Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 75 The Road to Heaven

After He Tan and Wang Yan left, there was no one else around. Mama Yu immediately led people to unload two trunks from the carriage and carry them to the house behind the small porcelain kiln.

Xie Yuyan called Yang Mingde and Yang Jiang, and asked Yang Qin to come along as well. The group went inside to talk.

After Aunt Yu closed the door tightly, Yang Qin opened the trunk.

Yang Mingde and his son looked over instinctively and saw that the chest was filled with strings of copper coins and loose silver.

“This is…” Yang Mingde stood up in surprise.

Yang Jiang was genuinely taken aback.

"This is the money I got from the water shop," Xie Yuyan said.

Yang Mingde realized something. No wonder Xie Yuyan told him to try the kiln... But didn't they say the clan would give money? How come...?

Xie Yuyan said, "This money is not intended for use in the porcelain kiln."

She paused slightly as she spoke, then added, "It's not for use in this porcelain kiln right now."

Yang Mingde and his son were dumbfounded. Even Yang Qin couldn't understand Xie Yuyan's meaning. Only the cat remained leisurely squatting to the side, examining a corner of the roof beam.

Xie Yuyan said, "Fourth Brother, you are setting off for Lanzhou today. About ninety li from Lanzhou, there is a mountain called Gushan. It is named Gushan because there are two stones on Gushan that are shaped like drums and face each other from north to south. I want you to use this money to buy land on Gushan, the more the better."

Luzhou, Gushan?
Xie Yuyan pointed outside: "Fourth Brother and Uncle have learned a lot, so they should be able to make some discoveries. Be careful not to buy in the wrong place."

Yang Jiang snapped out of his daze: "Sixth sister-in-law, do you mean that porcelain stones can be dug up in those mountains?"

Xie Yuyan nodded. There might be some small porcelain kilns there now, but that doesn't matter. Places like Gushan probably haven't been discovered yet.

"After you buy it, remember to go to the government office to request an investigation. The documents should be issued after the New Year. The mine is not gold, silver, copper, or iron. The imperial court will let us raise the money to mine it ourselves. Once we get the permit, the porcelain kiln will not have to worry for a hundred years."

There's no need to worry for the next hundred years, because there are plenty of porcelain stones there.

Yang Mingde's face flushed with excitement: "How can we leave such a matter to Jiang Ge'er? I'll go to Yizhou."

Xie Yuyan interrupted Yang Mingde: "Uncle needs to stay in Daming Prefecture to appease the Xie family. Your absence when the clay kiln is finished will arouse suspicion."

"Fourth Brother is young and has an unfamiliar face, so it's easier for him to handle investigation documents at the government office."

Xie Yuyan knew the clerks in the government office very well. If these people sensed something, they would definitely bribe them. Yang Mingde was a craftsman with his hands outstretched. It was possible that the clerks would simply join forces with local tycoons to set up a scheme. Without a hundred or so taels of silver, you wouldn't be able to get the documents.

Yang Jiang was different. The imperial court had a clear rule that people who made discoveries during their surveys would be rewarded. If a man of Yang Jiang's age said that he had been surveying the area on his own, it would not arouse any suspicion and it would be easy to issue a written document.

“I can go,” Yang Jiang said with a determined look. “My father is not in good health and should not go out at this time. I am fast on my feet and can go and come back quickly.”

The burden of the eldest son's family should be borne by him; there's no reason for him to cower behind his father at a time like this.

Xie Yuyan said, "There is something you should know in advance."

Yang Mingde and Yang Jiang both stopped and waited for Xie Yuyan to speak.

"This newly purchased land and the surveyed Gushan Mountain will be used to open a new porcelain kiln. This new porcelain kiln does not belong to the Yang clan and can only be controlled by me. If you are willing, you can get 20% of the profits from the porcelain kiln. Other clan members who want to work in the porcelain kiln will be considered as employees."

Every word Xie Yuyan uttered in this room startled Yang Mingde.

Yang Mingde's initial joy was suddenly dashed, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. After a long while, he stammered, "Then... it's not the Yang family's porcelain kiln anymore?"

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "No." "Then the ancestral business is still..." Yang Mingde kept shaking his head, "No, no, if it's like this, how can I face my grandfather and father after I go down? They passed the craft to me so that I could..."

"Is Uncle planning to preserve the Yang family's porcelain kiln, or the ancestral craft?"

Yang Mingde didn't understand: "Aren't they all the same?"

“Of course it’s different,” Xie Yuyan said. “If you want to pass on the craft, why do you care whether it’s the Yang family’s porcelain kiln? You don’t even need to care whether the person who inherits it is a descendant of the Yang family. That way, even if the Yang family is gone, the craft can continue to be passed on, and you can also see the Yang family’s techniques from the utensils.”

"Or perhaps, all you care about is that the Yang family's porcelain kiln continues to exist, even if future generations no longer know how to make porcelain, it doesn't matter, as long as you can earn money to support your relatives."

"If that's the case, you don't need to worry about whether there's a porcelain kiln or not. The Yang family can just run a general store and do business, isn't that good enough?"

Xie Yuyan's question sent a jolt through Yang Mingde's heart, as if his once firm beliefs were now beginning to waver.

“You think it’s best if the porcelain kiln belongs to the Yang clan,” Xie Yuyan said. “Isn’t that how your porcelain kiln came about? And what was the final result? As long as the clan head and the direct relatives can decide the life and death of the porcelain kiln at will, you put all your efforts into seeking a glimmer of hope for the porcelain kiln, but in the end it can’t withstand a few idle words.”

Xie Yuyan suddenly said calmly, "If this situation were to return, does Uncle have a way to deal with it?"

Yang Mingde gritted his teeth, and the scenes of his clansmen sealing the kiln that day flashed through his mind.

"I wonder what you think, Uncle," Xie Yuyan said calmly. "I will never allow anyone to interfere with my work. I am the only one who can make decisions about my porcelain kiln."

"They can only take it if I give it to them; if I don't give it to them, no one can say a word against it."

“Only those who work in the kiln can receive money. The clan can support the elderly and children, but they are not allowed to take advantage of their age or interfere in affairs at will.”

Xie Yuyan said, “I don’t have the habit of planting trees for future generations to enjoy the shade. I’ve planted this tree, so it should provide me with shelter. I want to open a kiln in Luozhou so that it can become the largest kiln in Daming Prefecture and even the North, and have a place in the border markets, so that it can be exported to the sea as tribute in the future.”

"Uncle, have you thought it through? Are you going to stay in this ancestral kiln with the Yang family's skills to leave a way out for the Yang family, or are you going to come with me on this journey?"

Yang Mingde's heart pounded wildly. Xie Yuyan's voice kept echoing in his ears.

To become the largest kiln in Daming Prefecture and even in the north?

Could they also go to sea with the tribute?

He never imagined that the Yang family ancestors would have dared to have such thoughts.

How can someone who can't even see that far understand how to forge a path to heaven?

As for the elders and relatives of the Yang family...

Yang Mingde gave a bitter smile.

That's right, even if you build a new kiln, the result will be the same. Those people will abandon their ancestral craftsmanship once they find a profitable business.

What he wants is to pass on the Yang family's techniques; otherwise, why would he have stayed here all this time?

Yang Mingde took a deep breath, but before he could speak, tears streamed down his face.

“I’ll listen to you,” Yang Mingde said. “As long as I can keep firing the kiln, I don’t want the 20% cut, I just want the wages.”

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Yuyan said, "No."

(End of this chapter)