When Xu Wen and Lian Tianqing were watching the scenery side by side on the bridge, a middle-aged man was hurrying from the backyard to a side courtyard in a five-entry house in the capital.

The courtyard in the capital is different from that in Jiangnan, not as elegant and elaborate as it is, and it is usually a little more spacious and atmospheric. But this side courtyard is full of strong Jiangnan style, whether it is the white wall or the flower window, or the bamboo and bamboo under the lake stone behind the window, everywhere is full of poetry and rhyme, and it can be made into a painting on paper.

There is a cluster of exotic orchids blooming on the side of the stone under the bamboo, each flower is about the same size as a walnut, dozens of flowers bloom together, less the unique elegance of orchids, but a little more spring splendor.

There was a slender figure squatting by the flower, slender like a girl, but coiled in a weeping bun that only a woman can comb, shouting.

"Get out of the way, it's my turn, it's my turn!"

A little girl stood up unconvinced and complained to her companion: "I said that I can't let her get started after the fight in one go...... I finally got a first move. ”

"You're saying it simply, you've only scored two beads, and I've scored three!" the other girl pouted, reluctantly giving up her position.

"What's the use of that, if you score one more, let's have a tie with her, and we can have six. It's not like there's no way now?" the first little girl pouted higher than hers.

When he heard the woman's voice, the middle-aged man had already slowed down, and when he heard the specific content of their conversation, he suddenly showed a helpless smile.

He walked behind the lake rocks and opened the bamboo branches to look. The woman over there was having a lively time with the little girls, and she didn't notice the movement here at all.

They were playing the simplest game of marbles.

Twelve small round pits were dug in the land next to the bamboo forest, and twelve crystal beads the size of peanuts were placed about five feet in front of them.

Their goal is to punch the beads into the hole, and whoever goes in more wins.

Pink, pink yellow, powder blue, pink purple...... Each bead is a different color, but it is all crystal clear and free of impurities.

The morning light slanted from the sky, revealed from the beads, and shone on the ground, leaving colorful and gorgeous shadows, and the eyes of the little girls were straight.

According to the understanding of the girls, only the most authentic and best quality crystal beads will have such a clear luster. And the female VIP said that as long as she won the game, she would give them all the beads. Even if it's a tie, you can give them half.

The little girls are very good at this kind of little game, but this woman is so powerful that as long as she can get the beads, she can enter the hole one after another, and she is not accurate.

But the beads are so beautiful, and the little girls still have the courage to play with her.

How can you win if you fight three against one?

As a result, in the most critical game, they finally got the first move, and finally advanced five holes, and then entered one to tie, and the most accurate little girl ring among them missed the hand and missed a great opportunity.

Sure enough, the woman curled the corners of her mouth and smiled, lay on the ground, and with a flick of it, the pink-purple glass bead bounced up from the ground, drawing a perfect arc and easily falling into the hole.

Then each of the next beads has a different posture into the hole, some are in a straight line and fall straight in, some are turned in a circle and screwed in from behind, and some are bounced up and fallen in a straight line after a certain distance.

All seven beads were where they were supposed to go, and although they knew that this represented their own defeat, the little girls were still dazzled and slapped their hands again and again.

"Beautiful!" The middle-aged man couldn't help it, and slapped his slap heavily and cheered loudly.

Xiao Yahuan was startled by his voice, and as soon as the slapping stopped, she hurriedly stood up one by one, patting the dust and dirt on her skirt, with a panicked face.

It's miserable, they are seen by adults who are lazy and playing!

As a result, the middle-aged man didn't say anything, just waved his hand and told them to stand down.

The girls were relieved, and just as they were about to leave, they were stopped by the woman.

She walked over with a slight smile, put all twelve "crystal beads" into her purse, and handed them over.

"I've given it to you, so let's divide it. She said.

"Such a precious thing!" the girls were surprised and delighted.

"Cheap stuff, nothing precious. It's not crystal beads, it's glass beads, it's burned. The woman said.

"Burnt out glass...... No, the glass isn't so transparent!" said one of the girls, shaking her head.

Glass is something that has been around for a long time, but when fired to such a shiny and translucent color, it is also a very rare and precious thing.

"It's not uncommon after that. Glasses, jugs...... There will be a lot of things made of glass that you can't think of, and I'm afraid that when the time comes, it's so cheap that you won't want to make jewelry out of it. The woman smiled.

"How come? so pretty......" the girls said dumbfoundedly.

"This kind of glass, can it be burned out stably?" the maids left with great gratitude, and the middle-aged man finally spoke again.

"Yes. Three kilns in a row, the properties are very stable, and the texture is getting better and better. The next kiln is ready to try the colorless transparent glass. If it succeeds, the emperor plans to replace all the windows in the dormitory with transparent glass windows, and the light in the palace should be better. The woman turned and looked directly at him, her expression calm, and her words crisp and clear, without any delay.

"What about the cost?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Very cheap. The woman casually said the number, and the middle-aged man immediately took a few deep breaths to calm the excitement in his heart.

Combined with some of the woman's previous plans and proposals, he knows exactly what kind of changes this technological innovation will bring!

"You came to me today to ......" With the extent that the woman has a lot of opportunities, there must be a reason why she took the time to come to him, and the middle-aged man no longer wasted time and asked directly.

"There is news that the young worker appeared in Lin Luo Mansion on Jiangnan Road, and I want you to send someone to take a look and bring him back. The woman said.

"Qinggong ......" Hearing these two words, the middle-aged man's pupils vibrated, and he said after a while, "At the beginning, you promised him that you would remove his craftsman registration and never pursue his whereabouts again!"

"So what. The woman said as a matter of course, "There is one thing that the emperor wants to do now, and only he can complete it." I've been looking for him for a long time, and since he's gone, he has to come. ”

"But ......" middle-aged people are embarrassed.

"Nothing. The woman said lightly but unequivocally.

She clapped her hands, stood up straight, and said, "I heard that Sun Boran knows some things about him, and the person you sent can ask directly." He should have — knew what the world was like. ”

When she had finished explaining her story, she turned and walked away, as crisp and crisp as she had spoken.

The middle-aged man suddenly thought of something and wanted to ask her a question, but he couldn't say anything, and could only watch her back disappear.

The woman didn't look back, without any nostalgia, and it didn't take long for a courteous shout to come from outside: "-Guifei get up!"