Quick Wear: The first person to love the host

Chapter 443 The Substitute Bride Becomes a Reality (44)

Old Hu, with his white hair and beard and a face full of wrinkles, was sitting on a small stool in the courtyard, slowly and meticulously mending a chipped rough pottery bowl in the thin winter sunlight.

Upon seeing someone approaching, he merely lifted his eyelids slightly, his hands continuing their work.

"Mr. Hu, I am Su Ziyu, and I have come to pay my respects." Su Ziyu cupped his hands in a respectful manner.

"What are you visiting? I'm just an old kiln worker who's about to die. I can't even fire a whole bowl anymore. I have nothing to teach you, esteemed people." The old man's voice was hoarse, with a clear sense of estrangement.

Su Ziyu didn't take it seriously and walked over to the pile of porcelain shards, squatted down to examine them closely, and occasionally picked up a shard to look at it in the light.

Liu Ye hesitated, but was stopped by Su Ziyu's gaze.

After looking at it for a while, Su Ziyu finally spoke: "Old sir, you are too modest. Although I do not know anything about firing kilns, I can tell that these fragments are made of fine clay. Although the glaze is ordinary, the firing temperature is even. The cracks are mostly caused by external forces, rather than by deformation or underfiring in the kiln. This is the skill of a seasoned master who can remain calm and composed."

Old Hu paused slightly in his hand, which was sticking to the bowl, and finally looked up at Su Ziyu with a serious expression: "You young man are not like those who only know how to intimidate people with their reputation."

"Before skill, reputation is worthless," Su Ziyu said with a smile. "I have come to inquire about the object that is 'bright as crystal and clear as water.' I have heard that you, sir, have been familiar with this method in your day?"

Old Hu put down the bowl and glue in his hand and sighed: "That's all ancient history from so many years ago... That was my master, a Tibetan monk from the far west, who happened to stay at our kiln."

He had some shiny stone powder mixed with special sand in his hand. He burned it for seven days and seven nights and produced a few small trinkets, which were indeed translucent and beautiful.

But my master said it wouldn't do; there were too many impurities and bubbles, it couldn't be considered true 'crystal.' Later, my master fell ill and passed away, leaving no trace of the recipe; I can't even remember a single word he said."

It's so clear... Could it be glass?!

Glass is good, he said he was going to find someone to make glass, but actually he was after glass.

You know, it snows a lot in northern Xinjiang, and it's often cloudy, so the light inside the house is even dimmer. If you want the house to be bright, you have to open the windows, but once you open the windows, it gets freezing cold.

If glass windows were installed, that would be perfect.

Su Ziyu suppressed his elation, "Old sir, do you still remember which stone powders you used? What's special about the sand and soil? How was the kiln temperature controlled?"

A flicker of reminiscence crossed Old Hu's cloudy eyes: "Stone powder...I think it's called 'fluorite'? There's also a white kind called 'borax'. The sand was specially selected by my master from the riverbank; it was exceptionally white and fine. He said ordinary yellow clay wouldn't work. As for the kiln temperature..."

He shook his head. "Master doesn't allow anyone else to get close to the hottest kiln. He adds firewood and watches the fire himself, saying that if the temperature isn't right, it either won't take shape or it will burn."

Having a direction is good.

Su Ziyu's spirits lifted: "Old sir, if I provide the materials you mentioned and build an even better kiln, would you be willing to pick up your craft again and try to fire this 'glass'...? The wages and benefits will certainly satisfy you, and if you succeed, there will be a generous reward."

Old Hu remained silent for a long time, looking at his rough, cracked, calloused hands, then at his bare house, and finally his gaze fell on Su Ziyu's sincere face.

“I’m getting old and didn’t want to touch this kind of work that’s mentally and physically exhausting and might not even pay off… But you’re honest and know a thing or two. Fine, I’ll just consider it as fulfilling a wish of my master and finding a successor for my skills that are about to be buried. However, I’ll have to bring my grandson along to help out and let him learn some real skills.”

"Deal!" Su Ziyu readily agreed.

Having discovered this "treasure" in Old Hu, Su Ziyu immediately set about making arrangements.

On the one hand, people were sent to search for mineral sources that might contain fluorite and borax. On the other hand, a site was selected in the suburbs, and a new kiln, which was taller and more focused on heat preservation and temperature control than ordinary porcelain kilns, was built according to Old Hu's requirements.

The search for materials was not easy, but a generous reward will surely attract brave men. The northern frontier is vast and has many kinds of minerals, but no one has recognized them in the past. Now that the target has been clarified, things are gradually becoming clearer.

As for soaps, small-batch trial production of the simplified version and the winter plum soap has been completed.

Su Ziyu first made some exquisite molds to shape the soap into cute shapes such as flowers and round cakes. She sent some of them, along with the recipe, to Jiangnan, asking Shen Qianlan to find someone to manage the business.

The climate in Jiangnan is suitable, there are many flowers and wealthy families. The soap business there can definitely make a fortune, and he can just sit back and collect his dividends.

As for the northern border region, Su Ziyu simply opened a general store.

Although it's called a general store, it actually only sells a few simple items, such as soap and woolen products like gloves and hats.

As for sweaters and long trousers, I'm sorry, they are only available to military camps for the time being.

Before the Lunar New Year, hundreds of people in the wool weaving workshop worked day and night to ensure that all the soldiers in the barracks wore sweaters and woolen trousers. However, many soldiers still hadn't gotten their turn, and they had to continue to catch up after the New Year.

Winter plum blossom soap, with its elegant and long-lasting fragrance and excellent cleansing effect, was especially popular among wealthy women in the city.

That faint, cool plum fragrance, unlike any cosmetic, has subtly become a wintertime trend.

The simple soap caught the eye of some innkeepers and restaurant managers, who purchased it for their guests, and the response was quite good.

The feedback gave Su Ziyu more confidence. Once the first batch of pigs from the pig farm were ready for market and there was a sufficient supply of oil raw materials, production could be expanded.

However, the progress of the pig farm was not smooth sailing.

Despite written constraints and the village head's supervision, the villagers lacked experience in raising pigs. After the start of spring, the weather fluctuated between hot and cold, and several households' piglets, which they had bought on credit, fell ill, became lethargic, and refused to eat.

The villagers panicked and, fearing financial loss, secretly tried some folk remedies, which resulted in the deaths of two animals.

When the news reached Su Ziyu, he thought about it and then sent a message to the manager in charge of the pig farm, asking the pig farm to hire another veterinarian.

If any piglets in the village have any problems, they can bring them here for treatment, and the cost is only a few coins.

Actually, Su Ziyu had hesitated about whether or not to charge money, but she thought that if something was free, some people would not cherish it. What if the villagers felt that they had a veterinarian to take care of them and didn't take good care of them? Wouldn't that be worse than nothing?

Charging for treatment is within their means, which gives them some peace of mind and prevents them from thinking that having a veterinarian means they can neglect their pig farming.

Upon receiving the message, the manager immediately took action.

After carefully examining the sick pigs and the pigpen environment, the veterinarian understood the problem: first, the pigsty was not warm enough, as the early spring nights were still cold and the pigpen was too rudimentary; second, the pigsty was not clean, as some villagers used moldy feed to save time.

The person in charge acted decisively, having the village chief gather the villagers. The veterinarian then taught the villagers on the spot how to use thick layers of dry grass to keep warm, how to clean the feeding troughs, and how to ensure the cleanliness of the drinking water. He also emphasized the importance of daily ventilation.

Regarding the dead piglets, he reviewed the original documents and demanded compensation from the villagers according to the terms, but allowed them to extend the repayment period or use other methods to offset the debt. His attitude was firm but left room for maneuver.

At the same time, he announced that he would invite specialists to conduct unscheduled inspections and provide guidance in order to prevent the spread of disease.

This approach upheld the rules while demonstrating consideration, winning the villagers' approval and making them more attentive. The village chief was especially grateful and worked even harder in managing the village.