Сhаpter 124: Тiаn Rоnghuа's Мoves
Whethеr аncient Yu Мi ink used agеd sооt рigmеnt, Zhеn Niang still cоuldn’t say for certain. Оnlу aftеr testing соuld shе bе sure.
Аftеr thаt, Zhеn Niаng had nо mind for sleeр. Еven Zhеng Fuli, Er Gou, Mа Shifu, Hua’еr, and Xiао Yа wеrе rорed into hеlрing. Thеу wоrked thrоugh the night until thе skу began tо lightеn with the first hint оf dawn. The triаl batch of ink wаs finаllу cоmpleted. Duе tо thе short timе, thеrе wаs nо wаy tо lеt it air-drу, so thеy used а baking mеthоd instеad. Тhоugh this sоmеwhat affeсted the quality, it still gavе a generаl idea оf the rеsult.
"Тhe ink сolor is a bit darker, but the luster isn’t bright or clear enough, and it feels somewhat sticky on the brush," Zheng Fuli remarked after testing the ink.
"Yes, that’s inevitable. This is mainly due to the glue and the pounding process. Ma Shifu, this type of soot pigment is older than what we usually work with, so the number of poundings must be increased. You need to be prepared—if ten thousand poundings aren’t enough, we’ll go to fifteen thousand; if fifteen thousand isn’t enough, we’ll push it to thirty thousand," Zhen Niang said.
Pounding is a crucial step in ink-making, much like the forging process in ancient steelmaking. Ancient blades underwent thirty, fifty, seventy-two, or even a hundred rounds of forging, eventually becoming treasured swords capable of cutting through iron and slicing through hair. Though these are two entirely different things, the underlying principle is the same.
Prolonged forging leads to a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation.
Pounding the ink mixture enhances the fusion of soot pigment with glue. Even prolonged pounding can trigger chemical reactions among the various components within the ink mixture, removing impurities and making the ink harder, smoother, and jade-like in texture. While the clarity of ink depends on the glue and soot pigment, if the pounding step isn’t properly executed, even the finest glue and soot pigment won’t produce high-quality ink.
"Understood, Miss Zhen," Ma Shifu replied in a muffled voice.
"Also, Elder Brother Zheng, the glue this time is still insufficient. Over the next while, try increasing the proportion of glue a bit more," Zhen Niang added after a moment of thought.
"That won’t work. When I tested the ink just now, it already felt sticky on the brush, which means there’s too much glue. How can we add more?" Zheng Fuli immediately shook his head in disagreement.
"That’s not right," Zhen Niang shook her head. "The stickiness isn’t due to too much glue. It’s because the soot pigment is aged—aged pigment is harder in texture. Combined with insufficient pounding, the glue hasn’t fully fused with the soot, leaving the pigment floating on the surface of the glue. That’s what makes the ground ink sticky. But did you notice how quickly the ink dissolved when you were grinding it just now? That’s because the glue isn’t holding the soot pigment together." As she spoke, Zhen Niang picked up a cup of water nearby and splashed it onto the paper used for testing the ink. Instantly, the ink on the paper smeared and blurred.
Seeing this, Zheng Fuli had nothing more to say and nodded. "Alright, I’ll experiment with the glue again."
"Good," Zhen Niang nodded. "Tomorrow, I’ll start burning the soot pigment again."
This time, the soot pigment would have to be prepared by Zhen Niang herself. For ancient Yu Mi ink, the soot pigment wasn’t necessarily better the older it was—it just leaned toward being slightly aged. This might have something to do with the pine materials from Shaanxi. In any case, only Zhen Niang could master the precise timing and temperature required.
After giving her instructions, Zhen Niang felt a surge of excitement. Though they hadn’t yet replicated ancient Yu Mi ink, they had found the right direction. With a few more trial batches, success seemed within reach.
Just then, a rooster crowed outside. The group had stayed up all night in the Ink Workshop."Alright, everyone go rest. No work today," Zhen Niang said.
Only then did the others leave, yawning. Though still excited, they were truly exhausted.
Zhen Niang also returned to the wooden building, where she couldn’t avoid a few nagging words from Huang Shi. Soon after, Huang Shi shooed her back to her room to sleep.
She hadn’t felt it before, but as soon as her head touched the pillow, Zhen Niang fell into a deep, heavy slumber.
When she woke, the sunlight streaming through the window told her it was already afternoon. The cicadas in the banyan tree outside chirped incessantly. Still not fully awake, Zhen Niang felt the sound of the cicadas seemed distant. From outside came the soft, murmuring voices of Xiao Ya and Hua’er.
"Hua’er, what have you been up to? You’re covered in sweat—here, wipe it off," Xiao Ya said.
"I was watching the commotion over at the Tian family’s place. Hah, the line of people returning ink stretched all the way to the street corner. Ugh, the whole street reeks of ink now—it’s awful," Hua’er complained as she spoke.
"If it smells so bad, why did you go near it? You brought that on yourself," Xiao Ya teased, then added curiously, "With so many people returning ink, where is the Tian family getting the money? Didn’t we hear some of their workers saying they could barely pay wages anymore?"
In short, the Tian family’s troubles had blown up this time. It was said the ink artisans had even gone on strike.
"I heard the Yi Hou Sheng money house loaned them money," Hua’er said, pursing her lips.
"Yi Hou Sheng money house? Master Luo Jiu—why would he lend money to the Tian family?" Xiao Ya frowned.
"Why wouldn’t he? I heard Miss Tian San was determined enough to mortgage the Tian family’s Ink Manor to Yi Hou Sheng. Yi Hou Sheng is in the business of making money from money—only a fool would turn down profit. Besides, they say even heroes can’t resist a beauty’s charm. I heard they’re practically family now. With the Wang family’s aunt stepping in, how could Shopkeeper Luo refuse the loan?" Hua’er said, her face full of gossip. Then she clicked her tongue a few times. "But you know, Shopkeeper Luo is ruthless. Even with his own aunt intervening and his own fiancée involved, he still made Miss Tian San mortgage the Ink Manor. Truly impartial and fair."
Back when Li Mo borrowed money to refund customers, there was no mortgage involved. Hua’er always felt that Shopkeeper Luo treated her cousin differently, though it was just a vague feeling, hard to put into words.
"Sister Hua’er, what are you saying? What fiancée? What family?" Hearing this, Xiao Ya grew anxious. Ever since her young lady met Luo Jiu by the riverbank that time, and after their subsequent interactions, the two of them together gave off such a warm feeling. In Xiao Ya’s mind, Shopkeeper Luo was the perfect match for her young lady.
It was just a pity that her young lady never seemed in a hurry, and Shopkeeper Luo remained lukewarm. As a mere errand-runner, she couldn’t rush things.
But now, from what Hua’er was saying, how had Miss Tian San become family with Luo Jiu?"You have no idea, it's all over the streets now." Hua'er looked astonished, then slapped her forehead. "No wonder—you've been holed up in the Ink Workshop with Miss Zhen making ink all this time, so you haven't heard the gossip. Everyone outside is saying that Third Miss Tian is Luo Jiu's fiancée, and lately she's been going to the Yi Hou Sheng Bank every day, each time supporting Luo Jiu's Auntie Wang. Auntie Wang treats Third Miss Tian so well. Every time she sees her, her face lights up like a flower. Now, everyone knows that Auntie Wang is the only elder who can make decisions for Luo Jiu." Hua'er said.
"This... this... this is just shameless! There was indeed an engagement, but after the Luo Family fell into trouble, the Tian Family refused to acknowledge it. How can they still be considered family now?" Xiao Ya said indignantly.
"Ah, so that's what happened? The Tian Family is truly shameless!" Hearing Xiao Ya's words, Hua'er pounded the table, also furious.
"How could Third Miss Tian do this? She broke off the engagement, and now she has the nerve to bring it up again? If this were in Huizhou, the gossip alone would drown her." Xiao Ya fumed again.
"Exactly. Should I have someone spread the word about the Tian Family breaking off the engagement?" Hua'er said, almost eager to stir up trouble.
"Yes, that's exactly what we should do." Xiao Ya agreed.
And so, the two girls took turns condemning Tian Ronghua, even implicating Luo Jiu with accusations of two-timing.
Inside the inner room, Zhen Niang listened to the two girls discussing this and felt both amused and exasperated. She couldn't let these two stir up trouble. Many people in Huizhou already knew about this; there was no need for her family to spread it. In time, the truth would come out. If such talk came from her own family, it would only complicate matters further. After all, the news of her own broken engagement with the Tian Family had already caused quite a stir recently. If such words came from her own family, they would lack credibility. It was better to just ignore it.
Thinking this, Zhen Niang coughed heavily. Outside, the two girls gasped, and Xiao Ya hurriedly brought in a cup of water.
Hua'er poked her head in with a cheeky grin.
"Enough. Stay out of the Luo Family and Tian Family's affairs, understand?" Zhen Niang glared at Hua'er.
"Understood." Xiao Ya replied obediently.
"Cousin, we're just worried for you. Shopkeeper Luo is such a good man—he can't be snatched away by Miss Tian." Hua'er said resentfully. She had heard her mother mention privately that although her cousin was capable, even the most reasonable mother-in-law might find it hard to accept her situation.
Shopkeeper Luo's past was indeed lamentable, but for her cousin, having no in-laws meant one less obstacle.
However, it seemed Shopkeeper Luo still had an aunt, and this aunt didn't seem to think much of her cousin. It was truly troubling.
Thinking this, Hua'er's face scrunched up like a tangled mess.
Seeing Hua'er like this, Zhen Niang felt both helpless and touched. After all, the girl genuinely cared for her. But between her and Luo Jiu, there really wasn't much—mostly just business dealings. Even back in Huizhou, it was merely a matter of coincidence; they were hardly connected. It was only after reuniting in Nanjing that they grew a bit closer than before, but that was just the warmth of fellow townsfolk reuniting—nothing more.Yet often, it is precisely this kind of situation that makes it difficult to develop into a romantic relationship.
"Alright, this kind of thing isn’t something to be fought over. In any case, just don’t get involved in this matter," Zhen Niang tapped Hua'er on the forehead.
As for why Luo Jiu was willing to lend money to the Tian family, in Zhen Niang’s view, it wasn’t just for profit. It was because of Tian ink, because in Luo Jiu’s eyes, Tian ink was Luo Mo. Zhen Niang still remembered what Luo Wenqian had said when he left Huizhou: he would take back everything that was rightfully his.
She was somewhat curious about how Luo Wenqian would take it back.
Speaking of Tian Ronghua’s move, although it was somewhat a last resort, it was actually quite clever.
Originally, given the Tian family’s status as a Tribute Ink manufacturer, most banks would have been willing to lend money as long as they signed and sealed the agreement. However, this time, the Tian family’s situation had escalated too far, and the Ink Affairs Bureau was even planning to re-evaluate their Tribute Ink qualifications. Under such circumstances, other banks naturally didn’t dare to lend easily.
Tian Ronghua had no choice but to turn to the Yi Hou Sheng Firm.
First, he used the special significance of Tian ink in Luo Jiu’s heart to mortgage the Nanjing Ink Manor to Luo Jiu. This way, he could be sure Luo Jiu would lend the money. Then, taking advantage of Luo Jiu’s loan, Tian Ronghua spread rumors of a marriage agreement. With Yi Hou Sheng’s reputation and strength, this would ultimately help stabilize the confidence of the merchants returning goods and the workers at the ink manor, preventing chaos from spiraling out of control. By the time the entanglement between the Tian and Luo families and the broken engagement rumors spread, the Tian family’s crisis would likely have already passed, making it all irrelevant.
However, this move would somewhat damage Tian Ronghua’s reputation. But this was Nanjing, not Huizhou, and in this regard, it was much better than in Huizhou. At most, it would become a topic of gossip, and once time passed, the idle chatter would fade away.
Meanwhile, Hua'er was thinking about Aunt Wang’s side and realized it truly wasn’t a matter of fighting over anything, so she nodded in agreement.
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