Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Nine Clans Blood
As a woman, Wen Niang maneuvers between merchants, sharing profits and competing for market share. She knows that people are treacherous and can even judge people by their own evil. However, she also understands that once a girl falls in love, it is difficult to change her mind.
No matter how straightforward and decisive Nongnong was usually, she could not escape the word love. Those words of advice came to her lips, but were swallowed back with a sigh.
He pushed over the blue satin purse that had been prepared long ago. The thickness of the banknotes inside was enough for an ordinary family to chew for half a year.
"Mr. Chai's family wants to order a new doll for the young master. He should come and pick it up before the tenth day of next month, his birthday. I just asked you first. In addition to today's set of rabbit dolls, there are five orders waiting to be delivered. They need a new doll again. Does Nong Nong have any idea? Can we make it in time?"
Lan Nongnong didn't hesitate, she untied her purse, took out the banknotes, counted them quickly, put them into her own purse, and then put the purse into the inner pocket of her orange-pink embroidered crabapple flower bag that was hanging down at her side. She tightened the string and pushed the purse back.
He smiled and thanked her, then thought carefully for a moment and shook his head: "I'm sorry, Sister Wen Niang, we're pressed for time. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish this order."
During this year, she has made 30 to 40 dolls, and basically she produces a new set every month, with two to five dolls in each set. Her rate of innovation is quite high.
Thanks to the vast information reserves of later generations, the materials and ideas accumulated in her mind are too numerous to count. It is no exaggeration to say that if she only maintains the current rate of innovation, she can continue to publish until retirement.
The doll with the new pattern is not worth mentioning, but Lan Nongnong knows that scarcity makes things valuable, and she also understands that one cannot empty the bag of pearls at once.
You always have to keep some reserves, just like my grandfather once said, when sowing seeds in spring, you can't scatter all the seeds, you have to secretly hold a handful in your sleeves.
She wasn't afraid of being copied. Since ancient times, craftsmen have inherited the skills of their predecessors. Even when she started her business, she borrowed a lot of ingenuity from her predecessors. However, every one of her drawings, and even every doll she made, had a hidden pattern of the initials of the Chinese character "Lan" (orchid) in its ears.
The gold thread is as thin as a hair and the stitches are thinner than an ant. You have to hold it up to the sun to see it. It can be used as a mark to distinguish the authenticity.
Fortunately, the Sheng Dynasty did not promote witchcraft and sorcery, and she had to thank Emperor Wu Sheng for overcoming all objections, opening up sea transportation, and bringing back cotton seeds. Otherwise, even if she had a head full of good ideas, she would not be able to show them to others without the support of her family. It would not be easy for her to make a living in this world.
She received dividends from the shop every month, so she was never short of money. When she lived alone, she would just work at night, but now that she had something else on her mind, what she lacked most was time.
"Sister Wen Niang, once I've delivered all the orders, I'll take one order a month from now on."
Wen Niang was obviously stunned for a moment, her narrow eyes widened by two points, and she said bluntly that the price of a custom order was equivalent to the shop's monthly surplus. Now they only received three orders a month, and the queues were already six months later. You can imagine how high the profit was.
But now, she had so easily given up the huge profits that were within her grasp. She was so shocked that her usually eloquent tongue was choked for a moment.
Since Lan Nongnong opened her mouth, she had already made up her mind. Facing shock and confusion, she was able to smile calmly: "Don't worry, Sister Wen Niang, don't you always say that things are valuable because they are rare?"
"Although custom-made products are highly profitable, every time a doll is out of print, there's one less doll available for sale in the shop. In the long run, it's more of a loss than a gain. And if we do too many custom-made products, I'm afraid we'll run out of ideas one day. By then, I'm afraid we'll just be sitting there eating out our savings."
Wen Niang naturally understood the difference between temporary benefits and long-term plans, but she also understood the deeper meaning behind her words.
The words to ask if she was crazy had already risen to her throat, but she swallowed them back the moment she was about to say them.
Caichunju was able to rise from an ordinary garment shop to one of the most noble and elegant ones, all thanks to the doll business, and the key to this was all in her hands.
Even though she was full of confusion and felt sorry for the huge sum of money, Wen Niang had no choice but to wait for an opportunity to make some suggestions.
But the current situation is definitely not a good time to speak.
After a long silence, Fang slowly nodded, "Nong Nong's words make sense, but the way of doing business is to proceed step by step. If we suddenly change our strategy and reduce the number of orders to one per month, it will probably discourage our customers. It would be better to set a three-month deadline and gradually reduce the number. This will preserve old friendships while establishing new rules. That would be the best strategy."
The sudden change in the rules really caught people off guard. Lan Nongnong thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
Wen Niang deliberately watched her expression, and seeing her agreement, she breathed a sigh of relief. She finished her business, raised her hand, and took hold of her hand, wearing the pink bracelet. She examined it carefully, and exclaimed, "This pink bracelet is made of jade as clear as water, its flocs as pure as snow. Even more wonderful is the natural, petal-like pattern. The contrast between the jade color and the pattern creates a vibrant, lively, and interesting look, while showcasing its pure, icy quality. Nong Nong truly possesses a keen eye, recognizing such a rare treasure."
She nodded as she spoke, then suddenly raised her head with a playful smile on her face: "Didn't Nongnong say before that she didn't like wearing jewelry on her hands, saying it made it inconvenient to do things? How come after seeing her again a few days ago, not only was she wearing one, but she was wearing two?"
Lan Nongnong showed no sign of shyness and swung towards her ostentatiously. The smile on her face made the sunlight by the window pale in comparison.
"It's not that I have good eyesight, but that the person who bought it has good eyesight. Besides, it's different now and then. I just have to be more careful in my daily work."
The white wrist is suspended in the air, and the jade piece hanging on the rope is faintly showing the word "scene" in the flow of light and shadow.
Wen Niang noticed his expression change slightly, raised her finger and pointed at something, uttered an "oh" meaningfully, and said with a smile, "Could this person with good eyesight be the one who carved this piece of jade on Nong Nong's wrist?"
The man was unmarried, and the woman was unmarried. She and Yao Jing were in love with each other. Lan Nongnong felt that there was no need to hide this matter, so she nodded frankly, gave her a thumbs up and said with a smile: "Sister Wen Niang also has good eyesight, it's him."
Wen Niang raised her eyes slightly and chuckled, "No wonder Nong Nong hasn't come for a few days. It must be that she has found someone who shares the same feelings with her."
He then continued, "A man who can move Nong Nong's heart and has an eye for jade must be a prominent figure in the city. May I know this young man's name? Where is his residence? How did you meet? What is his family background and character like?"
Lan Nongnong had no intention of hiding it, but after all, relatives and friends were different. She carefully considered what she had said to the aunts, but when she saw Wen Niang also showing a similar cautious expression, she quickly took her hand and shook it gently, "Don't worry, Sister Wen Niang, the aunts are all aware of this matter, and I'm not an ignorant girl, so there's no need to be cautious."
Wen Niang knew her origins, but the practitioners in the nunnery had a more penetrating vision than ordinary people. Since the masters of Qingfeng Nunnery knew about it but did not stop her, they must have had other considerations.
She then stopped keeping silent and said with a smile: "You can know a person's face but not his heart." Then she changed the subject lightly.
"You haven't been out these past few days, and you've just avoided a major incident. Do you remember the Lin Mansion on Qingyun Street? Two days ago, the Lin Mansion was suddenly raided by the government, and the entire family was imprisoned. The next day, notices were posted all over the streets. It turned out that the Lin family was secretly protecting the orphan of the criminal Quan for the Jiang family, and even secretly colluding with the grain dealer Chen family and the salt merchant Liu family, secretly amassing money, intending to cause another rebellion!"
"Back then, the Quan family abused their power and acted tyrannically, defying the authority of Heaven. They were ultimately crushed by General Qin's troops, resulting in the execution of their entire clan and the extermination of their entire family. Legend has it that on the day of the execution, the streets were stained with blood, and over thirty carts filled with severed heads. It took three heavy rains for the bloodstains on the bluestones of the execution ground to fade..."
When Wen Niang said this, she suddenly shuddered and almost dropped the teacup in her hand. Those old stories made her spine cold just by mentioning them.
"...But deceiving the emperor and rebelling against his superiors is a grave crime punishable by death. The Quan family deserves death. It's a pity that these wealthy families are not as insightful as us ordinary people."
"Now my family business has collapsed, and my relatives have been implicated. The other day, when the prison van was paraded through the streets, I saw with my own eyes a few small children curled up in it... Alas, what a sin..."
Wen Niang already has three sons, and her youngest daughter is only five years old. She can't hide her compassion when she mentions her children.
Lan Nongnong listened, and the smile on her face had already frozen. It was different from the later generations where people were well informed and could easily find out about the affairs of the government and the country.
Like all previous dynasties, the Sheng Dynasty never revealed the secrets of the court to the common people.
The annals of history only record the emperor's annals and the major government affairs of the court. However, the usurpation of power by the Quan family happened at the time. Even if Lan Nongnong read through all the books, she would still find it difficult to get a detailed understanding.
Although people in the streets are not prohibited from discussing politics, for ordinary people, having enough food and clothing is more important than changes in the government. She rarely goes to teahouses and taverns to listen to the scholars' opinions on state affairs. Even if she does go there occasionally, the old stories about the Quan family have been gone for many years and have long been replaced by fresh topics of conversation.
Therefore, Lan Nongnong had lived here for two years and had never heard of it.
In later generations, whether in historical books or casual conversation, the punishment of three or nine clans was only mentioned in a few words. Even though there was a chilling feeling between the lines, it was ultimately a thing of the past that had been forgotten for thousands of years.
Hearing it with her own ears, Lan Nongnong felt a chill running down her spine. Those cold records she had read before now turned into the bloody reality before her eyes.
Those fragments of history books that were lightly mentioned now clearly represent vivid lives, and the stories she had read are also being played out in this world.
And she, standing in this Shura field where human lives are worthless, truly feels the cruelty and bloodiness of this era.
Lan Nongnong didn't know what she said to Sister Wen Niang afterwards. She walked under the bright sunlight, but she felt a chill gnawing at her bones. The long street was clean and spotless, the shops were wide open, and people were coming and going.
The sky is azure, the grass is lush, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and everything in this world is as peaceful and vibrant as ever.
But what she saw at this moment seemed to be separated by a layer of blood-colored gauze.
The faces of passersby were blurred as if through mist, and my ears seemed to be stuffed with wet cotton. The sounds of the city and the voices of people turned into a chaotic hum. Only the rusty smell in my nostrils lingered.
The breath penetrated into his lungs, and he couldn't tell whether it was the real smell of blood wafting from the execution ground, or an illusion caused by memories surging in his nasal cavity.
I returned home in a daze. The moment the door bolt clicked shut, my chaotic five senses suddenly cleared up. A fishy and sweet taste suddenly surged up my throat. My temples throbbed and stars flashed before my eyes.
Lan Nongnong could no longer hold on and stumbled towards the wooden basin in the corner of the yard. As she leaned over, she vomited out a mouthful of sour water, along with all the bloody memories.
His pale knuckles gripped the edge of the basin tightly until they turned white, as if he wanted to pinch all his fear into this cold, hard container.
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