The wind whistled by the corridor, and Hu Yulin was in a dilemma.
He originally wanted to see what this object was used for, but he didn’t expect that the owner of the object was actually Young Master Rong.
A few days ago, he had treated Young Master Rong rudely, but now he came to visit him rashly, which was really shameful. He almost wanted to cover his face with his sleeves and run away.
Jiang Weiping didn’t know that his friend was in an embarrassing situation. He placed the thick wooden box on the ground seriously and said, neither humble nor arrogant, “Young master Rong, please open the box and check it out.”
Rong Xi had always been open-minded and did not take Hu Yulin’s attitude to heart. He still ordered Liu He to serve tea normally.
Liu He was not as easy as him. He glanced at Hu Yulin secretly, turned around, and went out, asking Liu Zishi, who was catching cicadas outside the courtyard, to prepare tea.
Seeing that Rong Xi was kind and polite, Hu Yulin felt even more ashamed, and his cheeks were burning. He stood behind Jiang Weiping, covering his face with his sleeves, but his eyes couldn’t stop looking into the box.
The object in the box lay still, with a new metallic luster, and its strange shape was noticeable .
Rong Xi picked it up with his sleeves and rubbed it carefully. Seeing that every detail was perfect, he was even more impressed by Jiang Weiping’s skills.
With just a few structural diagrams, Jiang Weiping could make such an exquisite thing, which showed his exquisite craftsmanship.
“Master Jiang’s skills are extraordinary,” Rong Xi said, standing up and bowing, and under the surprised eyes of Jiang and Hu, he continued, “Master Jiang’s talent makes Xi admire you a lot.”
Though it was merely a contractual obligation, upon seeing the quality of these utensils, one could tell that Jiang Weiping had put a lot of thought into them. Not only was the utensil of superior quality, but the details were also meticulous, indicating the high talent and character of the craftsman.
As a lowly craftsman, Jiang Weiping had never received such praise and kindness. Although his face was calm, he was happy and grateful in his heart. He hurriedly returned the greeting and said: “I don’t dare to receive the young master’s raise. I can only try my best to live up to the young master’s expectations. Thank you, I’m so lucky to have a chance to make this one.”
Just at this time, Liu Zishi entered the hall with a plate and placed the cup on the table. Seeing the novel utensil, he became curious and asked confusedly: “Young master, what is this?”
Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin both listened intently, their ears perked up.
This object was about half the length of a person, with a long iron rod standing vertically in the middle. It had a horizontal handle at the top and an inverted column-shaped iron crown at the bottom. Inside the crown were evenly distributed thin iron rods, twelve in total.
“It can’t be used at the moment.” Rong Xi shook his head and smiled.
Jiang Weiping immediately said, “Is there something incorrect?”
He thought that this tool was not perfect and worried incessantly.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Rb.” Ebcu Wl qea atf eafcrlir lc atf mbgcfg jcv revvfcis jrxfv Le Teilc, “Zjrafg Le Le lr xcbkifvufjyif jybea mbji jcv rabcfr. Lf rtbeiv xcbk atja mbji lr wjlcis erfv obg rwfialcu lgbc jcv mbqqfg, jcv lr gjgfis erfv obg tberftbiv qegqbrfr. Qtja lr atf gfjrbc obg atlr?”
Vegqglrfv atja Ebcu Wl abbx atf lclaljalnf ab jrx tlw, Le Teilc qea jrlvf tlr fwyjggjrrwfca jcv rtscfrr jcv gfqilfv lc j vffq nblmf: “Jbji lr vloolmeia ab wlcf. Ca atlr alwf, qfbqif bcis erfv mtjgmbji obg tfjalcu, jcv cb mbji kjr cffvfv obg mbbxlcu.”
In other words, the cost of mining was high, resulting in high coal prices, and the market demand was small. Only the rich and powerful used it because of its longer burning time and greater heat.
“Since Master Hu oversees the coal mines, he should know the benefits of coal.” Rong Xi smiled gently, seeing Hu Yulin nod in response, listening attentively. He continued, “I have a method that can help Lord Hu out of trouble.”
Hu Yulin was not a fool. His eyes immediately moved to the iron tool and he said: “Is the method young master mentioned using this tool?”
“The thing that the young master mentioned is in short supply, is it coal stone?”
Conversing with intelligent people was truly delightful; Rong Xi hadn’t finished speaking, yet Hu Yulin had already deduced his thoughts.
“In addition to coal stone, loess is also needed.”
None of the three people in the hall knew what loess was used for, but loess was common and easy to obtain. Regarding the coal stone matter, Hu Yulin should do his best. He was about to send people to haul the coal and loess, but he heard Rong Xi’s words.
“It is best to use river bottom mud, expose it to the sun for a few days, let it dry, and use an iron sieve to remove hard stone impurities, leaving only fine and soft soil.”
In this way, it would take several days before seeing results.
Though Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin were eager to gain knowledge, they did not have the materials yet, so how could they proceed rashly?
Hu Yulin bowed and said sincerely: “I was rude to the young master a few days ago. I am here to apologize. I hope that the young master will ignore the past grudges. I will come to apologize again tomorrow.”
Though he didn’t know the specific operation, he had already inferred the use of loess from Rong Xi’s words. If this method could be accomplished, it would be of great benefit to the Hu family without any harm.
“There is no need to come to apologize.” Rong Xi smiled slightly, with two mounds of flesh on his cheeks. Although he was fatter than an ordinary person, his skin was as white as jade and as shiny as the bright moon. He did not look greasy at all, which made people feel good.
But at this moment, Hu Yulin only felt uneasy from Rong Xi’s words. There is no need to come to apologize, is it possible that the young master doesn’t want to be friends with him?
If he could go back in time, he would never have been deceived by the rumors and treated Young Master Rong so rudely. Presumably the young master was looking for him that day for this secret method.
He actually missed it! It was really his fault!
Jiang Weiping only realized at this moment that there was a rift between his close friend and his employer. Seeing Hu Yulin’s self-blaming expression, he felt worried and intended to offer advice to reconcile.
“There must be a misunderstanding between my friend and the young master. er. It would be best to have an open and honest conversation to clear things up.”
Though he had only had a brief encounter with Rong Xi, observing his speech and behavior, his character was definitely not narrow-minded. His good friend Hu Yulin was also not a narrow-minded person. These two individuals have never met before, so how could there have been a rift between them?
Hu Yulin sighed lowly, “My friend, this is my fault. I should not be deceived by the rumors and use a villain’s heart to make arbitrary assumptions about the young master. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. With this truth, only today I could understand it thoroughly.”
Seeing the two misunderstand his intentions, Rong Xi felt helpless and said straightforwardly, “Master Hu’s words were heavy. The matter from the other day, I have already forgotten, so you need not blame yourself too much. Since you are here today, there is something I wish to discuss with you.”
Hu Yulin immediately replied: “Young master Rong, please speak.”
“If this method is beneficial to the Hu family, I also have the intention of colluding, and I want to use ten guans to charge it.”
Ten guans of money was really a huge amount of money for ordinary people, but in Hu Yulin’s eyes, it was just a drop in the bucket. Moreover, Hu Yulin had already seen the benefits of this method. If the Hu family mastered this method, his gains in the future would be hundreds of times better than ten guans. In other words, even if this method was of no use to the Hu family, these ten guans could also be considered his apology. As a businessman, Hu Yulin liked to keep transactions and finances clear and transparent. However, when it came to those he genuinely wanted to befriend, he preferred to treat them with sincerity. Not to mention the evil rumors, just based on his ability to judge people, he already knew that Young Master Rong in front of him was generous and open-minded, definitely not the cunning and slippery type.
“I am deeply honored by the young master’s words.” Hu Yulin said sternly, “I believe that you could make more profit if you contract with others. I agree to buy this method for 10 guans. And if this technique has miraculous effects, I am willing to charge 10% profit.”
This meant that, in addition to the ten-guan money buyout, as long as this method was used to make a profit, Rong Xi would get one-tenth of the profit. This was simply an endless stream of money.
Rong Xi was moved for a moment. If he wanted to continue his research career, he would have to rely on a huge sums of money. However, after thinking about it carefully, he could not agree to this for the time being.
“Master Hu’s kindness, Rong Xi was deeply grateful for it.” Rong Xi shook his head and refused, “Ten guans is enough, and taking too much is not good.”
To prevent Hu Yulin from continuing, Rong Xi changed the topic and asked about Jiang Weiping.
“If Master Jiang is interested, can he make another object for me?” He had always respected technical personnel.
Without these skilled craftsmen, even if he knew the principles, he would not be able to make tools, let alone conduct research.
Jiang Weiping didn’t know what Rong Xu wanted to create and didn’t dare to boast. He just asked, “Does Young Master Rong have a plan?”
The picture and text were already prepared. Rong Xi took it out of his sleeve, handed it to Jiang Weiping, and explained in detail: “The thing made by mixing coal and loess can be used in conjunction with this thing. It is very cheap.”
On the yellowed paper, the fragrance of ink loomed. Wherever the ink traces ran, the drawings appeared vividly on the paper, with tiny characters beside them explaining the principles and resolving people’s confusion.
Hu Yulin thought to himself: Rumors are harmful to people! How could Young Master Rong be so ignorant and incompetent?
The handwriting on the paper was majestic, simple, and luxuriant, with extraordinary charm, which made one’s heart pound when looking at it. Such wonderful calligraphy would be impossible without ten years of work.
Rong Xi excelled in calligraphy, all because of his previous life’s intelligence and stubbornness, and his impatient temperament was harmful rather than beneficial in the path of study. To cultivate his mindset, he started practicing calligraphy at a young age, and he had been doing it for more than ten years. The characters weren’t top-notch, but they were still presentable.
Jiang Weiping paid more attention to pictures than handwriting. He was very talented and had read for several years. His knowledge was wider than that of ordinary blacksmiths, and he was more receptive to new things. The picture and text described it in detail. He considered it for a moment and nodded solemnly.
“I would like to give it a try.”
Seeing that Rong Xi no longer wanted to discuss profit sharing, Hu Yulin and Jiang Weiping left Rong’s house together.
Things went more smoothly than expected, and Rong Xi was in a good mood. He waited for the coal clay to be ready so he could start making the briquettes.
At the right time the next day, Hu Yulin visited Rong’s mansion again. He came to formally apologize with a humble attitude. Even Liu He put away his resentment, greeted Hu Yulin politely, and served a lot of tea and food.
The reason for his visit was that Hu Yulin came bearing gifts. Although the gifts were not extravagant, they showed sincerity. In the Wei Dynasty, it was customary to present a whole pig as a gift. Hu Yulin chose a whole pig as his apology gift, which was appropriate both in terms of etiquette and practicality.
Moreover, accompanying the pig were several wild birds, enough to feed them for a while.
“Master Hu is courteous and affectionate, and Xi don’t know how to repay him,” Rong Xi asked him to take a seat and said with a helpless smile, “Xi has never been resentful. Master Hu doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Young master Rong’s heart is broad and magnanimous, I am well aware of that. My intention with this gesture is simply to seek peace of mind. Allow me to be willful this time, please accept it with a smile.”
Hu Yulin was not a person who valued etiquette. Although he had only known Rong Xi for a short time, he felt that Rong Xi’s temperament was similar to his own and that he was at fault at first. Such a move was indeed appropriate. He and Rong Xi laughed and talked like this because he knew that Rong Xi had an open-minded temperament and would not blame him, and it was also to bring them closer to each other.
When interacting with friends, one should be open-minded and sincere.
Both of them had broad interests and were knowledgeable, and they lost track of time while chatting. It wasn’t until the day went by that dinner time came, and when Liu Zishi asked, Hu Yulin came back to his senses, but his thoughts were still unfinished.
“Report to the young master, should I serve dinner?”
Rong Xi insisted on keeping the guest, and despite Hu Yulin’s attempts to decline, he ended up kneeling behind the table. When the lacquered tray was presented, Hu Yulin was startled.
What is the content of this bowl?
Rong Xi also raised his eyebrows in his heart. Although grandpa Liu was loyal and hard-working, he had no talent as a cook. The meat of the wild pheasant was so weird that it looked like charcoal and chewed like wax. It was so difficult to eat for a while.
What a waste of natural resources!
Haha, a new dish unlocked? 😁
Black food
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
ok, not drooling anymore 🤣
😂