Chapter 212: Prop and Sunshine
Li Xiaonan and her group had a tight schedule. As they were traveling from Yuezhou to Hangzhou and then rushing to Ming Prefecture, a message from the Jiaxing Real Estate Agency delivered to Pingjiang City reached Li Xiaonan. The Jiaxing Weaving Workshop was entrusting a batch of weavers to the Real Estate Agency for sale.
Li Xiaonan immediately turned back and rushed to Xiuzhou’s Huating County, which was adjacent to Jiaxing County.
Wan Jing was puzzled. If the Jiaxing Real Estate Agency had weavers, why go to Huating County?
Li Xiaonan smiled and asked Wan Jing to guess. Wan Jing flatly refused, saying she wasn’t clever enough to guess.
“As the saying goes, the business world is like a battlefield,” Li Xiaonan poured herself a cup of tea.
“I’ve never heard that saying before. That’s not a saying, that’s something A Nan said!” Wan Jing interrupted Li Xiaonan impolitely.
“Your Young Lord thinks this saying makes a lot of sense,” Li Xiaonan retorted with a smile.
“Even if the business world is a battlefield, the weavers you want to buy are in Jiaxing, but you’re going to Huating. What kind of strategy is that? Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao?” Wan Jing asked with a pout.
Her Young Lord knew how to fight wars, but not how to do business. If the Young Lord thought it made sense, it didn’t necessarily mean it was actually sensible.
“Something like that. First, you’ve seen your Young Lord’s letter. The weaving workshop stopped production because they wanted to compete with your Young Lord. Since that’s the case, their stopping production is a move, and selling weavers might also be a move.”
“Right, right, right!” Wan Jing nodded repeatedly.
“Then, before we step forward to take the weavers, shouldn’t we inquire first?”
“Of course, know yourself and your enemy!”
“We’ve been to Jiaxing. My Second Uncle and I have also been to the Real Estate Agency. The Jiaxing Real Estate Agency knows we want to buy weavers, so the Jiaxing Weaving Workshop must also know what kind of people the buyer is.”
“The Real Estate Agency acts as an intermediary for both parties. If we and the weaving workshop have to favor one side, the Real Estate Agency will definitely favor the weaving workshop, right?”
“We haven’t been to Huating! So! We’ll go to Huating to know ourselves and our enemy!” Wan Jing excitedly clapped her hands.
“Yes, and also, the local dialect in Huating is similar to ours in Li Family Market, but the local dialect in Jiaxing is very different, and many words are incomprehensible,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
“Huh? Isn’t it all Wu dialect? Huating and Jiaxing are different?” Wan Jing was surprised. She couldn’t understand anything, let alone distinguish the differences.
“Different sounds every five miles, different customs every ten miles. Have you heard this saying?” Li Xiaonan asked.
“That’s about Southern Fujian.”
“Jiangnan is like that too.”
“You’ve thought of everything. No wonder you’re not afraid to see Miss Shi. You’re not any less cunning than her,” Wan Jing exclaimed.
Li Xiaonan glanced sideways at Wan Jing.
“I’m complimenting you. When I was young, I didn’t understand things and told my Mother: ‘So-and-so is too cunning.’ My Mother would say: ‘Listen to yourself. Does being foolish and having no cunning become an advantage?'”
“Having cunning is an advantage. People who are bad-hearted are worthless,” Wan Jing said with a serious expression.
“I’m good at doing business, not cunning!” Li Xiaonan corrected her.
“You’re cunning but don’t let others say you’re cunning. You’re really cunning,” Wan Jing pouted.
The next day, as the sun began to set, the group entered Huating County and found an inn to settle down. Li Wenru and a few attendants went to inquire around, while Li Xiaonan found her clothes from a box and had Wan Jing change into them.
Wan Jing was slightly taller than her and had a slightly larger frame. Fortunately, when Mei Jie made clothes for her, she always cut an extra two inches, to account for shrinkage, weight gain, or wearing an extra layer in cold weather. In short, it had to be an inch larger and an inch looser. Wan Jing wearing her clothes fit her better than they fit Li Xiaonan.
Seeing the two of them come out, A Wu, who was grooming her prized horse in the courtyard, quickly put down the comb and followed them.
“We don’t need you. We’re just going to wander around the few streets nearby and will be back soon,” Li Xiaonan quickly stopped A Wu.
After taking a few steps, Wan Jing leaned closer to Li Xiaonan and asked in a low voice, “Our Young Lord instructed A Wu to follow you at all times. Bring him along.”
“She can’t speak the local dialect, so it’s inconvenient to bring her,” Li Xiaonan replied in a hushed voice.
“I can’t either!”
“You pretend to be mute,” Li Xiaonan patted Wan Jing.
“Then…” Wan Jing cautiously pointed towards the inn. Before she could finish, Li Xiaonan looked at her speechlessly, “You’re mute, and she’s also mute. Why so many mutes?”
“That’s true,” Wan Jing suddenly realized. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll go ask. From now on, you’ll start acting mute. No matter what anyone says to you, just smile and don’t speak,” Li Xiaonan instructed.
Wan Jing’s “Okay” was about to escape her lips, but she quickly slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes shining with excitement as she looked at Li Xiaonan, nodding continuously.
She was going to pretend to be mute!
Li Xiaonan pulled Wan Jing and walked about twenty to thirty paces. She saw a middle-aged woman sitting at the entrance of a shop, embroidering shoe uppers and watching the shop. She pulled Wan Jing over and said with a smile in the local dialect, “Sister.”
The woman immediately smiled, “You little girl, at my age, I’m an aunt, not a sister.”
“You look about the same age as my Eldest Sister. Please don’t be offended,” Li Xiaonan quickly apologized with a smile.
“How old is your Eldest Sister?” the woman asked.
“Twenty-six,” Li Xiaonan replied with a smile.
“I’m more than ten years older than your Eldest Sister!” The woman’s eyes narrowed with laughter. “What do you need, calling me sister?”
“I’d like to ask Sister, do you know where I can buy cheap small pieces of silk, or not-so-good silk, that’s cheap.”
Li Xiaonan lowered her voice and emphasized the word “cheap.”
The woman made an “oh” sound and also lowered her voice, smiling, “Go forward. See the signboard of that tea shop? Go east past the signboard, walk for about fifteen minutes, you’ll see a grocery store. Turn north, and enter the second alley.”
“The weavers from the Ruifu Weaving Workshop live in that alley. Go find them to buy!”
The woman smiled.
“Okay! I understand. Thank you, Sister. You’re as kind as my Eldest Sister!” Li Xiaonan said happily, thanked the woman, and pulled Wan Jing forward.
“What did you say to her? It sounded so nice, like a warbler’s call,” Wan Jing asked, completely confused.
“Didn’t I tell you to pretend to be mute?” Li Xiaonan glared at Wan Jing.
Wan Jing choked and nodded through gritted teeth.
Li Xiaonan pulled Wan Jing, turned right then left, and entered the second alley.
Along the long alley, courtyard houses were connected one after another.
The scale of the Ruifu Old Brand’s weaving workshop in Huating County surpassed that of the Xiangyun Weaving Workshop, renowned as the number one silk producer in Jiangnan, employing thirteen to fourteen hundred weavers.
The courtyard gates of the courtyard houses were open, with people coming and going. The alley was filled with the aroma of dishes.
It was currently time to prepare dinner.
Li Xiaonan pulled Wan Jing, walked past two or three courtyard houses, chose one, and pulled Wan Jing into the courtyard house.
This courtyard house had about ten households living around it. The kitchens were built outside. There were elderly people and men cooking, while the housewives were either washing clothes or doing needlework, and children were running around playing.
Seeing Li Xiaonan pull Wan Jing in, the children gathered around to watch.
“Who are you looking for?” a middle-aged woman in the courtyard called out.
“My sister and I want to buy some small pieces of silk,” Li Xiaonan walked a few steps closer, bowed slightly to the woman, and said with a low smile.
“What for?” the woman sized up Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing.
“My sister is getting married next year, and she wants a few silk outfits,” Li Xiaonan moved closer to the woman, her voice low. “My sister is mute and has a very bitter fate. My Eldest Sister and Second Sister pooled some copper coins, but our family is poor, and the copper coins are too few.”
Li Xiaonan’s voice became lower and lower.
“Your sister is so beautiful, yet she’s mute. Can she hear?” The woman looked at Wan Jing with pity.
“She can hear, and she can probably understand a little,” Li Xiaonan looked at Wan Jing, who had a silly smile on her face.
“Mutes are also deaf. Alas, this child is so beautiful, it’s a pity.”
“I don’t have anyone at home who can make clothes. I’ll help you ask,” the woman stood up and called out, “Who has fabric? We need bright and festive colors.”
“I have a piece of apricot-yellow skirt fabric,” another woman nearby chimed in.
“I have a piece of plain fabric, best for making undergarments,” another woman added with a smile.
“We want the apricot-yellow skirt fabric,” Li Xiaonan replied with a smile, then lowered her voice, “Undergarments are fine, but not for now.”
The woman patted Li Xiaonan, “Wait here, I’ll go to the next courtyard to ask for you.”
The woman left, and the woman selling the apricot-yellow skirt fabric brought out the fabric and handed it to Li Xiaonan, pointing to it. “Since you’re buying from us, you must know our rules. This fabric can’t be compared to fabric from silk and satin shops. These two pieces are trial weaves. The first foot or so is uneven. You can hide these uneven parts by making them into the waistband of the skirt.”
“Thank you, Sister-in-law. How much copper coins for this fabric?” Li Xiaonan carefully held the fabric.
“Give me half a tael of silver. This is the market price.”
Li Xiaonan nodded quickly, handed the silk to Wan Jing to hold, pulled out her sachet from her skirt, took out silver coins, and counted them out to the woman.
“Sister-in-law, does your weaving workshop accept apprentices? How can one get a job at your weaving workshop?” Li Xiaonan asked enviously.
“Weaving workshops don’t have apprentices; they buy slave girls from human traffickers,” the woman’s expression darkened.
“Slave girls are also good. You live in the city, and the food is good. As soon as you enter the alley, you can smell the aroma of meat. How good is that!” Li Xiaonan was full of envy.
“Alas, such foolish talk. Look at those girls. In a couple of days, they’ll be sold off to who knows where,” the woman pointed to a few young girls nearby who were about Li Xiaonan’s age.
“Ah? Why are they selling them? What about their families then?” Li Xiaonan’s eyes widened in shock.
“Who knows,” the woman seemed extremely annoyed and went into the house with the silver coins.
Li Xiaonan stood close to Wan Jing in the courtyard, carefully observing each house. After looking at half of them, the woman who had gone to find silk for them came back and gave Li Xiaonan two pieces of silk fabric. Li Xiaonan counted out silver coins and gave them to the woman. She wrapped up the several pieces of silk fabric and pulled Wan Jing out of the courtyard house.
After turning past the grocery store and then past the tea shop, Wan Jing looked around and asked in a low voice, “Can I speak now?”
“No, speak when we get back to the inn.”
Wan Jing tightly pursed her lips and quickened her pace, running straight to the inn.
The feeling of being deaf and mute was too unbearable!
