Chapter 225 Fundamentals

Xie Qi noticed Song's hesitation and smiled faintly as he placed his hand on the silver note: "Song, whether it succeeds or not is up to you."

Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, Xie Qi casually picked up the silver note...

"I...I'll do it."

Master Song gritted his teeth: "I'll do it."

Xie Qi said, "Alright, then I'll find someone to help you open a weaving workshop in Songjiang Prefecture, which is three hundred miles away."

After a moment's hesitation, Master Song nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Manager Wu smiled and was about to speak when Xie Qi said, "Shut up."

Manager Wu looked surprised and was about to ask a question when he saw Xie Qi raise an eyebrow. He awkwardly stepped back, thought for a moment, and then remained silent.

Xie Qi took out a thousand taels from the brocade box and then handed over Manager Wu's long contract to him.

"I……"

"Um?"

Xie Qi gave a soft snort, and Steward Wu quickly shut his mouth.

Xie Qi said, "This thousand taels is a reward for you. If you want to continue working as a manager at my Jixia Manor, then give me the money and all you know."

"If you don't want it, you can redeem this long-term contract and compensate according to the price stated in the contract."

"Master..."

Xie Qi looked up at him and said, "You don't need to say anything. Choose."

Manager Wu's face turned bright red as he tried to hold it in, his mouth opening and closing several times, but he ultimately managed to suppress it.

He stared at the silver notes on the table and the long contract that he couldn't possibly redeem, looking at them back and forth for a long time.

Finally, he looked at Xie Qi with a mournful expression, stepped forward, and selected the silver note.

Even if he could redeem the long-term contract, he wouldn't waste the money.

The wages at Jixiazhuang are higher, and the employer is sensible. It will probably be much better than working at the Xie family's place in the future.

Steward Wu stammered as he carefully folded the silver notes and tucked them into his sleeve, then cautiously asked, "Master, may I speak now?"

Xie Qi pointed at Yun Zheng and said indifferently, "Go with Master Song to find Manager Yun and tell him what you know."

Upon hearing this, Master Song sighed slightly: "I have a loom manual there, which is the culmination of my life's work. I'll go back and get it. You can have Manager Yun find someone to make a copy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Xie Qi nodded: "Okay, send it to me and I'll copy it myself."

Master Song was taken aback for a moment, then agreed.

Manager Wu did have some real knowledge, and he chattered away to Yun Zheng for most of the day, making Yun Zheng dizzy and his vision blur.

Xie Qi didn't care about anything else; he just focused on reorganizing everything.

Once these tasks are completed, he will be able to weave the world-renowned crimson brocade.

He worked until it was getting dark before he managed to sort out a portion of the massive records that he could easily absorb himself.

Watching the craftsmen describe each step of the process, Xie Qi felt as if he had learned the art of weaving and dyeing.

He had no time to think about it, and when the shop assistant came to light the candles, Xie Qi got up to leave.

"Master..."

The waiter from Jixia Manor lifted the curtain and came in, carrying a brocade invitation in his hand.

"What is that?"

The waiter said, "It was sent from Eunuch Yuan's residence."

"Give it to me."

Xie Qi took it, opened it, and found it was an invitation to participate in the Dyeing Competition, as well as the competition rules.

After finally seeing Manager Wu off, Yun Zheng walked in looking exhausted.

Upon seeing what Xie Qi was holding, she couldn't help but say, "Father-in-law actually gave us the qualification to participate directly, which saves us a lot of trouble."

Xie Qi said, "This position is rare. We should fill in for the Xie family when they are absent."

"Whatever, we've qualified anyway. If we win this dyeing competition, we can take another step forward."

Yun Zheng looked at Xie Qi and said gently, "Your father-in-law knows that you have taken over the Xie family's technology, so he values ​​you again. I think he can protect us for a few more years."

Xie Qi casually responded and handed the brocade invitation to Yun Zheng.

"Although Jixia Village has the Xie family's weaving and dyeing techniques, it still doesn't have enough manpower. Go and recruit some more craftsmen and embroiderers."

"In addition, Xie Cui Fang won the cloth sample competition at the Prince's Mansion. I have seen their brocade, and both the patterns and dyeing methods are much better than those of the Xie family. It will be difficult for us to win the championship."

Yun Zheng raised his hand and gestured in front of his neck: "Should we think of a way?"

"What method?"

Xie Qi chuckled: "Evil ways may work for a while, but they can't work forever. In the past, I had neither manpower nor skills, but now that I have both manpower and weaving and dyeing techniques, I can no longer resort to unorthodox methods."

Yun Zheng said, "So you mean, from now on, everyone will turn over a new leaf?"

Xie Qi clicked his tongue: "Do you know what it means for a gentleman to focus on the fundamentals, for when the fundamentals are established, the way will naturally emerge? In the past, I had no 'fundamentals' in my hands, and in the business world, I was like a rootless duckweed, only able to drift with the tide."

"If you want to get a glimpse of the true essence, you can only rely on some means of stirring up trouble and turning black into white to seek a sliver of hope."

"But such methods are ultimately unsustainable, like drinking poison to quench thirst. They may bring temporary benefits, but they can easily sow the seeds of future trouble."

He was all alone before, so he was willing to risk everything and do all sorts of things, good and evil.

But things are different now. He has a loving wife and children in the future. His family is warm and happy. Why would he resort to those sinister tricks that would incite hatred?

Xie Qi looked at the flickering candlelight outside, then at Yun Zheng, and said gently, "Now that we have a 'foundation' in our hands, we can walk the path to wealth with integrity and build a reputation that will last for centuries. Isn't that good?"

Yun Zheng couldn't help but smile as he listened: "Good, that's excellent. From now on, we'll make our money peacefully and live our lives with integrity."

Xie Qi hummed in agreement and then said, "There's no need to go to extremes. It's not about completely avoiding all tricks, but about using them openly."

Yun Zheng raised an eyebrow: "For example?"

Xie Qi said, "For example, we can't win with our dyeing method now, so we need to find a way to get a guaranteed winning dyeing method to defeat Xie Cui Fang."

Yun Zheng asked in confusion, "What method?"

"You can go to Xiecuifang and see if there are any dyeing masters who want to leave. If so, you can try to poach them with a lot of money."

"I see."

Xie Qi nodded and hurried off.

It was already dark outside, and he was eager to return home.

Fortunately, his new house with Yuanzhu is very close to Wanbao Street, and it didn't take long for him to return home with a bag of maltose and a bag of white sugar cake.

The food at home is ready and is being served on the table, still steaming hot.

Shen Yuanzhu carried a small stool and sat in front of the stone pond, her eyes fixed intently on the fish.

Seeing this, Xie Qi's heart softened.

He stepped forward, half-squatted beside Shen Yuanzhu, opened the soft and sweet white sugar cake, and offered it to her lips.

Shen Yuanzhu took a bite and ate it with her cheeks puffed out.

Xie Qi's voice was so gentle it seemed to drip with water. He gently stroked Shen Yuanzhu's cheek, his tone soft and tender.

"What are you thinking about, so engrossed?"

Shen Yuanzhu muttered, "When I'm thinking about dyeing cloth... is it possible to dye things like water, fire, fish, or birds onto the cloth?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Qi let out a soft "Eh."