Chapter 41
In the morning, when Yuli woke up, Xie Yao had already left. The bed was still warm, and she lazed in bed for a while before getting up.
Today’s breakfast was exceptionally sumptuous, with many pastries from Xiangfu Zhai. Yuli ate them and was in a great mood.
“Did Uncle Hu make these? Is he back?” Yuli asked after her meal.
Jingyu smiled. “Yes, Old Hu came today to deliver the revenue from Xiangfu Zhai. Does the Mistress want to see him?”
The revenue from Xiangfu Zhai was increasing month by month, and every month, it was delivered to her without a single penny missing. Thinking that Uncle Hu must have worked hard, Yuli had Jingyu invite him in.
In the study, Uncle Hu and a maid were holding three boxes. They placed them on the desk. Jingyu opened them, and they were three full boxes of silver, three times more than the first month of opening.
Yuli looked through the account books. Not only had the revenue tripled, but the profit had also quadrupled. She looked at Uncle Hu again. He was glowing with health, looking as if he were in high spirits.
He was relaxed and showed no signs of fatigue.
A wave of resentment arose in Yuli. Such a smooth business should have been hers, hers!
It was all Xie Yao’s fault, Yuli complained in her heart.
Yuli accepted the silver and asked about the current business situation. Uncle Hu said with a smile, “Now Xiangfu Zhai is only open for two hours a day. All the pastries are in limited supply. The more popular they are, the higher the price. Even so, every morning, there are servants from wealthy families lining up. Some of them line up for more than half a day, and those who don’t get to buy them even get into fights.”
Yuli’s mouth watered as she listened. Uncle Hu was not only a genius chef but also a marketing master. He had hunger marketing all figured out.
Uncle Hu did not take the credit. “The business of Xiangfu Zhai is so booming, thanks to the Mistress’s wonderful ideas. If the Mistress hadn’t tasted all the food in the world, I, Old Hu, would never have been able to come up with these pastry recipes in my lifetime.”
Yuli smiled. Yes, this was her contribution. Xiangfu Zhai was her industry. She could accept the money with a clear conscience.
After Uncle Hu left, Yuli took out all the silver she had saved and the gold that Xie Yao had given her to count.
Starting Huayan Fang had cost a lot of money, but it was only a small part of what Xie Yao had given her. She had commissioned Hong Fang to do research and development, but there had been no results. Yuli had settled the fees with them. The sum of the four places could be said to be a huge amount.
She knew in her heart that to open a weaving and dyeing workshop to develop new colors, the amount of money needed would probably be a bottomless pit.
Yuli set a bottom line for herself. After spending all this money, whatever happened, happened.
The weaving and dyeing workshop was set up with unusual smoothness. Jingyu had found two dyers, both over fifty, with a steady and refined air, who looked not like commoners, but like old experts.
Yuli asked Jingyu how much she had paid them. Jingyu said without a trace, “They are from the weaving and dyeing workshop that the Young Master opened in Jiangnan. They have already retired and are from the capital. The Young Master had someone invite them back. They owe the Young Master a favor and are here to help the Mistress for free.”
Yuli paused. If Xie Yao were a real wealthy merchant, she would have believed it. But he was the regent, and these two… Yuli looked at their air again, afraid that he had poached them from some official post. Yuli only hesitated for a moment. They were surely excellent talents, and it would be a waste not to use them.
Researching new colors did not require a large scale. To save money, Yuli first set up the dyeing workshop in the backyard of Huayan Fang, setting aside the entire east wing and converting it into a dyeing workshop. Although the sparrow was small, it had all its vital organs.
The two old dyers were conscientious, but in this industry, it was indeed the Chu clan’s skills that were the most superb.
They were top-grade craftsmen from the palace’s weaving and dyeing bureau. Although they were proficient in the skills of weaving and dyeing, the colors of the silk threads dyed in the palace were limited. It was better to buy ready-made ones from the Chu family than to spend a great deal of effort to dye all the colors in the world. This was also the reason why Director Chen and the Chu clan were close.
And Chu Hong was born into a weaving and dyeing aristocratic family. He had been immersed in various dyes since he was a child. In addition, he was devoted to it. Most of the silk threads in Wanse Fang were his own creations, the result of more than ten years of research, which even all the other dyeing workshops of the Chu clan did not have.
To completely replicate them was by no means a matter of a day or a night.
As time went by, ten days passed, and the two dyers had only replicated one color, which was far from meeting the requirements for making the “Ronghua Lihua.” The backyard was in full swing, but it was quiet. The front hall, on the other hand, was where Lizhen was dealing with the customers who had come to pick up their goods, and it was very noisy.
Besides giving a full refund of the deposit, Yuli also gave Lizhen the authority to give a double compensation of the deposit and three small velvet flowers as a gift. Under such generous apologies, they really couldn’t produce the same style of “Ronghua Lihua” as Yingniang’s. Although the customers were resentful, they could only accept it.
It was just that they would lose a lot of money.
As for the other styles besides the “Ronghua Lihua,” Yuli used similar colors to replace Wanse Fang’s. Although they were not as beautiful as the original, with a sincere explanation and some discounts, most customers accepted it. For those who were dissatisfied and wanted a refund, Yuli also satisfied them all.
In this situation, Huayan Fang lost money every day it was open. It was not a small loss, but a huge loss, no different from burning money.
Although it was all money given by Xie Yao, Yuli couldn’t help but feel a heartache when she spent it, as if her freedom would end when all this money was spent.
Yuli knew it was useless to stay in Huayan Fang all day. She would occasionally go to Xiangfu Zhai to see the crowds of customers and the money flowing in like water, which would make her feel much better.
Occasionally, she would go to Biyou Garden to see the spring scenery and find inspiration for new velvet flower styles.
Sometimes she would wander aimlessly in the West Market and go into embroidery workshops to see if there were any good-looking silk thread colors.
Every day, her heart was filled with things, but when she returned to Mingyue Residence, she did not show it in front of Xie Yao at all, afraid that she would accidentally show her sorrow and he would secretly get rid of that Chu Hong.
But Xie Yao would also know from Jingyu and the guards that she was not happy every day. He suppressed the impulse to ask and just quietly accompanied her, letting her concentrate on her meals and on sleeping with him.
But Yuli was a living person, not a machine. There were always times when she was distracted. Xie Yao was always paying attention to her subtle expressions. He saw it but didn’t say anything. When they went to bed, he would become abnormal. When they were having sex, he would make her feel in-between, not in pain, but not comfortable, forcing her to concentrate on feeling him and letting him do it properly.
The strange thing was that after the torment, Yuli’s mind was calm, and she could think more clearly. When she was tired, she would also sleep surprisingly well.
Last night, they had tossed and turned again. Yuli’s lips were almost broken by his kisses. When Yuli got up in the morning and looked in the mirror, her lips were slightly swollen and as red as if they were bleeding.
But last night, when she was holding him, an idea had flashed through her mind. She ignored her swollen lips, got up early, and after a hasty meal, had Jingyu arrange for an outing.
Yuli went to the painting and calligraphy workshops in the city.
She wandered for more than half a day. In the afternoon, the sky was gloomy, and Yuli was also a little listless, as if she had lost interest.
The paintings and calligraphy on the market, whether high-end or low-end, were mostly exquisite works of fine brushwork. What she was looking for were paintings that were captivating in their color.
Yuli also visited the shops that sold painting pigments. Many of the colors were common. She bought some of the more unusual ones, planning to take them back to Huayan Fang for the dyers to study and provide some inspiration. Perhaps Zhile could also use them.
By dusk, the setting sun had turned red. Yuli could not stay any longer and prepared to return to the residence.
After getting into the carriage, she lifted the curtain and casually looked outside. Suddenly, in the rosy red sunset, she saw a color that was even brighter than the sunset.
“Stop!” Yuli called for the carriage to stop, lifted the curtain, and quickly jumped out.
The shadow guards in various disguises outside the carriage were stunned for a moment. Jingyu hurriedly followed. Yuli had just run to a simple painting and calligraphy stall by the roadside.
“Did you paint this?” Yuli asked, panting, pointing to the brightly colored painting.
The stall owner was a listless middle-aged man. Seeing Yuli and the painting she was pointing at, he was not very enthusiastic. “Not me. Someone left it with me to sell on consignment. This painting is half a guan. Do you want it?”
Yuli threw him a silver ingot. “Yes, and take me to see this painter.”
The stall owner was startled by the silver and finally forced a smile. “Noble lady, please wait a moment. I’ll take you there after I close my stall.”
There were many paintings on the stall. The stall owner was slow. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, Yuli was anxious. She took the painting and gave it to Jingyu to put away, and then helped the stall owner to pack up.
The stall owner smiled. “Noble lady, don’t be anxious. This painting has been hanging here for almost half a year, and no one wanted it. That painter Ye is not a famous scholar. Besides painting, he just tinkers with his pigments. You can find him at any time.”
Yuli said she was not in a hurry, while quickly helping the stall owner to roll up the paintings and put them away.
Finally, the stall was packed up. The stall owner then led the three of them to the back of the street.
The alley became more and more remote, and finally, they reached a small house by the alley.
The alley was narrow and long, the door was very small, and the window paper was torn. The setting sun had already set, and some of the houses had already lit their lamps, but this one was dark inside.
Yuli was worried that the person was not there. The stall owner went forward and knocked on the door. “Ye Weiqing! Open the door! Someone has bought your painting!”
The stall owner’s voice was very loud, with a joyful smile. Yuli was still startled.
A crisp click came from inside the room. After a while, someone answered, “Hey, I’m coming.”
The door opened a crack. The fingers holding the door were slender and pale, and the wrist looked as if it had no flesh, only skin. After the door opened a little more, half a figure appeared in the doorway.
The man was tall, but as thin as a bamboo pole. He was wearing a wide indigo linen robe, the cuffs were worn and pilled, and stained with an unclear color, but the rest of the places were washed until they were faded. Only the two patches of the same color on the elbows looked a little newer.
The man was so thin that his cheeks were sunken, his skin was pale and dull, and there was a dark yellow tint from long-term lack of food. The dark circles under his eyes were deep, as if he hadn’t slept for several days.
If it weren’t for the fact that it wasn’t completely dark yet, Yuli would have thought she had seen a ghost.
“Come out!” the stall owner was very energetic, and his call dispelled the strange atmosphere.
The stall owner pulled Ye Weiqing out with a sense of disappointment. “It’s this noble lady who has taken a fancy to your painting. Look how thin you are. You can finally have a full meal now. Why don’t you thank the noble lady?”
Only then did Ye Weiqing open the door and walk out. The door opened a little wider, and a glimpse of the dim scene inside flashed by. There were paintings pasted on the wall, and a yellowed fine cloth hanging from the beam, its two ends stained with many pigments, swaying as the door opened and closed.
Walking out of the house, Ye Weiqing looked much more normal. He was just a down-and-out painter, probably so poor that he couldn’t even eat his fill.
Yuli also understood. Artists were all a bit unusual. Sometimes, when they were immersed in their self-constructed artistic world, they would rather starve to death than be worldly.
Ye Weiqing’s steps were unsteady, and he was panting heavily after just a few steps. His eyes were dull. It was only when he went around the stall owner and saw Yuli that a little color returned to his dull eyes.
The person before him was wearing a moon-white scholar’s robe, with a small jade-colored flower at the collar. Her face was fair and otherworldly, and her lips were a startling red, like the finest cinnabar smeared on a vast expanse of new snow.
Ye Weiqing only glanced at Yuli, as if he were blinded by the color of her lips. His eyelashes flickered, and he immediately looked away, bowing to Yuli.
“Thank you for your kindness, noble lady. I, Ye, am extremely grateful,” he said, and then began to cough, as if he couldn’t breathe.
Yuli couldn’t delay any longer. She told him not to be so polite. After he had recovered, she shook out his painting and pointed to the colors on it. “Did you mix the colors on this painting?”
Ye Weiqing’s shoulders were hunched, and he didn’t dare to raise his head. “Yes.”
“That’s great,” Yuli said with a smile. “Today I have visited all the large and small painting workshops in the city. Your painting has colors I have never seen before. It’s just that the people of this time appreciate fine brushwork, and you are lacking in this area. But with a little practice, you will surely improve. But in terms of color, no one can surpass you.”
Ye Weiqing raised his head slightly to look at Yuli, then lowered it again. “The noble lady praises me too much.”
But Yuli felt that she had not misjudged. The art of every era has its own characteristics. In the current time and place, painting valued fine brushwork, and the rest was just icing on the cake. But Yuli had seen the most exquisite paintings from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, spanning five thousand years.
She was sure that this painter Ye had the potential to become a Wang Ximeng. It was just that he still needed to improve, but perhaps he was proud of his colors and did not want to cultivate fine brushwork.
Yuli thought for a moment and said, “Actually, your painting is already very good. I will buy as many of these paintings as you have. But I need you to come to my dyeing workshop to help me research some new colors. I will hire you as a craftsman. As long as the salary is not outrageous, you can name your price. How about it?”
Yuli spoke quickly, appearing eager. Ye Weiqing pinched his fingers, looked at Yuli and the two maids behind her, and did not express his opinion.
Yuli was afraid that he would feel that working as a craftsman in her shop would be an insult to his art and said again, “Let’s make it three months. When the time is up, you can leave as you please. During this period, if you have any paintings, you can hang them in my shop to sell. It may not make you a lot of money, but at least you won’t have to worry about food and clothing. How about it?”
Ye Weiqing looked at Yuli again and nodded.
Yuli was relieved. She told him the address of Huayan Fang and made an appointment for him to come tomorrow. The sky was really getting dark. She immediately turned around and rushed back to the Xie Residence.