Unlike autumn when the reds and greens fade, in the cold winter months, there are no other colors to appreciate except the wintersweet.
When Wu Xian arrived, he saw Lady Mi Ce smiling under the eaves from afar. The peony flowers on her temples were so beautiful that she looked even more beautiful than the flowers. He was curious about where the peonies were at this time of year, but when he got closer, he realized that this peony was not that peony.
Madam Mi Ce noticed that he was looking at her curiously.
He smiled and said, "It was given by my wife today."
Wu Xian was surprised again: "You mean Madam?"
Where did you get it, madam
After asking, he remembered that Wenzhu came back from Heyin yesterday and said that he brought some New Year gifts from there to give to the women in the backyard, and he had specially reported this to him. When asked what it was, Xu Jie just said it was a "flower", and Wu Xian didn't pay much attention to it.
Now looking at it, it is quite exquisite.
It's windy outside and not a good place to talk.
"Father!" The sleepy son got up after hearing the noise, kicked his legs and trotted, almost jumping into his arms.
Wu Xian was stern with his two legitimate sons and often treated them with high standards, but he was not so strict with his young illegitimate son and spoiled him. There were only a few years in life when he could be free and hold his son on his lap.
"Have you finished learning what the teacher taught today?"
"Now that I have finished my studies, will Daddy give me a test?" The son answered in a baby voice, with a bit of nervousness and apprehension on his face.
Wu Xian smiled and said, "Okay, let me test you."
It was called a test, but in fact it was just a couple of questions and he could pass it easily—after all, he was still young and it was hard to tell what his aptitude was, so Wu Xian naturally wouldn't have high expectations of him.
The room was cold, so Madam Mi asked her maid to add a charcoal basin.
Wu Xian was inspired and said, "Wen Zhu told me before that every household in He Yin has a brick bed, so they can keep warm in winter without burning charcoal. Although charcoal can keep warm, ordinary people can't afford it, and winter is particularly difficult."
Madam Mi Ce is good at observing people's words and expressions.
Seeing Wu Xian had taken the lead, she followed his lead and asked with a smile, "Although I don't know what this earthen kang is, but since it can keep you warm, it must be burning something. Can ordinary people afford it?"
Wu Xian took the warm water she handed over and took a sip, saying, "You can say it's hay, straw, or even animal manure."
"Is it difficult to make a brick bed?"
Wu Xian shook his head: "I heard it's very simple."
Madam Mi Ce asked, "Why don't you follow suit?"
Wu Xian said nothing.
It's not that he wasn't tempted, nor was it that he was too soft-hearted to pull Shen Tang's sheep, but it was a bit embarrassing for him to have to cut a batch of leeks and pull a lamb all year round.
The outside world really thought that they were deeply in love...
No matter how thick-skinned you are, you can't just take advantage of others.
Most importantly—
He needs to think about how to bring this up!
He didn't say it, but Madam Mi Ce subtly understood his thoughts - he just needed a step now.
"I am not like you, I can't read a few words, I don't understand those great principles, but I can never forget the pain of starvation, cold and sores on my hands and feet when I was young because my family was poor and couldn't afford charcoal... If this earthen kang can make poor families not afraid of wind and snow, I don't know how many innocent lives can be saved... Mr. Shen has always been kind, if he knew that you are dedicated to the people, how could he not respond?"
It is definitely not okay to steal other people's skills in building kangs.
But you can "buy".
Either you buy someone's "patent" for building a kang, or you hire a craftsman who is good at it to build a kang and pay him for his labor.
Considering the "brotherly relationship" between Wu Xian and Shen Tang, they could still get the friendship price if both parties negotiated properly.
Wu Xian said: "That's very true."
He slapped his thigh and decided to write a letter to Shen Tang, using the excuse that "my beloved concubine, Madam Mi, has had frostbite and cannot stand the cold, but the charcoal fire is choking and not healthy for her" as a stepping stone to ask Shen Tang to hire craftsmen to build a kang in Tianhai.
It would be best if I could buy this craft.
There are few craftsmen, and even if they are skilled, it takes time and the efficiency is too slow. It is better to let others learn and then promote it on a large scale. Wu Xian sat and thought about it, and planned to sell the earthen kang to Xiangnan and Yiru, and bring them down as well.
The three companies work together to share the "patent fee"!
Wu Xian's mind was clattering.
He already had an idea in mind, and his peripheral vision was attracted by the peony in Madam Mi Ce's hair. After asking, he learned that Xu Jie had sent more than a dozen velvet flowers, and each concubine in the backyard was given two or three, mostly wintersweet and black tea, and only two peonies.
Although the hierarchy is not as strict as before, Mi Ce's status does not allow her to wear a peony in her hair, and she is not even allowed to use the pattern on her clothes. The main lady gave her one, saying that she had a delicate color and would look good in it.
"What's wrong with this flower?"
"No, it really suits your skin tone. Wear it for fun in your own courtyard. If you go out, wear something else to avoid gossip." Wu Xian leaned against the table and smiled, changing the subject, "Brother Shen is an interesting person. He is so proficient in these little things... But, this is just a small art after all. It would be better to recruit more soldiers with this energy... I don't know how many years the current situation can be stable. I heard that many places have been tormented by that group of refugees and bandits... Isn't this attracting people's attention, Brother Shen?"
Shen Tang has a good reputation.
Shen Tang loves to make money.
Or lead the common people under his rule to make money.
Reclaiming wasteland is to feed the common people, raising pigs is to give the common people extra income, building houses and building kangs is to give the common people a comfortable home that is sheltered from the wind and rain and not cold, and even now during the slack season, making velvet flowers is just to make the common people earn more money...
As long as it is not for the purpose of accumulating wealth, recruiting soldiers and strengthening oneself, it is a good thing for Wu Xian.
After all, he couldn't sleep well with a neighbor who was always sharpening his knife, boiling with passion, and jumping up and down. A good little brother should not be stronger than him, nor more noisy than him, which was just right at the moment.
He was very happy to see Shen Tang devote himself to the common people.
Madam Mi Ce was puzzled: "Why is it a small path?"
Wu Xian changed to a more comfortable sitting position: "It is not a good thing for a child to have a lot of money in a busy city. If Brother Shen was born in a prosperous and peaceful world, he would be a fatherly official who is loved and supported by the common people wherever he goes. But it happens to be the current world. No matter how much money and food the common people under Brother Shen's rule have in their hands, if they encounter desperate criminals who break into their houses, they will most likely end up losing both their money and their lives... Like those refugees before, most of them became bandits in order to survive and rob others of their money and food..."
Wu Xian sneered and said quietly, "… plundering is much faster than planning little by little."
Upon hearing this, Madam Mi Ce subconsciously brewed a sentence in her mind that made her sweat profusely when she thought about it - would that virtuous man rob others? Fortunately, the words rolled around on the tip of her tongue twice and were secretly swallowed back into her stomach.
Wu Xian noticed Madam Mi's strange expression, and he could roughly guess what she was thinking.
"So, in that case, Mr. Shen doesn't even have the soldiers to deal with the desperate criminals?" Madam Mi Ce patted her sleepy little son from time to time, looking puzzled.
"Of course we can deal with ordinary desperate criminals." Wu Xian was worried that the fat boy would crush Madam Mi Ce, so he helped her hold the child aside and continued, "But this desperate criminal is not fighting alone, but with an army of thousands."
"… this?"
"It's not just Brother Shen, Tianhai is the same, they just hate that they are still weak." There was some worry in Wu Xian's eyes, he didn't know how long this relatively peaceful life could last... Would it be long enough for him to live to see his children grow up, get married and start their own careers
Madam Mi Ce also fell silent.
Wu Xian was a carefree person, and he quickly came out of his emo mood. He looked at the flowers on Madam Mi Ce's temples, pondered for a while, and asked, "I remember that in a few days, it will be the winter plum banquet that Madam has been preparing for a long time? Is everything almost ready?"
The wife fell ill after winter.
Because she was not energetic enough, she took the initiative to ask Lady Mi to help with the mundane affairs in the backyard, but the work such as purchasing was still in the hands of her dowry, and Lady Mi would go to the main wife's yard to work during the day. The two peony flowers on her temples were probably meant to win over Lady Mi while making her hate her...
The Wintersweet Banquet is a regular event every year.
Used to contact each other and consolidate the relationship between them.
On this day, the women of each family will dress up and go out.
Madam Mi Ce said, "Yes, everything has been prepared."
This was her first time handling this matter, and she wanted to keep a close eye on every step, making sure there were no mistakes, for fear of giving anyone a handle to criticize her. She had no family background, and the only person she could rely on was her husband, Wu Xian.
One can only survive by relying on offspring and favor.
This was not what she asked for, but the funny thing was that this was the only way she could live a peaceful and safe life.
What's even more ridiculous is that her current situation is what countless women struggling in the mire want but cannot achieve.
Wu Xian looked carefully at her face and the dazzling and delicate peony flower on her temples.
He said, "Wear it to the Winter Plum Banquet."
Madam Mi Ce's heart skipped a beat: "But didn't Xianlang say before... This, this is very inappropriate..."
"Just consider it as returning a favor. Why do you think Brother Shen gave Wen Zhu the idea to send the best velvet flowers to the backyard? Wasn't it because he wanted you to shine at some banquet and attract all the ladies to follow suit? In that case, let's fulfill Brother Shen's wish. We have to collect market taxes anyway... It's not a loss."
Madam Mi Ce: “…”
She thought about it and said, "It's still inappropriate."
"Why is it inappropriate?"
Madam Mi was always smart and witty. She bit her red lips and said, "I am honored by my husband and am called 'madam', but I am still a concubine. What will the wife think of me wearing a peony to attend the winter plum banquet? What will the ladies think of me wearing this on my temples? For the public, it will affect my husband's reputation; for me personally, this velvet flower will not only not please people, but also make the ladies dislike me..."
Wu Xian was silent for a long time after hearing this, and said regretfully: "If only my wife had a bit more reason than you..."
Madam Mi Ce didn't dare to say anything more.
Fortunately, Wu Xian did not continue the topic. He was actually quite depressed recently. The wife had been in charge of the household for many years and kept the house in perfect order. Wu Xian loved and respected her, but there was only one thing that made him quite dissatisfied.
The wife had close ties with her natal family, and outsiders could see that her brothers had evil intentions.
First, he instigated a fight between Wu Xian's two legitimate sons, causing the two children to be unkind to their illegitimate brothers and sisters. He was also closely related to the assassination of Wu Xian.
But the wife of the first wife pitied the two brothers from her mother's side and was extremely partial to them. And the brothers from her mother's side... They were quite well behaved in the past two years, but recently they started to act like a troublemaker again. The wife of the first wife had to beg Wu Xian for mercy in a roundabout way.
He intended to use Concubine Mi to hint at the main wife, but Concubine Mi refused to cooperate.
This matter can only be dropped.
Madam Mi Ce advised cautiously, "Xian Lang and Madam are deeply in love, which is a rare model in Tianhai. The women in the other families are envious. Is there anything that cannot be said openly?"
Wu Xian asked back: "Do you know which word your husband hates the most?"
"Which one?"
"Love is stronger than gold."
Madam Mi Ce: “…”
Wu Xian turned over and sneered, "The world is bustling with people all for profit. Even couples who have been together for many years will become strangers in front of the word 'profit'..."
He didn't blame the wife for not wanting to clear things up with her family.
As a daughter of an aristocratic family, it was her instinct to make money for her family. Compared to a husband with many wives and concubines, a brother who was connected to her by the same bloodline was naturally more reliable.
He patted the back of Madam Mi Ce's hand.
He closed his eyes and said, "You are very good like this."
On the day of the Wintersweet Banquet, the velvet flowers stole the show.
It also brought a huge boost to sales.
The ladies from various families rushed to ask questions.
Shen Tang also added many labels and advertising slogans to these velvet flowers, such as "handmade by famous artists", "carved after months of craftsmanship", "flowers that never fade", "eternal beauty", "the best flowers deserve the best you"...
Xu Jie: “…”
Isn’t this a scam
Mr. Shen made a convincing argument.
"This is called marketing, and it's a very profound subject. Besides - if I really want to shout about how good this flower is and how cheap it is to make, would these noble ladies wear cheap flowers on their hair? Wen Zhu is still young, and expensive ones are worthy of their status!"
Xu Jie: “…”
Isn't this really treating people as scapegoats
In the end, he followed Shen Tang's advice and quoted the highest price possible. He thought that there would be few fools, but within a day, the list filled up a whole scroll. Some wanted to wear it themselves, some wanted to give it as a gift, but without exception, everyone wanted many styles...
Isn't this faster than robbery
Seeing that his wife wanted to join in the fun, he got even angrier and said, "I'll bring you whatever you want..."
Don’t fall into this trap!
I got ripped off for nothing!
After looking at the list, he asked again: "So many?"
The lady said unhappily, "Of course there are many. Don't you see how many relatives and female relatives there are in the clan... They all come to me to ask for help. How can I not get this done? Not even one less will do!"
Xu Jie gritted his teeth and almost had the idea of reselling. It's not that he couldn't afford the money. The cost of the velvet flower materials was there, and no matter how expensive it was, it couldn't be as expensive as gold, silver, pearls and jade. But as a businessman, he hated losing money and wasting money the most!
This is more painful than cutting his flesh.
After the Chinese New Year, he went to Heyin to purchase goods and negotiated on behalf of Wu Xian about building an earthen kang. Shen Tang generously sent a skilled "craftsman" and also asked him to help promote bamboo paper - yes, her papermaking workshop finally produced qualified products!
However, the production is limited, not enough for her to publish two albums of 10,000 copies a year, and the papermaking technology still needs to be improved!
Shen Tang asked Xu Jie to inquire about the market for bamboo paper so that he could continue research and development with more money!
Xu Jie: “…”
Mr. Shen hasn't given up on making the picture album yet.
He also owns a papermaking workshop.
Every year, the supply is in short supply. The Xu family can consume all of Shen Tang's batch of bamboo paper, so there is no need to go out to do business. Xu Jie stayed in Heyin for a few days. When the first batch of velvet flowers were gathered, he could return to Tianhai with the velvet flowers and the kang-building craftsmen.
until-
Wu Xian looked at the leading kang-building craftsman and nearly spit out a mouthful of tea. He choked a few times before calming down.
With a speechless and conflicted expression, he looked at the muscular man in front of him who had darkened a lot: "Ahem, ahem - if I remember correctly, you, you are not a subordinate officer of Dayi's account?"
The officer nodded: "That's right."
Wu Xian: “…”
Xu Jie lowered his head, not daring to look at his boss's face.
"… Then, why did you go to fix the kang?"
Official: “…”
It’s hard to explain this matter in a few words.
He swore that he had absolutely no such hobby a year ago, but when he was working, there was always a group of familiar Ha Yin common people who would say "Thank you for your hard work, soldier" and "Take a rest, soldier" and stare at him with admiration and appreciation.
he…
Shame on him, he lost himself in the compliments and admiration, and when he came to his senses, he found that the craftsmanship of building a kang was superb, and one person could make a kang in half an hour, which was guaranteed to be strong and durable, and take into account both appearance and heating...
The subordinates were upset and reflected.
But Shen Jun immediately subsidized the wages.
The compliments and admiration continued to bewitch me.
The official looked at the private treasury which was becoming increasingly prosperous and fell into some kind of contemplation - it seemed that, perhaps, probably, a brave warrior could support his family without having to fight on the battlefield
Are you living a good life
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