After dinner, Zhen Niang repeated to Du Da what she had told Du Shi earlier. Though not entirely satisfied with Zhen Niang’s response, Du Da understood this was the best he could hope for.

Thus, they arranged for him to bring the tung oil to the Li family ink workshop the next day for quality inspection. Only then did he take his leave.

“Zhen Niang, forgive your cousin’s interference, but you should be cautious when dealing with the Du brothers,” Cousin Li Zhengsheng said with a grimace after Du Da left. “Those two are all talk and no substance, without any genuine work ethic, and they’re known for their dishonest ways.”

When he went out on stove business trips, these brothers had accompanied him several times. He had covered all their food, lodging, and travel expenses, yet they never offered to share any costs.

In Jinhua and Suzhou, instead of focusing on business, the brothers spent their time in brothels, wasting all their money on courtesans. Their behavior was truly disgraceful.

He’d heard they were also harsh with their oil press workers, who kept quitting every few days. How could anyone run a successful business that way?

“I understand. Everyone knows what kind of people they are,” Zhen Niang smiled. “Last time, they wanted my brother to partner with them in taking over the oil press. Though it seemed profitable, my mother wouldn’t let my brother agree. She’d rather borrow money than partner with them. With a loan, even if we lose money, at least we know where we stand. But if we partnered with them, who knows when we’d end up spitting blood from their schemes.”

The Li family knew the Du brothers’ character well, but because of their connection through Du Shi, they couldn’t completely cut ties. They could only maintain some distance.

“That’s right. With such a shrewd aunt watching over you, anyone trying to cheat you probably hasn’t even been born yet,” Li Zhengsheng took the opportunity to compliment Zhao Shi, making her beam as she entered the room.

Du Shi, who followed behind Zhao Shi, looked uncomfortable.

Everyone fell silent, not wanting to criticize the Du brothers in front of Du Shi.

They then discussed the stove business. Though Huizhou stoves had gained quite a reputation outside the region, the Li family’s foundation was still weak. They had only been developing for just over a year, and given their initial poverty, they hadn’t accumulated enough capital.

Therefore, in the stove market competition, the Li family still fell slightly short. Now, stove workshops were springing up everywhere like bamboo shoots after rain, and Li family stoves were barely maintaining thin profits.

“If this continues, we won’t be able to stay in the stove business,” Li Zhengsheng worried. He had been the one developing outside markets, and though things went smoothly at first, once local workshops started copying their stoves, combined with local business associations’ protectionism, Li family stoves were quickly pushed out of local markets. Now, doing business outside the region was becoming increasingly difficult.

“Why not consider trying something else? We shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket,” Zhao Shi pondered.

“It’s not easy finding suitable business opportunities these days,” Li Zhengliang added.

“Indeed, doing business now is truly difficult. Like that time when my uncle was collecting inkstones – if Zhen Niang hadn’t seen through it, we might have lost everything,” Li Zhengsheng said.

The Li family’s eighth branch had heard about this incident.

“The inkstone business could be worthwhile,” Zhen Niang unexpectedly commented.

“How so?” Zhao Shi was the first to ask. When it came to business, she had considerable faith in Zhen Niang. From the earlier thermos bottles to the later stoves, though she didn’t know where her daughter got all these clever ideas, the thermos bottles were just for fun, but the stoves made money. Even though business wasn’t easy, the stove business still brought considerable surplus.

Their family’s life had completely transformed compared to a year ago.

Zhao Shi was already considering whether to buy land and build a house or simply purchase an existing one. Their current residence in the city gate tunnel was rented and uncomfortable, too dark and damp. It was especially bad for the elderly, making them more prone to illness. Every time she heard her father-in-law coughing at night, she felt guilty, knowing it was caused by the dampness.

“Didn’t Uncle mention before that there are many abandoned inkstone quarries in Wuyuan? Instead of managing the stove business, the brother could let the workers handle it and take some time with Cousin Zhengsheng to visit Wuyuan. With your uncle’s help, you could dig in a couple of abandoned quarries. Who knows, you might find some inkstone pieces and strike it rich,” Zhen Niang suggested.

Ink and inkstones went hand in hand – those who dealt with ink inevitably became interested in inkstones. In her previous life, Zhen Niang had paid considerable attention to inkstones, making countless trips to Wuyuan to find good ones.

Many famous inkstone quarries from the Tang and Song dynasties had been abandoned during the Yuan period, only to be reopened in the 1980s in New China with great success.

Wasn’t this a perfect opportunity to make a fortune?

It was especially convenient since Zhao Shi’s family was from Wuyuan. Though her grandfather had passed away, she still had two uncles there. The timing, location, and connections were all favorable.

Now bringing up this matter, Zhen Niang encouraged her elder brother and cousin to give it a try.

“Nonsense, how could it be that easy? If it were, your uncles wouldn’t still be making a living hunting in the forests,” Zhao Shi replied irritably. The people of Wuyuan were extremely familiar with inkstone quarries. During the Song Dynasty, there had been extensive mining, leaving many quarries that were later abandoned. Some villagers had tried digging, and even in her youth, Zhao Shi had gone digging with her brother and father, but it always ended in disappointment.

Moreover, these quarries were in mountain valleys, some even underwater. Many people had died trying to dig for inkstones. Eventually, most people lost interest. As a result, very few She inkstones came to market in recent years, which ironically drove up their prices.

“Mother, nothing is certain. A few days ago, a villager from Wuyuan was selling an inkstone on Four Treasures Street. He said he found it by the Furong Stream on Longwei Mountain. I asked about it – there’s an abandoned Song Dynasty quarry there. There might be inkstones inside,” Zhen Niang said. She was referring to what would later be known as the Meizi Quarry, which would be mined once in modern times with great success. Though it didn’t produce any exceptional stones afterward, that one mining attempt was worth it.

“Oh, please. Do you think others are fools? If they found inkstones, why wouldn’t they dig for more? By the time your brother gets there, there won’t even be soup left to drink,” Zhao Shi shook her head. She knew Wuyuan matters best. Though people had lost interest, if there was any real discovery, they would certainly dig with determination.

“Mother, many things aren’t that simple. Even making a fortune requires luck. As the old saying goes, ‘When fortune comes, iron becomes gold; when fortune leaves, gold becomes iron.’ It’s worth trying, and we can visit uncles while we’re there,” Zhen Niang added.

Li Dalang and Li Zhengsheng exchanged glances, both feeling it was worth a try.

“Also, there’s another abandoned Song Dynasty quarry northwest of Longwei Mountain that could be worth mining,” Zhen Niang continued. This quarry would later become the Jinxing Quarry, producing the Jinxing, Miaoquan Hong, and other inkstones – a top-tier old quarry.

“Alright, let’s try it. Even if we come back empty-handed, we won’t lose much,” Li Dalang finally decided. With Old Shopkeeper Li’s declining health and Li Jingfu’s death, Li Dalang had become the pillar of the Li family’s eighth branch, and the pressure had sparked his determination.

Thus, through casual conversation, they had found a new venture for the eldest son of the eighth branch and their cousin from the ninth branch.

Old Shopkeeper Li didn’t interfere with these matters. Young people needed to have drive, to not fear failure or mistakes. Because of their youth, they had chances to correct both failures and mistakes – it was better than doing nothing at all.

The next day, after arranging matters at the stove workshop, Li Dalang and Li Zhengsheng packed their belongings and set off for Wuyuan.

Meanwhile, Zhen Niang received a reply from Third Elder Cheng, confirming the arrangement with Master Dongtu and setting a date for the ink testing, which the Li family ink workshop then announced publicly.

Ink testing wasn’t merely about having someone paint a picture or write some characters for evaluation – for the ink industry, it was similar to modern product launches.

First, they invited famous artists for the ink testing, then announced the testing date publicly.

During the Ming Dynasty’s cultural peak, many merchants, whether for fame or profit, affected literary refinement. Thus, on the testing day, many merchants would come bearing gifts, seeking paintings and calligraphy. The ink tester would test the ink, receive gifts, and enhance their reputation – achieving multiple benefits at once.

Therefore, once news spread that Master Dongtu would be testing Li ink, merchants flocked from everywhere, both to request artwork and to see the quality of this Li ink. After all, reprocessed ink was quite a selling point, and this was the first ink-testing event since Zhen Niang took over the workshop.

For these various reasons, within a few days, Four Treasures Street was bustling with people.

At the Tian family ink shop.

Tian Benchang stood by the window, watching the crowds moving along Four Treasures Street, then turned to Tian Rongchang, who was sitting there: “You’re saying Third Elder Cheng introduced Master Dongtu to test ink for the Li family?”

“That’s right,” Tian Rongchang replied, lounging with one leg crossed.

“Though the Cheng family has good relations with the Li family, Third Elder Cheng isn’t one to do anything without benefit… He wouldn’t introduce Master Dongtu to the Li family for no reason…” Tian Benchang drummed his fingers on the window frame.

“Why don’t I bring some people to disrupt their ink testing event?” Tian Rongchang suggested casually.

“No, if we disrupt their ink testing now, what’s to stop them from disrupting ours next time? That would create chaos,” Tian Benchang waved his hand dismissively.

Even in a ruthless business, one has to choose their methods carefully. Hiring people to cause trouble was the lowest and most despicable approach, something even Tian Benchang considered beneath him.

More importantly, such methods were not only useless but might help promote the Li family.

Once the incident spread, gossips would wonder why someone would disrupt the Li family’s ink testing – surely it must be because some merchant feared the Li family’s ink would affect their own business. This would end up advertising for the Li family, and Tian Benchang wasn’t foolish.

“Don’t worry about the ink testing. Find someone to investigate what deal exists between the Cheng and Li families,” Tian Benchang instructed Tian Rongchang.

“Alright, I’ll find someone to look into it,” Tian Rongchang nodded.