Chapter 226 New Fang
"Your idea is quite interesting."
Xie Qi stared at the stone pool in front of him, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing the two of them huddled there like wooden stakes, Ling'er behind them couldn't help but laugh and say, "Whatever Miss says, the young master is good, interesting..."
"How can water, fire, fish, and birds be printed on cloth?"
"It's just that the son-in-law coaxes the young lady every day. Let alone flowers, birds, fish and insects, even if the young lady says to put the Milky Way on the cloth, you will think it is very good."
Ling'er, carrying a plate of freshly made pancakes, said with a grin, "You two, stop studying that stuff and come eat."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu smiled and reluctantly got up.
Xie Qi said seriously, "I really think your idea is very interesting. But do you want me to help you look through some ancient books and see if there's a way to make it happen?"
Shen Yuanzhu shook her head: "There's no need for such trouble. I was just saying it casually."
She already had some ideas in mind, but she needed time to test them out.
She won the previous dyeing competition because her dyeing method was the best in Suzhou at the time.
The Xie family used the Shen family's dyeing recipe as a base, and Shen Yanhuai didn't have any particularly valuable secrets.
Therefore, although Xiecuifang's victory in the previous competition was considered a major upset by many, it was actually a piece of cake for Shen Yuanzhu.
But now four years have passed, and the situation of Suzhou's textile and dyeing businesses has changed. Although she has confidence in her own dyeing methods, Shen Yanhuai has been traveling around all these years, and it is impossible that he has come up empty-handed.
As for Jixia Manor, which has acquired the Xie family, it's unlikely they'll participate in the competition obediently; there will probably be some more twists and turns...
Shen Yuanzhu stared at the white sugar cake in front of her, taking bites one by one, but her mind had already wandered far away.
Xie Qi, however, began to ponder Shen Yuanzhu's words in his heart.
Why can't water and fire be shown on the fabric?
If he could make the cloth that Wonjoo casually mentioned, Wonjoo would be very happy, right?
Thinking of this, Xie Qi felt a surge of joy.
If he can use Yuanzhu's method to dye fabric that can win the dyeing competition, then he can tell Yuanzhu that he is the owner of Jixia Manor.
By then, Jixia Manor had gained a great reputation and was not short of money, so he had the face to reveal his identity.
The more Xie Qi thought about it, the more anxious he became, wishing he could figure out the prescription immediately.
After finishing their meal, Xie Qi and Shen Yuanzhu were digesting their food in the courtyard when Xie Qi remarked, "Yuanzhu, I'm probably going to be quite busy starting tomorrow."
"Huh?"
Shen Yuanzhu's eyes lit up, and she stared intently at Xie Qi.
She had been troubled these past few days, trying to find an excuse to go to the weaving and dyeing garden of Xiecuifang, but unexpectedly Xie Qi said such a thing.
Xie Qi said, "The dyeing competition is about to begin, and all the weaving and dyeing businesses in the city are busy..."
Shen Yuanzhu nodded hurriedly: "Your father-in-law needs your help too, right?"
"Um……"
After a moment's hesitation, Xie Qi agreed: "I suppose so."
Normally, Shen Yuanzhu would have asked what it meant, but today she dared not say a word.
She was afraid that if she asked, Xie Qi would say that he couldn't bear to part with her and would stop working.
"My husband, please go ahead and do your work. I'll be waiting for you at home no matter how late you are."
She looked up at Xie Qi, wrapped her arms around his waist, and coaxed him with a smile.
How could Xie Qi resist Chen Yuanzhu's coquettishness?
He felt a surge of ambition, determined to become a royal merchant this year, and eager to amass wealth to support his wife in the future.
Shen Yuanzhu tried her best to persuade Xie Qi not to go home to accompany her at noon, but to do his work well so that the two of them could have a bright future.
Xie Qi kept Shen Yuanzhu's words in mind, and went to Jixia Manor the next day at the crack of dawn.
He hadn't studied weaving and dyeing techniques much, and now he only had a vague idea. So he could only browse through the various books that Yun Zheng had prepared at Jixia Manor.
After spending most of the day searching, he finally found a somewhat interesting record in "The Book of Flowers".
Xie Qi pressed his hand on the page and tapped it.
The book "A Compendium of Flowers" states, "The juice of safflower darkens in color when exposed to sunlight and lightens in color when stored..."
"What are you busy with here? It's making a lot of noise."
Yun Zheng pushed open the door and entered, only to see Xie Qi fiddling with "The Book of Flowers" with his fingertips, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing this, Song Shebu, who was behind him, couldn't help but say in surprise, "Oh, you're working on something good."
Yun Zheng asked in confusion, "What good stuff?"
Song Shebu bypassed Yun Zheng and sat down directly in front of Xie Qi.
Since his house was destroyed by fire, resulting in the loss of a considerable amount of silver and cloth, Song Shebu has intended to take a break from work.
He was getting old and had no interest in managing things. After introducing his desert merchants to Xie Qi, he became even more lazy.
Although the cloth shop is still open and the money box at the entrance is still in the same place, he no longer manages it much.
He only occasionally meets up with some old friends for a treat, or to drink tea and play chess, living a leisurely life.
Having nothing to do today, he came to chat with Yunzheng.
When Xie Qi saw him, he said, "You've come at the right time. I had something I wanted to ask you."
Song Shebu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pushed Yun Zheng to make tea, as if he wanted to have a long talk.
Xie Qi said, "You've been in this business your whole life, do you know what it means that sun exposure makes the color darker and refrigeration makes the color lighter?"
"Does the fabric change color after it's been dyed?"
"this……"
Song She preached: "I have never heard of fabric changing color, but it is quite common for safflower juice to darken in the sun and lighten in the dark when stored."
“In previous years, I have collected a lot of fabric dyed by farmers themselves, which is dyed with these red and blue flowers. Most of the fabrics dyed at home are like this, with uneven coloring. I don’t know if the problem is in the drying process or some other step.”
"So that's how it is."
Xie Qi frowned: "Isn't there something that can make the dyed fabric dance like flames in the wind, displaying different colors?"
"Where can I find something like this...?"
Song Shebu clicked his tongue twice: "Different colors mean uneven dyeing. If you want..."
"I understand, thank you, sir."
After hearing this, Xie Qi got up and prepared to go to the weaving and dyeing garden. Seeing this, Song Shebu and Yun Zheng hurriedly followed.
"Hey kid, why are you running?"
Xie Qi said, "I've thought of something."
Yun Zheng exclaimed in surprise: "Color-changing cloth?"
"right."
Song Shebu shook his head: "There's no such thing. It's just children talking nonsense."
"How could it not be? Since the fabric can be colored unevenly, it means that the color itself can change."
"If I can change the uneven coloring of this area according to my wishes, wouldn't it become a color-changing cloth?"
"Hmm, that makes some sense."
Seeing that Xie Qi was about to experiment with the dyeing formula, Song Shebu said, "Since it's a dyeing formula, I won't bother watching. Just bring it to me after you've finished dyeing it."
"Sir, please come with me. Perhaps you can offer some advice..."
"Since you say so, young friend, I will go with you to take a look..."
Xie Qi took Yun Zheng and Song Shebu to the textile and dyeing garden of Jixia Manor.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuanzhu and the Luo brothers were in the dye garden of Xiecuifang, pondering a new dyeing formula needed for the dyeing competition...
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