Heartache
Just as Huang Ying suggested, in order to make the beautiful clothes as soon as possible, Jiang Yan hired ten local embroiderers and let them live and eat in their courtyards, working day and night.
Jiang Yan asked Huang Ying to look after the embroiderers making clothes, while she went to the market to buy shops herself.
Jiang Yan bought a shop at the end of the main street, but the price was outrageously high. However, Jiang Yan accepted it, since word had already spread that their business was booming.
With Jiang Yan and Huang Ying working together, by the ninth day, both the shop's decoration and the clothing's tailoring had been perfectly completed.
Looking at the exquisite clothes made by Huang Ying and the embroiderers, Jiang Yan praised them repeatedly: "They say that the ancients were smarter than modern people, and now that I see it, it's really true! You can even make such delicate clothes, and they're all handmade, it's amazing! It's really, really amazing!!"
Huang Ying laughed and said, "Sister, you're joking again. It's not as exaggerated as you make it out to be."
Jiang Yan knew that no matter how she explained, Huang Ying would not understand her admiration for them, so she did not dwell on the matter any longer and instead said, "Then let's take the clothes over first thing tomorrow morning and see how they sell."
“Yes, I’ll listen to you, sister. What about these embroiderers?” Huang Ying said, turning back to look at the embroiderers standing neatly in rows.
Most of these embroiderers are young mothers, and their families are generally poor.
Jiang Yan looked at them carefully and said, "The shop needs manpower to sell clothes. Pick four eloquent people to bring to the shop. As for the rest, they can stay at home and continue making clothes."
Jiang Yan didn't think their clothes would go unsold; on the contrary, she believed they would sell very well, except for those who caused trouble or disturbances. Therefore, she wanted to keep these embroiderers to continue making clothes for them, so that everyone would benefit.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying's clothing store is called "Yipinge". This is a name that automatically popped into Jiang Yan's mind. It is only one character different from the name of the store where she often buys clothes in modern society.
That clothing store is called "Yipinhui".
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying each performed their duties, and their clothing store began its trial operation on the tenth day.
Just as Jiang Yan had guessed, their Yipin Pavilion's clothes did indeed sell very well; all fifty pieces of clothing were sold out in less than half an hour.
Jiang Yan was so excited, as was Huang Ying, and even the embroiderer who brought the clothes to sell was excited. Everyone was happy and excited because of their own efforts.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying's clothing store gradually took off, and a month later, their business was on track.
Jiang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief, as did Huang Ying.
That day, after finishing her sales work, Jiang Yan returned to the house and sat down with Huang Ying in a rocking chair in the courtyard to rest.
Jiang Yan still prefers to lie in the rocking chair, so she bought one for herself and one for Huang Ying as well.
The little tabby cat lay asleep in Jiang Yan's arms, its eyes closed. The little spotted dog lay asleep at Huang Ying's feet, its eyes also closed.
Jiang Yan gazed at the blue sky in the distance, and after a while, said, "Time flies so fast, another month has passed in the blink of an eye."
"Yes, it's late spring, and the temperature is getting higher and higher." Huang Ying also looked at the blue sky in the distance.
Jiang Yan was silent for a while, then said, "Our yard is too bare. We should plant some kind of tree."
Huang Ying: "Then let's plant peach blossoms, and apricot blossoms too. They're pretty and fragrant."
Jiang Yan: "I think we should skip the pear trees and plant peach and pomegranate trees instead, as well as apricot trees. We can find someone to graft them so we can have fruit next year."
"Okay, I'll listen to my sister."
Jiang Yan fell silent again, and Huang Ying stopped talking as well. The two of them were each immersed in their own world, lost in their own thoughts.
After a while, Jiang Yan sighed slightly and said, "I wonder if Shangguan Zeyu is still looking for us."
Huang Ying turned her left cheek slightly to look at her, and after a while, she said, "Sister, are you still unable to let go of the Prince?"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh and said, "What are you talking about? Me, unable to let him go? Who is he? What's our relationship?" But her eyes darted left and right unnaturally.
Huang Ying withdrew her gaze and looked into the distance again, saying, "Sister, you can't fool me."
Jiang Yan suddenly became anxious: "I'm not lying to you! I'm telling the truth! Shangguan Zeyu is such a womanizer and hypocrite, how could I possibly like him or care about him? I'm just..." But she suddenly stopped there and didn't continue.
Huang Ying then said, "Sister, your eyes don't lie. I saw the young lady before. At that time, I didn't understand what that look meant."
Jiang Yan glanced at her sideways: "Does Liu Ruyi really like Chen Run?"
"I think so. I didn't know about Young Master Chen back then, so I didn't know many things. The young lady was indifferent and uninterested in many things, except for flying kites every month, which made her very happy... It's just a pity that the young lady and Young Master Chen were destined to be apart."
Jiang Yan slowly withdrew her gaze, sighed softly, and said, "The world is ever-changing and unpredictable. We are always pushed forward by fate, yet we always think that we have control over our destiny."
Huang Ying glanced at her again: "Sister, if, I mean if, if the Prince only loves you and dismisses all the other women, would you stay by his side?"
Jiang Yan lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "Probably not."
"Why? Sister, I've never quite understood your persistence. You're optimistic about everything, but why are you always so... evasive when it comes to matters of the heart?"
Jiang Yan gave a bitter smile, turned to look at Huang Ying, and said, "Perhaps it's because I've experienced too much, or perhaps it's because I've seen too many vows of eternal love crumble. I no longer believe in such ethereal and uncontrollable things."
Huang Ying was puzzled: "Everyone is pursuing love, but do they know that love is unreliable? If they do know that, why do they still pursue it? I see many people who disregard everything for love, what's going on?"
Jiang Yan felt that the question was too profound, and she had never thought about it before, so she took this opportunity to think about it carefully.
"Perhaps... love is inherently alluring, so once people touch it, they become infatuated and disregard everything else."
Huang Ying exclaimed in surprise, "That sounds terrifying!"
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "You say love is scary, and it is. If it were scary, people should avoid it like the plague. Why are they still so obsessed with it? So love must have its beautiful aspects. It's just that love, like a fleeting moment, can easily disappear."
"Sister, in your world, did you ever experience love?" Huang Ying asked curiously, looking at her expectantly.
Jiang Yan thought to herself, how could she have that time? She was too busy with her studies and making a living to have it, and besides, she had no mood or interest in having it.
"No."
"Then why does your sister avoid love so much? And why does she have such profound insights into love?"
“I read about it in books. And the people around me are so heartbroken over love, crying all the time. I think love is unreliable, I don’t believe in it.”
Huang Ying lowered her eyes and thought for a while before saying, "Sister, I think you have to try many things yourself to have a real feeling. For example, you say donkey rolls are delicious, but some people don't. You say candied hawthorns are sweet, but some people think they are sour."
But Jiang Yan just smiled and didn't say anything more.
In fact, a long, long time ago, when she thought her senior was handsome and wanted to like him, she told herself she should give it a try, but reason pulled her back at the last moment. She decided not to get involved, especially since she already knew its dangers and how terrible it was.
Yes, why does it have to be about love? Isn't it good for her to live alone? Free and unrestrained?
Even so, she was still very curious about what Shangguan Zeyu was doing. Was he still trying to find her, or had he already forgotten her and fallen in love with someone else?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
