Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 142 Joy
The county magistrate's face stiffened, but he tried his best to regain his composure.

"I don't know yet," the county magistrate said. "The yamen will post a notice to inquire when the time comes."

With the documents in hand, the county magistrate naturally didn't stay long.

Yang Mingde, who was waiting outside, saw the county magistrate to the gate, and then hurriedly turned back.

With no one else in the room, Yang Mingde no longer hesitated to speak frankly: "Are we just going to hand over the method to them like this? We don't even know who they're going to give it to. How are we supposed to... how are we going to do this deal?"

Xie Yuyan looked at Yang Mingde: "They want to give it to the Xie family."

Yang Mingde was stunned: "You...you...you mean that...Xie family?"

How many Xie families are there in Daming Prefecture? Yang Mingde was more surprised than asking. Xie Yuyan knew that the method of making clay stoves would fall into the hands of the Xie family, but she did not stop it.

She had just sent Xie Chongjun to prison, and the Xie family would surely be thinking of taking revenge on her. At that time, where would the Yang family's clay kiln have a place to stand?

Xie Yuyan's expression remained calm: "Does Uncle intend to be a clay stove maker for the rest of his life?"

It was as if a string in his mind had been plucked, leaving a lingering "hum." Yang Mingde opened his eyes wide. Yes, he wanted to fire porcelain, not pottery.

With his porcelain kiln abandoned, he had no choice but to start firing pottery to save himself. He almost forgot all that and clung tightly to the clay furnace.

he……

"You want to trade a clay furnace for... a porcelain kiln?" Yang Mingde didn't understand.

Xie Yuyan shook her head: "No."

Yang Mingde said, "Then you..."

Xie Yuyan said, "I want to open a porcelain kiln, but I also need a clay furnace."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the Xie family has built such a fortune in Daming Prefecture over many years," Xie Yuyan smiled slightly, "I will soon make him realize how treacherous the trade routes are, and that one wrong step could wipe everything out."

And the Liu family too.

Once you take a step, you can't take it back.

What she held in her hand wasn't so easy to take; that was the price she paid.

Yang Mingde was stunned for a long time.

Xie Yuyan took a stack of documents from Mama Yu and handed them to Yang Mingde.

“There are also some abandoned porcelain kilns near Luzhou. This is a description of the general condition of those kilns.”

Yang Mingde quickly flipped through the pages: "You... all of these abandoned kilns..."

“It’s been purchased,” Xie Yuyan nodded. “After New Year’s Day, my uncle will go over there to see if two places can be repaired first.”

“Great,” Yang Mingde said excitedly, “There must be something usable here.” If there are readily available ones, there’s no need to spend too much time preparing.

"The key is to first figure out the type of porcelain clay we're mining," Xie Yuyan said. "I can't help you with that, Uncle. He can only try firing it kiln by kiln."

Yang Mingde knew that if he didn't burn the food himself, he wouldn't be able to grasp some of the details clearly.

“The new kiln needs a lot of manpower,” Yang Mingde said. “I’m afraid I can’t do it on my own.”

“Uncle, don’t worry,” Xie Yuyan said, “we’ll have the manpower soon.”

Yang Mingde's earlier excitement vanished completely from his face. Although none of what Xie Yuyan had said had actually happened, he felt relieved.

Having clarified these matters, Yang Mingde left satisfied with a stack of papers; all he needed to know was what to do next.

Xie Yuyan looked at Mother Yu: "We still need to keep an eye on the porcelain kiln, and we need to keep firing our clay kilns."

She said she wanted both, not to appease Yang Mingde.

Moreover, before obtaining the porcelain kiln, the clay kiln is still the most important, after all, she needs it to crush the Xie family. Mama Yu said, "The two pottery kilns you asked me to buy yesterday can be used after some repairs. I will arrange for people to go there right away."

"Send more people out to buy pottery kilns today."

Although they could no longer buy pottery kilns under the current circumstances, they still had to put on a show and force the Xie family to take over all the pottery kilns in Daming Prefecture.

After Xie Yuyan finished speaking, she stood up: "Is the carriage ready?" She still wanted to go to Baode Temple to take a look and deliver the lifelike flowers she owed Wang Yan.

……

Inside Baode Temple.

Monk Zhiyuan looked at Wang Yan. In this vast world, there are so many wonderful places, why do these two benefactors choose to meet in his temple?
"After New Year's Day, we'll have enough money to repair the main hall," Wang Yan said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Monk Zhiyuan was filled with mixed emotions and could only bow his head and say, "Amitabha, well said, well said!" The money that had troubled him for most of his life was all resolved after Benefactor Xie arrived.

The area at the foot of the mountain has also taken on a different appearance.

Who would have thought that yesterday, the two benefactors got into a fight over a piece of land, and it was only thanks to the people of Yong'anfang who intervened that they were able to avoid a full-blown brawl.

When Yan returned to report the news, he thought there would be a big mess. Unexpectedly, the next day a map was erected at the foot of the mountain, showing all the stalls, clearly marked as owned or unowned, with the Yong'anfang Township Fair's signboard at the front, making it look like a well-ordered market.

These are the same people who started cleaning up the place down the mountain, and they're the ones who set up the stalls. They're all united, and no one can easily shake their position.

Monk Zhiyuan never cared about gains or losses, but Yan Sui was different. After spending some time at the foot of the mountain, the boy had figured things out and would talk in his sleep in the middle of the night, shouting: "I've lost out, I've lost out."

The next day, the monk Zhiyuan asked Yan Sui, "Why did you say you were losing money?"

Yan Sui scratched his head: "I heard them say that a market is held at the foot of the mountain every month. If we make a move first and rent out the stalls, how much money can we get?"

"Now they're just building roads and taking over those places, aren't we at a loss? The person who came up with this idea is incredibly clever."

Hearing that a clever man was coming to the temple today, Yan Sui went down early to wait, wanting to see what this benefactor Xie looked like.

What else could it look like? Monk Zhiyuan shook his head. That Benefactor Xie couldn't possibly have an extra eye.

“Mr. Wang should advise Mr. Xie to stop sending things to the temple,” said Monk Zhiyuan.

Wang Yan said, "All she gave me was a large bell."

The tabloid said that the bell was found while mining coal and that it was to be rung on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

When the bell was first delivered, Xie Yuyan gave some instructions, but Monk Zhiyuan didn't take it to heart.

Just do what you're told.

He was familiar with this matter; it was really nothing to him.

But yesterday, more than a dozen monks came to the temple, all wanting to ring the bell with him on the second day of the lunar month, vying to be one of the "six monks praying for blessings".

He tried his best to persuade them that the bell was fake, but they scolded him for speaking falsehoods and breaking the five precepts.

“The monk dared not explain further,” Monk Zhiyuan sighed. “However, in just one night, the origin of that bell changed again. It was said to have been left behind by an enlightened monk, and it has been hundreds of years since then. Daming Prefecture has experienced several wars, but there has never been much bloodshed in the city, precisely because of this bell guarding it.”

This is the truth that those monks realized overnight.

The more enthusiastically they spoke, the more frightened Monk Zhiyuan became. He secretly went to clean the bell alone; the bell was so new it could almost blind him. Tears streamed down his face, and he was filled with remorse, realizing he shouldn't have broken the precept in the first place.

"Isn't that great?"

A clear voice came.

Xie Yuyan entered the meditation room.

Wang Yan turned his head and saw that Xie Yuyan seemed to be very happy today. His eyes were full of smiles, and his gaze was as bright as the morning sun, as if it had dyed the whole world with color.

(End of this chapter)