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

After the colored glaze drinking utensils successfully occupied a place in the Qing Dynasty craft market and became the hot topic in the streets and alleys and the darling of the rich and powerful, Chen Jia and Chen Jue did not indulge in the current glory. Their eyes, like a keen falcon, passed through the prosperity in front of them and cast their eyes on a more profound and underdeveloped field - colored glaze stationery.

One morning, the sun shone through the thin clouds and fell on the courtyard of the workshop, with mottled light and shadow. Chen Jia got up early as usual and paced around the workshop thinking. By chance, she walked into a room filled with various ancient books and scrolls. She glanced at the desk and saw the simple and heavy inkstones, the simple but practical paperweights, and a few brushes with messy hairs. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She hurriedly found Chen Jue, with a fiery light flashing in her eyes, and took his hand and said, "My husband, look at the stationery on the desk. Although they have their own functions, they lack some agility and elegance. Since we have the unique skills of firing colored glass, why don't we try to make colored glass stationery? Imagine a pen made of colored glass, which is transparent and crystal clear. Holding it in your hand, you can feel the flow of knowledge; a colored glass paperweight, pressed on rice paper, can not only fix the paper, but its gorgeous light and shadow can also add a touch of bright color to writing; and a colored glass inkstone, where the ink flows in it, like a deep pool, will surely make literati and poets love it. If successful, this will open up a new world for our workshop."

Chen Jue followed Chen Jia's gaze to the desk, a smile gradually emerged in his eyes, and he nodded in agreement, "My lady, what you said is very true, but this glass stationery must not only meet the practicality of writing, but also carry the elegance of literati, so the production process must be very particular. Take the glass pen for example, the pen holder must be slender and tough, and the connection between the nib and the pen holder must be seamless, otherwise it will easily break or leak ink when writing; the glass paperweight must have just the right weight, which can hold the paper, but not too heavy to affect the feel of use; as for the glass inkstone, the contact surface must be smooth and delicate enough, and the penetration and retention of ink must also be considered."

Chen Jia frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. After a moment, she raised her head and said, "My husband's analysis is reasonable. The choice of raw materials is still the key. We have to find some materials that can increase the toughness of the glass and blend them into it so that the pen holder is not easy to break. There is also color matching. For stationery, the color can't be too fancy. It needs to be elegant and fresh to match the aesthetic taste of literati."

Chen Jue did what he said, and quickly sent people to various places to collect special materials. A few days later, he received news that in a deep mountain forest in the south, there was a rare mineral called "Lingzhu Crystal". It is said that mixing it with quartz sand and firing it can greatly improve the toughness of glass. Without saying a word, Chen Jue took a few capable assistants and embarked on a difficult journey to find the mine. The mountains and forests were full of thorns, miasma was pervasive, and the roads were rugged and difficult to walk. If you are not careful, you will get lost. But Chen Jue had only one belief in his heart, that he must find "Lingzhu Crystal" and pave the way for the birth of glass stationery. After several days of arduous journey, they finally found a "Lingzhu Crystal" vein emitting a faint light next to a hidden mountain stream. Everyone cheered and mined carefully, bringing a batch of precious ores back to the workshop.

Chen Jia was busy in the workshop preparing for the firing. She gathered several experienced and skilled craftsmen and sat together to study the mold design. Chen Jia picked up a piece of wood and gestured, saying, "For the mold of this glass pen, the pen holder should be slender and round, and the inner diameter should be precisely controlled to adapt to the refills of different specifications; the mold of the paperweight can have various shapes, either rectangular and steady, or imitating the shape of natural rocks, simple and elegant, with uniform thickness to ensure moderate weight; the internal groove design of the inkstone mold should be scientific, so that the ink can be gathered and easy to grind." An old craftsman frowned and said worriedly, "Madam, the production of this stationery mold requires extremely high precision. We have to spend more time on it. If there is a slight deviation, the finished product will be scrapped." Chen Jia nodded and encouraged, "Uncle Zhang, don't worry, we will work together and try a few more times, and we will succeed. You are an old craftsman, and I feel at ease with you in charge."

After the molds were ready, the firing process began. Chen Jia personally stood by the kiln, staring at the temperature without blinking. "Preheat slowly with a low fire to allow the raw materials to fully blend. Don't be impatient. The temperature must be controlled steadily..." She gently reminded the craftsmen. As the temperature gradually increased, the colored glaze in the kiln slowly softened and began to flow into the mold to form. At this time, Chen Jia's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but her eyes were extremely firm. She knew that at this critical moment, she could not afford any negligence.

The moment the kiln was opened, everyone's heart was in their throat. When the first glass pen was carefully taken out, there was a burst of exclamations in the workshop. The pen holder was like a transparent jade pillar, and the light blue glass was as clear as water. Under the refraction of the sun, it glowed with a dreamy halo; the tip of the pen was inlaid just right, and the hairs were neat and elastic. Chen Jia excitedly picked up the glass pen and wrote gently on the paper. The pen and ink flowed smoothly without any obstruction. Tears flashed in her eyes: "We succeeded! This glass pen is so beautiful!" The craftsmen also cheered and hugged each other to celebrate this hard-won achievement.

Then, the colored glaze paperweights and inkstones were fired successfully. The colored glaze paperweights were in various shapes, some like quiet mountains, some like stretching clouds. When pressed on the paper, not only the paper did not move, but the colorful light reflected by it also added a bit of artistic atmosphere to the desk. The colored glaze inkstone was even more exquisite. The ink pool was as smooth as a mirror. After pouring the ink, the ink was shiny black, like the deep night sky. It was easy and smooth to grind, and the fragrance of ink was overflowing.

When the news spread, the literati in the capital could not hold back. One day, several well-known talents came to the workshop together. As soon as they entered the door, they were attracted by the glass stationery on the display stand. A talent in a green shirt and holding a folding fan picked up a glass pen, turned it gently, looked at the light and shadow flowing on the pen, and exclaimed: "Wonderful! This glass pen is crystal clear, as if it was made by nature. Holding it in my hand, inspiration seems to flow like a spring, and writing must be very enjoyable."

Another old scholar with a long beard picked up a glass paperweight, examined it carefully, and said with emotion: "This is a very good thing! Paperweights are used to assist writing, and ordinary things are difficult to have charm. But this glass paperweight is different. The interweaving of light and shadow seems to integrate the beauty of nature into the pen and ink, creating an extraordinary artistic conception for writing."

Another painter who is good at painting has a special liking for the colored glaze inkstone. He stroked the edge of the inkstone gently, his eyes full of surprise: "This inkstone is simply a rare treasure! It is ground smoothly, and the color of the ink is more mellow against the background of the colored glaze. Using it to paint will surely make the landscapes in my paintings more charming."

As the reputation spread, academies and private schools also came to place orders. A principal of an academy came to the workshop and saw the dazzling array of glass stationery. He nodded with satisfaction: "Madam Chen, Duke Chen, these glass stationery are of high quality and both practical and beautiful. There are many students in our academy. If they can use such stationery, it will definitely stimulate their enthusiasm for learning and improve the learning atmosphere. I want to order a large batch for students to use daily."

Chen Jia stepped forward with a smile and introduced: "Gentlemen, this glass stationery is not only beautiful, but also extremely practical. The texture of glass is stable and will not react chemically with ink or paper, so it can maintain the quality of the stationery for a long time. Each piece is carefully made by us and is unique." Literati, academies and private schools placed orders one after another and reserved a large number of glass stationery.

Since then, Chen Jia and Chen Jue's workshop has become increasingly busy, with orders pouring in. In order to meet market demand, they have continuously improved their craftsmanship, expanded their production scale, and trained a large number of skilled craftsmen. Thanks to their efforts, colored glaze stationery has become a new favorite among the literati circle of Qing State. Whether it is students studying hard or literati gathering for poetry and painting, colored glaze stationery can be seen.