Xiaoyun, the maidservant standing nearby, couldn't help but object upon hearing Ye Ming's words.
"What, five times the efficiency?"
"You're just bragging! Our young lady has seen everything."
"What loom can increase weaving efficiency fivefold?"
Not only Xiaoyun, but Huang Wenwen also doubted it.
However, years of experience dealing with people prevented her from immediately retorting.
"Xiaoyun, don't be rude."
"Miss, he's lying to you."
Huang Wenwen glared at Xiaoyun before snorting unconvinced. After a brief apology to Ye Ming, she fell silent.
"Shopkeeper Ye, could you please show me this loom that increases weaving efficiency fivefold?"
"I don't have it yet. Come back here in a few days. If you're satisfied, we can discuss the deal."
Seeing Ye Ming's confident expression, coupled with her own research on him,
she felt for a moment that perhaps Ye Ming actually had it. If so, their Huang family could truly defeat the Zhou family.
"Okay, when Boss Ye finishes fixing the loom, send someone to Huang's Restaurant to let me know."
"By the way, I heard Boss Ye has been studying hard lately, as this year's Spring Examination is approaching."
"My Huang family will be holding a literary gathering in two days to encourage students. Boss Ye, you could go and soak up some of the cultural atmosphere."
It was said that the Huang family, a prominent merchant family in Qingshui County, had a long tradition of sponsoring poor students for the imperial examinations.
Therefore, they had connections in the government, perhaps explaining why they couldn't compete with the Zhou family in business.
But the Zhou family didn't dare to provoke them easily.
Cui Xian's legs weren't strong enough; with the Huang family's help, taking care of them would be much easier.
"Okay, then, I'll definitely go and observe and learn." After all,
it was just a matter of taking a look, and it could also strengthen his relationship with the Huang family, so why not?
"Well, we'll all be waiting for Mr. Ye's arrival."
"Xiaoyun, come pick out some porcelain with me."
"If Miss Huang wants some, I have a few blue and white porcelain pieces here. I'll give them to her."
Ye Ming looked at Yang Xiaohui, who was quietly waiting nearby.
"Xiaohui, Uncle Xiong, go to the backyard and bring out some of my blue and white porcelain."
"Okay, Brother Ming."
"Yes, benefactor."
Huang Wenwen watched the two leave with a delighted look.
"Mr. Ye, do you have any blue and white porcelain here?"
Huang Wenwen's father, Huang Qi, loved collecting porcelain, especially fine blue and white pieces.
"Yes, I fired some."
So it was a shame he'd fired it himself. Blue and white
porcelain isn't just about the coloring; the beauty of the painting and the uniformity of the colors are also crucial.
It's obvious that Ye Ming hasn't read much. The people of Qingshi Village are illiterate peasants.
So this blue and white porcelain can't be very fine. It's
probably just a few cyan patterns.
Or, after signing the contract with Ye Ming and obtaining the exclusive rights to sell white porcelain, he could discuss with him the firing method for blue and white porcelain.
At the very least, he could find him a skilled floral artist.
Once he's crafting exquisite blue and white porcelain, he could sell it to the county seat, or even the capital, and make a killing!
"Thank you, Boss Ye."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Xiaohui and Yang Xiong each emerged with a blue and white porcelain vase.
"Brother Ming, are you going to put it on this stand?"
"Yes, after you put it down, you and Uncle Yang can go and rest. You've all worked hard today."
"Not hard, not hard. This is much easier than working in the fields with my father."
"Yes, benefactor, I, Yang Xiong, am quite strong, so this is nothing."
Ye Ming nodded slightly, picking up a blue and white porcelain vase and handing it to Huang Wenwen.
"Miss Huang, come and see what you think of this blue and white porcelain?"
Even before the blue and white porcelain arrived, Huang Wenwen was stunned by the exquisite painting.
It was like a top-notch artist imprinted on the vase.
Every flower and leaf on it was lifelike.
She suppressed her excitement, reached out to take the porcelain vase, and examined it carefully.
"This is simply more stunning than any blue and white porcelain I've ever seen!"
"Boss Ye, please sell me both of these."
"I'll give you six hundred taels of silver!" Xiaoyun,
who had just been disdainful of Ye Ming, was stunned, but then came to her senses.
"Boss Ye, you didn't buy this, did you?"
"How could you possibly produce such exquisite blue and white porcelain?"
Ye Ming was speechless. How could he, a time traveler with a system, not be able to produce such exquisite blue and white porcelain?
"You're joking, young lady. Before today, I was just a poor farmer."
"You've never even been out of Qingshui County. You've no money and have never seen the world. How can you buy such exquisite blue and white porcelain?"
Seeing Ye Ming's well-reasoned argument, Xiaoyun felt embarrassed for a moment and started to refute again.
"What if Cui Xian gave it to you? He won the imperial examination last year and received two pieces of blue and white porcelain. That's not unusual, right ?"
So it was Cui Xian who gave it to Ye Ming?
That made sense. I didn't expect Ye Ming to be so generous for the sake of cooperation.
"Hey, why don't you believe
me?" "Uncle Yang, get the rest of the box out so Miss Yang can see!"
Yang Xiong, who had been fuming over Xiao Yun's slander of Ye Ming, smiled.
"Okay!"
"Dad, I'll go with you."
"Boss Ye, I admire you for coming from a penniless peasant to this point."
"But can you please stop bragging? This is a loom with five times the efficiency, and it produces top-quality blue and white porcelain."
"Isn't that something we can produce in Qingshui County?"
Huang Wenwen, seeing her maid being so rude, quickly intervened.
"Xiao Yun, why are you so rude today?"
"Hurry up and apologize to Boss Ye, or I'll deduct a month's salary from you!"
Xiao Yun's face instantly turned bitter. Her monthly salary was only 500 wen.
If she is deducted from this for the next month, she will have no reason to live.
"Oh, Miss, I didn't say anything wrong."
"Three, two, one!"
"Come on, stop counting. I apologize, isn't that enough?"
"Boss Ye, I was wrong. Can you please be magnanimous and not argue with a servant like me?"
Ye Ming honestly didn't like Xiao Yun.
She had just been questioning him and interrupting him.
If he could, he really wanted to spank her.
"Forget it, forget it. I won't argue with you, little brat."
Xiao Yun, as if she had been pardoned, quickly covered her mouth and hid behind her mistress.
"Boss Ye, is everything you just said true?"
"Can you really make such exquisite blue and white porcelain?"
"Of course, it's just that the production of blue and white porcelain is limited, and I don't have time to paint every day."
"Boss Ye, are you saying you painted the painting on this bottle?"
"The painting is even more exquisite than the imperial court painters. Don't lie to me."
And you're talking about your little maid? Don't you believe it either?
"Do I need to lie to you, Miss Huang?"
"If you don't believe me, you can come to Qingshi Village to find me tomorrow, and I will draw it for you myself."