The kiln was about two miles away from the farm. There was a small hill blocking the view. When one looked from the front, one could not imagine that there was something else going on inside.
When Jiang Miao and his team arrived, they were working very hard. In a very real sense!
It was the height of summer, and even before he approached, he could feel the sultry heat coming towards him. The air seemed a little distorted in the high temperature, and in a trance, Jiang Miao seemed to have returned to the asphalt road in modern weather with a temperature of more than 40 degrees.
"Young Madam, please stand further away. It's too hot here." Lao Lin said. The men inside were all wearing only a small jacket, but even so, they were sweating profusely, not to mention Jiang Miao who was wrapped in three layers of gorgeous clothes.
"How many days will it take for this kiln to be ready?" Jiang Miao asked. In front of him were several tall earth kilns, burning with blazing flames. Several strong men were guarding near the kiln entrances, constantly adding thigh-thick firewood to keep the temperature inside.
"Generally it takes about seven or eight days. If the object is too big, it will take a few more days. After the biscuit is formed, it has to be glazed. After the glaze is dry, it is placed in the color kiln for a second firing before it is considered finished..." When talking about kiln firing, Lao Lin is very talkative and it is obvious that he knows a lot about it.
Jiang Miao was a little impressed. In this kind of weather, he felt too hot even when cooking in the kitchen, but they had to stay in such high temperature for such a long time.
"This is where the kiln is fired. Where is the place to get the materials?" Jiang Miao looked for a while, then turned around and asked.
"It's ahead, there's a small river there, it'll be more convenient for us to work." Lao Lin led them out and walked forward. After a while, they heard the sound of rushing water. A group of people had set up a production line along the river bank. Some were selecting and mixing materials, while others were mixing mud and making molds. They worked in a very coordinated and orderly manner.
Jiang Miao walked to the front to see the raw materials they were using. There were piles of ores of different colors, and there were many things next to them that Jiang Miao couldn't understand.
In the ore pile, a white-haired old man sat on a small stool, picking out the ore on the ground and sorting them out. His hands were dark and rough, with many scars on his fingertips.
"He is Old Li. He is very skilled in molding clay and firing kilns. But now he is old and can only do the work of carrying stones." Shopkeeper Hu said in a low voice, with a hint of regret in his tone. In the past, the glass ornaments made by Old Li and his men in the kiln were sold at a higher price.
"Who did he learn the skill of making glass from?" Jiang Miao was a little curious.
Shopkeeper Hu was speechless for a moment, as he had never understood this.
"Uncle, is this stone not okay?" Jiang Miao saw him pick up a brown stone and throw it out. In his eyes, this stone seemed to be no different from other stones.
Old Li looked up at him and said after a while: "... There are cracks, and the embryos are fragile."
Jiang Miao searched among the waste materials he had picked out, picked up a yellowed stone, and asked, "What about this one? It doesn't seem to have any cracks on it."
"This piece is too hard and has impurities."
Jiang Miao nodded and asked him about a few more stones. Although Lao Li seemed to be taciturn, he would answer any questions about stones.
Jiang Miao had some admiration for him. This man was a real talent. He could guess the quality of glass just by looking at the stone. In addition to having a lot of practical experience, he must also have a certain amount of talent.
"Uncle, do you think these stones can be used to burn into large pieces of colorless and transparent glass?" Jiang Miao pointed to the pile of good ore he had picked out.
Old Li looked at him as if he was a fool. This pile of ore was all colored, so how could it be possible to burn it into colorless and transparent glass
"No? Then if I want to burn something like this, what kind of stone should I use?" Jiang Miao didn't care. Being looked down upon by professionals was no big deal.
"This kind." Old Li turned over the pile of stones underneath, took out one of them and placed it in front of Jiang Miao.
Jiang Miao picked up the stone and looked at it again and again, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "Are there many stones like this?"
"It's hard to find, there aren't many of them." Lao Li said, and after thinking for a while, he added, "Colorless glass ornaments are not easy to sell." Most people at that time liked colored glass, just like various jade wares.
Jiang Miao sighed. It seemed that his hope was dashed. He didn't know when glass could be made. But even if there was glass, it would be useless. It was too difficult to operate greenhouse vegetables in ancient times. Even if a greenhouse was built, the final harvest would definitely be far less than the high cost. Jiang Miao would not do a business that would lose money.
Jiang Miao came with great enthusiasm, but he did not leave disappointed. After visiting Liulichang hidden in the hills, he followed the village head Lao Lin to inspect the farm. He found that the land here was fertile, the grass and water were abundant, and the output of the farm in four seasons was probably equivalent to a shop in Liangjing.
He had a farm meal here at noon. The lady who cooked was very skilled. Whether it was the stewed chicken or the vegetables from the fields, they were all delicious. Jiang Miao also drank some rice wine produced by the farm. It was sweet but not intoxicating. He drank several bowls in a row.
Seeing that he liked it, Lao Lin said cheerfully, "If Madam likes it, I'll bring a jar to your car when you go back. Anyway, my daughter-in-law can't finish it all by herself."
"Is it all brewed for your daughter-in-law?"
"That's right. Otherwise, who would brew wine in such a hot day? It would go bad easily. She just gave birth to a child, so we brew some rice wine and stew something for her to nourish her body." Lao Lin said with a happy face.
"Then I can't take this rice wine. Let's leave it for your daughter-in-law to nourish her body." Jiang Miao quickly refused. How could he snatch food from a woman who had just given birth
"Don't be polite with us. We have brewed a lot of rice wine. What does it matter if you drink one jar?" Old Lin didn't say anything and asked his son to load the wine and send it to the carriage. Of course, the shopkeeper Hu who was traveling with them was not left behind.
Jiang Miao originally planned to live in Jiang's house today, but after looking at the sky, he gave up the idea. After saying goodbye to Shopkeeper Hu, Jiang Miao returned to the Duke's Mansion.
Except for the wedding day, when they entered through the main gate, Jiang Miao never saw the main gate open. They usually entered and exited through the side door. It was said that the servants had other entrances and exits, but Jiang Miao had never been there, so he naturally didn't know where they were.
The servants in the mansion were still a little unfamiliar with him. When Jiang Miao walked on the road, he often felt that someone was secretly looking at him. When he looked back, he found that everyone was looking down. This feeling made people very uncomfortable, which was one of the reasons why Jiang Miao wanted to move out.
Jiang Miao heaved a sigh of relief when he returned to the yard. He felt that among all the family members, the people in Pei Che's yard were the most normal.
"Master Jiang, you're back!" As soon as he entered the yard, a servant came forward. His name was Chang'an, not Chang'an, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, but this did not prevent Jiang Miao from making associations, and he was the first to remember his name.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Jiang Miao was a little curious.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that the young master waited for you for a long time and ate much less at lunch." Chang An said.
It was about three o'clock, just right for snack time. Jiang Miao asked Chang An to help him get some food from the kitchen. He was going to make some snacks to appease Xiao Mu.
Chang An ran to the big kitchen and came back happily. In addition to the things Jiang Miao ordered, there was also a roasted chicken leg wrapped in oil paper.
Jiang Miao smiled. No wonder he worked so hard. It turned out that he could earn extra money. Chang An felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and quickly took out the chicken leg and said he wanted to give it to Jiang Miao.
"I don't want it, you eat it yourself." Chang An looked only thirteen or fourteen years old. He was in the period of growing up, so it didn't matter if he was a little greedy.
After getting Jiang Miao's permission, Chang An immediately took out the chicken leg and started to eat it voraciously. While he was eating, Jiang Miao took out the glutinous rice flour and poured it into a basin, then added some warm water to knead it into a ball. After kneading, he rolled it into thin strips, cut it into small pieces with a knife, and kneaded it into small balls.
After Chang An finished eating the chicken drumstick, he helped Jiang Miao boil water. Seeing the water in the pot bubbling, he quickly shouted, "Master Jiang, the water is boiling!"
Jiang Miao was not in a hurry. He put a piece of rock sugar into the pot. After the rock sugar was completely melted, he poured the small dumplings he had just kneaded into the pot from the chopping board. Then he stirred them a few times with a spatula to prevent them from sticking.
After the small dumpling was put into the water, it sank to the bottom. After a while, it floated up and became bigger. Jiang Miao poured in half a jar of fermented rice wine and sprinkled some wolfberries in it. This not only looks good, but also can improve eyesight and replenish blood.
After the dumplings in the pot were cooked, Jiang Miao scooped two bowls, put them on a tray, and took them to the study.
As soon as the door opened, Pei Mu rushed out, shouting "Brother Miao". Jiang Miao quickly raised the tray higher to prevent it from being knocked over and spilled on him.
"Master Jiang." Chan Yi and Wen Jing called out in unison. These two girls were very sensible and had been very respectful to Jiang Miao these days.
"You've worked hard. I've cooked some rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice in the kitchen. There's still a lot left in the pot. You can come over and have a taste."
Chan Yi and Wen Jing thanked him quickly and went to the kitchen. They were exhausted physically and mentally at this time. Although the young master was very well behaved, he could sometimes give people a headache.
"Okay, okay, I came back late. Look what I cooked for you. It will get cold if you don't eat it now!"
The accusation in Pei Mu's eyes was too obvious, so Jiang Miao quickly brought out the dumplings to apologize. The sweet taste in the bowl attracted Pei Mu's attention, and Jiang Miao placed the dumplings on the desk, and Pei Mu followed.
"Eat it." Jiang Miao said. He and Pei Mu sat on each side and put a spoonful of small dumplings into their mouths at the same time. The sweetness of the fermented rice and the smooth and delicious small dumplings made people feel extremely happy. Pei Mu obviously felt the same way. He liked to eat sweets, and this bowl of small dumplings won his heart. After eating a bowl, he even said "I want it".
"No more, you won't be able to eat at night." Jiang Miao never indulged them when it came to eating.
Pei Mu said "Oh" obediently and did not raise any objection. He just looked at the small bowl with lingering satisfaction, his eyes full of desire.
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze and asked word by word: "Brother Miao, go back?!"
"Sleep for another day and go back tomorrow morning."
"Oh." Pei Mu lowered his eyes, looking a little depressed. He has lived here for a long time, why can't he go back? He missed Xiao Baidian.
Jiang Miao was somewhat helpless. This kid really didn't take this place seriously at all. But he also understood that if he lived in such an environment for a long time and was bullied from time to time, who would have a good impression of this place
(End of this chapter)