Song Jiyun hesitated for a moment and then said carefully, "Are you alright? You seem preoccupied with something."
"Nothing’s the matter!" Hong Xi flashed her a brilliant smile and said, "What could possibly be wrong with me?"
That smile, in Song Jiyun’s eyes, seemed a bit forced.
But they were all adults and should maintain a certain social distance.
Hong Xi, seeing a moment of silence from her and mistaking it for disbelief, jokingly called out to her and laughed, "With Young Master Yuan’s hefty financial support, if I had any trouble, I would have sought help long ago." He then abruptly changed the subject, asking about the shop, "Have you thought about taking this opportunity to have an opening?"
Song Jiyun clapped her hands in agreement: "I didn’t expect we had the same idea."
Previously, because the White Mud Qi Clay matter hadn’t been settled, she had the idea, but not the mood to deal with it.
Her eyes sparkling, she said, "Follow me."
Hong Xi, a smile in his eyes, followed her to the eastern cross-yard.
It was a small yard with one entrance; the main room was made into sleeping quarters for Zheng Quan and others, while the rooms to the east and south were filled with porcelain.
"I saw the ship was big enough, and those cabins would be empty anyway. I thought, coming all the way to the Capital City, we couldn’t return empty-handed, so I brought some extra porcelain." She smiled as she opened up a straw pile, revealing neat stacks of octagonal bowls, "Selling this porcelain will cover our trip’s expenses."
She passed a bowl to Hong Xi: "If managed well, we might even make a profit."
The gleam of a money-lover in her eyes amused Hong Xi, who picked up a bowl and examined it against the light.
It was new blue and white porcelain with the Eight Treasures pattern.
The light diffused through the thin porcelain body, spreading slowly.
Hong Xi was surprised.
This was thin-bodied porcelain. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
As the name implies, its body was exceptionally thin; the fired porcelain had to be as translucent as jade and as thin as paper. Its selling point was its thinness—the thinner the ware, the more valuable it became.
Its beauty was beyond question, but it had a clear drawback.
Thin porcelain was fragile and not resistant to knocks; a careless touch could easily break it.
Jingde Town’s Kiln Factories used it mainly for teaware and rarely for everyday porcelain items like bowls and plates.
He hesitated, "Isn’t it a little too thin?"
Song Jiyun laughed, "All the finest things from all over converge in Capital City; there’s nothing the people here haven’t seen. Just because others can’t afford it doesn’t mean they can’t either." She added jokingly, "Don’t underestimate the powerful and wealthy of our Capital City."
Hong Xi understood her point immediately and laughed, "I wasn’t thinking straight."
Hia mind raced, "Do you have an inventory here? Let’s see how many of each kind there are. If we open during your kiln-firing period and cater exclusively to the powerful and wealthy, to avoid offending anyone, it’s best to put out only one of each kind for display, have a limited stock on hand, and take orders. But we have to ensure the logistics are in place; otherwise, we can’t calculate the delivery times."
He quickly entered calculation mode.
Song Jiyun nodded appreciatively.
She had chosen Hong Xi because she was short-handed and never expected that he might actually have a knack for business.
She might have unintentionally discovered a gem.
The two of them stood in front of the Weeping Flower Gate, in the cross-yard, discussing the shop’s opening until the White Mud Qi Clay was stored, the servant boys had washed their hands and received their reward money, and they were just waiting for Hong Xi to get in the carriage before leaving. They were still talking excitedly, seemingly unable to finish anytime soon.
A gentle cough came from the doorway.
Both of them looked up simultaneously and saw Yuan Yunzhong standing under the colonnaded porch.
"You’ve come!" Song Jiyun’s eyes lit up, she left Hong Xi behind and hurried over, asking with concern, "Why have you come at this time today? Have you had lunch yet? Is there something urgent?" She then called for Xiang Zhan to fetch water to serve him as he changed his clothes.
"Aren’t you going to open the kiln in a couple of days? I’ve tidied up my affairs, asked for a few days off, and am planning to accompany you for the kiln opening." He spoke with a smile flickering across his brows and raised his head to give Young Master Hong a slight nod, "Young Master Hong has come."
Hong Xi was a commoner, while Yuan Yunzhong was an official; by rights, Hong Xi should have offered his respects to Yuan Yunzhong when they met.
But with his hands clasped in front of him, the bow he started remained half-completed for quite some time.
Yuan Yunzhong, however, seemed not to mind, his gaze returned to Song Jiyun with a smile even brighter than before, like the warm sunshine of spring, "I’m a bit tired, don’t really feel like eating. I would like some chilled noodles blanched in boiling water, the kind you made for me last time, with shredded cucumber and radish."
Don’t you dislike eating that?
Song Jiyun almost blurted out, but then she thought of how Yuan Yunzhong hadn’t slept for days and nights, yet showed no sign of it; she swallowed the words back.
When one is extremely tired, sometimes they don’t want to eat but instead crave something they don’t usually eat.
"Okay!" Song Jiyun said, "I’ll go speak to the kitchen."
"No need!" Yuan Yunzhong put a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly, "You discuss the shop matters with Young Master Hong; I’ll have Xiang Zhan tell the kitchen later. I’ll go rest for a while on the couch in your study."
Although Song Jiyun lived here, Yuan Yunzhong was very careful about propriety between men and women, rarely coming over, and would choose times when there were fewer people around. Usually, they would just talk in the courtyard. However, since Song Jiyun started to consider Yuan Yunzhong as one of her own, she let her guard down and often initiated interaction, causing Yuan Yunzhong to feel both affection and frustration.
This was the first time he had taken the initiative to ask to rest in her study, and that too in front of an outsider.
Song Jiyun had no more intentions to chat at length with Hong Xi and hurriedly said, "You should go and rest right away. I’ll finish up here with Young Master Hong in just a few sentences." Then she called a servant boy to hurry the kitchen, "Quickly prepare a bowl of chilled noodles for the young master." She also reminded Yuan Yunzhong, "If you’re really hungry, there’s Dingsheng Cake you like in the drawer under the couch in my study."
The servant boy went off to do as commanded.
Hong Xi had no doubts about what was happening.
He wore a rueful smile, feeling a touch of unwillingness in his heart.
He stopped Song Jiyun and said, "Regarding the shop, I pretty much have a clear idea after discussing it with you. Since you have other matters here, go ahead and attend to them. Leave the shop’s concerns to me; after all, I am one of the owners. We share both glory and loss together."
Song Jiyun was indeed worried about Yuan Yunzhong, and Hong Xi’s ideas were all in line with her own, so she should trust him more. Besides, what Hong Xi said was sensible. After thinking it over, she replied, "Alright! I won’t stand on ceremony with you then. We can discuss everything else later."
Unbeknownst to her, Yuan Yunzhong had quietly come up behind Song Jiyun, with one hand on her shoulder and a politely worded response, "Then I’ll leave the shop’s matters in your capable hands. Once things settle down at the Glass Factory, I’ll treat you to a meal."
There’s no need for a meal.
Just stop covertly making gestures as if you’re staking out your territory.
Hong Xi thought to himself.
Sadly, Song Jiyun was not sensitive to such actions, especially with Yuan Yunzhong keeping a distance of nearly two steps behind her.
"We really should treat him to a meal." She turned back to Yuan Yunzhong with a warm smile, finding it a good suggestion. She had been too preoccupied with urging Yuan Yunzhong to rest and had forgotten to inform him of Hong Xi’s involvement.
She informed Yuan Yunzhong about the White Mud Qi Clay matter and expressed, "It was all thanks to Young Master Hong’s bold yet meticulous thinking."
"Indeed!" Yuan Yunzhong agreed, and as Song Jiyun turned back around, the gaze he cast on Hong Xi was calm and unrippled, "I greatly appreciate Young Master Hong’s strong support."
"I am unworthy of such praise!" Hong Xi replied with neither warmth nor coldness, "I am both a fellow townsman and a business partner with Boss Song. If I don’t help her, who would I help?"
Yuan Yunzhong merely smiled, saying nothing.
Wang Hua came rushing in through the door in a flurry, "Hurry up, get all that White Mud Qi Clay brought in here."
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