vstars Chapter 162: Success!
Chapter 162: Success!
Yu Wanran took a breath, and with the still somewhat bewildered Zhong Yeliu, got out of the carriage and followed Song Lianghan on their way. The riverbed was full of mud and sand, unsuitable for a horse-drawn carriage.
Song Lianghan led them to a large, open riverbank.
Apart from a few rows of simple thatched huts standing in the center and dozens of workers bending over to sift mud along the riverbank, there was no sign of human habitation for hundreds of meters around. This must be the land allocated to her Chengya Inkstone Manor.
Yu Wanran remembered that the Shihe River was a branch of the Hanhai River, leading to the capital. When the time was right, she could build a small dock here and have her own waterway, which would make transporting goods much faster.
Of course, it's too early to think about that. Let's first see how the Chengya Inkstone Shop is doing under the Lin family grandfather and grandson.
Whether it was because Song Lianghan was a frequent visitor or because everyone recognized him as the adopted son of Magistrate Xue, the workers greeted Song Lianghan warmly.
They didn't recognize Yu Wanran and Zhong Yeliu, so they squinted at them and whispered among themselves, trying to guess their identities.
Song Lianghan ran into the workshop with practiced ease. Only when he got there did he reveal a bit of his true childlike nature, excitedly shouting, "Grandpa Lin, Xiao An! Come out quickly and see who I brought!"
Yu Wanran stepped into the workshop.
From the outside, the rows of houses looked extremely simple, but once inside, it was surprisingly spacious. It seemed to be divided into several areas, where craftsmen and apprentices were busy with their respective tasks in an orderly manner.
Near the door stood a large, cumbersome wooden table, piled high with various ledgers, paper drawings, and tools that she couldn't quite understand.
At Song Lianghan's call, a person immediately stood up from the chair behind the wooden table, greeting Yu Wanran with a look of surprise and delight: "Master, you've finally arrived?"
Yu Wanran looked up and saw that it was Yan Qing!
I wonder what kind of work this kid has been assigned, sitting here all alone? There are faint traces of water at the corners of his mouth, and half of his face is flushed, showing the rough texture of the wooden table. He's clearly just woken up, still half-asleep.
As a bodyguard, it was indeed a bit difficult to ask him and Wangyou to live such a routine life. Yu Wanran didn't care about the other's slacking off, and only asked one question.
"Hmm, I've come to check out the inkstone-making workshop. Where's Wangyou? Have you met her?"
"Forget your worries?"
Startled for a moment, Yan Qing noticed Zhong Yeliu frowning behind his master. He quickly rubbed his face vigorously, trying to appear spirited and proper in front of his master.
"Ah, Brother Yanbai! He's not on duty right now, he's sleeping in the back room. Master, I'll go wake him up right away!"
Yu Wanran reached out to stop him, but Yan Qing ran off like a gust of wind, leaving only his back view.
At this moment, Song Lianghan and Lin Anzhi walked over quickly. Upon seeing Yu Wanran, they greeted her happily.
"Sister Yu! You've finally arrived? Just in time! My grandfather and the others are preparing to fire a new batch of inkstones. Shall we go take a look?"
Yu Wanran was overjoyed: "You already have a finished product? Is it in color?"
“Over the past few months, we have repeatedly practiced and fired the clay. Grandpa also invited several masters who are skilled in coloring and firing pottery. We apply the prepared pigments to the clay blanks, put them in the kiln and fire them to get clay inkstones of various colors.”
Lin Anzhi led the way while explaining the directions.
"The problem is a lack of experience; currently, each kiln firing produces many substandard or defective products. But given time, we are confident that we can gradually improve and resolve these issues!"
Yu Wanran sincerely praised, "You did a great job!"
Lin Anzhi scratched his head and chuckled.
Upon arriving at the kiln area, they saw ten kilns built there. However, most of them were not in operation. Only one kiln had a roaring fire burning underneath, and Lin Fang and a group of craftsmen were starting it up.
Everyone was focused on waiting for the kiln workers to take out the newly fired clay inkstones from the gradually cooling kiln, and no one noticed Yu Wanran's arrival.
A slab of dusty, gray clay inkstone was carefully carried out by the kiln workers and placed on the table. Everyone rushed over. Lin Fang was so anxious that he was afraid these people would touch his precious inkstone, so he shouted and yelled.
"Everyone, step back! These freshly made inkstones are too delicate; they're easily damaged!"
Once the onlookers had dispersed into a semi-circle, Lin personally picked up a small brush and brushed away the dust from each of the new inkstones to observe whether there were any defective or scrap products from this batch.
Yu Wanran watched as the colorful clay inkstone gradually revealed its true form under Lin Fang's brush, and her excitement was just as great as everyone else's.
This is the Chengni inkstone that was all the rage in the Great Zhao Dynasty in her previous life, and its value would one day rival that of the three most famous inkstones! In this life, she has taken control of it!
"Grandpa Lin, you've succeeded!"
Lin Fang suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him, and his hand trembled, almost breaking a piece of Chengni inkstone. But he couldn't care less about the inanimate object, and turned to face Yu Wanran, both surprised and delighted.
"Boss! When did you arrive?"
Yu Wanran smiled and said, "I just arrived a little while ago. What a coincidence, I just happened to witness you successfully firing a kiln of clay inkstones!"
Upon hearing that their master had arrived, the group of craftsmen nearby quickly and awkwardly stepped back. They initially thought it was some young girl who had wandered in to play; thankfully, they hadn't had a chance to scold her!
Yu Wanran took two steps closer and bent down to examine the inkstones more closely. Lin Fang picked one up and placed it in her hand without saying a word.
"Master, it seems there are fewer defective products in this batch. Please take a closer look and see if they meet your requirements."
What a joke! The entire workshop on those hundred acres of land belongs to the owner! He'd fly into a rage if someone accidentally broke a piece of inkstone. But if the owner came and smashed the whole kiln of inkstones, declaring them substandard, he'd have to swallow his pride and refire them.
Countless gazes were fixed on Yu Wanran, filled with unease.
These people spent countless days and nights in the workshop, striving to successfully fire colored inkstones! They didn't even have time to wash their faces, eating dry rations every day, working tirelessly without rest.
If this kiln still failed, they felt they had let their employer down! Lin Fang hired them with the utmost respect, paying them three times the wages of other workshops, and signed long-term employment contracts and confidentiality agreements with them.
From one perspective, they are under immense pressure because they cannot produce a perfect product!
Yu Wanran gently picked up the inkstone that Lin Fang had brought her to examine.
This is a piece of eel-yellow. The craftsmen Lin Fang invited carved even more exquisite patterns, and the overall shape is a cluster of exquisitely carved trees, with a round moon-like inkstone in the middle.
It feels firm and fine to the touch.
Lin Anzhi took out an ink stick and mixed ink for writing in front of everyone. He felt that the ink would become thicker and more viscous with the added moisture, making the writing smoother.
These inkstones are of much higher quality than before. Of course, their appearance is also significantly more beautiful. The finished products from the same batch also come in several colors, including crab-shell green, rose purple, and vermilion red. There are also more patterns available.
In time, as the artisans become more skilled, they will be able to produce even more colorful and intricately carved Chengni inkstones for her workshop!
"Grandpa Lin, Xiao An, and the other masters, you all did a great job!"
Yu Wanran smiled excitedly, "Those who participated in the research and development of colored inkstones during this period will all receive a reward! In the future, once Chengya Inkstone Manor has developed, I will not treat you and your families unfairly!"
As for the specific amount of the reward, it needs to be discussed with the Lin family grandfather and grandson. After all, she wasn't on-site supervising and doesn't know who contributed the most.