Of course, the glass workshop will not only have shochu vessels, in fact, among the two new batches of finished products it has fired, there are bowls and teacups.

It is also a model with a good shape but no patterns.

According to Xie Wenzai, Haixiya is already very satisfied with this, and feels that Suzhou, as a small border city, can produce this level of glassware is enough, and it is really impossible to expect to be able to burn more exquisite and expensive things.

It's a pity that if the workshop wants to burn some new styles, I'm afraid the time will be a little tight.

After firing two batches of glassware, the great food craftsmen have proven their strength, and the apprentices taught in the Suzhou workshop have also learned the basic techniques of glass-burning. In this way, Ganzhou City can also set up its own glass workshop and mix it with the highly profitable glass business.

According to the grapevine revealed by the general on Wednesday, the capital division is actually a little anxious. I don't know who spread the news to Chang'an, but some people over there heard that there were big glassmakers who were displaced to the border city of Dachu, and they seemed to be very interested in the glass business, so they asked many people to inquire.

Considering the profits that the glassware business can bring, Xie Wenzai worries that neither Suzhou nor Ganzhou may be able to retain these big food craftsmen. After all, there are too few wealthy families in the northwest borderland, and their family funds are also limited, if you want to sell more glassware and sell it at a good price, you still have to go to a prosperous and rich place. If it's not in the capital and Jiangnan, at least it has to be a big city like Chang'an.

However, Chang'an is more than 2,600 miles away from Suzhou, and more than 2,000 miles away from Ganzhou. In the end, the profits from selling glass will be greatly reduced.

Even if the magnates of Chang'an are embarrassed to pick peaches, the generals of the border army will also consider the losses and gains, right?

Most likely, it was the old Marshal Zhou of the Zhenguo Mansion who opened his mouth and took the big food craftsmen over, built workshops in Chang'an, trained more craftsmen in the local area, and did glassware business across the country, and the profits earned were used to supplement the border army. If these craftsmen can produce enough exquisite finished products, no worse than those from the Western Regions, it is estimated that Chang'an will be able to do business in the capital and Jiangnan. At that time, the income of this glass workshop will not be comparable to this small workshop in Suzhou City, and the Northwest Frontier Army will naturally not have to worry about the supply of grain and grass materials.

For the sake of the overall situation, Xie Wenzai believes that there is nothing unacceptable about this arrangement, and Haixi Cliff also thinks the same. After all, they originally had high hopes for the wine workshop, the glass workshop was an unexpected joy, and the glass was burned to make money, and the money was made to ensure the supply of grain, grass and materials for the Suzhou guards. As long as this goal can be achieved, it does not matter who makes the money or who the business of the glass workshop belongs to.

It's just that the Shaanxi Xingdu Command Envoy and his Suzhou Guard, the chief officers are the sons of the old Marshal Zhou, they want to leave a workshop for their own territory, make some extra money, so that it is convenient to supplement the soldiers under them, it is also human nature, can the old Marshal Zhou still deal with his son?

The workshop in Suzhou is now stepping up the firing of the third batch of glass, and on Wednesday the general also hinted that it is better to let the local artisan apprentices learn as many styles as possible, so as not to make the workshop weak after the big food craftsmen leave. Before the Chinese New Year, the big food craftsmen must be sent away. As for how long the Dusi can keep them after they arrive in Ganzhou, it depends on the ability of those people in the Dusi.

Because of these reasons, Xie Wenzai naturally can't expect the glass workshop to produce many new models, those apprentices can learn a complete set of firing methods for glass wine vessels, which is already very good, what else can they burn? At most, I would make some bowls and teacups that had been burned a little before, and sell them to passing caravans to test the water. If it sells well, it will continue to burn in the future.

Don't look at the glass workshops in Suzhou City that only produce these few simple styles, and when the trade route to the Western Regions is cut off, the glassware of the Western Regions cannot be smoothly imported into Dachu, even if there is a caravan to go another way, the trafficking will only be expensive boutiques, and at that time, these high-quality and inexpensive glassware will not be able to be sold.

Dignitaries and nobles don't look down on it, aren't there still many middle-sized rich and noble families? There is such a set of utensils at home, and when you feast on relatives and friends, the host's face is also bright, isn't it? It's a real glass and it's all good quality.

Xie Wenzai told his two old friends and Begonia all this, and said, "I told my cousin that if you want to sell the glassware produced in Suzhou at a good price, you can't just sell it in the border city, it's best to let the caravan we are familiar with take it closer to the Central Plains, where there are people who can afford to buy such valuables." It's just that this makes shipping a hassle.

"Isn't it in vain to try my best to transport things over, but I found that things were broken in the middle of the road? This is not gold or silver, it can be recovered and remelted, and it can only be lost. Therefore, we have to ask the people in the workshop to burn things thicker, as strong as possible, so that they don't break so easily, otherwise most of the people in the caravan will not be willing to take risks. "It will be difficult to sell the glassware produced by the Suzhou workshop, and I am afraid that it will not be able to compete with the products of the Chang'an workshop.

Besides, they will have two competitors in the future, Ganzhou Glass Workshop and Chang'an Glass Workshop, and the things burned out still have to be a little distinctive, which can be different from the products of the other two.

"Sturdy" is also an advantage.

Cao Gengyun and Lu Bainian looked at Xie Wenzai in surprise: "Brother Wenzai, you are very thoughtful!" "Brother Wen Zai is right, glassware is expensive and fragile, if it is not for the rich and powerful, who is willing to spend a lot of money to buy this thing that should not be eaten or worn, just to show off in front of people? How many such rich families can there be in the Northwest? ”

Haitang can also agree with her cousin's opinion, but she still thinks that glass can not only be burned into wine vessels or tea sets. It's not impossible for glassware to be sintered, but once this thing is thick, it will look clumsy and will not reflect the advantages of glassware. Not to mention, the glass burned in Suzhou is still green?

She said to Xie Wenzai: "Can you use glass to burn some stationery supplies?" Like a paperweight or something? She pointed to Lu Bainian's customary Qilian jade ruler placed on the small bookshelf at the end of the kang, "That's made of jade, but it's also green, right?" If you fire the glass into this shape, it doesn't seem to be difficult. ”

The three elders all showed surprised expressions. Cao Gengyun immediately took the Qilianyu paperweight, the emerald green background was covered with black markings, in fact, he had never liked it very much, but Lu Bainian had used it for many years, and he already had feelings. Imagine if you had a paperweight, which was made of green glass, and there were no dark spots on it......

"Isn't this about the same as the Jade Town Ruler?" Cao Gengyun looked at Xie Wenzai, "I think the glass paperweight is also very good, it is stronger, and it is not easy to break, it looks like a flawless jade......

Xie Wenzai thought about it, and then looked at the round table in the center of the room, where there was a full set of studies that Cao Gengyun was used to: "The paperweight is easy to burn, and if it is made into a pen mountain, it will not be troublesome." Forget the inkstone, the glass surface is smooth, it is not good to grind the ink, you can make up for it with a ready-made Tao inkstone, but you can do it with a water bowl and a pen licking something, add a handful of paperweights, make a complete set, and take the cotton brocade pad brocade box, isn't it easy to transport, and it looks decent? It's the perfect gift......"

If you can ask the great food craftsmen if there is any way to make patterns on the surface of glassware, and engrave some elegant plum orchid chrysanthemum bamboo or famous poems, it must be more popular with readers, right?

Xie Wenzai looked at the two old friends, and the three of them couldn't help laughing.