Traveling through ancient times, it is too much to say that you don't burn glass. Pure glass has nothing to do with the military, but the telescope made of glass is a real military material. In fact, Su Hao had also thought about burning glass before, because to engage in surveying and mapping, he also needed a telescope. Now that the military is willing to pay, Su Hao is not afraid to sell a pair of binoculars for 100 taels of silver.

"What is a telescope?" Deng Kui was really attracted by Su Hao's words. He hadn't heard of the word telescope, but in its literal sense, it seemed to be something that could see in the distance, and who better liked it than a scout in the army?

Su Hao said: "A telescope is an instrument made of glass, which allows you to clearly see things from miles away. By the way, you don't know what glass is, do you? I tell you, glass is like porcelain that we usually see, but it's transparent......"

"Master Su's glass, but what we usually call glass?" Hao Tong interrupted Su Hao's rhetoric and asked him.

"Glass?" Su Hao was stunned, he forgot that there was a glass in ancient China. In his impression, glass is a colorful thing, and the chemical composition should also contain silicon, and glass should be regarded as a close relative. Thinking of this, he shook his head and said: "Glass and glass are not the same thing, glass is colored, and glass is colorless and transparent. ”

Hao Tong was quite faceless, and he retorted: "Who said that glass is colored? There is also colorless glass, but colored glass is more valuable. ”

"Have you ever seen colorless and transparent glass?" Su Hao asked angrily.

"That's nature." Hao Tong said, "I have a cousin who can burn colored glass, and I have seen colorless and transparent colored glass in his house. ”

"Just blow it." Su Hao said disdainfully, this kind of cousin, cousin and the like is the most unreliable. If you just find one and you will burn transparent glass, then wouldn't the whole of China be full of glass products? But it's been almost two months since I traveled to the Ming Dynasty, and I haven't seen glass anywhere.

Hao Tong said unhappily: "The subordinates are soldiers, and there is no joke in the army. What Shicai said, every sentence is true, if Master Su doesn't believe it, he will go to my cousin with his subordinates tomorrow to take a look. ”

"You mean, your cousin who can burn transparent glass is in Fengcheng?" Su Hao asked.

Hao Tong said: "He is in the county town, opened a workshop, but this workshop is not selling glass, but selling all kinds of utensils, when the customer has an order, he will also burn some glass utensils, so I know he has this craft." ”

Su Haoxi said: "Fengcheng actually has a craftsman who makes glass? It's so good, we'll go check it out. ”

Early the next morning, Su Hao, Deng Kui, and Hao Tong had breakfast, and then went to Hao Tong's cousin's workshop together. Su Hao was anxious to see how the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty fired glass, and Deng Kui and Hao Tong were worried about what Su Hao said. Of course, they have no idea exactly how far the telescope can see, so the feeling of anticipation is not urgent.

Walking on the road, Hao Tong introduced his cousin's situation to Su Hao:

"My uncle used to work in the Miscellaneous Manufacturing Bureau of the Yu Heng Division of the Ministry of Industry, and was responsible for making utensils for the palace. In the early years, because of his contributions, the Ministry of Industry took off his craftsman status and allowed him to return to his hometown for work. After he came back, he opened a workshop in the county town, specializing in making some kinds of utensils for sale, and the business was very good. Now, my uncle is old and has passed on his craft to my cousin. ”

"It turns out that he is still a craftsman in the capital, no wonder he has this stunt." Su Hao said that in his impression, glass should not be a commodity that can be found all over the street, and it would be easy to explain if it was a craftsman in the capital who made utensils for the palace and would make glass products.

"That's nature." Hao Tong said proudly, "In this Fengcheng County, if you want to talk about firing porcelain, pottery, and glass, the best craftsmanship is my uncle, and Nanchang Mansion has come to order from him from time to time." ”

"He can still make porcelain? Could it be that he still has a kiln in his workshop? Su Hao asked.

Hao Tong said: "I don't know much about this, there is indeed a small kiln in his workshop, but I heard him say that if you want to burn a large number of porcelain, he still has to find a special porcelain kiln to burn, he only takes care of the ingredients and makes the blank." His ability lies in the fact that the porcelain fired with the ingredients is much better than the ordinary. ”

Su Hao nodded and said: "This shows that he knows how to ingredient, the ingredients of porcelain clay are very particular, almost a little bit, and the things that are burned are very different." The know-how of these ingredients is a secret that all craftsmen do not pass down. ”

Hao Tong said: "I don't understand this, but listening to what my cousin means, it seems that there is such a thing." ”

The three of them walked while talking, and after a while, they came to Hao Tong's cousin's workshop. I saw that it was an ordinary shop, with a two-entry façade and a banner hanging outside, on which the word "Hao" was written, which should be the name of the workshop. Walking into the workshop, you can see that there are counters and shelves in the hall, and on the shelves are some beautifully made dishes and plates, among which there are a few items that look like glass. These glassware are made of tinted glass, which is not very transparent, but it is quite shiny.

When the three of them walked in, a junior apprentice in the store quickly stood up and greeted him: "Three guest officers, what do you want to see?" ”

Hao Tong reprimanded: "Little Wuzi, you are in a daze, you can't even recognize me?" What about my eldest brother? ”

"Oh, it turned out to be the third master, who was clumsy and clumsy, and I didn't recognize it at once." Xiao Wuzi hurriedly put on a look of self-blame. In fact, Hao Tong has been fighting as a soldier outside, and he has not returned to Fengcheng for several years. After he came to the county seat with Su Hao from the countryside a few years ago, he came to the workshop to visit his uncle and cousin once, and the fifth son saw Hao Tong that time, so he was deeply impressed. Hearing Hao Tong open his mouth and say that he was looking for his eldest brother, he realized that this was the cousin of the shopkeeper's family.

"The little shopkeeper is burning pottery in the backyard, and the small one will be notified to you." Xiao Wuzi said that he was about to run behind.

Hao Tong stopped him and said, "There's no need to report it, you can take us directly to the backyard to meet my eldest brother." By the way, let me introduce you first, this brother's name is Deng Kui, he is my robe in the army, and this is Master Su of the county government. ”

"It turned out to be Master Deng and Master Su, the little ones are polite." Xiao Wuzi obediently saluted the crowd, and then led the way in front and led Su Hao and his party to the backyard.

Haojia Workshop is a typical front shop and back factory layout, with a display and sales façade in front and a workshop for making utensils in the back. When the group entered the backyard, they saw a table in the middle of the backyard, and there were some made pottery blanks on the platform. A man sits shirtless in front of a table, carefully sketching patterns on a clay pot.

"Young shopkeeper, the third master came in with two guests." Little Wuzi trotted all the way behind the man and reported to him.

"Oh, Tong Yanzi is here." The man turned around with a smile, and when he saw Su Hao, who was following Hao Tong, dressed as a scholar, he quickly stood up and saluted: "Dare to ask ...... this brother is"

"Big brother, let me introduce you, this is Master Su of Fengcheng County." Hao Tong took two steps forward and introduced himself to his cousin, then turned back to Su Hao and said, "Master Su, this is my cousin, called Hao Qing." ”

"Oops, it turned out to be Master Su, rude, rude." Hao Qing couldn't help but be taken aback when he heard that he was a public entry in the county government, and he also had the title of master. He was still shirtless at this time, and it was indeed rude to receive the master of the county government with this image.

"Little Fifth Son, how can you bring Master Su to this filthy place? Hurry up and bring the guest into the living room to wait. Hao Qing turned his head and shouted to Xiao Wuzi.

Su Hao smiled and arched his hand to Hao Qing: "Brother Hao doesn't have to blame Xiao Wuzi, I wanted to see Brother Hao's workshop, so I asked him to bring me over, disturbing Brother Hao's work, please forgive me." ”

"How dare you, how dare you." Hao Qing said, "Since that's the case, then master, please wait, I'll go change clothes and come back." ”

Su Hao said with a smile: "Brother Hao, please, I and Hao Tong are brothers, Brother Hao can call me Brother Su." ”

"Don't dare, Master Su, I'll come when I go." Hao Qing said that, and hurried back to the house to get dressed.

After a while, Hao Qing came back in formal clothes, he saluted Su Hao in a fake way, and made enough of the etiquette of a small skill to the county officials, and then beckoned everyone to sit down, and asked Xiao Wuzi to come over and pour tea, and then asked: "Master Su came to our store, I don't know what to order." ”

Su Hao knew that the craftsmanship in that era had no status, and it was not even as good as the farmers in the countryside. In front of the officials, they have always been the targets of bullying, which has developed the habit of trembling when they see the officials. Su Hao came to his workshop for no reason, and according to Hao Qing's guess, there was a chance that he wanted to extort some money or something.

"Brother Hao, the little brother took the liberty to visit this time because I heard Hao Tong talk about Brother Hao's craftsmanship and came to ask Brother Hao for advice." Su Hao said.

Hao Qing said: "It's good for the master to call me Hao Qing, I'm a rough craftman, how dare I insult the master and call me a brother?" My third brother is right, the little father used to work in the miscellaneous workshop of the Ministry of Industry, and there was a bit of rough craftsmanship, which was passed on to Xiao Jin to make a living. I don't know what the master wants to ask about this trip? ”

Su Hao said: "I heard Hao Tong say that Brother Hao can burn colorless and transparent glass, but is there such a thing?" ”

Hao Qing nodded and said: "If you go back to the master, Xiao Jin will indeed burn the glass, if you want to make the glass colorless and transparent, it is not difficult." It's just that I don't know what kind of glass utensils the master wants to make. Generally speaking, guests want more colored glass, but this colorless glass is useless. ”