Chapter 15
The cart stopped at the city gate. Ji Taoyu jumped off, gave the driver three coins, bid farewell to the villagers, and then headed into the city.
The bluestone streets, washed by two days of rain, shone brightly. However, many people were entering and exiting today, and although it was early, there were already many muddy footprints.
Taoyu avoided the mud and quickly joined the flow of people into the city. Just past the city gate, he saw a tall figure standing at the left fork.
Today, this person was wearing the same linen tunic and the same plain sash as the first time he saw him.
Taoyu glanced left and right, saw no acquaintances, and then stepped forward, asking, “Is something wrong?”
Huo Shu’s brows relaxed slightly upon seeing the person approach. “No. Where are you going?”
“To Azu’s clinic. I need to sort out goods, and Azu pays me for my work.”
Huo Shu looked at the dark circles under Taoyu’s peach-blossom eyes, which were too noticeable against his delicate skin.
He felt displeased and his dislike for some people intensified. “Are you going to the Ten Mile Cloth Shop?”
Taoyu raised his eyes. “I don’t plan to buy any fabric today.”
“Don’t you want to know the result?”
“I’ll find out the result sooner or later. I’m not in a hurry.”
Huo Shu frowned and tightened the reins.
“I speak carelessly with young ladies. You should come with me. After things are settled, I’ll send you back to the clinic.”
Taoyu’s eyes widened. He blinked, momentarily thinking he had misheard. This person could actually speak softly.
But then he realized that Huo Shu understood him quite well.
Seeing that Taoyu still hadn’t agreed, Huo Shu tentatively added, “Then what do you want? I’ll buy it for you.”
Taoyu found Huo Shu’s pleading and accommodating demeanor quite amusing. He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh too obviously.
“Really? Then I want something from the Pavilion of Many Treasures. Will you buy it?”
Huo Shu replied without thinking, “Yes.”
“Do you even know what the Pavilion of Many Treasures does? You agree so readily. What a boast!”
Taoyu reprimanded him, then started walking forward. After a few steps, he looked back at the person still standing there, tilted his head slightly, and said, “Aren’t you coming?”
Huo Shu’s brows twitched. A bit of autumn light entered his fierce three-white eyes. He led his horse and followed.
The two walked to the cloth shop, one behind the other.
The Ten Mile Cloth Shop was located on the main street in the very center of Tongzhou City. It was a three-story building, built luxuriously and grandly.
Jiangnan silk and satin were renowned and sold all over the Great Li Dynasty. Because of this, there were especially many cloth shops in Tongzhou.
This cloth shop had been open in Tongzhou for decades. While not the largest in the city, its prime location made it a landmark in Tongzhou.
The shop offered a wide variety of fabrics and materials, from the brocades and silks worn by noble families to the plain hemp and ramie worn by ordinary people.
Furthermore, their prices were fair and they didn’t overcharge customers. Because of this, they had a good reputation among cloth businesses.
When Huo Shu arrived at the cloth shop, it was still early, but the shop had already opened for business.
Today was market day, so all the shops in the city opened half an hour earlier than usual.
There were already many customers entering and exiting the cloth shop.
The shop had over ten shop assistants, both male and female, to introduce fabrics and materials. There were also four accountants. At the front of the shop, on the left and right sides, were checkout counters, with four on each side.
Moreover, there were two managers specifically overseeing the shop.
As soon as Huo Shu reached the entrance, he saw a young shop assistant eagerly inviting Taoyu inside.
“Young master, you have such fine features. We just received several new autumn fabrics, with excellent colors and textures. It’s a shame many people can’t carry them off. Your skin is like white jade; it’s perfect for these fabrics! Shall I show you?”
“Sir, please leave your horse to me. There’s a stable nearby.”
Huo Shu turned his head and saw an assistant approaching.
“Please browse the shop slowly. We’ll feed your horse some grass and give it some water in the stable.”
Huo Shu acknowledged, handed over the horse to the assistant, and then quickly entered the shop.
The cloth shop was much larger than it appeared from the entrance. Stepping inside, it opened up into a vast space. All around were displays and hangings of dazzling fabrics and silks. In the center were many shelves that obstructed the view.
People were looking at fabrics everywhere, upstairs and downstairs. In the blink of an eye, Ji Taoyu disappeared.
Huo Shu’s brow tightened. Just as he was about to look for him, someone called out from behind him, “Sir, please come this way.”
He turned around and saw the same young assistant who had greeted Taoyu earlier. He followed him.
After a series of turns and going upstairs and downstairs, he followed the assistant into a room and finally saw Ji Taoyu.
At this moment, Taoyu was sitting at a table, slowly sipping hot tea and looking through a book with drawings of fabric hats.
The young assistant poured Huo Shu a cup of tea and said to Taoyu, “Young master, I’ve packaged the latest fabrics I mentioned for you. Would you like to look at them here?”
Taoyu looked up. “Okay.”
The assistant smiled and nodded. “Then please wait a moment.”
After the assistant left, Huo Shu sat opposite Taoyu. “Why are you here?”
“It’s too crowded and busy outside, and it’s inconvenient to find people. I’ll look at the fabrics and ask the shop assistants about the weavers. The Ten Mile Cloth Shop employs many weavers, and it’s difficult to find anyone without connections. I can only ask the shop assistants.”
Huo Shu acknowledged and then asked, “You came with me. Aren’t you afraid they’ll gossip?”
“No. People in the cloth shop are very discreet about customers’ private matters.”
Taoyu knew this, which was why he dared to come here.
Before long, the assistant came in with several bolts of fabric.
Huo Shu glanced at them, his brow twitching. The colors of the fabrics were similar. At a glance, he thought they were all the same and couldn’t understand what was so special about them.
He raised his teacup and watched as the assistant introduced the fabrics to Taoyu, talking about the production process, the materials, and various colors like Phoenix-Feather Blue, Hibiscus Purple, and Mushroom Purple.
Huo Shu raised his eyebrows. They all looked the same, yet the assistant could spin so many tales. More importantly, Ji Taoyu was listening intently.
“Purple fabrics are more commonly seen in Tongzhou City. If you want to buy a bolt elsewhere, it will be expensive, let alone having such a variety to choose from.”
“When you wear this fabric, young master, you’ll surely look stunning. Wearing something like this to admire chrysanthemums in autumn will make you stand out in the crowd.”
Taoyu smiled. He was already immune to the shop assistants’ flattering words.
He was no longer the naive young man who would be easily swayed by shop assistants and empty his wallet. He was very cautious when coming to this cloth shop.
The new goods were in the purple range, and the texture was acceptable. Although it wasn’t silk, a bolt of this satin would certainly not be less than three to five taels.
If he bought two bolts, he would have to spend all his savings and then work for his Azu for several more months.
Even though he found the new fabric genuinely beautiful, he was still vigilant and hadn’t forgotten his purpose for coming.
Just as he was about to ask about the weaving process and materials regarding the weavers, Huo Shu, who had been silent until now, suddenly blurted out, “Package them up.”
Taoyu and the assistant were both stunned. They both looked at Huo Shu, who seemed like a decorative piece.
Just as Taoyu was about to speak, the assistant, being quick-witted, immediately understood where the big customer was. He quickly said, “Sir, do you mean all of them? Then I’ll package all three bolts for you.”
Huo Shu nodded.
The assistant beamed as if it were New Year. “Sir, you truly have excellent taste. I’ll go package them for you right away.”
Taoyu quickly grabbed the assistant’s sleeve and said with a smile, “No, no, my elder brother is joking. We’ll look around some more.”
He glared back at Huo Shu, signaling him to take his words back.
Huo Shu, however, slowly put down his teacup and took out his purse from his waist. “How much?”
“The new ones are five taels per bolt. If you buy all three, it will be fourteen taels and eight.”
Huo Shu placed a silver ingot on the table. The young assistant, afraid he might change his mind, quickly took the silver. “I’ll go get you change!”
“No need.”
Huo Shu said, “The rest is your tip. I need to ask you about someone.”
The young assistant was even happier. He repeatedly said, “Sir, please tell me. I’ve been in the cloth shop for a long time and know many people.”
Huo Shu gave Taoyu a look.
Taoyu’s heart sank by half. Seeing that the assistant had safely put away the silver, he forced a smile.
Then he said, “I’d like to ask you about a weaver named Wu Lianhe.”
The assistant thought for a moment. “I’m not sure if the young master is referring to Wu Sanniang. We only have one person surnamed Wu in the back workshop. Everyone calls her Sanniang, but I don’t know her full name.”
“Sanniang’s weaving skills are very high, and she is highly appreciated by the shopkeeper. However, she rarely meets people. Before, many customers asked who the weaver was for their favorite fabrics, but Sanniang refused to meet them. The shopkeeper also understands her personality and doesn’t force her to meet guests.”
“If the sir and the young master want to see her, she might not come out to meet guests.”
Huo Shu took out a token from his person. “Show her this. Whether she comes or not is up to her.”
The assistant carefully took the hairpin. “Yes, okay. Please wait a moment, sirs. I’ll go now. Do you need any other tea or fruit? I’ll have someone bring it in.”
“Just bring something casual,” Taoyu said. After watching the assistant leave, he quickly turned to Huo Shu. “What are you doing? You bought so much fabric all at once. Weren’t we here to find someone?”
“If we don’t buy anything, why would these people be willing to help us wholeheartedly?”
Huo Shu said indifferently, “Buy it if you like it.”
Taoyu gritted his teeth. “Do you know that a stone of grain only sells for one or two taels of silver? A simple wedding in a rural family doesn’t cost more than twenty to thirty taels.”
He muttered under his breath, “You’re something else. You spend half a dowry to get something done.”
“Isn’t there still half left?”
Taoyu was momentarily speechless. He looked at Huo Shu’s calm and composed expression, as if the money wasn’t his.
He took a breath. It was truly a case of the emperor not being anxious, but the eunuchs being anxious. Since it wasn’t his own money being spent, let him spend it all and remain single for life.
Huo Shu found Taoyu’s frustrated look rather amusing. He raised his eyebrows. “What, did the You family offer so much for you to marry?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? They haven’t offered anything yet!”
“Oh, so your parents are preparing to demand that much?”
“Not at all!”
“Then how much are they preparing to demand?”
Taoyu knitted his brows. “Huo Shu!”
Huo Shu turned his head and saw the young man glaring at him with furrowed brows. He was even calling him by his name. It seemed he was truly angry.
Every time they talked about You Lingxiao, he got really angry. Heh.
He fell silent for a moment and stopped teasing him.
After a while.
“I’m just inquiring about the market price, so I won’t be ripped off.”
Taoyu turned his head away, not looking at Huo Shu, and said irritably, “With your demeanor, who would dare to rip you off?”
“One can never be sure. Greed emboldens people.”
Taoyu muttered softly, “They don’t even have a proper business. Those who want to rip people off can’t even decide how to do it.”
Huo Shu glanced at Taoyu upon hearing this.
Taoyu felt Huo Shu’s gaze on the back of his head and realized he had spoken a bit too rudely. He meekly shriveled his neck.
Just as they were in a moment of silence, the room door was suddenly pushed open in a hurry from the outside.
