Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 546 Hope
When the carriage arrived at the Han family's porcelain kiln, Xie Yuyan had asked all the questions he needed to.

Xie Yuyan looked at Steward Zhu: "If you encounter any more problems, come to the South City Wharf or the porcelain shop to find me."

The managers of the Han family's porcelain kiln have all been summoned to the government office for interrogation.

The list of officials' names was passed on to Xie Yuyan through Wang Yan's hands. This was equivalent to Wang Yan screening the list for her first time, making it much easier for her to select personnel.

In the end, she set her sights on Steward Zhu.

At the Han family's porcelain kiln, among all the master craftsmen and managers, Manager Zhu received the lowest wages. Even so, Manager Zhu worked diligently for the Han family. After Han Si was arrested, everyone at the porcelain kiln left, but Manager Zhu left the government office and the first thing he did was return to the porcelain kiln to see how the last batch of porcelain had been fired.

The people Xie Yuyan sent asked Steward Zhu why he did this. It was because Steward Zhu's master was the head of the Han family's porcelain kiln, and guarding the fire well was his master's last wish before he passed away.

The Han family was able to hire Steward Zhu because he worked quietly and efficiently.

Xie Yuyan valued diligence, integrity, and a strong sense of duty; such people were best suited to manage craftsmen.

Of course, the porcelain kiln also needed people to manage miscellaneous affairs, and she would arrange for people from the Daming Prefecture porcelain kiln to come. Xie Yuyan planned to use the manpower from Daming Prefecture and Bianjing interchangeably, so that the two places could connect with each other, complement each other's strengths, and make up for each other's weaknesses. Furthermore, people from the same place and clan would inevitably form factions when they were together. Now that her operation was not yet large, such problems were not obvious. However, as she became more involved in the future, there would inevitably be some areas that she could not attend to, which could potentially lead to trouble. By allocating manpower in this way, she could avoid or mitigate such conflicts to a certain extent.

Steward Zhu was somewhat taken aback: "Isn't Madam going in?"

Xie Yuyan smiled and said, "Did the porcelain kiln craftsmen and workers know that I was coming?"

Manager Zhu felt somewhat ashamed. In the past, when Han Si came to the porcelain kiln, everyone had to serve him carefully and act grateful. He thought that Madam Xie might come soon, so he made the same arrangements, but clearly Madam Xie didn't like that.

Xie Yuyan had no intention of ignoring Steward Zhu: "Since it's all arranged, I'll go take a look. There's no need to keep people waiting like this in the future. Just do what you're supposed to do."

Steward Zhu felt a surge of warmth in his heart. The lady didn't like this, but she still got off the carriage, which was to maintain his prestige at the porcelain kiln. He had only met the lady recently, but everything she did and every word she said was either exactly what he wanted to hear or exactly what he needed.

Having worked for the Han family for so many years, he had never felt this way before. Now, even he felt that he was very useful.

Xie Yuyan got off the carriage and followed Steward Zhu into the porcelain kiln, where he saw that all the people from the kiln were guarding the entrance.

Xie Yuyan had Steward Zhu introduce him to all the craftsmen and laborers before returning to the courtyard.

Xie Yuyan looked at everyone and said, "Everyone knows the rules and regulations of our porcelain kiln. All the porcelain kilns under my management, regardless of where they are located, are the same."

"The difference is that in a place like Bianjing, it is more difficult to make a living, so compared with Daming Prefecture, the daily wage is twenty more wen."

“Although we have differences, the rules remain the same. If there is any oppression in the porcelain kiln, the manager will take care of it for you. If the manager cannot uphold justice, you can still go to the porcelain shop,” Xie Yuyan said, pausing slightly. “Han Si has violated the law, but the porcelain kiln is innocent. A century-old kiln cannot be reduced to making utensils for the government to hold tea cakes, salt, and sugar.”

Each face was filled with earnestness and worry.

They were also afraid that the kilns would be controlled by the government. If they continued to work in the kilns, they would only be able to produce inferior porcelain. Not only would their skills not improve, but all their previous efforts would be in vain.

Xie Yuyan said, “But since I’m here, I can promise you all. The kiln fire will not go out, and even more exquisite objects will be fired in the future. One day, perhaps no one will remember us, but the objects will bear our names and the porcelain you make will be passed down from generation to generation and cherished by people.”

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. After a while, Zhu Guan came to his senses first, clenched his left thumb tightly and brought his right four fingers together, and performed a clasped-hand salute to show his respect for Madam Xie.

The other craftsmen and laborers, seeing this, also realized what was happening and did the same.

Immediately, everyone said, "We are willing to obey Madam's orders." Xie Yuyan looked at everyone, thinking of the slang used in the porcelain trade. She looked at the kiln blackened by the fire and shouted, "Tonight, the kiln god appeared in my dream, and we will surely be able to fire 'sky blue after rain'!"

Manager Zhu, leading the craftsmen and laborers, chimed in, "If the master is willing to give up 'Qilin blood,' we dare to gamble on 'phoenix embryos.'"

Xie Yuyan smiled and looked at everyone, then solemnly returned the greeting.

Having witnessed many scenes alongside Madam Yu, Madam Yu's mother still felt a lump in her throat at the sight of such a united front.

In this kind of world, I'm not afraid of hard work, I'm afraid of losing my motivation.

The old lady's words gave everyone hope.

Just like her, after following the eldest daughter-in-law, she realized that it's not the same no matter who you work for. Everyone has their own strengths, but most people don't get the chance to show them. Over time, they even think they are destined to be mediocre.

……

The Han family's porcelain kiln—no… it should now be called the Kaifeng porcelain kiln—is now ready in every way except for the porcelain-firing techniques that the Han family possesses.

As for how to obtain these, bribery is inevitable.

"There's no time to go back and cook," Xie Yuyan said, "so I'll just go buy some pastries."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yu understood immediately. Without even thinking, she knew who the eldest daughter-in-law was doing this for.

Having bought pastries and other snacks, Xie Yuyan leaned against the carriage and reviewed the accounts.

After a while, the carriage shuddered slightly, and then someone lifted the curtain of the carriage.

Wang Yan, dressed in a long robe, walked in.

When Madam Yu looked over, she saw that Lord Wang's brand-new clothes were particularly eye-catching. He had changed everything from head to toe, except for the jade pendant at his waist.

She couldn't help but find it amusing; perhaps in Lord Wang's mind, the fact that the eldest daughter-in-law liked him... had to do with her appearance.

Xie Yuyan put down the accounts and raised his eyes.

Their eyes met, and in that moment, they exchanged their emotions. Although it was hard work, they both gained a lot.

Xie Yuyan opened the food box and took out plates of pastries.

The things she took out seemed more exquisite than usual to Wang Yan.

The carriage moved slowly forward, and the air inside was filled with the aroma of osmanthus and glutinous rice.

Xie Yuyan poured tea for Wang Yan himself, but Wang Yan took the teapot from him as soon as Xie Yuyan picked it up.

Xie Yuyan looked up at him, and Wang Yan skillfully filled two cups: "I'll do it." As he spoke, he took her hand into his palm with his other hand.

Wang Yan's fingers had distinct knuckles, and the thin calluses on them gently brushed against her skin, leaving a warm, itchy sensation.