Chapter 92 Glazed Tiles (Part 1)
Liu Han returned to her dormitory in a huff.
"What's going on?" My roommate poked her head out from the top bunk when she heard the noise. "Weren't you on a date with your crush? What happened, did you two have a fight?"
Liu Han lazily sat down in the chair: "We didn't argue, but I hereby unilaterally declare that there is no further progress between us."
Her two roommates perked up and jumped down from their bunks, pulling up chairs to sit next to her: "Come on, tell us what happened?"
This is definitely juicy gossip!
Liu Han was speechless: "...What kind of reaction is this? Shouldn't you be comforting me first?"
My roommate waved his hand and said, "You don't really need any comforting right now. You just need to talk to someone."
Another person nodded seriously: "Come on, we're willing to be your emotional dumping ground! Just dump whatever makes you unhappy into it!"
Liu Han rolled her eyes: "Thank you so much."
She really had a lot to say, and once she started, she poured out everything like beans: "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just because of that incident in Qinghe Ancient Town. We had different opinions."
The boy suddenly brought up the topic of Qinghe Ancient Town and asked her what she thought.
“I said I don’t think there’s a problem. If you’ve been to Qinghe Ancient Town, you’ll know how beautiful its glazed tiles are. Master Zhang and his team are fully qualified to comment. Besides, restoring things isn’t like eating cabbage; it’s not something you can just haphazardly do. Give them some time, and maybe they really can do it…”
As for Jingye's peacock blue, she hadn't seen it and wasn't a professional, so she didn't make any comments.
Once the Qinghe Ancient Town is actually built, a comparison will naturally reveal the difference.
As it turned out, the boy was somewhat surprised that she would think that way. He said it was clearly a shameless act by Qinghe Ancient Town to exploit people's nationalistic sentiments and patriotism to slander a competitor. Many domestic brands are like this; they only know how to play the marketing game to belittle others but don't know how to do solid work.
“I admit that such things and such brands do exist,” Liu Han said to his roommates. “But this is definitely not something Qinghe Ancient Town would do. He’ll know once he goes there and sees for himself that they are truly dedicated to doing things properly!”
My roommates all nodded in agreement.
They had all been there, so they could naturally see the dedication put into the architectural craftsmanship of Qinghe Ancient Town. Moreover, ever since Liu Han's grandmother's friend experienced that incident in Qinghe Ancient Town, the group had become die-hard fans of the town.
Any problems are likely minor issues, not problems affecting our Qinghe Ancient Town!
"Is there anything wrong with what I said?" Liu Han pressed.
The roommates all shook their heads: "No problem, very objective, very rational."
"Exactly!" Liu Han slammed her hand on the table, her anger rising again. "And then that guy said, 'Oh, you guys have a fandom mentality, you've been brainwashed. If you just step outside this circle and wake up, you'll know who's right and who's wrong.' He even told me not to let nationalistic sentiments cloud my judgment, that we should learn from and acknowledge the good things about other countries, and that even if Japan recreated something from our past, it's because they're so skilled, we can't blame anyone else..."
"Holy crap! I never expected him to be this kind of person! He's someone who's never even been to Qinghe Ancient Town, and he's talking nonsense to me with that sarcastic 'I'm the only one who's sober in a world of drunks' tone. I'm speechless!"
Roommate A nodded: "You're right, this person won't do."
"He probably thought he was clear-headed and neutral. If this one doesn't work, the next one will be better."
Liu Han raised her chin, having recovered from her anger and disappointment: "That's exactly what I think!"
There are plenty of men out there; just find one you like.
The group chatted for a while longer when suddenly the roommate picked up his phone: "Look, look! Qinghe Ancient Town has issued an announcement!"
On a social media platform, the official account of Qinghe Ancient Town posted a long announcement. Using their habit of skimming through text, developed in the internet age, they quickly extracted the key points:
"...We understand that different perspectives and discussions in the technical field are one of the driving forces for industry progress. Master Zhang's remarks are intended to share his technical knowledge and are by no means intended to subjectively and maliciously disparage any company or individual."
"...Given the nature of the exchange of technical viewpoints, and considering that Master Zhang is an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of glazed tile firing in Qinghe City, as well as the attribute of glazed tiles as an important intangible cultural heritage of China, it is reasonable for a local inheritor to comment on his skills. We believe that the law will give a fair judgment. At the same time, we always respect intellectual property rights and business rules."
"...We earnestly request everyone to give artisans the necessary patience, time, and tolerance. Breakthroughs in craftsmanship require time and experience, not something that can be achieved overnight. We firmly believe that true treasures of Chinese culture are worth waiting for and will surely shine with their due brilliance."
"The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. We firmly believe in the power of facts and time. Please join us in witnessing the revival of traditional crafts and the growth of Qinghe Ancient Town."
The announcement from Qinghe Ancient Town acknowledged that it had indeed received a lawyer's letter from Jingye, but its tone remained neither humble nor arrogant, winning the favor of many people online.
Many netizens realized:
【Yes, glazed tiles are something from our ancestors. How come we can't even comment on what you've made? Is that so domineering?!】
[Agreed! Many of the comments in the previous section were blatantly biased towards those receiving payment. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' funding is definitely not wasted.]
The announcement was very appropriate, reasonable, and measured. It didn't evade the issues and clearly stated its stance! This is what a responsible scenic spot should be like! No wonder it's my favorite scenic spot; I support it!
"The true treasures of Chinese civilization are worth the wait"—this sentence really moved me. Keep it up, Master Zhang! We can wait!
It's perfectly natural for our intangible cultural heritage inheritors to evaluate foreign techniques! Do these people think they're the industry standard just because they've learned a little something?
[A technical exchange, well said! The experienced master craftsman is speaking based on his skills and experience, so why is he being accused of defamation? Is Jingye so sensitive? And why sue for defamation instead of directly suing for defamation?]
Because defamation lawsuits are almost always successful, but slander is a different story. (doge)
Even in Shanxi Province, where glazed tiles are produced in the largest quantities in China, some craftsmen have spoken out in support of Master Zhang, and even criticized Jingye in a video:
I am the technical consultant for the renovation project of the Confucian Temple in Dai County, Shanxi Province, and I have been in contact with glazed tiles for many years. Some people in the comments section said that high-end tiles cannot be made in China? That's absurd! Take the Jiaxian Glazed Tile Factory, for example. It is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor and can make more than 30 varieties, including golden yellow and emerald green. The Iron Pagoda in Kaifeng has used their tiles for renovations throughout history.
I agree with Master Zhang's point of view. The peacock blue of the Japanese Kyōgyō ware leans towards green. In contrast, the peacock blue of the Ming Dynasty ware currently existing in the Daiwangfu Palace has a shimmering, emerald-green hue. The difference is obvious! In fact, if you search for news from a couple of years ago, you'll know that when Kyōgyō was heavily promoting its restoration of the lost Chinese peacock blue glaze, many domestic craftsmen spoke out, believing that their peacock blue was not quite accurate enough. However, at that time, our voices were weak and few media outlets paid attention.
Thanks to the dispute between Qinghe Ancient Town and Jingye, more people have had their voices heard.
As if to verify his words, many glazed tile craftsmen from Shanxi Province soon stepped forward to show that what he said was indeed true.
So, after two days of almost one-sided targeting, public opinion finally began to shift slightly. Many people, especially bystanders who had initially just been watching the spectacle, started speaking up for Qinghe Ancient Town.
Some people, whether out of curiosity or a desire to get to the bottom of things, even started digging into the backgrounds of the professors who endorsed Jingye by looking at some of the press releases Jingye had previously issued.
Yamada suddenly realized that the situation was gradually getting out of control.
He didn't really like this feeling of being out of control, but he didn't panic because of it.
"As long as they can't produce genuine peacock blue glazed tiles, there's no problem," Yamada said to Lin Rong, who was sitting opposite him, with a gloomy face.
So what if they compare Jingye's glazed tiles with cultural relics?
Because of the passage of time, the mineral composition available today is different from that of the past. In addition, the firing environment and storage conditions can also lead to differences in color. This reason is perfectly reasonable and is enough to shut up those laymen.
He did not notice that Lin Rong's legs were trembling very slightly.
Lin Rong's heart pounded in his chest, and his palms instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
He knew, of course, that the premise of "no problem" was that "it can't be fired." But just two days ago, he received a message from Meishan Village saying that the two Master Zhangs had secretly returned during the Spring Festival and fired a kiln of tiles themselves, and were now firing them for the second time.
This was probably another attempt by them, which would normally be normal. But for some reason, Lin Rong had a bad feeling this time.
Why go to open the kiln during such a big holiday? Has there been some breakthrough?
Unfortunately, the brick kiln worker he bribed wasn't a core member of the operation. He kept saying he didn't know anything when asked, which drove Lin Rong crazy. He could only tell him to keep a close eye on things and ask around for information.
He kept this news under wraps, not daring to reveal a single word to Yamada.
He knew this Japanese boss all too well. On the surface, he was generous and tolerant, but in reality, he was mean and ungrateful. If the boss found out that his report was delayed and might even affect the entire plan, the connection Lin Rong had worked so hard to establish, along with the promised generous rewards and future cooperation, would vanish in an instant, and he might even face retaliation.
“Mr. Yamada is right!” Lin Rong immediately put on a confident expression, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with just the right amount of flattery and a hint of disdain for his opponent. “If they were capable, they would have recovered on their own long ago. Why would they have waited until today?”
"You've seen the kiln in Meishan Village, it's the most primitive and backward kind, it doesn't even have an electric kiln, and all the workers are from nearby villages. I reckon they don't even understand the scientific principles of glaze formulation, how could they possibly master peacock blue glaze?"
Yamada felt a little better after hearing what he said: "Time... as long as they can't produce peacock blue within six months, then we've already won!"
Lin Rong immediately chimed in, "Time is definitely on our side!"
As he spoke, he carefully observed Yamada's expression. Seeing that the other's gloomy expression seemed to have eased somewhat, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He must keep Yamada calm and buy himself some time.
Yamada's expression softened: "The backlash from public opinion is indeed a bit more troublesome than expected, but we will handle it naturally. Lin, your task is to keep a close eye on Meishan Village, especially those two Master Zhangs. I don't want any more 'surprises,' do you understand?"
"Please rest assured! My men are watching around the clock, and they will not be allowed to cause any trouble!" Lin Rong patted his chest and assured them with a resolute tone.
Leaving Yamada's office, Lin Rong's shirt was soaked through on the back. He strode into his private lounge, locked the door, and his composure crumbled instantly, replaced by anxiety.
He took out his phone and quickly dialed a number.
The phone rang several times before being answered. A deliberately lowered voice with a heavy local accent came through: "Hello... Manager Lin?"
"It's me." Lin Rong's voice was even lower, carrying an undeniable urgency. "Listen, I don't have time to waste with you! How's things going over there lately? Did they start firing the kiln before? They should be firing it for the second time now, right? Don't tell me you haven't found out anything useful after all this time! You took my money!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "They've already started the kiln. A couple of days ago, Master Zhang and his team mixed the new glaze, but this is a process they don't allow anyone to see, so I don't know exactly what they mixed. However, they started loading the kiln early this morning, and Master Zhang seemed quite happy about it..."
Lin Rong closed his eyes, veins throbbing on his forehead, feeling an increasingly strong sense of foreboding growing stronger.
"Listen to me, I don't care what method you use, you have to find out for me what they've been doing all this time, and what's the situation with these things that are burning right now, understand?"
But the people on the other end weren't keen on taking Lin Rong's job anymore: "Well... I can't really find out the core details either," he said, annoyed. "I only took ten thousand yuan from you, what, how much more work do you want me to do?"
He regretted it a bit over the New Year holiday. Ten thousand yuan wasn't much; it really wasn't worth taking such a big risk. He even regretted it a bit over the New Year holiday.
Lin Rong was furious: "You made it all sound so good when you took the money..."
"I didn't know you guys were so annoying, watching for so long. Ten thousand yuan probably isn't enough," the other person muttered. "And if someone finds out, I'll lose my job. Ten thousand yuan definitely won't be enough; I'll need more money!"
After saying that, he felt a sudden sense of clarity.
Lin Rong's face darkened: "How much do you want?"
"Five...fifty thousand!"
"No, that's too high. I can only give you another five thousand at most!"
"Too low, I won't do it!"
"Then I'll give you another ten thousand. If you bid any higher, I'll find someone else. Anyway, you're not some key person."
"Deal!" The man immediately agreed, as if afraid that Lin Rong would change his mind.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Rong angrily threw it heavily on the table. "Damn it! What kind of person is this, trying to raise prices like that!" After a while, he picked up the phone again and wiped it clean. He was relieved to see that the screen hadn't been cracked.
He has to pay for all 20,000 yuan himself! We can't let him lose another phone because of this!
......
Despite the cacophony of opinions online, once people turn off their phones, they simply go about their lives as usual.
However, those who care about Qinghe Ancient Town will still ask a few questions.
"Is your company really okay?" Uncle Zhao asked Zhao Simin while eating breakfast, but he didn't seem very worried, probably just asking casually.
Zhao Simin finished her porridge in a few bites: "What problem could there be? Didn't they issue a notice to explain it clearly? Look, everyone is still going about their lives as usual."
Tourists will still come, and Qinghe Ancient Town is still bustling these days—of course, much less crowded than during the Spring Festival. She had seen some marketing accounts compare current photos with those from the Spring Festival period, claiming the ancient town was greatly affected by the incident, and they were severely criticized.
"I have to go to work now." Zhao Simin hurriedly picked up her bag from the table, and then added, "Dad, why don't you hire a couple more good chefs? There's still a lot of room for improvement in our hotel's catering."
Uncle Zhao chuckled and scolded, "I think you've become picky about food in this ancient town."
The ancient town has a wide variety of delicious food, so many tourists choose to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there. This has led to a strange phenomenon: there aren't actually that many restaurants at the entrance of the ancient town, and the business of late-night snacks is better than that of regular restaurants.
Therefore, his hotel did not pay much attention to the catering aspect, and it only stayed at the stage of providing breakfast.
“I’m telling you the truth, Dad.” Zhao Simin stopped and said to him seriously, “I think our family’s hotel needs to be renovated. Our ancient town should acquire land on the other side of the lake to build a hotel. Actually, our family could also go there or to the county center to see if we can franchise a hotel chain, like Atour or All Seasons.”
Although the hotel in her home had just been renovated and upgraded, in her opinion, it still couldn't compare to the standards of those chain hotels.
She had heard from the customer service department that many tourists complained that the biggest drawback here was the lack of good hotels; if they wanted comfortable accommodations, they had to go back to Qinghe City. Even in the county center, there were only some old-brand business chain hotels, and their conditions were subpar.
Uncle Zhao was taken aback: "You mean our family owns two hotels?"
Zhao Simin: "You're not going to tell me you haven't thought about this?"
That can't be right. Business at home has been booming lately; it's been almost always full since we opened in Qinghe Ancient Town. Has her dad, still so young, already lost his ambition? That won't do! She's still waiting to be a rich kid!
In their fifties, they are at the prime of their lives, a time for hard work and striving.
Uncle Zhao was taken aback: "What you said makes some sense... We'll talk about it properly when you get back."
Zhao Simin went out: "Okay."
Today, she was going to the county hospital to pick up one of her new students from discharge. This student was quite pitiful; her heartless parents had bound her feet according to ancient customs when she was little, resulting in deformed feet. Fortunately, those unfit parents were long dead, and the student came to stay with her cousin who worked in Qinghe Ancient Town. Ms. Lu was very kind; seeing the situation, she paid for the surgery and took her in.
Zhao Simin found her students all amazing, each possessing their own unique skill. She even wondered if Miss Lu had a special team helping her recruit these talents across the country.
Upon arriving at the county hospital, Zhao Simin went to the ward first.
"Zhu Cui, how are you feeling today?"
Zhu Cui smiled when she saw it was her. She liked this Teacher Zhao very much. She replied softly, "I'm much better now. I can walk a short distance with my cane."
“The doctor said you need to rest and recover, so you shouldn’t leave yet,” Zhao Simin said, disagreeing. “Then I’ll go and get you discharged first, and we’ll go back to town today.”
Zhu Cui happily agreed. She was quite anxious when she was alone in the hospital, and it would be best to return to the ancient town.
Her surgery was very successful. The doctor said that she would be able to walk normally after a few months of rest, but she would not be able to do strenuous exercise like a normal person, nor could she stand for long periods of time, and her walking speed would be a little slower.
She still remembered the doctor's angry expression when he saw her feet; he almost shouted out loud. It turned out that people in later generations viewed foot binding as a form of torture and abuse for girls. They took her seriously and even invited experts from other regions to consult and perform the surgery together.
Zhu Cui not only healed her body, but also her heart.
After all these years, she can finally get rid of the long foot bindings and free her feet.
Zhao Simin: "I asked Director Su, and he said you should just rest at home for the time being. Then I'll come over every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to give you lessons..."
She's now assigned to the workshop management department, but since there aren't many students left, she also helps Su Jun with some of the daily work in Zone 5. All the craftsmen belong to the workshop management department.
Pearls and jade are also included.
Zhao Simin was momentarily stunned when she learned that Zhu Cui's specialty was styling various ancient costumes, but upon reflection, she realized it was actually quite a useful skill. She eagerly awaited the day Zhu Cui would stand up again and return to her job; given the town's standards for talent, the hairstyles she created would surely be exceptionally beautiful!
After sending Zhu Cui back to her home in Zone 4, Zhao Simin returned to Zone 5 and happened to see Professor Yi. The two greeted each other with smiles.
Professor Yi from Nanjing seems to have been frequenting textile workshops lately.
However, the place they spent the most time in was the VR holographic experience hall downstairs in Qinghe Building. I heard that she and two other professors even booked an experience pod, saying they were going to research some topic.
But aren't these professors supposed to be history researchers? Why are they conducting research in a VR experience center?
Zhao Simin was also puzzled, so she shrugged and walked towards Zone 5.
......
Professor Yi, Professor Yang, and Professor Jin together found Lu Xiaoqi.
"Xiao Lu, how come you didn't tell us about such a big thing?" Professor Yi said reproachfully, looking at her with the kind of affection one would show to a grandchild.
Lu Xiaoqi: "...Huh?"
Professor Yi only learned about the events of the past two days after going to District 5. She and Yang Jin discussed it and felt that they should give back for the great benefits they had taken from Qinghe Ancient Town, so they took the initiative to ask Lu Xiaoqi if there was anything they could help with.
Lu Xiaoqi then realized that they were talking about the dispute with Jingye. She waved her hand easily, and was also a little touched: "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. We can handle it."
Professor Jin immediately said, "If you want to help, you should tell us right away. Don't be shy. We'll definitely stand by you in this matter. They've stolen so much from China, their hands are all dirty, yet they dare to turn around and accuse us!"
Professor Yang nodded: "Xiao Lu, we may not know much else, but we do know a lot of people. If you have any difficulties, tell us and we can discuss them. Maybe we can find a solution quickly."
Lu Xiaoqi was a little touched after hearing this: "Don't worry... wait, wait..."
She suddenly remembered something and smiled: "You know what! I really do want to ask a few professors for help!"
......
Two days later, a blogger who mainly followed the gossip on Weibo suddenly posted several long articles, exposing Jingye and several historians who endorsed Jingye.
Lu Xiaoqi glanced at it and a smile appeared on her lips.
As the saying goes, it's only polite to reciprocate. Hopefully, Jingye will be satisfied with her counterattack.
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