Chapter 23: What to Do Without a Flower Pot

Chapter 23: What to Do Without Flowerpots

The eunuch responsible for procuring the strawberry seedlings was named Xu. Eunuch Xu, appearing to be in his early thirties, managed food procurement for the Imperial Household Department. His actual rank was merely that of a lesser supervisor, so being addressed respectfully as "eunuch" was already a mark of deference. Opportunities to meet the Emperor or the Imperial Consort were rare for him. Thus, when dealing with Zhao An, the favored consort's brother, he avoided any airs of superiority and politely discussed the price of the strawberry seedlings.

However, Eunuch Xu never ventured beyond the tent pitched outside Zhaojia Village. He sat there, awaiting County Magistrate Feng's dispatch of constables and villagers to dig up the strawberry seedlings from the fields, pot them, and bring them over. After sampling a few strawberries from Zhao An's small orchard, he offered a price of five mace of silver per seedling, for a total order of ten thousand plants.

Considering Zhao An sold strawberries to Ruyi Restaurant at three copper coins each, five mace of silver per seedling was indeed a very high price. Yet, this presented another issue.

Zhao An explained to Eunuch Xu, "Eunuch, you may not know, but our village has only just begun cultivating strawberry seedlings. In total, we've only planted about six thousand two hundred. If all these seedlings require pots, the cost of the flowerpots alone would amount to several hundred taels of silver. Our village has always been poor and simply cannot afford such an upfront expense."

"Then, Young Master Zhao, what is your proposal?" Eunuch Xu's voice rose slightly, and his expression showed a hint of displeasure.

Zhao An, however, did not flinch. The strawberry seedlings grown by his villagers were already in high demand, and even when selling to the Emperor, he could not afford a loss. "I humbly request that the Eunuch provide a deposit of a few hundred taels of silver so we can purchase the flowerpots. We hope to supply five thousand seedlings and will include an additional five hundred to cover any losses during transport."

At this point, County Magistrate Feng, who had been quietly observing, chuckled and interjected, "There's no need for such bother. I will immediately order the Zhang and Wang families from the north of the city to deliver some flowerpots."

Eunuch Xu shot County Magistrate Feng a look that clearly conveyed, "You're a sensible one." Then, turning back to Zhao An with a smile, he said, "Young Master Zhao, there's no need to worry. Let the subordinates handle these matters. This is a tribute for His Majesty—no one would dare be careless."

"Precisely, precisely. It's getting late now. Perhaps Eunuch Xu would care to accompany me back to the courier station to rest? In this humble place, there's little to offer, but I do have a cook skilled in preparing ham dishes. I hope the Eunuch will not find it too simple," County Magistrate Feng said, feeling that with the price settled, it was his moment to shine.

For a county magistrate, entertaining visiting officials was part of his duty, especially a procurement eunuch from the palace. Thus, he hosted a lavish banquet at the courier station. The cook, adept at ham preparations, not only served shark fin and abalone—rich dishes Eunuch Xu was accustomed to—but also presented local specialties like stewed pheasant with gastrodia tuber and ham, and steamed perch with shredded ham, which were refreshing and unique local delicacies.

Zhao An was also invited to the banquet. Seeing the gastrodia tuber in the chicken soup, he suspected it was from the batch he had recently sold, as it carried a faint trace of wood-element spiritual energy.

Eunuch Xu thoroughly enjoyed that bowl of soup, drinking two bowls before finally stopping. County Magistrate Feng even offered to gift the cook to Eunuch Xu.

Fortunately, Eunuch Xu ultimately declined. Otherwise, Zhao An would have felt guilty for potentially ruining the cook's life; if he went to the capital and could no longer prepare dishes to Eunuch Xu's liking, he would face dire consequences.

After the feast, the entertainment began with singing and dancing. There were beautiful young women playing the pipa and singing, as well as synchronized group dances. Although Zhao An didn't fully grasp the performances, the enthusiastic applause from County Magistrate Feng and the accompanying gentry and scholars suggested they were highly skilled.

Eunuch Xu was also very pleased. Had he not taken the pipa musician with him in the end, Zhao An might have found the banquet quite enjoyable.

Alas, harsh reality reminded him it was not enjoyable—in fact, far from it. When County Magistrate Feng gestured for a graceful dancer to approach Zhao An with a drink, Zhao An understood the implication. He forced himself to perk up and said, "I must return to the village to check on the villagers' progress with transplanting the strawberry seedlings. They are all a bit clumsy, and I won't feel at ease if I'm not there to supervise."

County Magistrate Feng clearly didn't believe his excuse but merely offered a faint smile. After Zhao An departed, one of the local gentry couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "He's still just a child whose feathers aren't fully grown." This was followed by a chorus of laughter.

Zhao An knew that leaving early would invite ridicule, but he wasn't the type to abandon his principles just to fit in. Even if he were attracted to women, he couldn't bring himself to indulge his desires casually among a group of greasy middle-aged men.

When Zhao An rode back to Changxi County, he found Feng Shaoping still in the village. He led his horse over and asked Feng Shaoping to help him return Hu Sheng's horse to the stables at Ruyi Restaurant.

His home was already troublesome enough with a wolf; keeping a horse would mean neither having a place to stable it nor fodder to feed it.

However, Feng Shaoping didn't respond to Zhao An's request. Instead, he sniffed the air and said, "You smell not only of alcohol but also of perfume. You haven't done anything to betray Brother Hu, have you?"

Although Feng Shaoping hadn't attended the banquet, he knew his father well. He was aware that on such occasions, County Magistrate Feng would summon all the courtesans and private singing girls in the county to entertain the guests.

Zhao An calmly replied, "Betrayal? I would never touch anyone other than the person I love."

"Tsk, tsk—you should say that to Brother Hu directly. What's the point of telling me?" For some reason, Feng Shaoping felt somewhat slighted.

He stopped chatting with Zhao An and said, "I've already sent people to check with the Zhang and Wang kilns. Their combined inventory isn't even eight hundred flowerpots. Even if they start firing new ones, it will take at least five days."

Zhao An frowned and asked, "How long would it take to buy them from neighboring counties or the prefectural city?"

Feng Shaoping shook his head. "The Zhang and Wang families in the north of Changxi County are the two largest kiln operators in the entire prefecture. Other places, like the prefectural kilns, only produce expensive porcelain, while the local kilns in villages mostly produce low-quality bricks and tiles."

"Is there no other way?" Zhao An asked, though he was already considering whether to build a simple kiln himself to fire flowerpots. After all, pottery didn't require highly advanced techniques.

However, Feng Shaoping smiled and said, "It's only a five-day wait. Why are you in such a hurry? My father can keep Eunuch Xu entertained and make him forget all about returning."

"Ah—" Zhao An was momentarily taken aback.

Seeing the resigned expression on Feng Shaoping's face, he realized that Feng Shaoping had never been worried from the start. It suddenly dawned on him that the concept of time in ancient times was vastly different from his own. Even the most urgent military reports could be delayed for ten days or half a month without issue.

So, a five-day delay for transplanting strawberry seedlings shouldn't be a big deal—except it was.

Zhao An couldn't sleep after returning home. He slept fitfully for two hours and got out of bed before dawn. He went to Liu Huan's house and woke him up, saying, "Don't you think paying several hundred taels of silver for flowerpots is a huge waste?"

Liu Huan nodded in agreement. Although the strawberry seedlings becoming a tribute item would bring the village a windfall, and Liu Huan, who had been closely following the matter, was overjoyed, the thought of spending hundreds of taels on flowerpots still pained him.

So Zhao An patted Liu Huan on the shoulder and said, "How about our village starts its own kiln?"

But it seemed as though Zhao An's pat had jolted Liu Huan awake. He hesitated and said, "But no one in our village knows how to fire kilns. We'd have to hire outside craftsmen, which would cost dozens of taels in wages alone each year, not to mention the initial cost of building the kiln. Even if we need flowerpots every year, it doesn't seem cost-effective."

Zhao An smiled confidently. "Don't worry, I know how to fire kilns."

Well, he only had theoretical knowledge. Some of it came from novels, but most came from documentaries he'd seen before the Revival Era. In an era lacking entertainment, even documentaries about craftsmanship were watched repeatedly.

In transmigration novels, the three things protagonists loved to do most were likely making cement, glass, and soap. He merely wanted to fire some pottery flowerpots, which shouldn't be too difficult. He had once watched a documentary about long kilns—also called dragon kilns—built against mountains. These kilns could reach temperatures of up to 1,300 degrees Celsius, high enough to fire porcelain. Using the heat from the flue, they could produce tens of thousands of ceramic pieces in one firing.

Zhao An confidently showed Liu Huan a sketch he had drawn. "Once our village builds this kiln, we won't need to buy bricks or tiles from elsewhere. After the money from selling the strawberry seedlings is distributed, everyone will have fuller pockets and can rebuild their houses."

So, hopefully, no one would mind temporarily serving as free labor.

Just as Zhao An was feeling slightly guilty about utilizing the villagers, the villagers Liu Huan had gathered early in the morning surrounded him. "Young Master Zhao, are you saying that if we help build the kiln, we can get bricks and tiles for free to rebuild our houses?"

Zhao An quickly raised his hands to quiet the chattering villagers. "After building the kiln, you'll also need to participate in making bricks and tiles. It's a work exchange. Any objections?"

"No objections, no objections." How could there be any objections? Most villagers still lived in thatched huts where rain leaked through the roof during downpours. Not having to spend money and only needing to contribute some labor in exchange for bricks and tiles to build houses—only a fool would object.