This method has a substantial flaw.
If even a single kiln factory or workshop violates it, the plan will collapse.
But in a large forest, there are all kinds of birds.
Song Jiyun was not very optimistic about this method.
But she still agreed.
Chairman Ma and Old Master Yan were delighted.
The Song Family Kiln Factory was now the largest in Jingde Town, not just one of many. It employed the most kiln workers and produced the most varied types of porcelain. A single business could support an entire Xing Family glaze shop. Without Song Jiyun’s involvement, their plan would be like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—not possible to execute.
"Then let’s settle it at this," said Chairman Ma. "I plan to call a meeting with our colleagues. In seven days at the Temple of the Wind God, we shall gather to discuss the matter of lowering the price of blue and white porcelain."
Song Jiyun had no intention of attending the gathering.
Pointing to the small workshop still emitting smoke, she said, "You see, I have a furnace I need to tend to and truly cannot get away. Would it be alright for Shopkeeper Zhou to attend in my place?"
She understood what Chairman Ma was worried about and promised, "I am part of Jingde Town and a member of the guild. I will surely move forward or step back together with everyone. Whatever decision is made at the Temple of the Wind God, the Song Family Kiln Factory will certainly abide by it. You can rest assured!"
Chairman Ma was somewhat disappointed.
Song Jiyun, who could fire various kinds of porcelain with a success rate far higher than most, had now become a prominent figure in Jingde Town. Whenever potters mentioned Song Jiyun, they all gave her a thumbs-up in praise; her reputation was very high. Without Song Jiyun’s presence, the meeting would lose a lot of its luster.
He wanted to persuade her further, but seeing Song Jiyun’s resolute attitude, he did not feel it right to insist and had to leave, dejected.
After Zhou Zheng saw off Chairman Ma and the others with Song Jiyun, he hesitated and said, "Owner, do we really need to join them? It’s unlikely that everyone will work together wholeheartedly."
He too was not very optimistic about this method.
Song Jiyun smiled and said, "Regardless, since they’re willing to give it a try, we should support them."
Then she asked about the affairs of several old clients. "We won’t be able to lower the prices, but we can compensate in other ways. For example, prioritizing their orders."
She did not specify what orders, but Zhou Zheng already understood.
Of course, the most difficult orders to schedule for their kiln factory were for Buddha statues!
Song Jiyun also said, "Tell them that in business, mutual benefit is key for longevity. If they find our family’s blue and white too expensive, they are welcome to purchase from the Liangyu Kiln Factory. We certainly won’t hold any grudges because of it."
Zhou Zheng, having worked for Song Jiyun for so long, was beginning to grasp her strategy, and he said excitedly, "Owner, do you have a countermeasure in mind?"
"Not at all!" Song Jiyun said with a laugh. "I just don’t want to remove the guild’s stepping stone, that’s all."
Zhou Zheng watched her laugh as radiantly as the spring sunshine in May, so bright that there was not a hint of shadow, and he did not believe her one bit.
He laughed along and said, "Owner, I know what to do."
Song Jiyun couldn’t help but tease him, "What do you know?"
"Aren’t you afraid of guessing wrong?"
Zhou Zheng rarely spoke slyly, "I don’t know anything. I only know that whatever the owner tells me to do, I just do it."
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand toward Song Jiyun and said, "Owner, I’m heading back to the kiln factory. Since the blue and white porcelain isn’t selling for now, I need to discuss with Master Luo and the others about whether the craftsmen who make blue and white can be transferred to help out at other workshops first."
The master craftsmen and kiln workers of the Song Family Kiln Factory were among the highest-paid in Jingde Town, and thus the best in Jingde Town were found in their factory. After Jiyun took charge of the kiln factory, she revolutionized the former piece-rate only system, allowing those master craftsmen and kiln workers to participate in profit-sharing. Business for the blue and white porcelain was bad, and therefore, so was their income. But idleness leads to trouble. It’s better to find something for them to do.
Song Jiyun did not ask him to stay as she was eager to fire her alum-red glaze.
What made her feel a bit strange was that for several days, she felt like the alum-red she had placed on the shelf and fired seemed to have been tampered with. She even placed a hair on the alum-red, and the hair was still in its original place, but that peculiar feeling just wouldn’t go away.
Perhaps it was the hexagonal boxes that were causing her anxiety and irritation.
In her heart, she sighed—sixty hexagonal boxes were fired resulting in only five, but the success rate for the cups she placed inside was about eighty percent.
Song Jiyun could no longer bear to look.
As she packed the hexagonal boxes that came out of the kiln into the brocade box, she talked to herself, "Nine is the highest number, I can’t keep firing any more; this is it!"
But Zhou Zheng came to tell her some good news, "Those old customers not only didn’t leave, but our family’s blue and white porcelain business has even begun to pick up gradually."
"Eh?!" Song Jiyun was quite surprised.
Zhou Zheng said with emotion, "When it comes down to it, we have Qian San to thank."
The one who bought their Shocked Glaze.
"Tell me about it!" Song Jiyun stopped packing the brocade box and went with Zhou Zheng to the accountant’s office.
Zhou Zheng said, "I conveyed your words to the old customers, and so once they heard that we could prioritize their orders, they immediately decided not to leave. This was expected and nothing remarkable to discuss.
"Unexpectedly, Qian San came back to place an order with us. When he heard people from our side say that the blue and white porcelain from Liangyu Kiln Factory was two-thirds cheaper than ours, he thought it over and still decided to order from us. Naturally, his peers were curious, asking why he would overlook the cheaper option and insist on ’hanging from one tree.’"
"Qian San replied that he trusts our kiln factory, trusts you as the owner.
"He said that our kiln factory is going through the hardest times, and he believes that as long as we get over this hurdle, we will definitely compensate him."
"To think that there are still such people nowadays!" Song Jiyun couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
"That’s also because of your good reputation as the owner!" Zhou Zheng seized the opportunity to flatter Song Jiyun, "Those customers, after hearing this, slowly started placing orders with us. Only now, they want us to clearly record the times when they place their orders. It looks like they have taken Qian San’s words to heart and, thinking about when they order other porcelain from us, want to discuss with us about prioritizing their orders."
"That’ll work!" Song Jiyun certainly could not let those who believe in and trust her down, "You go ahead and record this for them properly."
"There actually is a way to compensate them!" Zhou Zheng exclaimed in disbelief.
"There will definitely be a way to compensate them," Song Jiyun chuckled, playing coy as if holding back a secret on this matter, then asked how his visit to the Mountain God Temple went.
"Everyone agreed!" Zhou Zheng was still a bit excited about this matter, representing the Song Family Kiln Factory not only did he take a seat of honor, but he also sat below Chairman Ma and above Li Zixiu, becoming the second-highest-ranking person at the scene. That kind of spotlight, drawing everyone’s attention, was truly intoxicating.
But after the excitement, he also felt worried, "But I see that some small kiln factory owners, although they agreed, they did so reluctantly. I don’t know if this plan will ultimately work?"
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