Chapter 309
Chapter 309
The new glass came out of the furnace the next day.
It was transparent, free of impurities, and contained no bubbles at all.
The moment they saw the finished product, all the glassworkers cheered.
“Wonderful! We did it!”
“We used such cheap sand and stone, yet fired something this beautiful. It’s unbelievable.”
“Miss Jiang is so young. How did she learn these formulas?”
“Shh… Don’t you know? Miss Jiang may be the Young Master’s nominal younger sister, but they aren’t actually related. I heard he found her during a time of danger, and she has some strange abilities.
“You know those mushrooms we eat? How could so many fresh mushrooms grow here? They normally grow only in the south. Those strange, fresh mushrooms appeared here because of her.”
“And have you seen the animals she raises? Those two dogs have grown as big as tigers. Who can raise dogs like that?”
“Now that you mention it, there are those eagles too, especially the golden eagle. It’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen a golden eagle with truly golden feathers before.”
The workers’ discussion gradually wandered off topic.
In the end, they reached a conclusion.
Jiang Yunsui was no ordinary person. Had the Young Master accidentally brought home a little immortal?
Foreman Yang said, “That’s enough. Get back to work. Whatever Miss Jiang may be, it’s good for us.”
“The cement workshop is thriving because of her. This glass will surely earn us the Young Master’s reward too. So no matter who Miss Jiang is, she’s our God of Wealth and ought to be treated accordingly.”
The people making cement had also come from the Young Master’s workshop, though they had previously been a group of builders.
After cement was invented, they received the Young Master’s commendation. Their workload increased, and they now earned several times what Master Yang’s people did.
Master Yang and his people were green with envy.
That was why Master Yang had been delighted when Jiang Yunsui came to them during the winter and asked them to fire something called glass.
Unfortunately, they had not gathered the materials then. The moment the weather warmed, he sent people to find them.
Now that they had a finished product, Master Yang was certain the glass would bring them the same enormous benefits enjoyed by the cement workshop.
So Master Yang personally chose several workers and took the pieces of newly fired glass to see Ji Yan’an.
*
“He wants me?”
Jiang Yunsui was feeding milk to the little snow leopard.
It was the youngest animal in the household, so it simply played with Youyou’s five pups.
Unfortunately, the puppies had been weaned. Otherwise, the little snow leopard might have stolen a few mouthfuls of wolf’s milk.
Shuhua nodded. “The Young Master sent word asking you to go over as soon as possible.”
Jiang Yunsui said, “Oh, got it.”
She stroked the little snow leopard’s round belly.
The cub had a pair of beautiful blue eyes, round, clear, and pure.
“Let’s go. I’m going to find Ji Yan’an. Little Snow, do you want to come too?”
The little snow leopard gave a soft, high-pitched cry and scampered alongside her.
Little Snow was extremely healthy now, and Jiang Yunsui had raised it to be even sturdier than other snow leopard cubs.
Its four short legs planted firmly on the ground, and it bounded along looking sturdy and full of lively charm.
It also liked biting its own tail.
Whenever it had eaten and drunk its fill, it played by holding its tail in its mouth.
Sometimes it even walked with its tail in its mouth and its little head held high.
The threshold at the entrance to Ji Yan’an’s courtyard was rather high.
Jiang Yunsui could step over it easily, but Little Snow could not and had to be carried inside.
“Ji Yan’an, what did you want…”
“Huh? Master Yang, why are you here?”
“Wow… You made the glass I wanted!”
Seeing the clean, transparent pieces, Jiang Yunsui walked over, stroked them, and tapped them.
Then she planted her little hands on her hips. “I want glass in my windows first!”
The windows in houses now opened upward from the bottom and were covered with oiled paper. When shut, they let in no light at all, leaving the room dark even in broad daylight.
Ji Yan’an said, “You truly have given me an enormous surprise.”
It was no exaggeration to say that the glass genuinely astonished him.
Especially once he learned what materials had been used to make it.
Colored glass was expensive. Even in the south, a set of colored-glass cups could sell for hundreds or thousands of taels of silver.
And colored glass was not nearly as clear as this glass.
Ji Yan’an rewarded everyone who had helped make the glass with silver.
The leader received twenty taels, the other key workers received ten, and the apprentices who handled odd jobs received rewards of either five or three taels according to their positions.
The entire group was overjoyed.
Once the excitement subsided, they naturally did not forget Jiang Yunsui’s glass windows.
Ji Yan’an was also curious about the glass windows she had described.
After some discussion, they decided to experiment with Jiang Yunsui’s room first.
Master Yang immediately took his people to measure the windows and discuss how to construct glass ones.
“If the windows need to open, lifting them upward would be too heavy. It would be best to have them open to either side, which means making a pair of hinged panels…”
Master Yang’s son was a carpenter, and making windows could not have been easier for him.
They sketched out the style and dimensions of the windows, then prepared to fire the glass to those measurements.
But that would take time.
Two days later, the glass windows for Jiang Yunsui’s room were finished.
Jiang Yunsui loved to chatter, so word that she planned to replace all the windows in her room with glass had long since spread through the residence.
Quite a crowd therefore gathered on the day of the installation.
“So this is glass?!”
The Ji women stared at the finished glass windows in astonishment.
“It’s so clear! Looking outside through it is almost like having nothing in the way at all. You can see everything perfectly. It’s incredible.”
“It’s even prettier than colored glass, and this is one whole piece this large.”
“Using it for windows is more extravagant than anything the nobles in the Capital City possess. Even the imperial palace has nothing like this.”
Everyone chattered excitedly.
Master Yang and his men soon finished installing the glass windows.
When the windows were closed, sunlight still streamed in and filled the room with light.
The view outside remained perfectly clear as well.
“When it rains, you won’t even need to open the windows to see the rain outside clearly.”
“It’s so beautiful.”
“Little Yunsui, how did you think of making glass? You’re amazing.”
“Is there any more? I want windows like these in my room too. The room is so bright that we wouldn’t need candles to read or embroider.”
Surrounded by praise, Jiang Yunsui glowed with delight.
“There is! There’s lots more glass.”
“Since it works so well, of course everyone should have glass windows.”
Ji Yan’an said, “Install them in Grandmother’s rooms first.”
Old Madam Ji smiled and nodded her agreement.
“With these windows, this old woman won’t feel so cooped up in her room anymore.”
Jiang Yunsui said, “Grandmother, you still need to walk around outside more. It’s good for your health.”
The old woman chuckled. “I’m old. A short walk is enough to make my bones feel weary.”
The glass windows won everyone’s approval. Even the fault-finding Second Aunt was uncharacteristically silent.