The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 77 It’s all here
Pei Jing approached and asked, "Is there anything wrong with this crystal ball?"

"It's not inappropriate, it's just a pleasant surprise." Wen Gu said.

"Brother Wen, what do you mean by birefringence?"

"Let's see..."

Wen Gu took out another slightly smaller transparent crystal ball from the wooden box. Although there was some white fluff inside, it did not affect it.

He placed the crystal ball next to the black line drawn on the paper.

Pei Jing didn't understand what was going on, but he did see the black line through the crystal ball.

But then, a surprising scene happened - as Wen Gu turned the crystal ball, the black line gradually split into two!
"this!"

Pei Jing opened his eyes wide and looked closely.

Wen Gu handed the crystal ball to him directly and let Pei Jing experiment on his own.

I tried it myself and confirmed it was true.

Pei Jing even drew a thin line with his own hands and tried it over and over again, but they were all the same!
After all, he was from a noble family, so after the initial surprise, he quickly calmed down.

"Is this what Brother Wen meant by double refraction?"

Wen Gu did not answer immediately, but picked up the slightly larger ball and let Pei Jing look at it again.

But this time, no matter how I turned the transparent ball, I didn't see the scene where one ball turned into two.

Pei Jing personally operated it and confirmed it.

He looked at Wen Gu puzzledly: "Why is that?"

"Yes, why is that?"

Wen Gu continued with a smile in his eyes:

"Most naturally occurring crystals have this property. It's hard to tell if they're too small, but it's more obvious if they're large and thick enough, like Brother Pei's crystal ball. However, most artificially made...glass doesn't have this property."

At least that's the case with today's technology.

Pei Jing was stunned.

He began to understand the meaning of reviewing the old stuff.

Wen Gu asked again: "There are two similar crystal balls. This glass ball is larger and purer. However, Brother Pei seems to have limited interest in it?"

"I can't explain why, I just don't like it that much."

Looking at the larger "crystal" ball, Pei Jing thought of many things.

He usually just held it in his hands when playing with it. Even if he was curious in the past, he just held the crystal ball and looked at the distant scenery, but he had never deliberately observed this kind of "double refraction" details.

What he likes is the feel of this water jade crystal stone.

No wonder he always felt something was wrong when he held the glass ball. He only liked it a little bit and put it in the corner after playing with it a few times.

After playing with water jade crystals for so many years, I choose to like or dislike them completely based on my intuition.

It’s not enough to be disgusted, but I usually just ignore it.

It turned out that this was not the natural water jade crystal stone he liked, but one created by human hands!

Seeing Pei Jing stunned, Wen Gu said, "Can I ask who is the craftsman who made this glass ball?"

"Burning..." Pei Jing murmured.

"In fact, we cannot confirm whether this is as I guessed. We need to ask in person." Wen Gu said.

Pei Jing grasped the glass ball with his fingers, exerted a little force, and a fierce look flashed in his lowered eyes.

The sons of noble families value their reputation very much, and now it is equivalent to taking out fake goods for customers to appreciate!

How dare someone fool him!
Pei Jing looked grim.

Wen Gu saw this and knew that these noble families sometimes put their reputation above everything else, so he quickly said:
"If you can find someone who can make this, it would be a huge help to me! Who knows, it might even bring even greater benefits to your Pei family!"

"Oh? It's so important?"

Pei Jing had adjusted his demeanor and sounded much calmer. At least on the surface, that was the appearance.

He recalled the time when he got the glass ball. It was after he arrived in Xinzhou City and it was presented to him by the people below.

He has a good memory, and with such a big crystal ball, as long as the time is not far away, he will have some impression of it.

Let the attendant call the manager who presented the treasure.

At this time, Pei Jing asked Wen Gu again why he valued this craftsman who made fake objects so much.

Wen Gu told him sincerely that if he could find this craftsman, he could save at least half a year!
In fact, saying half a year is optimistic and conservative.

Technological breakthroughs can be very short or can be extended indefinitely, and may not take years or even decades to achieve.

Qingyunfang is trying to make glass, but faces many difficulties.

Decolorizers, fluxes, kiln improvements...

Many problems need to be solved, such as impurities, discoloration, inability to burn, where to find the most suitable materials, how to match the various auxiliary tools, how to make corresponding modifications to the kiln, etc.

You won’t know how difficult it is until you actually do it!

Under the conditions of today's era, Wen Gu originally planned to solve these problems in half a year or more than a year.

During this period, the "defective products" from the experiments must be exchanged for R&D funds.

The materials and supplies consumed every day are not a small number. The finished products made in the kiln today can fool the rich, but they are still far from meeting the requirements of reviewing the old ones.

The dog Taoist priest is not omnipotent.

These are secondary, what matters is time!
The trial and error process takes too much time!!

That's why Wen Gu was so excited when he saw this clear glass ball.

Who is so talented? Let me see him!
You must stay alive!
Wen Gu picked out the interests involved and explained them to Pei Jing. For noble families, sometimes, interests are more important than face.

The steward was brought over quickly.

The Pei family had just been reorganized, and the manager did not dare to hide it.

"He was the adopted son of Guitong, a craftsman in the mansion. He offered him up during the initial escape, begging for a place to accompany the group north..."

The manager was so frightened that sweat broke out on his forehead. He just wanted to please Pei Jing at the beginning and never thought that there would be any problem with such a precious treasure!
"So, the person is still alive?" Pei Jing asked.

He had an impression of Gui Tong. Many crystal carvings were completed by this craftsman, who was an old craftsman who had been employed in the mansion for many years.

"Alive! They're all alive!" The steward was afraid that the blame would fall on him. "Gui Tong and his adopted son Gui Shi were transferred to Wanfu Garden a while ago and are now living in Qingyunfang."

I sigh in my heart as I review the past.

It turned out to be right under my nose!

It’s hidden so well!

When the statistics were being done, those two didn't tell the truth, otherwise they wouldn't have been assigned to do the cutting and carving work.

"Brother Pei, why don't we go to Qingyunfang together?" Wen Gu invited.

Pei Jing thought, after all, they were craftsmen in his mansion, and one of them was an old craftsman who had been employed for many years, so he really had to find out.

So he took people with Wen Gu to Qingyunfang to verify.

Most of the technical craftsmen involved in the Wanfu Garden project lived in Qingyunfang.

A kiln was built there, and craftsmen were needed to burn colored glaze and glass, as well as do some fine handicrafts.

When Guitong and his adopted son Guishi were called in for questioning, they both felt a sense of melancholy that "this day has finally come."

So he honestly explained the whole story.

Gui Tong, the old craftsman of the Pei Mansion, was indeed a carver, but his adopted son Gui Shi was not, and he had nothing to do with the Pei Mansion before the chaotic times.

Gui Shi used to make glass with his master.

"The master accidentally got a batch of good materials and said we could try a new process..." Gui Shi recounted the story of how the master and apprentice made glass.

The master and his apprentice tried and failed many times before they made this one. They wanted to use it to gain wealth, but unexpectedly the world became chaotic and the master was unfortunately possessed by evil spirits.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Gui Shi took the glass ball to find his fellow villager Gui Tong and recognized him as his adoptive father.

"When we were fleeing, my status didn't conform to the rules of the Pei Mansion. I wasn't a blood relative of my adoptive father, and I was a temporary adopted son, so I wasn't among the group. I had no choice but to..."

He used this glass ball to bribe the steward, got a place in Pei Mansion's entourage, and came to Xinzhou to seek refuge.

Gui Shi spoke with his head down.

At that time, he was also cautious and did not say that it was fired, but he also did not say that it was genuine.

He had wanted to keep it a secret for the rest of his life. When he was transferred to Qingyunfang and learned that some people there were burning colored glass and some things similar to crystal, he was so scared that he dared not say that he had burned glass before, for fear of causing trouble.

I didn't expect it to happen so suddenly.

I sigh when I review the past.

They are all talents!
Unfortunately, the master is no longer with us, and I don’t know how much of the skills this young disciple has mastered.

The flux is still under research, and the kiln workers are constantly modifying the kilns and improving the process.

I didn't expect there are hidden masters! A true master lost among the people!

Wen Gu once again expressed his desire to hire the craftsman Xiao Gui to work at the glass kiln.

At this time, Pei Jing had considered the pros and cons and agreed.

It’s a pleasure to review the old stuff.

If successful, we can achieve technological breakthroughs ahead of schedule and accomplish the goals of the first phase.

The various "mirrors" in the plan are not far from being realized!
However, I still have to do something small to recover my health first.

"Now that you're here, why not come sit over there with me? Let's talk more about the design of the flying bridge." Wen Gu invited Pei Jing.

Pei Jing thought that there was nothing to do when he returned, so he said, "Sorry to bother you then."

"The courtyard in Qingyunfang is still under renovation. It's a bit inconvenient. Brother Pei, please move to Jingxingfang across the way."

The two came to Jingxingfang's office to discuss some artistic design issues first.

The two disagreed on some details.

Wen Gu looked at the drawing paper he was revising, frowning and thinking hard. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly seemed to think of something and said to Pei Jing:

"Some issues cannot be explained simply by words. Fortunately, for this section of the bridge, I asked the craftsmen to make some small parts first, to make a model. The color matching is more accurate when seen in person."

"A model?" Pei Jing asked in surprise. "Something like a sand table? Can it be made?"

Wen Gu affirmed, "Yes, it can be done, and it's almost done. Brother Pei, are you interested? Why not try to assemble the real thing? It's much more vivid than on paper!"

Pei Jing was a little moved.

Now that the house has been tidied up and cleaned, everyone in the mansion can be quiet for a while.

There's nothing to do at home, so why not go out and do something else?

What he said about reviewing the past makes sense. After all, the content that can be presented on the drawing paper is limited. If you make a model first, you may find more problems.

Pei Jing looked at the drawing paper, pointed at the side of the long bridge, and asked, "You said that both sides of this long bridge are full of floor-to-ceiling windows decorated with glazed tiles and glass. Can these also be put together on the sand table...model?"

"Yes, the craftsmen have fired a batch of colored glass... and small pieces of glass. You can try to put them together first." Wen Gu said.

Pei Jing's heart was beating wildly.

(End of this chapter)