Before dawn on March 18th, while the sky was still pitch black and before the roosters crowed or the drum tower sounded, everyone at the ink workshop was already awake—or perhaps many hadn’t slept at all. People were bustling about both in the workshop and the front shop of the ink manor.
Zhen Niang couldn’t sleep either. She had gone to bed late yesterday, and though she lay down, her mind was filled with countless thoughts. After merely dozing off for a moment, she suddenly awoke. She got up and put on her clothes, and through the window, she could see the bright lights in the backyard workshop.
Next door, she could hear Madam Huang and Seventh Madam talking. She wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep.
Today was a significant day for the Li Family Ink Manor in Nanjing. It was important for everyone associated with the business—the Li Family Ink Manor was opening its doors. This marked a new beginning.
Life offers countless beginnings, and while not every beginning leads to a perfect ending, a good start is half the battle won. Though outcomes aren’t always as desired and often beyond one’s control, putting one’s best effort into every beginning is within one’s power. This was Zhen Niang’s principle—to give one hundred percent effort to whatever she could control and strive for the best possible outcome.
Just as she had worked hard to adapt to life in this era after her arrival, and just as she had done her utmost when Ninth Uncle ran into trouble and Seventh Grandmother nearly had a stroke, leading to the workshop being placed in her hands, she was now putting her all into the Nanjing manor.
“Wife of Yun San, there’s still some dust here. Quickly, get a cloth and wipe it clean,” Madam Ma supervised like a forewoman in the workshop, not missing a single corner.
“Er Gou, didn’t I tell you yesterday to get the printed ink catalogs from the bookstore? Where did you put them?” In the front shop, Zheng Fuli was meticulously checking everything, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.
Li Jingming was calling for Li Zhengping to arrange some carriages as a backup. After all, they would need transportation to send guests home after the banquet.
In the kitchen, the chefs and assistants from Shi Wei Tian had arrived the previous night and were now busy preparing the feast.
Tables were set up in front and back courtyards for the guests, with the most important visitors to be seated in the main hall. A stage had been erected in the back courtyard, where a famous Nanjing opera troupe had been invited to perform “The Chain of Deceit” by Wang Ji, telling the story of Diao Chan creating discord between Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms period.
It was currently the most popular opera. The troupe had performed a segment yesterday, and Xiao Hua and Hua Er had watched in complete enchantment. Having seen many adaptations of the Three Kingdoms in her past life, Zhen Niang wasn’t particularly interested in the content, but she found the performance itself—the singing, reciting, posturing, and fighting—quite fascinating.
“Miss Zhen…”
“Good morning, Miss Zhen.”
As Zhen Niang entered the workshop, everyone greeted her with jubilant faces.
The masters from Huizhou had already arrived and selected their apprentices from among the newly hired workers. They were now busy in their respective workshops.
Seeing everything was in order, Zhen Niang proceeded to the front shop. The ink brought from Huizhou was already displayed on the shelves, with the most eye-catching being the rows of white porcelain bottles containing liquid ink. The ink catalog written on bamboo strips hung on the wall behind the counter.
The entire layout exuded elegance.
Additionally, Zhen Niang had prepared some printed catalogs to make introductions more convenient.
“Miss Zhen.” Seeing her approach, Zheng Fuli excitedly came forward.
“Is everything prepared?” Zhen Niang asked. Today, Zheng Fuli would be responsible for receiving guests in many situations.
“Everything is ready. There won’t be any mistakes,” Zheng Fuli assured confidently.
Zhen Niang nodded and walked to the separate elegant room. The most prominent feature was a display cabinet containing the best ink the Li family had accumulated over the years, along with the refined ink Zhen Niang had produced last year, and the newly created “Han Xizai’s Night Revels” collection ink.
After making another round of inspection—though truthfully, everything had been checked more than eighteen times already, and if any problems remained now, they would be due to fate—Zhen Niang bid farewell to Zheng Fuli and returned to the wooden building in the back courtyard. She first paid her respects to Old Madam Li and Madam Huang, then changed into new clothes.
As time passed, it came to Chen Hour, the auspicious time. With a string of firecrackers, the doors of the Li Family Ink Manor opened.
“Congratulations, congratulations!” The neighbors offered their well-wishes to the people of the ink manor while curiously examining the novel layout, coming in to look around.
The manor’s staff responded with smiles: “Thank you, thank you. May your business prosper and wealth flow in.”
Zhen Niang supported Old Madam to the entrance, while Li Jingming and Zheng Fuli welcomed guests, and Li Zhengping received them inside.
Of course, Old Madam wouldn’t stand for long; she just came out to take a look.
Subsequently, Zhen Niang helped Old Madam and Madam Huang to sit inside. In this era that respected the elderly, given Old Madam’s advanced age, it wouldn’t be discourteous even if she didn’t greet the Prefect. If they encountered a refined Prefect, he might even pay his respects to Old Madam Li first.
After chatting with Old Madam and Madam Huang for a while, Zhen Niang noticed it was about time and returned to the entrance. As the manager of the Nanjing Ink Manor, she naturally needed to welcome guests at the door to show respect.
Soon, Eldest Cousin Han Song arrived with several business friends. After exchanging pleasantries, Zheng Fuli led them inside.
Shortly after, Second Cousin Han Bai arrived leisurely with some classmates. They similarly offered congratulations, and being naturally sociable and genuine ink enthusiasts, they didn’t wait for anyone’s guidance before diving into the shop to appreciate the ink.
They were even inspired to compose several poems. Hua Er was quick-witted and immediately prepared paper and ink, allowing them to write down their compositions and bring them to Zhen Niang. Though she knew nothing about poetry, there was a saying from her past life: “Read three hundred Tang poems thoroughly, and you’ll be able to chant poetry even if you can’t compose it.”
Therefore, she could generally tell good from bad, and these poems seemed quite elegant. She quietly called Second Cousin aside, planning to purchase the poems and have them copied onto the outer wall. This would serve two purposes: first, it would be a refined gesture, and second, it would help promote the liquid ink—truly killing two birds with one stone.
As for the wall, they could always repaint it in a few days.
Of course, this required the consent of Second Cousin’s classmates.
Regarding the purchase of their poems, Second Cousin’s classmates showed some disdain, mainly due to the scholarly pride of not wanting to be tainted by money. However, they were somewhat interested in having their poems copied onto the entrance wall for public appreciation.
The modest ones acted extremely humbled, while the more unrestrained ones couldn’t wait to write more poems if only inspiration would strike.
Having obtained their consent, two newly hired workers from the ink workshop brought out a small table. Instead of ink stones, only bottles of liquid ink were placed on it. Then Zheng Fuli personally copied the poems onto the wall, noting their sources.
This immediately drew a crowd of onlookers and admiring comments. Most of the observers were merchants from the street who didn’t understand poetry and were merely watching for entertainment. Many noticed the porcelain bottles of liquid ink and found them quite novel, inquiring about them from the two workers. Following Zhen Niang’s instructions, the workers took this opportunity to extensively promote the liquid ink.
When people heard about ink that required no grinding and was ready to use, with reasonable prices and elegant porcelain bottles, interest in the liquid ink suddenly increased.
Several neighboring merchants each bought a few bottles to try, and thus, without much ceremony, business began.
Subsequently, friends of Li Jingming and Li Zhengping arrived. Some offered congratulations and left due to other matters, while others followed Li Zhengping into the front courtyard, where he hosted them.
The auspicious time for the opening was at the end of Si Hour, which in modern terms would be around 10:45.
However, as time drew closer, Zheng Fuli’s brow furrowed. So far, not a single person from the Business Association had arrived, and none of the merchants who previously had business dealings with the Li family had shown up. Some who did come merely offered brief greetings before leaving. The situation looked somewhat ominous.
“Miss Zhen, what’s going on? This doesn’t look right,” Zheng Fuli turned to Zhen Niang and said.
“It’s fine, the auspicious time hasn’t arrived yet, has it?” Zhen Niang maintained a serene expression.
She understood this situation well. Regarding the Business Association, due to the recent land incident, Wang Sifang had a falling out with her aunt and uncle. Additionally, she had insisted on meeting Hu Zonglin, which had already made Wang Sifang dislike her. It would be strange if he wasn’t causing trouble.
As for others, they naturally wanted to wait and see first. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that the Business Association members hadn’t come.
Regarding the merchant community, that was even more obvious—the Tian family must be interfering. If the Tian family announced that any merchant who attended the Li Family Ink Manor’s opening would be denied goods, those merchants would have no choice. After all, with the Tian family holding the tribute ink status, these merchants couldn’t afford to offend them if they wanted to obtain Tian family goods.
“Oh my, Miss Li, am I not late? Why are there so few customers in the shop? It’s too quiet. Should I call some workers from my shop to liven things up?” At this moment, a sarcastic voice rang out.
Zhen Niang looked over—speak of the devil—it was Tian Rongchang.
As fellow townsmen, competitors, and members of the Huizhou Business Association, the Li family naturally had to send an invitation to the Tian family for their opening. Having suffered repeated defeats at Zhen Niang’s hands, Tian Rongchang naturally had to make some cutting remarks upon seeing her, with nothing pleasant to say.
“Second Young Master isn’t late, the auspicious time hasn’t arrived yet. Thank you for your kind thoughts, Second Young Master, please come inside.” Zhen Niang made a welcoming gesture, while Li Zhengping stepped forward to lead him in.
Tian Rongchang laughed and entered the room, fanning himself with a self-satisfied expression, as if watching a show. Beside them, Zheng Fuli was grinding his teeth in anger.
Zhen Niang’s expression remained as calm as still water.
“Ah, Manager Qin, you’ve come.” At this moment, another guest arrived, and Zheng Fuli hurried forward to welcome him. It was Vice Chairman Qin, who had previously accompanied Li Jingfu on his travels, now a manager in the Nanjing Business Association—the first person from the Business Association to arrive.
“Congratulations, congratulations,” Manager Qin cupped his hands in greeting. When he reached Zhen Niang, he lowered his voice with concern: “Miss Li, Chairman Wang, and the Tian family are causing trouble. Most members of the Business Association and several merchants selling scholarly supplies probably won’t come.”
“It’s alright, I understand. Uncle Qin, please enjoy the food and drink,” Zhen Niang thanked him gratefully. Truthfully, Manager Qin’s appearance was unexpected. By coming, he had essentially offended Wang Sifang, and his future days in the Business Association might not be easy.
However, this would surely lead to Hu Zonglin favoring him more, so the gains and losses were hard to measure at the moment.
“As long as you understand. It’s just an opening ceremony, after all, the real battle is yet to come. Don’t take it too seriously,” Manager Qin offered another word of comfort before being led inside by Zheng Fuli to find a seat.