Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 164 Poaching

No matter what Xie Yuyan said, Xie Chonghai would never reveal the techniques of the Xie family's porcelain kilns.

This is the most important thing in the Xie family; how can we let outsiders know about it?
In fact, Xie Yuyan did give the county government the methods for making money from Buddhist charcoal and clay stoves.

But if the Xie family hadn't asked the Liu family to coerce him, how could Xie Yuyan have agreed to do this? However, Xie Chonghai couldn't bring this up. Even if he was out of his mind, he couldn't involve the Liu family in front of everyone.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on him, but Xie Chonghai couldn't say a word.

At this moment, he felt not only anger, but also a sense of being firmly suppressed by Xie Yuyan.

He was inferior in terms of temperament, magnanimity, and tolerance.

Xie Chonghai had a feeling that he might never be able to regain the face he had lost today, unless he completely suppressed Xie Yuyan.

"You can't take it."

Neither the techniques for making the clay body, the techniques for preparing the glaze, nor the techniques for creating crackle patterns can be revealed.

Xie Chonghai heard his own hoarse voice. The room was quiet for a moment, then Xie Yuyan seemed to let him off the hook, no longer dwelling on the matter, and said, "Continue the inspection."

And then... everyone here had no choice but to obey Xie Yuyan's orders.

The sound of shattering porcelain continued to echo.

The number of clay kilns on the shelves dwindled, and broken porcelain littered the ground. The artisans of the Xie family pottery kiln all lowered their heads.

They could tell whether a clay stove was good or bad just by listening to it. All the problems were pointed out by the three old craftsmen.

"No."

"Smash..."

Such voices could still be heard inside the room.

Xie Chonghai felt as if those clay furnaces had not been thrown on the ground, but rather smashed onto him, making him shorter and shorter until half of his body was buried in the soil.

He was almost out of breath, his eyes fixed on the last few clay furnaces.

Even if one of them is fine, it would shut Xie Yuyan up, at least preventing him from losing face completely.

however……

The three old men seemed to have gotten used to smashing things; they only glanced at them before throwing them to the ground.

The last one broke.

“None of them are usable,” said the old craftsman Wei. “It’s clear that there’s a problem with your coal kilns. If you can’t solve this, it will be useless to keep firing.”

Coal kiln...

Xie Chonghai gritted his teeth and said, "We don't know how to build a coal kiln. Madam Xie didn't tell us."

The county magistrate suddenly realized, "That's right! How could I have forgotten about this?" Or rather, he hadn't thought about it. Was there really such a big difference between burning firewood and burning coal?
Aren't they all just about burning firewood?
The county magistrate didn't understand, but the craftsmen all knew that the eight stages of firing were the key to the success or failure of the pottery kiln. Replacing firewood with charcoal made it difficult to control the temperature.

"Should I teach you how to sift clay and mix pottery clay?"

A clear, melodious voice came from behind.

Yan Suiyi, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing without realizing it.

That's hilarious! Do they really expect someone to teach them all step by step?
Despite his laughter, Yan Sui knew he had gotten himself into trouble. Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal. He just needed to cover his mouth tightly with his hand and pretend to be weak and pitiful, and no one would blame him.

Xie Chonghai really didn't have time to pay attention to Yan Sui. He just felt a surge of anger rush to his head, and his hair seemed to stand on end... Xie Yuyan actually humiliated him in front of so many people.

“If Master Xie doesn’t want it,” Xie Yuyan said, “then I won’t teach it, since I have no connection with the Xie family.”

After saying this, Xie Yuyan continued, "When will Master Xie fire the kiln again? Don't forget to send someone to let him know."

The implication was that Xie Yuyan would bring three old men again next time.

Xie Yuyan looked at the county magistrate and the monk Zhiyuan and asked, "Do you and the abbot have any further instructions?" The county magistrate coughed and cleared his throat. "Clay stoves are not easy to fire. You will have to put in more effort. Don't tarnish the reputation of clay stoves in Daming Prefecture."

The biggest gain from this trip was naturally the "Daming Prefecture Clay Furnace." As for the rest, the county magistrate couldn't say much because of the Liu family.

The county magistrate fell silent, and all eyes turned to the monk Zhiyuan.

At this moment, Monk Zhiyuan was extremely grateful that he was a monk; otherwise, he really wouldn't know what to say.

"Amitabha."

He chanted a Buddhist mantra, and the Buddha saved him once again.

Zhiyuan hesitated to speak, but Xie Yuyan spoke up for him: "The master has come down the mountain this time to prepare rice and grain for the porridge distribution. We merchants who sell Buddhist charcoal and clay stoves should naturally take the lead."

“I will donate two hundred dan of grain,” Xie Yuyan said, looking at Xie Chonghai. “We are all people who have benefited from Baode Temple, and I’m sure Master Xie will also contribute something.”

Xie Yuyan looked at Yan Sui beside her. Yan Sui immediately came to his senses and quickly stepped forward, offering the merit book in his hand, and also handing over a handwritten Buddhist scripture as a token of his gratitude.

"Don't forget, benefactor. If you come to the temple early on the second day of the Lunar New Year, we will prepare porridge for your family."

He'd said all the nice things, but as for whether or not he'd stay... Yan Sui didn't care about that.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, we rang the bell at Baode Temple, distributed porridge, and strolled through the market.

That market was organized by Madam Xie and the people of Yong'an Ward. Therefore, Xie Yuyan was the one who benefited from donating grain.

But Xie Chonghai couldn't refuse now; Xie Yuyan had already lifted him up.

Yan Sui licked the tip of his brush, dipped it in the nearly dried ink, and then handed the brush to Xie Chonghai. He was overjoyed as he watched Xie Chonghai write down four hundred dan of grain. The entire Baode Temple rarely received this much rice donation in a year. Madam Xie was right; as long as Master went down the mountain, there would be grain.

Yan Sui had only one regret... he couldn't smash the clay furnace himself.

Tsk tsk, the Xie family really suffered too much on this trip. Even Yan Sui felt sorry for them.

The clay stove is gone, our pride is gone, and our food is gone too.

Xie Yuyan and the others came out of the house and looked at the hired workers in the courtyard. They were all silent and dared not make a sound.

Xie Yuyan stopped walking, and the county magistrate walking beside her also stopped.

“My lord,” Xie Yuyan said, “I have a few more words to say…”

Instead of asking for his opinion, they simply informed him.

The county magistrate sighed inwardly, knowing that what was about to be said had nothing to do with him; he was just a figurehead.

“A newly built coal kiln needs to be tested many times before a good clay kiln can be fired,” Xie Yuyan said. “Therefore, if a clay kiln is ruined, it has nothing to do with the craftsman.”

"Firing these in the first kiln was a mistake on the part of the owner."

"It is unfair to make the artisans bear these blames."

"If anyone loses their job because of this, they can come to Yang's Porcelain Kiln and find me. If they meet our requirements for hiring workers, they can work at Yang's Porcelain Kiln."

Xie Chonghai couldn't believe his ears.

Xie Yuyan actually pulled this stunt!
He openly robbed the craftsmen right in front of him. If he really made trouble for the craftsmen and blamed them for today's losses, some of them would definitely go to Xie Yuyan for help.

Xie Chonghai felt anxious.

Who can withstand these endless tricks?

"Everyone should know the wages at Yang's porcelain kiln: one hundred coins per person per day, one full meal provided, one day off every ten days, and wages paid as usual. If you are working far away, you will receive an extra twenty coins per day, plus two meals."

Yan Sui listened carefully. Madam Xie was truly ruthless, trying to steal someone's job right in front of the owner.

But... he really likes it.

(End of this chapter)