Zhou Zheng and the others quickly refocused, saying, "Then we shall proceed as Miss Song suggests, first attempting to find a local mold master. If we really cannot find one, we’ll have to consider inviting someone from Dehua, Fujian."
Song Jiyun nodded.
They also discussed some matters regarding the Kiln Factory before dispersing.
However, it was not easy to hire mold masters.
Zhou Zheng and the others looked for several days but only managed to find two or three who were willing to work at the Song Family Kiln Factory.
Song Jiyun was not optimistic about the "Jade Porcelain" business, especially since she had already leaked part of the formula. She advocated that it was best to search locally. If they invited masters over from Dehua, what would they do if the "Jade Porcelain" business failed?
People at that time would work in one place for their entire life as long as no major accidents happened.
She had to provide some explanation to them.
Song Jiyun asked Zhou Zheng, "What do you think about outsourcing the making of Buddha statue prototypes to others?"
Zhou Zheng didn’t understand, "Outsource? How? What if those people take our clay and substitute it with inferior quality? Or if they just half-heartedly assemble it and it splits in half upon firing?"
Some porcelain, especially large pieces, was not shaped in one piece through either wheel throwing or mold-casting, but was made by dividing the piece into several parts, making each part separately, and finally joining them together. If not assembled well, they could break into pieces during firing.
Song Jiyun pondered, "What if we provide a venue, and they come to our workshop to make the pieces on a per-piece basis?"
In this way, they would still belong to whatever Kiln Factory they originally belonged to.
"We could give a part of the managerial fee to the Kiln Factory," she considered, "Or perhaps, sharing this line of business with other Kiln Factories in Jingde Town, especially the smaller ones, might be better."
The Song Family Kiln Factory was not planning to rely on "Jade Porcelain" to make a living anyway. They could also bring the Kiln Workers from other small Kiln Factories to their own and take the opportunity to gauge the craftsmen’s skills from various factories. If there was a large order in the future that the Song Family Kiln Factory couldn’t handle alone, they could completely share it with them.
After sharing the benefits, they would naturally come together.
It could also be a defense against people like Li Zixiu.
The more Song Jiyun thought about it, the better she felt about this idea.
Zhou Zheng’s eyes lit up too, feeling that Song Jiyun provided a new path for the Kiln Factory.
It was well known that in Jingde Town, although there were Kiln Factories like the Song Family Kiln Factory, Li Family Kiln Factory, and Yan Family Kiln Factory with considerable scale, there were also many small Kiln Factories struggling to survive. Moreover, these small Kiln Factories had survived between the cracks of the large ones, each with their irreplaceable skills.
"I will contact the other Kiln Factories right away," Zhou Zheng could not sit still anymore, "and spread the news as quickly as possible."
At that time, finding Kiln Workers still relied on introductions by insiders or notifications by acquaintances.
Song Jiyun let him go to the Accountant to get some Silver, "Even if we have to go through pawnbroker intermediaries, let’s finalize this matter as quickly as possible."
She estimated that if her Buddha statues could be launched before October, Song Tao’s days would not be easy.
*
At this time, Song Tao was not focusing on the Kiln Factory.
After all, sacrificial porcelain was a rather special category, and even if Song Jiyun wanted to enter this field, with the Song Family’s reputation preceding her, and the Steward from the Hong Family watching over, their Kiln Factory could not do too poorly.
Moreover, with Song Jiyun’s pride, she surely wouldn’t stoop to imitate others and make the same things as they did.
These days, Song Tao had been staying by the kiln’s side, personally firing a set of "Jade Porcelain" teaware.
When the teaware came out of the kiln, it was as white as jade, stunning all the Kiln Workers with its jade carving-like quality.
Someone said, "Miss Song, are these meant as a gift for Old Grand Master Hong?"
Everyone knew that Second Young Master of the Hong Family, Hong Zhao, was studying at the Crane Mountain Academy in Suzhou, and Old Grand Master Hong was busy collecting fine things to give to Hong Zhao’s teachers.
Song Tao laughed and said, "No, it’s a sample I’ve fired."
The kiln worker walked away with admiration.
Yet Song Tao felt that there were too many people and too much chatter at the kiln factory.
No wonder her second uncle had set up a small workshop at home.
She carefully wrapped the tea set and instructed the newly recruited servant boy, "Deliver this to the Imperial Kiln Factory, to Eunuch Wan. Tell him it’s a new sample from the kiln factory and ask him to take a look at it."
In her previous life, Eunuch Wan had gone to great lengths for the formula of "Jade Porcelain." In this life, she didn’t know how Song Jiyun had managed to win over Eunuch Wan in advance, but there was no doubt that he was interested in "Jade Porcelain."
She simply didn’t believe that with this tea set, she wouldn’t be able to catch Eunuch Wan’s attention.
Song Tao went to wash her hands and then checked the kiln factory’s revenues in the accountant’s office.
The sale of porcelain for sacrificial purposes was still strong, but the orders for "Jade Porcelain" everyday ceramics had been nonexistent for more than ten consecutive days, which was worse than before.
She hesitated, wondering whether she should discount all the stocked "Jade Porcelain" everyday ceramics to sell them off and thereafter focus solely on producing sacrificial porcelain.
The steward of the Hong Family entered with a solemn face.
"Third Miss Song," he said as he handed a ceramic figurine of Guanyin about a foot high to Song Tao, "See for yourself, this is a new product launched by the Song Family Kiln Factory. The crowds at their kiln factory are about to cause a stampede. We need to come up with a plan."
Song Tao took a close look and saw that, although the Buddha statue was made of porcelain, the craftsmanship was incredibly detailed—with clearly visible hair, clothing folds, and jewelry, and facial features as if carved, sharply contoured and realistic in expression. It had more luster than stone or wood carvings, which was astonishing.
"How could this be?" she stared at the Buddha statue.
Such a thing didn’t happen in her previous life.
Song Jiyun had never made Buddha statues before.
She felt a bit panicked.
Just how much had Song Youliang secretly taught to Song Jiyun?
Song Tao’s expression turned grim as she said, "To fire such porcelain, they must first make molds. Where did they find a mold maker? Have you not noticed the Song Family Kiln Factory hiring a mold maker?"
The Song Family had always prided themselves on hand-thrown ceramics and had never employed mold makers.
To make Buddha statues, they would have had to find external craftsmen.
The face of the Hong Family steward grew even grimmer.
Was she shifting the blame onto him?
He was only here to help, not to manage things, wasn’t he?
But the Hong Family was now relying on her to make money, and quarreling with her at this point would definitely put him at a disadvantage.
"It was my neglect," he immediately admitted his error. But then he quickly changed the subject and asked her, "So what should we do?"
Song Tao’s palms were sweating, but her face showed no sign of panic. Instead, she smiled and said, "We are not competing in the same category, so what’s there to panic about?" She still decisively made a decision, "But we can’t just watch idly as all the customers flock to their place. Let’s do this: since those everyday ceramics are not selling well anyway, let’s hold a sale to draw a crowd—discount the everyday ceramics and sell them off as quickly as possible, and we’ll figure out how to introduce a new product."
"Third Miss Song really has a way," the steward said with a flatter tone, as he went off to arrange the discount sale.
Song Tao placed the Buddha statue on the altar shelf in the accountant’s office.
Everything would be fine once she made connections with Eunuch Wan.
No matter how big the business was, it was nothing but a blade of grass in the presence of the Official Family.
But within just a few days, before she had heard back from the Imperial Kiln Factory, she learned that Song Jiyun had donated a ceramic Guanyin Seated on a Lotus Statue to The Eight Immortals Nunnery.
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