Chapter Seventy-Three

The grapes were sweet and sour, with a slight astringency, but they still tasted delicious.

Mu Jin left a small skewer for Zhou Lin, and shared the rest with Bai Qiqiu and Wen Zhaoran.

Two days ago, Mu Bai was captured by Zhou Ling and reluctantly sent to learn embroidery.

Seeing her fingers stained purple by grape skins, Mu Jin's eyes lit up.

Previously, when I was learning to read with Mu Nianjun, we read a book about dyeing fabrics together.

He had forgotten many things, but he still remembered that grape skins could dye cloth purple.

Because Mu Nianjun's family had a large grapevine at the time, they washed the grape skins and harvested quite a lot of grapes.

He helped dye the fabric.

Both of them were feeling their way across the river, and they never expected that the purple they dyed would actually look quite nice if you didn't look closely.

Mu Jin was twelve or thirteen years old at that time, and she has a particularly deep memory of it.

However, because dyeing is quite time-consuming, the dyed fabric sometimes has uneven color, which might make the villagers unhappy when they receive the dyed fabric.

The dye houses in town can produce a wider variety of colors, and the colors are more beautiful and refined.

Since Mu Nianjun mainly sells white cotton cloth, the villagers can pick up the dyeing equipment in town themselves.

This way, I can save myself some trouble and weave a couple more bolts of cloth.

Mu Nianjun's sister-in-law and his uncle were skilled at weaving, but they were too lazy to bother figuring out how to dye the cloth properly.

Mu Jin glanced down at the small handful of grape skins on the dining table and sighed softly.

He still remembered that a bolt of cloth would require at least ten pounds of grape skins, and such a small amount of grape skins probably wouldn't be enough to dye it.

Bai Qiqiu gently squeezed a grape pulp into his mouth, his eyes suddenly lit up when he looked at Mu Jin, but soon wilted.

"Big brother, what's wrong?"

Such rapid mood swings are strange and frightening.

Mu Jin sighed and laughed, "I was thinking of using grape skins to dye the cotton cloth I just brought back, to save some money on dyeing, but these aren't enough."

Bai Qiqiu breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought it was something serious. It's just dyeing cloth. I know how. We don't have enough grape skins, so I'll go to the mountains to dig up some purple gromwell roots later. What other colors do you want, brother? I can dye them all."

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran were both so surprised that they forgot to eat the grapes they were eating.

"Brother Qi Qiu, is there anything you can't do?"

Wen Zhaoran uttered a question from the depths of his soul.

Bai Qiqiu smiled and said, "We were lucky. Back then, the town closest to the Northern Frontier Army suffered greatly from the war. After the city fell, a family from a small dyeing shop fled to our village. Later, the imperial court sent General Yan to guard the Northern Frontier. General Yan was a brilliant strategist and managed to recapture the lost city."

Bai Qiqiu's eyes shone as he spoke.

"It is said that General Yan is handsome, a god-like figure, and devoted in love. Such a high-ranking general only has one master in his harem. When my father was a child, he saw General Yan taking his husband out to stroll in the market. The general's husband was also a beauty. When my father got excited, he let it slip that he was so dazzled by him that my mother gave him a good scolding. However, everyone who saw them said that the two were a perfect match."

Mu Jin quickly said, "Qi Qiu, we've changed the subject. We're talking about dyeing cloth."

Bai Qiqiu sighed, "Brother, you don't know what General Yan means to us. With him around, my father said he lives a peaceful life. I grew up listening to General Yan's heroic deeds. If it weren't for... sigh, never mind. Fortunately, the general's descendants are still alive. No one in our Northern Frontier doesn't respect General Yan."

Wen Zhaoran nodded in agreement. Although he hadn't stayed in the Northern Frontier for many years, he had been exposed to the culture since childhood. His parents had told him countless stories about General Yan.

To lull him to sleep, we always hear General Yan fighting and killing on the battlefield, single-handedly taking on thousands of troops.

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin felt a pang of regret and said, "Everyone has their own destiny. Now that General Yan's injustice has been redressed, he can rest in peace in the afterlife. His son is now living a very wealthy life, one of the richest men in the surrounding villages, and he has two adorable grandsons..."

Before Mu Jin could finish speaking, Bai Qiqiu asked in surprise, "Brother, do you know General Yan's son?"

Mu Jin sighed and laughed, "I have seen such a noble person. He is very imposing and handsome, but he does not know me. He lives in Gujia Village. The village's large estate, flower garden, two private mountains, and porcelain kiln all belong to his family. I even met his two young masters when I went to buy pottery jars before."

Bai Qiqiu and Wen Zhaoran immediately perked up, "Big brother, next time we go to Gujia Village to buy things, we'll go!"

Mu Jin chuckled and nodded. "Getting back to the point, Qi Qiu, how did you learn to dye cloth?"

Bai Qiqiu was still immersed in the joy that a descendant of General Yan lived so close to him when he heard this, and he came back to his senses.

"After the city was taken back, that family never went back. They opened a dye shop in our village. Alas, life is unpredictable. When the man was collecting dye, he had an accident, and his wife was so heartbroken that she passed away. Only an elderly woman and a little boy of about three years old were left behind. Back then, when I was gathering firewood or fishing, I would pass by their house and see how pitiful the old woman and the child were, so I would help them out from time to time."

"So that old man taught you the art of dyeing cloth?"

Bai Qiqiu nodded. "I became an apprentice. My mother is kind-hearted and gave two taels of silver to my master and the others. She would often send me food and clothes over. Sigh, I always think that my parents abandoned me back then and went to look for my lost master and the others from time to time."

Mu Jin sighed softly. Life is truly not easy.

Bai Qiqiu quickly added, "I've been learning for several years. Although I can't match the people in town who can dye so many different patterns, I'm not bad either. I don't have any uneven dyeing."

Wen Zhaoran sighed, "Brother Qi Qiu, sometimes I really feel like you have inexhaustible energy. You've been doing this since elementary school, and you never get tired."

Bai Qiqiu smiled and said, "Once you learn something, it's yours. The more skills you learn, the more chances you have to survive."

Wen Zhaoran felt inferior and his admiration for Bai Qiqiu grew even stronger.

"I haven't heard you mention this before, Brother Qi Qiu. My brother even went to a dye shop to dye cloth before, which was a complete waste of money."

Wen Zhaoran is now learning to live frugally.

Bai Qiqiu smiled and said, "If you hadn't mentioned it today, I almost wouldn't have remembered."

Wen Zhaoran chuckled. Bai Qiqiu was a carefree person and also had a short memory.

After much deliberation, Mu Jin asked, "Qi Qiu, have you ever thought about opening a small dyeing workshop in the village?"

"A small dye shop?" Bai Qiqiu shook his head. "I've never thought of that."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "You see, although Brother Nianjun knows how to dye cloth, his energy is limited and his dyeing skills are not yet proficient. Since he mainly sells white cotton cloth, the villagers have to go to the town to dye it after buying it, which is quite troublesome."

Bai Qiqiu listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

“The villagers don’t care about cotton, linen, or cotton-linen fabric. They just want to get a color. They don’t care about the patterns. Although Mujia Village isn’t a particularly large village, it’s not small either, with five or six hundred people. By dyeing cloth, you can definitely make money. Besides, if you can make a name for your dye shop, people from the surrounding villages might come here to get their cloth dyed.”

The more Mu Jin spoke, the brighter her eyes became, as if a torrent of silver was rolling in.

Bai Qiqiu wasn't a timid or cowardly guy. After hearing this, he thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Big brother, I'll listen to you. Let's work together as a trio and split the profits equally!"

Mu Jin did intend to work with Bai Qiqiu, but splitting the money equally would indeed be taking advantage of Bai Qiqiu too much.

"A split is not an option. I'm just helping out, so 20% is more than enough for me."

Wen Zhaoran nodded in agreement, "I don't know anything, giving me 10% is already too much."

Bai Qiqiu shook his head. When he got stubborn, he was like a bull, insisting on splitting it equally.

"Brother, this was your idea. The dye shop will take up land from our house. When the work starts, we'll each get the same amount of work, so we must split it equally!"

The three brothers talked back and forth until their throats were dry.

It's like haggling with vendors at the market.

Bai Qiqiu had no choice but to back down. "Big brother, Zhaoran, stop talking. You two can each take 30%, and I'll take 40%. If you're still not willing, I won't open the business."

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran were speechless for a moment, but finally nodded.

Bai Qiqiu then laughed, "That's right! If we have money, the three of us brothers will earn it together!"

Mu Jin smiled and nodded, "It just so happens that the family has saved some money recently. While the weather is still warm, we'll repair the roof and replace it with bricks and tiles so that it won't leak in the winter or collapse under the weight of snow."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "The two rooms next to the woodshed are quite spacious. We can tidy them up and turn them into a dyeing workshop. When your brother-in-law comes back, we can have him build a few racks for drying dyed cloth."

Wen Zhaoran listened, went back into the house, took out thirty taels of silver, and handed it to Mu Jin.

“Brother, you and your brother-in-law can contribute your labor, Qi Qiu can contribute his skills, and I am the dumbest. I don’t know anything, and I only have more money, so I can only contribute money.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin and Bai Qiqiu wanted to say something, but Wen Zhaoran interrupted them directly.

"Big brother, Qi Qiu, if you don't want it, I definitely won't take the money I'm entitled to."

Mu Jin paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I want to say that you gave too much; twenty taels is probably too much."

Wen Zhaoran blushed, "I'm worried I won't have enough to spend."

Mu Jin shook her head and handed him back ten taels of silver, saying, "I'll return the extra to you later."

Wen Zhaoran didn't take it. "Brother, use it first. You can return it to me after you've bought everything."

Bai Qiqiu said, "Brother, the dye vat and dyeing pot are expensive. Hooks, measuring instruments, alum, house repairs, all these miscellaneous items, I estimate, will cost around twenty taels."

Mu Jin exclaimed in surprise, "It's so expensive?"

Bai Qiqiu nodded, "This doesn't even include the fact that my brother-in-law didn't ask for money, but he still made the drying rack and wood pulp for us."

Mu Jin was speechless, never expecting that her casual idea would cost so much money.

If it weren't for Wen Zhaoran, the family's entire savings would have been spent, and it still wouldn't have been enough.

When Zhou Lin returned home, he listened to Mu Jin and the others explain what had happened.

He nodded and said, "I need a few racks. Do you have any patterns? If not, it's okay. I'll go to the dye shop in town tomorrow and see if the master craftsman knows how to make them. They should be similar to the clothes drying racks at home."

Bai Qiqiu laughed and said, "Brother-in-law, it's similar to the clothes rack at home, just make it bigger and sturdier so that you can hang clothes to dry."

Zhou Lin nodded, having made up his mind.

Mu Jin sighed inwardly, noting that her husband was becoming increasingly confident in his carpentry skills.

Zhou Lin, in this appearance, is quite charming.