The Heir

Сhарtеr 58: Соnvinced оr Nоt

Аt thе hоur of Chen, just аs thе morning mist had fullу dispersеd, wоrkеrs frоm thе Ink Wоrkshop еntered the workshop shеds in twоs and thrеes, rеаdу tо begin thеir shift.

Wu Мingquаn, а mаn in his fortiеs, stood on а lаrge bluеstone slab оutside the shеd, taking his final рuff оf tоbассо to satisfу his сraving. Оnсе he еnterеd thе smoke gеnеratiоn shed, smoking would nо longer be реrmittеd.

"Unclе Quan, Uncle Quаn!" Аt thаt momеnt, Еr Gоu rushеd tо Wu Мingquan's sidе, а piеcе of cоarsе blасk pаnсаkе clenchеd between his teeth.

"Whаt is it, you rasсal? Don't tеll me уоu want tо ask for leave again? How many times have you taken leave this month? If you keep slacking off like this, I won't go easy on you." Wu Mingquan glared at him.

Wu Mingquan was a distant relative of the old madam's maternal family. Since childhood, he had apprenticed under the smoke generation masters in the Ink Workshop and had mastered the craft. Now promoted to the head of the oil smoke shed—equivalent to a workshop foreman in later terms—he oversaw dozens of workers, making him a minor boss of sorts.

Thus, he had little tolerance for slackers like Er Gou.

"How could I? Do I look that clueless?" Er Gou retorted with a pout, then lowered his voice mysteriously. "Uncle Quan, I heard some news. Since Ma Shifu, who was in charge of smoke generation, has left, I heard Miss Zhen is going to take direct charge of us. Oh dear, from now on, we'll be begging for our meals under a woman's thumb."

Er Gou spoke with a tone that was neither here nor there.

"What nonsense is that? Since Miss Zhen took over the Ink Workshop, haven't we all been working under her anyway?" Wu Mingquan grumbled.

"That's not the same! Even though Miss Zhen took over the Ink Workshop, isn't Steward Shao and Master Li still the ones managing things? Miss Zhen is just a figurehead in name. But now she’s going to directly oversee our smoke shed—she’ll be bossing us around. How can we burly men not feel suffocated?" Er Gou clicked his tongue.

"So what do you mean? We’re just workers—can we stop her from managing us?" Wu Mingquan raised his eyes to study Er Gou. This kid never did his work properly, but he was full of crafty ideas. Listening to him now, he was likely brewing some mischief.

"Who said we’d stop her from managing us?" Er Gou argued defensively, then glanced around before whispering into Wu Mingquan’s ear. "Whether she comes to manage us or not is beyond our control. But we should still teach her some rules—she can’t boss us around too much. What do you say? Let’s put our heads together and give her a warning?" Er Gou nudged his chin toward Wu Mingquan.

"What kind of warning? We can’t act recklessly. After all, Miss Zhen is the owner. If we go too far, we might all end up packing our bags and going home." Wu Mingquan said gravely.

For the lower-level workers, it didn’t make much difference who took over the Ink Workshop. They’d still be doing the same work. Moreover, since Zhen Niang took over, she had handled things fairly and properly. Thus, the workers didn’t have any major grievances against her. In fact, Miss Zhen had made quite an impression in her few appearances, earning their acceptance.

But acceptance didn’t mean they were willing to let her meddle in their domain."Don't worry, don't worry, it won't go too far. I just heard from the accounting office that Miss Zhen will be coming to inspect the smoke generation shed soon. After all, Miss Zhen is a young lady, and as the weather starts to warm up, our smoke generation shed is also getting quite hot. In a moment, everyone will be bare-chested, so I imagine Miss Zhen won't be able to enter. If she can't enter, then naturally she won't be able to boss us around in the future, right? We're not doing anything wrong—it's hot in the shed, so going bare-chested is perfectly normal." Er Gou said with a sly grin.

Wu Mingquan listened to Er Gou's words and couldn't help but think that this kid really had a lot of cunning ideas. This method would work, and no one could say anything against it.

"Alright, go and notify everyone," Wu Mingquan said to Er Gou, figuring it was best to let the same person handle the task.

"Got it," Er Gou replied, scampering off into the workshop.

Before long, strange shouts and commotion could be heard from inside the workshop. The workers, after all, were the type to revel in a bit of chaos.

"Miss Zhen, this way, please."

Zhen Niang had first gone to the accounting office to review some past records, as these were also part of her learning process. By the end of the Chen hour, she called for Ma Sao and headed toward the smoke generation shed.

Ma Sao led the way.

Soon, the two arrived in front of the smoke generation workshop.

"Ma Sao, oh Ma Sao, please stop, stop right there!" Er Gou, who had been keeping watch, rushed out to stop them as soon as he saw Zhen Niang and Ma Sao approaching, putting on an obsequious expression.

"Er Gou, you're slacking off again. Hurry up and greet Miss Zhen properly!" Ma Sao glared at him.

Er Gou had been nameless since birth. His mother was a part-time prostitute who died of illness when he was three. After that, the boy begged on the streets. One day, Chou Po, who guarded the Li family's back gate, passed by and saw him starving, so she gave him a piece of flatbread. The boy latched onto Chou Po after that. Chou Po didn't mind him much—she'd give him food when she had some and let him go hungry when she didn't. That's how the boy grew up. Eventually, the Li family, seeing that he and Chou Po had a connection, simply let him work in the Li family's workshop.

But having grown up on the streets, Er Gou had picked up all the bad habits of a loafer. Not only was he a gossip, but he also never took his work seriously, just muddling through. He wasn't a bad person, just rather annoying. So every time Ma Sao saw him, she couldn't help but scold him a little.

When Zhen Niang saw Er Gou, he looked familiar, and she soon remembered him. During the Tribute Ink Selection at Taibai Tower, this kid had been outside gossiping. Honestly, with his knack for it, if he lived in a later era, he'd be perfect for the paparazzi.

"Ma Sao, I'm truly wronged! How dare I slack off? I still need the money from the workshop to find a wife!" Er Gou immediately cried out in protest, then quickly turned to Zhen Niang and said, "Greetings, Miss Zhen."

Then, with an expression of utmost loyalty, he added, "I'm only doing this for Miss Zhen's sake. The workshop is full of rough men, and now that the weather is getting hot, with the smoke generation going on inside, it's even hotter. Everyone is bare-chested in there. How could Miss Zhen possibly enter?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Sao immediately glared, took a few steps forward, lifted the workshop curtain to peek inside, then spat out, "Good heavens!" She turned back to Er Gou and said, "Hurry up and tell everyone to put their clothes back on!""This won't do. It's almost time to harvest the first batch of soot pigment. If we put on clothes now, the rustling sound of dressing will scatter the soot pigment everywhere," Er Gou immediately responded.

As people from the Ink Workshop, they naturally understood that during smoke generation, any kind of wind or noise should be avoided as much as possible.

"Miss Zhen, perhaps we should come back another time. Next time, we'll send word in advance so the workers can tidy up properly," Ma Sao said to Zhen Niang.

Zhen Niang looked at Er Gou's sly expression and understood exactly what these men were thinking—they simply didn't accept her as a woman and wanted to put her in her place.

"No need, Ma Sao. Bring me a strip of cloth," Zhen Niang said to Ma Sao.

A strip of cloth? What did Miss Zhen want with a strip of cloth? Ma Sao was puzzled, but since Zhen Niang asked, she went to fetch it. Soon, she returned with the cloth.

Zhen Niang covered her eyes with the cloth and had Ma Sao tie it securely at the back of her head. Then, turning her face toward Ma Sao, she said, "Let's go in."

"But, Miss Zhen, is this really all right?" Ma Sao looked at Zhen Niang. This way, she wouldn't have to see the men bare-chested, but what could she possibly do like this?

Er Gou, standing nearby, also looked bewildered. What was Miss Zhen trying to do?

"It's fine. Let's go in," Zhen Niang said, tugging at Ma Sao's sleeve.

"All right." Unable to dissuade her, Ma Sao helped Zhen Niang into the workshop. Er Gou eagerly followed, curious about what Miss Zhen intended to do.

Not only was Er Gou curious, but the smoke generation workers inside the workshop were also intrigued by Miss Zhen's unusual entrance. Her actions could only be described as extraordinary.

Ignoring their reactions, Zhen Niang stood quietly for a moment before suddenly raising her hand and pointing to the row of smoke generation lamps at the far end. "That row is ready for harvesting. If we don't collect the soot pigment now, it will become overripe."

Just as Wu Mingquan was wondering what Miss Zhen was up to, he heard her words. Instinctively, he took a porcelain bowl from one of the oil lamps in that row. Sure enough, the soot pigment inside was at the perfect stage for harvesting. Immediately, he instructed the workers to collect it.

"This row needs more oil," Zhen Niang then pointed to a row of oil lamps in front of her.

Everyone looked over and saw that the oil in those lamps was indeed nearly depleted. Without waiting for Wu Mingquan's instructions, workers immediately began refilling them.

"That row—the fire is too strong. Can't you see the sparks flying? For smoke generation, a medium flame is best. With such a high flame, the soot will burn before it even forms," Zhen Niang said, pointing to another row of smoke generation lamps behind her.

The worker in charge of that row hurriedly adjusted the flame, sweat already beading on his forehead. This Miss Zhen was truly remarkable.

"Miss Zhen, Miss Zhen, how did you do that?" Er Gou exclaimed excitedly.

"It's simple—by smell and feel. Whether the soot is overripe or not, I think some of you can also tell by the smell, can't you?" Zhen Niang said with a smile.

Wu Mingquan nodded slightly to himself. He could indeed tell whether the soot was overripe by smell, but to distinguish which batches were ready among so many smoke generation lamps, as Miss Zhen had just done, was something he might not be able to accomplish. From this alone, it was clear that Miss Zhen's skill in smoke generation surpassed his own."As for the lamp running out of oil, that too affects the scent. When the lamp lacks oil, the flame naturally weakens. With a weaker flame, the soot pigment does not fully develop, and the scent loses a sense of balance. Such soot pigment will also affect the quality of the ink. As for the flame being too strong, causing the soot pigment to scorch, there’s no need to explain further—you’ve all been smoke generation workers for many years, so you should understand this." Zhen Niang explained each point in detail.

"Zhen Niang, I’m impressed," Wu Mingquan said, cupping his hands in respect.

"You’re too kind, Master Wu. If you calm your mind, you’ll be able to sense these things too," Zhen Niang replied.

"There’s one more thing—if I intentionally reduced the flame, how could you tell the difference between that and a flame weakened by lack of oil?" Er Gou persisted, unwilling to give up.

"Lack of oil and intentionally reducing the flame are two different matters. When oil runs out, the entire wick dries up, and the flame takes on a hollow quality. The smoke it produces will be harsh. But if the flame is intentionally reduced, the wick remains saturated with oil, so the flame will be solid. The smoke it produces will naturally be balanced and smooth, not harsh," Zhen Niang explained.

"I’m convinced, truly convinced…" Er Gou said, cupping his hands in acknowledgment.