Chapter 330 Suzhou Prefecture
After leaving the capital, Shui Xian traveled for several months before heading south by boat and arriving in Suzhou.
Winter in Suzhou is quite different from the biting cold of Beijing.
The water was cold, the wind was damp, and a chill seeped into the very bones.
The area is characterized by a dense network of rivers, stone bridges with black tiles, and houses built along the riverbanks.
Even in winter, the covered boats still glide leisurely through the narrow waterways, the soft sound of oars shattering the hazy reflections on the river.
Shuixian rented a house in a quiet alley near Tang Street; it was a small, detached house.
After traveling for several months, she finally decided to settle down in Suzhou this winter.
The courtyard wall is not high, and some withered vines are climbing on it.
Narcissus pushed open the creaking wooden door, revealing a small courtyard where an old plum tree in the corner was budding.
Of the three main rooms, one was used as a bedroom, one as a living room and study, and the other was empty.
The kitchen was small, but clean.
She usually wore simple cotton dresses, mostly in moon white or light blue, and her hair was tied up with the simplest wooden or silver hairpins. She did not wear any makeup.
At first glance, she was just an ordinary young woman with a pretty face and a calm demeanor.
Not far from the courtyard, in a market street by the river, she rented a small storefront.
The shop was originally a teahouse, with a square layout, front and back rooms, and a well in the back.
The narcissus was drawn to its tranquility and its riverside window.
She used a small portion of her savings to pay half a year's rent and then had a craftsman repair it again.
There are no carved beams and painted rafters, no vermilion lacquer and gold powder.
The store mainly features natural-colored bamboo, rattan, cotton, and linen.
Bamboo display shelves, rattan low tables and stools, cotton and linen curtains.
On the wall hang her own ink paintings or works of withered lotus and reeds by local artists, which she found at the market.
She handled the goods herself.
Some of them are embroidered items.
She cleverly simplified and transformed the intricate needlework techniques she had learned in the palace, integrating them into the common folk patterns of flowers, birds, fish, insects, and landscapes found in Jiangnan.
A handkerchief, about a foot square, may only contain a single, graceful plum blossom and a few fallen bamboo leaves, but the delicate stitches and elegant color scheme are far superior to ordinary commercially available embroidery.
She only provided a few designs, and the rest were handed over to skilled embroiderers who were paid per piece, with generous wages.
The other part is paper.
She bought the finest Xuan paper, mixed her own pigments, and either soaked the paper in plant juice or printed it with the veins of fallen leaves and petals she had collected, making various colored pressed paper.
Each stack was wrapped in plain cotton paper and tied with a silk cord of the same color.
In addition, there are cleverly crafted local trinkets that she has collected from various places.
Placed in the store, they add a touch of everyday life.
The shop is named "Tingyun" (meaning "painting clouds"). The plaque is in her own handwriting, with elegant characters that reveal a strong character. She had a craftsman carve the original wood, but instead of painting it, she only applied a layer of clear oil.
There were no firecrackers on the opening day.
She simply opened the door early, arranged the goods neatly, and brewed a pot of tea on a small table by the window overlooking the river.
The aroma of tea, mixed with the herbal scent of newly made paper, slowly wafted out.
For the first few days, the place was deserted.
Occasionally, passersby would peek in out of curiosity, but seeing that the interior was simply furnished and didn't resemble a bustling shop, they would walk away.
Narcissus wasn't in a hurry. Every day she would sweep, organize her goods, or sit by the window and draw new embroidery patterns in the sunlight.
The turning point came from an old scholar who happened to walk in.
The old scholar, surnamed Shen, lived nearby and made a living by writing letters and copying books for others. Occasionally, he would paint a few plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums to exchange for wine money.
I was passing by that day when I was drawn to a traditional Chinese ink painting of small fish inside a window.
That was a painting by Narcissus in her spare time, depicting several small fish of varying shades of ink, leisurely swaying their tails in the blank space of the water.
Minimalist, yet full of life.
When Shen Xiucai walked in, he looked at the painting, and then at the unique paper and embroidery patterns, and his eyes lit up.
After exchanging a few words with Narcissus, he discovered that this young woman was also literate and spoke with refinement, so he decided to befriend her.
He bought two stacks of pine-patterned paper, and Narcissus, knowing his poverty, only charged him the cost price.
From then on, Shen Xiucai became a regular visitor.
He not only came by himself, but also brought his grandson who was studying at the academy, his familiar painting friends, and the skilled embroiderer next door who was always undervalued by the big embroidery shop.
"Tingyun" has gradually become a somewhat special little gathering place.
During the day, embroiderers would often bring their embroidery work to deliver and receive payment, while also checking if there were any new designs.
Scholars would come to buy paper and occasionally discuss poetry with Scholar Shen at the tea table prepared by Narcissus.
Some painters even brought their new works and asked Shui Xian and Shen Xiucai to critique them.
Narcissus doesn't talk much, but she has a keen eye and her advice is often to the point. Her pricing is also very fair.
For impoverished embroiderers, their exquisite works are often purchased at a price one or two tenths higher than the market price.
If they see that there is room for improvement in someone's technique, they will casually offer a few words of advice.
She didn't deliberately cultivate it, but a relaxed and sincere atmosphere naturally brought these people together around "Tingyun".
After closing at night, Shui Xian would sit at a small table in the back room, by the light of an oil lamp, and carefully calculate the accounts.
She kept the ledger herself, and she remembered every single page clearly.
Purchase expenses, labor costs, rent and miscellaneous expenses, and revenue.
Profits were meager, sometimes only a few dozen coins a day, and even at the best, no more than one or two taels of silver.
But she calculated with extreme care, her fingertips brushing over the numbers, a sense of unprecedented peace welling up inside her.
Every penny she earned was through her own hard work and the reputation she built up little by little.
There are no favors or rewards here, only the most basic exchange of equal value and mutual respect.
One evening, more than a month after opening, Narcissus closed the ledger.
This month, after deducting all expenses, I made a net profit of ten taels and seven mace of silver.
She picked up the small ten-tael silver ingot that she had set aside separately.
The silver was of ordinary quality, even somewhat dull, unlike the bright silver of the palace.
However, she examined it repeatedly under the light, her fingertips tracing the rough embossed patterns on it.
Then, she chuckled softly.
Outside the window, the damp, cold air of a Suzhou winter night seemed to have warmed up a bit.
Thousands of miles away in the capital, at the Qianqing Palace.
The candlelight was bright, and Emperor Zhaoheng had just finished reviewing a stack of memorials, his brows furrowed with weariness.
Feng Shunxiang quietly stepped forward and placed a thin, unsigned secret report on a corner of the imperial desk.
Emperor Zhaoheng rubbed his temples, his gaze sweeping across the room, as if he had anticipated something.
His fingertips paused for a moment, then he picked it up anyway.
The secret report was concise.
The target has settled in Suzhou Prefecture, using the alias "Fairy Lady," and runs a shop called "Tingyun" in a certain market, mainly selling embroidered items and stationery.
The shop was elegant and the business was gradually improving. It had many dealings with the nearby scholars, painters, embroiderers and other people, and got along well with them.
Emperor Zhaoheng held the light piece of paper, his knuckles turning slightly white.
After a long while, he very slowly folded the secret report, and instead of throwing it into the brazier as usual, he opened a hidden drawer on his desk and put it inside.
He looked up at the dark night sky outside the window. There was no misty vapor of Suzhou, only the dry, cold starlight of a northern winter night.
"She's happy..."
His voice was low, almost like a sigh, as if he were speaking to Feng Shunxiang beside him, or perhaps to himself, “...that’s fine.”
Feng Shunxiang lowered his head deeply, not daring to respond, but his heart was filled with a bitter sigh.
Some time passed, and it was nearly the twelfth lunar month.
Two unexpected guests arrived at "Tingyun".
It was Yuan Chiyu and Shui Xiu.
Yuan Chiyu wore a dark blue brocade robe with arrow-sleeved sleeves for easy movement, covered with a black cloak, looking travel-worn but full of energy.
Shui Xiu was dressed in the everyday clothes of a female official, with a cloak adorned with intertwined plum blossoms over it, which made her complexion appear even more radiant. Her almond-shaped eyes, which resembled those of a narcissus, were filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"elder sister!"
As soon as the curtain was lifted, Shui Xiu saw the narcissus being organized on the shelf, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Having not seen each other for several months, she disregarded all etiquette and stepped forward to take Narcissus's hand.
Narcissus was also overjoyed: "Xiuer? What brings you here? And the young marquis too?"
She looked at Yuan Chiyu and nodded in greeting.
Yuan Chiyu clasped his hands in greeting, his smile hearty: "Greetings... Fairy Lady."
Remembering Shui Xiu's earlier instructions, he quickly changed his mind, his gaze sweeping over the elegant yet tasteful shop, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
“I was ordered to inspect the canal transport and passed through Suzhou. Shui Xiu was thinking of you, and the Emperor… granted her a few days' leave to accompany me to visit you.”
Shui Xian understood immediately. The so-called "inspection by imperial decree" was probably a carefully arranged plan by that person, so that Yuan Chiyu, whom he trusted and who had a close relationship with Shui Xiu, could come along the way to see for himself whether she was doing well.
She didn't point it out, but simply smiled and led the two into the warm back room.
"You must be tired from your journey... My place is simple, please don't mind."
"What are you saying, sister!"
Shui Xiu sat down next to her, staring at her intently, her voice full of concern, "Sister has lost some weight, but your complexion... looks much better than when you were in the palace."
Narcissus smiled and patted her forearm: "You feel comfortable here."
"You've come at the perfect time. I'll cook a few dishes myself."
That evening, three or four exquisite home-style dishes were laid out on the small dining table.
Steamed sea bass, braised bamboo shoots, crab roe tofu, and shepherd's purse tofu soup.
All dishes feature seasonal flavors from the Jiangnan region. The daffodils are prepared skillfully, and the overall taste is refreshing and delicious.
Yuan Chiyu praised the food highly, while Shui Xiu's eyes even welled up with tears.
In the palace, when did my sister ever need to cook herself?
But at this moment, watching her sister wearing a plain apron and busy in the kitchen, Shui Xiu felt that her sister seemed to be closer to the happiness she needed.
After the meal, Shui Xiu insisted on washing the dishes, leaving Shui Xian to talk to Yuan Chiyu.
Yuan Chiyu sat in the rattan chair, surveying the room that revealed the owner's ingenuity in every detail, and finally sighed softly:
"Fairy Lady, to be honest, I have witnessed this with my own eyes and I am filled with admiration."
Shui Xian poured him a cup of tea: "Young Master, you flatter me... I'm just trying to make a living."
“It’s not life,” Yuan Chiyu shook his head, his expression serious, “it’s the courage and mindset to let go of everything and start over.”
He sighed, "I know I can't do that."
He paused, then said, "Seeing the light in your eyes and the peace in your expression, Shui Xiu and I are both happy for you."
Narcissus smiled slightly but did not reply.
Some paths and some things are like drinking water; only the fish knows whether it's hot or cold.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com