Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 102: The Glass is Born!

However, Sun Simiao did not simply praise him.

Turning to the entry on "mercury," I saw that the book stated it was "averse to magnets," but made no mention of "mercury solidifies when it comes into contact with lead; if used with lead powder to treat tinea, a three-day interval is required." Therefore, I said:
"This can be added: I once saw a doctor in Longyou mistakenly use lead powder mixed with mercury, which instead corroded his skin and flesh. When doctors write books, they should not only record the effects, but also the dangers, so as to protect the world."

“Grandpa, you’re right.” Xiao Ran didn’t understand, but felt that Sun Simiao wouldn’t speak carelessly or talk nonsense.

Sun Simiao carefully closed the book, as if holding a priceless treasure. When he looked at Xiao Ran, his tone was more solemn than ever before: "Young master, this book is comparable to the 'Nine Tripods' used by Yu the Great to control the floods—the former stabilized the nine provinces, and the latter brought peace to all herbs."

"The old man spent his life compiling the 'Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold,' and his biggest regret was that 'the herbal texts were lost and errors were passed down.' Now that I have seen this book, I understand what it means to 'inherit from the ancients and enlighten those who come after.'"

Sun Simiao looked at the villagers rushing to seek medical treatment in the distance, his voice was softer, but every word carried great weight: "If this book can be passed down, doctors in the world will be less ignorant, and the people will have more hope."

Sun Simiao originally wanted to leave as soon as possible, but now he not only wanted to help with the research on gunpowder, but also wanted to see the Compendium of Materia Medica.

Many things in this book were also very useful to Sun Simiao.

Whether something has value or not, Sun Simiao, being an expert, knows better than Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran handed the book directly to Sun Simiao, telling him to study it as he pleased.

The copy of "Compendium of Materia Medica" seemed to have taken on a touch of warmth and compassion in Sun Simiao's arms.

For Sun Simiao, this was not just a book, but the unfulfilled wish of countless physicians and the "legitimacy" that all plants and trees in the world had been waiting for for a thousand years.

In the days that followed, Sun Simiao spent his time treating patients for the villagers in the vicinity and helping them study gunpowder and the Compendium of Materia Medica.

Li Lizhi arranges for people to come and transport the washed coal away every day.

Everything is fine, except I can't see any money.

Because Xiao Ran doesn't know how much it will cost right now.

Li Lizhi's side hasn't set a price yet, and they haven't started selling.

Xiao Ran wasn't worried that Li Lizhi would renege on her promise; it wasn't worth that little money.

Twenty percent of the coal revenue comes from the village, so the specific sales details must be made public.

Because they trusted Xiao Ran, no one said anything.

The persimmon frost in Kaolao Village was almost sold out, so Li Lizhi and her companions stopped coming frequently.

There's no suitable excuse anymore.

There are some in the neighboring village, but they've already collected quite a bit of persimmon frost, so it's enough for now.

People from Xinhe Village and Qujiangchi Village mainly sell persimmon cakes directly, and most of them go through Zhang Jinhe.

Some people also look for other people.

Although there are more persimmon cakes available now, the price hasn't dropped, and many people still like them.

Before we knew it, autumn had passed and winter had arrived.

Normally, people have a lot of free time at this time, but now every household is very busy.

Now, we don't need people from other villages to come and mine or wash coal; it's just the people from Kaolao Village.

There is currently little demand for production.

Xiao Ran started burning glass next to the pool.

Everything that's needed is almost ready.

Everyone else was completely clueless, and Xiao Ran had to provide on-site guidance on how to heat the glass.

Zhang Dalang and the others were fine at doing the work, but they were completely clueless about technical skills.

Xiao Ran asked around and found that none of the people had ever seen Liu Li before, and some were even illiterate.

He can't even write his own name.

It was a matter of what Xiao Ran said and what the group did.

One good thing is that they are all strong and hardworking, and never try to shirk their duties.

Those who come to help with glassmaking are all handpicked by Zhang Dalang; only the most reliable people are allowed to come.

When Xiao Ran first took the glass out of the kiln, the dark red molten material cooled and became translucent with a light green tint.

Like jade washed by rain, yet brighter than jade, it can faintly reflect a person's image.

But upon closer inspection, the inside is filled with many tiny air bubbles, like frozen stars, and the edges are somewhat crooked, which are traces left by the mold not being placed flat.

A tap produces a clear yet crisp sound; a slight tap on a stone and it cracks into three pieces.

This was the initial result: not perfect, but it had broken through the constraints of Tang Dynasty lead-barium glass.

It allows you to see the outline of the person opposite you through the light. Although it has a light green tint due to iron impurities, its light transmittance is over 70%, far exceeding the "hazy feeling" of lead-barium glass at that time, which had a light transmittance of only 30%-40% and was mostly yellow-green or bluish-gray turbid.

It is harder than lead-barium glass. When you scratch the surface with an iron nail, only a shallow mark is left. However, due to insufficient annealing, the internal stress is not relieved, and it is prone to cracking when suddenly cooled.

Xiao Ran felt that there were many areas for improvement to enhance the quality.

I can't say I'm disappointed, after all, I've never actually burned glass before; I only knew the theory.

Zhang Dalang and his friends were incredibly excited to see the glass come out of the oven.

He admired Xiao Ran immensely.

In the eyes of Zhang Dalang and others, this was a strange and ingenious skill that ordinary people certainly wouldn't know.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya also brought San Niang over.

I was equally excited when I saw the glass.

What others may not know is that Zhang Jinhe knows a little about glass.

"Jinniang, what do you think?" Xiao Ran asked Zhang Jinhe. The others hadn't met her, so they naturally didn't know.

"I've never seen anything like this except at the young master's house. This is even more beautiful than the glassware in the glass shops of Chang'an."

Zhang Jinhe's family had never used glass, nor had he ever visited any household that used glass.

I've only ever seen it in shops in Chang'an.

Zhang Erya didn't know how to comment; this one wasn't as nice as the one at home.

To this day, Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya still don't know where Xiao Ran's glass came from.

"It can be improved further." Xiao Ran's goal was not to make containers or decorations.

Xiao Ran wanted to make windows, lenses, mirrors, telescopes, and other such things.

Glass of this quality is definitely not acceptable.

Areas for improvement: From "usable" to "easy to use"

The first step is to remove impurities and color.

After discovering that the light green color came from iron filings in the quartz sand, Xiao Ran had people use magnets to repeatedly attract the sand particles, and then wash it three times with river water.

During the second firing, the glass green hue faded significantly, becoming almost colorless, and the light transmittance increased to 80%.

Initially, the kiln temperature fluctuated, and the coal burned unevenly, resulting in bubbles in the molten glass.

Xiao Ran added a "fire observation hole" to the kiln, a small window made of refractory clay, to judge the temperature by the color of the flames.

The orange-yellow color is 1200℃, the bright white color is 1500℃, and semi-finished sodium sulfate is added to the raw materials.

After the improvement, the number of bubbles was reduced by 70%, and the glass surface became as smooth as a mirror.

The first time, the glass shattered due to direct open-air cooling. Later, Xiao Ran built a "slow cooling kiln": after placing the shaped glass in the kiln, he maintained a constant temperature of 300°C for two days with charcoal fire, and then lowered the temperature by 50°C each day. The glass was then taken out after seven days.

Glass treated in this way did not crack when dropped from the kang (a heated brick bed) to the ground, demonstrating a significant improvement in toughness.

When using a bamboo tube to dip into molten glass, it always sticks to the tube at first.

Xiao Ran coated the front end of the bamboo tube with a layer of wood ash to make it heat resistant. After practicing "rotating and blowing" more than ten times, he finally blew out a small bowl with a wall thickness of less than 3 millimeters. When held up to the light, the texture of the bowl's rim can be clearly seen.

Lead-barium glass, due to its lead and barium content, will become opaque over time, meaning its surface will turn cloudy. Xiao Ran's soda-lime glass, however, is chemically stable and will not exhibit this characteristic. Lead-barium glass has a Mohs hardness of only 4-5, making it prone to scratches from everyday impacts.

Soda-lime glass has a hardness of 6-7, which can withstand minor impacts.

Furthermore, after annealing, it can withstand a temperature difference of 80°C, while glass of this era might crack if exposed to a temperature difference of 50°C.

Other glassmakers use lead and barium as flux, but lead is expensive and toxic.

Xiao Ran used natural alkali and limestone, which are readily available in Guanzhong, and the cost was only one-third that of lead-barium glass.

More importantly, the blowing technique can produce complex shapes such as thin-walled cups and long-necked bottles, while other glasswork is limited by mold casting and is mostly flat discs and sword ornaments with rigid shapes.

Although it hasn't met the requirements yet, it's much better than before.

Xiao Ran had asked Zhang Jinhe before, so now they mainly make small and medium-sized daily utensils such as bowls, plates and cups, supplemented by a small number of decorative vases, rather than purely decorative items.

This met the social needs of the early Tang Dynasty, and Xiao Ran could also make money along the way.

Xiao Ran has enough money now, but he doesn't mind earning more.

With glassware of this quality, Xiao Ran has no trouble selling it.

In the early Tang Dynasty, people's livelihoods had just recovered from the war. The demand for "refined living" among the nobility and wealthy merchants was already evident, while ordinary people still used pottery, porcelain, and lacquerware as their daily necessities.

The initial audience for glassware was undoubtedly the upper class with purchasing power, and their demand for glass was primarily focused on practical and novel everyday applications.

When nobles entertained guests, they often used lacquerware and silverware to show their status, but glass bowls and plates were unique in their translucency.

When serving wine, the glass reflects the clarity of the liquid; when serving soup, it reveals the richness of the broth; and even when serving fruit, sunlight shining through the glass onto the fruit creates the elegant effect of "a jade plate reflecting a delicacy."

This visual experience is irreplaceable by pottery and porcelain, perfectly meeting the needs of the upper class for "elegant banquets".

This is definitely a luxury item, so the price can be a bit higher. As for the exact amount, Xiao Ran didn't know.

This kind of thing is only available to Xiao Ran right now, so it's normal that it's expensive.

Chang'an City has no shortage of wealthy people.

Xiao Ran wanted to ask Princess Yuzhang, Li Lizhi, since they were more familiar with these matters.

The imperial palace has many glasswares.

Sun Simiao paid no attention to glassmaking; he focused all his attention on the Compendium of Materia Medica.

Late at night, they would all be studying by lamplight.

The lights were rather dim in that era, but fortunately Sun Simiao had good eyesight.

However, Xiao Ran's book has a relatively small font, making it quite difficult to read.

After watching for a while, Sun Simiao had to rub his eyes.

The sweet potatoes that Xiao Ran planted earlier have already sprouted.

I check it out from time to time.

Not only Xiao Ran, but Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya were also very concerned about this matter.

I've eaten sweet potatoes and found them delicious.

I hope we can plant more next year.

Although the climate of the Tang Dynasty was slightly warmer than that of later periods, according to historical records, the winter temperature in Guanzhong during the early Tang Dynasty was about 1-2°C higher than today, but frost and even short-term snowfall still occurred.

Sweet potatoes are a typical warm-season crop with extremely poor cold resistance. They will be damaged by frost if the temperature drops below 0℃ and will freeze to death if the temperature drops below -2℃. They must be protected by humans to survive the winter.

First, insert dense branches around the sweet potato seedlings to form a 1-meter-high "windbreak" to block the cold northwest wind from blowing directly on the seedlings and reduce heat loss.

Inside the tree branch barrier, mound soil around the seedling roots, thickening it to 10 centimeters, and then cover it with a thick layer of leaves and weeds, about 20 centimeters thick. This will not only insulate against cold air but also provide warmth by utilizing the weak heat released from the decaying branches.

If there are only a few seedlings, you can build an arch on top using thin bamboo strips, then cover it with a layer of oil paper or old burlap, and press the edges down with soil.

Open the lid to allow ventilation when the temperature rises at noon during the day to prevent the seedlings from suffocating; cover it tightly again in the evening to create a "mini greenhouse" that can keep the internal temperature 3-5°C higher than the outside temperature, effectively resisting frost.

Xiao Ran's actions broadened Zhang Jinhe's and Zhang Erya's horizons.

I've never done these things before.

Sweet potatoes were extremely important to Xiao Ran; it was a matter of great importance and could not be taken lightly.

Xiao Ran rarely goes fishing anymore; his life is very fulfilling.

The two sisters that San Niang had been longing for also came to Kaolao Village again.

Li Lizhi got off the carriage and said with a smile, "Si Zi Fan Yin talks about Third Sister Xiao Hei every day and wants to come and play."

I always have to find an excuse, otherwise I'll feel embarrassed.

He's been coming to Xiao Ran's house far too often.

“Third Sister is the same, chanting the Buddhist chants of the Rhinoceros King every day.” Xiao Ran rubbed the little princess’s head.

Now that we're more familiar with it, this doesn't feel abrupt.

The main thing is that the little princess doesn't reject it.

However, as the weather grew colder, the princesses were wearing noticeably thicker clothes than before.

"Hmm, why does it feel warmer in the young master's house?" Princess Yuzhang said with a smile as she entered the living room.

"It's warmer over there." Xiao Ran led the princesses to the main room with the kang (heated brick bed).

It's noticeably warmer here.

"It's really warm." Li Lizhi smiled.

"Because there's a kang (heated brick bed) here."

Li Lizhi reached out and touched the bricks along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). They were warm to the touch, and even her cuffs felt warm from them.

She turned to look at Xiao Ran, a knowing smile in her eyes: "I remember now. The last time I came to see you building this new house, I saw the craftsmen building this square brick platform inside. I asked you what it was for, and you just said, 'You'll know in winter.'"

"Young master is so thoughtful. This is much more comfortable than a brazier or stove in winter."

In the palace, people relied on charcoal braziers to get through the winter. If you were too close, it would be too hot to stand, and if you were too far away, it would be too cold. At night, there was always the worry of being choked by the charcoal fumes.

This kang (heated brick bed) is great; the whole surface is warm, so you don't feel dry no matter how long you sit on it, and even the corners of the room are warmer than other places.

Princess Yuzhang also realized that the stove in the kitchen was connected to the kang (heated brick bed) in this room.

Xiao Ran had thought of these things long ago.

It's a bit cold outside, so the three little girls didn't go out to play; they stayed on the kang (heated brick bed).

In this era, people like to sit on their knees, and placing a table on the kang (a heated brick bed) is just the right fit.

Zhang Erya brewed a cup of tea for everyone and brought out a lot of pastries.

Some of the cakes were made by Zhang Erya after Xiao Ran taught them; they're really not difficult to make.

The two little princesses really enjoyed this soft and chewy pastry.

If you've had your fill of sesame cakes and osmanthus cakes, it's time to try something different.

Li Lizhi picked up the cup and found that the shape was similar to before.

However, it is clearly not as good as the previous glass.

"Second Aunt, this cup is a little different from the previous ones." Li Lizhi picked it up and looked at it.

"This was made by the young master a couple of days ago."

"Oh, I see!" Li Lizhi suddenly realized, "You made something like this a couple of days ago?"

Xiao Ran's previous glassware was of far superior quality to the glassware of this era. These new glasses are slightly inferior to the previous ones, but they are still far superior to those of this era.

(End of this chapter)