"this……"
Wei Rongchang hesitated. For him, the best course of action at the moment was to take a gamble.
In the past two months, he has met many talented people in weaving, but most of them are all talk and no action, or are just empty names. Very few of them can actually do practical work.
The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation in the Wei family. If the Fifth Concubine can use her skills to overpower everyone, then we can consider it.
At this moment, Old Master Wei spoke up, "What, now you want to take my people away?"
"Father." Wei Rongchang's attitude had clearly softened considerably. Rather than saying he wanted Yunniang, he valued more the bargaining chip that Sun Miao'er was offering in exchange.
If we can master the skills of weaving and dyeing, we will have broken through the Wei family's weakness. The Wei family has relied on weaving technology for so many years, but they have always been inferior to other families in terms of dyeing materials.
With Chen Laowu poached, it's like removing Wei's right-hand man. Their only advantage can't be utilized, so they have to find another way.
When Grandpa Wei saw that his son was finally willing to back down, his tone softened a bit, "Ask if Fifth Sister is willing. If she is willing to go out and show her face in public, I won't stop her."
Wei Rongchang moved closer to Yunniang and, contrary to his usual behavior, respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Please help the Wei family, Fifth Aunt."
The other concubines were envious of this scene. They knew that in the past, in Master Wei's eyes, they were lowly women who could not be allowed into the house. Now, the fifth concubine had so easily gained Master Wei's respect.
This also means that after Old Master Wei passes away, Fifth Concubine will have the means to remain in the Wei family.
Things are different now. Back then, Old Master Wei couldn't give Yunniang a proper position because she was an outsider with no status. Now she's a member of the Wei family, so it's only right that she works for them.
Yunniang thought she would spend the rest of her life in a daze in the inner quarters, but unexpectedly, after living half her life, she suddenly encountered a turning point.
No matter how modest she was, she couldn't possibly refuse this opportunity.
Her tone remained gentle, but her eyes revealed unwavering determination. "Yunniang was born a member of the Wei family, and she will die a member of the Wei family. Since Master has asked me for a favor, I will do my utmost to help."
"Alright, then you can go to the workshop with Miss Sun tomorrow."
After making his statement, Wei Rongchang left the inner quarters without looking back.
Old Master Wei laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, now we can eat in peace! Someone, prepare the meal!"
Wei Jingnian didn't expect the matter to end this way, but fortunately, it calmed his father's anger. "Come on, try some of the pastries made by my third grandmother. What are you standing there for?"
He started to greet them, but the concubines lost interest. They had tried so hard to please Wei Jingnian, but in the end, the fifth concubine got the better deal. They all dispersed and went back to their own rooms.
"Thank you."
Yunniang walked to Sun Miao'er's side and whispered something.
Sun Miao'er smiled and said, "It's never too late to do what you want to do."
The next morning, it was Yunniang's maid who came to invite Sun Miao'er.
Yunniang changed into a simple dress. Unlike yesterday's elaborate clothes, she looked much more refined today. Her hair was styled in a bun, without any hair ornaments or earrings, only a wooden hairpin inserted at an angle.
Yunniang stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. More than ten years ago, she dressed like this. After entering the inner quarters, the days seemed endless, and she could only pass the time by dressing up. Even the spinning wheel was something she secretly got from someone, and she couldn't even put it in the room; she could only hide it in the attic.
The Wei family's workshop was three or four miles away from the Wei residence; it was just a short walk through the village where the families lived.
Wei Rongchang had been waiting outside the workshop for a long time. When the Wei family's carriage arrived, he instructed his servants to summon all the workers.
In no time, sixty or seventy people gathered in the yard, including laborers carrying goods, spinners, and cloth sorters. It was unclear why the owner had summoned them in such a hurry.
"Gentlemen, Master Chen has been gone for more than two months. You should have someone to rely on now," Wei Rongchang said, his gaze following the carriage and landing on the people who got off.
The workers saw two women get off the carriage. One of them was the old master's fifth concubine, and they didn't recognize the other one and didn't think much of her.
"From today onwards, Yunniang will take over from Master Chen and become the head chef of our workshop."
As soon as Wei Rongchang finished speaking, a commotion erupted below.
"Isn't she the old master's concubine?"
"I heard that Fifth Aunt was also a spinner."
"I'm afraid the employer couldn't find anyone else, so they just sent someone to fool us!"
Sun Miao'er thought to herself, "Just as I expected, they can't possibly admit to this."
Wei Rongchang cleared his throat and explained, "I know you are not convinced, so I specially sent Fifth Aunt here today. You are welcome to compete with her. If anyone can beat her, the capable one will be able to take over Master Chen's position."
Can he be competent as Master Chen?
For these textile workers, Master Chen was an unattainable figure. Since Master Chen left, they could still do the simple tasks, but they had to put aside anything slightly more complicated.
There were also several types of fabrics that Master Chen had previously handled entirely, but when the employer asked them to follow the same pattern, they were at a loss.
"Let's wait and see."
Yunniang was not affected by the criticism she was facing. She strode forward and walked inside.
Fabrics were drying in the inner courtyard, all with easily recognizable designs that she felt she could easily weave.
Sun Miao'er glanced at it and felt that she, a novice who had only started weaving yesterday, could do it.
When they arrived at the spinning room, Yunniang picked out a spinning wheel and sat down.
She glanced at it briefly and said, "It's woven wrong, the stitching is incorrect."
Someone's ears turned red instantly, and they shouted, "What makes you think I'm doing something wrong?"
Yunniang picked up the wooden shuttle, got into position, and straightened the thread. "If I'm not mistaken, you wanted to weave a dark pattern, but the dark pattern is woven so crookedly, where is the slightest bit of beauty?"
"To put it bluntly, if this kind of product were to enter the market, it would make us a laughing stock among our peers."
Her words hit the nail on the head, leaving the textile worker speechless.
"Keep a close eye on things!" Wei Rongchang glared at the man and snapped.
The sound of a loom echoed from inside the room, exceptionally crisp.
While weaving, Yunniang explained to them, "First, the warp threads must be laid first, and second, the interlacing must not be disordered. This pattern should be continuous, not broken. Also, you need to be careful when you are attaching the buttons. Each thread must correspond to the button seam to prevent the order from being reversed or confused later."
After she finished speaking, the pattern in her hand began to take shape, and in comparison, the first half woven by the weaver now looked particularly comical.
The onlookers were stunned. One worker exclaimed, "This is something Master Chen did before! Ever since she left, we've been completely lost. How could she have recreated it?!"
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