Shen Xuan's expression softened considerably after hearing this. He thought, The lemon wasn't seen, and even if it was, Zhong Xiaomei probably wouldn't recognize it.
She also didn't mention the pomelo, so two fruits are missing. Additionally, Zhong Xiaomei couldn't clearly describe the tea leaves, and other ingredients like cane sugar and honey were either detectable by taste or obvious from their names, so they likely wouldn't have a significant impact.
He sighed and gestured to a nearby stool, "Sit down." Zhong Xiaomei sat, then cautiously observed Shen Xuan's face, asking softly,
"Shen Ger, those people have taken the recipe and left. Will what I told them affect your business?"
"Of course, it will," Shen Xuan said deliberately. Seeing Zhong Xiaomei's face change, he added,
"But since you didn't mention the pomelo, it's not too bad; the impact won't be too significant." Zhong Xiaomei then visibly relaxed.
At this point, Zhong Xiaomei suddenly bit her lip, stood up, and knelt down with a thud, startling Shen Xuan.
"Shen Ger, that apprenticeship at the embroidery workshop you mentioned last time... could you take me there?"
Shen Xuan hadn't expected Zhong Xiaomei to still be thinking about the apprenticeship. After some thought, he said, "Didn't your parents forbid it?"
"They wouldn't want me to learn any skills!" Zhong Xiaomei said indignantly, clearly having completely lost hope in the Zhong couple.
"They won't let me go, but am I just to be trapped here my whole life, then marry that widower Chen?" Zhong Xiaomei continued,
"Please, secretly take me into the city. I'll go learn in secret. I'd rather work for that embroidery workshop my whole life than be sold to widower Chen."
As Zhong Xiaomei spoke, the candlelight from the oil lamp reflected two golden points in her eyes, showing her firm resolve.
Shen Xuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly felt he couldn't bear to extinguish the hope in the girl's eyes.
He nodded, "Alright, I can take you into the city tomorrow, but your parents don't agree, and I can't guarantee the embroidery workshop will accept you. You'll have to convince them yourself."
A hint of joy appeared on Zhong Xiaomei's face, and she then repeatedly kowtowed to Shen Xuan, saying that whether it succeeded or not, she would be grateful to him for his help for the rest of her life.
The next morning, before dawn, Zhong Xiaomei left the house under the pretense of digging bamboo shoots on the mountain.
She secretly sneaked into Shen Xuan's home and hid in his stall cart. Shen Xuan hitched up the cart and left.
An hour later, they arrived at the gates of Lezhou City. Zhong Xiaomei then crawled out of the stall cart, curiously surveying the bustling metropolis before her.
Her father and brother had been to the market by the dock outside Lezhou City to sell grain and had described the city's prosperity at home.
However, upon truly entering Lezhou City and seeing the bustling streets, the endless stream of pedestrians, and the dazzling array of shops along the roadside, Zhong Xiaomei realized how narrow her own perspective had been in the village.
The mule cart made its way to Jinli Street. As they drove, the shops became increasingly luxurious, and even the pedestrians on the street were exquisitely dressed.
Zhong Xiaomei looked at her own patched coarse cloth skirt and couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious.
Shen Xuan parked the cart in front of an embroidery workshop and stepped out. "Come down, this is the place," Shen Xuan said.
This embroidery workshop was run by a female owner named Yan, and it also employed many embroiderers.
Shen Xuan had asked around a few shops last time, and this was the only one willing to accept apprentices for free.
"Okay..." Zhong Xiaomei got out of the cart, clutched the corners of her clothes, and followed nervously behind Shen Xuan.
It was still early, and the embroidery workshop had just opened. But just looking at the pair of stone lions and the carved wooden gate at its entrance, it appeared very grand.
After stepping inside, the shop was adorned with various exquisite embroidered pieces hanging everywhere. The centerpiece was a three-meter-long large screen in the middle of the shop.
Framed in dark wood, it featured double-sided random stitch embroidery depicting the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The silk threads were split as fine as spider silk, leaving no visible trace when embroidered on the gauze. The changing seasons emitted different lusters with varying sunlight and angles, looking lifelike and breathtakingly beautiful.
Zhong Xiaomei was so astonished that her mouth hung open, wondering how such beautiful embroidery could be made.
"Shopkeeper, this girl wants to be an apprentice. Please see if she's suitable," Shen Xuan said, walking directly up to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper looked at Zhong Xiaomei behind Shen Xuan, frowned, and said, "She's a bit old. Take her to see the Mistress of the Workshop first." With that, she led Shen Xuan and Zhong Xiaomei to the back courtyard.
After a short while, Mistress Yan came out. After glancing at Zhong Xiaomei and asking her age, she asked her to show her hands.
"These hands of yours are used to doing rough work, aren't they? They're full of calluses, and your fingers are thick. After careful training, you might be able to do ordinary embroidery, but intricate work might be difficult to learn. You're not quite suited for needlework," Mistress Yan said.
Zhong Xiaomei immediately became anxious, dropping to her knees with a thud. While kowtowing, she pleaded with Mistress Yan,
"Please, Lady Boss, take me in! I can endure hardship and learn slowly. Even if it takes five or eight years to only learn the basics, I accept it!"
Mistress Yan was a well-traveled woman. Seeing Zhong Xiaomei's demeanor, she had a pretty good idea of the situation.
She then called Shen Xuan aside and asked, "Did this girl run away from home?" Shen Xuan then told her, "Mistress is indeed sharp-sighted. Her parents are unkind, only doting on her younger brother. They make her work like a slave every day and even want to marry her off to an old widower as old as their own son. She begged me to bring her here."
He continued, "If you don't take her in, it's understandable. Then I can only send her back, and her future fate will depend on her own fortune."
Mistress Yan snorted, "What fortune could she have if she goes back? She'll just be sold by her parents to someone else, living her life as a beast of burden serving the old widower's family."
Mistress Yan herself had a difficult life. After being divorced by her husband for being childless for many years, she earned money with her needlework skills and independently opened such a large embroidery workshop.
Because of her own hardship, she had more sympathy for children from poor families. This was why the embroidery workshop had a way to accept apprentices for free, to allow unfortunate girls or Ger to make a living by learning needlework.
Although Zhong Xiaomei was a bit older and her hands were rough, she indeed seemed capable of enduring hardship.
After good training, while she might not learn double-sided embroidery, doing ordinary handkerchiefs and belts should not be a problem.
So, Mistress Yan took in Zhong Xiaomei and signed a long-term contract with her. Since Zhong Xiaomei had run away, she would have to live, eat, and stay at the embroidery workshop.
Two more years were added to the contract, making her a free apprentice at the workshop for three years, with all her embroidered products submitted to the workshop.
After that, for another three years, she could leave the workshop to earn money, but her embroidered products would have to be preferentially sent to the workshop, purchased at 70% of the market price.
These terms were exactly what Zhong Xiaomei had hoped for. After signing the contract, she immediately kowtowed many more times to Mistress Yan.
Shen Xuan was quite comforted to see Zhong Xiaomei's matter progress smoothly. Whether it was a woman or a Ger, the most important thing was to have a skill to rely on.
After three years of apprenticeship at the embroidery workshop, Zhong Xiaomei would only be seventeen.
At that point, whether she wanted to go home and marry or continue working at the embroidery workshop would be her own choice.
But with a skill that could earn her money, Zhong Xiaomei would have a say in her life, and her days would certainly be much better than being at the mercy of others in the village.
***
After finishing Zhong Xiaomei's matter, Shen Xuan took a detour to Guiyun Tower. Today was the agreed-upon day for delivering the tea base syrup to Guiyun Tower.
The three jars of tea base he had previously sold them were already almost gone. Shen Xuan delivered the tea base to Buyer Chen and received another thirty taels of silver.
Before he could leave, Shopkeeper Mei approached him, asking anxiously, "Shen Ger, have you sold your Honey Scholar Tea to Daiyue Tower across the street?"
It turned out that early this morning, shortly after Daiyue Tower opened, they also put up a "Honey Scholar Tea" signboard.
The three tea flavors they sold were consistent with Guiyun Tower's, and their prices were even a few wen cheaper.
Many customers who were originally heading to Guiyun Tower went to Daiyue Tower instead after seeing this. Guiyun Tower's customers immediately dropped by a third.
"Of course not," Shen Xuan said. "I came to Guiyun Tower precisely because Daiyue Tower's owner tried to coerce me. How could I sell the tea base to them?"
However, Zhong's family sending someone to spy yesterday was likely orchestrated by Daiyue Tower.
Shen Xuan pondered briefly, then truthfully informed Shopkeeper Mei about the incident. Shopkeeper Mei listened and didn't say much, but he had someone buy a few cups of the Honey Scholar Tea promoted by Daiyue Tower across the street.
After they all sampled the tea, Shen Xuan was relieved. Although this tea also had a fruit tea flavor, it was significantly different from what he made.
Not only did it lack the lemon and pomelo fruit aroma, having only an orange flavor, but the tea base also wasn't made with good tea like his. it used ordinary tea leaves, so the tea aroma was far inferior.
After tasting the tea, Shopkeeper Mei also relaxed. Customers were attracted by the "Honey Scholar Tea" signboard, but after drinking it, they would realize it wasn't the real thing and wouldn't go there again.
Sure enough, after a while, people started arguing in Daiyue Tower, saying that Daiyue Tower's Honey Scholar Tea was fake and didn't taste like the authentic Honey Scholar Tea.
Gradually, fewer customers were deceived into going to Daiyue Tower, and they all returned to Guiyun Tower.
Apart from those who were tempted by a few wen cheaper prices, no one else went to Daiyue Tower, and Shen Xuan drove away after seeing this.
***
More than ten days had passed since his last visit to the city. Shen Xuan suddenly remembered that the clothes he had ordered for Lin Ye should be ready for pickup.
The last time Shen Xuan came to the city, he was with Xue Fenglin, but in just ten short days, everything felt as if things had changed and people were different.
Shen Xuan drove his cart about a hundred meters east and arrived at the tailor shop's entrance.
When he went inside, the shopkeeper still recognized him. Upon seeing him, the shopkeeper took out the clothes and displayed them before him, saying,
"Honored guest, look at these clothes. Are they as you described?"
He unfolded the long robe before Shen Xuan. The black fabric shimmered with subtle golden water-like patterns.
The waist, collar, and cuffs of the garment were embroidered with daylily patterns using black glossy silk threads, as per Shen Xuan's request.
Although the embroidery was exquisite, its color wasn't overly flashy, instead lending an elegant beauty. These clothes are indeed beautiful, no wonder they cost fifteen taels of silver...
"Very good," Shen Xuan nodded, carefully inspecting the clothes. Every detail was meticulously done, without a single loose thread.
The shopkeeper then took out a piece of cowhide paper, wrapped the clothes inside, and tied a bow with straw rope on top.
This was special packaging reserved for clothes costing more than five taels, emphasizing exquisite presentation.
Seeing the shopkeeper present the paper package to him with both hands, Shen Xuan couldn't help but smile. He had certainly experienced luxury shopping in the Great Jin Dynasty.
He placed the clothes in the cart and drove away with his mule cart. These clothes are well made, but they were custom-ordered to Lin Ye's size, so they're too big for me.
I guess I'll just have to put them away when I get home. Counting the days, Lin Ye should have already reached the capital. I wonder if he's arrived home yet?
Whenever he thought of Lin Ye, Shen Xuan couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. Sometimes he wondered if Lin Ye had argued with his family due to their strained relationship.
Other times he thought Lin Ye was already twenty, and having just gone through such a hardship away from home, his family would probably pressure him into marriage upon his return.
But no matter how much he thought about it, these were Lin Ye's private matters, and ultimately, they had nothing to do with him.
Shen Xuan gave a self-mocking smile, then thought of the hundred taels of gold the other party had left behind.
Lin Ye has already repaid the favor he owed. A hundred taels of gold is more than enough to thank me for saving his life.
Since I've already decided not to go back to the capital with him, and we'll have no further ties, why am I still thinking about these irrelevant things?
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