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墨書 Inktalez
As the sun dipped low in the west, the "Star Pattern Pottery" was placed into the kiln. Lin Dahe carefully selected several thick pieces and embedded the clearest shards of glass at the bottom of the vessels. Cui Xiaoman, on the other hand, used a copper hook to carve seemingly random wave patterns onto the wet clay, which were actually secret techniques taught to her by her mother from Yan Shen Town.
That night, the firelight cast a red glow across half the courtyard. Lin Dahe squatted by the kiln, adding firewood, when he suddenly heard Cui Xiaoman humming a peculiar tune. The words were unclear, but the melody reminded him of camel bells in the desert.
"It's the 'Song of Melting Glass' my mother taught me," she explained uncharacteristically, "She said singing it by the furnace keeps the glaze from getting temperamental."
As light rain began to fall in the latter half of the night, Lin Dahe shielded the kiln entrance with his body while Cui Xiaoman found an old straw mat to hold over his head. The two huddled together in the rain like two scruffy foxes guarding their treasure.
When dawn broke and they opened the kiln, the "Star Pattern Pottery" was unexpectedly exquisite. The glass shards on the clay body had melted into sparkling dots, and the dark patterns at the bottom of the vessels shimmered in the sunlight. Most remarkable was a wine jug with a chipped spout—when tilted, the glass at its base refracted rainbow-like spots of light.
"It's better than pure glass," Cui Xiaoman rarely complimented anything, "It won't shatter and saves material."
Just as she spoke, the courtyard door was suddenly kicked open. Three tax officials swaggered in, led by none other than the Counselor who had previously benefited from their "Locust-Repelling Charm." Today, he wore a brand new silk shirt but still had that gilded incense ball hanging from his waist.
"Someone reported that you are illegally melting glass!" The Counselor's beady eyes darted around.
Lin Dahe slowly wiped a pottery jug, "Your Excellency, please see for yourself; I only make coarse pottery."
The tax officials turned the courtyard upside down. When one of them kicked over a pile of firewood, Cui Xiaoman's nails dug sharply into Lin Dahe's arm—last night's experimental crucible was hidden underneath! Just as it seemed that pile would collapse, the Counselor's attention was suddenly caught by a pottery jar.
"Eh?" He lifted the star-patterned wine jug towards the sun, "These spots..."
"I mixed in shell powder during firing," Lin Dahe replied without missing a beat, "Fishermen by the sea do this all the time."
The Counselor examined the pottery with skepticism. When the refracted light from the base hit his eyes, this greedy official suddenly smiled: "Interesting, this official..."
"Your Excellency!" One tax official rushed in from the backyard holding a bag of saltpeter, "We found contraband!"
The air in the courtyard instantly froze. Lin Dahe suddenly remembered that leftover saltpeter from improving soil was piled up in a corner. According to Ming Dynasty law, possessing more than ten pounds of saltpeter was considered treason!
"It's a misunderstanding!" Cui Xiaoman dashed forward unexpectedly, "This is an ingredient for treating malaria!" She grabbed some saltpeter and held it up to the Counselor's face, "Smell it; it's genuine saltpeter powder! Doctor Li has even come to ask for some..."
The Counselor suspiciously sniffed it and was suddenly choked into three consecutive sneezes. Seizing this opportunity, Cui Xiaoman shoved a star-patterned pottery cup into his hands: "If you like this pottery..."
"Cough cough... This official is here to investigate!" The Counselor declared sternly, yet his hands honestly accepted the cup. As he left, he deliberately glanced at that bag of saltpeter; his gaze resembled that of a wild dog discovering a bone.
Peddler Zhang squatted at the door watching as the officials departed and sighed: "Now we're in trouble." He pointed at a mark on the bag, "The government requires registration for confiscated saltpeter; your bag bears a wax seal from the Ministry of War..."
Lin Dahe's heart skipped a beat. He flipped over the burlap sack and indeed found a faint imprint at its bottom—this was clearly from those government saltpeters he had seen at Zhou's abandoned brick kiln days ago!
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