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Mr. Zhao remarked, “Establishing a porcelain kiln demonstrates good business acumen, but the success of your business will depend on the quality of your products.”
“Would you be willing to assess the quality and set a price, Mr. Zhao?” Jiang Mixia asked as she presented the porcelain bowls and basins.
Mr. Zhao’s eyes lit up as he carefully examined the items on the table. He inspected each piece, feeling their thickness, tapping them with his fingers, and listening to the sound they produced.
“Not bad,” Mr. Zhao nodded. “The craftsmanship in this fine porcelain is good. These bowls could fetch a hundred wen each, and the basins even more.”
“It seems your kiln craftsmen are skilled. Here’s my proposal: once you’ve finished this kiln’s production, bring everything over, and we’ll set a price,” Mr. Zhao suggested.
“Agreed,” Jiang Mixia confirmed the arrangement with Mr. Zhao to deliver the porcelain bowls and basins the following day for inspection and price negotiation.
The next day, Mr. Zhao received a total of 78 pieces of porcelain from Jiang Mixia, and the final settlement amounted to ten taels of silver. After deducting the costs of glaze materials and firing, they made a profit of five taels, with Zhu Yongwu receiving one tael and five maces of silver, representing a 30% share of the profit.
From the initial creation of the clay blanks to the final kiln firing, the process took just under half a month.
Within this time, Zhu Yongwu earned one tael and five maces of silver, despite it being the first firing and the quantity being limited.
If he became more proficient, he could potentially earn around five taels a month. Moreover, if the porcelain kiln expanded and more apprentices were taken on, the earnings could increase even further.
Earning a hundred taels of silver in a year seemed to become less of an unattainable goal.
Reflecting on his previous work in the Zhu family village, where he labored in their porcelain kiln, often working tirelessly and enduring constant reprimands, only to earn a meager three hundred wen per month…
Zhu Yongwu increasingly felt that his decision to leave the Zhu family village and settle in the Jiang family village was indeed the right one.
Once the current batch of porcelain items was sorted, Zhu Yongwu resumed the process of making clay blanks, with Jiang Chunya assisting.
During the last kiln firing, Jiang Chunya had pleaded with Zhu Yongwu to include the bowls and basins he had made.
From making the clay blanks to glazing and finally placing them in the saggars, although under Zhu Yongwu’s guidance, Jiang Chunya independently completed the process, resulting in two medium-quality pieces.
Succeeding on the first attempt, even with medium-quality items, was considered quite impressive.
In Zhu Yongwu’s words, it was a vast improvement from what he himself had done in his youth.
This greatly inspired Jiang Chunya, who not only proudly displayed the bowls and basins he made to his friends but also became even more dedicated to learning the craft of porcelain firing from Zhu Yongwu.
Zhu Yongwu appreciated Jiang Chunya’s attitude and was pleased with his rapid and proficient learning, gladly taking him under his wing.
Thus, without a formal apprenticeship ceremony, Zhu Yongwu and Jiang Chunya began to interact as master and apprentice.
For the upcoming kiln firing, based on negotiations with Jiang Mixia and Mr. Zhao, they needed to produce more plates, specifically underglaze painted plates. This required drying the blanks, painting them before glazing, and then applying white or light-colored glaze to create durable, long-lasting, and intricately patterned items.
While the underglaze painting process was more labor-intensive, the resulting compensation would be higher.
Zhu Yongwu was willing to endure the extra work if it meant earning more money to ensure a better life for Zhu Guangtai in the future, and he continued to toil in the porcelain kiln with Jiang Chunya.
The bamboo weaving workshop became increasingly busy, with a continuous flow of outgoing shipments.
Due to the high volume of orders at Zheng grocery store, they had to prioritize urgent deliveries. On this particular day, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun delivered a batch of waterproof bamboo woven boxes.
Excited about the trip to the county town, Song Jingyun was in high spirits throughout the journey. The recent delay in receiving orders after the new year, combined with their prior focus on helping Zhu Yongwu with the construction of the porcelain kiln, meant that Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun hadn’t been out and about for quite some time.
Aware of Song Jingyun’s childlike nature and his longing for some excitement, Jiang Mixia indulged him, allowing him to explore the county town. If he spotted any food or items he liked, she encouraged him to make a purchase.
In order to spend quality time with Song Jingyun in the county town, Jiang Mixia even bought some extra food he liked, ensuring that the carriage drivers and other members of their group had a good lunch, while she and Song Jingyun wandered around together.
On this spring day, yellow peas were in season, and so were water chestnut cakes. The streets were filled with the aroma of savory fried pastries stuffed with seasoned minced meat, and golden-brown pan-fried buns.
Song Jingyun’s appetite was piqued, and he wanted to try everything he saw.
Jiang Mixia decided to buy a little of everything, and the two of them made a meal out of it, eating as they walked along.
As they strolled and indulged in the local treats, Jiang Mixia noticed a sudden commotion up ahead.
“Wow, what’s going on up there?” Song Jingyun craned his neck to see.
Despite being quite tall, he still couldn’t get a clear view through the dense crowd that surrounded them.
“Wife, shall we go and take a look?” Song Jingyun swallowed the last of his chive dumpling.
With such a large crowd ahead, there had to be something incredibly delicious. Licking his lips, Song Jingyun eagerly pulled Jiang Mixia forward to join in the excitement.
With Song Jingyun’s strong grip, Jiang Mixia hesitated momentarily. Before she could react, she found herself being pulled forward by his forceful stride.
Huh? It seemed that her little husband had grown stronger, now able to pull her along.
Jiang Mixia wore a proud, motherly smile as she followed Song Jingyun, squeezing through the crowded area.
“Come on, folks, please step back a bit. Don’t knock over our stall or ruin someone else’s chance. If someone misses out because of you, I won’t take responsibility,” the stall owner, Wei Wanshun, loudly admonished as the dense crowd instinctively shifted back, creating a safe distance for everyone to enjoy the spectacle without causing any disruption.
As the crowd settled, Wei Wanshun, holding a box of chestnut cakes, began enticing the onlookers with his sales pitch.
“Sun’s pastries, assorted treats: lotus seed pastries, chestnut cakes, honey-laden pastries, sesame twists, all packed in one large box. Normally, this box of pastries would cost 180 wen, but today we’ll sell it for 150 wen. This fabric, usually sold for 200 wen at the fabric store, is priced at 150 wen here. And we also have these porcelain items, hairpins, silk flowers…”