Chapter 186: The Family Craft Proves Its Worth

The arrival of Li Daoyun and his party truly stirred up Zhu Mao Village.

In people's minds, living in a grand residence and having a close relationship with the county magistrate meant that Li Xian's background must be substantial. Numerous versions of Li Xian's background emerged in Zhu Mao Village.

Some said he was the child of a leader, others claimed he was a big merchant, and there were even stories suggesting that his family had inherited valuable treasures… Each version was quite legendary.

However, the arrival of Li Daoyun and Li You was a surprise to many—these appeared to be just ordinary old farmers!

Despite the gossip from outsiders, Old Zhu was quite attentive to the arrival of Li Xian's relatives. Besides their monthly salary of over 400 yuan, Old Zhu and his son also received promised bonuses from Li Xian. If they performed well, their annual income could reach several hundred thousand yuan.

Everyone in the family was eager to make a good impression, so when their relatives arrived, they made sure to give them a proper welcome.

After meeting Li Daoyun and Li You, Old Zhu immediately sent Zhu Feng to buy good ingredients and fetched some old wine that had been stored for seven or eight years. He also asked Yang Shuzhen and Zhu Juan to help with the cooking, making the residence lively and bustling.

While the women were busy in the kitchen, the men gathered in the yard to chat.

Li Xian had not shared much about the distillery business with his family, so Li You was both surprised and pleased to learn that Li Xian had started another business in Bangye.

Who wouldn't want their family business to grow?

Li Daoyun was straightforward. After tasting Bangye White, he immediately praised his grandson for doing a great job. The business was solid.

Although Li Xian was the central figure in the household, when the retired veterans, Old Zhu, and the Li family's lineup were together, he seldom had the chance to speak.

Sitting there watching a crowd praise him was rather dull. With dinner still some time away, Li Xian decided to bring out the mahjong and set up a game for the old men, while he slipped into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Zou Ni, who had just arrived at the residence, was immediately put to work by Zhu Juan. Surrounded by a flurry of activity, Zou Ni was flattered and light-hearted.

The women's conversation revolved around men and children, while Su Ya and her mother, unable to speak or having no men around, quietly worked on the vegetables.

To avoid any potential mishaps, Li Xian stepped in and kept Zhu Juan away from the kitchen.

However, seeing Yang Shuzhen cutting vegetables reminded him of the wine bottle packaging.

Thinking about Yang Shuzhen's family pottery skills, he approached her, "Auntie, I remember Uncle Zhu mentioned that you also know how to make pottery?"

Yang Shuzhen paused her chopping, brushed her stray hair with the back of her hand, and smiled, "Yes, my father taught me the black pottery technique, which traditionally is passed down to men, not women. But since there were six sisters in our family, it would have ended if not passed on to me. However, it's not much use now, as no one cares about that anymore."

Li Xian nodded and explained the idea of disposable ceramic bottles, asking if she had any suggestions.

Yang Shuzhen smiled, "What use would asking me be? My father taught black pottery, not… Ah?" She put down the knife as if suddenly realizing something. "Are you saying you want the bottle and the lid to be stuck together so that the bottle can't be returned and reused, right?"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Li Xian quickly nodded.

Yang Shuzhen wiped her hands on her apron and frowned in thought. "If we use ceramic clay for the bottle body, we can try using black pottery for the lid."

Li Xian, unfamiliar with the details, asked for clarification.

Yang Shuzhen picked up a rice jar and a lump of dough from the counter, explaining, "Ceramic jars are mainly made from clay. This kind of clay is loose and has pores. Black pottery, on the other hand, is denser and finer, but it dries more slowly than clay. If you use black pottery for the lid, it will stick to the bottle while still wet, like this rice and dough. Once the lid dries in a day or two, to open the bottle, you would have to break it at the bottle mouth. If you leave a mark on the bottle, you could either use a knife to crack it or simply break it with your hands, and the jar would open."

Fearing Li Xian might not understand, Yang Shuzhen mimicked the motion of a nurse injecting medicine with a syringe.

Li Xian clapped his thigh.

Indeed!

When it came to pottery skills, it was best to rely on family traditions!

…

That evening, the whole family set up a table in the courtyard, lighting piles of wet straw to drive away mosquitoes, and celebrated noisily.

Li Xian drank quite a bit in his happiness and, by the end, felt everything was spinning. He waved his hand to exit the scene. Sitting on the steps in front of the main hall, watching the stars whirl in the sky, he noticed Old Zheng, who had earlier left the table, chatting animatedly with Su Ma with a big bowl in hand.

Although Su Ma didn't respond and kept her head down while eating, Li Xian chuckled at Old Zheng's lecherous appearance.

Could Old Zheng be having a romantic interest?

The next morning, Li Xian went to the ceramic factory early, discussing Yang Shuzhen's proposal with the factory's technicians.

After a late-night meeting, the factory had initially planned to use adhesive to bond the bottle body and lid together. Although this method was similar to using black pottery, since the bottle was for liquor, using glue, a chemical agent, seemed less appropriate compared to the black pottery method. Furthermore, using a black pottery lid, which has its own stickiness, would streamline the production process!

This method reduced the cost of the bottle slightly.

Thus, the proposal was immediately approved by the technicians. They invited Yang Shuzhen to the factory to demonstrate the black pottery preparation process.

Creating high-quality black pottery is a sophisticated craft. True black pottery is uniform, pitch-black, and glossy. The finished product, when thin, is comparable to an eggshell, and is both hard and produces a metallic sound when tapped.

However, for a bottle lid, there was no need for such precision. It was enough to make the base clay by sieving riverbank clay and mixing it with carbon powder, which was essentially similar to the preparation method for regular clay.

With Yang Shuzhen's live demonstration, the factory quickly produced a trial batch, and the results were perfect. The lids fit the bottles perfectly and fused seamlessly after drying.

The technicians at the factory were impressed with this previously unseen ceramic art.

The century-old craft of the Yang family had proven its worth!

…

With the technical issues resolved, the ceramic factory immediately started designing the molds. Within two days, the new packaging for Bangye White was finalized.

Although the new ceramic jar packaging cost two cents more than the glass bottles, Li Xian believed it was well worth it.

The new packaging not only significantly deterred counterfeiters but also elevated the status of Bangye White. The conical ceramic jars exuded an antique charm, complemented by the glossy black pottery lid, making the entire product resemble a handcrafted artwork.

With the new packaging decided, Li Xian instructed Zhu Feng to resume the promotional plans that had been stalled due to counterfeit issues.

In no time, from Yichun in the north to Ice City in the south, a wave of intense advertising and promotional campaigns for Bangye White was launched!