Liao Ziwan nodded slightly as she introduced herself.
"Thank you for your patronage. You bought a lot of my brother's paintings and calligraphy. He is currently preparing for the imperial examination. The money from the painting studio will allow him to stay at the inn with peace of mind and continue reading and writing."
Liao Ziwan spoke, bowing slightly to express her gratitude to Chu Dunshi.
"I didn't think I had anything valuable to give you, so I made some snacks to express my gratitude."
Liao Ziwan opened the bamboo food box she had brought, which contained steamed sugar cheese, steamed chestnut flour cake with osmanthus sugar, seven-piece pastry, four-color crispy candy, peach shortbread, lampwick cake, and some dried fruit.
It smells so good!
"Ziwan, you're too kind. Liao Ziling's calligraphy and paintings are indeed excellent and have won the favor of many customers."
Liao Ziwan and Chu Dunshi thanked each other.
"Come on, try my cooking."
Seeing that the two were a little hesitant, Yun Duoduo said, "Wow, then I won't be polite."
Yun Duoduo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, picked up a small piece of peach shortbread, and savored it with relish, nodding in satisfaction.
There were several kinds of pastries in the food box, which she remembered as being specialties of Jiangnan. In her previous life, when she went to Hangzhou, Jiangsu, she had also seen them in TV dramas. These were the four-color shortbread and peach shortbread.
"My emperor...my sister!"
Yun Yishu smiled and shook his head, looking at Yun Duoduo.
"This is the big boss, Young Master Yun."
"This is Young Master Yun's younger sister," Chu Dunshi introduced.
"This painting studio was set up and established by the owner."
Liao Ziwan listened with gratitude on her face and stood up to bow, but Yun Yishu quickly stopped her and swallowed the pastry in her mouth.
"No need, no need. It's just that your brother's paintings are popular, and we're in a collaborative relationship."
Liao Ziwan sat down again. Yun Duoduo noticed that the woman's clothes were unusual. The silk was finely made and had a unique style. The smoky gray dress was embroidered with brightly colored magpies and beautiful azaleas. The embroidery was delicate, the needlework was lively, and the embroidery thread was fine. It was not something that could be embroidered by embroiderers in the capital.
He then asked, "Where are you from, Sister Ziwan?"
“I’m from Shengze. My younger brother came to the capital for the imperial examination, so I came along to help out.”
"Shengze? Where is that?"
Yun Duoduo looked confused. She had only been to the Northern Frontier and had heard of her fiefdom, Yuze. As for Shengze, she had never heard anyone mention it.
"It's no wonder you haven't heard of it. Shengze is a town in Wujiang, south of Suzhou. It's a small place."
"No wonder, I think your long dress is very unique."
Yun Duoduo carefully observed Ziwan's smoky gray long dress and the jacket she was wearing.
"Ah, perhaps the fabric and embroidery techniques used are somewhat different from those in the capital."
"Although both are made of satin, the outermost garment of this dress is made of real silk, so it looks elegant and soft."
"Oh, right, my hometown, Shengze Town, is famous for producing this kind of silk."
"Hmm, upon closer inspection, it is indeed very special; it seems that such material is rare in the capital."
Upon hearing Yun Duoduo's words, Chu Dunshi also began to carefully examine Ziwan's clothes.
"Can I touch it?"
Yun Duoduo asked tentatively, genuinely curious, while an idea formed in her mind.
"sure."
Liao Ziwan stood up and walked to Yun Duoduo's side. Yun Duoduo gently touched Ziwan's outer coat, which felt soft, smooth, and elastic.
"This fabric would definitely be more comfortable to wear next to the skin."
"Yes, that's right."
"Is this your family's cooking method? Are there any in Beijing?"
Yun Yishu asked, and he became interested as well.
"Yes, I lived in the capital for a while and noticed that there was a Liu Family Silk Shop in the east of the city that sold all kinds of silk fabrics, but the fabric I'm wearing is extremely expensive."
Ziwan felt a little regretful that such a good product could not be made available to the people of the capital.
“My family used to raise silkworms and reel silk, so I kept some of it to make this dress,” Ziwan added.
"If you buy it outside, it will be very expensive."
"This afternoon, could you take us to see the Liu family's silk?"
Yun Duoduo wanted to see what kind of silk the Liu family had that Ziwan had mentioned.
"Okay, you guys have lunch first, I'll come over this afternoon."
Ziwan agreed and got up to leave.
Yun Duoduo and Chu Dunshi escorted Jin Ziwan to the door and instructed Zheng Xiang to give Ziwan a boxed wolf-hair brush. Ziwan declined for a while, but was persuaded by Yun Yishu to take it back for her younger brother to use for painting.
Zi Wan gradually walked away. Chu Dunshi stared at Zi Wan's back in a daze. Yun Yishu looked at him and laughed, "Brother Chu, she's already gone far away. Why don't you go back with her?"
"Boss, you're just teasing me!"
Chu Dunshi flicked his sleeves, swaying his chubby body as he awkwardly walked inside.
Yun Duoduo turned and walked into the tea room. She poured herself a cup of hot tea and sipped it slowly, lost in thought as she ate the pastries that Ziwan had brought.
"Duoduo, are you interested in silk?"
"Yes, it's the change of seasons recently, and the ladies and young women in the capital are preparing new clothes. It's also the time when silk is selling like hotcakes."
"But there is no large supply of such good fabric in the capital. There are still many wealthy people in the capital who need such good things."
"Think about it, if they buy it separately in Suzhou, it's definitely not as convenient as buying it in the capital."
"So, I'm thinking about whether I should open a silk shop."
"Wow, that's a great idea!"
Yun Yishu and Yun Duoduo hit it off immediately and decided to open a silk shop.
"However, if you want to do the silk business, you need to understand the current supply and demand of silk and kerosene in the capital market."
"To understand the silk-making process, we also need to find suitable silk shops that can provide us with a long-term, stable, and reasonably priced supply of large quantities of silk."
"Yes, that's right. This afternoon, Ziwan took us to take a look."
"Perhaps we could visit her hometown?"
Yun Duoduo said excitedly, she was most eager to see the exquisite scenery of the small bridges, flowing water and houses.
“Yes, you and I are thinking the same thing. Shengze is located in Jiangsu, and the silk industry in that area is already quite well-established.”
"Also, have you heard of Seven Mile Silk? It's an excellent fabric that wealthy merchants and officials will definitely love. You'll be able to make a fortune from it."
Yun Yishu said, her eyes shining.
"Third Brother, what are your plans regarding the selection of the shopkeeper?"
Yun Duoduo asked about the candidate for the silk shop manager, and Yun Yishu pondered for a moment.
“I have two ideas. The first is that if Ziwan is willing to stay in the capital, we can have her come and help, because Ziwan grew up in a place that produces silk and will be more familiar with the market.”
"Another option is that we could go to her hometown and look for a suitable person there. What do you think?"
"Of course, it would be best if we could keep Ziwan in the capital."
Yun Yishu chuckled as she looked at Chu Dunshi, whose chubby face instantly turned red.
"Chu Dunshi, what are you thinking? It's good for both of us if Ziwan stays in the capital."
Yun Yishu looked at Chu Dunshi with amusement.
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