“Is there triple profit? Haven’t we made a fortune then?” Back in the rear building, Madam Huang asked Zhen Niang eagerly.
Zhen Niang sat across from Madam Huang, taking the handkerchief offered by Ma Sao to wipe her face before replying, “Not exactly. The triple return was specifically for Hua’er’s investment since she bought in at the lowest price. For Uncle and Aunt, it merely offset the land price fluctuations. Plus, Uncle will ultimately have to sell the land to the Xu family, so the price won’t be particularly high. After balancing everything, our actual profit will be around twenty percent, which is quite decent.”
“Well, regardless, this matter was handled well,” Madam Huang nodded approvingly at Zhen Niang.
Zhen Niang smiled somewhat bashfully.
Sure enough, in the following days, the Han family’s land was gradually transferred to the Xu family and several other official families. The Xu family didn’t shortchange the Han family on price, paying the market average.
In the end, both the Han and Li families earned nearly thirty percent profit, truly achieving a remarkable turnaround.
With this, the Han family finally extracted themselves from the land crisis quagmire.
Of course, in this Nanjing land upheaval, from planning to conclusion, the Xu family emerged as the ultimate beneficiary.
The Han family subsequently repaid their loan to the Yihou Money House, and the Li family retrieved their shop mortgages.
Next came the first season’s silk procurement period. With the Han family now flush with funds, they were ready to make a significant push in the silk trade.
Early morning Zhen Niang was ensconced in the rear courtyard’s ink workshop. Everyone passing by the back courtyard or working in the workshop caught whiffs of strong alcohol.
Everyone was intensely curious about what Miss Zhen was doing.
In the back courtyard, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law Madam Ge and Madam Fang were peering around curiously.
“I’ve seen it – Zhen Niang has set up alchemical equipment in there. Could she know how to make wine pills?” Madam Ge asked Madam Fang.
These wine pills were a mythical medicine from strange tales – supposedly, when crushed and sprinkled in water, they could turn it into wine. A truly magical elixir that captivated people’s imagination.
“You believe those strange tales? It’s all nonsense,” Madam Fang replied irritably.
“True enough,” Madam Ge conceded that strange tales weren’t reliable.
Still, they remained curious about what Zhen Niang was doing. She had locked herself in the glue-cooking room since early morning, refusing entry to anyone, which only made people more intensely curious.
Of course, Zhen Niang’s secrecy served two purposes. First, this concerned the ink liquid formula, and with Madam Ge watching like a tiger inside the household and unfamiliar workers hired from outside, some precautions were necessary.
More importantly, Zhen Niang wanted to build a mystique. The more mysterious something was, the more curious people became, which would enhance the effect when the product was unveiled.
Additionally, while the liquid ink didn’t necessarily require alcohol, after spending time with the Tian family in Huizhou, Zhen Niang knew they weren’t the ones to play by the rules.
Once she launched her liquid ink, it would certainly draw the Tian family’s attention. Thus, Zhen Niang deliberately created this air of mystery partly to mislead them.
And so, Zhen Niang spent an entire day shut away in the ink workshop.
The next morning, she finally invited Zheng Fuli and Master Ma into the glue-cooking room.
“Master Ma, Brother Zheng, let’s fire up the stove and cook the glue,” Zhen Niang instructed them.
“Right away!” Master Ma responded, taking his position at the stove to control the fire, while Zheng Fuli handled the glue cooking. Zheng Fuli had learned glue-making skills from Master Qin, and liquid ink’s glue requirements were less demanding than ink sticks.
Once Zhen Niang explained the steps, it posed no challenge for Zheng Fuli.
So they began the process.
Zhen Niang monitored the fire, occasionally adding pure soda, refined wine, and other ingredients.
After two full hours of cooking, the glue mixture was ready.
Next came placing it in the grinding mortar, adding coal soot and hot water, and mixing to form an ink paste. Master Ma then pounded the ink paste, followed by adding hot water, borneol, and camphor oil to achieve the right consistency. After thorough mixing, they filtered out residue through fine silk cloth, producing the liquid ink.
Earlier, Zhen Niang had specially ordered a batch of porcelain bottles for the liquid ink.
By the time everything was done and the ink bottled, the evening had fallen. For secrecy, Zhen Niang handled the bottling herself with help from only a few servant girls. Everyone was exhausted from the day’s work.
“Let me try this liquid ink,” Zheng Fuli couldn’t wait any longer. He took out paper and brush, dipped it in the liquid ink, and began writing. The ink color was black, bright, and clear, with a subtle fragrance – the effect was comparable to a medium-grade ink stick.
“Hmm, it still lacks some layering,” Zhen Niang observed after looking at it. Without the grinding process, liquid ink could never match ground ink stick in terms of ink gradation and layering.
“This is practical though. It’s much more convenient for everyday reading, writing, and bookkeeping. Ordinary people, not scholars or masters, won’t care about ink gradation and layering. The writing is black and bright – I think it’s great,” Master Ma said happily.
“Indeed, Miss Zhen. With this liquid ink, the Tian family’s price war becomes a joke,” Zheng Fuli exclaimed excitedly, punching his fist.
The liquid ink didn’t require premium materials, and given its production characteristics, the cost was significantly lower. The Li family could compete at any price point.
Moreover, the liquid ink was very convenient to use and novel. Most importantly, it was consumed much faster than ink sticks, speeding up turnover. In business, faster turnover meant greater profits.
“Yes,” Zhen Niang nodded with a smile. She had been worried about the liquid ink’s effectiveness, since some materials were hard to find in this era and she had to use substitutes, leaving her uncertain about the final result.
Now that the effect was satisfactory, she could finally breathe easily.
Success!
“Miss Zhen, the Old Madam has arrived!” Just then, Er Gou rushed into the workshop to announce.
“Seventh Grandmother is here? Why didn’t we have any advance notice? Where is she now?” Everyone was surprised by Er Gou’s news. The Old Madam was quite elderly – no one expected her to come to Nanjing so quietly.
“She’s at the dock. Second Madam went with Manager Jingming to receive her. I came back first to report,” Er Gou explained.
“Good, good! Quick, everyone go clean up to welcome the Old Madam,” Zhen Niang immediately instructed everyone, as they were all covered in soot and dirt from the day’s work.
Everyone scattered quickly.
Just as Zhen Niang had finished washing her face and changing clothes, Seventh Grandmother arrived at the door.
“Seventh Grandmother,” Zhen Niang greeted her respectfully, joining Second Aunt in supporting the Old Madam.
“Good, good. Well done,” On the journey, Madam Huang told the Old Madam about everything Zhen Niang had done since arriving in Nanjing. Particularly after disembarking, the Old Madam had heard nothing but talk of the Han family’s dramatic turnaround. This bloodless battle had thrilled her greatly.
She was extremely pleased with Zhen Niang. This girl showed impressive capability with every step she took.
Among family, excessive modesty wasn’t necessary, and Zhen Niang felt she had indeed handled the timing well this time, experiencing something akin to the satisfaction of successfully playing the stock market in her previous life.
So she giggled, “It’s all thanks to Seventh Grandmother’s good teaching.”
“Look at you, getting better and better with words. I’ve barely stepped off the boat and you’re already trying to make me look good,” the Old Madam teased, clearly delighted.
However, given her advanced age, Zhen Niang noticed the fatigue in her grandmother’s eyes and quickly helped her inside.
Zhen Niang had already prepared the room and even warmed the bedding with hand warmers.
After entering the room and freshening up, the Old Madam sat propped up in bed, wrapped in a small quilt. After just a brief conversation, she fell into deep sleep.
Zhen Niang quietly left the room with Madam Huang, staying in the outer chamber.
Second Aunt Ma Sao and others were in the kitchen preparing bird’s nest porridge for when the Old Madam woke up.
“Aunt, why did Seventh Grandmother suddenly come to Nanjing?” Zhen Niang quietly asked Madam Huang in the outer chamber.
“It must be about your Uncle Jingming’s matter. On the way, your Seventh Grandmother told me that when your Aunt Jingming brought the message home back then, it coincided with Jingquan and Zhengxuan’s father-and-son incident. The family was in such chaos that they couldn’t attend to it. Afterward, your Seventh Grandmother fell seriously ill, and everyone was focused on caring for her, causing your Uncle Jingming’s situation to be forgotten. Overall, the Seventh Branch owes your Uncle Jingming’s family in this regard,” Madam Huang explained.
During the carriage ride, her mother-in-law had told her about the events of those years.
“So Seventh Grandmother came to take Uncle Jingming and his family back to Huizhou?” Zhen Niang asked in a low voice.
“You little rascal, what are you whispering about out there? Come in here,” the Old Madam’s laughing scold came from the inner room.
Being in a new place, the Old Madam hadn’t slept soundly and had dozed only briefly. Hearing Zhen Niang’s words outside, she spoke up.
“Seventh Grandmother, you’re awake,” Zhen Niang called out softly, rubbing her nose sheepishly – though elderly, her grandmother still had a keen hearing. She quickly entered, brought a small stool to the Old Madam’s bedside, and began dutifully massaging her legs.
Having napped, the Old Madam was now more energetic and examined Zhen Niang carefully. “You’ve gotten thinner. Your mother would certainly blame me if she saw you.”
“No, I’ve just grown taller, which makes me look thinner,” Zhen Niang smiled, comparing her height.
“Yes, you have grown taller,” the Old Madam smiled, then asked, “How did you know I came to take your Uncle Jingming back?”
Zhen Niang recognized her grandmother’s habit of testing people and played along carefully: “Though the accounts show Uncle Jingming must have kept some private books over the years, without the main family’s support, Uncle Jingming’s family has been alone here, maintaining these Nanjing properties. It hasn’t been easy for them. So even if there are some private accounts, as long as the properties remain, it’s not too serious an offense – family shouldn’t be too exacting with each other.”
“Good, you haven’t let success go to your head – you’re still thinking clearly,” the Old Madam nodded approvingly, then said, “Continue.”
“But now that I’ve come to Nanjing, as they say, one mountain cannot harbor two tigers. So Uncle Jingming must return to Huizhou. However, simply having him return would seem rather heartless. That’s why Seventh Grandmother came personally to escort them back – I imagine there must be good arrangements waiting in Huizhou,” Zhen Niang said with a smile.
That Uncle Jingming would return to Huizhou was something Zhen Niang had settled with Second Aunt when she first arrived. But after learning more about Uncle Jingming’s situation, she didn’t force the issue. After all, being driven back by her would have made his return rather inglorious. But now, being escorted back by Seventh Grandmother as a meritorious official, with a position arranged there, would make it an honorable homecoming.
As for Uncle Jingming, after years away from home, Seventh Grandmother’s gesture likely suited him perfectly. Any past grievances would dissipate like smoke.
Overall, Seventh Grandmother’s trip to Nanjing despite her health to escort the Li Jingming family back was meant to make amends for the main family’s past neglect of them.
Though some things couldn’t truly be made up for, the gesture and explanation were necessary.
“What nonsense about two tigers on one mountain,” the Old Madam gave Zhen Niang a light tap on the forehead, though the analogy was quite apt.
There could only be one person in charge of the Nanjing operations, otherwise, the workers wouldn’t know whose orders to follow, and over time, things would likely get complicated and hinder development. So Li Jingming had to return to Huizhou – this girl was truly perceptive.
That’s why since arriving in Nanjing, this girl had been hands-off with Jingming’s affairs, and instead of minding her own business, had helped her aunt and uncle.
Thinking this, the Old Madam affectionately tapped Zhen Niang’s forehead again, saying, “You clever girl.”