Once they had passed through the city gates, the two sculptors could finally breathe easily. At least now they weren't in danger of being ambushed by bandits every few steps.
The sculptors were the first to speak up.
"Master Shan, we'd like to take a look around the marketplace."
Shan Shi'er nodded. "Go ahead. Just remember to meet us at the city gate tomorrow morning. We'll be returning together. And don't even think about making the journey back alone. You saw what the roads are like out there."
The two men nodded repeatedly. They had nearly lost their heads to bandits on the way here. They weren't about to volunteer for another round of that experience.
After exchanging farewells with the group, they hoisted their small bundles onto their shoulders and headed straight for the marketplace.
The severe drought had brought ordinary livelihoods close to collapse. Merchants were few, and the marketplace was a shadow of its former self. There were still vendors selling household necessities and miscellaneous goods, but food was scarce. Side dishes, spices, and seasonings were especially hard to come by.
The two sculptors found an empty corner, spread out their cloth bundles, and displayed a portion of the fine goods Tianzun had bestowed upon them.
The instant their merchandise hit the ground, a crowd rushed over.
"Th-this is sugar! Pure white sugar! Look how clear and brilliant it is!"
The sugar Tianzun had given them came in enormous, crystal-like chunks of astonishing quality. Fortunately, the two sculptors weren't idiots. Before leaving home, they had already crushed the large pieces into fine powder, making them much easier to sell.
Even then, the difference was impossible to miss. Sugar manufactured using modern industrial processes was far whiter than anything produced in ancient times. It looked less like an ordinary foodstuff and more like some miraculous substance from another world.
The two sculptors couldn't help puffing out their chests.
"Quite a sight, isn't it? This is premium-grade sugar!"
"One qian! I'll take one qian!"
"Two qian for me!"
"Hey, save some! I want one qian too!"
The residents of the county town were generally better off than ordinary villagers. Yet even they didn't dare make extravagant purchases. Buying sugar by the jin was out of the question. Even buying by the liang was beyond most people's means. They could only afford one or two qian, just enough to indulge in a little sweetness after going without it for so long.
While one sculptor was making a killing selling sugar, the other attracted a crowd of his own.
"Wait a minute... Is that pork lard?"
The sculptor grinned. "You've got a good eye! That's right. Premium pork lard! Come closer and have a sniff. Doesn't that smell wonderful?"
"What kind of times are these? How on earth do you still have pork lard?"
"People can barely find enough to fill their stomachs, yet your family can still afford to raise pigs? Just how rich are you?"
The people living in the county town certainly weren't raising pigs in their backyards. Normally, they depended on farmers from the surrounding countryside to bring pork and lard into the market. But ever since the drought began, the number of pig farmers had dwindled. Eventually, the supply had all but dried up.
Some people in the crowd could barely remember the last time they'd tasted proper pork fat.
"Three qian! Give me three qian!"
"Five qian over here!"
"Wait! Don't sell everything yet! I want some too!"
Despite all the excitement, nobody dared buy much. Pork lard was simply too expensive, and every household had to think twice before parting with even a little silver.
But there were plenty of customers, and even small purchases added up.
Before long, the two sculptors had sold every last bit of sugar and pork lard they had brought along.
In their place sat two hefty pouches stuffed with silver fragments.
The sculptors weighed the bags in their hands, barely able to contain their excitement. They exchanged a delighted glance.
"Now we can finally pay off our artisan registry silver!"
As it turned out, just like Li Da, both sculptors were registered artisans under the imperial artisan system.
However, there was a crucial difference between their classifications.
Li Da was registered as a resident artisan. In modern terms, he was basically a government factory employee who had to clock in at the workshop every day. His personal freedom was severely restricted, which explained why he was so eager to escape that status.
The two sculptors, on the other hand, were rotating artisans. They enjoyed considerably more freedom. Once every three to five years, they were required to report to the government workshop and serve a three-month shift. The rest of the time, they could go about their own business.
In the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, the imperial court had reformed the artisan labor system. Under the revised rules, rotating artisans could avoid their assigned shifts by paying an annual artisan registry fee of four qian and five fen in silver. The government would then use the money to hire replacement workers.
Previously, the two sculptors had never been able to afford that payment. They had no choice but to obediently take their turns whenever the government called for them.
But things were different now.
Ever since receiving the divine gifts from Tianzun, their households had accumulated quite a collection of valuable goods. Naturally, they had begun thinking about turning those treasures into silver and buying their way out of their labor obligations.
That was precisely why they had risked the dangerous journey and insisted on accompanying Shan Shi'er to the county town.
And now, their goods had been converted into shiny silver. Their purses were heavy, their pockets were full, and their confidence had soared through the roof.
Freedom was finally within reach!
With their chests puffed out and their steps practically bouncing, the two sculptors headed straight for the government workshop.
They entered the compound and passed through the main hall, where they encountered all sorts of craftsmen at work. There were carpenters, sawyers, tilers, blacksmiths, tailors, painters, bamboo weavers, pewterers, engravers, founders, screen makers, floral weavers, twin-thread weavers, masons, silversmiths, drum makers, armorers, ink-kiln workers, bucket makers, pigment grinders, decorative carvers, leather tanners, dyers, molding artisans, papermakers, glassmakers...
In short, just about every imaginable craft seemed to have its own place in the government workshop.
(Author's Note: Naturally, not all these artisans would be gathered inside the workshop at the same time. This list is simply intended to give readers an idea of the various categories of artisan registries that existed during the Ming Dynasty.)
The government workshop was home to a great many skilled craftsmen. Each had mastered a particular trade, and none was an amateur.
Since they regularly crossed paths, most of the craftsmen knew one another. When several spotted the two sculptors walking in, they immediately called out to them.
"Hey! Isn't that you two? Didn't you finish your rotation last year? You shouldn't be due for another shift this year. What brings you here?"
The two sculptors exchanged smug smiles.
"We've made some money! We're here to pay off our artisan registry silver! Hehehe!"
The moment they heard that, the surrounding craftsmen were overcome with envy.
Who wouldn't want to throw down some silver and buy back their own freedom?
Unfortunately, almost nobody could afford to do so.
Artisan households were notoriously poor. Their lives were hardly comfortable, and having spare silver lying around was practically a fantasy. Many families were so desperate that they had to pawn or even sell their own children just to survive. Forget paying the artisan registry fee. For most of them, simply keeping the household fed was already a struggle.
So when word spread that these two sculptors had somehow earned enough money to clear their obligations, a crowd quickly gathered around them.
"Where did you two strike it rich?"
"Come on, tell us your secret!"
"Share the opportunity with us! We want to pay off our artisan registry silver too. Then we can finally walk away with our sleeves clean and never look back!"
The two sculptors weren't stupid enough to reveal their secrets in front of such a crowd. A secret that could make people rich was something to be whispered about, not shouted across a busy workshop.
They simply exchanged mysterious smiles.
"We have the patronage of Tianzun!"
And with that cryptic declaration, they left the crowd behind and walked straight into the inner hall to see the supervising master artisan.
"Master, we've come to pay our artisan registry silver."
The supervising master artisan was an elderly man. He gave them a cold snort.
"How many years are you planning to pay for? Listen carefully. You're rotating artisans on a three-year cycle. If you want to skip your next shift, you have to pay the fee for all three years in advance. That's thirteen qian and five fen. It's no small amount."
Before he could finish explaining, the two sculptors answered simultaneously.
"Thirty years!"
The old man paused.
"Excuse me?"
"We're paying for thirty years! That's ten rotations in total. Once we've paid, we won't have to come back here for work again. Master, this might very well be the last time you ever see our faces!"
Pfft!
The old man nearly sprayed his tea across the desk.
"Thirty years?! That's eight liang and five qian of silver! Where in the world did two penniless fellows like you get that much money?!"
The two sculptors stood ramrod straight, wearing identical smiles that practically screamed, We know something you don't.
They reached inside their robes, pulled out two heavy money pouches, and slammed them onto the table.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
The silver inside rattled loudly.
The old man didn't even need to open the bags. Just from the sound, he could tell they were packed to the brim.
He hurriedly untied them.
Sure enough, they were filled with gleaming silver fragments. He hefted the contents in his palm and weighed them carefully. There was more than enough to cover the payment, and even a tidy little surplus that he could quietly slip into his own pocket.
The old man was thoroughly dumbfounded.
He pulled out a thick ledger, flipped to the section for "Molding Artisans," and searched for the two men's names. After finding their entries, he dipped his brush into the ink and wrote:
Artisan registry silver paid in full for thirty years.
Then he recorded the date and drew a large circle around the entry.
The two sculptors collected their receipts and stood up proudly.
"Master, we shall take our leave. May we never have to meet again in this lifetime!"
The old man merely waved a hand. He was too stunned to offer a proper reply.
He could only watch as the two former paupers strode out of the government workshop with their heads held high, looking as though they had just escaped a lifetime sentence.
(Author's Note: The official Ming Dynasty designation for these two craftsmen was "Molding Artisan" (捏塑師). For the sake of readability, this novel consistently refers to them as "sculptors" (雕塑師). Please keep similar simplifications in mind when encountering other craft titles in later chapters.)