When Shen Xuan first started selling tea, he thought his tea would sell well, but he hadn't anticipated it becoming so famous.
Nowadays, shortly after he sets up his stall each morning, a long queue forms, and everything sells out within two hours.
Even the teachers from Lezhou Academy, fearing they wouldn't get any tea, proactively signed a long-term agreement with him, giving him several taels of silver upfront, requesting daily home deliveries of tea.
With Honey Scholar Tea becoming so famous, Shen Xuan received more tips, yet for some reason, he felt it was a bit too much, with a faint, underlying sense of unease.
However, for now, things were calm, and Shen Xuan couldn't just stop doing business because of a slight worry.
He continued to set up his stall daily. In the afternoons, when he had free time, he began helping Zhong Xiaomei visit the embroidery workshops on Jinli Street.
Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are essential for common people, so there were three embroidery workshops on Jinli Street alone.
Shen Xuan inquired at each, finding that while every workshop employed embroiderers, they also accepted outsourced embroidery.
However, the skill requirements for the outsourced pieces were quite high. Zhong Xiaomei's forte was making shoe soles and sewing clothes.
Although her craftsmanship was good, almost all women and Ger in the city knew how to do it, so it wasn't considered a special skill, and she couldn't get much work at the embroidery workshops.
The most basic job at an embroidery workshop was embroidering handkerchiefs. Embroidering a plum blossom pattern the size of a copper coin on a handkerchief could earn two wen.
If the design was the size of a chicken egg, it could fetch five wen. A skilled embroiderer could finish four or five handkerchiefs a day, easily earning over ten wen, amounting to three to five taels of silver a year.
If one's skills improved to embroider more complex pieces, earning several taels a month wasn't impossible.
During his inquiries, Shen Xuan observed an embroiderer skilled in double-sided embroidery, who could split a single silk thread into incredibly fine strands, creating lifelike embroidered pieces.
She could finish a four-foot-square double-sided screen in over three months, but once delivered to the workshop, it would sell for twenty taels of silver and quickly be bought by a wealthy family.
This woman's skill surpassed that of the household embroiderers of even prominent families in Lezhou City. With such skill, why would she ever worry about not living a good life?
After looking around, Shen Xuan increasingly felt that Zhong Xiaomei could pursue a career as an embroiderer.
Even if she only learned the basic techniques, being able to embroider handkerchiefs or belts would be good. If she could earn four or five taels of silver a year, the Zhong family wouldn't bear to marry her off.
***
Shen Xuan's investigation revealed that these embroidery workshops also recruited apprentices.
However, apprenticeships were of two types. One where you paid to learn and could leave whenever you wanted. The other type was free, lasted for a full year, and you wouldn't earn a single wen.
All finished embroidered products had to be handed over to the workshop. After learning the skills, you couldn't leave immediately; you had to sign a three-year contract.
Within those three years, your embroidered works would be prioritized for the workshop, but the price, naturally, wouldn't be as high as on the open market, and you'd earn slightly less.
This was considered the tuition for learning for free at the workshop.
Zhong Xiaomei had no money, and the Zhong couple certainly wouldn't pay for her to learn. But Shen Xuan thought the second model was quite suitable for Zhong Xiaomei, so he returned and discussed it with her.
"Even though you won't earn money in the first year, once you learn the skill, you'll endure through it after a few years," Shen Xuan told her.
"If you acquire embroidery skills and can earn five or six taels a year, what more would you have to worry about?"
Zhong Xiaomei was very excited to hear this. She had never been further than the neighboring village, and she didn't even know what Lezhou City looked like.
But now, she began to imagine herself learning embroidery in a workshop. Earning five or six taels a year would be comparable to the village gentry. How could she not find a good marriage then?
"Go back today and talk to your parents," Shen Xuan told Zhong Xiaomei. "If it's possible, I can take you into the city tomorrow when I set up my stall. Then I'll take you to sign the contract with the embroidery workshop."
After Zhong Xiaomei thanked him and left, Xue Fenglin came out and said, "You're truly thoughtful towards her. I hope she cherishes this opportunity."
These past few days, Zhong Xiaomei had been helping with odd jobs around the house, and her performance had been quite good.
Seeing that she seemed much more honest than Brother Zhong, Xue Fenglin felt less resistant to her. Shen Xuan smiled upon hearing this. "She's still just a child, how could she be that bad?"
However, no sooner had he finished praising her, than the next day, Zhong Xiaomei didn't come again.
It turned out the Zhong couple had sent her to work as a temporary laborer at the Chang family's gentry estate.
Shen Xuan specifically went to ask and learned that the Zhong couple disagreed with her going to the embroidery workshop as an apprentice.
They simply said they had never heard of working for free without pay, and it was better for her to stay home and do chores.
Moreover, Zhong Xiaomei would eventually get married, so learning so many things was useless.
It was late summer now, and autumn harvest would begin soon after the start of autumn. Landlords with many fields were getting busy, so they hired temporary workers from the village to help with farming, offering two wen a day and a midday meal.
In contrast, doing housework for Shen Xuan, while also two wen and easier, didn't include food. The Zhong couple felt that saving a mouthful of grain was more important, so they sent Zhong Xiaomei there instead.
Shen Xuan sighed inwardly upon hearing this. With the Zhong couple so shortsighted, he wondered if Zhong Xiaomei would ever make it to the embroidery workshop and change her fate.
***
Shen Xuan left the Zhong family and went to Jinli Street to set up his stall as usual. He arrived a little late today, and the academy had already started classes.
However, after he set up his stall, a good number of people gathered to queue. In a short while, Shen Xuan sold over a hundred cups. The crowd then thinned out slightly, allowing Shen Xuan a moment to rest.
He had just sat down on the bamboo stool when a man in his early forties approached. The man was dressed as a steward, followed by several servants.
Upon reaching Shen Xuan's stall, he said, "I am Steward Liu from Vice Prefect Dai's mansion in Lezhou. Today, you are in luck. Master Dai has ordered me to buy the recipe for your Honey Scholar Tea."
It turned out that the other day, Shen Xuan's tea had been sent by Young Master Wu to Prefect Wu.
After the Prefect and his subordinates drank it, they all praised it highly. For a period afterward, Prefect Wu even specially sent his male attendant daily to buy it for him.
And when Vice Prefect Dai saw this, he conceived the idea of acquiring Shen Xuan's recipe, which was why he sent his own steward.
Shen Xuan was startled and looked at the man in front of him who called himself Steward Liu. His clothes, though without much embroidery, were made of fine silk.
At his waist hung a xiuyu jade waist token, indeed engraved with a large character "戴" (Dài).
Why would the steward of a dignified Vice Prefect's mansion want to buy the recipe for my humble stall's tea? Shen Xuan wondered.
But this recipe was the foundation of his earnings, so he wouldn't consider selling it.
He thus flatly refused, "My recipe is a unique secret formula and is not for sale, I apologize. Please inform Vice Prefect Dai that if he likes my tea, he's welcome to come by another day, and I'll treat him to a free cup."
Steward Liu was taken aback. He didn't expect this small tea stall owner to dare refuse the Vice Prefect's order. He immediately became angry and said,
"Don't be ungrateful. The Vice Prefect is doing you a favor by offering two hundred taels of silver for your recipe. If you refuse today, don't regret it later."
Who didn't know the saying "Prefects come and go like flowing water, but Vice Prefects are as solid as iron'?"
Although Vice Prefect Dai's official rank wasn't high, he was truly a local tyrant in Lezhou City. Shen Xuan hadn't expected a dignified Vice Prefect to resort to coercion to buy his recipe.
Furthermore, two hundred taels of silver wasn't even his annual income. What difference was there from simply stealing it?
"Not for sale!" Shen Xuan said, his face stern.
"Don't even say two hundred taels of silver; I wouldn't sell it for two thousand taels!"
"How dare you!" Steward Liu roared. He waved his hand, and the several servants behind him moved to smash the stall.
"I still have to deliver tea to Prefect Wu later, dare you try to touch my stall?" Shen Xuan quickly shouted, seeing their intent.
In reality, Prefect Wu was merely a bluff by Shen Xuan, but the mention of his name indeed sobered Steward Liu.
Steward Liu's eyes darted around, he didn't dare let the servants advance. He just pointed at Shen Xuan's nose and said,
"I'll let you off for now today. We'll see what excuse you find next time! If you don't hand over the recipe, you won't be able to do business on Jinli Street anymore!" After saying this, he swaggered away.
Once they were out of sight, Widow Ge, trembling with fear, emerged from the courtyard and whispered into Shen Xuan's ear,
"Shen Ger, you don't know, but that Daiyue Tower is the property of Vice Prefect Dai's family. They have several branches open in Lezhou City, a truly large and powerful family."
She continued, "He must have taken a fancy to your tea recipe and wants to use it for Daiyue Tower, which is why he sent someone to buy it. This Vice Prefect Dai has been operating in Lezhou for over twenty years, and his family is a prominent clan in Lezhou. You absolutely cannot offend him. Be very careful."
Shen Xuan frowned, not realizing Vice Prefect Dai had such a background. However, by refusing the secret recipe today, he had already offended Vice Prefect Dai. This matter likely wouldn't end well.
The Great Jin Dynasty was not a society governed by law like the modern world. Such local officials, relying on the emperor being far away, were accustomed to lawlessness.
Today, he escaped by using Prefect Wu's influence, but it would eventually be exposed, and he didn't know what awaited him afterward.
Yet, could he just give up a business he had worked so hard to build? Shen Xuan felt unwilling.
After selling the remaining tea for the day, he decided to take a day off to observe the situation first.
The tea base syrup he had prepared last time was almost used up, so Shen Xuan did some shopping in the city, planning to go back and make a few more jars to keep as reserve.
**"
The next day, Xue Fenglin saw Shen Xuan hadn't left, realizing he wasn't going to set up his stall on Jinli Street today.
Since Zhong Xiaomei wasn't coming to their house anymore, Xue Fenglin continued to help Shen Xuan.
He washed the fruits Shen Xuan bought back and placed them in a basket. As he worked, he heard Shen Xuan sighing nearby, looking somewhat troubled.
"Did something happen?" Xue Fenglin asked, keenly sensing Shen Xuan's disturbed expression.
"Yes, I ran into a bit of trouble," Shen Xuan nodded. He then candidly told Xue Fenglin everything about Vice Prefect Dai.
"This Vice Prefect is merely a low-ranking official yet so domineering. I don't know if my tea business can even continue," Shen Xuan said with a bitter smile.
Xue Fenglin frowned upon hearing this. He had seen many such arrogant officials in the capital.
Back then, he never paid them any mind, but he hadn't realized how difficult it was for ordinary people to deal with such corrupt officials.
He had been living in Yunshui Village for almost a month now. Although his leg hadn't fully healed, it was mostly recovered.
Originally, Xue Fenglin had planned to wait another month or two until his leg was completely healed before leaving, but now, seeing Shen Xuan being bullied by a petty official, he felt he couldn't stand it any longer.
If he were still a shizi (heir to a noble title), this corrupt official would be too busy showing respect to Shen Xuan to even dare bully him!
"When you set up your stall next time, I'll go with you," Xue Fenglin told Shen Xuan.
"It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival in half a month, and I need to start preparing to return home. I should send a letter to my family."
Shen Xuan was startled to hear this and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Your leg hasn't fully healed, yet you're leaving so soon?"
He knew Lin Ye would leave eventually, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. A broken bone takes a hundred days to heal, and he thought the other person would at least wait until his leg was fully recovered before leaving.