Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 140 Missing
The Liu family acted swiftly. Liu Shizhang used a tabloid as a pretext to inquire about the charcoal incident involving the county magistrate.

Then he gestured for the merchants of Daming Prefecture to "help" make the clay stove.

He Tanxian said, "That's pretty fast. The tabloid just came out today, and they've already used it."

"What kind of mess is this?" Chen Ju said. "Coal isn't something new. They only interfere when people use crushed coal to make lotus root charcoal."

"If they're so capable, why didn't they do it themselves before?"

Chen Ju had personally witnessed how Madam Xie built her business step by step. If Madam Xie hadn't been clever, she would have been outmaneuvered by the Yang and Xie families long ago.

How many people are selling hot water and stoves on the streets of Daming Prefecture now? Wasn't it all brought about by lotus root charcoal? He felt comfortable looking at them when he patrolled the streets.

At this time, the Liu family stepped forward and talked about some grand principles, as if they cared a lot about the people.

He actually has a lot of bad intentions.

He Tan said, "Prefect Liu is different from the Xie family. He has seized upon the reputation of Buddhist charcoal. If Madam Xie does not provide the recipes for lotus root charcoal and clay stoves, they can make a big fuss about it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ju exclaimed in surprise, "Then... hasn't Madam Xie brought this upon herself?"

Wang Yan was still looking at the paper in his hand. It was a drawing of the iron smelting furnace that Li Nu had brought him. She had increased its height by three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and the formula for the refractory clay inside also needed to be changed.

Moreover, the appearance of the iron smelting furnace was different from what he had seen before. The furnace body was drum-shaped, gradually narrowing from the belly to the top. But she didn't say why it was like this, as if it was just a casual drawing.

"Hechun".

He Tan called out, and only then did Wang Yan look away from the paper.

"Say something, will you?"

He'd been staring at that picture all day. What was so interesting about it?

Wang Yan looked up: "She will handle it."

Chen Ju's eyes widened. That's it? Was it not just a perfunctory response, but...?

He Tan asked, "You really believe her that much?"

Wang Yan finally put away the design in his hand: "Who changed the lotus root charcoal to Buddhist charcoal?"

you still need to ask?

Chen Ju said, "Thank you, Madam."

Wang Yan asked again, "Who spread this news in the tabloids?"

Chen Ju frowned: "It's also Lady Xie."

“Since she did it all,” Wang Yan said calmly, “why do you think she would be the one to suffer a loss?”

"Anyone can sell Buddhist charcoal, but Baode Temple's crushed stone charcoal has all been sold to Xie Yuyan, and Shuntong Water Shop is also quite famous. No matter who makes Buddhist charcoal now, they can't surpass the source, Baode Temple. If they don't do it well, or if they sell it at too high a price, they won't be able to get past Monk Zhiyuan."

"At three coins a pound, a worker would earn one hundred coins a day, and there would be a senior monk watching over things. Such a business wouldn't make much money, and no one would bother to scheme for it."

"Unless Xie Yuyan is willing to sell the broken coal from Baode Temple to someone else."

Chen Ju said, "Of course Madam Xie won't sell."

He Tan nodded: "No wonder she went to Baode Temple. She used the temple to stabilize the business of Buddhist charcoal." Now that I think about it, I realize how important this move was.

"The only business we can get involved in is the clay stove business that hasn't taken off yet," Wang Yan said calmly. "Clay stoves are also easier to make money from than Buddhist charcoal."

Chen Ju said, "Losing the clay furnace won't work either."

“Who said she would lose it?” Wang Yan said. “The recipe for making clay stoves isn’t that important to her. She can use it to exchange for something else.”

“Firing pottery is not difficult, and sooner or later someone will compete with her. So why not take advantage of this time to let everyone see whose clay kiln is better and completely solidify the position of Yang’s clay kiln”

"That's secondary."

Wang Yan continued, "Why did Xie Chongjun lose to her? Because Xie Chongjun doesn't understand coal mines." Chen Ju nodded subconsciously.

"What Xie Yuyan really cares about is the Xie family's porcelain, but she doesn't have enough porcelain right now, and the reputation of the Yang family's porcelain kiln is far inferior to that of the Xie family. If she directly focuses on porcelain, it will be difficult for Xie Yuyan to defeat the Xie family in a short period of time."

"Only by taking the Xie family to a place she is familiar with can we make them stumble again."

Chen Ju said, "So it's a clay stove?"

Wang Yan said, "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit; it's clear the Xie family didn't..."

“They’ve learned their lesson,” He Tan said, looking at Wang Yan. “They just haven’t figured out where they went wrong. They thought they lost to Lady Xie because of the coal mine, so they used the Liu family’s influence to force Xie Yuyan to tell them how to make clay furnaces.”

He Tan paused, then said, "Before you explained it clearly... I didn't think it through either." When did Wang Yan become so knowledgeable about Lady Xie?
He Tan was a little curious about what Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan had talked about at the temple last time.
“In that case, you don’t need to rush.” He Tan looked at Chen Ju, although he still didn’t know what Xie Niangzi was going to do.

Chen Ju then walked out.

Wang Yan looked into the inner room. There was a figure peeking around there.

"Come out."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zheng immediately stepped forward: "So, Brother, does that mean Madam Xie will be alright?"

Wang Yan didn't know why Wang Zheng was so happy. He had clearly suffered a loss at her hands, but he didn't take it to heart at all. Instead, he would worry about her at the slightest sound.

"You must return to the capital immediately and deliver a letter to Mr. Jia Si, telling him that I am going to build a new iron smelting furnace and that it would be best if he could visit Daming Prefecture after the New Year."

Wang Zheng said, "Jia Dianzhi? Brother, you need to use mathematics?"

Wang Yan responded.

Wang Zheng's eyes lit up; he was even less inclined to leave. He cautiously probed, "Then can I return to Daming Prefecture with Jia Dianzhi?"

Wang Yan said calmly, "If your family is willing to let you out."

Wang Zheng couldn't help but purse his lips. He had never realized before that Daming Prefecture was so much fun.

“I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’ll deliver the letter to my elder brother as soon as possible,” Wang Zheng paused, “Could you also write me a few more letters? Nothing else, just… write more about thanking Madam Xie.”

Wang Yan's gaze deepened, and Wang Zheng seemed to see a slight smile in his elder brother's eyes.

Wang Yan said calmly, "Just wait and see!" With that, there wasn't a single letter.

……

As darkness fell, Wang Yan glanced at the hourglass and walked to the window.

Snowflakes began to fall again; this winter seems exceptionally long. Fortunately, we lit an extra clay stove, which enveloped the entire table in warmth.

"Meow." came the sound of the raccoon dog.

Wang Yan opened the window, and the cat immediately squeezed in, but this time it wasn't wearing that pale yellow dress.

"What?" Wang Yan reached out and stroked the cat's fur. "She doesn't like it?"

But he didn't have a second set of clothes.

……

Xie Yuyan didn't know when the cat had returned.

In her daze, it nuzzled her cheek with its head. She reached out and hugged it, instinctively touching its body, and then found a cloth bag.

Sure enough, there was a note inside the cloth bag.

The light in the room was still on. Xie Yuyan barely opened her eyes to look. There was a flower drawn on the paper. Was this urging her to give him the lifelike flower as soon as possible?
It's just an artificial flower, is it worth remembering so much?

(End of this chapter)