In the past, Ji Yingying might have simply nodded. She had been careless, carrying and then easily giving away that silk handkerchief embroidered with the Zhao family’s brocade pattern, inviting Zhao Xiuyuan’s resentment. Now, Ji Yingying was no longer willing to show off her knowledge of dyeing techniques. She lowered her head slightly in embarrassment and replied: “Our family runs a dye shop, I’ve heard my brother mention it.”
Ji Yaoting was very satisfied with her answer and gave her an approving smile. Ji Yingying secretly stuck out her tongue at her brother and said nothing more.
Manager Mu chuckled dismissively and invited Ji Yaoting to examine the goods.
Ji Yaoting picked up the grain of cinnabar and brought it to his nose. The higher the quality of cinnabar, the fainter its scent. After smelling it, he gently rubbed it between his fingers, noting that the powder coating the cinnabar didn’t stick to his hands, and nodded. Sprinkling it on the bamboo paper, he lightly ground it with his fingernail, and the cinnabar dispersed into a powder. Against the snow-white bamboo paper, its color was pure, rich, and brilliant. He nodded and said: “Top quality goods.”
The owner spent a fortune buying this, selling it to you at a loss. How could he say it wasn’t good? Manager Mu went to fetch other dyes.
Ji Yingying watched curiously, imitating her brother by picking up a few grains of cinnabar powder to smell and rub. Her mind instantly memorized the sensations of Phoenix Blood Cinnabar.
When Manager Mu brought out the Parrot Blue Indigo, Ji Yaoting grew excited: “Such excellent indigo! Only Jucai Pavilion would have this!”
Blue silk fabric was the most popular, used by the most people. With blue as a base, various patterns could be printed using relief or stencil printing. Alkali could be used as a discharge agent on raw silk that hadn’t been degummed, creating white patterns where the silk sericin dissolved. Using paste as a resist agent, after dyeing, patterns would appear where the paste was removed.
Among the dyes used in the workshop, red and blue were the most common.
“Blue comes from indigo but surpasses it.” The quality of indigo directly affected the dyeing results, no wonder Ji Yaoting was pleased.
After examining several types of dyes, Ji Yaoting began discussing prices with Manager Mu. Manager Mu, carrying out his mission, desperately tried to persuade Ji Yaoting to purchase more stock, hoping to extract more silver from the Ji family.
Phoenix Blood Cinnabar was expensive but required in small quantities. The most costly item was the Parrot Premium Blue. This blue was named for its similarity to parrot feathers. Silk dyed with it had a pearl-like luster, making the fabric more valuable.
After some calculations, Ji Yaoting said: “Manager Mu, these dyes are undoubtedly top quality, and your prices are reasonable. However, our dye shop is small with thin profits, we can’t afford so much Premium Blue.”
Manager Mu sighed: “Premium Parrot Blue is produced only once a year. This is the last batch. Miss this chance, and there won’t be more stock until next winter. When the dyeing peak season starts in spring, market prices for premium blue will be thirty to forty percent higher. And even then, stock isn’t guaranteed.”
Jucai Pavilion’s price was already ten percent lower than others, making a total price difference of fifty percent. Ji Yaoting was reluctant to let it go. This batch would be enough for the dye shop’s needs for two years. But if they bought it, only a thousand strings of cash would remain in their accounts. With his wedding in winter, things would be tight. Then he remembered his aunt would repay them before the year’s end, and next spring the dye shop would have orders, so they wouldn’t run short of cash.
Ji Yingying helped Madam Ji manage the accounts at home and knew roughly how much ready cash they had. Seeing her brother’s expression, she understood somewhat: “Manager Mu, may my brother and I discuss this briefly?”
Manager Mu had tea brought and retreated from the side room, leaving the siblings to discuss.
After he left, Ji Yingying spoke in a low voice: “Brother, that batch of raw silk we bought on credit is due next April. The spring silkworms won’t be ready until late April at the earliest, and the dye shop typically only collects deposits for orders, with final payment upon delivery. Even if we work quickly, we won’t have income until May. Chang’an is so far away—what if Aunt can’t repay us before the year’s end?”
Ji Yaoting, thinking of the forty to fifty percent price difference, patiently explained to his sister: “That’s exactly why I want to buy this batch of Premium Blue. Before the silk comes in, we can dye blue cloth and silk. When silk orders arrive, we’ll dye those. This way we won’t run short of work in winter.”
Ji Yingying peeked outside to ensure no one was eavesdropping, then shared her idea: “Brother, we don’t need to buy this high-grade Parrot Premium Blue. Regular indigo will do. I accidentally discovered a way to refine blue dye that makes it look just like Parrot Blue. Besides, we can do overdyeing—blue and yellow make green. Green-dyed winter clothes are perfect for spring garments. Buying cheaper blue dye would save a lot of money. I’ll tell you the method at home, but don’t let the mother know.”
Of course! How could he have forgotten his sister’s talent? The profit would be more than just the fifty percent difference. Ji Yaoting smiled happily: “Alright, we’ll do as you say. However, since Manager Mu specially reserved these premium dyes for us, we should buy a small amount.”
Seeing her brother accept her suggestion, Ji Yingying excitedly calculated for him: “We don’t even need to use what we buy. When dye prices rise next year, we can sell it. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Ji Yaoting was dumbfounded and slapped his forehead. Why hadn’t he thought of that? His sister could make premium-quality dye from ordinary materials. Premium Parrot Blue would have a fifty percent price difference in peak season—why not sell it for the price difference? He excitedly said: “In that case, let’s buy all the Parrot Blue. Our family can earn this much more next year!”
He demonstrated with his fingers.
Ji Yingying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Brother, I suggested this to spend less silver. We don’t have enough ready cash. Don’t be greedy. It’s good enough to make some profit. Let’s buy less.”
Though the siblings spoke in hushed tones, they didn’t escape Manager Mu’s ears next door. He quietly moved a wooden panel in the wall back to its original position, his face full of shock. Did the Zhao family already know that Second Miss Ji had also learned dyeing techniques? From what he heard, Ji Yingying’s dyeing skills seemed even more impressive than Ji Yaoting’s, who had learned the secret formulas. It was a pity Scholar Jin had left early; otherwise, they could have discussed whether to include Ji Yingying in their plans.
He waited in the room for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before returning with a full smile.
Having overheard their conversation and knowing Ji Yaoting likely wouldn’t spend all their cash on dyes, Manager Mu came up with another plan: “This batch was specially reserved for you. Huanhua Dye Shop is an old customer, one we trust. How about this—take all the dyes, and what you can’t pay for now, we’ll count as credit. Just pay it off by next February. Hehe, after February the price will go up, so I won’t lose out either.”
In four months, if they cleared the debt, this batch of premium indigo would belong to the Ji family. By April’s peak season when the spring silkworms emerged, they could sell it directly for a thirty to forty percent profit.
The temptation was significant. Even Ji Yingying hesitated.
Ji Yaoting thought about his bride coming home, adding another mouth to feed. Making this profit would allow them to add more to his sister’s dowry. He gritted his teeth and made his decision: “Thank you, Manager Mu.”
With her brother’s decision made, Ji Yingying stopped trying to dissuade him. If they ran short of money, they could sell to familiar dye shops at cost without losing anything.
After signing the promissory note, Manager Mu had people transport the dyes to the Huanhua Dye Shop. The siblings left Jucai Pavilion in their mule cart.
Watching the cart disappear into the distance, Manager Mu smiled contentedly: “No matter how carefully you calculate, you can’t match my master’s schemes.”
He returned to the side room in the back courtyard, wrote down the siblings’ conversation in detail, and had someone deliver it to Scholar Jin by fast horse.
The mule cart passed the Sheng family’s woodwork shop and stopped across the street. Ji Yingying didn’t get out. She gently lifted a corner of the window curtain to peek at the shop opposite.