I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

In the prosperous territory of Qing, colored glaze drinking utensils are like a shining new star. With its exquisite appearance and impeccable practicality, it quickly became popular in the streets and alleys. From the magnificent palace halls to the teahouses and taverns full of fireworks, it can be found everywhere, attracting people to admire and love it. The workshop run by Chen Jia and Chen Jue is even more surrounded by this trend. Orders are pouring in like snowflakes in winter. Especially the orders for customized colored glaze drinking utensils are so numerous that it is overwhelming, like a continuous stream, converging from all directions.

From high-ranking officials who prepare for banquets and strive to show their unique elegance and strong financial resources in front of guests, to literati and scholars who pursue a transcendental style and long for utensils that can accompany them while reciting poems, painting, drinking and chatting, they all come here with full expectations, hoping that the workshop can tailor-make exclusive glass drinking utensils for them.

At first, the workshop was like a closely knit gear, running at full speed to cope with the numerous custom orders. Every morning when the first ray of sunlight gently sprinkled on the roof of the workshop, Chen Jia was already sitting in front of a neat desk, starting a busy day. With great patience, she personally communicated with every customer about their needs, meticulously discussing every pattern, every color depth, and even the special preferences that customers inadvertently mentioned. She remembered them one by one and carefully recorded them in beautiful handwriting. Then she sat down with the craftsmen non-stop to repeatedly discuss the most sophisticated production plan.

Chen Jue is also never slacking off. He shuttles around every corner of the workshop all day long, busy dispatching the raw materials that are continuously delivered to ensure that each batch of quartz sand is pure and flawless and of high quality. He supervises every link of the firing process, from the precise control of the kiln temperature to the instantaneous timing of opening and closing the mold. He pays attention to every detail to ensure that each process is as accurate and error-free as the operation of a precision clock.

However, good and bad always come together in this world. As the number of orders surged like a surging tide, the hidden problems quietly surfaced like reefs. One day, the workshop was busy and noisy, with craftsmen doing their own jobs, and the sounds of hammering and firing intertwined into a passionate labor movement. Suddenly, an official's wife, dressed in luxurious clothes and surrounded by a group of maids and servants, rushed into the workshop angrily, holding a glass teapot in her hand. Her face, which should have been gentle and elegant, turned red with anger. She shouted with a sullen face: "Madam Chen, look at what's going on? This teapot that I customized with great joy and expectation is completely different from what I asked for at the beginning! The body of the teapot I want is a light and elegant sky blue, just like the clear blue sky after the rain, and the pattern is a delicate plum blossom pattern. Each petal should be like an elf in winter that is proud of the snow and frost, smart and lively. But what is this thing that is presented to me now? The color is dark and dull, like a dusty old thing, and the pattern is even more blurred and chaotic. How can I use it at the important banquet that is about to be held? Wouldn't it make me a laughing stock!"

Upon hearing the shout, Chen Jia hurriedly put down the work in her hands, walked forward quickly, took the teapot with both hands with an apologetic look on her face, her eyes full of self-blame and regret. She held the teapot in front of her eyes, looked at it carefully, and secretly blamed herself in her heart. Indeed, compared with the design draft agreed upon with the lady at the beginning, it is completely different from the world. She hurriedly explained, her voice soft but full of guilt: "Madam, please calm down. It's true that the workshop has received so many orders recently. The craftsmen have been working day and night. Due to negligence, such a heartbreaking mistake occurred. Don't worry, we will definitely give you a very satisfactory solution and will not let you suffer this grievance."

The official's wife refused to give in. Her eyebrows were raised and she snorted coldly, "Hmph, that's easy to say! This is a key item for an important banquet that I have been preparing for for a long time and spent countless efforts on. Now time is running out, it's like an urgent matter. How are you going to remedy it? If you delay my important event, the reputation of your workshop that you have worked so hard to build up will be gone! By then, the entire Qing Kingdom will know about your dereliction of duty!"

Chen Jue, who was concentrating on checking the quality of raw materials in the backyard of the workshop, heard the fierce quarrel coming from the front yard. His heart tightened, and he hurriedly put down the work in his hands and strode over. After understanding the whole story, he straightened his clothes, solemnly bowed to the official's wife, bent his waist to 90 degrees, showing his respect, and then said sincerely: "Madam, there are thousands of mistakes in this matter, all of which are our fault. We feel deeply guilty and feel like a thorn in our backs. How about this, we will immediately stop all the work in our hands, arrange the most exquisite and skilled craftsmen in the workshop to work overtime, without sleep, and re-make it according to your requirements. We guarantee that it will be delivered to your house on time before the banquet, and will not delay your important event at all. In addition, to express our deep apologies, we will also give you a set of exquisite glass wine glasses. This wine glass is an exclusive style newly developed by our workshop with countless efforts. It has not yet been sold to the public. We hope to make up for the displeasure caused to you and show our gratitude."

After hearing what Chen Jue said, the official's wife's tense expression relaxed a little, but there was still doubt in her eyes. She raised her chin slightly and said in a scrutinizing manner: "You must keep your word. If you make any mistakes again, I will not let you off easily. Don't blame me for being merciless!"

Seeing this, Chen Jia quickly responded, "Madam, rest assured, we will do our best and go through fire and water without hesitation. This mistake has caused you a lot of inconvenience, and I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive us and give us a chance to make amends."

After the official's wife and a group of servants left in a grand procession, Chen Jia and Chen Jue looked at each other and saw firmness and determination in each other's eyes. They immediately called the craftsmen together for an emergency meeting. Chen Jue's face was solemn, as if shrouded in a layer of haze, and his tone was as serious as a bell: "Everyone, today's events are like a wake-up call, and it has sounded a deafening alarm for us. What is the reason why our workshop has such a well-known reputation today? It relies on everyone's superb craftsmanship accumulated over time and constantly improving, and on the almost demanding pursuit of quality. Now that there are more orders, this is an opportunity and a challenge, but we must not slack off because of this, and let all previous efforts go to waste and be destroyed. From now on, we must re-sort out the processes of all custom orders, just like disassembling precision instruments, find out the problems, and ensure that similar mistakes will not happen again, even the slightest flaw, not allowed to appear!"

When the craftsmen heard this, they all bowed their heads, their faces showing shame, like children who had made a mistake. A craftsman in charge of painting said in a low voice with a little regret, "Duke, it's our fault. There are too many orders recently. In order to catch up with the progress, we were busy like a driven top, dizzy. We didn't control the temperature and time of painting well, which led to such a large deviation in color. The same is true for the pattern carving. In a hurry, some details were handled hastily and not carved properly."

Chen Jia sighed softly, her eyes full of pity and helplessness: "I see everyone's hard work and remember it in my heart, but quality is the lifeline of the workshop and the foundation of our survival. We must not ruin our reputation and our future because of a momentary rush. Next, we will adjust the division of labor, add more people to each group, supervise each other, and make them strictly according to customer requirements. Every link must be checked repeatedly. Together with my husband, I will strictly control every process and build a solid line of defense to never let defective products leave the workshop and flow into the hands of customers."

In the following days, Chen Jia and Chen Jue were like wound-up machines, fully devoted to the intense rectification work. Chen Jia redesigned the order record form, breaking down the customer's requirements into every link, not only with detailed text descriptions, but also with exquisite design sketches drawn by her, with delicate and lifelike strokes, to ensure that the craftsmen can see at a glance and accurately capture every customer's needs. Chen Jue patrolled the workshop all day long, like a tireless guard, from the selection and preparation of raw materials to the production of molds and the firing temperature, he kept a close eye on every step, and would not tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes.

At the same time, in order to appease other customers who may encounter similar problems, Chen Jia also carefully wrote a sincere apology letter, with neat and beautiful handwriting on the letterhead, full of affection. Attached to the letter was a small gift carefully prepared by the workshop - a glass tea pet. These tea pets have different shapes and are cute. There are round and cute pigs, as if they are sleeping soundly; there are smart and playful goldfish, as if swimming in the water; and there are majestic little lions, showing their domineering power. All of them are carefully carved by craftsmen using scraps and relying on ingenious skills. The letter details the difficulties currently faced by the workshop and the rectification measures being taken. The words express deep apologies and gratitude to the customers, as if having a long conversation with the customers.

A few days later, the glass teapot and glass wine cup customized by the official's wife were delivered to the mansion as expected amid everyone's expectations and trepidation. This time, when she opened the gift box, her eyes were instantly filled with surprise, as if she had discovered a rare treasure. The teapot was warm and elegant in color, just like the blue sky after the rain, clear and charming. The plum blossom pattern was delicately and realistically carved, and each petal was lifelike, as if you could smell the subtle fragrance of the plum blossom, refreshing your heart. The matching glass wine cup was even more crystal clear, shining with charming light under the light, like a bright star.

The official's wife immediately ordered someone to brew a pot of high-quality tea. She poured the tea into a new teapot, watching the tea bubbling in the pot like a dancing elf, and then slowly flowing into the cup like silky satin. She was in a good mood. She said to the maid beside her, "Chen Jia and Chen Jue are reliable and can correct their mistakes. It seems that their workshop is still trustworthy. If you need anything in the future, you might as well look for them again."

Other customers who received apology letters and small gifts were also moved by the sincerity of Chen Jia and Chen Jue. After receiving the letter, a scholar spread out rice paper, wrote in his writing, "Mrs. Chen, Duke Chen, your workshop can face the problem so frankly and actively remedy the problem, which shows that you cherish your reputation. Although this glass tea pet is small, it shows the craftsmanship. I like it very much. If I need it in the future, I will still patronize your workshop and hope to appreciate your excellent works again."

After all these twists and turns, the reputation of Chen Jia and Chen Jue's workshop was not damaged by the problem of mismatching goods. Instead, it established a better image in the hearts of customers, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes. They know that honest management and quality-oriented management are the way for the long-term development of the workshop, and are the beacon that will never go out on their way forward.