When Shao Qing carried the Pear, Fritillaria, and Honey Drink into the courtyard, all he saw was the garden full of blooming chrysanthemums of various colors and Yuan Yunzhong looking as though he had been frosted over.
He couldn’t help but look around and said, "Where is Miss Song?"
Yuan Yunzhong ignored him, instead sitting up straight as a pine, regaining his usual coldness and hauteur, and began to fondle a hexagonal box from the brocade box on his own.
Shao Qing quietly twitched his mouth.
He must have offended Miss Song again.
Their young master was all right in every aspect, except he didn’t speak pleasantly!
Alas, there was no helping it.
Even when facing the lord, the lady, or the old master, the young master didn’t have a good tone, let alone with others.
To Miss Song, he was still considered good.
He gave himself the bowl of Pear, Fritillaria, and Honey Drink that was meant for Song Jiyun and started to drink it slowly with a spoon.
Meanwhile, Yuan Yunzhong stared at the bottom of one hexagonal box for a long time, then began to flip through them one by one.
Shao Qing glanced at it.
The signature stamp on the hexagonal box read "Song Family Kiln Factory."
It was in ancient clerical script, neat and tidy, quite nice to look at.
All products from the Song Family Kiln Factory bore this stamp.
Yuan Yunzhong then opened the lid of the hexagon, and under the sunlight, he inspected the inner wall, then the lid, and then the surface of the box as if searching for something.
Seeing him flip the lid and the box carelessly, Shao Qing was afraid that one would fall to the ground and ruin the hexagonal box, he hastily said, "What are you looking for? Do you need my help?"
Yuan Yunzhong stopped intensely and asked Shao Qing, "Have you noticed that the items she fired all bear the ’Yinyu Hall’ stamp?"
Yinyu Hall, the "stamp" of Song Youliang. Logically, since Song Jiyun had taken over the Song Family Kiln Factory, a new stamp should have been introduced.
Shao Qing thought nothing of it and said, "Perhaps Miss Song cherishes the memory of her father and has decided to inherit Second Old Master Song’s mantle, using Second Old Master Song’s stamp in the future?"
Yuan Yunzhong did not make a sound. He carefully stored the hexagonal box and placed it personally on the shelf in the inner chamber, and reminded Shao Qing, "Remember to take it with you when you leave."
Before Shao Qing could agree, he changed his mind, "Forget it, it’s better for me to carry it myself."
Shao Qing thought that was also fine, "Miss Song’s porcelain firing skills are truly miraculous. I’ve never seen such exquisite porcelain, such unique painting work. Calling it a legacy for the ages is no exaggeration."
Yuan Yunzhong ’’hmm’ed’ and went to the desk, where he laid out a sheet of Xuan paper, pondering while writing various characters like "Thistle", "Sunlight", "Evening River"... and so on.
Shao Qing was puzzled, "What are you doing?"
Yuan Yunzhong ignored him.
He had no choice but to say, "Aren’t we going out this afternoon?"
"We’re not going out!" Yuan Yunzhong said indifferently, "Go get me some top-quality Shoushan Stones." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
The pattern had to be unique, warm, and delicate. If there was no top-quality Shoushan Stone, Qingtian Stone or Changhua Stone would also suffice. What mattered most was the quality, "excellent" and "uncommon."
Shao Qing’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
He spoke as if silver alone could buy such things.
However, with the old master’s storeroom at the young master’s disposal, the young master probably thought of these things only in terms of more or less silver.
He said, "Are you engraving a seal?"
The Young Master’s calligraphy and paintings are unparalleled, and the seals he carves are equally sought after.
However, the phrases that Yuan Yunzhong inscribed on the Xuan paper don’t quite seem like those a man would use.
I wonder if the Young Master intends to use them himself or to give them away?
He then remembered that in the past few days, Yuan Yunzhong had uncharacteristically painted several flower and bird paintings with great care; when he offered to store them away for Yuan Yunzhong, Yuan said they were for someone else. Now they still piled up on the desk. Since he was going out anyway, he might as well take care of this matter too.
Shao Qing pointed to the several paintings on the desk and said, "Who are you planning to give these to? Do you want me to make the trip?"
There are only a few people who would receive paintings as gifts from the Young Master.
Liu Zi and the others would definitely not be suitable for the job.
At these words, however, Yuan Yunzhong gave him a cold glance and said impatiently, "Why do you ask so many questions?"
He sent Shao Qing out the door to find materials for the seal stones.
He himself stared at the paintings on the desk, hesitating whether or not to use them as a thank-you gift for the hexagonal box, and spaced out for a while.
If they haven’t been sent out, then it’s not meant to be!
There’s no need to force it.
But for some reason, up until the moment he picked up the carving knife, he kept feeling uneasy, as if he had an unfinished task that was making him uncomfortable.
*
Song Jiyun had just experienced two days of peace when Zhou Zheng came to tell her, "Third Miss Song has rallied Chairman Ma, calling for a meeting with peers at the Temple of the Wind God to demand justice from her. A few others have followed her, making a commotion at the Magistrate Jiang’s office. Looking at the situation, Chairman Ma has no choice but to agree!"
Song Tao was able to persuade others to follow her?
Song Jiyun felt somewhat surprised, but after thinking it over, it seemed reasonable.
Zhou Zheng sighed and said, "Third Miss Song convinced them; they’ll work on the porcelain bodies for Liangyu Kiln Factory, which will take care of the firing. They’ll be paid by the piece."
Which means they’ve become subsidiaries to Liangyu Kiln Factory.
This is a method of seeking change to survive.
But having made such a choice, during the time at the Temple of the Wind God, these people should not have agreed to Chairman Ma.
Song Jiyun remained noncommittal, having not participated in the face-off between Song Tao and Chairman Ma at the Temple of the Wind God.
However, Chairman Ma might have felt somewhat embarrassed, and consequently, he didn’t invite Song Jiyun.
But what nobody expected was that this visit to the Temple of the Wind God resulted in Song Tao completely smashing the defense alliance Chairman Ma and the others had agreed upon.
"I never thought she would be able to enlist Eunuch Wan!" Zhou Zheng said anxiously to Song Jiyun, "At first, we thought Eunuch Wan was there because everyone was reluctant to continue firing blue and white porcelain, and everyone was quarreling with Song Tao. But in an instant, Eunuch Wan clearly sided with Song Tao and questioned everyone, ’You can’t lower costs, yet you complain when someone else’s porcelain-firing technique is better than yours. Where is the sense in that?’"
Song Jiyun couldn’t hide her surprise, "Song Tao has bought Eunuch Wan over?"
Zhou Zheng nodded gravely, "More than bought over! From his behavior, it looks like Song Tao has won Eunuch Wan’s favor, and they have become close."
He continued, "Eunuch Wan not only spoke on her behalf but also reprimanded Chairman Ma and the others, giving Song Tao the opportunity to ask the crowd if anyone was willing to make porcelain bodies for Liangyu Kiln Factory. He also said she didn’t intend to cut into everyone’s business, but with the Dragon Kiln firing four or five thousand pieces at a time, she had to lower prices for Liangyu Kiln Factory to manage its turnover. She said what she did was a necessary move."
"’In the future, as long as you’re willing to follow her, she’ll make sure to treat everyone well,’" he quoted.
Song Jiyun could imagine the scene, and after pondering, she said, "With Eunuch Wan backing her, with her words, most of them will surely crumble. Even if some, out of regard for Chairman Ma and the rest, didn’t defect on the spot, they will certainly go to Song Tao in private."
On matters of life and death, who dares not bow down?
Zhou Zheng responded with a wry smile and pleaded with Song Jiyun, "Owner, you must think of a solution, right?"
He added, "If all else fails, shall we start a Dragon Kiln too? The Changjiang Gang is on our side, after all."
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