Though Li Fuquan and his wife now held a different status, their honest nature hadn’t changed in such a short time. Early that morning, when they saw Young Master Tian Er coming to apologize for his broken leg, most of their resentment dissipated. Moreover, Tian Er had already paid a hundred taels of silver in compensation that day, and now with this gesture, the past grievances could be considered settled.
Li Fuquan waved his hands repeatedly: “Let it go, let it go, it’s all in the past. Just be more careful in the future and don’t go around kicking people – it could lead to tragedy.”
“Manager Li speaks wisely,” Tian Er replied through gritted teeth, not from defiance but from pain.
“Alright, enough formalities. Miss, you should quickly take your second brother to find a physician,” Madam Li Fuquan frowned, as women typically couldn’t stand the sight of blood.
“Yes, I’ll take my second brother right away. Thank you, Madam Manager,” Tian Ronghua hastily replied.
The siblings breathed a sigh of relief before taking their leave, with the workers carrying Tian Er to the medical hall.
“You don’t need to follow me, go back,” Tian Er snapped at Tian Ronghua as soon as they entered the medical hall. His face was still pale from pain, and harboring resentment toward his sister for her harsh methods, he wouldn’t give her a pleasant look.
“Second Brother, let me stay. You’re quite inconvenienced, and there are matters I need to handle,” Tian Ronghua replied, understanding her brother’s resentment.
“No need for your crocodile tears – I bet you’d be happier if I were dead,” Tian Er said bitterly.
“Second Brother, why say such things? I’m your full sister – how could breaking your leg not pain me as well? But think about it – Elder Brother knew about your previous incident of kicking someone, and both Father and Elder Brother were already displeased with you. You got to manage the Nanjing branch because Second Mother begged Father. If this matter isn’t properly resolved, how will you answer to Father and Elder Brother? If you’re sent back, not only will your future be ruined, but how will Second Mother ever hold her head high again? Moreover, given Furong Pavilion’s position, they could easily find an excuse to destroy you without anyone knowing. Between losing your life and a broken leg, can’t you tell which is lighter?” Tian Ronghua explained. She and Tian Rongchang were born of the same mother, though not of Master Tian’s principal wife, but rather a concubine.
Fortunately, Master Tian favored their Second Mother, who had secured this opportunity – a rare chance indeed.
It was precisely because Tian Er was somewhat unreliable, combined with the gossip surrounding Tian Ronghua’s engagement to the Luo family, that Second Mother had sent her from Huizhou to accompany her second brother to Nanjing – both to supervise him and to avoid the chaos in Huizhou.
In this respect, she was quite similar to Li Zhenniang.
However, Li Zhenniang was more fortunate – not only did Eighth Master Li and the Li family’s elder brother support her, but even the legitimate Seventh Madam and the Ninth Branch gave their full support. For a young woman to manage affairs in Nanjing was truly remarkable.
Honestly, Tian Ronghua rather envied Li Zhenniang, while she could only do her best to help her second brother. In Tian Ronghua’s view, her second brother wasn’t cut out for management. She could only struggle to make things work.
“Alright, alright, you’re so annoying. I’m telling you to go back because the shop can’t be left unattended. Now that the Li family’s ink has made a name for itself, you need to keep watch and see what new tricks they come up with so we can plan our response early. Don’t worry, the workers here will take care of me,” Tian Er waved his hand impatiently.
He truly didn’t want his sister to stay, knowing she would only nag endlessly, which irritated him.
“Very well, I’ll head back first.” Seeing the logic in Tian Er’s words, Tian Ronghua gave some final instructions to the workers, left some silver, and took her leave to return to the shop.
With Li Mo’s new liquid ink on the market, their Tian Ink Shop’s regular ink wasn’t selling well. They needed to think of a way to turn things around.
Lost in thought, Tian Ronghua made her way back to Tian Ink Shop, glancing inside Li Ink Shop as she passed. Her eyes met Zhenniang’s, and both women exchanged slight nods and smiles.
Of course, the competitive spirit between them was implicit in the exchange.
Watching Tian Ronghua’s retreating figure, Zhenniang thought that the Tian family must have overcome another hurdle.
“Zhenniang, your family’s liquid ink is wonderful. Before, when my precious son practiced calligraphy, his sleeves would get all black from grinding ink, and they couldn’t be washed properly each day – it wasted clothes. Now it’s much better – using this liquid ink, his clothes stay clean after a whole day of lessons. It saves me so much trouble,” Madam Gong, the wife of the neighboring Hui Medicine Hall’s manager, approached Zhenniang who was standing at Li Ink Shop’s entrance.
Hearing Madam Gong’s words, Zhenniang secretly smiled. She hadn’t considered this advantage of the liquid ink, though, with the period’s loose-fitting clothes and wide sleeves, children getting their sleeves dirty while grinding ink was perfectly normal. She smiled and responded, “I’m glad it makes things easier for you, Madam Gong.”
“It’s more than just easier – it’s a huge relief,” Madam Gong laughed.
Zhenniang added, “However, Madam Gong, you shouldn’t let your precious son use only liquid ink for convenience’s sake. For children’s learning, ink sticks are better.”
“How so?” Madam Gong asked curiously.
“Children are naturally active. Before studying, they need to calm their minds and think. The rhythmic motion of grinding ink helps them settle down quickly. You could say that grinding ink is a process of achieving stillness and contemplation while writing puts those thoughts to paper. So for daily study, it’s better to let children use ink sticks. Liquid ink is more convenient for keeping accounts or when Physician Gong makes his rounds,” Zhenniang explained.
Physician Gong was both a doctor and shop manager, his medical skills reportedly having benefited from Master Li’s guidance, and his business was quite prosperous.
“Oh my, now that you mention it, it makes perfect sense! When I grind ink myself, I do find it helps me calm down quickly. It seems I should have my precious son use ink sticks after all. By the way, Zhenniang, could you recommend some suitable ink sticks for my son?”
“Yes, our Li Ink has a type called ‘Path to Blue Clouds.’ Though it’s a common ink, its manufacturing process and materials are not inferior to mid-grade inks. Moreover, the name ‘Path to Blue Clouds’ is auspicious – using it suggests your precious son will follow the path to success,” Zhenniang recommended.
“That sounds perfect! How much per Jin?” Madam Gong asked, beaming.
“One tael per jin,” Zhenniang replied. This ink sold for 1.1 taels per jin in Huizhou, but with the Tian family’s price war in Nanjing, they had to lower the price somewhat.
“Why so expensive? The Tian family has a ‘Three Elements’ ink, named after the three levels of imperial examinations, and it’s even advertised as tribute ink, only costing seven qian per jin,” Madam Gong frowned. She found it hard to accept paying three additional qian per jin.
“Don’t rush to buy, Madam Gong. We have a trial promotion where you can get two sticks free to try first. We’re not afraid of comparison – only of not being compared. After you use it, you’ll understand that one tael per jin for our Li family ink is quite reasonable,” Zhenniang said, having Hua’er bring out two ink sticks to give to Madam Gong.
The Tian family selling ink at seven qian – following proper business practices, would be a loss-making venture, which the Tian family certainly wouldn’t do. Since the previous incident with the contaminated pine soot, when the Tian family had to ask the Li family to help with ink production, they’d been charged quite a sum. Additionally, while the title of tribute ink was prestigious, the Bureau of Imperial Supplies was often slow with payments. Thus, the Tian family had to be careful with capital for tribute ink production, leaving them with a tight cash flow. How could they afford to sell at a loss?
Therefore, to make a profit, the Tian family would have to cut corners on materials and craftsmanship, and the quality would suffer accordingly.
“This is too kind,” Madam Gong said, accepting the ink sticks somewhat embarrassedly.
“It’s nothing, just part of our opening promotion. Please try them, and if you like them, come back to buy more. It’s just a business strategy,” Zhenniang explained.
“Well then, I’ll try them first,” Madam Gong nodded.
Holding the ink sticks, Madam Gong smiled as she studied Zhenniang. Since Miss Li had come to Nanjing, they had interacted quite a bit regarding the shop rental, and Miss Li conducted herself properly and, more importantly, was extremely reliable.
Running a medicine hall was also a business, so they understood business principles well. You get what you pay for, and while buyers might make mistakes, sellers rarely do. The Li family ink at one tael per jin was likely worth it, while the Tian family’s seven qian prices seemed somewhat dubious.
Overall, during this time, she had come to understand quite a bit about Li Zhenniang’s character, and more importantly, she tackled every task with determination – quite impressive for someone managing a household.
“Zhenniang, you’re sixteen this year, right? Has your family arranged any engagement?” Madam Gong asked with a smile.
“There was an engagement before, but it was broken off,” Zhenniang replied calmly. The matter of her broken engagement with the Tian family had already been spread far and wide by that fellow Tian Er, and she understood these neighbors were simply curious. It was better to be straightforward about matters others were curious about, rather than being secretive and risking misunderstandings.
“It was with the Tian family’s eldest son, right? I’ve heard those rumors. It’s nothing – clearly that Tian’s eldest son had his accident, what does it have to do with you?” The Gong family had been physicians for generations and understood such matters thoroughly.
“Thank you, Madam Gong,” Zhenniang replied, warmed by Madam Gong’s words. Everyone understood this logic, but people always harbored that “better safe than sorry” mentality, which had cemented Zhenniang’s undeserved reputation as an ill-fated match.
“Nothing to thank me for,” Madam Gong waved her hand, then lowered her voice: “Zhenniang, I have a nephew from Shaoxing who has earned his xiucai degree. His father worked as a legal advisor, and regardless of whether he passed the provincial examinations, with his father’s connections, finding him a position as a private tutor wouldn’t be a problem. He’d be a stable support…”
Just as Madam Gong was about to ask Zhenniang’s opinion, Madam Yao, the fabric shop owner’s wife, came over and interrupted: “Madam Gong, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Look at Zhenniang now – she’s the main manager of Li Ink. For Li Ink’s development, the Li family will surely have her marry someone willing to join their family.”
She then turned to Zhenniang: “Zhenniang, I have a cousin whose father was also an imperial advisor. He currently works at a pawnshop and has learned at least sixty or seventy percent of his father’s skills. His family has many siblings, so he wouldn’t mind marrying into another family. He’d be an excellent helper. What do you think?”
Zhenniang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but since they were all neighbors, she couldn’t refuse directly. Instead, she said, “Dear sisters, how could I make decisions about marriage on my own?”
Hearing Zhenniang’s response, both Madam Gong and Madam Yao slapped their foreheads: “Oh my, oh my, we shouldn’t have asked you – how foolish of us!”
Actually, it wasn’t that Madam Gong and Madam Yao were being foolish. Mainly, since Zhenniang was the manager of the Nanjing ink shop, both women naturally treated her as a peer and spoke frankly, forgetting that Zhenniang was still their junior and certainly couldn’t make such decisions on her own.
Zhenniang smiled embarrassedly, watching as both women exchanged knowing looks. She understood they would surely go to speak with her Second Aunt about these matters.
Marriage matters were indeed troublesome.