I put you in charge of the child, and you raised a monster!

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"I don't know much about it, but I can tell. You have to find the center of something first, then talk about the shape. Otherwise, it may look complete, but it's actually unstable inside."

Master Qin's expression changed instantly.

He squatted down, looked at the lump of mud, then at Shen Ling'er, and his smile deepened.

"This young girl is absolutely right. Many people who learn to throw pottery only focus on the shape and forget to find the center first. If you don't find the center, no matter how beautiful the rest is, it's useless."

Zhao Lei had already started secretly recording with his phone in front of the camera.

"Dear viewers, Teacher Ling'er's first lesson in Jingdezhen directly covers the theory of wheel throwing."

Shen Ling'er looked up at him.

"Keep your voice down."

Zhao Lei immediately shrank his neck.

"My bass voice."

Bai Sisi said with a smile:

"You're just like a student being called on."

Soon, the children took turns doing it.

Zhao Mengmeng pinched a very small cup, crooked and twisted, but very seriously.

Zhou Xiaoyu made a small bowl base; her hands were a little nervous, but still steady.

Chen Doudou tried to shape the clay into a chicken leg shape as soon as she started working, but the clay collapsed halfway as soon as it emerged.

Lin Jia closed her eyes.

"Chen Doudou, make the bowl first, don't make the meat."

Chen Doudou was unconvinced.

"I just made it more creative."

Master Qin laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking.

"The idea is good, but let's get the basic shape done first."

When it was Zhao Lei's turn, he still put on a "I'm ready" attitude.

As a result, when I put my hand on it, the mud clump veered outwards.

Zhao Lei got anxious.

"What happened?"

"It won't listen to me!"

Shen Ling'er stood to the side, her tone calm.

"It's not that it's disobeying you, it's that your hand is shaking."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Master Qin glanced at it, suppressed a laugh, and said:

"You pressed your hand down too quickly, and the mud will run away."

"Take it easy first, don't rush to show off."

Shen Ling'er added:

"Don't try to make it perfect right away; just make sure it's not crooked. If you rush, the clay will know first."

Zhao Lei took a deep breath and slowly steadied his hand.

This time, the lump of clay on the roulette wheel did indeed slowly become round.

Zhao Lei's eyes lit up.

"It's done!"

Shen Ling'er glanced at it.

"It's only a resemblance now, it hasn't really happened yet."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The live chat exploded with comments.

"Hahaha, you'll find out first!"

"Ling'er's words sound so much like a teacher scolding a student, yet they make perfect sense."

"Zhao Lei was pinned down by the ceramic version of Ling'er today."

"Stable first, then beautiful—that's perfect for making things."

Master Qin looked at Shen Ling'er and couldn't help but ask:

"Young lady, have you learned many skills before?"

Shen Ling'er thought for a moment.

"My dad used to take me to see these things."

"He said that after something is made, it's not just about whether it looks good or not, but also about whether it can be used for a long time, whether it feels prickly to the touch, and whether it will crack if left for a long time."

"So I'm used to looking at the structure first, then the appearance."

Master Qin nodded.

"This is the eye of a craftsman."

Zhao Lei whispered a reply from the side.

"It must have been Mr. Shen who taught us..."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"almost."

"But it's not about teaching me to memorize answers, it's about teaching me to see for myself."

Zhao Lei was stunned for a moment, then nodded very seriously.

"That's a pretty impressive statement."

Bai Sisi also said softly:

"really."

Chapter 182

In the afternoon, the production crew moved to another small porcelain repair workshop.

The main tasks here are glazing, trimming, and inspecting the finished products.

Rows of semi-dry porcelain cups were neatly arranged on a wooden shelf, white, green, and blue.

You can smell a faint odor of glaze and dust in the air.

Master Qin led everyone slowly inside.

"The worst thing for porcelain is not that it looks slow, but that it's rushed."

"If you apply glaze before the clay body is completely dry, it is easy for bubbles to form."

"If the bottom isn't smoothed before firing, it will come out crooked."

"Therefore, making porcelain cannot be rushed."

As Chen Doudou listened, she looked at the small white cups.

"These cups are all so quiet."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"They're not quiet; they just haven't reached the final stage yet."

Zhao Lei was taken aback.

"That's a good way to put it."

Shen Ling'er looked at a small teacup on the wooden shelf and gently touched the outer wall with her hand.

She didn't touch it too hard; she just touched it with her fingertips and then pulled it back.

Master Qin asked:

"What's wrong?"

Shen Ling'er said:

"The bottom of this cup is a little uneven, but you can't see it when it's on the shelf."

"But if it goes into the kiln and the temperature gets too high, it will veer to one side first."

"After boiling, the rim of the cup may be slightly crooked."

"It's not particularly noticeable, but it feels a bit awkward when I drink water."

Master Qin was taken aback.

He picked up the cup, turned it around, and looked down at it for a long time.

"That's true."

"When we were repairing this base a couple of days ago, it was indeed a little uneven."

Zhao Lei's expression had changed from shock to habitual shock.

"No... Teacher Ling'er, you can even watch this?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"It's somewhat watchable."

"When you make porcelain, the most obvious traces are not the final pattern, but the bottom, the cup wall, and the rim."

"The rim is crooked, it's uncomfortable to drink from."

"The bottom isn't level, so it will wobble when left lying down."

"Some people only care about whether the pattern is pretty or not, but people who actually use it every day will first check whether it is stable."

Master Qin nodded earnestly.

"Yes. When making objects, the most important thing is stability."

Zhao Lei couldn't help but say from the side:

"Dear viewers, today at the porcelain workshop, Teacher Ling'er said, 'First, check if it's stable.'"

Shen Ling'er looked up.

"This isn't new. Didn't you learn it yesterday at Longhu Mountain?"

"Check if things that people sit on will fall apart, check if things that are meant to be used will wobble, and check if things that are meant to last a long time will slowly break down."

"It's all the same principle."

Zhao Lei was completely convinced by what she said.

"Okay, you're right."

Bai Sisi asked with a smile:

"Would you like to make a cup too?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Can."

Master Qin handed her a small lump of clay and pushed his tools over to her.

"Give it a try. First, round it, then slowly refine it."

Shen Ling'er did not rush to make a move.

She first checked the moisture level of the mud, then looked at the sponge soaking in the basin of water on the table.

Then she asked:

"Has this mud just woken up?"

Master Qin was even more surprised.

"Yes, I just kneaded it this morning. How did you know?"

Shen Ling'er spoke very completely:

"The surface of freshly awakened clay is quite slippery, but it's still a bit firm inside."

"If you pull it by hand right now, it's easy to break."

"Let it sit for a while to allow it to become more even, and it will be more stable when you make it."

Master Qin was delighted.

"Expert jargon."

Zhao Lei turned around and touched a lump of mud next to him, but as soon as his hand touched it, the mud stuck to his hand.

Zhao Lei gasped.

"This is way too sticky."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

Your hands are too wet.

"When you were wiping your hands with the sponge, you accidentally got some water in them."

"This kind of mud is most susceptible to water damage. The more you try to save yourself trouble, the more problems it will cause you."

Zhao Lei remained silent for two seconds, then obediently withdrew his hand.

"I admit, I'm still a novice when it comes to mud today."

Bai Sisi couldn't stop laughing.

"You've finally admitted it."

At that moment, a small accident occurred on the sidelines.

While looking at the cup blanks on the shelf, Zhao Mengmeng noticed a small crack on the edge of a blue and white porcelain bowl.

She pointed and said:

"This bowl is cracked."

The accompanying staff didn't notice at first.

Upon closer inspection, sure enough, there was a very thin crack line on the outer edge of the bowl, which was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

The staff were stunned.

"It wasn't this obvious when it was first placed there."

Master Qin also came over to take a look.

"This one can't go on anymore; we have to pick it out first."

"These fine cracks will open directly when it's burned."

Zhao Lei immediately perked up.

"Teacher Ling'er, did you figure that out too?"

Shen Ling'er shook her head.

"It wasn't me, it was Mengmeng who saw it first."

"She's very attentive, so she can spot small things more easily than adults."

Zhao Mengmeng blushed from the praise.

"I only saw it light up for a moment."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"It's also important to make it stand out."

"Many of the fine cracks are caused by light shining through them."

"When you're making porcelain, don't just look at the front; look at it from the side, and the cracks will be more obvious."

"The thinner the area, the more careful you need to be."

Master Qin immediately said to the staff:

"Make a note of this; when inspecting finished products in the future, add an extra step of side lighting inspection."

Zhao Lei was speechless.

"Teacher Ling'er, you've optimized the entire process on-site."

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"It's not optimization, it's patching up."

"These things are placed here for people to use, not for people to guess."

Upon hearing this, even Master Qin nodded in agreement.

"Well said."

"When you put something out there for people to see, you should try your best to make sure they can understand it and use it."

The barrage of comments exploded.

"She said something else that's worthy of being hung on the wall."

"When you put something out there for people to see, you should try your best to make them understand and use it. That's a brilliant statement."

"Zhao Mengmeng actually spotted the crack first; the child's eyes are so sharp."

"Ling'er isn't showing off her skills; she's genuinely helping people make things better."

As the afternoon drew to a close, tea and snacks were served to everyone in the workshop.

The tea was mild, and the snacks were local millet cakes and mung bean pastries.

Chen Doudou ate a millet cake, and her eyes lit up.

"This isn't too sweet, it's edible."

Lin Jia breathed a sigh of relief.

"You've finally found a normal dessert."

Shen Ling'er took a bite of the mung bean pastry and nodded.

"The skin is thin and the filling is delicate, so it won't make you choke."

The assistant director immediately lowered his head and took notes.

[Millet cake and mung bean pastry: These items gained Shen Ling'er's approval.]

After seeing this, Zhao Lei couldn't help but complain:

"Assistant director, you're really making a local food yearbook right now."

The assistant director looked serious.

"It has reference value."

Shen Ling'er glanced at the teacup on the table.

"This cup is nice too."

"The rim is round, it's easy to hold, and the bottom is flat so it doesn't wobble."

"My hands don't feel uncomfortable when I drink tea."

Master Qin beamed with joy upon hearing this.

"Is this also a form of recognition?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Yes."

"That's how good things are; you might not notice them at first, but once you hold them in your hand, they feel comfortable."

"Smooth sailing is truly good."

The director listened with great satisfaction and quietly added another line to his phone's memo app.

Whether porcelain is good or not, Ling'er judges it by whether it suits her taste.

Zhao Lei caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but say:

"Director, you're really starting to look more and more like a steward of internal affairs."

The director remained unfazed.

"I'm doing this for the long-term stability of the program."

......

In the evening, the production crew left the workshop and strolled around the porcelain street in the old town of Jingdezhen.

The streets are lined with small shops selling cups, bowls, vases, and tea sets.

Some were neatly arranged, while others had their semi-finished products simply placed at the doorway to air dry.

On the roadside, some people were even painting blue and white porcelain on the spot. With a gentle turn of the brush, the lines looked as if they had grown out of their own bodies.

Zhao Mengmeng watched without blinking.

"Mom, every shop here has small bowls."

Bai Sisi nodded with a smile.

"Yes, this is where bowls and cups are made."

Chen Doudou looked around and asked questions along the way.

"Do you sell rice bowls here?"

"How much rice can this hold?"

"Can this bowl hold both the soup and the rice?"

Lin Jia was too lazy to answer each question one by one.

"Pick your favorite one first."

Chen Doudou looked around carefully, and finally pointed to a large bowl with a white background and blue flowers.

"this."

"It looks like it can hold its own."

Shen Ling'er glanced at it.

"It can indeed hold a lot."

"And the bowl's walls are thicker, so it won't get hot to hold."

"The bowl isn't too big, so it's not easy to spill the soup when drinking it."

"The pattern is a bit complicated, which might distract you while you're eating."

Chen Doudou looked very serious.

"I'm not afraid of being distracted."

"I can enjoy the view while I eat."

Zhao Lei couldn't stop laughing.

"DouDou has already arranged eating and aesthetic appreciation at the same time."

They arrived at the entrance of a time-honored porcelain shop.

The shop owner's surname is He, and he is an elderly man with gray hair.

Several old porcelain bowls were placed at the entrance, their glaze warm and lustrous, and they looked quite old.

As soon as Boss He saw the group of people, he came out to greet them with a smile.

"Welcome, welcome, feel free to browse."

Zhao Lei immediately switched to "social bull mode".

"Teacher He, all the bowls here are very beautiful."

Mr. He smiled and waved his hand.

"They're a mix of old and new items. Don't be fooled by their fancy appearance; you have to see if they're actually practical."

Shen Ling'er stood at the door, not in a hurry to go in.

She first looked at the small, pale blue bowl placed on the outermost edge.

Boss He noticed her gaze and asked with a smile:

"Little one, do you like this?"

Shen Ling'er nodded, then shook her head.

"This color is nice."

"But it's not particularly suitable for serving hot soup."

Mr. He was taken aback.

Why do you say that?

Shen Ling'er spoke very seriously:

"This bowl looks clean with a dry glaze and has a thin body, so it feels light to hold."

"Being light has its advantages; it's suitable for serving noodles and side dishes."

"But if you put soup that's too hot, your hands will feel hot even more easily."

"Moreover, the bowl's rim is well-sealed, so the heat doesn't dissipate too quickly, and people who eat slowly will find it too hot."

Mr. He paused for two seconds, then smiled.

"You little girl, you have a good eye."

Zhao Lei has become accustomed to sighing.

"Dear viewers, when Teacher Ling'er visits a porcelain shop, the first thing she looks at is not the pattern, but whether it is practical."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"Because good looks are something that people notice at first glance, while practicality is something that people use all the time."

"If a bowl is only suitable for taking pictures and not for eating, then it's just for decoration."

"My dad used to say that the truly good things are things you find easy to use and want to keep using after a couple of days."

Zhao Lei was stunned.

"Was it taught by Mr. Shen again?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Um."

"He doesn't really like things that are just for show."

He said that once something is made, it will eventually return to the hands of people.

Mr. He nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"That's right."

He turned around and took out a small, plain white cup from the counter.

"Then take a look at this."

Shen Ling'er took it and turned it gently.

"This one is better suited for drinking hot tea than the previous one."

"A thicker bowl makes the cup more stable."

"It's not fancy, but it's very durable."

Mr. He's eyes lit up.

"Yes, this is the most popular item among our regular customers."

Zhao Lei suddenly had a strong premonition.

"Boss, you're not going to give this away, are you?"

Boss He looked at Shen Ling'er with a smile.

"deliver."

"She understands this."

Zhao Lei immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Teacher Ling'er's first gift from Jingdezhen has arrived."

Shen Ling'er looked at the small cup in her hand.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

"This cup is nice; I can use it to make tea for my mom when I get home."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi's eyes softened.

She squatted down and patted her daughter's head.

"Okay, Mom likes it."

Mr. He looked at the mother and daughter and smiled gently.

"Your child has such good taste."

Zhao Lei quietly added insult to injury from the side.

"The main problem is that their standards are too high."

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"You can buy one too."

"But you need to learn to talk less first, otherwise you'll burn yourself before the tea even cools down."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Bai Sisi burst out laughing.

"Ling'er is just worried about you, isn't she?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"certainly."

"If a person talks too much, even drinking water won't be peaceful."

Boss He laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

"This child is interesting."

The live chat is going crazy with comments.

"Hahaha, I can't even drink water in peace!"

"Ling'er's way of showing concern is still so heartbreaking."

"She has an amazing eye for choosing cups; she can even tell whether a cup is suitable for drinking hot tea."

"How exactly did Shen Fei teach him? Even picking up a cup looks like doing a math problem."

"Even Boss He was convinced by her and started giving her gifts."

After strolling through the porcelain street, the production crew went out for dinner.

This meal consisted of local Jingdezhen dishes: rice noodles served in porcelain bowls and stir-fried vegetables.

The restaurant thoughtfully provided small bowls for the children, which were just the right amount.

Chen Doudou held her bowl and ate very attentively.

"This bowl is just right, not too much or too little."

Lin Jia couldn't help but laugh.

Are you praising the bowl or the food?

Chen Doudou is very serious.

"Everyone praised it."

Shen Ling'er lowered her head and ate a mouthful of rice noodles.

"This bowl is nice."

"The bottom of the bowl is flat, so it won't wobble when you hold it."

"The rim of the bowl won't cut your hand."

"I feel better when I'm eating."

Zhao Lei looked at her and suddenly sighed.

"Teacher Ling'er, you've evolved to the point where you even scrutinize bowls."

Shen Ling'er looked up.

"It should have been reviewed in the first place."

"When the things you use for eating are convenient, you can eat well."

"When people eat comfortably, they will have fewer worries."

After he finished speaking, there was a half-second of silence on the table.

Bai Sisi smiled softly.

That's quite true.

Yang Mi looked at her daughter with eyes full of tenderness.

She's getting more and more used to this feeling.

Ling'er is always stabbing people, but what she stabs is often not thorns.

It clarifies many things that were originally vague for you.

The director, sitting in the back, silently wrote down that sentence as well.

The assistant director saw this and asked:

"Director, what are you memorizing now?"

The director is very serious.

"Teacher Ling'er said today that people can only eat properly when they have convenient things to use for eating."

"These words will be very useful for setting food and beverage standards for future TV programs."

Assistant Director: "..."

Zhao Lei almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

"Director, you've really become Ling'er's logistics system now."

The director remained expressionless.

"Learn if you can."

At night, the production crew returned to the hotel.

In the room, Yang Mi helped Shen Ling'er put away the small white cup, straw rabbit, straw chicken leg, red rope, and small bookmarks from Porcelain Street that she had brought back that day.

She looked at the small white cup and asked with a smile:

"Are you really going to take this back?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"want."

"This cup is suitable for brewing tea, and it's also suitable for showing off to Dad."

Yang Mi was taken aback.

"What are you showing your dad?"

Shen Ling'er said seriously:

"Let him see what something truly easy to use is like."

"He'll probably like it."

Yang Mi couldn't help but laugh.

"You certainly know how to assign homework to your dad."

Shen Ling'er thought for a moment.

"He can do it."

"And he thinks about these things carefully when he's making something."

Yang Mi patted her little head, feeling both soft-hearted and wanting to laugh.

"Okay, I'll show it to him when we get home."

In the next room, Zhao Lei was still posting on his WeChat Moments.

He took a picture of the small cup he had made crookedly, and captioned it:

"My first piece in Jingdezhen, though not perfect, shows growth."

Bai Sisi couldn't stop laughing when she saw it.

"You really have the nerve to post that."

Zhao Lei was very serious.

"This is called a process record."

"And Teacher Ling'er just said to be patient and not rush to show off."

"Right now, I'm just recording that I've stabilized."

Bai Sisi smiled and shook her head.

"You were definitely more composed today."

Zhao Lei's eyes lit up.

"real?"

Bai Sisi nodded.

"real."

Shen Ling'er next door had already gotten into bed and was almost asleep.

She vaguely heard Zhao Lei whispering and boasting outside, and with her eyes still closed, she said:

He will continue to send them tomorrow.

Yang Mi suppressed a laugh.

"What should we do then?"

Shen Ling'er yawned slightly.

"Let him send it."

"He didn't cause any trouble today, so that's an improvement."

A gentle night breeze blew past the window.

The lights in Jingdezhen shone one by one, like light slowly spreading on porcelain glaze.

This stop lacks the thrill of an airport, the explosions of the World Cup, and the mountain breezes and ancient charm of Longhu Mountain.

Only clay, kilns, cups, bowls, and a group of people slowly learn to understand these things.

But Shen Ling'er remained the same.

He's arrogant in his words, but his eyes are more shrewd than anyone else's.

She doesn't just watch the spectacle; she also understands the intricacies.

Not only will she expose Zhao Lei, but she will also help others see things more clearly.

The viewers in the live stream all understand.

As long as she stands there, her ordinary daily life will never be ordinary.

The next morning.

The production crew gathered in the hotel conference room.

After the ceramics experience in Jingdezhen, everyone had quite a few extra items in their hands.

Zhao Mengmeng was holding her crooked little cup, and she looked adorable no matter how you looked at her.

Although Zhou Xiaoyu's small bowl wasn't perfectly round, she was already quite satisfied.

Chen Doudou is the most outrageous.

He not only bought a large rice bowl, but also hung yesterday's straw-woven chicken leg on the outside of the bowl bag, as if adding a badge to his tableware.

As soon as Zhao Lei entered the meeting room, he placed his cup, which he had failed to throw but managed to salvage, on the table.

"Dear viewers..."

"During my career experience in Jingdezhen, I didn't make a perfect cup."

"But I have grown."

Bai Sisi glanced at the small cup that was clearly uneven in height and couldn't help but laugh.

"Isn't your development a bit skewed?"

Zhao Lei immediately coughed.

"Art shouldn't be discussed in such a rigid way."

Shen Ling'er was sitting next to Yang Mi, eating a small piece of rice cake.

She looked up at Zhao Lei's cup.

"It is not a work of art."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Shen Ling'er added slowly.

"It's a cup that needs a paper liner to prevent it from shaking."

The meeting room erupted in laughter.

Zhao Lei clutched his chest.

"Teacher Ling'er, can't you give it some dignity?"

Shen Ling'er said earnestly, "The dignity of a cup lies in its own firmness."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The comments section was already buzzing with activity early on.

"Hahaha, a cup's dignity lies in standing firm on its own!"

"Zhao Lei's cup was sentenced to death by Ling'er's words."

"The Jingdezhen episode isn't even over yet, and Zhao Lei is already starting to suffer the consequences of his work."

"Ling'er's lips still taste the same as before."

The director waited until everyone finished laughing before picking up the program cards.

"Alright, let's announce the next stop today."

Zhao Lei immediately sat up straight.

"Director, let me ask you something first."

"Are we doing crafts again this time?"

The director shook his head.

"I don't do handicrafts."

Chen Doudou immediately asked, "Then shall we cook?"

The director glanced at him.

"It's not about cooking."

Chen Doudou was clearly a little disappointed.

Shen Ling'er looked at the director.

"That's looking at things, not making things."

The director paused.

Zhao Lei immediately became alert.

"Teacher Ling'er, have you already started guessing?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Your previous stops included watching football, woodworking, Taoist culture, and ceramics."

"If we continue with career experience now, they probably won't make us sit there grinding away anymore."

"Moreover, the director brought two light jackets today, and the assistant director was carrying a sun hat, indicating that we were going outdoors."

"It's not a tourist attraction because you didn't bring tour guide materials."

"It's more like going to a place where you have to check the weather forecast."

director:"……"

The assistant director silently glanced down at the sun hat in his hand.

Zhao Lei slowly turned his head to look at the director.

"Director, she's dismantling the show ahead of schedule again."

The director remained silent for two seconds.

"Next stop, a job experience at the weather station."