The Fan Workshop opened late.
Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan sold their Mint Oil and then went to eat noodles, lingering for a good while.
By the time they returned, the Fan Workshop had just opened.
“Two esteemed guests arriving so early to pick fans? Please, come inside,”
a young girl who was wiping down the tables greeted them.
Seeing the two peering out from under the shop’s eaves, she put down her work and came forward.
“Oh, we’re not here to look at fans. A few days ago, we saw a notice posted outside recruiting Fan Mistresses, so we came to take a look today.”
Upon hearing this, the girl instinctively glanced at Xu Duoyan standing beside Cao Wen and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, but we’ve already recruited Fan Mistresses here.”
“When was that?”
“Just yesterday. Quite unfortunate timing.”
Cao Wen’s brow tightened as he glanced at Xu Duoyan.
“Actually, a few days ago when I saw the notice, my family made two fans. Please take a look at the designs, see if they’re suitable.”
The girl looked a bit troubled.
Recently, many had brought finished fans, eagerly awaiting the workshop to accept them.
It seemed they expected the workshop to want them automatically.
However, many fans were only roughly shaped, focusing on quantity over quality.
The designs were uninspired, and some were even rough enough to be uncomfortable to hold.
The notice clearly stated that only the best would be selected, and the staff had carefully explained this to each inquirer, yet some still brought such subpar work.
Rejecting them caused others to cry and beg, creating trouble that disrupted the workshop’s business.
Yesterday, the manager hurriedly took down the notice.
They had hoped business would pick up in the summer heat by recruiting more help, but in the end, no suitable candidates were found, and the disturbances only made things worse.
Seeing the notice gone, yet people still coming, the girl was truly at a loss.
“We really cannot accept any more. It’s a small business, we hope you understand.”
Just as Cao Wen was about to speak, a man entered the workshop.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing the man, the girl looked like she had found a savior and quickly explained, “Manager, more customers have come to deliver fans.”
The man glanced at Cao Wen, and though he had initially frowned upon hearing they were fan deliverers, his expression softened, seemingly afraid Cao Wen’s stature might cause a scene.
To keep the peace, he politely said,
“Our workshop has already found help. It’s truly unfortunate. Since you brought fans, I’ll take a look. If they’re usable, we’ll keep them; if not, please don’t be offended.”
Cao Wen nodded, “Alright, manager, please take a look. At least we won’t have come all this way for nothing.”
Regardless of acceptance or rejection, the manager could report back to Lu Lingbi.
The man relaxed upon realizing Cao Wen wasn’t unreasonable.
“Alright.”
Cao Wen took all the fans out of the cloth bag.
The manager’s sharp eyes immediately caught the wrapped fan.
“A Waist Fan?”
He took it, unfolded it, and fiddled with it.
A smile spread across his face as he said bluntly, “Earlier this year, when the weather was favorable, I went to Fucheng. Many workshops there had Waist Fans, all new and exquisite designs. I intended to introduce them this summer, so I didn’t expect to meet someone with such skills here in town.”
This small town was remote, and transportation was very restricted.
It was difficult for new items from the city to make their way into small places.
Fresh trends usually depended on merchant caravans, but in recent years, wars had made travel unsafe, so merchants rarely ventured out.
As a result, the regions became even more isolated.
With the wars gradually ending and life stabilizing, people’s livelihoods improved, and the merchant caravans slowly started moving again.
However, the post-war banditry was severe.
Only merchants with strong foundations dared to travel.
Small traders seldom ventured out.
In towns like theirs, new patterns for fabrics, pins, and fan surfaces were rare even over several years.
Basic styles common in Fucheng, even outdated ones, would become the latest craze once brought here.
Merchants understood this but dared not easily leave town to source goods elsewhere, for losing their cargo to bandits on the road could mean ruin, or worse, death.
Cao Wen saw the manager’s comment was a bit theatrical and quickly added, “My family is originally from Fucheng and familiar with fan styles.”
The manager eagerly flipped through the other fans, his face lighting up even more, “Indeed, indeed. These designs are excellent. Even the styles already present in town are crafted with exceptional skill.”
“Though the materials used are a bit inferior. If you replaced them with the workshop’s materials, the finished products would be even finer. But that’s understandable since these are samples. Using lower-grade materials is common.”
“These past two years, life has improved considerably. People are starting to tire of the town’s stale styles and want fresher designs.”
The manager laughed, “A few years ago, when many barely had enough to eat, who cared about these things?”
“That’s true.”
Cao Wen asked, “Manager, do you like these fans then?”
“Like? Yes, yes! It’s rare to meet a craftsman of such talent. I wonder when this master can come work at the workshop. We’d offer generous terms.”
Xu Duoyan was happy to hear her mother’s fans praised so highly but didn’t forget about her mother’s health.
“Mother can’t work at the workshop. Though the town isn’t far from the village, the round trip would be too much for her.”
Cao Wen agreed and turned to the manager, “That’s right. My family member isn’t well and needs to rest at home, so she can’t overwork. If the manager likes these fans, we can make them and deliver regularly. Would that be acceptable?”
“That’s fine, fine. I said in the notice that we’d accept finished goods delivered regularly.”
The manager smiled, “However, wages for delivered goods won’t be as high as those made in the workshop, I’ll be upfront about that.”
“That’s understandable. But if the manager thinks our materials are rough, we’d appreciate it if you could provide tools and materials.”
The manager promptly invited them to sit and called the young girl to pour tea.
“That’s doable. You can pay part of the cost as a deposit to take materials home. Of course, if you’re worried, you can buy them outright.”
After discussing, they agreed on paying 50% of the material cost as a deposit to take the materials.
They would deliver finished fans every five days, with the quantity decided by the craftsman.
The price for each fan would be 40% of the actual sale price.
That meant when the fans arrived at the workshop, the deposit for materials was fully refunded.
If a fan sold for fifty wen, Lu Lingbi would earn twenty wen.
“Other craftsmen only get 30%. Giving you 40% is because of your excellent craftsmanship. Please don’t advertise this too widely.”
Cao Wen nodded, “You can rest assured. But is the sale price reliable?”
“Master Lu’s goods are good quality and will be listed at premium prices first. If customers respond well, the price stays high; if not, it’ll be adjusted down. At first, it’s trial sales and pricing. It’s not like the workshop waits for every fan to sell before paying the craftsman.”
Cao Wen understood, “That’s considerate.”
“Rest assured, Master Lu’s goods will sell well.”
Though the manager spoke extravagantly, Xu Duoyan was cautious and only took materials worth fifty wen as a deposit.
One reason was to test if the manager was trustworthy, and the other was concern that taking too many materials would tire her mother.
“Mother will be so happy to have work again!”
Xu Duoyan cast Cao Wen a sideways glance, “What mother?”
“Oh~ I just called her that out of habit.”
Xu Duoyan ignored him.
After hawking for a while in town and waiting for scholars to finish classes at the Town Academy, they sold several more bottles of Mint Oil.
Just as Xu Duoyan had expected, with the scorching heat and fatigue, more people bought Mint Oil in the afternoon than in the morning.
They waited until the Academy’s bell rang again, then found a pavilion to rest.
Unexpectedly, an old man came by asking the price of Mint Oil.
Thinking he wanted to buy, they even offered a two-wen discount.
But the old man just sniffed the Mint Oil and left without buying.
Business was free trade, so they didn’t mind much.
However, when the Academy let out in the afternoon, the old man showed up at the gate, loudly selling Mint Oil himself.
His prices were one wen cheaper than theirs.
Only then did Xu Duoyan and Cao Wen realize he was a competitor.
Since Mint Oil was not an everyday necessity, the more sellers there were, the fewer buyers for each.
That afternoon, they only sold two bottles.
Xu Duoyan didn’t bother arguing.
If someone else wanted to make a living selling it, that was natural.
He closed the box early, packed up, and headed home, having been out all day.
After counting, they had sold nearly ten bottles of Mint Oil today.
After deducting the cost of ceramic bottles, they earned about one hundred fifty wen.
They had also eaten a bowl of noodles, which cost a few dozen wen, but still had over one hundred wen left.
By the time they returned home, the sun was setting and smoke curled from the chimney.
Lu Lingbi was already cooking.
Learning that the manager appreciated her fans, she was very pleased.
“If I’d known making fans could bring in work, I wouldn’t have fought so hard with the scholars to copy books.”
Xu Duoyan smiled, “The earlier years were tough; business was bad, so such work was hard to come by. The manager said the world’s more peaceful now and people’s lives are better, so they’re seeking fresh styles.”
Lu Lingbi nodded, hugging the materials taken from the workshop.
She rarely felt this happy.
Years ago, growing up as a concubine’s daughter, she always wanted to please her parents and had learned many needlework skills.
She never imagined those skills would come in handy so many years later.
Now she could earn some income and wouldn’t have to rely solely on Xu Duoyan.
In the high afternoon sun, Lu Lingbi happily carried the fan-making materials back to her room.
Xu Duoyan boiled some water and broke open two soapberries to prepare for washing.
“The family’s rice is finished. I need to take two liters for milling.”
Cao Wen tidied the rice container, which was nearly empty.
Though they had a sack of paddy, they didn’t have much milled rice left for their three meals a day.
It was indeed consumed quickly.
“I’ll wash my hair later. You keep the paddy ready.”
Xu Duoyan had borrowed the Rice Mill from the Qiao Family before, so it was a good time to bring some gifts in thanks.
“Alright.”
Cao Wen replied, then placed some paddy on the stove as instructed.
He glanced at Xu Duoyan, who was testing the water’s temperature, hesitating whether to give her the item he was holding.
He took a deep breath and finally handed it over, but Xu Duoyan had just picked up the water bucket and walked away.
Cao Wen awkwardly retracted his hand, scratching the back of his head.
“Ah, Yan.”
He hesitated a moment, then followed her out.
At the doorway, he saw her loosening her hair, which flowed down like a waterfall.
In that instant, he thought she looked stunningly beautiful, almost androgynous.
Though young ladies nowadays wore their hair in buns to look dignified, he sincerely thought Xu Duoyan looked better with her hair down.
But he didn’t dare say so.
Seeing Cao Wen acting like a shadow and not taking a nap after lunch, Xu Duoyan raised an eyebrow as she held some loose strands.
“Why? You’re washing your hair too?”
Cao Wen shook his head, then stepped forward and pressed a hairpin into her hand.
Before she could speak, he turned and dashed back.
“I’m going to sleep now.”
Xu Duoyan frowned, watching him disappear quickly.
She looked down at the hairpin.
It was a Peachwood Hairpin carved with two pink peach blossoms and tassels hanging from the end, gently swaying in the breeze.
Xu Duoyan: ……………
What is he trying to say with this?
Does he think I’m too plain?
Or…
Before wild thoughts could spiral, Xu Duoyan suppressed them.
Of course not.
She wasn’t sure what to do with it and finally stuffed it into her pocket.
Cao Wen rested on the bed, trying to nap but couldn’t.
He listened to the sounds of Xu Duoyan washing and drying her hair, then heard her enter the next room.
No one knew how long passed before she came out and went to the kitchen.
Cao Wen guessed she was going to mill rice.
He jumped up, crept to the door, and quietly peeked at Xu Duoyan.
He didn’t see the hairpin on her head or body.
Her hair, washed and fluffed, made her face look even smaller.
She looked like a lotus emerging from water.
But none of that mattered; the hairpin was nowhere in sight!
Cao Wen returned to the room, frustrated.
He had hoped to see Xu Duoyan happy.
Happy my foot, useless shopkeeper.
And he believed girls liked this!
Buying gifts for loved ones was the best.
Really, for the sake of business, they’d say anything.
June arrived quickly.
Lu Lingbi finished her first batch of five fans and delivered them to the workshop.
This time, she went personally to negotiate and select materials for her fans, then discussed prices with the manager, waiting to see how much they would sell for first.
After resting for several days without venturing deep into the mountains, Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan prepared for another trip.
Though this month was when snakes and insects were most active, and the weather harshest, mountain goods were also increasingly abundant.
Goji berries, medicinal herbs, Jiangzi, and peppercorns—these valuable spices were ripe.
If lucky, they could make a big haul.
Before dawn, they set out with prepared baskets, ropes, and knives, heading to Gao Shan near Tonggou Village.
Last time when gathering fern shoots, they spotted a Jiangzi Tree.
They arrived just in time.
The Jiangzi fruits were ripe—dark green clusters hanging on the branches.
A slight scrape of the skin released a strong Jiangzi scent.
The branches of the Jiangzi Tree were brittle and easy to break.
Usually, they snapped off the fruit-laden branches to process later, leaving the main branch intact to sprout new shoots next year.
As they exited the small path with the Jiangzi, they bumped into two men similarly equipped.
The two parties nodded greetings.
Collecting with purpose was better than blindly wandering the mountain.
The cliff was large, and they hadn’t explored it fully before.
They hoped to find two peppercorn trees this time.
“I’m lighter. I’ll go down,” Xu Duoyan said as they approached the cliff edge, pulling a rope from early preparations and tying it to herself.
“That won’t do!”
Cao Wen grabbed the rope, “You can’t go down.”
“Why not?”
“If something happens to you, what will I do?”
Cao Wen blurted out, then noticed Xu Duoyan’s stunned expression.
His ears reddened as he hurried to clarify, “I mean, how will I explain it to Aunt?”
Xu Duoyan pursed her lips, “What if you get hurt? Does that make it easier?”
Cao Wen tugged the rope, “If I get hurt, it’s my life; if you get hurt… that would be the death of me!”
He softened his tone, “Anyway, no. You stay up here and wait.”
With that, Cao Wen tied the rope securely to himself and to a tree, then expertly descended the cliff.
Xu Duoyan felt a strange mix of unease and irritation but still held the rope tightly for him.
The rope lengthened as Cao Wen slid down.
He didn’t see the goji berries he’d found before, but in the distance, he spotted a person hanging in a tree’s hollow.