In the spacious hall beside the Song Family’s accounting room, the master craftsman and the store manager of the kiln factory were sitting uneasily on Taishi chairs.
Luo Zixing, without even glancing at the bright Sichuan Tangerines that the little maid had brought in, clenched the armrest of the Taishi chair and said, "It can’t really be the owner who gave the jade porcelain formula to Song Tao, right? Back in the day, when the owner wanted to teach her pottery-making, I opposed it as well."
"Teaching her the craft wasn’t an issue, she has the Great Master backing her up after all!
"Now look, she’s competing with us using our formula.
"Doesn’t she know how hard we worked to get it back from the Imperial Kiln Factory? What she’s doing is utterly heartless!"
"To some people, conscience has never been of any value!" Xiang Yang, sitting beside him, suddenly said coldly, interrupting Luo Zixing’s ramble.
Zhou Zheng was the calmest one here, and he whispered to Song Jiyun, "The newcomer bodes ill! She intends to step on our family to gain reputation. Can we really allow her to seize this opportunity?"
"But what can we use now instead of jade porcelain?" Wong Dahai asked worriedly, "I witnessed it myself—when the owner’s jade porcelain was first introduced, all of Jingde Town was shocked. After so many years, except for the sweet white porcelain produced by the young miss, no one else could replace it. Are we supposed to bring back sweet white porcelain? What about the Imperial Kiln Factory then?"
The hall suddenly fell silent.
Song Jiyun pressed her lips together, deep in thought, without saying a word.
Zheng Quan, sweating profusely, hurried in.
"Miss!" He took the tea cup handed over by Zhou Zheng, didn’t drink a single sip, and said, "Everyone thinks the jade porcelain formula at Miss Tao’s place was given to her by the Second Old Master before he passed away. Within just half a day, they’ve already received orders for over ten thousand sacrificial porcelain pieces, and many more are rushing to the Liangyu Kiln Factory on hearing the news. At this rate, as long as their family can produce it, they won’t worry about sales."
This had also been anticipated by Song Jiyun.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have tried to regain the sales rights for the jade porcelain.
She said, "Has our daily blue and white porcelain been affected?"
In the showroom, there were also items made of jade porcelain for daily use.
Zheng Quan said, "The orders are nearly one third less than this time last year."
"A new pit smells fresh for three days!" Xiang Yang said unceremoniously, "Whenever new porcelain is launched, it sparks interest for a few days. Ceremonial porcelain must always be white—who serves dinner in a white bowl, unless they want their ancestors leaping out of their coffins?"
He wasn’t very optimistic about the sales of jade porcelain for daily use.
Song Jiyun agreed with Xiang Yang’s view and instructed Zhou Zheng, "Let’s see if our kiln’s daily-use porcelain will return to normal over the next few days."
But she didn’t want to remain passive and just take the hits, she discussed with Xiang Yang, Luo Zixing, and others, "I want to try overglaze enamel."
Overglaze enamel involves adorning the basic blue and white with other colors. Currently, the most commonly used color is iron-red which fires to an orange-red hue.
There are two main segments in the porcelain sales market now, one for festival banquets and the other for wedding dowries. Red colored porcelain definitely has good prospects.
Luo Zixing clapped his hands in approval but worried about the technique: "Everyone knows that blue and white with iron-red overglaze enamel is good, but the success rate is too low and the price too high, which might be unaffordable for the average family."
"Don’t worry about the technique, I will take care of it," Song Jiyun said calmly, "Those who can’t afford a complete set can buy a pair of round dishes or a pair of plum vases for decoration. The average family can still afford that."
Wong Dahai, particularly eager to please Song Jiyun due to a previous incident, immediately flattered her upon hearing this, "It’s still the young mistress who is brilliant, coming up with such a unique idea. I think we should listen to the young mistress, take a risk, and start producing blue and white with iron-red overglaze enamel. Could it possibly not outsell that dreary sacrificial porcelain?"
Song Jiyun gave him a glance.
He immediately smirked ingratiatingly.
Song Jiyun was somewhat embarrassed. She bypassed Wong Dahai and asked Luo Zixing, "The people we were previously preparing to transfer to the Jade Porcelain Workshop, can they switch to producing Overglaze Enamel on short notice?"
The types of porcelain varied, and so did the selection of personnel.
Overglaze Enamel required firing twice, once at high temperature for the blue and white, and once at low temperature for the iron-red. And since it was to be festive colors, festive patterns were necessary. This was different from Sacrificial White Porcelain, which only needed its form to be crafted.
While calculating in his mind, Luo Zixing replied to Song Jiyun, "We can pull manpower from other workshops, I’ll arrange that, and ensure there are no issues. The only thing is the kiln construction, needing to fire twice. We need two kilns for one batch and this needs to be discussed with the Changjiang Gang."
In Jingde Town, there were specialists in kiln building, primarily people from Changjiang, so villagers helped other villagers and clansmen brought in other clansmen into the craft, thus all kiln workers were collectively called "Changjiang Gang."
"Our Kiln Factory is large; we have business all year round," Song Jiyun said, not worried, and smilingly added, "There are always people willing to do business with us first."
The crowd nodded in agreement.
Everyone then discussed some minor details before quickly dispersing.
It was at this moment that Hong Xi visited.
Song Jiyun originally hadn’t planned to meet him, but after going to pay her respects to Madam Qian and giving some instructions, she was accompanied by Nanny Zheng, hurriedly packing clothes and luggage, ready to leave for the Kiln Factory with Zheng Quan when she saw Hong Xi waiting at the entrance, catching curious glances from passersby.
Not wanting any trouble, she invited Hong Xi to speak in the sedan chair hall.
Upon seeing her, Hong Xi bowed deeply and said, "I did not expect Miss Tao to send you an invitation..."
Would not sending an invitation erase the fact that Miss Tao stole their family’s formula?
Song Jiyun casually said, "Let’s keep this professional. There’s no need for such gestures, Young Master Hong. We still have many days of dealings ahead of us!"
Hong Xi looked like he wanted to say more, but seeing Zheng Quan watching him closely, as if to say "We are about to go out, do not delay our business here," he sighed deeply, bowed again towards Song Jiyun and left Song Family’s residence.
Song Jiyun stayed at the Kiln Factory for ten days, firing seven kilns in succession, each with a success rate of seventy to eighty percent, producing a large amount of Blue and White with Iron-red Overglaze Enamel porcelain.
The initially worried kiln workers and people like Luo Zixing could not help but cheer when she successfully fired the eighth kiln.
Meanwhile, the bustling Liangyu Kiln Factory settled back to normal after the initial novelty and noise had passed.
Sacrificial White Porcelain continued to sell well, but regular porcelain started to decline sharply, sometimes getting only one or two orders a day, no more than thirty or forty pieces.
Once Song Family Kiln Factory’s Blue and White with Iron-red Overglaze Enamel porcelain was launched, it immediately set off a new peak.
"All Things Auspicious, Many Sons Many Blessings, Climbing Step by Step... There are so many designs," people who came to Jingde Town to place orders could hardly believe their eyes, "Offering Plates, Offering Vases, bowls, and dishes can also be sold separately."
In just two days, Song Family Kiln Factory’s Blue and White with Iron-red Overglaze Enamel porcelain sold out completely. Many owners even came with silver notes to pay a deposit, fearing that Song Family Kiln Factory would raise prices.
Together with their blue and white porcelain, their business not only recovered to its former state of making a fortune every day but even surpassed its previous success.
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