Outside the Wang family's residence, Wei Jingnian stood dejectedly in front of Wei Rongchang, waiting to be scolded.
"Father—" he called out tentatively. This trip had taken so many days, and he hadn't even completed his father's instructions yet. Wei Jingnian was uneasy and had no idea what to do.
Surprisingly, Wei Rongchang, who was usually exasperated, didn't scold anyone. He just said with a stern face, "I know that girl is not easy to deal with. I'm sorry to trouble you."
Today at the banquet, Sun Miao'er truly impressed him. It was rare for a country girl to have such courage. It was just a pity that she was a woman.
"Father, Miss Sun is a woman with her own ideas. I reckon we won't be able to get her."
Wei Jingnian looked troubled. Although he felt much more comfortable outside than at home, he was still under the oppressive aura of Wei Rongchang and couldn't play freely.
Wei Rongchang pondered for a moment and said, "That girl has her own methods, that's her skill. We can't force her. Since this girl is going to stay at the Wang family to help Xue Ru prepare the birthday gift for the Prefect's wife, you should follow behind her and watch carefully and learn from her. You'll eventually figure something out!"
"Father, your son will definitely follow behind and study hard, and live up to your expectations!" Upon hearing this, Wei Jingnian's expression immediately relaxed.
Wei Rongchang was also helpless. He had originally planned to let his son take the imperial examination and see if he could get a minor official position. However, rumors were circulating that the examination would not be able to be held this year, and if a war really broke out, no one knew when it would end.
He could only take this opportunity to train Wei Jingnian properly, so that if Wei Jingnian couldn't become an official, he could take over the family business in the future.
"Take care, Father!"
The sedan chair swayed and wobbled away into the distance. Wei Jingnian called out from behind and let out a long sigh of relief.
The next morning, Sun Miao'er noticed that Xiao Ju, who usually served her, was not there, and asked, "Where is that little girl from before?"
"Madam said that there are some spare hands in the manor for the time being, so she asked me to go back to Aunt Qin's room. She specifically instructed me to serve you, Miss. You can just call me A-Cui."
The one who came was older, and he looked like a veteran worker in the Wang family.
After a quick wash, Sun Miao'er went to find Wang Xueru.
"Miss Xue Ru, could you tell me the Prefect's wife's preferences? I would like to have a reference for her."
Wang Xueru pondered for a while and said, "The year before last it was pink pearls from the South China Sea, the year before that it was a 500-year-old lingzhi mushroom, and last year it was a jade ruyi. I have given her everything I could in previous years, but unfortunately my godmother has seen all kinds of things and she doesn't care about any of them."
“What if the Prefect’s wife doesn’t even want the clothes I make?” Sun Miao’er joked.
Wang Xueru shook her head, "No, if Brother Jingnian says something is good, it must be good. Besides, I think you, Miao'er, are knowledgeable and experienced, so you'll definitely satisfy your godmother!"
Sun Miao'er felt that Wang Xueru's words were too harsh and that she was putting herself on a pedestal. In fact, she wasn't entirely confident that she could understand the thoughts of the prefect's wife.
The magistrate's wife was used to both ordinary and extraordinary fabrics, but Sun Miao'er racked her brains and finally thought of something.
When she worked at the dyeing and weaving factory, she had the privilege of seeing a type of yarn called Xiangyun yarn. It was calm and elegant, with a light and thin texture. It was made by reeling silk from silkworm cocoons and weaving it with a unique interlacing method. The white yarn was dyed with a plant called ochre, giving it a noble and elegant feel.
If coarse or fine linen is dyed in a dark color, it will appear dull. However, white raw silk yarn is different. Silk yarn is incredibly smooth and silky to the touch. After being dyed, it has a sheen and makes a rustling sound when you walk on it.
She had only heard about Xiangyun yarn before, but hadn't paid much attention to it, because even in the modern market, Xiangyun yarn is aimed at high-end consumers. She had always focused on mass production and had no interest in things that prioritize quality over quantity.
In the current situation, this is quite applicable.
Xiangyun yarn is expensive, firstly because the dyeing technique is complex, and secondly because the cost of the raw yarn is very high.
"Xueru, do you know where I can buy raw yarn?"
The most urgent task was to buy raw white yarn, but the cloth shops usually sold pre-processed fabrics, and she didn't know if people in this dynasty had mastered the weaving technique of raw white yarn.
Wang Xueru said, "I am a big customer of these cloth shops. Let's go to the cloth shops in the city and ask them. They will definitely have some clues."
The cloth shops she visited this time were quite different from those she had visited in the city the last time. She remembered that the first time she went to the city, she only dared to glance at the outside of these cloth shops, worried that she would be chased away by the shop assistants.
Today, following Wang Xueru, I can walk in with my head held high and without any fear.
"Miss Wang, you've arrived! Come on, take a look around, see if there's anything you like!"
As soon as the shopkeeper saw Wang Xueru, he immediately greeted her warmly and brought out all the new goods, piling them up on the counter.
Wang Xueru bypassed the fabrics and went straight to the point: "Shopkeeper, do you have any unbleached yarn?"
The shopkeeper frowned. "Miss Wang, what do you need the white raw yarn for?"
“It’s useful.” Wang Xueru didn’t bother to say more, and her answer was concise and clear.
The shopkeeper shook his head. "To be honest, Miss Wang, this is a finished product shop. Unbleached yarn is just base material. How could we sell it? Besides, you can't wear unbleached yarn directly!"
"Come on, Miao'er, let's go check out the next one."
Wang Xueru turned and left the cloth shop, muttering to herself, "These shopkeepers are always so greedy when it comes to pricing, they practically beg me to buy their goods, but when I actually want something, they can't produce anything."
The two asked several companies one after another, and the answers they received were all the same—they did not have white raw yarn.
This put Sun Miao'er in a difficult position.
“Young lady, let me put it this way: even if you search every cloth shop in Pingnan City, you won’t find any white raw yarn. Firstly, white raw yarn is expensive, and secondly, this kind of material is not popular in our dynasty. There were dyeing and weaving techniques for white raw yarn in the previous dynasty, but they have long been lost, so this kind of material has gradually become unpopular.”
Just when the two were at their wits' end, a shopkeeper offered an explanation.
Sun Miao'er pressed on, "Where can we find white raw yarn?"
"As far as I know, most of the farmers in Dahuai Village raise silkworms and reel silk, which are skills passed down from generation to generation. Maybe you can try your luck there and find someone who can weave white yarn."
Wang Xueru exclaimed happily, "Isn't Brother Jingnian from Dahuai Village? Oh right, Miao'er, how come we didn't think of that? His family is in the fabric business, he'll definitely have a way!"
Wang Xueru's words were like a wake-up call. Sun Miao'er remembered this incident and realized that she wouldn't have needed to make this trip if she had known.
"Thank you, shopkeeper."
The two rushed back to the Wang family home, where Wei Jingnian was leading Wang Ziqian in practicing calligraphy, while Xiao Ning stood beside him grinding ink.
"White raw yarn?"
Wei Jingnian raised an eyebrow and asked, then thought for a moment, “I really don’t know. My father has always only let me study and not let me get involved in business matters. However, my father must know.”
"Why don't we make a trip to Dahuai Village?"
Sun Miao'er suggested that to obtain firsthand information, they needed to understand the situation on-site.
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