Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

"Would I dare to talk about something so dangerous?"

Seeing Wang Xifeng like this was a rare sight, and Jia Lian's fear stemming from those past events lessened considerably. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, "You were asking so many questions just now, and now you're scared?"

Wang Xifeng was furious: "You still have the mind to laugh? I've heard that many families were implicated back then, some were dismissed from their posts, others were exiled. How did our family manage to escape unscathed?"

Jia Lian didn't keep them in suspense. He sighed and continued, "When the old lady was young, she was quite courageous. With her mediation and the intercession of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, she barely managed to save her title and life. After that, the second branch of the family moved into Rongxi Hall, while Father moved to a side courtyard."

"The old lady's arrangement is quite clear: to show loyalty to the retired emperor and also because she is worried that the current emperor might have some thoughts about it."

After hearing the reason, Wang Xifeng felt her hands and feet turn cold.

She recalled the outrageous things Jia She had done over the years. He spent his days drinking and listening to music with his concubines, or buying antiques and calligraphy, and would take his anger out on his servants at the slightest provocation. He barely disciplined his own son, Jia Lian; he was a complete good-for-nothing old wastrel.

But who could have imagined that Jia She's decadent and dissolute lifestyle was actually forced into it?

It wasn't that Jia She didn't want to rise to prominence, but rather that the old lady wouldn't allow him to. If he were too successful, it would remind people of his past relationship with Prince Yizhong, bringing trouble to the Rongguo Mansion.

"No wonder," Wang Xifeng murmured. "It's not that the master doesn't want to fight, it's that he can't fight, dares not fight, and is not allowed to fight."

"Now you should understand where my resentment comes from. The eldest master has been pretending to be crazy for so many years, the old lady is at ease, and the second branch of the family is also smug, but what about you and me? As the eldest son of the main branch, I am actually not even as good as a steward in the mansion."

Wang Xifeng fell silent.

"Do the ladies know about this?"

"Father won't tell the First Wife. I reckon the Second Wife doesn't know the inside story either; she probably still thinks the Old Madam is simply biased towards the Second Wife."

"That's true. If she knew, she would probably think that the eldest son's family are all sinners who are forced to submit, and should be subservient and work like slaves for the second son's family." Wang Xifeng's face was somewhat gloomy. "In that case, wouldn't our eldest son's family have no chance of getting ahead? What's the use of getting involved with Gu Jinhong?"

"That's not quite right. The one who's serving as a study companion is the master, not me. And who is Gu Jinhong? He's the current emperor's nephew, a clear member of the imperial faction. I, on the other hand, am the future heir to the Rongguo Mansion's title. As long as I get close to Gu Jinhong, it will show our stance, and I don't think we'll face any difficulties."

Hearing that they wouldn't be implicated, Wang Xifeng patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I was so scared my heart was pounding. Anyway, I don't understand what's going on outside, so it's good that you have a plan."

……

"Miss, someone is knocking on the small door leading to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. It's Miss Huang who came last time," Granny Zhou quickly walked to Daiyu's side and informed her.

Daiyu was leaning against the window reading a book when she heard this. She put down her book, and a glint of light flashed in her eyes: "Please come in quickly."

Before long, Huang Ying followed Granny Zhou into the house with light steps. Unlike her previous appearance in the martial arts world, she was dressed as an ordinary woman this time, wearing a long green dress, presumably because things had made progress with the shop.

"Miss Lin."

Daiyu gestured for her to sit down: "Miss Huang, there's no need for such formalities. Zijuan, serve tea."

Zijuan responded and left, and Granny Zhou also tactfully retreated to the outer room to keep watch. After spending these days together, the two nannies had come to know that this Miss Lin was a woman of her own mind, and since she had private matters to discuss with others, they naturally wanted to avoid suspicion.

Huang Ying took out a thin booklet from her bosom and presented it with both hands: "Miss, the shop is almost ready. My sisters and I have been looking around the city these past few days and finally found a two-story shop. The shop used to be a silk business, but the owner had some trouble back home and was in a hurry to sell it. The price is quite fair."

Daiyu took the booklet and opened it, only to find it densely covered with writing. Huang Ying's handwriting was far from neat, but she meticulously listed every expense clearly.

The shop transfer fee is 320 taels, repainting and repairs are estimated at 50 taels, purchasing shelves and counters is estimated at 30 taels, and purchasing rouge, face powder, and fragrance raw materials is estimated at 200 taels. An additional 52 weeks' worth of transfer funds must be set aside. The latter half of the booklet also includes the market prices of nearby rouge shops.

Daiyu read the booklet carefully from beginning to end, nodding in approval to herself.

Although she didn't care about a thousand taels of silver, she noticed that every account in the book was clearly listed, and that the market price had been inquired about in such detail, which showed that Huang Ying was a methodical person.

"Miss Huang, you've really gone to a lot of trouble." Daiyu closed the booklet, looked up at Huang Ying, and said, "This idea of ​​a rouge shop is indeed excellent. Since you sisters are all women, it's cheaper for you to manage the shop."

Seeing that Daiyu also agreed, Huang Ying's eyes lit up: "You think it's good too, Miss? To be honest, we sisters have plenty of fighting skills, but this is the first time we've ever been in the rouge business. With your words, Miss, I feel half relieved. We sisters have found a widow who used to be a master craftswoman in a rouge shop, and we're planning to ask her to teach us how to make rouge."

She continued excitedly, "I have another idea. This rouge shop can not only sell ordinary products, but we can also create some new and trendy ones ourselves. Miss Lin is a lady from a respectable family, so she must have good taste. If there are any new styles in the future, just let me know, and I will have the sisters try to mix them."

Daiyu couldn't help but smile; Huang Ying was indeed resourceful. She had only intended to find Huang Ying and the others a way to make a living and a place to stay. But she hadn't expected them to be already thinking about how to expand their business and make a name for themselves.

"Miss Huang, feel free to manage the shop as you see fit. But there's one thing: cosmetics are all about seasonality. It's best to introduce new products with the seasons, then you'll never have to worry about people not trying them. Your idea of ​​mixing your own designs is excellent."

"Don't worry, miss, I've noted all of that down. By the way, miss, this shop needs a name. We sisters are all roughnecks and can't think of a good name. We'll have to ask you to give us one."

Daiyu pondered for a moment. After a while, she raised her eyes.

"Let's call it 'Shifangzhai' (拾芳斋). 'Shi' means to gather, and 'fang' refers to the beauty of all plants. Gather the beauty of a hundred flowers and create a box of spring colors."

Huang Ying repeated the three characters twice, her eyes growing brighter and brighter: "Shifangzhai, Shifangzhai... What a wonderful name! It's both elegant and auspicious. Your learning, young lady, is truly beyond compare!"

Seeing her joy, Daiyu smiled slightly and wrote the three characters "Shifangzhai" on the paper.

"Let's make the signboard like this," Daiyu said softly, handing her the paper. "Miss Huang, do a good job, don't let this name down. Once you've settled down, I still need your help with something."