Chapter 319: Chapter 299, Glazed Prescription_1
After Dufu finished introducing Ningmen Pass, Yan Wenxiu and his two brothers came back to their senses and realized that the Little Prince had left the cabin. Therefore, they went together to the deck.
Seeing Daohua and Xiao Yeyang gathered together again, chatting and laughing, the three brothers exchanged a quick glance.
Alright, they’ve made up again!
For the rest of the journey, the atmosphere on the boat was very pleasant, with everyone chatting and laughing together. Before they knew it, they arrived at the docks on the outskirts of Ningmen Prefecture.
As they watched Dufu commanding the servants to move things ashore, all four Yan siblings looked on in surprise.
Yan Wenkai: “Little Prince, are you also heading to Ningmen Prefecture?”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at him sideways: “Why, are you not welcoming me?”
Yan Wenkai shook his head repeatedly, not wanting to butt heads with him at this time, especially since the Little Prince might still harbor some resentment towards him after their previous disagreement.
Xiao Yeyang ignored him, looking at Yan Wenxiu and Daohua: “Your family is moving, these are gifts I’ve prepared for you.”
Yan Wenxiu hastily expressed his gratitude.
Daohua, curious, watched as two servants carefully carried an object the size of a door off the boat: “What is that, so big?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled: “Didn’t you say before that Miss Dong’s dressing mirror made of glaze was very convenient? Now, you have one as well.”
Daohua’s face lit up with joy. She was about to go forward to take a look when she saw the servants carrying down another object resembling a dressing table: “And what is this?”
Xiao Yeyang laughed: “You have a mirror for dressing, don’t you need one for makeup and grooming?”
Daohua immediately realized what it was, and she laughed: “Xiao Yeyang, that’s really thoughtful of you. I just love these two gifts.”
Indeed, she had received a round mirror for her birthday before, but she had given it to her grandmother.
If there was anything troublesome for her in this ancient era, it was the morning routine of doing her hair and makeup.
Not only did she have to arrange her hair into a bun and insert hairpins, but also apply rouge and face powder. With a bronze mirror, she always felt it was not clear enough.
Seeing Daohua’s pleasure, the smile on Xiao Yeyang’s face deepened.
Yan Wenxiu, watching his sister happily accepting the gifts, looked towards Xiao Yeyang with a hesitant expression: “Little Prince, isn’t this too valuable?”
Such a large glaze mirror must have cost a significant amount of silver.
And it was quite rare.
Glaze mirrors were fragile, and since they came from foreign lands, it was extremely inconvenient to transport them. Such a large one was only something that the wealthiest families could afford.
Xiao Yeyang seemed unconcerned: “As long as Daohua likes it, that’s what matters.”
Hearing this, Yan Wenxiu’s heart skipped a beat, his brows furrowing slightly as he watched the Little Prince, whose gaze remained fixed on his sister.
Daohua, too, heard Yan Wenxiu’s comment and quickly asked: “Is it very expensive?”
Xiao Yeyang replied irritably: “I’ve already said it’s a moving gift. Just take it and use it, why ask so many questions?” With that, he glared displeasedly at Yan Wenxiu.
He’s the one who talks too much!
Daohua glanced at the gifts that would require at least two carts to carry and, turning to Xiao Yeyang, inquired: “If I had the recipe to make glaze, could you produce it?”
This statement caused Xiao Yeyang and the three Yan brothers to look astonished.
After a moment, Xiao Yeyang spoke: “Did you see this in a tale book again?”
“Mhmm!”
Seeing the four of them looking at her with skeptical faces, Daohua sheepishly nodded, “That’s why I tell you, reading storybooks is useful. If you guys collect any new ones, make sure to save them for me, okay?”
Xiao Yeyang wondered, “I’ve read quite a few storybooks myself, so how come you always find these… precious recipes?”
The three Yan brothers also wore an expression of shared inquiry.
Daohua shrugged her shoulders, spreading her hands: “How would I know? Maybe I just have really good karma?”
All four of them were speechless at once.
Daohua laughed again, “Or maybe, it’s just that your karma is too poor!”
“You guys flip through a storybook and finish it in no time, unlike me who reads with care. Although storybooks are leisure reads, they are still books, aren’t they? And books should be read properly. Don’t you think that’s right?”
Xiao Yeyang rolled his eyes without a word.
Yan Wenxiu couldn’t be bothered to argue, but Yan Wenkai couldn’t help muttering, “Big Sister, your reasoning sounds a bit far-fetched.”
Daohua waved her hand dismissively, “Forget it, my level of thought is something you wouldn’t understand.”
Seeing that Xiao Yeyang was about to say something, Daohua quickly added, “Actually, the method for making glass isn’t difficult. Mix quartz sand, soda ash, limestone, and feldspar in a crucible furnace and heat it to high temperatures (1550~1600 degrees) to form liquid glass, and then process the liquid glass into various shaped products, and that’s it.”
“It’s pretty simple, anyways.”
She said, looking at Xiao Yeyang, “Glass sells for such a high price, wouldn’t you want to try making it? If you can produce it, you’d make a fortune.”
Xiao Yeyang silently looked at Daohua, then reached out and grabbed her wrist, leading her back onto the boat.
Over the years, foreigners had made no small amount of silver from the Daxia people through glass. If they could truly produce it, they would no longer have to shell out silver to outsiders.
The three Yan brothers followed onto the boat without a word.
Soon enough, Daohua had written down the recipe for making glass and handed it to Xiao Yeyang, “That said, I should make it clear that there must be something missing in the recipe. You’ll have to find someone to experiment with it – preferably a master who knows how to make porcelain, as they should be quite familiar with the process.”
Influenced by novels from her previous life, every time she saw time-travelers get rich in the ancient world by making glass, she’d casually read up on how to make glass herself, never thinking it would actually come in handy.
Indeed, the more knowledge one has in their head, the better, so that no matter where you go, you won’t fear not being able to survive.
Xiao Yeyang looked at the glass recipe and then tucked it away securely, “When I’ve managed to produce it, I’ll come and tell you.”
Daohua nodded repeatedly, reminding him, “Let me tell you, don’t just make glasses, vases, and mirrors. Glass has many more uses.”
“It can be turned into glazed tiles for rooftops or into casement windows for houses. This way, the interior won’t be pitch-dark, saving the need to constantly light candles and lamps.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang’s eyes lit up, and without being able to hold back, forgetting that the Yan brothers were present, he reached out and touched Daohua’s head, “Tell me, how did your brain grow to be like this?”
“Smack!”
Daohua didn’t expect Xiao Yeyang to suddenly reach out, and her head really got ruffled. She slapped his hand away, fuming, “Xiao Yeyang, you’ve messed up my hairdo. Do you have any idea how troublesome it is to comb hair?”
Xiao Yeyang touched his nose awkwardly, his peripheral vision catching the three Yan brothers looking dissatisfied, making him feel even more embarrassed.
“Well… it’s getting late. You should hurry off the boat and go home. I need to head to Ningmen Pass to see my uncle,” he said.
With a huff, Daohua turned and left the boat.
The three Yan brothers paid their respects to Xiao Yeyang and followed her off.
Xiao Yeyang stood on the deck, watching as the Yan siblings boarded their carriage and left, and then he ordered the boat to set off.