Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 165 Abyss
The workers at Xie's pottery kiln dared not show any emotion on their faces when they heard what Madam Xie said, but they were all delighted in their hearts.

Miao Shun stood with the workers in the pottery kiln, unable to describe his feelings. At first, he was just watching a show, but then he became completely bewildered.

When they came to their senses, they couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No wonder Madam Xie didn't let them go to her now. Their falling out with the Xie family and leaving was nothing compared to Madam Xie saying these words in front of everyone.

There's no need to do these things secretly; everything is out in the open.

Don't be fooled by the workers' quiet demeanor; it's precisely because of this that it's even more frightening. After all, people with ulterior motives keep things to themselves, afraid of being discovered.

After Xie Yuyan finished speaking, he looked at the county magistrate who was still standing there in a daze.

"My lord, let's go and take a look at the Yang family."

The county magistrate finally caught his breath and said, "Let's go, let's go!" He seemed to not even know what he was saying. He kept thinking to himself, "Did I do anything wrong?" If he hadn't made a mistake, at least the Xie family wouldn't come after him if they had to pay compensation in the future.

He was dumbfounded by this grand spectacle, but that was only on the surface. Who knew if Madam Xie had hidden something else in her words?

But he couldn't figure it out for the time being, nor could he try to.

The county magistrate was about to invite Abbot Zhiyuan to go together when he saw the abbot's back.

The master passed away very quickly.

Perhaps they were in a hurry to get rice and grain, since relief is a major issue.

The group left the pottery kiln, and Xie Chonghai turned around and walked back.

The hired workers were still standing in the yard, but... they were all like the dead, not uttering a single word.

Xie Chonghai sneered: "Do you think what that woman said is true? She's just using you to suppress the Xie family."

Among the hired workers, someone hurriedly said, "Don't worry, boss, we don't believe you."

"Yes, we don't believe it."

Scattered sounds followed.

"They're just here to cause trouble."

"All the pottery I worked so hard to make was smashed."

"Yes, we know our employer treats us well, so why would we go to her?"

Xie Chonghai listened, but he didn't feel relieved at all.

He could talk a good game, but if he was too strict with his employees, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't have other ideas. So, Xie Yuyan's words did have some effect.

The woman caused him so much trouble without spending a single penny.

Thinking of this, Xie Chonghai kicked the half of the clay stove that hadn't broken.

With a "crack," the clay stove shattered into pieces, but his anger did not diminish.

“Go and keep going,” Xie Chonghai said, his eyes red. “I need to see the second kiln immediately.”

That's just something said in anger; no matter what, it's impossible for him to do it right away.

The employees all knew, but they took this opportunity to leave.

“Master,” the steward said after a while, “should we…should we tell the Liu family?”

Xie Chonghai's heart was pounding; he was so angry he'd forgotten all about the Liu family. He'd just made arrangements with them yesterday to deliver the clay furnace today.

Just now, he had people select the best pieces and send them to the Liu family, while the rest were taken to the shop. Now all that's left is broken porcelain scattered all over the floor.

“Of course I have to go and say it,” Xie Chonghai’s voice was forced out through clenched teeth, “Otherwise, will you take the blame for these consequences?”

The steward dared not argue and had no choice but to go down and make the arrangements, but he had not taken two steps when Xie Chonghai stopped him: "Let the Second Madam go herself."

After sitting in his chair for a long time, Xie Chonghai stood up. He was now in a dilemma: he couldn't send someone to learn the craft at Yang's Pottery Kiln, but he also couldn't shut down the pottery kiln.

Sending someone to the Yang family, Xie Yuyan might set some kind of trap. He'd figured out that this woman was cunning.

Even if they were to be taught incorrect methods, they still wouldn't be able to fire a clay stove.

Even if it's just a delay, the Xie family can't afford it. They bought so many pottery kilns and hired so many workers at once; if the kilns are closed for even a day, the Xie family will lose money.

With the Xie family's pottery kiln shut down, the pottery kiln that the Yang family bought came in handy. Once the Yang family's shop was established, the Xie family missed their chance. They couldn't force the Yang family's porcelain kiln to close down, so the clay kiln became a useless burden.

Therefore, the only solution is to suppress Xie Yuyan and prevent her from using her inspection methods on the Xie family's clay furnace. Since the Xie family couldn't do this, they had no choice but to seek help from the Liu family.

I originally thought this matter would be simple, but now I realize... if things aren't handled properly, the Xie family could be dragged into an abyss.

Not only would they offend the Liu family, but they would also lose a large sum of money.

Although he couldn't possibly lose more than his older brother, these repeated incidents had already crippled the Xie family.

Xie Yuyan's sudden visit today caught them off guard, and now they need to be wary of a second occurrence.

We must not let Xie Yuyan smash the clay furnace again.

……

Xie Yuyan's carriage stopped in front of Shuntong Water Shop, and Zheng, who was inside the shop, immediately came out to greet him.

Before Xie Yuyan could ask, Madam Zheng smiled and said, "The rice and grain are all prepared, but not two hundred dan, but three hundred dan."

Xie Yuyan had expected this, but Mama Yu couldn't help but ask, "Why are there so many?"

Zheng wanted to welcome Xie Yuyan into the house, but Xie Yuyan waved her hand, saying that she wanted to wait outside for Abbot Zhiyuan, lest the abbot get lost and go straight back to the temple.

The head monk was frightened that morning and needed to be comforted.

Madam Zheng immediately instructed someone to replace Xie Yuyan's hand warmer before saying, "It was collected by the families who sell water from street to street. They all said they could earn money because of the water shops and Baode Temple. It is only right to give some rice and grain to the temple. Besides... it is also accumulating merit for oneself."

Xie Yuyan nodded and looked at Madam Zheng: "You took some too?"

Madam Zheng smiled and said, "I took it, but not much; it was collected from the whole village."

“You don’t need it. Keep it for the elderly and children in the village,” Xie Yuyan said. “This winter is cold, and we can’t afford to go hungry.”

Hearing this, Madam Zheng felt a lump in her throat: "Don't worry, Madam, there's enough rice and grain in the village. We can even burn lotus root charcoal at night."

Although lotus root charcoal is now called Buddhist charcoal, in Zheng's heart, it is lotus root charcoal, the lotus root charcoal of Madam Xie.

Xie Yuyan also knew that when Zheng said to burn things as they pleased, she simply meant that the fire wouldn't be extinguished at night.

But the poorer a family is, the easier it is for them to be content.

Since the Zheng family is determined to take it, Xie Yuyan will not stop them anymore. At worst, she will send some more grain to Chenyao Village in a couple of days.

Seeing this, Mother Yu said, "Then tell everyone to load the truck!"

When Monk Zhiyuan arrived at the entrance of the water shop, he was greeted by a lively scene.

There were more than twenty people carrying rice together.

Everyone chatted and laughed, and was very happy.

Yan Sui looked at Zhiyuan: "Master, we made a profit this time. Look, this is more than two hundred loads."

Zhiyuan stopped chanting Buddhist scriptures and sighed deeply. Although Xie had deceived him, he still couldn't return to the mountain...

He couldn't bear to part with the food, so he said, "Alright, that's all!"
The monk shouldn't be too greedy. He took the food and left. When the benefactor came to call him again, he refused to go down the mountain.

"This must be Abbot Zhiyuan, right?"

Upon noticing the senior monk in his robes, someone immediately came forward to greet him.

“Abbot, please wait a moment, I would like to donate some incense money.”

"The abbot of Baode Temple... I also want to donate to help repair the main hall of the temple."

Zhiyuan looked at the welcoming men and women, and it seemed that there was more than just rice and grain... there seemed to be a bit too much.

(End of this chapter)