Zhang Jingxu's icy face showed disappointment. After sitting for a while, he stood up and walked into the kitchen.
This was the first time Yu Wanwan had seen him so ungentle. She quickly followed to explain, "Don't be mad. That lamp... it doesn't actually help with sleep. I was just making that up. It's just a lamp; how could it improve sleep?"
Zhang Jingxu still said nothing, turning his back to her. He was stripping leaves off vegetables haphazardly, his movements showing rare irritation and... grievance?
Yu Wanwan looked at his back and suddenly felt he was like a big dog whose toy had been taken away. Even though he was obviously angry, he only turned his back on her.
She gently tugged at his shirt. "Don't be like this."
Zhang Jingxu busied himself in the kitchen and spoke coldly, "I realize you can be really stingy sometimes."
Since their marriage, he had bought her so many things. He came home every day to film videos with her, even ate spicy food to get her interesting footage. He never asked for anything in return. Today, he just wanted a lamp, and she refused so harshly. How could he not be hurt?
"It's not that I'm stingy; it's really unavailable," she said helplessly. "If you really want one, I can buy you a cooler one, okay?"
"Forget it. I don't want it anymore." He sounded like an unreachable child, his voice cold and expression colder.
Yu Wanwan: "..."
What was this all about?
"Alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so stingy." She sincerely apologized. "Be magnanimous and forgive me, okay?"
Seeing he remained unmoved, she continued, "How about this? I'll give you the 1,000 yuan I won today as an apology."
Zhang Jingxu stopped what he was doing, his gaze burning. "Do you think I care about money?"
"Of course I know you don't," Yu Wanwan said, almost in tears. "But I really can't buy you that lamp."
"Then why couldn't you have said that nicely earlier?"
"Didn't I say it nicely?"
"Your attitude was clearly irritable," he accused. "If you had calmly explained that it's not available, would I have forced you? Not only were you rude, but you also told me to take sleeping pills. Do you know that an overdose of sleeping pills can be fatal?"
"Then don't take too many..." Yu Wanwan stopped herself, realizing she shouldn't say that. She quickly corrected herself, "Okay, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so irritable, and I shouldn't have told you to take sleeping pills. I'm sorry. All my fault. Okay?"
Seeing her seemingly sincere apology, Zhang Jingxu softened his tone. "Will you change?"
"Yes." Yu Wanwan stood meekly before him. "I won't be irritable with you again. I'll control my emotions and try to be gentler. Okay?"
Hearing that, Zhang Jingxu finally seemed satisfied. His expression returned to its usual gentleness. "What do you want for dinner?"
Finally appeasing this high-maintenance man, Yu Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief. "Anything. I'll eat whatever you make."
He asked again, "Are you filming tonight?"
"Yes, I will." She went to the living room to set up the filming equipment...
Dinner was a delicate fusion meal. Yu Wanwan especially loved the seafood scallion pancake Zhang Jingxu made and ate more than half of it.
After finishing her bowl of spicy beef soup, Yu Wanwan was about to go upstairs when Zhang Jingxu suddenly called her.
"What's up?" She turned around, confused.
Accustomed to spending time with her after dinner every day, Zhang Jingxu's eyes flickered, and he quickly found a reason to be with her. "Can you teach me pottery?"
"Huh?" Why did he suddenly want to learn pottery late at night?
Seeing her confusion, he explained, "I just want to learn a new skill to impress a girl I like. Besides, you said you'd teach me if I wanted to learn."
After some hesitation, Yu Wanwan agreed.
It wasn't like she had anything better to do. It would pass the time and help digest the meal.
The pottery studio was bathed in warm yellow light, enveloping the two sitting side by side. The air smelled of moist clay.
On a nearby wooden board sat a ramen bowl Yu Wanwan had made a while ago, which had just gone through the bisque firing and wasn't glazed yet.
"When making pottery, you need to be very patient." Yu Wanwan slipped into teacher mode and picked up a piece of clay. "Since you're a beginner, I'll start with the simplest: a cup."
She demonstrated and explained, her fingers skillfully kneading and slapping the clay. "First step: wedging. Like this, repeatedly throw and knead the clay to remove air bubbles. Keep going until the clay is soft and there are no bubbles. If not removed, it might crack during firing."
Zhang Jingxu also took a piece of clay and followed her steps earnestly.
After kneading for a while, Yu Wanwan threw the clay firmly onto the center of the potter's wheel and started the machine. "After wedging, center the clay on the wheel. Dip your hands in water, and as the wheel spins, use your palms and fingers to stabilize the clay in the center. Then pull it up, and use your thumbs to press down vertically from the top..."
Zhang Jingxu watched intently and operated step by step.
Yu Wanwan was familiar with handling clay, knowing how to tame it. She quickly completed the steps of opening, pulling, shaping, and finishing the rim.