One by one, the daily-use furniture was carried out through the main gate of the Bai Mansion. The variety was complete, and each piece was extremely beautiful.
At the end of the furniture was a four-panel folding screen of red sandalwood with double-sided embroidery.
The sun was extremely bright that day. No one knew what material the frame of the screen was made of. Under the sunlight, it actually gave off a dazzling light, causing everyone present to squint their eyes. They could barely see it clearly until the screen passed in front of them.
When they finally saw it clearly, almost everyone's eyes popped out.
In the middle of the screen were four beautiful double-sided embroideries of twin lotus flowers, a technique unique to the Jiangnan region and extremely rare.
But that wasn't the most important part.
The most important thing was the frame of the screen. It wasn't made of various precious woods but of glass.
In the current Great Zhou, there were no craftsmen proficient in glass-making techniques, and the glass-making art hadn't become popular yet. The few pieces of glass that occasionally appeared were brought by Western Regions merchants who traveled across the continent to do business in the Great Zhou.
This made glass extremely rare in the Great Zhou. Due to its rarity, it was extremely precious, with a price comparable to that of a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum or ten-thousand-year-old ginseng, and it was often out of stock even at a high price.
Even in the houses of wealthy and well-traveled merchants, there were at most some small glass trinkets. After all, it was really inconvenient for Western Regions merchants to bring glass across mountains and rivers to the Great Zhou.
Therefore, this beautiful and exquisite glass screen stunned everyone present.
Most of the people here didn't even recognize glass. Only a very small number of people had been fortunate enough to see it once or twice, but the glass in their memories was far less exquisite than the one in front of them.
From a distance, the frame of the screen just looked like a shiny blur. But when it got closer, they found that it seemed colorless and transparent, yet it reflected colorful lights as the position changed and the light on it kept shifting. It was truly incredibly beautiful.
Around the screen, there were also glass-carved blooming twin lotus flowers, corresponding to the double-sided embroidery inside. It had a beautiful meaning and was of extremely high craftsmanship, truly a masterpiece.
"What on earth is this? It's so beautiful! I want one too!"
— Once again, countless servants set off on their missions, scurrying through the streets and alleys of Yongding City.
After the screen came a large number of small items.
But they weren't ordinary items either. They were all small glass objects.
There were writing utensils, such as a light blue glass pen, a light purple pen rack, a pink glass pen holder shaped like a budding lotus, a cyan pen washer shaped like a lotus leaf reaching to the sky, and a colorless and transparent paperweight.
Even those dandies who got a headache at the sight of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones now wanted to rush to buy these things and play with them.
Not to mention that there were also bracelets made of colorful glass beads, hairpins and waist ornaments made of glass. Each piece was extremely delicate and beautiful, completely captivating the attention of the women present.
These things were so rare and so beautiful that even the noble young ladies who were proud of their taste began to worry. If they didn't have a glass accessory at the next gathering, they were afraid they would be laughed at by their little sisters.
Bai Di's face had contorted so much that it was unrecognizable. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms. Her lips were pursed into a thin line, and she was speechless.
After the various glass objects were carried past, what came next was a large vase symbolizing prosperity and wealth.
It was a huge and exquisitely shaped blue-and-white porcelain vase.
The era of the Great Zhou was still in the transitional period from pottery to porcelain.
At this stage, the most widely used items in every household were still various glazed pottery. Only a very small number of relatively well-off families had begun to use celadon. And because the development of porcelain was incomplete, those celadons had no patterns and were simple in style.
But this large vase in front of them was an eye-opener.
It was very tall, with a thin and long neck and a round belly. Its body was delicate and white, and its glaze was moist and translucent. What was even rarer was that it was painted with bright blue-and-white patterns. The patterns were mainly twining branches and broken branches, decorated with vine patterns, looking vivid and lifelike.
This made a few wealthy people who were used to ordinary celadon stare blankly. Some of them even had an uncontrollable urge to reach out and touch it.
However, just when they managed to suppress this urge, a whole set of magnificent blue-and-white porcelain that followed made everyone gasp.
The crystal-clear porcelain tea sets, the exquisitely beautiful porcelain covered jars, and all kinds of uniquely shaped porcelain bowls and plates were all so delicate. Their bodies were crystal-clear and supple, the patterns were fresh and bright, the glaze was white with a hint of blue, and the colors were as green as jade. People couldn't help but admire them.
At some point, everyone's attention had been deeply attracted by the things in the carrying poles, so no one bothered to count how many loads of the dowry there were.
Did the quantity still matter?
Just one of these never-before-seen items in one's dowry would be enough to make others envious.
After the furniture and ornaments came a complete range of daily necessities.
The first one was a big red dragon-and-phoenix quilt.
This dragon-and-phoenix quilt was different from the delicate and magnificent ornaments in front. Its patterns were extremely simple and plain.
But the sharp-eyed people immediately noticed its special feature.
On the dragon-and-phoenix quilt was a copper basin symbolizing a lifelong union. Presumably, there was nothing in the copper basin, so it was relatively light. When it was placed on the quilt, as the carrying pole swayed from side to side during transportation, the copper basin on top bounced gently up and down.
If some laypeople were still confused about why a copper basin was placed on the quilt, most of the people who sold quilts had an idea.
If it were an ordinary thick cotton quilt, because of its heavy weight, it would look quite solid when piled up.
But this dragon-and-phoenix quilt was different.
It was very light and had excellent elasticity.
Otherwise, the copper basin on top wouldn't have bounced so high.
"What kind of quilt is this? It doesn't seem very heavy. It must be much more comfortable to cover than a cotton quilt."
"This quilt looks so light. I'm afraid it can only be used in this season. It would make you catch a cold if you covered it at night in winter."
"But this quilt looks so soft. I really want to touch it!"
The crowd was buzzing with discussions, all curious about the material of the quilt.
However, before everyone could figure out the material of the quilt, a large number of fluffy dolls were carried out.
There were big grey bears, white rabbits, and cute dolls that looked like cats but weren't exactly cats. Each one was chubby and cute, with various expressions. The delicate and soft fur on the outside swayed in the wind, showing its extremely smooth texture.
The girls immediately let out screams.