Chapter 86 Kiln Opening
There are also some that are similar to the requirements of the tea garden, which require exquisite waterproofness, sturdiness and durability. They are used to transport cloth, raw silk and the like, and the price offered is also very considerable.
These orders, some urgent, some slow, vary in quantity and delivery time.
Jiang Mixia simply divided the orders according to their urgency and difficulty, the order of priority, and the abilities of everyone in the workshop.
With specific tasks assigned to individuals and the performance reward plan formulated by Jiang Mixia, the people working in the workshop are full of energy and do their work wholeheartedly.
At the porcelain kiln, Zhu Yongwu was busy producing the first batch of clay blanks. After processes such as drying and dipping in glaze, they were placed in saggers and put into the kiln, and the firing of the first batch of porcelain began.
When building a porcelain kiln, in order to facilitate construction and ensure lower construction costs, under the design and command of Zhu Yongwu, a mantou kiln that he was also familiar with was built. This type of kiln had a short chimney and a deep and large ash pit, which placed relatively high technical requirements on kiln firing.
The flame temperature is difficult to control and the temperature inside the kiln is prone to fluctuate. If it is not well controlled, it will easily affect the product quality.
Zhu Yongwu was also a little nervous about this.
Especially since this was the first batch of porcelain he had fired after starting the kiln. It was his hope and also the first lucky draw in his business cooperation with the Jiang family, so he had to ensure the quality at all costs.
Zhu Yongwu attached great importance to this. During the day and night of firing the kiln, he hardly closed his eyes and kept an eye on the kiln all the time.
Seeing that Zhu Yongwu was a little too nervous, Jiang Youcheng's family took Zhu Guangtai to their home to stay for two days. They also asked Song Jingyun and Jiang Mixia to deliver meals to Zhu Yongwu three times a day and do some chores for Zhu Yongwu so that he could take a break.
"Brother Yongwu, don't worry. The porcelain from this kiln will definitely be fired very well." Song Jingyun comforted Zhu Yongwu while helping him add firewood into the kiln.
"Then I'll take your good words." Zhu Yongwu had been staying in such a high-temperature kiln for more than a day, and his eyes were a little red.
"Can't we just borrow the good words from Sixth Brother-in-law to say that there will definitely be no problem." Jiang Chunyu said from the side.
Jiang Chunyu had always been interested in making bowls and plates. After the porcelain kiln was built, he wanted to be with Zhu Yongwu every day, thinking of making one or two bowls and plates himself and asking Zhu Yongwu to burn them for him.
How great would it be to eat from the bowls you made yourself? If the porcelain kiln could be successful, Zhu Yongwu would be too busy to handle it alone and would need to recruit apprentices. Now that there were ready-made apprentices offered to them, Zhu Yongwu naturally had no reason to refuse and taught Jiang Chunyu some basic things.
Jiang Chunyu learns quickly and is willing to help at the porcelain kiln. Basically, he stays here all the time except for eating and sleeping.
This was Zhu Yongwu's first time to fire the kiln, and he volunteered to accompany Zhu Yongwu and watch the kiln throughout the process.
Seeing Jiang Chunyu speak so confidently, Zhu Yongwu laughed, "You are very confident."
"Of course." Jiang Chunyu raised his chin, straightened his chest, and spoke forcefully, "My sixth brother-in-law's mouth has been blessed, and it is the most effective."
Is there such a thing?
Zhu Yongwu was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Then I'll thank your sixth brother-in-law."
But Jiang Chunyu just thought it was a joke from a child and didn't take it too seriously.
The fire in the kiln burned for a full day and night.
According to Zhu Yongwu's experience, the quality of these firewoods is average, and since it is a new kiln, the temperature cannot be controlled well during firing. If about half of the products fired this time are qualified, it can be considered a success.
Moreover, the quality of the qualified products is estimated to be not very high. At most, they can be sold at a medium price in the shops in the town.
However, Zhu Yongwu has calculated that even if this is the case, he should not lose money overall.
It’s the first time to fire the kiln, so it’s good enough if I don’t lose money.
With this mentality and feeling uneasy, I waited for the kiln to air-dry for two full days before moving the kilns out one by one.
Jiang Mixia, Song Jingyun, and Jiang Chunyu were also helping.
After all the saggers were taken out and placed on the ground, Zhu Yongwu took a deep breath and opened the sagger closest to him.
It is a very ordinary pure glaze milky white porcelain bowl.
It is smooth and bright, with uniform glaze and good color. The sound is crisp and bright, and there is no deformation in the shape. There are only one or two pinholes in inconspicuous places due to glaze shrinkage.
Overall, the quality is good.
"Top quality." Zhu Yongwu was a little excited and asked Jiang Mixia and the others to open the remaining boxes together.
It was the first time the kiln was fired, so the quantity and variety were not large.
There are a total of seventy bowls of large, medium and small sizes, and more than twenty porcelain basins.
After checking, it was found that 60% were top-quality products, 20% were mid-range products, 10% were inferior products, and 10% were failed products with cracks.
The finished products accounted for 90%, and the top quality products accounted for 60%, which was beyond Zhu Yongwu's expectation!
"Look at me, it will definitely work." Jiang Chunyu said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, you are right." Zhu Yongwu was very happy at this moment. He put the porcelain in order and then discussed with Jiang Mixia about selling the porcelain.
When they cooperated previously, each side had their own division of labor. Zhu Yongwu was responsible for all matters big and small about the kiln, while the task of sales fell on Jiang Mixia.
What Jiang Mixia meant was that they didn't need to set up stalls to sell the products, but instead directly sought out reliable cooperative sellers. It seemed that they wanted large quantities and low prices, but in this way, they could concentrate on making and firing porcelain, and didn't have to worry too much about sales or large inventory issues. Instead, it would be more profitable.
Zhu Yongwu didn't know much about sales, and he felt that Jiang Mixia could manage the bamboo weaving workshop business properly and was quite experienced in this area, so he gave full authority to Jiang Mixia.
That afternoon, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun brought some porcelain to the town and went to find Zhao Ji, the largest porcelain shop in the town.
Shopkeeper Zhao is a long-time businessman, nearly forty years old, a mature man, and is quite conscientious in his business. He is also well-known in the town.
Upon learning that a porcelain kiln had been built in Jiangjia Village and that Jiang Mixia was here to sell porcelain, Shopkeeper Zhao hurriedly led her to the backyard and served her tea.
"Let alone our town, there is no proper porcelain kiln in the surrounding towns. Going further, there are only one or two in the north of the county town, but the quality of the finished products is really average. Most of them are coarse porcelain that costs more than ten or twenty coins each. They are only suitable for home use at most, not even for entertaining guests. The various porcelains sold in our shop are all from nearby counties and even the provincial capital."
Today, I am a little late because of editing the chapter content. Sorry~ (End of this chapter)
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