Chapter 51: The Hu Residence

Chapter 51: The Hu Residence

In this era, rouge bottles came in many varieties: some were made of various porcelains, some of carved wood, and others of carved copper... some were produced by official kilns, while others came from small workshops, resulting in varying levels of quality.

Without exception, these bottles featured a recessed ring around the neck, with the lid fitting snugly onto the outer edge of that ring.

While they appeared to have a high degree of fit, the seal was actually poor; the contents could easily oxidize, leading to a relatively short shelf life.

The small bottles designed by Feng Chuchen featured an extra segment inside the lid that would lock perfectly onto the bottle neck. By adding a layer of velvet cloth over that extra segment and pinching some folds into the fabric, the lid could grip the neck more securely, creating a better seal.

The small bottles could hold ointments, and if made larger and longer, they could hold tea leaves.

In this era, the large tea canisters in tea shops and teahouses were typically sealed with a layer of cloth tied around the entire lid, which was not very aesthetically pleasing.

Currently, Feng Chuchen did not need many small bottles, as they were only for the Sophora Flavescens Repair Ointment; the Yao family could produce more large tea canisters instead.

Feng Chuchen took out another piece of paper, on which she had drawn several canisters decorated with patterns of landscapes, bamboo, peonies, and lotus flowers.

The lotus pattern was for the small bottles, while the others were for the tea canisters.

The reason she drew all the patterns beforehand was that the bowls fired by the Yao family were not very beautiful. The person drawing the designs for the Yao family's ceramics was her eldest cousin, who had a few years of schooling but only mediocre drawing skills.

"In the future, we shouldn't just fire coarse bottles; we need to fire more fine porcelain. Only high-quality goods can bring in more money. I've heard that adding some crystal soil during the firing process can increase hardness and add more luster.

"Make two hundred small bottles first for my use. You can make more large tea canisters, but the quality must be excellent, and the process must remain secret. Once we produce them in large quantities, we can take them to the teahouses. Selling them at a good price will also help build your reputation..."

The "crystal soil" of this era was the rare earth of her previous life. Feng Chuchen knew from her past life that adding an appropriate amount of rare earth during porcelain firing could increase both the hardness and the brightness of the ceramic.

Feng Chuchen wanted the Yao family to live a better life, but this was all she could do for now.

After looking at Feng Chuchen's drawings and listening to her explanation, her eldest uncle and second cousin both felt the prospects were promising. They rubbed their hands together, expressing their readiness to give it their all.

Uncle Yao was somewhat hesitant. "Fine porcelain is hard to fire; it requires great skill and takes a long time. We can fire the bottles Chuchen wants, but those tea canisters... if we work so hard to make them and they don't sell well..."

Feng Chuchen said, "Uncle, no matter what you do, there must be improvement. You can't build something new without breaking the old. Trust me, those tea canisters will definitely make money. We shouldn't just fire round ones; we can also fire barrel-shaped ones."

She picked up her brush again and drew several canisters of different shapes.

The second cousin said, "Grandfather, Sister Chuchen is right. Without improvement, we'll be stuck like this forever. Look at the Li Family Kiln in the neighboring village. A few years ago, I don't know what they added to the clay, but the porcelain they fire is both hard and bright. They couldn't compete with us before, but now even the traveling merchants from hundreds of miles away come to buy from them. Most likely, what they added was crystal soil."

Seeing that his children and grandchildren were willing to improve, Old Man Yao finally agreed.

After finishing lunch at the Yao house, they were driven home by the second cousin in a carriage at the beginning of the Shen hour in the afternoon.

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Sister-in-law Yao the Second gave birth. The eldest cousin drove the carriage to pick up Feng Chuchen and Auntie Wang.

The birth went very smoothly. Although it was a girl, the Yao family was delighted.

In the middle of the month, they visited Old Doctor Fang to pay his respects, bringing him two canisters of fine tea and two bolts of silk.

A few days later, she went to treat Miss Wen. Miss Wen's menstrual pain had improved, which gave the Wen family hope and led them to treat Feng Chuchen with even more courtesy.

Perhaps the news released by the Jiang residence had taken effect, as no one had come to invite Feng Chuchen to perform the Yin Spirit Needle treatment for a long time.

Amidst the busyness, early February arrived.

Spring returned to the earth, willow branches sprouted green, and the early-blooming winter jasmine blossomed in the wind.

Construction on the memorial archway began again, and the area in front of the Feng residence was bustling with people.

On the eighth day of the second lunar month, Feng Chuchen took Feng Buqi, Shaoyao, and Datou to their new home in Beian Ward, where they would stay for two days.

The furniture had already been made, and Auntie Wang had taken Banxia and some bedding there yesterday.

As soon as they entered the entrance of the alley, they could hear the clear sounds of students reading.

Knocking on the door, Banxia smiled and said, "Miss, Young Master, the furniture arrived yesterday, and the heated kang is already lit. It's very warm."

Per Feng Chuchen's request, a small house had been specially built for Datou between the entrance room and the western wing.

The trees in the courtyard had already grown new leaves, and the red plum blossoms in the corner were in full bloom.

Opening the door, a dry, warm breeze blew into the room, and brilliant sunlight streamed in; it was incredibly pleasant.

As Feng Chuchen and the others tidied the room, Feng Buqi stood by the courtyard gate with Datou, listening to the reading from the private school.

His mouth was stretched wide in a grin. He was feeling much better; not only would he not die young, but he could also study, practice martial arts, and eventually become an imperial physician to treat the Emperor, support his sister, and marry a wife who was willing to hang onto his belt...

Thinking of these wonderful things, the little fellow let out a giggle.

Datou also liked the new home, panting happily with his long tongue out.

For lunch, they went to the street corner to eat noodles.

After lunch, Banxia took Feng Buqi home to rest, while Feng Chuchen, Auntie Wang, and Shaoyao went to the market to shop.

Since they were eating a prepared meal for dinner, they decided to make several extra dishes.

The market was less than fifteen minutes away by foot, and goods were slightly more expensive than at the rural markets.

Feng Chuchen bought several pots and seeds of various flowers, including roses, peonies, peonies, primroses, morning glories, orchids, winter jasmine, and cycads, for both the new home and the old residence.

Additionally, she bought ingredients such as tofu, bamboo shoots, and wood ear mushrooms.

She spent a full ten-odd taels of silver.

Upon returning home, Feng Chuchen enthusiastically planted the flower seeds and arranged the potted plants.

In the future, she would have someone come to the new home every few days to tend to the flowers and plants, so that as soon as they moved in, the garden would be a riot of color and spring splendor.

Although dinner was a vegetarian feast, it was very sumptuous, consisting of six dishes and one soup.

At the end of the Chen hour the next day, Feng Chuchen and her brother took gifts and hired a donkey cart from Auntie Wang to visit the Hu residence.

The donkey cart ride took over an hour.

Arriving at the eastern side gate, Feng Chuchen said to the gatekeeper, "My brother and I are the niece and nephew of Midwife Feng. We have come specifically to pay our respects to Madam Hu."

After saying this, she handed over two small silver pieces.

The gatekeeper knew that all the young masters of his house had been delivered by Midwife Feng, and he had even seen Midwife Wang come to assist.

He took the silver and smiled, "Wait here, I will go in and inform the Madam."

A little over fifteen minutes later, the gatekeeper ran back smiling, "Miss Feng, Young Master Feng, my Madam requests your presence."

Feng Chuchen and the others followed an elderly woman to the main courtyard.

In a side room, a middle-aged woman in her forties was sitting on a Luohan bed. A two-year-old girl sat in her arms, holding a sheep plushie—the very one Feng Chuchen had gifted.

Sitting to the side were a young woman and a teenage girl.

Feng Chuchen knew that Lord Hu had one son and one daughter.

The eldest son, Hu Youming, was twenty-six years old. He had passed the imperial examinations last year and was currently serving in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

His wife, Madam Song, had three children with him: twin sons Hu Qingsong and Hu Qingyang, who were six years old, and a little daughter, Hu Qingluo, who was two.

Because of complications during the birth of her eldest son, Madam Hu had developed health issues and did not give birth to her youngest daughter until her thirties.

The youngest daughter was named Hu Youjia, and she was just eight years old this year. She was eighteen years younger than her eldest brother and two years older than her nephews.

The little girl was fair and delicate, with a constant smile on her face.

All five of the Hu family's children and grandchildren had been delivered by Midwife Feng and had all grown up healthy.