Chapter 47 Chapter 47 This is the first time...
This was the first time her points had exceeded 400. Jiang Wan was delighted and listed the items she wanted to buy. One direction was to continue improving the celadon formula and adding ore purification. The ore purification machine in the mall cost 352 points, which was affordable. However, there were no mines in Xiaofangpan City, and the nearest mine was about 600 miles away. If she wanted to mine, she would have to hire workers, obtain official permission from the county government, build a construction site near the mine, and purchase equipment... It would cost a lot of money, and it would take at least three or four months before work could begin.
Jiang Wangang had just spent money to redeem his family and now he didn't have much savings.
Another option was to spend 100 points to unlock the raw material storage. However, after purchasing the refiner, she wouldn't have enough points left, and even if she did, there was no guarantee the storage would contain the ore she wanted.
After much deliberation, she temporarily gave up the path of purifying the ore and only bought a book "Ancient Porcelain Factory Management Teaching" and unlocked the raw material storage section.
After spending a total of 200 points, she still had 232 points left.
Her porcelain shop was in short supply, but the Jiang family compound was already struggling to handle the workload of seventeen employees. Jiang Wan had long planned to build a dedicated factory and had already begun considering the location.
If it is built in the suburbs near home, the land price is cheaper and transportation is more convenient, but the problem lies in the raw materials.
Small towns have few porcelain-making businesses, and the supply of purple clay and quartz is limited, resulting in higher prices. For example, the average price of purple clay is currently ten coins per bag, while the market price of quartz is fifteen coins per bag. In contrast, Dunhuang Prefecture, the seat of Dunhuang Commandery, has a much greater abundance of raw materials: quartz costs only seven coins, and purple clay twelve coins.
Moreover, firing porcelain requires a furnace. The furnace purchased in the system is a perpetual motion machine and does not require burning carbon, but the factory cannot have only one furnace!
Kilns of the era lacked the facilities to produce multicolored porcelain, so Jiang Wan could only imitate the systematic combustion furnace. While the structure could be copied, the use of charcoal was essential. Similarly, few households in Xiaofangpan City could afford charcoal, and the price of charcoal was nearly one and a half times that of Dunhuang Prefecture.
In the past, porcelain production was small-scale, and the price difference of raw materials was not significant. However, after the construction of the factory, the cost difference became apparent. Building a factory in Dunhuang Prefecture provided much cheaper raw materials. Although shipping costs were higher, the porcelain itself did not take up much space, making it a cost-effective option overall.
What's more, Jiang Wan hopes to open branches throughout the county in the future, so the factory must be located in Dunhuang Prefecture.
Jiang Wan had experience managing a porcelain factory in her previous life, but the factories of this era differed significantly from those of her past. Furthermore, she planned to let her brother Jiang An manage the factory—for one thing, it wouldn't require physical effort, allowing him to rest and care for their mother. Of course, Jiang Wan would arrange for an assistant, so Jiang An wouldn't have to go to Dunhuang every day; he could go every three to five days.
On the other hand, Jiang An was a steady, thoughtful man, affable yet capable of both kindness and authority. In the past, at the Duke's residence, he served as a half-housekeeper, managing the affairs of the mansion in an orderly manner. Jiang Wan believed that with the "Ancient Porcelain Factory Management Tutorial" and her guidance, her brother would be able to quickly master the skills.
As for unlocking the raw material storage, Jiang Wan mainly wanted to see if the items inside were expensive. If they were cheap, he could use points to redeem the raw materials.
But reality was harsh. Jiang Wan discovered that the purple gold soil in the treasury was sold by the gram, with one point equaling one hundred grams of soil. Quartz, on the other hand, was sold by the block, with a three-inch by three-inch block costing one point.
The purified ore costs ten points per piece.
Of course, there are also blue and white porcelain dyes, enamel dyes, etc. from previous lives, the price of which reaches dozens of points per hundred grams.
Jiang Wan silently gave up the idea of exchanging points for raw materials.
After exiting the system interface, she briefly asked the magistrate how he planned to handle the matter.
"Using the official seal for personal use and trafficking in human beings is a crime punishable by at least fifteen years in prison," the magistrate sighed. "If Li Weimin had simply resigned, those yamen runners, out of respect for their past, might have provided him with some financial aid, allowing him to enjoy his retirement. It's a shame he chose to go down this path."
After sighing, he said, "Miss Jiang, thank you for your help this time. It allowed Li Weimin to recruit so quickly. If you have any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me. I will definitely help you if I can."
Jiang Wan knelt and saluted: "Then I will not disturb you any longer."
She knew very well that the new magistrate had made a mistake and thought that she was related to Commander Shen, and that Li Weimin had fallen because he had angered her.
The new magistrate tried every means to show his goodwill, not only because she helped with the case, but probably more because of Shen Jianqing.
Thinking of Chen Jianqing, I couldn't help but think of Zi Yan. The last time I saw him, he was still walking briskly while carrying three cabinets, so his injuries must be almost healed. I heard that Chen Jianqing was leaving Dunhuang Prefecture and returning to Beijing in five days, so Zi Yan would probably leave with him.
Jiang Wan inexplicably recalled him squatting by the fire with red eyes, him suddenly turning back with a smile under the starry sky, and him looking up at the moon with a lonely look...
She might never have the chance to find out what secrets he was hiding.
"Hey, hey, what are you thinking about so intently?" Her brother's voice suddenly rang in her ears. Jiang An waved two fingers in front of her eyes and reminded her, "We're almost home."
Jiang Wan came back to his senses and looked at the charred wall on the right side of the road. He asked curiously, "Isn't this Uncle Wang's house? How did it get burned like this?"
Jiang An: "The fire started the night before yesterday. When the police came to rescue people, only a charred corpse was left."
He leaned close to Jiang Wan's ear and whispered mysteriously, "It's said that on the day of the fire, several people nearby saw ghosts! Several ghosts, black from head to toe. Do you think the Black Impermanence is here to arrest someone?"
Jiang Wan pushed him away: "Don't scare me, it's just a rumor. Uncle Wang has been living alone, so why would he need so many Black Impermanence? Black Impermanence doesn't work for free."
Jiang An choked: "Oh, it's boring. It's not as fun as when we were kids. When you were little, you loved listening to ghost stories, but you were so scared that you couldn't fall asleep after listening to them, so you had to ask me to accompany you."
Jiang Wan raised his hand and pinched Jiang An's arm, pinching the wound where the medicine was applied. He screamed in pain and ran home.
Jiang Wan walked slowly. He had been feeling a little down after hearing the news of Uncle Wang's death, but after hearing this incident, he no longer felt sad.
"Mom!" Jiang An ran home and complained to his mother in a spoiled tone, "Mom! My sister bullied me! She hit my arm!"
Jiang's mother was cooking. Seeing Jiang An's expression, she knew that the redemption was going smoothly. She put down the spatula with a smile and touched her son's head. "How strong can your sister be? She likes to play around. Why are you arguing with her?"
"Mom is partial to my younger sister." Jiang An hummed, but a look of joy appeared on his face, and even the pain in his wound was gone.
As they were talking, Jiang Wan arrived. As soon as he entered the yard, he shouted, "Smells so good! What else did mom cook? I'm starving!"
As soon as they heard Jiang Wan's voice, Jiang's mother who was cooking, Wang Er who was lighting the fire, Wang Da who was holding firewood, and Chen Xi who was setting the dishes all put down their work and went out to greet her.
Jiang Wan hugged Chen Xi, took out the indenture from his pocket, and handed it to his mother: "Mom, look, I brought the indenture back."
Jiang's mother nodded with emotion. "Okay, good boy. I made your favorite dishes: braised pork with green beans, braised spareribs, West Lake vinegar fish, green peppers and potatoes, fried vegetables, and mapo tofu..."
Jiang Wan smiled and said to her three disciples, "You're in for a treat. My mother's cooking is as good as any in a restaurant. Today, I'll give you a taste of Lin'an cuisine."
She threw the two indentures into the fire, watching the thin papers turn to ashes: "Celebrate our family's freedom from now on!"
"good!"
The first day of February had just passed the Rain Water solar term, and the weather was gradually warming up. The midday sun was also warm, shining warmly into the house. Jiang Wan had the best meal since he traveled through time, and even the best meal in his two lives.
On the Lantern Festival, she had made a wish: "My loved ones will always be with me, and the moon will be full and full." Now that her family has regained their freedom, she can make her favorite porcelain and earn a lot of money to improve her life. Jiang Wan is very satisfied.
In her previous life, she had tasted no matter how many rare and precious foods she ate. But in this life, a wooden house and a few ordinary dishes were worth savoring.
After a satisfying meal and a few drinks, Chen Xi pulled out a cloth bag and opened it, revealing three spring dresses. She introduced them: "This is my gift for Madam Jiang, Master Jiang, and Master. Congratulations on your freedom."
After saying this, he lowered his head a little embarrassedly: "These clothes are made by me. They are not as neat as those on the market. You...you don't mind. Wait for me to learn more. When my skills are better, I will make new ones for you."
"How could that be? My apprentice made it himself, so of course we like it." Jiang Wan picked up his own piece and looked at it, surprised. "Did you really make it yourself? You have excellent craftsmanship!"
Although the design is a bit immature, the stitches are fine, the lines are clever, the colors of the clothes are well matched, and they feel soft, flexible and smooth to the touch. This technology has surpassed most cicadas.
I didn't expect that the little girl wasn't talented in porcelain, but she was good at weaving. An idea popped up in Jiang Wan's mind, and he checked the system.
Speaking of systems, she also happened to talk about her idea of building a factory in Dunhuang Prefecture. With the previous successful experience, Jiang Wan's proposal was recognized by everyone, and they all agreed that the factory would be managed by Jiang An.
Next, she needed to save enough money to build the factory and obtain official approval. She roughly calculated that the initial cost would be around 150 taels of silver. If she hired 30 workers at 5 taels per month, the total would be 150 taels per month.
That was easy enough. The Jiang family shop was earning nearly a hundred taels a day, and they could earn that much in just three days. The most urgent task was to obtain official permission. It just so happened that the county magistrate's wife came to visit the shop that afternoon. If they could get her approval, the permit would go smoothly.
While Jiang Wan was clearing the dishes, she was explaining the "Ancient Porcelain Factory Management Teaching" to Jiang An. Suddenly, a pitch-black carrier pigeon flew in from the window, landed on the window frame, and looked straight at Jiang Wan with its black eyes.
It held a roll of letter paper in its paw.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
