At this time, someone came to tell them that Niu Hao and Niu Eryan were here.
Niu Dayan instructed, "Just give him a beating and then explain things clearly in public. Don't cripple him, or it will be bad for Qingping Village's reputation. If you're still upset, we can find a way to get revenge later."
Hu Xiaocheng nodded, "Brother Yan, I understand."
"Then you guys go! I'll deal with the head of the village." With Dacheng's kung fu, it would be no problem for him to beat Hu Gui, so he didn't need to help.
The pair were quite familiar with the place, so they avoided Niu Hao and the other man and went to Kaoshan Village.
It was Hu Dacheng who beat Hu Gui, and it was Hu Xiaocheng who explained to everyone why Hu Gui was beaten. After the two brothers finished their cooperation, they happily returned to Qingping Village.
The next day, after Kang Hong and the others left, Da Chengcai and Xiao Chengcai told Kang Yueran about the beating of Hu Gui. Kang Yueran, who also had a terrible uncle, just nodded and said, "I know."
Kang Yueran had no time to take care of these trivial matters because Yu Honghuo had just produced the first batch of colored porcelain.
She turned the pages several times, looking at them again and again, and her satisfaction grew with each reading. "Not bad, not bad. The pattern isn't distorted, and the colors are bright."
Yu Honghuo was also very satisfied. "Yes, we gave up underglaze color and directly fired overglaze color."
These are two ways of firing colored porcelain: underglaze color, which is to paint directly on the dried porcelain body, put it into the kiln for calcination, and form it in one go.
The advantage is that the color never fades, but the disadvantage is that the color will appear slightly darker. Color materials are all minerals, some of which are toxic, so the types of porcelain fired are limited.
Overglaze color is to first burn the porcelain body into white porcelain, then paint on the fired white porcelain, and then put it into the kiln and calcine it again at low temperature.
The advantage is that the porcelain has bright colors and avoids toxicity issues. The disadvantage is that it has to be calcined twice, which is a complicated process and can easily burn out.
Kang Yueran compared the two porcelain bowls and said with a smile, "I can't see any difference in color. This kiln produced over 3,000 pieces. Isn't the difference that big?"
"Yes! Not only is the color almost the same, but less than 10% is wasted. This is all thanks to the three kiln masters who have a very precise control of the kiln temperature."
The large kiln at Beigu Kiln could produce up to 6,000 to 7,000 pieces. Because the kiln was so large and fired with wood, it was difficult to maintain a uniform temperature throughout.
Different temperatures will produce different porcelains, and to minimize these differences, the average temperature of the entire kiln must be controlled, which is definitely a technical job.
Kang Yueran exclaimed in admiration: "The master chef is indeed a master chef! I'll have Wang Hai take out two hundred taels of silver later and reward everyone who participated in the firing this time."
Yu Honghuo bowed and said, "Then I would like to thank the boss on behalf of everyone."
"You guys did a great job, so of course you deserve a reward! One kiln can produce 3,000 pieces, so it looks like we can sell them by the end of the month."
"Sure! From now on, all the colored porcelain with the word 'Ying' on the bottom will be made by us."
The use of the word "盈" not only implies that they make a lot of profit, but also means that the people have a happy life and abundant wealth.
Kang Yueran looked at each piece of porcelain, unable to let go. "Okay! I'll set the price in the next few days and have someone send it to Beigu Kiln for you along with another batch of color materials."
"The kilns at Mount Paektu will be ready for use next month. When that happens, all four kilns will be firing together. The boss will have to figure out where to sell them."
Kang Yueran had already thought about this, "I will take these porcelains tomorrow and go meet the merchants in Anzhou City who do shipping business." Porcelain, silk and tea are the three treasures of shipping.
"By the way, are you used to the coal I sent over earlier? Is the blower working well?"
Blowers have been around for a long time, but they are large and difficult to operate. Kang Yueran drew an accordion-style blower for Yu Honghuo.
Yu Honghuo replied, "We tried it in a small kiln first. The coal and the blower made the fire hotter than wood. The master chef said that the porcelain was fired so well thanks to the big boss's coal and the blower."
Coal burns at a higher temperature than wood, making it more suitable for firing porcelain. Therefore, Kang Yueran delivered the first batch of coal dug from Jiguan Mountain to the kiln.
"Use less firewood and more coal from now on. I'll have people deliver more. Go get busy!"
After Yu Honghuo left, Kang Yueran picked out a few bowls and plates and gave them to Liu Xiaocao, asking her to use them for dinner.
The next day, Kang Yueran took the porcelain to find He Yifan.
He Yifan was also reluctant to let go, "Yueran, your porcelain is so beautiful. Once this porcelain comes out, the days of those plain porcelains will be difficult."
"If a porcelain shop wants to sell my colored porcelain, they can go to the kiln to buy it. I promise to give you a reasonable price. However, I came here today to ask my uncle about sea transportation."
"You want to use porcelain as a share and partner with others to do shipping?"
"That's right! Selling porcelain to a shop doesn't make much money, but selling porcelain overseas is much more profitable. I have porcelain, and I can also add silver."
He Yifan reminded him, "It's true that shipping business is lucrative, but it's also true that it's risky. Have you thought it through?"
Kang Yueran had already spent too much money. If she didn't show an eagerness to make money, others would be suspicious of her. Of course, she did want to make more money.
“Ever since I took over Qingping Mountain, I’ve been spending money, and all the money I’ve spent is my master’s funeral money.
At the beginning, I promised to repay all the gold I borrowed from him within three years, so I have to find a way to earn the money back quickly."
He Yifan jokingly said: "After investing so much money, it's time to think about making the money back.
If Heshun Wharf wants to see money, it will be by the end of the year at the earliest, or next year at the latest. The coal mine business will be sorted out next month, and it shouldn't be difficult to make tens of thousands of taels of silver before the end of the year."
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