"Why are you here again? I told you I do this for my own pleasure, not for sale! Don't get me in trouble!" an old man said irritably, sitting by the door and drinking tea, as he saw Feng Changze walking ahead.
"This sir, I'm not here to buy the Zisha teapots you made," Ji Xingmi said as she walked out from behind.
Upon hearing this, the old man retorted unhappily, "Then what are you here for?"
"It's like this, I broke my grandfather's beloved Zisha teapot, so I thought I'd make one for him myself, but I don't know how, so I was hoping you could guide me! I want to make one to give to my grandfather."
Hearing Ji Xingmi, the old man looked at her seriously and asked, "You intend to make it yourself?"
"Making it myself shows more sincerity! Grandfather, I'm entrusting him to you!" Ji Xingmi said, bowing respectfully.
The old man looked at the young girl in front of him and found what she said quite interesting. He then stood up and moved aside, "Come in! Whether you can make it or not depends on you!"
The old man then led them to the backyard, introduced them to various tools, and began to teach them how to make Zisha teapots. Honestly, without any skill, it was impossible to do this. Just that afternoon, Ji Xingmi was only on the first step, and even that step did not meet Master Fang's requirements.
Ji Xingmi almost gave up, but she thought about what she had just said, and that Feng Changze and Gu Jingyi had also not met his requirements, so she felt she could persevere a bit longer.
As Ji Xingmi stood up, there were still mud spots on her face. Gu Jingyi took out a handkerchief and wiped them away.
"Master Fang, it's too late today. I'll visit you again tomorrow!"
"Heh heh, very good, you haven't given up yet! I hope you'll be like this tomorrow too." Old Master Fang waved goodbye to them. Ji Xingmi walked along, patting her arms. She felt her hands were almost unable to lift.
Ji Xingmi sighed and complained, "I didn't expect making a teapot to be so difficult!"
"Then you still said you'd come again tomorrow!"
"He's unwilling to sell the ones he's made, so I have no choice but to make them myself. Give me some time, and I'll definitely be able to make one."
After bidding farewell to Feng Changze, the two drove back. Ji Xingmi came to Master Fang's place alone the next day. Feng Changze had wanted to accompany her, but Gao Yu needed his help, so he had to send Ji Xingmi a message explaining his situation. Besides, he didn't want to see Gu Jingyi at all. Who knew that Gu Jingyi hadn't come along either? He didn't have time every day to accompany Ji Xingmi for outings.
Ji Xingmi told him to focus on his important matters first, and she continued to learn how to make Zisha teapots from Master Fang. It was another day of no achievement, but at least she learned the second step. Thus, she spent more than half a month on this endeavor and finally managed to make a presentable Zisha teapot. However, she was not entirely satisfied with it, so she spent another two days making another one. This time, she was much more pleased.
Ji Xingmi's sense of accomplishment reached its peak that day. She decided to treat herself to something delicious. However, it was past lunchtime, so she couldn't go to the place she had visited last time. On the way, she heard someone say that the new steak at the Kyoto Grand Hotel tasted pretty good, so she decided to try it. She hadn't eaten steak in a long time and, to be honest, she missed the taste. She also missed fried chicken and the like, but eating like this in this era would be considered extravagant, so she didn't show it.
There weren't many people dining at that time, and Ji Xingmi wasn't too concerned about such things, so she went in first. She admired her masterpiece while waiting for her food. At this moment, she heard people nearby conversing softly in English. At first, she didn't pay close attention, but as she listened, she detected many problems. To avoid alarming them, Ji Xingmi continued her actions without showing any sign of peculiarity.
Ji Xingmi whispered something to Mogu. Although Mogu didn't understand, he quickly went out to make arrangements. Ji Xingmi sat there and heard almost their entire conversation. When the food arrived, Mogu led people in from outside. They had probably noticed the commotion here and quickly ended their conversation. Ji Xingmi glanced at the two people before quickly looking away.
She didn't enjoy this meal at all. She didn't know what she had eaten. It was completely different from what she had imagined. After finishing her meal, she returned, remaining silent the whole way, as if preoccupied. She first went to Old Mao's courtyard and gave him the Zisha teapot she had made.
Old Mao was pleasantly surprised and said happily, "Where did this come from? You can't buy these things outside now, can you?"
"Mmm, I found a master, but he refused to sell the Zisha teapots he made, so I had to make one myself. It took me more than half a month to make this one! My skills aren't very good, but Master Fang said it's not bad! How is it? Am I amazing? Grandpa Mao, do you like it?"
"Mmm! I like it, I like it very much!" Old Mao looked at the Zisha teapot with great joy, touching it here and there, like he had received a new toy. Seeing how much he liked it, Ji Xingmi was also very happy.