The Glazed Factory’s secluded East Crossing Courtyard was abuzz with bright lights, whispers, and gentle laughter—a lively yet still cosy atmosphere.
Yuan Yunzhong had not only reserved seats for Song Jiyun but also for Zheng Quan and others.
"These deep-fried meatballs are well made," Zheng Quan and others quietly discussed in the east wing room while dining, "crispy without being dry. What are they laid on? Feels like radish shavings when you eat it—cut so finely. But paired with these deep-fried meatballs, the dish is both refreshing and cuts through the richness. Delicious!"
Xiang Zhan and Wang Hua were arranging dishes in the main room for Song Jiyun and Yuan Yunzhong.
However, the simple spread of four dishes and one soup included spicy options like dried bamboo shoot pork and cured sausage with stone chicken, as well as milder tastes such as steamed lion’s head meatballs and boiled bok choy—catering to both individuals’ preferences while remaining very home-style.
Yuan Yunzhong also pointed out the food box he had mentioned earlier, "Here’s the red date and lotus seed bird’s nest soup. Dish some out for your young miss to have a bowl."
Xiang Zhan responded with a beaming smile, joining Wang Hua to open the food box.
Song Jiyun poured Yuan Yunzhong a cup of tea and said, "I was a bit busy this afternoon, so I didn’t have the chance to look after you. When I looked up, I saw you were gone. I was worried about where you had gone off to. Who would have known you went to the restaurant?"
Yuan Yunzhong replied, "I didn’t expect that you would be so late."
At this point, he frowned and said, "Glazing three hundred bisque ware pieces in one go, I wonder whose idea was that? If we don’t finish today, are we supposed to wait until tomorrow?"
It was indeed a bit much.
But now that it had come to this, there was no point in complaining.
Song Jiyun smiled and said, "It’s not easy to operate a kiln firing; we have to fire at least a thousand pieces at a time. If there are too few items, the master handlers might not quite know how to manage the fires."
Yuan Yunzhong still thought the idea was exhausting.
Xiang Zhan brought over the bird’s nest soup with red dates and lotus seeds.
Yuan Yunzhong urged her, "It’s to moisten the lungs. You’ll be sitting by the kiln these next few days, and the fire is intense."
Song Jiyun thanked him with a smile.
Yuan Yunzhong inquired about the earlier incident, "Did that Song Tao say anything unpleasant? I noticed Zheng Quan’s face didn’t look too good."
Usually, he adhered to the principle of "eat in silence, sleep in silence," but when he was with Song Jiyun, it seemed he always had endless things to say. Not to speak of dining together—when he took a short rest on the Arhat bed in her study the other day, he felt uneasy unless he spoke a few words to her.
Fortunately, Song Jiyun didn’t seem to have such demands; whenever he spoke to her, she would join in the conversation.
With selective retelling, Song Jiyun relayed a few of Song Tao’s words, winked at Yuan Yunzhong and said, "It’s just sour grapes. She’s probably just envious that I have a good husband."
Yuan Yunzhong responded with an indifferent "Oh," picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let’s eat, let’s eat."
But his ears were visibly red.
Song Jiyun concealed her smile.
*
After dinner, they took a leisurely walk to the kiln entrance.
The Government Officials from the Ministry of Punishments kept a tight watch, allowing only the master kiln handlers and their apprentices to approach, and no one else.
Song Tao might have gone for a meal, as only a couple of master handlers with their apprentices were monitoring her kiln fire. On Song Jiyun’s side, besides those tending the fire, there were quite a number of locals gathered beyond the red line, who, having finished their meals, idly came by for a visit. Zhou Zheng was hoarsely chatting with the crowd.
Laughter erupted now and then within the crowd.
Yuan Yunzhong’s gaze, however, fell on the patrolling Government Officials. He nodded slightly and remarked, "The officials sent by the Ministry of Punishments this time seem quite disciplined. You’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep."
He knew that Song Jiyun was concerned about some plot from Prince Ning and had specially arranged for He Dazhi and others to disguise themselves as apprentices of Master Xiao Guo to take turns guarding the kiln.
"The officials from the Court of Judicial Review should be on duty tomorrow," he said. "I’ll speak to them in advance."
Song Jiyun smiled and nodded her head.
Zhou Zheng saw them, pulled over a shop assistant to replace him, and jogged over.
"Son-in-law, boss," he greeted Yuan Yunzhong and Song Jiyun.
During this time, the people around her had often seen Yuan Yunzhong, and his attitude towards her made them respect him as always, but with slightly less fear.
"I just made a point of checking out Yinyu Hall," he said excitedly. "The line there stretched from the Western Fence to Changan Street. Many people were asking about the ceramic tokens, wanting to know what surprise awaited them if they collected thirty. Following your instructions and those of Boss Hong, the shop assistants told them they could exchange the tokens for a small tea cup for free. They even showed them the tea cups. Everyone went wild, and now they are eagerly asking others which designs they got on their tokens, and some have started to offer one coin for a token. Our Yinyu Hall is making a name for itself in the Capital City."
It was only a day!
His voice was choked with excitement.
Although Song Jiyun had never marketed anything herself in her past life, she had seen countless marketing strategies. It was easy for her to think of one that would more or less do the trick.
She said, "You’d better think about how to quickly transport those tea cups from Jingde Town, the kind that can be exchanged for free with ceramic tokens. It would be no good if people collected thirty tokens and you couldn’t produce enough tea cups, failing to keep your word. My abilities would be useless then."
"No, no," Zhou Zheng glanced around, and seeing no one else nearby, he whispered, "We followed your instructions and only issued the last three designs on the day we opened the kiln. To collect all thirty designs, they would have to come every day, and there are only around a hundred of two designs. We have more than two hundred of the same tea cups in our storeroom."
Song Jiyun hummed in response and advised, "Those tea cups that aren’t exchanged should be smashed rather than sold again. They must be seen as unique, not ordinary or common."
Zhou Zheng still felt a bit heartbroken.
After all, they were thin-walled sweet white porcelain with carved lotus and hidden patterns!
Sold separately, they could fetch two or three taels of silver each.
He hesitated, "Can’t we sell them in Nanjing instead?"
"Then you might as well distribute a few more ceramic tokens," Song Jiyun disagreed and said, "Don’t worry about such a small matter. Grace a few more people, and we’ll have more spreading our fame far and wide."
Zhou Zheng gave a forced smile and ran off to rearrange the distribution of ceramic tokens according to Song Jiyun’s instructions.
Yuan Yunzhong, noticing it was getting late, also took his leave, "I’ll come over again tomorrow. You don’t need to look for me in the crowd; just focus on your work."
Song Jiyun could only accompany him to the entrance of the Glazed Factory, "I also don’t have much to do tomorrow; just keeping an eye on the firing and waiting to open the kiln. But you, if there’s nothing important, don’t wait around in the crowd. The Three Departments have arranged a place for us to rest here, so if you’re free, take a break there. The sun has been quite fierce these past days."
Yuan Yunzhong agreed with a "Okay".
Though they said farewell, the two of them stood at the entrance of the Glazed Factory and chatted stickily for almost half an hour before parting.
*
The next day passed peacefully.
But the number of people who came to collect ceramic tokens was somewhat high.
With no choice, Zhou Zheng temporarily hired a few people to help him distribute the tokens.
Some families even came to collect several tokens.
Zhou Zheng fretted over how to stop one family from coming to collect multiple times.
Song Jiyun chuckled, "Let them collect. The goal is just to have people crowd around Yinyu Hall. As long as it’s bustling, that’s all that matters."
Zhou Zheng stopped worrying and happily continued distributing ceramic tokens.
The third day also passed without incident, and Song Tao didn’t even show up.
Song Jiyun leaned on her elbows while sitting on a small stool beside the Bun kiln, not quite believing that Prince Ning and Song Tao would give up so easily. She pondered whether there was anything she hadn’t considered, any loopholes they might exploit.
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