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In this era of limited medical resources, having some emergency medicines is indeed a great convenience.
Therefore, Jiang Mixia’s family had no objections to Xun Yuanbai staying for a few days.
Subsequently, Xun Yuanbai naturally resided in the eastern wing room.
With pleasant autumn weather and suitable temperatures, everything felt just right.
The bamboo workshop was orderly, and the porcelain kiln was running smoothly.
The kiln’s scale had expanded, and the production of porcelain had increased several times compared to the initial stages.
Over the past few days, Manager Zhou paid a visit.
The first batch of summer tea had been successfully sold with excellent feedback, greatly welcomed by many customers. Numerous customers had already pre-ordered the newly released autumn tea, with the quantity tripling compared to the summer tea.
During this visit, Manager Zhou came to order tea canisters for the upcoming autumn tea.
Based on the current tea orders, Manager Zhou requested the first batch of four hundred tea canisters for the autumn tea, and also instructed the porcelain kiln to start preparing tea caddies for the winter tea.
For the kiln, this was indeed a significant order.
Jiang Mixia was quite pleased.
After discussing the tea canisters, Manager Zhou brought out a wooden box.
It was a foot square lacquered wooden box with beautifully intricate patterns.
“These are a token of appreciation from my master. I hope you won’t refuse,” Manager Zhou said as he opened the wooden box.
Inside the box were heavy silver ingots, each weighing five taels, totaling around twenty ingots.
“The tea business is showing promising results. The profit from each tea canisters is even higher than my initial estimates. Just from the few summer tea canisters and the upcoming autumn tea, we’ve already made over a hundred taels. If we continue this business diligently next year, we could potentially earn an additional thousand taels.”
Manager Zhou, excited about the tea business, continued, “Our master is also very pleased and has instructed me to express our gratitude to you. I initially thought of buying some gifts, but as a man, I’m unsure of what you would like. After much consideration, we decided to give you something practical. Please manage this gift as you see fit.”
The silver given this time amounted to over a hundred taels.
Given that the business had not fully taken off, such a generous gesture could be considered quite lavish.
The tea plantation was now paving the way for new financial opportunities, largely thanks to Jiang Mixia’s ideas. The main household of Zhou Xing also recognized the excellent prospects for the future.
Since gratitude was inevitable, they decided to express it earlier, showing sincere appreciation.
Jiang Mixia did not overly refuse this, accepting everything graciously.
As Manager Zhou departed, he also reciprocated with many gifts, including items from the workshop and kiln, along with some medicated pills crafted by Xun Yuanbai.
Manager Zhou accepted everything graciously, engaging in a lengthy conversation with Jiang Mixia before leaving as the sun began to set.
With another substantial sum of silver in hand, Jiang Mixia, accompanied by Song Jingyun, dug up the hidden wooden box in the evening and temporarily buried the silver inside.
As they gazed at the gleaming silver inside the box, Song Jingyun eagerly inquired, “My dear, when will we buy more land?”
The dream of becoming significant landowners must not be abandoned.
“Let’s wait another year,” Jiang Mixia replied.
“Why? In just a couple more months, we’ll have enough money to buy another fifty acres of land,” Song Jingyun asked.
“It’s enough to buy fifty acres, but I’m thinking of waiting until we have more money to directly purchase an estate. This way, we can manage it collectively and avoid many troublesome issues.”
The previous purchase of fifty acres of dry land was fortunate, as the head of the estate and the steward behind it turned out to be trustworthy and cooperation went smoothly. However, such favorable cooperation might not be guaranteed next time.
By saving up and buying an estate outright, we can plan properly for unified management, establishing a secure and long-term industry for the family.
With money in the pocket and food in storage, there’s no need to worry about anything.
Song Jingyun felt that Jiang Mixia’s idea made a lot of sense.
It’s like how with two coins, you can buy a meat bun, but with twenty coins, you can get a sweet osmanthus cake. Of course, he would prefer the osmanthus cake.
Good things are worth the wait.
After several consecutive clear days, the weather turned cloudy on this day.
By midday after lunch, the day even seemed a bit overcast.
In the Jiang family village, six or seven individuals arrived.
Leading them was a man named Chai Fa, tall and thin, with a prominent mole on his left cheek.
Chai Fa introduced himself as the steward of Chai’s store in the county town and came to discuss business with the porcelain kiln. However, before discussing business, he wanted to inspect the kiln’s condition.
Examining the site and production conditions before negotiating business terms was quite common.
Dressed in a well-tailored outfit, Chai Fa’s attire down to his boots exuded sophistication. The dozen or so attendants behind him were all dressed in neat blue cloth attire, presenting a disciplined appearance.
Seeing the grandeur of the entourage, Zhu Yongwu sensed that this was likely a significant business deal.
Concerned about his own lack of business acumen, Zhu Yongwu specifically called Jiang Mixia over.
Jiang Mixia, Zhu Yongwu, and Chai Fa and his companions toured the porcelain kiln, eventually settling in the outer courtyard.
Jiang Chunyu promptly served several cups of tea.
“This tea is not bad,” Chai Fa remarked after a sip, casually spitting out a tea leaf that accidentally entered his mouth onto the ground.
This gesture appeared crude, and whether it was just her perception, Jiang Mixia couldn’t shake the feeling that since Chai Fa arrived at the kiln, his words and actions lacked friendliness.
Ignoring Chai Fa’s behavior, Jiang Mixia inquired, “I wonder how much merchandise Chai’s store intends to order, what kind of goods, and when they are needed.”
“No rush,” Chai Fa replied.
Perhaps still bothered by the tea leaf incident, Chai Fa picked his teeth and gazed intently at Jiang Mixia. “Regarding matters of this kiln, can the words of a mere woman like you be trusted?”
His attitude was arrogant, with a strong sense of disdain evident in his eyes and demeanor.
Jiang Mixia felt displeased and had no desire to do business with this individual. However, since he had come to them, she saw no reason to turn him away. She decided to observe the situation and find a way to gracefully decline the business deal.
With a slight smile, Jiang Mixia responded, “This kiln was jointly established by my family and Master Zhu. When it comes to business matters, decisions are made by my family. Although my parents are elderly, I manage many affairs.”
In essence, she made it clear that she had the authority over the kiln.
As Chai Fa finished picking his teeth, he rinsed his mouth with a sip of tea, then spat out again onto the ground.
In the dry weather, the tea water was quickly absorbed by the soil, leaving only a faint mark behind.
“Such a large kiln, yet it’s run by a delicate young lady. No wonder the kiln isn’t as profitable as it could be,” Chai Fa commented.