After several days, the smoke soot was ready, particularly the superior lacquer soot meant for the Li family ink shop. This soot was not only deep black with excellent luster but more importantly, it had distinct layers – truly first-rate material.
“Take this superior lacquer soot directly to your Ninth Uncle at the ink shop. He’ll know how to handle it,” Old Shopkeeper Li instructed Zhenniang.
“Yes,” Zhenniang nodded, then set off to deliver soot to various shops.
She went to the Cheng family first, delivering the ink soot and fulfilling her promise. The Cheng family insisted on paying her fully, and Zhenniang had to accept their generosity. Then she proceeded to the Li family ink shop.
Seventh Grandmother and Ninth Uncle were both present.
“Greetings to Seventh Grandmother and Ninth Uncle,” Zhenniang formally paid her respects before handing the soot to Ninth Uncle.
Li Jinhe examined the soot, finding it even better than the previous batch. Convinced this was Li Jinshui’s work, he couldn’t help but admire Old Eight’s mastery of ink-making.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll personally handle the ink mixing this time,” Li Jinhe said to the Seventh Lady, knowing the importance of this new soot formula required extra care.
“That would be excellent. Thank you for your trouble, Ninth Brother,” Seventh Lady nodded.
“No need for formalities, Sister-in-law. It’s my duty. Though times aren’t what they used to be – I can’t manage the ten thousand pestle strikes for the light glue anymore,” Li Jinhe remarked nostalgically.
“Indeed, we’re all getting old. The ink business will belong to the younger generation soon,” Seventh Lady said, her voice tinged with melancholy. The Luo family had Luo Wenqian, the Cheng family had Cheng Dayue, and both workshops produced talented disciples, while the Li family still relied on the older generation, with no promising youngsters.
The Li family ink business was like the setting sun.
Zhenniang stood aside quietly, knowing it wasn’t her place to comment on the elders’ conversation. It wasn’t too late for the Li ink business to recover. Though the Luo family business was flourishing now, this was the forty-third year of Jiajing, and by year’s end, implicated in Yan Shifan’s case, the Luo ink business would vanish.
As for the Cheng family, while they had many talented people, too much talent could lead to internal strife. Zhenniang remembered that around the end of the Longqing reign and early Wanli period, the Cheng family’s outstanding disciple Fang Yulu would leave to establish the Fang ink workshop. In the tenth-plus year of Wanli, he would publish the Fang Ink Manual before the Cheng family could, effectively creating two dominant forces in Huizhou ink-making during the Wanli period – the Fang and Cheng families.
But between Jiajing and Wanli, during Longqing’s six-year reign, Huizhou’s ink industry would be in chaos.
This period would be the Li family’s opportunity.
Thinking about this, Zhenniang felt excited. For an ink maker, living in this golden age of ink-making was truly fortunate.
Li Jinhe set aside the soot and had an assistant bring money for payment. Following the usual rate, Zhenniang received over ten thousand coins.
Of course, there was an unspoken understanding – everyone knew this was soot made with the new formula, and if the Li family was satisfied, they would need to pay extra for the formula. Even between brothers, accounts should be clear, though this would wait until after the ink was made.
“Zhenniang, how is everyone at home?” Seventh Grandmother asked gently.
“Thanks to your blessing, all is well. Father is working hard in Suzhou, showing signs of reform. Grandfather and Grandmother often walk near the city gate, getting along well with neighbors. Mother’s temper is still quick to flare, but after each argument, Grandmother scolds her, and she’s learning patience. Brother and sister-in-law work hard for the family living and are happy together. Little brother helps with housework now, though the rascal is money-minded and gets beaten for being lazy when unpaid. Little Xiaoguan is talking now, with ‘auntie’ being his first word…”
Zhenniang cheerfully shared everything about the family.
Seventh Grandmother was amused by Zhenniang’s account and turned to Li Jinhe: “Old Nine, it seems Old Eight has been living freely these years.”
Li Jinhe snorted coldly – if Old Eight were truly free, he wouldn’t need to put his granddaughter forward now.
For someone who lived for ink making, being separated from it these years must have taken half his life away.
Zhenniang pretended not to notice her Ninth Uncle’s expression. Noting the time and still needing to deliver to the Luo ink shop, she politely took her leave.
“Among the Li family’s third generation, perhaps only this girl has some talent for ink-making,” Seventh Lady remarked thoughtfully, watching Zhenniang leave.
“That remains to be seen,” Ninth Uncle maintained his usual skepticism, convinced Li Jinshui was behind it all, merely using the girl as a front.
Leaving the shop, Zhenniang headed straight for the Luo ink shop.
Young Master Luo Wenqian was chatting with a man in his early twenties. After examining the soot Zhenniang delivered, he looked her over and teased, “Miss Zhen makes excellent soot. Would you be interested in working at our Luo workshop? I could put you in charge of the oil smoke workshop.”
Zhenniang studied Luo Wenqian – he was indeed handsome enough to attract courtesans’ attention, but his early success had made him somewhat frivolous. She wasn’t impressed, but thinking of the Luo family’s future decline, she felt no need to take offense. She merely raised an eyebrow and replied, “Young Master Luo, are you trying to ruin your own business? If I became workshop supervisor, wouldn’t the workers tear down the place?”
“Haha, Miss Zhen jests,” Luo Wenqian laughed, having his shopkeeper pay her. Zhenniang accepted promptly and took her leave.
As she left, she frowned slightly – the man speaking with Luo Wenqian had been staring at her the whole time, with an inexplicably resentful expression.
“Zhenniang, do you hate me so much that you won’t even greet me?” the man suddenly called out.
Zhenniang stopped and turned to look at him. He did seem familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Noticing some scars on his face and hands, she suddenly realized – could this be the lucky survivor, Tian Benchang?
Since Zhenniang had transmigrated here, she had never actually met Tian Benchang – that sense of familiarity must come from her predecessor.
“Young Master Tian, our engagement is broken. We should avoid any further association,” Zhenniang nodded slightly before quickly leaving.
Tian Benchang’s face darkened.
“Tsk tsk, when women are heartless, they can be quite decisive – no lingering attachment at all,” Luo Wenqian clicked his tongue, watching Zhenniang’s retreating figure.
“Shut up,” Tian Benchang snapped angrily.
“Why are you angry? I heard Lord Yan’s daughter doesn’t tolerate any nonsense. Don’t be greedy – when an engagement is broken, it should be clean-cut, to avoid causing trouble for the young lady,” Luo Wenqian said.
The Lord Yan he mentioned was the official overseeing tribute ink production. The Tian family had recently established this connection and planned to secure it through marriage.
The rumors about Tian Benchang getting engaged to a Luo family daughter were false – while the Tian and Luo families were planning an alliance, it was between Luo Wenqian and Tian Ronghua.
“You haven’t taken a fancy to her, have you? Don’t you dare wrong my Ronghua,” Tian Benchang said with narrowed eyes, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could I have any interest in her? Though I am interested in her soot formula,” Luo Wenqian replied.
No wall is completely sealed – word of Zhenniang’s new soot formula had already reached interested parties’ ears, even though it had just been produced.
As the sun set, Zhenniang left Four Treasures Street. With her earnings, she bought Lu’s marinated duck, two measures of wine, and some medicine before hurrying home.
Upon entering, she found everyone gathered in the courtyard around a coal stove, examining it like some foreign curiosity.