The Heir

Сhарtеr 62: Wisdоm in Lifе

After lеаving thе Сhеng Family Ink Pаviliоn, Zhen Niang еntered thе Li Fаmilу Ink Studiо.

Неr secоnd cousin Li Zhengyan, who hаd оriginallу beеn in сhаrgе of thе Li Fаmilу Ink Studiо, hаd now bеen assigned thе tаsk of сollecting рine resin оil at the рinе уаrd аnd соuld no longеr mаnagе thе studiо. Currеntly, Маnager Zhеng wаs busy оverseeing еverything with two аssistаnts.

"Мiss Zhen is hеre?" Manаgеr Zhеng was аt thе соuntеr with his twо assistаnts, tаking inventоry аnd recеiving goоds. Whеn hе loоkеd uр аnd saw Zhen Niang еnter, he greeted hеr.

"Managеr Zheng, yоu’ve bееn working hаrd. Please continue with your tasks; I’ll just look around," Zhen Niang said with a smile.

"Alright, feel free to look around," Manager Zheng replied with a complicated expression. He felt quite uneasy about Zhen Niang. When she first started smoke generation, he had tried to assert control over her. Little did he expect that in just over a year, from last year to now, Miss Zhen had taken over the Ink Workshop and was running it with remarkable success.

It truly reflected the saying, "The world is like a chessboard, with every move bringing something new." Now, a young woman had climbed above him, while he seemed to be regressing. Currently, he was merely managing the Ink Studio with only two assistants under him, far from the authority he once held at the Ink Workshop.

Thinking this, he quickly returned to his tasks.

The first batch of Re-blended Ink from the Ink Workshop had been delivered and was now displayed for sale at the Ink Studio. The person delivering the goods was none other than Zheng Fuli.

Zheng Fuli was in the inner room, helping to store the inventoried ink into the small storeroom. Hearing his father greet Zhen Niang in the outer room, he stood up and walked out, clasping his hands in greeting. "Miss Zhen, good day."

"Master Zheng, you’ve worked hard. Why are you delivering the goods today?" Zhen Niang asked casually. Usually, such deliveries were handled by assistants, not by an Ink Mixing master like Zheng Fuli.

"I wanted to see how customers respond to the Re-blended Ink, so I took the opportunity to deliver the goods and observe," Zheng Fuli replied. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but give Zhen Niang a deep look, thinking to himself that he truly had to admit defeat. The previous Ink Mixing and glue preparation aside, how did Miss Zhen know to reserve some old glue for "waking" the ink before mixing? Compared to her, he felt he had fallen another step behind in the art of ink-making.

"Customers don’t yet know the benefits of our Re-blended Ink. It’s still too early to talk about their reactions," Zhen Niang said. Then, glancing at Zheng Fuli, she added, "By the way, Master Zheng, I’d like to trouble you with something."

"Miss Zhen, there’s no need to be polite. Just give me your instructions," Zheng Fuli quickly replied.

"Then I’d like to ask you to prepare a gift and deliver it to Mr. Dongtu," Zhen Niang said. Although the Cheng Family had agreed to introduce them to Mr. Dongtu, the Li Family Ink Workshop still needed to show their sincerity. So, after leaving the Cheng Family Ink Pavilion, Zhen Niang had been thinking about sending a gift to Mr. Dongtu in advance. This way, when the Cheng Family made the introduction, they wouldn’t appear impolite.

Earlier, she had been wondering who would be the best person to deliver the gift. Steward Shao was the manager of the Ink Workshop and also the steward of the main branch, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to send him. As for Manager Zheng, someone needed to stay and manage the Ink Studio. And as a woman, it wasn’t suitable for her to go personally. Seeing Zheng Fuli now, she realized that although he was young, he was being groomed by Steward Shao and was quite adept at handling social situations, making him a suitable candidate. Hence, she brought it up.

"Mr. Dongtu?" Zheng Fuli asked, somewhat uncertain."Well, I've just spoken with Grandfather Cheng San. I've asked Third Master Cheng to agree to introduce Mr. Dongtu to test our ink for us. In that case, we'll send a gift first. That way, we won't be impolite when the time comes," said Zhen Niang.

"That would be perfect, but is the Cheng Family actually willing?" Zheng Fuli asked with a puzzled expression.

"Why wouldn't they be? They've solved the problem of pine soot ink materials without spending a single coin," Zhen Niang replied with a faint smile.

By now, several stewards and masters in the Ink Workshop were aware of the pine resin oil matter. Zheng Fuli himself was an Ink Mixing master, and as the grandson of Steward Shao, how could he not know about it?

Hearing Zhen Niang's words, Zheng Fuli was initially surprised but soon understood. It was impossible to keep this matter hidden for too long; better to exchange it for some tangible benefit.

Miss Zhen was indeed a perceptive person.

"Alright, then I'll go and take care of it," Zheng Fuli responded.

"By the way, select a few more sets of Re-blended Ink. Send some to Mr. Dongtu and also some to Young Master Nanyu," Zhen Niang added.

"Young Master Nanyu? Miss Zhen, are you referring to Ding Nanyu?" Zheng Fuli confirmed again. Zhen Niang's way of doing things was somewhat unfamiliar to him. Young Master Nanyu's name was Ding Yunpeng, with Nanyu being his courtesy name. He was a disciple of Mr. Dongtu. Usually, if Mr. Dongtu was invited, Ding Nanyu would naturally accompany him, so there was no need to send a separate gift.

After all, he was merely a disciple.

"Yes, no need for formal gifts. Just send him a few sets of ink specifically. I've heard that after studying under Mr. Dongtu for several years, his painting skills have now reached considerable maturity. Perhaps we can have the master and disciple test the ink together on stage—that would make for a fine story," Zhen Niang said.

Zheng Fuli was surprised once more. It was important to note that ink testing at the workshop was meant to promote their ink by borrowing the fame of notable figures. Therefore, a disciple would never be allowed to participate in the testing. Yet now, Miss Zhen intended to have Ding Nanyu test the ink alongside his master on stage, which would essentially help Ding Nanyu gain recognition.

In this way, the one who would benefit the most was actually Ding Nanyu.

"Miss Zhen, is that appropriate?" Zheng Fuli asked for confirmation.

"It's fine. Just follow my instructions," Zhen Niang said. The reason she wanted Ding Nanyu to test the ink alongside his master was that, in the future, this Ding Yunpeng, also known as Ding Nanyu, would become an extraordinary painter. During the Wanli era, he contributed illustrations to both the Fang Family Ink Manual and the Cheng Family Ink Garden. He even served in the imperial court for over a decade due to his painting skills, becoming a leading figure in the Huizhou painting scene.

Zhen Niang's move was simply to establish a favorable connection.

"Alright then, I'll go," Zheng Fuli nodded. Since Miss Zhen had already decided, he wouldn't say anything more.

"Very well," Zhen Niang nodded, watching as Zheng Fuli left.

At this point, Manager Zheng had finished his inventory. Zhen Niang discussed matters of the Ink Pavilion with him and, seeing the sun setting in the west, decided not to return to the Ink Workshop but to head straight home instead.

After bidding farewell to Manager Zheng, Zhen Niang left the Ink Workshop.

"It's getting late, Miss Zhen. How about I accompany you for part of the way?" Just as she reached the intersection, Zhen Niang heard Zheng Fuli's voice from behind.

Zheng Fuli had just returned from buying gifts at the shop. Spotting Zhen Niang from afar, he couldn't help but follow her.

Zhen Niang turned to look at Zheng Fuli and replied, "No need, thank you, Master Zheng. I live just up ahead, not far from here."

"Oh, alright then. Take care, Miss Zhen," Zheng Fuli said, his expression somewhat disappointed.Zhen Niang nodded once more, then turned and left. It wasn't that she was deliberately slighting Zheng Fuli—it was simply that in this era, the strict separation between men and women had to be observed. If it were for the sake of the Ink Workshop, that would be unavoidable, but in private, it was best to avoid such situations whenever possible.

Moreover, aside from the propriety between men and women, she also had to maintain some distance from Steward Shao's people for the sake of the main branch of the family. After all, Steward Shao was still the steward of the main branch.

If she grew too close to Steward Shao's people, others might think she was overreaching—that taking over the Ink Workshop wasn't enough and she was now meddling in the affairs of the main branch's household. If that happened, not only would she herself be in an awkward position, but even her mother, grandfather, and grandmother would find themselves caught in the middle.

Zhen Niang understood this perfectly well.

Zheng Fuli watched Zhen Niang's retreating figure, his eyes holding an inscrutable expression. Then he, too, turned and left.

The setting sun stretched the long alley even longer.

Zhen Niang soon arrived home. The gateway under the city wall was darker than elsewhere, and by the time she entered the house, the oil lamps had already been lit.

To her surprise, however, Du Da was actually at her home.

"Zhen Niang, Young Master Du has been waiting for you for a while," Zheng Shi whispered to her from the side.

"Oh, what brings Brother Du to see me? Why didn't you send someone to call me?" Zhen Niang stepped forward and asked with a faint smile.

"No need, it's not too urgent. I just happened to be here to see Xiao Guan'er," Du Da quickly replied.

"Let's talk about it later. It's mealtime now—Du Da, stay and have a simple meal with us," Old Shopkeeper Li interjected. Although the Li family didn't think much of the Du brothers, Du Da was, after all, Xiao Guan'er's maternal uncle, and basic courtesy had to be observed.

Soon after, Du Shi and Zheng Shi served the dishes. Old Shopkeeper Li, cousin Li Zhengshēn, elder brother Li Zhenliang, and Du Da sat together at one table for the men. Zhen Niang naturally joined Wu Shi and Zhao Shi, while Du Shi ate in the kitchen with Xiao Guan'er.

"Sister-in-law, what did Brother Du want to see me about?" Zhen Niang asked.

Her grandfather had deliberately interrupted her conversation with Du Da earlier and called for the meal to begin—there was a deeper meaning to that.

This was to give her time to find out the situation. If Du Da's request could be accommodated, it would be; if not, there would be some buffer to avoid immediate awkwardness. This approach might seem simple, but it was the wisdom of an elder who had lived through many years of life.

"My brothers recently pressed a batch of tung oil at their oil mill. Knowing that the Li Family Ink Workshop uses tung oil to produce soot, they wanted to see if the workshop needed any and came to ask," Du Shi said with an awkward smile.

Because of this matter, she had just been lectured by her mother-in-law in the kitchen for a while, and her expression was still somewhat strained.

"Didn't your brothers' oil mill only press edible oil before? Why have they suddenly started pressing tung oil?" Zhen Niang asked curiously. It seemed that not long ago, the Du brothers didn't even have enough money to buy rapeseed—how had they suddenly expanded into tung oil?

Little did Zhen Niang know that the Du brothers were always eyeing greener pastures. They had just borrowed money from the bank to buy rapeseed and press rapeseed oil, but due to the Pine Blight, the price of tung oil had skyrocketed. Seeing that tung oil was more profitable, they had mortgaged the pressed rapeseed oil to borrow more money, bought tung seeds, and started pressing tung oil.But tung oil isn't like cooking oil that every household needs. Most who use tung oil are merchants themselves, with established supply channels—they can't just switch suppliers casually. Thus, even though tung oil prices had soared, the tung oil piled up in the oil workshop by the Du brothers couldn't be sold. The two men were frantic, racking their brains until they remembered that the Ink Workshop also used tung oil, so they came begging.

"It's all envy at play. Seeing others make money selling tung oil, their hearts itched and they jumped in, not knowing their own limits. Now that they can't sell it, they've set their sights on the Ink Workshop." Zhao Shi hit the nail on the head.

Du Shi's expression grew even uglier.

At Zhao Shi's mention of making money from tung oil, Zhen Niang caught on and inwardly criticized the Du brothers for aiming too high.

"Sister-in-law, I can't promise anything. I'll have to go to the Ink Workshop tomorrow to check. If there's still a need, we might take a little." Zhen Niang then added with a serious expression, "But let me be clear upfront: if the quality doesn't meet standards, the Ink Workshop won't accept even a drop."

"Of course, of course. If the quality isn't up to par, don't worry about my face." Du Shi hurriedly replied.

She understood perfectly well that Zhen Niang was doing this entirely out of respect for her.