Old Mrs. Chen spoke the words, and they were like an arrow that cannot be retrieved, even as her eyes glowed green, she clenched her fists tightly without stepping forward to stop her granddaughter.
Her mouth stayed silent, but her heart was holding a meeting.
"After all, she's just a child, doesn't understand anything."
"Can silver coins be spent so casually?"
"Not even blinking, spending seventy wen on a dozen sheets of paper, what needs such fine paper?"
Old Mrs. Chen's heart was bleeding.
"Grandmother," Chen Zigeng softly reminded Old Mrs. Chen, "if you stomp your foot again, the sole will tear, and then you'll have to spend more silver coins."
Old Mrs. Chen dared not move her foot, becoming as still as a stone statue, but when she heard her granddaughter say, "I also want to buy some paint, and a few brushes and ink," the inkstone, her brother should have one, but she wants good ink.
There was more to buy.
Old Mrs. Chen felt she couldn't even breathe.
Xie Liangchen heard the silence behind her, fearing her grandmother was holding her breath, turned and smiled, "Grandmother, don't worry, I'm just buying a little."
As Old Mrs. Chen just relaxed her breath, she heard the clerk report the bill: "Four hundred and thirty-five wen."
Old Mrs. Chen's eyes widened, her hair nearly stood upright as she looked at the bundle in her granddaughter's hands, wanting nothing more than to snatch it back to the clerk, those silver hairpins were just bought for five strings of silver, and now they spent over four hundred wen.
Stealing money, with less than three hundred wen you could exchange for a stone of rice, the three of them could eat sparingly for over two months, and now who can bear just eating rice?
Old Mrs. Chen couldn't hold back: "Miss Chen, what do you want these things for?"
Xie Liangchen replied, "To paint."
Look, just to paint. Old Mrs. Chen's heart skipped a beat, that's not something for eating or drinking, it's what inner chamber young ladies do, she wanted to say more, but realized if it weren't for her daughter and son-in-law passing away early, her granddaughter wouldn't be suffering along with her.
If she wants to paint, then let her paint.
Old Mrs. Chen thought this way, though her heart was bleeding, wondering how many days these things could last her granddaughter, surely not painting every day?
At this moment, her sleeve was tugged, Old Mrs. Chen looked down, and it was Chen Zigeng.
The grandmother and grandson were together every day, a glance was enough to know what the other was thinking, the young boy was afraid she would blame Miss Chen.
Old Mrs. Chen muttered silently, this child, thinking he was the only one who cared?
Xie Liangchen didn't want her grandmother and younger brother worried, whispered, "Grandmother, little brother, I'm not painting randomly, once the painting is finished, it can earn quite a bit of silver."
Old Mrs. Chen pointed to the painting hanging in the store, "You want to sell it?" Perhaps her granddaughter indeed had this skill.
Xie Liangchen shook her head, "My paintings can't be hung in bookstores to sell, I'm not that skilled."
The flame in Old Mrs. Chen's eyes completely extinguished, it seemed this silver was spent in vain, over four hundred wen, how many days would she have to starve to earn it back?
Regarding things from her past life, Xie Liangchen couldn't make herself too clear, "Grandmother, my painting can't be sold here, but someday it'll be worth a thousand gold."
How bold to say, Old Mrs. Chen hurriedly glanced at the store clerk and shopkeeper, her granddaughter's boasting was already exaggerated, hopefully, no one would laugh.
Chen Zigeng's eyes shone brightly looking at Miss Xie's things as if he already saw a thousand taels of gold, "Sister, take hold of the things."
Seeing her grandson's appearance, Old Mrs. Chen couldn't help but shake her head, the grandson had always been smart, why now he seemed foolish.
Xie Liangchen took a turn around the market, the current market prices weren't expensive, twelve years later many things had more than doubled, but unfortunately, though the things were cheap, she had no silver coins.
Grandmother and little brother were too thin, couldn't go without buying some rice and grain, two stones of grain cost five hundred and eighty wen, and after selling the hairpins, only a little over three strings were left.
Xie Liangchen said, "Grandmother, let's go and take a look at the city's papermaking workshop!"
Most things now were cheap, but paper was expensive because northern workshops were few, and the papermaking methods were simple, however now the north was free of war, there would only be more demand for paper in the future.
Xie Liangchen thought maybe she could catch the opportunity to make money now.
Old Mrs. Chen dared not let her granddaughter wander outside any longer, each step her granddaughter took spent money.
"Grandmother," Chen Zigeng said, "There's a papermaking workshop in the north of the city, we happen to pass by on our way out, not detouring."
Old Mrs. Chen looked at her granddaughter and grandson's expectant faces and eventually did not oppose.
...
The only papermaking workshop in Zhenzhou City was in the northern part of town.
With years of war in the Northern Border, many people were left without clothes and food, only government offices and well-off families used paper, so even though the workshop wasn't large, it could supply nearby counties and prefectures.
Today, the papermaking workshop had its doors wide open, the stewards were standing in the back hall, trembling as they watched Song Xian on the main seat.
This Mr. Song broke in just as morning broke, the attendant holding a man who looked like a bloodied gourd, precisely the steward working for the Song Family.
Song Xian sat drinking tea, while the attendants captured people inside the workshop.
There were twelve stewards in the workshop, now five were bound and kneeling at Song Xian's feet.
"Spare us, sir," the kneeling steward kowtowed, "Steward Xu asked us to work for the Second Young Master in the future, but now... we haven't done anything yet!"
They only heard Song Xian's cold voice from above: "Have you received the silver?"
The steward's face turned ashen.
Once received, it meant siding with Song Er, Song Er wouldn't give them benefits for nothing, they would tamper with accounts, raising the price before delivering to the government office.
Song Xian showed no mercy, "Twenty strokes each, paraded through the streets, then sent to the mines for labor."
Chang An responded with a nod.
Several stewards were so scared they nearly fainted; though Song Xian hadn't directly killed them, the consequences were almost the same.
The papermaking workshop was government-operated, those corrupt would be dealt with like this, and anyone thinking of harboring crooked intentions in the future would have to consider whether their fate was strong enough to pass Song Xian's judgment.
Song Xian stood up, looked at the papermaking workshop before him, compared to the South, the North was abnormally impoverished due to years of war chaos, he pondered on ensuring Northern papermaking workshops could school all official papers of Daqi.
From the courtyard came the cries of the steward, Chang An stepped forward and whispered, "Mr. Song, Chang Yue has arrived."
Chang Yue should have been watching Xie Liangchen, right?
Song Xian raised his eyes.
Chang An said, "Miss Xie is here too, don't know what she's here for?"
Song Xian, with eyes lowered, instructed, "Go have a look."
Xie Liangchen jumped off the mule cart, just about to step forward and seek the steward in the workshop when she heard cries in the courtyard.
The grandmother and two grandchildren didn't know what was happening inside, but the cries made one's hair stand on end.
"Let's go." Old Mrs. Chen pulled her granddaughter.
Since they had arrived, not asking felt like a wasted trip, Xie Liangchen donned her veil, stood at the door looking in for a while, and soon saw a fellow walking toward them.
Xie Liangchen hurriedly stepped forward, "Lad, is there a steward here? I want to ask if you buy Huang Shu Kui and Yangtao Vine."
The fellow shook his head, "The workshop is closed due to an affair, you better leave quickly."
Xie Liangchen persisted, "Could you report back, Huang Shu Kui and Yangtao Vine are herbs, their sap is the best for making sizing, tomorrow I can bring some for you to try."
The fellow impatiently waved his hand, "Sell herbs to the pharmacy, this is a paper workshop. Best leave now, lest I call someone over."
Indeed, it wouldn't be easy, seemed they'd have to try a few more times.
Xie Liangchen sighed and turned to leave with Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Zigeng when she heard a voice from behind, "What are they here for?"
The fellow answered unwittingly, "Selling herbs." He'd never heard of using herbs for sizing.
This was when Xie Liangchen turned back again, a man around thirty or forty stood by the fellow, looking like a steward.
Xie Liangchen took the chance, "Selling sizing for papermaking glue."
Manager Li instinctively wanted to seek out Chang An, Mr. Song's man had him inquire about the situation, couldn't think that the matter was about selling sizing.
Could he report back to Mr. Song like this?