After agreeing to make persimmon cakes for Cui Muli, Xie Miao was unequivocal. She carried the basket of persimmons of noble origins, and with Baifan in her arms, she went with Fu Lu to the paper mill.
People in the paper mill had not seen her for a long time, so they all put down their affairs and greeted her warmly.
"Second shopkeeper, you are here!"
"Second shopkeeper, you haven't been here for a while!"
"Second shopkeeper, Qiaogu is drying paper outside. I'll call her in!"
"Second shopkeeper" was called out one after another, making Xie Miao laugh. She responded patiently, and as soon as she sat down in the small hall, she saw Qiaogu running in from outside.
"Sister Miao!" Qiaogu stood in front of her excitedly.
Xie Miao couldn't help but look at her carefully.
Qiaogu is one year older. Not only is she taller and her face plump, her complexion has also changed from sallow to white and rosy. She was wearing a green bean-coloured dress with narrow sleeves. She was neat and fresh, full of energy, and highly motivated.
"Qiaogu." Xie Miao touched her head and sighed: "You have grown up."
Qiaogu smiled and said, "Yes, we have known each other for a year. Sister Miao, my family will move to a new house at the end of the month. Can you be a guest then?"
Ever since Sun Shenyuan was accepted as a disciple by Chief Minister Luo, his life has undergone earth-shaking changes. Not only does he receive strict teachings from famous teachers, he can make friends with talented people from all walks of life, and he is no longer short of money.
The purpose of building a house in the city this time was to prepare for Sun Shenyuan's entry into officialdom.
"Of course I want to go." Xie Miao said with a smile: "Your brother is appreciated by Chief Minister Luo, and he will have bright prospects in the future. I have to take advantage, while he is yet to become prosperous, to properly curry favour with this little sister."
Qiaogu understood that she was joking, but she still said seriously: "Sister Miao, it's contrary to what you say. You are a great benefactor to our Sun family. No matter what you ask for, my brother and I will do our best to repay you."
Sun Shenyuan did not tell Qiaogu about Cui Xining, but only repeatedly praised Xie Miao for her kindness in allowing him to have a new life. Qiaogu was already very close to Xie Miao, and after hearing this, she wanted to offer her three sticks of incense every day.
Xie Miao said: "Okay, I just need your help with something."
Qiaogu puffed up her little chest and said in a polite manner: "Through fire and water, I will do whatever it takes!"
Xie Miao laughed and pinched her cheek, "Where did you learn to speak courageously like this?"
Qiaogu stuck out her tongue and said, "In my free time, I studied with sister Zhiruo and learned to read."
"That's right. Since you are making paper, you can't run away from learning to read and write."
"Sister Miao, you haven't said anything yet. What do you want me to do for you?"
"Please help me make persimmon cakes." Fu Lu took out the basket from behind, "Everyone said the persimmon cakes you made last year were delicious. As such, I'm asking you to help me again this year."
Qiaogu patted her chest and said, "No problem, leave it with me. You can pick it up in half a month..."
Fu Lu said: "That's not possible."
Qiaogu tilted her head and asked in confusion: "Why?"
Fu Lu explained: "This basket of persimmons is given to the Second Young Master of the Cui family by Commander Shi of the Jinyi Wei. The Second Young Master requested the Young Lady to personally make the persimmons. You only need to give instructions, not do it in place of the Young Lady."
The persimmon that Commander Shi of the Jinyi Wei gave to the second son of the Cui family?
Qiaogu suddenly realised something and asked, "The Second Young Master of the Cui family? Could it be sister Miao's cousin who works in the Ministry of Justice?"
Fu Lu praised: "You have a good memory."
Qiaogu noticed something was wrong, and when she was about to ask for details, she heard Xie Miao scolding Fu Lu: "Talk too much."
Fu Lu immediately fell silent.
Qiaogu has been in the paper mill for half a year and has learned a lot about the ways of the world. She smiled knowingly when she heard the words, "I understand. It's namely the intention, and you can't let others do it for you. Sister Miao, wait until I wash my hands and I will teach you."
"No rush." Xie Miao lifted up her sleeves, revealing the suffocated little guy inside, "Take a look at what this is?"
As expected, Baifan conquered Qiaogu with its natural cuteness and naivety.
While Qiaogu and Fu Lu were teasing Baifan, Xie Miao looked around and asked, "Where's Zhiruo, isn't she at the paper mill?"
Qiaogu suddenly showed a sad face and said worriedly: "Sister Zhiruo has locked herself in the small courtyard for three full days... Even the food is placed outside the door, and she doesn't necessarily eat every meal."
Xie Miao frowned, "What happened to her?"
Qiaogu said: "I don't know. She went out a few days ago, and when she came back, she went into the small courtyard. No matter who calls, she won't come out."
Xie Miao pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "You guys stay here, I'll go take a look."
The paper mill has a separate small courtyard dedicated to Fang Zhiruo's research and development of new paper.
Xie Miao went to the front of the courtyard, and saw that the wooden door was closed tightly, and there was a food box on the ground. When she opened it, she saw that the food was still there and the heat had long since dissipated.
She listened carefully, but there was no sound in the courtyard, as if there was no one there.
"Zhiruo, are you there?" Xie Miao shouted, "It's me, Xie Miao. Let me see you."
After a while, footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and the wooden door opened from the inside. Fang Zhiruo forced a smile and said, "A-Miao, you're here."
Xie Miao:......
If Qiaogu went from being sallow and skinny to radiant, Fang Zhiruo went from being a handsome and beautiful girl to a haggard, despondent, and dull girl in just a few months.
"Zhiruo." Xie Miao suppressed her confusion and asked as usual: "Can I go in?"
Fang Zhiruo first shook her head, then nodded, and said feebly: "Yes."
Xie Miao walked around the messy utensils in the yard and followed her into the room. The windows in the house were closed, the light was dim, and the ground was littered with discarded paper balls.
Fang Zhiruo poured tea for her and said, "The house is a little messy, I hope you don't mind."
Xie Miao randomly picked a stool and sat down, "It's okay."
She took two sips of tea first, and instead of getting into the topic directly, she asked: "What kind of tea is this? It tastes good."
Fang Zhiruo rubbed her brow tiredly, "Maybe, maybe Lu'an Guapian? I can't remember clearly."
Xie Miao stared at her, "How many days have you not slept?"
Fang Zhiruo looked in a daze, "Two days? Three days?" Her eyes were blurry when she spoke, as if she could faint in the next moment.
Xie Miao solemnly said: "Zhiruo, you need to rest."
"A-Miao, I, I can't sleep." Fang Zhiruo looked around the room, pointed at the waste paper on the floor, and choked: "Look, I have worked hard for a long time, but I haven't made a new piece of paper that can be used. I failed to live up to your and my father's expectations. I can't do it at all!"
Xie Miao emphasized, "Zhiruo, it's only been a year."
"Whether it's one year or ten years, is there any difference?" Fang Zhiruo shouted in a low voice, "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Instead of wasting time, it's better to fall as soon as possible -"
"Fang Zhiruo." Xie Miao interrupted her and said sternly: "I think you are hungry and dizzy, so you are saying anything."
Fang Zhiruo was stunned when she was scolded, and actually shed tears in grievance.
Xie Miao sighed, stretched out her arms and hugged her, "Tell me, what happened to you?"
Fang Zhiruo buried her face on her shoulder and sobbed: "Ni Dongsheng is back with his wife."
Who is Ni Dongsheng?
Then she guessed that it should be Zhiruo's ex-fiancé. She thought slightly and asked, "What did they say to you?"
Fang Zhiruo said: "His wife ridiculed me for not being able to play chess, write calligraphy, and paint. Red sleeves add fragrance to accompany reading. I only stay in the paper mill all day long. I smell like books and ink. No wonder Ni Dongsheng abandoned me and chose her."
(t/n red sleeves add fragrance to accompany reading describes the romantic scene of having a beautiful woman accompanying a talented man reading.)
"Anything else?"
"In addition she said I..., in addition, she said I indulge in fantasy. A daughter daring to inherit and carry on the paper mill. In the end, I will only lose the wife and lose the troops!" Fang Zhiruo fell into a deep panic, "A-Miao, you have invested a lot of money into the paper mill, but there hasn't been any improvement yet. If this continues, what should I do if I cause you to lose all your money?"
(t/n: lose the wife and lose the troops is an idiom derived from a historical story. It is used to describe someone wanting to take advantage or benefiting, but fails and instead suffers a double loss.)
"Don't think wildly." Xie Miao comforted her: "It takes three years for a child to learn to walk, let alone our ambitious goal, which is to become the number one paper mill in Da Qi. The higher the expectations, the more effort we have to put in. Success needs to be accumulated and brewed, rather than expected to be achieved overnight."
"But......"
"There is no but." Xie Miao said: "I am a bystander. You are involved and think too much about the pros and cons and become confused when looking at the situation. Just listen to me."
Fang Zhiruo endured the embarrassment and told the truth, "But when that trickster slandered me, Ni Dongsheng stayed silent. I grew up with him, and he knows how much I love papermaking, and even he agreed that I couldn't do it. ..."
Xie Miao really wanted to shout: Fang Zhiruo, wake up!
"The fact that he can abandon you to marry a trickster is enough to prove his shallowness and short-sightedness." Xie Miao said, "Zhiruo, you shouldn't doubt yourself for such a person and waste your emotions in vain."
Fang Zhiruo cried out her depression and her mind became clearer, "A-Miao, thank you. I'm feeling better."
Xie Miao was a little relieved and said: "I remember you said that there will be a papermaking conference in Leiyang next September, which will gather talented craftsmen from all over the world?"
Fang Zhiruo nodded while wiping away tears, "Yes."
"How often does the conference take place?"
"Two years."
"Then we will go there every time, brainstorm ideas, and be humble and eager to learn. We can always wait until the day when we are well prepared so that we can do things well."
Fang Zhiruo was encouraged and said: "You are right, if it doesn't work once, do it twice, and if it doesn't work twice, do it three times."
Xie Miao held her hand tightly and said, "Come, say the slogan with me."
Fang Zhiruo blinked: What slogan?
Xie Miao cleared her throat and shouted in a dignified voice: "The fragrance of books is about to soar and become famous throughout the country. It's a matter of course."
Pfft!
Fang Zhiruo burst into tears of laughter, leaning forward and backward with joy, "Ah, A-Miao, your slogan is too, too stupid. I don't want to say it."
"I'm only at this level. If you think I'm not good, then you can make it up yourself."
Xie Miao pretended to be displeased, but the corners of her lips raised slightly, and she thought to herself: Oh my god, I finally got it right.
*
Xie Miao drove Fang Zhiruo to rest and returned to the counter to look through the account books. Since rejecting Zhou Niannan and Baili Sheng's help last time, the business of the paper mill has returned to a quiet normal after a brief period of excitement in the early days of its opening. The income is obviously less than the expenditure. It is no wonder that Fang Zhiruo will be affected.
Xie Miao took out her abacus and picked up the beads not very skilfully: Well, since last year, she has borrowed a total of one thousand taels of silver from her aunt. According to the trajectory of her previous life, Zhiruo will become famous in five years. By analogy, she will also need to borrow more from her aunt...
The abacus beads produced a shocking number. Xie Miao's eyes were dull and she was thinking: In a few days, when her aunt learns of her plan to become a monk, will she take drastic measures to solve the problem by immediately cutting off her money?
Xie Miao grimaced, thinking it was very possible. But at this time, she had already disposed of Meng Yuantang, and there was no reason to stay in Cui Mansion. If her aunt really threatened her like this, the worst she could do... the worst she could do... she would sell all of the remaining dowry!
There is no point in keeping it since she is not getting married anyway.
Xie Miao lowered her head and was so lost in thought that she didn't notice a tall figure approaching. He called out to her twice but got no response.
The visitor knocked on the counter. He suppressed his dissatisfaction and said, "Shopkeeper, do you want to do business?"
Xie Miao came to her senses and looked up. Then, both parties were very surprised.
Xie Miao: ...Wen Rubin? !
Wen Rubin: ...Miss Cousin Xie? !
The two said in unison, "Why are you here?!"