Seeing that Xie Yushu was determined to do so, Nanxing obeyed and took the grandfather and grandson to complete the formalities.
When they signed the indenture, they learned that the father and son were surnamed Sun. The old man was fifty-two years old and his grandson, Sun Lang, was fourteen. The craft of making sugar figurines was a family tradition. They used to own a few acres of land, but during the drought years, they sold most of it to exchange for grain in order to survive. Now, the family only has three houses and two acres of poor land.
After Nanxing finished signing the indenture, he went home with the father and son to pick up the old lady, locked the door, and went straight to the villa.
Xie Yushu promised that if they completed ten years of service and trained someone to take over, they could redeem themselves and do as they pleased. So they brought the house deeds and land deeds with them, and entrusted the house and land to their neighbors for safekeeping.
Xie Yushu went directly to a jewelry shop, bought some silver plating materials, and then returned to the manor.
When they arrived at the villa, the three members of the Sun family had already arrived. Xie Yushu told them to rest for a day and get familiar with the environment before starting work the next morning. She also asked Nanxing to take them to collect their clothes and find Aunt Su to arrange accommodations for them.
Xie Yushu then plunged into the temporary factory to make mirrors.
She herself was certainly not capable, having never done it before and lacking skill, but she was good at verbal communication, so she explained the raw materials and production methods to Zheng Dacheng and Zhou Shuo.
Zhou Shuo had already taken a nap and was now full of energy and eager to try. So, while listening to Xie Yushu's instructions, he tried to make a mirror.
First, place the glass on a wooden frame and flatten it. Wipe it clean and apply silver solution evenly. After applying it evenly, sprinkle on reducing solution and then sprinkle on a layer of resin glue. After it fuses, bake it dry.
Thanks to Zhou Shuo's meticulous technique, an hour later, the first mirror, clear and bright enough to reflect light, was officially born!
When Zhou Shuo turned the finished mirror over, the onlookers were startled.
"There really is someone inside this glass!"
"Hey? Isn't this Master Zheng?!"
Is this me?
"Yes! That's right, you're all dark-skinned."
That's me! Wow! I'm so dark-skinned too!
"Master, this mirror is amazing! It reflects even the fine hairs on my face clearly!"
Zhou Shuo loved it so much that he couldn't put it down.
"I never imagined that I, Zhou Shuo, could create such a miraculous object in my lifetime. This trip to join the manor lord has truly made my life worthwhile!"
As they were talking, the Sun family, who had finished lunch and wanted to familiarize themselves with the environment, also arrived, along with Nanxing, who was leading the way, and Xiao Haitang and Chu Jinyu, who had come to join in the fun.
The two little ones rushed to the mirror as soon as they came in.
"Ah, this is a mirror! It reflects me so clearly!"
Xiao Haitang first admired herself in the mirror, and Chu Jinyu also made a face at herself in the mirror, playfully saying...
"Mommy, your big son is so cute!"
"Yes, yes, yes, our Jinyu is the most handsome and the cutest!"
Nanxing also squeezed over to take a picture.
"Master, I think I look better than before!"
This mirror is wonderful!
When Nanxing first arrived, he was also very dark and thin, like a refugee from Africa. After staying here for a few months, his face became rounder, his skin became fairer, and he practiced martial arts every day. He was full of energy and his eyes were very bright. He looked much better!
Seeing her beaming with joy, Xie Yushu said...
"Then we'll put this first mirror in your dorm lobby so you girls can look at yourselves every day!"
Xie Yushu's words made Xiao Haitang and Chu Jinyu pout and object.
"I want one too!"
"They'll all be here tomorrow! This is the first one, so we'll put it in the girls' dormitory lobby. Once we make more tomorrow, everyone can take one to their own room!"
"Oh! Great! Master Xiaodie and Aunt Su haven't seen it yet, let's take it to them and show it to them!"
While looking happily in the mirror, Xiao Haitang asked Xie Yushu.
Xie Yushu, of course, had no problem with it and simply gave a brief instruction.
"Be careful. Don't break it and hurt your hands!"
So they went with them!
The Sun family, who had just come over to familiarize themselves with the environment, were also shocked: "Such a beautiful mirror, how expensive must it be!"
There is such a clear mirror in the world, even smoother than a bronze mirror!
"Master, you bought us, and you're here to make these kinds of expensive things?"
Seeing that they had all arrived, Xie Yushu simply explained the situation to them.
"We invited you here to make glass bottles and the like, but all of them are made from the same materials you just saw."
However, if you want to make the glass into a bucket shape or other shapes, some of them need to be blown out, just like when you blow sugar figurines. When you blow, you have a blowpipe, and you need to use pliers to adjust the shape while blowing!
Let me introduce you. This is Master Zheng, and this is Master Zhou.
He then spoke to Master Zheng and the others.
"These two are Master Sun, whom I recently recruited. He will be in charge of blowing various artistic cups and bottles from now on."
In a little while, you two will familiarize yourselves with the environment and operating procedures here.
You'll be working together from now on. I hope you'll cooperate and help each other!
"Don't worry, Master, we will!"
The group all swore an oath.
With the blueprints and manpower in place, the temporary workshop officially entered into a tense and orderly processing phase. Due to the small space and tight schedule, all staff members had to work overtime. Apart from eight hours of sleep and a short break for lunch, breakfast and dinner were only eaten in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The rest of the time was spent rushing to complete the project.
In the meantime, Xie Yushu sent someone to the city to bring back the ordered mirror frames and expedited the installation of ten mirrors with nanmu wood frames.
Four days later
Master Zheng also successfully processed 200 pieces of thicker and larger glass, and 100 pieces of slightly smaller thicker glass.
A small piece of glass used by ordinary people costs sixty yuan.
Zhou Shuo also created thirty sets of retro-style glass teaware featuring plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, and themes of longevity and good fortune; ten sets of stemmed glasses; and twenty sets of light luxury style water cups.
Master Sun and his son also made twenty sets of six different types of glasses, including bird-shaped, petal-shaped, heart-shaped, strawberry-shaped, and swan-shaped glasses, suitable for drinking juice and wine.
After the inventory was completed, Xie Yushu asked someone to notify Han Zhongyu to send someone to pick up the goods. Then she gave the master craftsmen and workers who had been working day and night for three or four days a two-day holiday so they could have a good rest.
They thought Han Zhongyu would send someone to retrieve it, but to their surprise, he came along with them, led by Li Guang and his twenty-odd guards, in six large horse-drawn carriages.
Han Zhongyu first circled around the glass artifacts, examining each one closely, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Such exquisite cups, and this mirror, you actually made them out of that unremarkable stone!"
Let alone me, I believe no one could resist such sparkling and dazzling glass.
Especially these mirrors; the princesses and empresses in the palace will probably fight over them!
Xie Yushu smiled
"We've delivered the items, how they're distributed is none of our business!"
When you write your memorial, don't say things like, "This thing was so easy to make, that's all. Look at my group of craftsmen, their eyes are practically rabbit-like from exhaustion. I trust His Majesty is wise; he won't blame us for sending too little!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
