Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Passersby all stared with wide eyes.
Passersby all widened their eyes.
"I knew it! It's faded!" Aunt Qian proudly held up the bowl for everyone to see. A line had been crossed through the Chinese character for "Fu" on the bowl, revealing the azure background.
The crowd was in an uproar. Many passersby who had bought porcelain at Jiang Wan's stall looked disappointed.
"I thought that the glaze-resistant celadon had finally appeared, but it turned out to be a hoax."
"I have to check carefully when I get back to see if the ones I bought before are fake."
Hearing the crowd's discontent with Jiang Wan, Aunt Qian grew even more complacent. She asked with a look of disdain, "What else do you have to say?"
Jiang Wan didn't answer, staring intently at the crossed-out "Fu" character. She appeared calm, but Wang Da and Wang Er, standing beside her, were already frantically whirling around.
Wang Er was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. He kept asking his brother, "How could this happen? We just checked it at the kiln!"
Wang Da was also puzzled, but he knew that now was not the time to think about this, so he quietly tugged at the hem of his master's clothes: "Master, Master! Say something!"
He believed that the method used by the master was absolutely correct, and that this old witch must have been a trick. But if he didn't say anything, would he just admit defeat?
Wang Da was wondering what Aunt Qian had done, but Jiang Wan already had a plan. She patted Wang Da soothingly, then looked away from the porcelain bowl and towards Aunt Qian.
"Auntie, you are worthy of running a celadon shop. Your skills are really admirable." She complimented, but there was no praise in her eyes.
Hearing this, Aunt Qian thought Jiang Wan had already given in, so she waved her hand and said, "That's good to know. You're young, so I won't make things difficult for you. Just apologize. You can continue to run this stall if you want. It's good to make some money to supplement the family income."
Once this matter was settled, it would forever be a stain on Jiang Wan's business. From then on, customers would no longer be interested in her, the stall's sales would never increase, and it would no longer pose any threat to Aunt Qian's business. Aunt Qian was happy to take a step back and show her kindness and tolerance.
Jiang Wan took two steps forward and raised his hand.
Aunt Qian thought she was going to bow and apologize, so she stood there with her arms folded, smiling happily, waiting.
Unexpectedly, the other party grabbed her right hand and forcefully turned her palm over. She tried to struggle, but the little girl in front of her looked frail, and her hand was like an iron clamp, and she couldn't get it free.
"Everyone," Jiang Wan ignored Aunt Qian's struggles and looked at the crowd around them, "This lady has scraped off all the cyan dye. There's dye powder under her nails."
Aunt Qian was caught off guard by the revelation, her heart trembling with fear, and even the flesh on her face twitched. Although she quickly suppressed her expression thanks to her years of business experience, Jiang Wan was so perceptive that the momentary change in her expression was enough to confirm that she had guessed correctly.
The matter, which had been thought to be settled, had suddenly changed, and passersby looked at it with puzzlement. The young man from Loulan also leaned over and took a closer look at Aunt Qian's nails.
"It's real, there is blue powder!" he shouted.
His shout was followed by a flurry of discussion. A few passersby in the inner circle came closer to take a closer look and also saw the green stain on Aunt Qian's hands.
"It's indeed blue," a passerby said, "but I see the stain left on the bowl is also blue, not the brown of porcelain clay."
When Aunt Qian heard this, she was like a drowning person grasping at a straw, and hurriedly replied, "That's right! Your azure base is clearly still on the bowl!"
"That's why I say Auntie Qian has excellent technique." Jiang Wan gave Auntie Qian a light and airy final blow. "Only an expert like you can control the force so well, scraping off only the surface dye that's bonded to the glaze, leaving the inner layer, so that the base color of the bowl remains green. If you don't notice the nails and only look at the bowl, you really can't tell."
Passersby suddenly realized.
Someone knowledgeable among the onlookers had already spoken for Jiang Wan about the latter part of his statement: "Only when the bond between the base dye and the glaze is as tight as the inner and outer layers of the dye, can you separate the surface dye from the inner layer when scraping, rather than separating the dye from the glaze."
The young man from Loulan also understood at this point: "That means Miss Jiang has truly found a way to glaze celadon. And Aunt Qian already believed the glaze was genuine before she even tested it."
Aunt Qian, who was singled out, paled. Indeed, she had held onto the slightest hope that Jiang Wan had forged the bowl. The moment her fingers touched the smooth, even pattern of the character for "Fu," she knew Jiang Wan had succeeded. She had hastily come up with a plan, leading to all that had just happened.
Jiang Wan finally relaxed and said loudly, "My ordinary porcelain bowls are still thirty copper coins, and the ones with the word 'Fu' on them are more expensive, forty copper coins."
This is a hint to Aunt Qian that it's time to fulfill her bet and pay ten times the compensation if the price is low.
Aunt Qian's face turned pale, her usual composure long gone. She even pretended not to understand and tried to sneak away. The Loulan boy quickly blocked her way and said with a grin, "If it's a fake, pay ten times the price. You owe me four hundred copper coins and an apology to Miss Jiang. I'll remember that."
"That's right, you have cheated my master twice." Wang Er was filled with indignation.
"You're still running a shop, and you don't even care about honesty?"
"Pay! Pay!" The crowd roared, making it impossible for Aunt Qian to escape. Amidst the outcry, Aunt Qian angrily slammed four hundred copper coins onto Jiang Wan's cart, muttered an apology in a mosquito-like whisper, and fled. As she passed by passersby, several people spat at her.
After today, Aunt Qian's reputation will definitely be affected, and I'm afraid her business will be very difficult in the near future.
Jiang Wan, however, was too busy to think about Aunt Qian's future situation as customers rushed in to buy the new porcelain bowls, leaving the three masters and apprentices overwhelmed.
"Miss Jiang is amazing! I can actually see the great invention in person!"
"And the price is fair. I'll definitely talk to Aunt San when I get home."
"I'll have one!" "I'll have one too!" "Any more?"
…
In less than an hour, Jiang Wan's porcelain was sold out. Adding the proceeds from the bet, today's revenue was nearly one tael of silver, which was already on par with Aunt Qian's shop's usual income.
In addition, she had received over a hundred pre-orders for custom designs. Because they could be delivered to customers' homes, the price per order was fifty copper coins. Even so, it was still half the price of celadon on the market, making it truly affordable for ordinary people.
Seeing that the customers gradually dispersed, Jiang Wan distributed the copper coins he earned to his apprentices and asked them to go back and continue making porcelain bowls.
Judging from the current situation, the three of them might not be enough. Jiang Wan planned to go to the bulletin board on the main commercial street this afternoon to post a notice, recruiting a few craftsmen to make porcelain. After all, now that their reputation was established, as long as the wages were sufficient, it would not be difficult to find a few craftsmen.
Jiang Wan was packing up her stall while thinking. After the crowd dispersed, the alley was deserted. The young man from Loulan stood against the wall with a sword on his back, watching her pack up with interest.
Feeling his gaze, Jiang Wan raised her head and said with a smile, "Thank you for your help today. I wonder if you are satisfied with the hairpin I designed?"
"I had it made overnight according to the blueprint, and the results are very good." The young man stood up straight, and the sword behind him touched the scabbard with a clanging sound. "I see you have a talent for making porcelain. Can you sell me a few?"
"Since you have helped me, how can I accept your money? I will give it to you as a gift," Jiang Wan replied. "But your request should be different from that of ordinary people, right? Tell me, what is it?"
"Just follow the same methods as the bowls and pots used in the palaces of you people from the Central Plains. You are from the capital, so you must know a lot about this," said the young man.
Jiang Wan carefully studied the young man before him. He resembled a Central Plains native, with fair skin, yet his features carried the expansive, cheerful air of Loulan, giving him a certain air of a swordsman. His current attire, a blue shirt, suited his demeanor perfectly.
It’s a pity that due to his limited status, he cannot become a true swordsman.
Because of his performance today, Jiang Wan's impression of him had changed. Although this man was impulsive and naive, he was loyal and fair, and...his filial piety truly moved her.
Having spent many years in the antique business in her previous life, Jiang Wan knew that as a businessman, one should not ask questions that should not be asked and play dumb about things that should not be understood. There were perhaps some things she shouldn't say to the Loulan nobles, but in front of the young swordsman, she decided to speak up.
"Hibiscus flowers bloom year-round in Xihua Palace in the Zhou Imperial City. 'The lotus blooms in clear water, naturally free of embellishment.' Princess Qingrong's title comes from this poem. Why not decorate the porcelain bowl with hibiscus flowers?" Jiang Wan paused and whispered, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Twenty years ago, the late emperor's third daughter, Princess Qingrong, traveled to Loulan to marry a foreign prince. She was deeply favored by the king and two years later gave birth to Ayigu, the second prince of Loulan. However, shortly after the prince's birth, the princess fell ill and remained bedridden for over a decade. Consequently, Ayigu, at the age of thirteen or fourteen, began traveling the world in search of medicinal herbs for her mother.
In fact, it is not difficult to guess. Last night, he wore Loulan clothing for convenience. The sun pattern can only be used by people of royal blood. In addition, his appearance is more like that of a Central Plains person, and the hairpin for his mother requires the characteristics of Lin'an... Jiang Wan can basically confirm his identity, so he adopted the design of a palace lantern pendant.
When Aigu heard the word "Your Highness" suddenly, she was stunned for a moment, then hurried over, made a gesture to silence, and said dissatisfiedly: "Keep your voice down! I sneaked out without telling my mother, and I don't want to be caught."
After saying this, he glanced around anxiously, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no one was around. Jiang Wan couldn't help but laugh at his sneaky look.
"I'll make the porcelain bowls as you ordered. I want five. I'll come get them in three days." After experiencing two incidents last night and this morning, Aigu had more confidence in her abilities. He didn't even ask her for the drawings and let her do it according to her own ideas without any hesitation.
Jiang Wan was somewhat surprised to hear this. Having lived two lives, she had long since developed a cautious nature. She didn't trust others easily, and she was also used to not being trusted. Therefore, when questioned or belittled, she could remain calm and composed.
Although she felt that Aigu's full entrustment was silly, she felt a little warm in her heart.
Watching him put on his bamboo hat and turn to leave, Jiang Wan said jokingly, "Your Highness, dressed like a young hero from the Central Plains."
"You have good taste. This young man is not only handsome, but also a first-class swordsman." Aigu was very proud and saluted like a man in the martial arts world. "Green waters remain unchanged and green mountains flow forever. See you later!"
…Damn green mountains and clear waters, even the middle-aged boy should learn the Central Plains dialect first!
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