Chapter 101 Dyeing Manual
After leaving Yujintang, Xie Qi was visibly in a good mood.
The sun was high in the sky, and he raised his hand to hold up a round fan to shield Shen Yuanzhu from the sun, holding her gently in his arms, feeling quite comfortable.
Thinking of Hua Nanzhi's hesitant expression when she agreed to attend the banquet with him, Xie Qi said, "Do you know why I asked my mother to come to the banquet with me?"
Shen Yuanzhu said, "Because you dislike your mother?"
Ever since she realized that Xie Qi disliked the Xie family even more than she did, she stopped holding back when she spoke.
Logically speaking, she shouldn't have said these things. Regardless of Xie Qi's attitude towards Hua Nanzhi, they were ultimately not close relatives, but Shen Yuanzhu didn't care about such things.
"You dislike your mother's favoritism towards Xie Xuchuan, so you especially want her to see you in such a glorious state, is that right?"
Xie Qi's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
He really liked Yuanzhu's intelligence, her openness to him, and the nonchalant way she mentioned Xie Xuchuan.
Unable to resist shifting slightly, Xie Qi pulled the person even closer into his arms.
He was in a good mood at the moment, and seeing Shen Yuanzhu smiling, he couldn't help but feel a slight itch in his heart.
He lowered his head and gently brushed the back of his fingers across Shen Yuanzhu's cheek.
Shen Yuanzhu was young, with round, fair, and delicate cheeks. Now, walking in the sun, she had a slight blush from the heat.
The back of his finger brushed against her skin, leaving a faint warmth that inexplicably filled Xie Qi with joy.
Noticing the movements of the person beside her, but unaware of his thoughts, Shen Yuanzhu assumed that the other person was a little tired from holding the fan and didn't take it to heart at all.
Looking at the person in his arms, Xie Qi suddenly realized that as long as he was by Shen Yuanzhu's side, he would be in a great mood and very happy.
“Yuanzhu…”
"My husband, please speak."
Xie Qi shook his head: "It's nothing."
He was simply happy, but there was nothing he felt compelled to say.
The two walked towards Qianxiang Courtyard. Shen Yuanzhu ignored his silence and silently pondered the invitation that Yun Zheng had sent earlier.
Her brother-in-law would be attending Yuanxu's private banquet as the owner of Xiecuifang, so she had some things to tell him.
After sending Shen Yuanzhu back to Qianxiang Courtyard, Xie Qi made an excuse to go to Jixia Manor.
Luo was making mosquito repellent sachets for Shen Yuanzhu in the room. Seeing that Shen Yuanzhu's cheeks were flushed from the heat, she asked Xiaozhi to fan her.
As the heat subsided, Shen Yuanzhu said, "On the day of the private banquet, Eunuch Yuan should have selected a few families to support, so that they could become his right-hand men in the future."
“Yun Zheng and he are old acquaintances, so even if we don’t like him, we should still flatter him.”
Madam Luo nodded: "Aqing understands these principles, Miss, please rest assured."
Shen Yuanzhu hummed in agreement: "Xie Qi will also be there that day. If he does anything wrong since he is new to the business world, he will need your help in secret, Brother Nai."
Upon hearing this, Madam Luo grinned and said, "Now that Miss knows how to care for the young master, this old servant can finally rest assured."
“I’ve observed that although the young master has some reservations about Xie Xuchuan, he is genuinely good to the young lady. Perhaps it’s because the Xie family doesn’t like him, which makes the young master seem a bit cold, but he is truly exceptional to the young lady.”
Shen Yuanzhu didn't understand what it meant to have something to say and what it meant to have nothing to say. She was just afraid that Xie Qi would act strangely inappropriately, as if he were at home.
The incident of removing the red cloth last time made her realize that Xie Qi was not stupid and would be a help to Xie Cui Fang in the future.
Especially since he had a strained relationship with the Xie family, and now he had boarded the big ship of the Imperial Textile Commissioner...
The chances of him being used by her in the future are quite high.
Whether Xie Qi is a trustworthy person or not is a matter for later discussion.
But Shen Yuanzhu knew clearly that even if Xie Qi was worthy of her trust, she would not give him the Shen family's most important possessions like her mother and maternal grandfather did.
"By the way, did you find the old man I asked you to look for?"
"I found it. I'll go get it for you, Miss."
After saying that, Luo went to the cabinet and took out a stack of old papers.
"By the way, this dish was brought by Wei Hu. That kid is quite good-looking, with a cute and lively appearance.
"It's just not reliable enough. They brought this dish over without saying what it was, and they were stammering. They're not very efficient."
A tray covered with a red cloth was placed in front of Shen Yuanzhu. Just as Luo was about to lift it, Shen Yuanzhu said, "Put it on Xie Qi's couch."
Her relationship with Xie Qi was delicate; they were husband and wife, though distant, yet still somewhat distant.
Since it was sent by Wei Hu, she couldn't bypass Xie Qi to rummage through it.
Luo understood the reasoning behind it and placed it neatly on the small couch.
"Miss, what do you need this old paper for?"
Seeing Shen Yuanzhu smooth out a stack of yellowed papers one by one with her hands, Ling'er asked curiously.
"Naturally, it's about writing dyeing manuals."
A sly glint appeared in Shen Yuanzhu's eyes: "The Xie family is currently preoccupied with Yuan Xu's banquet and has no time to ask for the 'Shen Family Dyeing Manual,' but once this matter is over, they will definitely come looking for me."
She could have delayed for a while longer, but Yuanxu's decision to exclude the Xie family from his private banquet would likely have made Xie San Niang feel somewhat threatened.
The more anxious she felt, the more Xie San Niang would relentlessly pressure her.
For some unknown reason, Shen Yuanzhu covered her lips and burst out laughing.
Seeing this, Ling'er quickly said to Madam Luo, "Miss must have come up with some wicked idea again to be smiling so evilly."
"Go away, don't disturb the young lady here."
Smiling, Luo Shi pulled Ling'er away, leaving Shen Yuanzhu in a quiet room.
Shen Yuanzhu picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote four or five volumes of "Shen Family Dyeing Manuals" in one go. However, if you look at them carefully, you will know that the recipes in each of these dyeing manuals are different.
After he finished writing, Xie Qi returned from outside.
After a busy day, Shen Yuanzhu had taken a bath early and was now sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a thin undergarment, looking through something.
Seeing him return, she said, "When you were away this afternoon, Wei Hu brought some things over, and I had the wet nurse put them on the small couch."
Did Wei Hu deliver something?
Xie Qi didn't react for a moment, walked directly to the small couch, and casually lifted the red cloth covering it.
On the rosewood tray were two items: a fist-sized porcelain bottle with a fine texture, a narrow neck, and a large belly; if you smelled it closely, you could also detect a faint medicinal fragrance.
Next to the porcelain vase was a brocade box with gilded bronze clasps at the four corners. The box was hollowed out in the middle and contained a stack of colorful pictures.
Xie Qi glanced at it and immediately blushed, her ears burning.
The exposed colored picture depicts an ordinary pavilion, but in front of the pavilion are two figures leaning on each other.
The man in the painting is completely naked, revealing his muscular physique, while the woman is half-undressed, lying on her back in the man's arms, with one leg hooked around his arm...
I don't know who the artist is, but their brushwork is extremely exquisite, perfectly capturing the ambiguous atmosphere between the man and woman, with undercurrents surging within.
With just one glance, a strange ripple rose in Xie Qi's heart...
Shen Yuanzhu didn't know what Wei Hu had given her. She only saw Xie Qi turn his back to her, lift the red cloth with a swish, and then cover it up again with a swish.
After a moment, she carefully and secretly lifted it...
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