. I’ve been fiddling for an hour and haven’t managed to create anything. It’s truly frustrating.”

“Are clay figures really that hard to make?” Song Jingyun had just finished weaving a small bamboo basket and, seeing Jiang Mixia and Jiang Chunya talking, joined in.

“They are extremely difficult,” Jiang Chunya said with a look of deep frustration, biting into the dried apricot. “I feel like it’s even harder than spearfishing.”

“But spearfishing is quite simple…” Song Jingyun tilted his head.

Jiang Chunya remained silent, not wanting to engage in a discussion about something he hadn’t succeeded in doing.

“How about you, Brother-in-law, give it a try?” Jiang Chunya suggested.

Song Jingyun was skilled at spearfishing, hunting rabbits, and even basket weaving. It seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t excel at. Jiang Chunya wondered if he would also be adept at making clay figures.

Curious to see if Song Jingyun truly excelled at learning quickly, Jiang Chunya pulled him over. “Brother-in-law, give it a try. You might do really well!”

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.” Song Jingyun wasn’t entirely sure and seemed hesitant as he sat down.

After carefully examining the pattern drawn by Jiang Mixia and the clay figure she had made, and feeling the texture of the clay, Song Jingyun began to sculpt.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Song Jingyun held a clay figure he had molded and showed it to Jiang Mixia and Jiang Chunya. “What do you think? Is this okay?”

He had sculpted a small tiger, imitating the one Jiang Mixia had just made.

The appearance and expression couldn’t be described as identical, yet they were unique in their own way. Even the finer details that Jiang Mixia had thought were crucial were expertly reproduced by Song Jingyun in his own creation, which was equally lifelike. The only difference was that it was slightly smaller than the one Jiang Mixia had made.

“Not bad,” Jiang Mixia carefully examined it and gave Song Jingyun a thumbs up. “Very impressive!”

“It looks like you can help me with clay figures in the future.”