Chapter 85 Trip to Embroidery Workshop
Under the restaurant, there was a s.p.a.cious and bright backroom. In the backroom, Fang Yuan and Qu Qingning were whispering about the drawings. Suddenly Fang Yuan’s ears slightly moved. In the next moment he flashed to the door of the backroom. He was alert.
Qu Qingning was about to do something, and the door of the backroom was opened slowly. Su Li wore a black night clothes and walked in calmly. When she saw Fang Yuan standing at the door, she stopped as if she was frightened by him.
Seeing Su Li, Fang Yuan felt relieved and said, “Why do you come without telling us? How do you get down?”
“Don’t forget that the drawings were drawn by me.”
Su Li chuckled and asked sitting at the table, “How are you going these days?”
Qu Qingning smiled and came over. He said, “Su Li, we are not lazy. Look! The backroom on the first underground floor has been built, and even that in the first floor has been built in half. It only takes seven days. It’s fast, isn’t it?”
Su Li nodded slightly and said, “On the way to come here, I was also quite surprised. I did not expect that the first underground floor has been built. In that case, you can take the things in the yard here. By the way, how much silver do you have?”
Qu Qingning was instantly aggrieved and said, “Su Li, you said that we should build the restaurant as soon as possible. So, I discussed with Fang Yuan. Since the number of helpers has been double, the cost becomes higher. We have cost 50,000 taels only for one floor!”
“Don’t worry. I will leave the remaining 200,000 taels to you. Open the restaurant as soon as possible, and our silver will not be like water without a source.”
Su Li took out the rest of bank note without hesitation. Qu Qingning put it away and was surprised inside. Su Li was really generous. Wasn’t she afraid of the failure of the business?
“Have you decided the name of the restaurant?”
Fang Yuan was listening to them silently. Suddenly, he asked aloud. The restaurant would be built soon with Su Li’s money, so Su Li should give a name.
“I have come up one. Its name is ‘Linli Building’ from Hanchang Linli (fully and delightfully).” Su Li smiled with curled eyebrows. When she said, her sight was mysterious.
Fang Yuan was slightly stunned and nodded without a word.
Lin Li… Ling Li?
The atmosphere suddenly became a little embarra.s.sed. Seeing this, Qu Qingning immediately changed the topic and said, “How about those craftsmen? Since you build the underground backroom, it is natural that it can’t be known by others. But those craftsmen have seen the drawings. You are doing useless work, aren’t you?”
Su Li smiled. Then she took out a white porcelain bottle and put it on a stone table.
“Let all the craftsmen eat by any means.”
Fang Yuan was a little serious. Qu Qingning’s face changed immediately and he pointed at the bottle on the table, “This… is not right, is it? Those people…”
Su Li smiled. She opened the bottle and shook it. Then she said, “What do you think it is? Poison? If I poisoned them, would my restaurant be opened?”
Qu Qingning was stunned and embarra.s.sedly scratched his head. He said, “I am wrong. What is it inside?”
“It can make them forget something. The more they have it, the more they forget. You should pay attention to the dose when you put it. You had better control the memory of two months. See?”
Su Li carefully told him. Qu Qingning could not help but wonder inside. Why did Su Li have so many strange things? Even in the Nanjiang Country which was famous for strange poisonous insects, there was not something as interesting as the poison of Su Li.
“Where does she study the poison skills? Fang Yuan, can you recognize it?”
After Su Li left, Qu Qingning could not help but ask. Fang Yuan shook his head and said, “If poison skills are well-known, how are there so many magical secret recipes? Since Su Li does not say, we cannot ask.”
Qu Qingning rubbed his chin and immediately smiled, “It is really interesting to follow Su Li!”
Fang Yuan glanced at him with a blank expression. When he looked at Fang Ling who was busy in the backroom, his sight became gentle.
Back to the inn, Su Li examined the traces of the room carefully to make sure that no one had come.
She sat down with relief and began her practice. Although there are no elixirs to a.s.sist, her physique was extremely suitable to practice the Ghost Valley Meditation Direction. She had already quietly practiced the Ghost Valley Meditation Direction to the seventh hurdle. Her practice speed was more than twice as fast as that of the fifth hurdle.
From the Dasu Town to the Qinghe Province, she had experienced lots of troubles. But her cultivation was steadily improving. She had already stepped into the inborn first hurdle and was close to the inborn second hurdle.
The speed was also unexpected by Su Li. The practice method and personal encounters of this life were better than those of the previous life. She did not know that the full Ghost Valley Meditation Direction would lead her to which hurdle.
In the whole night, she said nothing.
On the next morning, Su Li got up early and went downstairs to have the meal early. Then she went to the embroidery workshop which just opened.
Lots of people placed orders in the embroidery workshop every day. The door was open to anyone. So, Su Li did not show her ident.i.ty to anyone and enter easily.
At the next moment when Su Li left from the door of the embroidery workshop, Yan Hongxiu who covered her face completely appeared at the door with her maid Huan.
“Miss, how do you run out? You still have a literature cla.s.s today.”
Yan Hongxiu was peeking at the door. When she heard the words of Huan, she immediately said impatiently, “Oh! I saw the old Ning had black eyes. So, I gave him some medicine to help him sleep well! Don’t speak to me anymore. Get in quickly. I am still waiting for the show!”
Yan Hongxiu’s dress really stood out. Taking a closer look, one could still recognize her. The guards of the embroidery workshop held their laughter back so hard that their faces turned red. But they pretended not to see her and let her go in.
Su Li walked into the hall of the embroidery workshop and found that the lobby was quite lively.
Merchants were holding the bank notes and lists and rus.h.i.+ng to the platform for embroidery orders.
The ordinary embroidery was cheap but the exquisite embroidery of embroidery workshop or the embroidery from the top embroidery artificer was popular among the country. If it could be s.h.i.+pped to other countries, it would be sold at a good price!
Therefore, the embroidery workshop was full of customers every day. The situation in the hall continued from the morning to the night.
Su Li glanced at them and was no longer concerned about them. She turned away and called an administrator. She showed the nameplate of the top embroidery artificer, and the administrator’s expression changed slightly. Then he led Su Li to the back hall.
After she entered the back hall of the embroidery workshop, the noise was far away and getting lower and lower.
Until the administrator took her to the embroidery workshop, the noise had completely disappeared. The workshop was very quiet.
“Sorry, I can’t recognize which embroidery workshop are you from. Can you tell me? I will lead the way.”
The middle-aged administrator who led Su Li saw Su Li was so young, but he did not dare to be impolite. The nameplate of a top embroidery artificer was true. Even if the nameplate belonged to her parents, he would not stop her. A top embroidery artificer was well respected in the embroidery workshop. As an inferior administrator, he dared not to offend her.
“I don’t know it either.”
Then the administrator was convinced secretly. He said, “In that case, you’d better go to the central hall to wait for your parents. The central hall is the reception room of the workshop owner. The new workshop owner happens to come here for inspection today. If you are lucky enough, you will see her.”
Su Li raised her eyebrows and did not tell him the truth. She said, “Let’s go to the central hall.”
The administrator was instantly relieved. If the miss was unreasonable, he would be in trouble.
They walked to the central hall from the back hall. Su Li saw that many embroidery artificers walked hurriedly with embroidery boards. Many of them talked about her. It was obvious that they were curious.
Su Li was always impa.s.sive. The administrator was amazed that she was so young but so calm. Meanwhile, he became more curious. Who was she descended from? The name of the embroidery artificer was on the back of the nameplate. He only saw the front. She did not dare to ask Su Li to turn over the nameplate.
“Miss, the central hall is here.”
The administrator stopped and pointed to an open room of the backyard. Su Li looked over and saw many acquaintances. She slightly curled up her lips and walked in without the administrator’s leading.
When the administrator saw the people in the room, his face changed immediately and felt that something was not good. But thinking of Su Li’s ident.i.ty, he still walked in constrainedly.
Jin Ruolan tried to sweet-talk the depressed Yan Hongxiu. Hearing the footsteps suddenly, she turned her head to figure out who it was. After she saw the person, her face immediately changed. “Why are you here? Who let you in?!” she said.
Then, she became serious and her sight fell on the administrator beside Su Li. Her angry voice was close to breaking through the roof of the central hall, “Gao Dahai, how dare you! She is not a member of the embroidery workshop. You actually led her in!”
Gao Dahai was immediately in panic. He knew Jin Ruolan, the daughter of the Jin Family. She was arrogant and moody. If he offended her, he would definitely suffer from misery.
“I… I…”
Gao Dahai did not give an explanation. Su Li gently took a step forward and said with a smile, “Jin Ruolan, we do not see each other only in one day. Your temper is worse. It seems that you do not care about my words at all.”
Jin Ruolan smiled coldly and said, “Su Li, where do you think is it? It is not your warm room but the embroidery workshop of the Qinghe Province. You blatantly come in. Be careful that the officials will throw you in jail. Then you will suffer a lot!”
Yan Hongxiu laughed out behind her before Jin Ruolan finished her words, “Jin Ruolan, you are so arrogant. I am not a member of the embroidery workshop too. I really want to see how you punish me.”
Jin Ruolan’s expression was stiff and she turned back. Yan Hongxiu was smiling angrily. She immediately became amicable and said, “Miss… Hongxiu! n.o.body in the Qinghe Town dares to arrest you. Su Li is just a commoner. She can’t compare with you.”
Then Jin Ruolan turned back with a stern look, “Gao Dahai, what are you doing? Report to the official!”
“Ah?”
Gao Dahai was stunned. He saw Su Li was pretty and delicate. She may not suffer a lot. He hesitated for a long time and did not take action.
When Jin Ruolan saw his reaction, she was immediately mad and shouted, “Servants! You are all cowards. You even dare not catch a commoner who intrudes to the embroidery workshop.”
Then a lot of administrators who watched Jin Ruolan’s expression instantly rushed to Su Li to catch her. When Yan Hongxiu saw the bad situation, she immediately stood up and shouted, “Stop!”
The status of the satrap’s daughter was naturally higher than that of Jin Ruolan. Those administrators immediately stopped and stood aside.
Jin Ruolan was stunned and she didn’t understand the reason. Yan Hongxiu hated that Su Li surpa.s.sed her, didn’t she?
In this moment, Su Li finally moved to Jin Ruolan step by step and said,
“Jin Ruolan, you say ‘report to the official’ and ‘punish you’. Is the embroidery workshop owned by your family? You have exceeded your authority. Aren’t you afraid that the workshop owner of the embroidery workshop would be angry?”
Jin Ruolan immediately laughed. She satirized Su Li, “Who do you think are you? Can you let the workshop owner speak for you? Besides, I care about the embroidery workshop. Even if it is known by the workshop owner, she will praise me for doing a good job!”
“No, no, no. If the workshop owner knows it, he will not say that.”
Su Li shook her head and laughed. She had come to the room and sat on the seat of the workshop owner in Jin Ruolan’s horrified sight.