Chapter 77 The Lean Horse

"That batch of red silk from Curry?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Boyu frowned, muttered something under his breath, and his eyes showed disapproval.

Xie Jingyuan knew what was going on with that batch of goods and was about to speak when he heard Xie Chengzhi shout, "Didn't that batch of red silk fade when it got wet?"

Zheng Shu said, "Oh, so it's that pile of junk. Even if you give that pile of junk away for free, you'll still make enemies, let alone try to sell it for money."

"Even if we have the servants move it out and burn it, it'll still waste money on firewood. How are people supposed to sell this stuff?"

Xie Sanniang said, "Are you backing out already? If you don't accept, then you can forget about ever coveting the family's property again."

As Shen Yuanzhu stood there, frowning and pondering what to do, Xie Qi said, "I'll take over."

"Alright, I'll have someone deliver that batch of cloth to Qianxiang Courtyard today. You'll have to find your own way out, and don't say it's from the Xie family."

"If I find out that you are using the Xie family's name to sell faded red silk and tarnish the Xie family's reputation, don't blame me for turning against you without mercy."

After saying that, Xie San Niang turned and left.

Hua Nanzhi was angry, whether at Xie Qi, Shen Yuanzhu, or Xie Boyu, she followed Xie Sanniang out after seeing her leave.

Jiang Wansu was focused on pleasing her mother-in-law and followed closely behind her. In no time, most of the people in Yujintang had left.

Xie Chengzhi and Zheng Shuguan were used to making sarcastic remarks. They asked a few questions about the dyeing recipe, but seeing that Shen Yuanzhu was like a silent old clam, they got bored and left with their two children.

Only Xie Jingyuan remained where he was: "The faded red silk is not as good as the white linen. This batch of things is tricky and difficult to handle."

Xie Qi said, "Let me think of a way."

"If you have any difficulties and I can help you, please come to me."

Xie Qi nodded, and they parted ways.

On the way back to Qianxiang Courtyard, Xie Qi and Shen Yuanzhu walked side by side. Halfway there, he suddenly said, "Thank you for today."

Shen Yuanzhu snapped out of her daze, a sweet smile on her face: "Why should my husband thank me? Husband and wife are one. Now that we are married, we should naturally be of one mind and not distinguish between each other."

Xie Qi pursed his lips, suppressing his agitation.

She's of one heart and mind, inseparable from you...

Shameless.

I wonder if she could easily utter such sweet words when she was engaged to Xie Xuchuan.

Thinking this, Xie Qi felt a restless beast thrashing about inside him, causing him to furrow his brow and feel an itch in his fingertips.

Xie Qi remained silent, and Shen Yuanzhu paid no attention.

She was thinking about that batch of faded red silk.

The two returned to Qianxiang Courtyard, where the red silk had already been delivered by the steward's servant. Shen Yuanzhu stepped forward, examined it carefully, and gently touched it with her fingertips.

This batch of red silk may not seem like much, only a few hundred bolts, but it will indeed be difficult to process in a short period of time.

"What are you looking at?"

Shen Yuanzhu shook her head: "I've never seen faded red silk before, I'm quite curious."

The inability to fix the color is mostly due to missing steps in the dyeing process. If this batch of goods is given to her, she can simply take it to Xiecuifang and re-dye it according to the dyeing manual.

However, Shen Yuanzhu did not want to meddle in other people's business, and even less did she want to expose Xiecuifang.

More importantly, she wanted to see if Xie Qi had any talent for business.

This will determine how she will face Xie Qi in the future.

Xie Qi said, "Bring a basin of water."

Upon hearing this, Ling'er glanced at Shen Yuanzhu. Seeing her mistress nod, Ling'er turned around and went to fetch water.

Xie Qi cut off a piece of cloth and threw it into the water. At first, it didn't fade, but after soaking for a long time and then gently rubbing it, streaks of red appeared in the water.

Xie Qi remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Chen Yuanzhu said, "Since it's faded, why not try dyeing it again?"

"It's not that simple. True red is not easy to fix. Without a secret formula, not to mention the problem of fading, even the current color cannot be achieved."

"There are many shades of red, but such a vibrant, pure red without any gray is indeed rare."

"If we are not confident, we will not only fail to fix the color, but we will also dye this batch of fabrics."

Xie Qi is not completely ignorant about weaving and dyeing.

Shen Yuanzhu rested her chin on her hand, her voice tinged with uncertainty: "The secret recipe... I have it."

Xie Qi didn't think about anything else and casually said, "Even if we have the secret recipe, we don't have the manpower and equipment, and even if we have the secret recipe, it's not something that can be successfully dyed in a day or two."

“We lack experienced craftsmen and sufficient time.”

After saying that, Xie Qi sneered: "Even if I were confident, I would not choose to re-dye."

Why?

Xie Qi said, "The fact that the money doesn't need to be handed over to the public after this batch of cloth is sold is to prevent the use of family money to resell this batch of red silk."

"Therefore, I will not invest a single penny in this batch of goods."

Xie Qi tossed the damp cloth into the basin and carefully dried his fingers, saying, "I'm going to use this piece of junk to achieve a big result with a small investment..."

Let the entire Xie family know that there is a second young master in the family.

I want to make Xie San Niang and Hua Nan Zhi regret what they did today, and let them see with their own eyes that I have trampled Xie Xu Chuan under my feet and made them realize that Xie Xu Chuan is a good-for-nothing.

Xie Qi glanced at Shen Yuanzhu, then slowly lowered his eyes.

Naturally, she also needed to know that he wasn't entirely without merit.

Thinking of this, Xie Qi's competitive spirit was aroused. After thinking for a moment, he decided to go to Jixia Manor to discuss it with Yun Zheng.

After Xie Qi left, Madam Luo prepared a meal in the room, and the three of them, master and servant, ate and chatted.

After serving the dishes to Shen Yuanzhu, Madam Luo said, "This old servant has selected some people. If Miss thinks it's feasible, please have them all come to Qianxiang Courtyard in the next few days."

"You can decide, wet nurse. I'll do whatever you say."

Knowing that her young mistress was lazy and didn't like to bother with such trivial matters, Madam Luo nodded in agreement.

Ling'er then said, "Miss, during today's tea ceremony, I noticed that the Xie family's attitude towards the young master is quite strange."

"I do dislike it, but it doesn't seem like that's entirely true. It's really hard to understand."

Luo also said, "Indeed subtle."

Shen Yuanzhu rested her chin on her hand, still unable to understand.

Humans have five fingers, each with its own length. It is common for parents to favor one of them, but it is rare to see such a large difference as that between Xie Xuchuan and Xie Qi.

Ling'er took a bite of the meat bun, shook her head and muttered, "I do know that there are twins in this world who don't look alike, but the young master and Xie... and the eldest young master are too different."

"Although there is a slight resemblance in their eyebrows, the son-in-law looks more like a twin to the third master than to the eldest young master..."

Ling'er counted on her fingers: "They don't look alike in size or appearance. If you didn't tell anyone, you wouldn't be able to tell they're twins."

After eating and drinking her fill, Shen Yuanzhu stretched and said, "Why bother with all that? Whether he's a twin of Third Master or a twin of Xie Xuchuan, it's none of our business."

After saying that, she looked at Madam Luo and said, "I remember Luo Bai knows a young master whose family keeps skinny horses, is that right?"

"You asked Luo Bai to help me find two girls with good figures. One of them doesn't need to be too outstanding in appearance, but preferably she should be good at playing musical instruments and singing, and be a gentle and understanding girl."