Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Kiln. "Brother Wu...
Kiln site.
"Good afternoon, big brother. Are you having lunch?" Jiang Wan greeted the migrant worker sitting next to the stove with a smile.
The migrant worker saw Jiang Wan, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said excitedly, "Miss, are you here to get the porcelain bowl? It's already fired. I'll bring it to you right away."
"Don't worry, don't worry. Big brother, finish your meal first. It's okay for me to wait a while." Jiang Wan quickly held the migrant worker's hand.
The laborer, seemingly impatient, trotted over to retrieve the porcelain bowl and handed it to Jiang Wan. "No, no, no, I'll get it first—girl, how did you make it? It's amazing! The bowl is so translucent and glittering, like ice jade. I won't lie, yesterday I saw it was so dark from the dyeing that I thought it was going to be ruined."
Jiang Wan couldn't share the recipe, of course. She still had to rely on it for a living for some time to come, so she politely said, "I just spent a little more money and bought better quality paint."
The migrant worker, upon hearing Jiang Wan's words, understood her reluctance to reveal her methods. But he also understood that these craftsmen kept their skills secret, so he didn't ask any further questions. He hadn't expected the seemingly frail young woman before him to be such a master of porcelain craftsmanship.
Jiang Wan and his two apprentices carefully inspected the bowls, confirming they were undamaged, and loaded them onto the cart. The celadon, with its uniform, clear color, reflected a subtle light.
Wang Da exclaimed in admiration, "Master is amazing! The color is indeed much lighter after firing, and it is warm and translucent like jade. The celadon on the market is all matte, which is incomparable to what we make."
Wang Er also agreed: "That's right! It will definitely sell for a good price!"
While her disciples were satisfied, Jiang Wan felt that further improvements were needed. She didn't yet have the right tools to glaze the celadon, and the bowls didn't have designs on them. She'd have to consider this once she earned enough points.
However, this idea was a bit shocking at the moment, so she didn't tell her two apprentices yet. She just reminded them, "Our production method is a secret. I will only teach it to you two. Don't tell anyone else yet."
Wang Da and Wang Er nodded vigorously. This was a secret between master and apprentice, and they would never let anyone else know. Not now, and not later!
"Then shall we go sell it now?" Wang Er asked impatiently.
Jiang Wan shook her head. "My house is being renovated this afternoon, so I have to go back and look after it. We'll set up the stall tomorrow morning. Do you all remember how to make the porcelain bowls?"
The two apprentices responded in unison.
Jiang Wan nodded with satisfaction. "Then I'll give you a task this afternoon. Make some more porcelain bowls and send them to the kiln for firing. Quality is the top priority. Make as many as you can. Don't be too concerned about quantity. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" The two brothers were full of energy to complete the first task assigned by the master perfectly.
Jiang Wan watched the two brothers run away, and a familiar system voice rang in his ears:
"Innovation is the source of vitality. Congratulations to the host for creating a new handicraft and completing the task [Ingenuity], earning twenty points."
Jiang Wan closed his eyes, and the remaining points on the system interface changed from 32 to 52.
Over the past month, she'd gradually figured out some patterns in the system. It seemed that as long as she created or improved a craft, she would complete the "Ingenuity" quest. Last time, she'd made a luminous cup, she'd earned ten points; this time, twenty. The number of points was probably calculated based on the difficulty of the quest.
The sixth day of the first lunar month.
Jiang Wan got up early and led his two apprentices to set up a stall at the alley they had chosen yesterday.
Wang Da began to hawk his wares in a dignified manner: "Come and take a look, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters! These are authentic celadon bowls, sturdy and durable, of excellent quality, and inexpensive. Only thirty copper coins a bowl!"
Many passersby looked on with curiosity. Celadon was new at the time, and skilled craftsmen were few and far between. Add to that the high cost of the colorant, and a single celadon bowl could cost over a hundred copper coins, making it affordable only for the wealthy. Could a celadon bowl really cost thirty copper coins?
Then two passers-by wanted to go forward and take a look.
Unexpectedly, a shrill voice suddenly came from the side: "Don't believe the nonsense of this little liar!"
Jiang Wan followed the sound and found it was Aunt Qian, the woman who had teased her the day before. Unexpectedly, she wasn't at the shop, and she found her stall early in the morning.
"Look at the tattoo on her head. She is a criminal who has just been freed from slavery! The cost of making celadon is so high nowadays. She is just a little girl who was exiled. It is even a problem whether she can have enough food to eat. Where does she get the money to make celadon?" Aunt Qian put her hands on her hips and argued confidently.
Two passersby paused. Yeah, how could they buy celadon at a street stall? Cheap goods are always cheap. This must be low-quality celadon, possibly even fake, to be so cheap.
Thinking of this, passersby moved away from Jiang Wan, showing disgusted expressions. Seeing this, Aunt Qian immediately enthusiastically promoted the goods in her shop: "Fellow villagers who want to buy celadon, you can go to my shop. It's at the east end of the street. I guarantee that they are all authentic, and they use only the best dyes."
You came here so early in the morning just to steal her customers? Wang Da and Wang Er were both furious, but they couldn't say anything mean in front of so many customers. Wang Da came close to Jiang Wan and whispered, "How about putting a sack on him and giving him a beating tonight?"
Jiang Wan shook his head in amusement.
After Aunt Qian said this, several wealthy women were tempted to go to her place to buy. However, many passersby with modest incomes, upon hearing that the dyes were made from high-quality materials, knew that they were expensive and did not dare to follow.
Aunt Qian glanced at those people with disdain and cursed them as poor bastards in her heart.
Jiang Wan coughed lightly and explained in a loud voice, "Fellow villagers, I really don't have much money and can't afford high-quality dyes. Before I was exiled, I helped out at an antique shop in the capital. They had a new dye that was much better than the ones here, so I mixed it myself. You may want to take a look and see if the appearance is satisfactory."
When they heard that the method came from the capital, many passers-by who were about to leave stopped.
Jiang Wan cleared his throat and continued, "I was once a criminal slave myself, starving and hated by everyone. I know life is not easy for everyone. I chose to sell celadon, on the one hand to supplement my family income, and on the other hand, because I saw that in our small Fangpan City, celadon is only affordable by wealthy families, but it shouldn't be exclusive to the rich. I hope that one day, every household can afford celadon. So I borrowed techniques from the capital and did everything myself, from selecting the body, mixing the dye, to shaping it, just to sell affordable celadon."
As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers showed sympathy, and even more trust in Jiang Wan. Most of the people in this small town were ordinary people, toiling away every day in the fields just to have enough food and clothing. Jiang Wan's actions were completely from their perspective, considering them, thus eliciting empathy from these toiling masses. Furthermore, she, too, was born a convict, living in poverty. She personally handled the entire process, from production to sales, simply to save costs and earn a living, just like these ordinary people who toiled from day to day.
People always trust others more.
Of course, Jiang Wan said this not just to build a closer relationship with her customers. When she crafted her celadon, she targeted the general public. Wealthy households often have established purchasing channels, and starting from scratch, opening up sales channels targeting them was challenging. While ordinary consumers might not generate high transaction volumes, a brand that wants to build a strong reputation must earn the approval of ordinary people.
Jiang Wan also noticed that a few wealthy passersby turned away, displeased by her words. However, she didn't care. Since she had chosen this route, she only needed to capture the common people.
A few passersby in plain clothes came forward to look at the celadon bowls on the cart.
More than twenty porcelain bowls were neatly arranged on the wooden planks of the car's roof. Their color was translucent, the cyan of the sky after rain, clean and clear. Ordinary celadon, even with the finest dye, would inevitably have uneven edges, but Jiang Wan's celadon was different; its depth and lightness were almost identical, with no color difference.
"This is amazing!" A passerby picked up a porcelain bowl and held it up to the light. Finding that there was indeed no color difference, he exclaimed, "I've never seen celadon with such perfect coloring! And the color is clear, not as dull as other porcelain!"
He excitedly took out thirty copper coins and said, "I'll buy one first and try it out. If it works, I'll buy another one!"
Jiang Wan packed the bowl in a bag and handed it to him, bowing: "Thank you for your patronage."
When the onlookers saw this, they felt itchy and immediately gathered around to watch. Seeing that the porcelain bowl in front of her was as white as ice and jade, they all praised it.
"Girl, I'll buy one!"
"I want one too!"
"I'll take two!"
Soon, Jiang Wan's cart was filled with copper coins. The stall was bustling with activity. Jiang Wan explained the benefits of porcelain bowls to customers while neatly stacking the copper coins. Wang Da and Wang Er were busy filling bags and handing them to customers. Seeing everyone buying from her, Aunt Qian was furious and anxious: "You guys are buying things from a convict, and you don't think it's bad luck!"
A passerby, holding a freshly bought bowl, said bluntly, "I'm no longer a slave. What's wrong with me buying something? How can you be so good as to steal a little girl's business?"
"That's right. It's not easy for people to earn a few dollars. You've already opened a shop, but you still want to take away the business of small stalls. Do you want to let people live?"
"I've been to this lady's shop. I think this celadon bowl is much more beautiful than hers. I guess she's jealous, right?"
"I think so too. After all, she only sells a few old styles and has no new customers. No wonder she's so angry."
…
Amidst the outcry, Aunt Qian's face sank as she left in disgrace. Before leaving, she glared at Jiang Wan angrily and shouted, "Don't be so complacent! We'll see what happens!"
Jiang Wan smiled brightly, looking very happy: "Okay, I'll wait."
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