The more he reflected, the more doubts he had; he began to suspect that Wang Yongzhu had been deceiving him all along, with no master or mission whatsoever.
It was impossible for anyone to mimic Wang Yongzhu so precisely that even her own family would be deceived. Others aside, how could anyone possibly fool Old Granny Zhang?
Not until that day at the dye workshop, when Wang Yongzhu dismissed several pieces of jewelry without a glance, picking only that gold bracelet.
When she came home beaming with that gold bracelet and slipped it onto Old Granny Zhang’s wrist without hesitation, her eyes filled with the love of a daughter for her mother, impossible to conceal.
At that moment, his heart, which had been swaying between doubt, guard, emotion, and an irresistible pull, finally settled down.
That adoring gaze, holding out her most treasured possession to her mother, hoping to make her happy and then proud because she had succeeded, how could that be anyone but Wang Yongzhu?
Although he did not know why Wang Yongzhu would want to deceive him, perhaps she was still angry about his previous divorce.
But he only knew that his doubt towards Wang Yongzhu had completely dissipated, leaving behind only the obsession to make her look at him with that same unreserved gaze.
How could Wang Yongzhu know about his thoughts, his obsession? It would scare her away!
Therefore, Song Chongjin simply smiled faintly, reaching out to stroke Wang Yongzhu’s hair, "What a life-saving grace!"
Go deceive a ghost with that talk!
Wang Yongzhu absolutely did not believe it, but she also knew she couldn’t extract anything from Song Chongjin’s mouth, so she simply gave up.
Soon, the guests had almost all arrived, and Shopkeeper Wu invited several elders of high standing to unveil the cloth covering the signboard of the Auspicious Dye Workshop together.
Outside the workshop, firecrackers sounded continuously.
Announcing that the Auspicious Dye Workshop was officially open for business.
The workshop featured a special showroom, where the latest achievements of the dye masters were exhibited.
The most eye-catching, of course, was the simplified version of dyeing valves; on the deep blue base cloth bloomed large flowers. Though not as refined as those offered in tribute, they possessed a charm of their own.
There was also a maroon cloth that, for some reason, Shopkeeper Wu decided not to display.
The indigo cloth lay quietly beside the dyeing valves, appearing stable and elegant.
There were also formulas improved by Wang Yongzhu, which made many colors burst into vivacity, like the plum red that now was lovelier and more enchanting, and the snow-green and iron-red...
Immediately attracting a crowd of female customers, who surrounded the display, looking and looking again, reluctant to leave.
They eagerly grabbed the shop assistants to ask, "Is this fabric for sale?"
Of course the dyed fabric would be sold; the shop assistants had been well trained. As soon as the customers inquired, they explained that the Auspicious Fabric Store next door specialized in selling fabrics from Auspicious Dye Workshop. The fabrics displayed today were all available there, and everyone could go and choose to buy.
Moreover, there were opening day discounts and benefits.
When the women heard that, who could hold back? They all rushed to the fabric store next door.
Wang Yongzhu, seeing the bustling scene at the neighboring fabric store, also breathed a sigh of relief. In business, it was natural to seek a lucky start, and although she was confident in her dyeing techniques and dye formulas, until she saw it with her own eyes, she was not entirely certain.
Worried about the sales volume, Wang Yongzhu made another trip to the town the next day, where Shopkeeper Wu was busy calculating with an abacus in the dye workshop, with a shop assistant reporting something to him.
Upon seeing Wang Yongzhu arrive, Shopkeeper Wu hurriedly waved her over, "Niece, come here quickly, do you know how much we sold on the first day?"
Wang Yongzhu shook her head.
Shopkeeper Wu held out his hand and gestured with his palm.
"Five bolts?" Wang Yongzhu felt that it was already quite good.
"My dear niece, do you have so little confidence in the cloth you dyed? It’s fifty bolts!" Shopkeeper Wu was so excited he could hardly sit still.
"This is the sales volume from the town and the county just yesterday. As for the sales in the Capital City and the provincial city, we will have a summary in one month. But judging from the number in the county, that’s no small figure either!" Shopkeeper Wu rubbed his hands, hardly daring to imagine.
At this moment, he felt very proud of himself. Ah, he had such discerning eyes back then, otherwise, where would today’s glory come from?
Wang Yongzhu was completely relieved because she heard Xiao Tiantian’s voice announcing the completion of the task: "Congratulations, host. Time-limited task: The dye workshop opened smoothly, and the cloths dyed by the host sold well within the set time limit of 24 hours. Task completed, 10 points gained."
"Since that’s the case, I’m at ease! I’ll go back and try some other recipes then. I’ll leave the matters of the dye workshop to you, Shopkeeper Wu!" Knowing the news, Wang Yongzhu didn’t stay long and prepared to leave.
Shopkeeper Wu greatly admired Wang Yongzhu’s character of not meddling in affairs unnecessarily. He picked a few good bolts from the cloths used for experiments at the dye workshop or those not quite up to standard, hired a cart, and sent Wang Yongzhu back to Qilidun.
Everyone had fallen asleep.
Ever since Lady Lin eavesdropped on matters regarding Wang Family, she became even more attentive.
Especially now, the Wang Family’s reputation really was known to everyone in the town.
Why? Because they had a capable daughter! Not to mention receiving rewards from the noble ladies in the palace, she also partnered with Shopkeeper Wu from the town to open a dye workshop and fabric store. It was said that on the day the dye workshop opened, business was so booming that it was incredibly lively.
The women in the town were like crazed, clamoring for the blue cloth with white patterns that even the noble ladies in the palace praised. It was said that clothes made from that fabric were incredibly pretty.
It was also said that the dye workshop produced an indigo cloth that was durable and hardly faded, suitable for both men and women, giving a respectable and elegant appearance when worn, and very dirt-resistant.
Nearly everyone went crazy for it.
Many said that the fabric store was making a fortune daily, and that Wang Family girl could share a few hundred taels of silver a month.
Two days later, another piece of news practically knocked Lady Lin for a loop.
Wang Yongfu’s leg was cured by a miraculous medicine obtained by the Wang Family girl! It was said that he could even stand up and walk a few steps now!
When this news reached the Lin Family, Eldest Sister-in-law Lin and the others couldn’t bear it.
They regretted it so much that they were practically green with envy.
Had they known that the Wang Family’s fortunes would turn around so quickly, that Wang Yongfu could even be healed, why would they have fallen out with the Wang Family?
Otherwise, given Wang Yongfu’s past trust in them, perhaps the Lin Family would have prospered by now.
The people of the Lin Family sighed deeply for days, and Eldest Sister-in-law Lin couldn’t hold back her anger, furiously scolding Lady Lin.
She blamed Lady Lin for having no shame, for being blind. It was all Lady Lin’s fault, stating that had it not been for Lady Lin’s stupidity and disgraceful insistence on divorce, the Lin Family would still be relatives with the Wang Family, not enemies now.
Clenching her teeth, Lady Lin remained silent no matter how Eldest Sister-in-law Lin scolded her.
These days, every night, she would stealthily dig at the wall in the firewood room with a shovel, using the firewood to cover it during the day so no one would notice during their visits to the firewood room.
After several days of digging, she finally made a hole big enough for a person to pass through.