Over the past few days, the Qingshi Base had been purchasing laver from the villagers, filling half a room’s worth.
The laver had just been pulled from the sea, dripping wet and black as mud, packed in buckets like thick, glossy ink.
Xie Yushu had also added a drying kiln to the base. The small batches she and Aunt Hong had made before were just for their own consumption, but after several rounds of hands-on practice, they’d finally developed a proper method for making dried laver.
The most crucial step in making dried laver was slow, low-temperature drying. Xie Yushu had repeatedly tested the process using Aunt Hong’s small stove at her house, eventually finding the perfect heat level for the crispiest results.
Now that the kiln was built, they could finally begin production.
The kiln had been constructed over three days by Stonemason Wu and her apprentices, whom Xie Yushu had brought in from town. It was built on open ground east of the courtyard, not far from the kitchen.
The location was convenient for accessing fire, yet far enough from the main drying yard’s wind path to keep winter drafts from affecting the kiln’s temperature.
When Stonemason Wu took on the job, she’d first used a wooden ruler to measure and mark the chosen foundation, calculating the required dimensions. That afternoon, she’d brought in several cartloads of blue bricks and sent her apprentices up the mountain to dig yellow clay. Gravel and coarse sand were plentiful in Qianwan Village—they could source those locally.
The kiln couldn’t be rushed, but Xie Yushu needed it done quickly. Stonemason Wu worked meticulously and took three full days.
The foundation was first filled and compacted with gravel and fine sand, then layered with lime for moisture protection. The kiln body was built with blue bricks, and the inner walls were coated with a smooth layer of yellow clay, spread evenly.
Xie Yushu supervised throughout—she’d never seen anything like this and was intensely curious. Stonemason Wu explained that this ensured even heat distribution from the bottom, preventing one side from burning while the other remained raw. The flue passed through the kiln’s base and ran along the wall to vent outside, preventing smoke from choking the workers.
After finishing that job, Xie Yushu kept her busy—buying more bricks to have her build a wall between the front and back courtyards, separating the production area from the employees’ living quarters. She also had her set up a simple purchasing station not far from the yard, along the village path, specifically for receiving kelp and laver from villagers.
Once all the work was done, Xie Yushu paid Stonemason Wu her wages. Pleased with the quality, she added a bonus. Stonemason Wu accepted the heavy pay with a grin from ear to ear, praising Xie Yushu’s generosity and saying to call her anytime for more work.
She didn’t need to say it—Xie Yushu would definitely be hiring her again.
Xie Yushu walked around the yard, feeling thoroughly satisfied. She’d made the right choice buying this fish farm—it was well worth it.
A wall now separated the back and front courtyards, with an arched gateway left in between. This sectioned off a comfortable living area for Xiu He, his brother, Xin Miao, and his child—with rooms, a latrine, a small drying yard for clothes, and the kitchen just a few steps away. Very convenient. She could even add a few potted plants later to make it look nicer.
The back courtyard was spacious, but the front was even larger.
The production area alone was roomy enough, with plenty of space to move around. Work zones were well-spaced, leaving open areas so people could walk and turn comfortably.
Xie Yushu had planned this out long ago. Now everything was allocated: a processing area, a drying area, a sorting/packaging and storage area, a break room for workers, and now the drying kiln area.
With the addition of the new product, Xie Yushu reassigned her staff.
Now with Xin Miao, she had exactly ten formal employees. Everyone was already skilled at kelp drying, so she planned to leave three people dedicated to that, while everyone else would work on laver.
Making dried laver was far more complicated than kelp.
Aunt Hong had trained the entire crew for several days—from washing to drying. But the low-temperature drying process would be handled by her and Xiu He specifically.
None of it was particularly technical—just requiring care and attention. Morale was high, and everyone picked it up quickly. Now with each person in their role, the base had started to resemble a small assembly-line factory.
With the new year approaching, traveling merchants came in droves to stock up on goods—prime selling season. If laver could make a name for itself now, and at a much higher price than kelp, they were bound to turn a good profit.
Xie Yushu had inquired about the market—people did sell laver, but only in small batches from home workshops, with inconsistent quality and odd textures. There weren’t many sellers, and none could match the consistency of her little assembly-line operation.
There was a large water tank in the open area, already filled with clean water. With a loud splash, they dumped all the buckets of laver in.
Washing the laver was assigned to the two new strong women—it was heavy work that ordinary ge’er or fulang couldn’t handle.
Each of them wielded a long wooden pole, stirring vigorously in the tank until white foam rose to the surface.
As the laver tumbled and spread in the water, sediment and debris—along with the laver’s natural gelatin—released and formed a layer of white froth.
They stopped and skimmed off the foam with large strainers, repeating the washing several times until the water ran clear.
He Chao came over to check after they finished: “Good—nice and clean. Keep it up.”
Then he rushed off to other tasks.
The clean laver was scooped out, drained, and packed into large bamboo filter baskets—specially made by Carpenter Zhou, who’d been commissioned for several.
There were also shallow trays for carrying the laver into the kiln—square and round, large and small. Xie Yushu had ordered over a hundred at once, and the Zhou family was still working on them.
The basket bottoms weren’t solid—they had fine mesh holes and were stacked over wooden buckets. The workers pressed boards down on top, then weighted them with heavy stone slabs to squeeze the moisture out of the laver.
The excess water dripped through the holes into the buckets below, quickly filling them halfway.
After pressing for nearly an hour, the laver was sufficiently drained—what had been slippery and sticky was now compacted, much drier, and felt like coarse cloth.
At this point, He’s father and the two fulang he brought over moved the pressed laver to the sorting area.
Standing at their workbenches, they dumped the pressed laver onto the tables, quickly straightened it out, pulled it into long strips, and laid them flat on the trays. Each person wielded a pair of scissors, snipping the connecting parts of the laver. Tray after tray was stacked neatly to the side, waiting for Xiu He and Aunt Hong to take them into the kiln.
The kiln’s interior was spacious, holding many trays at once. Aunt Hong started with the rectangular trays, stacking them in several rows with even gaps between them—front, back, left, right—to allow the heat to circulate evenly over every tray.
This step didn’t use direct fire from firewood, but the residual heat from charcoal. Laver was delicate—high heat would scorch it, but low heat was just right.
The burning charcoal sat beneath the kiln’s hearth, and the heat traveled through the flue, circulating gently around the goods being dried. The mild, steady warmth gradually evaporated the remaining moisture from the laver, slowly turning in the kiln to achieve that low-temperature drying effect.
Two hours later, the first batch of dried laver was ready.
Out of curiosity, everyone temporarily set down their work and gathered around, eagerly watching the unveiling of their first collective effort.
Aunt Hong pulled open the kiln door and used tongs to lift out the first tray of dried laver. A dry, savory sea fragrance wafted toward them, and everyone closed their eyes to inhale.
The laver now looked completely different from when it went in.
The formerly wet leaves had become crisp and dry, fused into firm, solid sheets with a glossy sheen. The color was near jet-black, with a faint greenish tint upon closer look, and carried the briny scent of the sea.
This was exactly what high-quality dried laver should look like. They’d all learned something new.
Everyone marveled—this was what they’d toiled all morning to produce, something that could earn good money.
Xie Yushu came over too, feeling and sniffing the product with a satisfied smile. The worries of the past few days melted away in that moment.
She was pleased with the kiln’s first batch. With a wave of her hand, she sent everyone off to lunch.
That afternoon, Xie Yushu took the first batch of dried laver to the ferry to meet with the Tang family steward. She opened a small package and handed it over for the steward to inspect.
The steward took one look and immediately knew the quality was exceptional—typical of Xie’s Seafood. It was clear that anything they produced was extraordinary.
Following Tang Zhiyi’s orders, she’d take some back for her mistress to review and give her answer tomorrow.
Xie Yushu generously let her take it—she had full confidence in her product. Tang Zhiyi had seen plenty of fine goods; she’d naturally recognize the quality without needing any sales pitch.
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