Chapter 310
Chapter 310
Starting the next day, the windows in every courtyard of the Ji Mansion underwent a transformation.
Every window was replaced with glass.
Old Madam Ji’s quarters were completed first.
The room became so bright that even her mood improved as she sat beside the bed.
Ji Yan’an’s quarters came next.
The study was the priority. He had a great deal of work to do there, so he urgently needed glass windows as well.
Everyone else’s rooms could be done gradually.
Jiang Yunsui said, “The windows at my house need to be replaced with glass too.”
The raw materials were inexpensive. Now that they had mastered the technique, glass was easy to make, no matter how much they needed.
After replacing all the windows at her own residence with glass, Jiang Yunsui ran to find Ji Yan’an and told him about the greenhouse she wanted to build.
If they built it now, they would have fresh vegetables in winter.
They could grow strawberries in the greenhouse too.
Speaking of strawberries, she had discovered some, but at first she could hardly believe that was what they were.
The fruit was tiny, smaller than her little finger.
If the shape had not borne some resemblance to a strawberry, she would never have believed ancient strawberries looked like that!
No one cultivated them either, because they were simply too small.
Jiang Yunsui collected seeds, selected and improved them, planted them, then continued choosing the best seeds.
She had completed only two plantings and was now growing another crop.
She did not even use the garden beds at the residence. She had a carpenter make a rectangular wooden frame, filled it with soil, and used it solely to cultivate strawberries.
Once the strawberries grew to about the same size as modern ones, she would find a place to plant them properly.
Jiang Yunsui had discovered that many fruits of this era were ancestors of their later counterparts, yet some looked almost entirely unrelated.
Especially in size.
If she wanted unlimited access to every kind of fruit, Jiang Yunsui still had a long road ahead of her.
And the banana and mango saplings they had bought earlier had survived, but they refused to bear fruit!
It seemed some fruit trees had stringent environmental requirements.
Still yearning for properly large strawberries before the year was out, Jiang Yunsui arrived outside the study.
Inside, Ji Yan’an and Song Jin were worrying about money.
They had made a considerable sum from selling wine and porcelain, but it had vanished quickly.
War consumed more silver than anything else.
Maintaining so many soldiers and horses meant paying for food, clothing, and monthly stipends.
Ji Yan’an spent a vast sum every month.
The earlier war, the troops needed to reclaim the north completely, and the construction in those towns had nearly exhausted everything he had saved.
Song Jin said, “We can make money from glass. We need to use it well.”
“The wealthiest people are undoubtedly in Jiangnan and the Capital City. But they have seen plenty. Glass cups, bowls, and plates alone won’t be enough. We have to find a way to empty their pockets.”
Ji Yan’an narrowed his eyes slightly. “I watched how they make glass. It is liquid when it first comes from the furnace and takes shape only after it cools. If we can form it while it is still liquid, perhaps into animals or flowers…”
Song Jin’s eyes shone. “Those people would fight tooth and nail over such things.”
“Scarcity creates value. Glass uses simple raw materials, but people with money and power like unique, rare objects that display their status. So our glassware must be exquisite and limited. Even if we repeat designs, there can never be too many of them.”
Jiang Yunsui’s voice suddenly cut in.
“I know. That’s called hunger marketing.”
Both men turned to look at her.
Jiang Yunsui blinked her large eyes at them. What was wrong?
“Hunger marketing? That is quite a fitting term.”
When people were starving, they would fight desperately the moment food appeared.
Selling goods worked much the same way. When a unique object appeared that could display the wealth and status of people with too much money and leisure, they would compete for it too.
Ji Yan’an said, “As usual, you will receive thirty percent of the profits from the glass.”
He sounded a little aggrieved.
His own funds could no longer compare with Jiang Yunsui’s private treasury.
After all, the little girl had few expenses. The Ji Mansion provided her food, clothing, and necessities, leaving her free to shovel gold, silver, and jewels into her own coffers.
She also had extraordinary luck with windfalls.
Still, Jiang Yunsui truly was Ji Yan’an’s little God of Wealth.
Without her, his funds would have run out long ago.
Jiang Yunsui raised two fingers.
“I only want twenty percent.”
“You can keep the other ten percent. Ji Yan’an, you’re so poor now.”
Ji Yan’an said, “…Thank you.”
Turning glass into what they envisioned would not be easy.
Ji Yan’an had many craftsmen under him, so he simply offered a reward.
“The Young Master says anyone who finds a way to shape this glass into lifelike flowers or animals will receive fifty taels of silver.”
With such a tempting prize dangling before them, countless people began experimenting.
They certainly would not succeed overnight. This was something new, and developing it would take time and repeated attempts.
Before glass could become art, Ji Yan’an had another enormous expense ahead of him.
He intended to expand the schools in Mobei.
They lacked personnel and desperately needed people capable of handling government affairs. The selection process alone required substantial funding.
Even then, they would find only a limited number. Ji Yan’an was planning far ahead. He wanted more than a team for the present. If his rebellion succeeded, he would need enough people to replace the Imperial Court’s existing officials.
Expanding the schools was therefore imperative.
“Why can’t girls study too?”
Jiang Yunsui argued unhappily.
“Girls can be amazing too. Sanwa is really good at arithmetic!”
Jiang Yunsui had visited the schools. There were not many in Mobei, but some did exist.
Most, however, were private schools.
And they taught only boys.
Ji Yan’an did not become angry at her words.
“I do not deny women’s abilities. The problem is that under current conditions, even if a girl receives an education, what can she do afterward?”
“She may be talented, but in the end she will still return to the home. What difference, then, would studying make?”
It was not that he refused to help women. If one had ability, he would employ her, as he had Li Yunniang.
But the harsh reality was that there were virtually no jobs available to women.
They could embroider or weave, but no one needed to attend school to learn those skills.
Nor could women from ordinary households produce expensive silk and embroidery.
Such costly cloth and needlework required deft hands that were clean and entirely free of calluses.
Ordinary families could not afford to raise daughters whose hands remained like that.
Women usually performed such work at home as well.
It was also difficult to find teachers willing to give girls a formal education.
Even if girls were admitted, very few parents would be willing to send their daughters to school.