Chapter 20: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 20: 

 

When these two impressive young men appeared at the gate of the courtyard, the women and neighbors sitting idly on the street began to peer out and whisper among themselves about them.

Some even came over to try to engage with the new neighbors. Unfortunately, the men were not as approachable as his wife; they ignored the neighbors' attempts at conversation and, with their eyes fixed straight ahead, got into their carriage without any intention of chatting.

Zhao Quan got into the carriage, eager to demand answers, and whispered, "Wasn't Miss Lian supposed to send you food today? Why did you come here to eat again? Could it be that you're actually involved with her?"

Cui Xingzhou ignored him and slowly said, "Zhao, you should know how Old Madam Marquis would react if she knew your intentions."

With that remark, Zhao Quan's aggressive stance immediately faltered.

Zhao Quan's mother, after all, was even more adept at reprimanding than his wife. If she discovered he was interested in the wife of a notorious figure, she might unleash a scolding that could ruin him!

So, with just a mention, Cui Xingzhou had deflated Zhao Quan's anger. However, Zhao Quan was still reluctant to give up and retorted angrily, "Don't just blame me. I think it's you who can't resist Miss Liu's beauty and has become infatuated! Aren't you worried I'll report this to the Old Princess Consort and Miss Lian?"

Cui Xingzhou, having had a small amount of wine, was feeling lazy and relaxed in the carriage. He responded with indifference, "Do as you please."

Zhao Quan was irritated by Cui Xingzhou's indifferent attitude but couldn't help feeling a pang of envy.

Indeed, even if he reported the matter, what could it change? Cui Xingzhou was someone who feared no one.

Although Cui Xingzhou had a mother, she was soft-spoken and always listened to her son. With no legitimate wife in the Prince household and Miss Lian constantly flattering Cui Xingzhou, even if he did keep a mistress, Miss Lian would still likely diligently prepare the most nourishing remedies for the prince.

Considering this, Cui Xingzhou's carefree and untouchable situation was truly enviable.

Reflecting on his own troubles, Zhao Quan spoke candidly, "With your freedom, it would be a shame not to keep a few mistresses."

Cui Xingzhou, seeing his friend caught up in his own thoughts, didn't bother to address his foolish remarks and simply turned over to take a nap.

Back at the North Street residence, Liu Mian Tang waved goodbye to her husband’s carriage until it disappeared around the corner, and then cheerfully led Li Mama back into the house.

However, the neighbors who hadn’t had a chance to speak with Master Cui were eager to chat and caught up with Liu Mian Tang, starting to talk her ear off.

“Madam Liu, I just took a good look at your husband today—he is truly handsome! I think even the legendary Pan An wouldn’t be much better!”

Old Madam Yin said as she handed over some melon seeds, clicking her tongue in admiration.

Madam Zhang, who had previously doubted whether Madam Liu was a merchant’s concubine, was now hastily mending relationships with the neighbors. She offered Liu Mian Tang a wooden stool to sit on and said, “I had seen Master Cui’s back before and thought he was exceptional. He and Madam Cui truly seem like a match made in heaven… By the way, does your husband have any unmarried brothers? Are they as good-looking as he is? My niece is fifteen and waiting for a matchmaker!”

“My husband is the ninth in his family. His older brothers are all married and settled in the northwest, and he’s the only one remaining in the capital. There aren’t any suitable younger brothers either, but I’ll ask him if he has any suitable cousins. If so, I’ll definitely let Madam Zhao know.”

Liu Mian Tang felt a sense of satisfaction as she showed the neighbors that her husband was a man of fine character, not some greasy middle-aged merchant.

She took on a very approachable demeanor, smiling as she sat down, cracking melon seeds, and chatting casually while graciously accepting the neighbors' compliments.

For a moment, the North Street was filled with a warm, neighborly atmosphere, with conversations and seed-cracking stretching on indefinitely.

Just then, an old scholar, guided by the shop assistant from Mian Tang's store, stumbled his way toward her.

Liu Mian Tang, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized him as the reclusive scholar, Mr. Chen. Seeing his urgent pace, she stood up and quickly moved forward to greet him.

Mr. Chen hurriedly approached, his excitement making his words tremble: “Madam Cui… Madam, it’s… it’s done!”

He then pulled out a piece of cloth from his pocket, which held a shattered plate.

Liu Mian Tang quickly took it and examined it. On the plate was a dragonfly, and upon closer inspection, it was clear that it depicted a woman's delicate figure—Mr. Chen had finally succeeded in painting on the smooth porcelain plate.

Unfortunately, the plate had cracked during the final firing process, possibly due to the kiln temperature. However, since Mr. Chen had mastered the technique of applying paint, creating another one should not be a problem.

At that moment, the worries that had weighed on her heart for days were finally lifted. Liu Mian Tang felt she could finally unleash her full potential.

The next day, she got up early and went to the kiln workshop where Mr. Chen was staying. He was busy painting three more plates, which were divided into two kilns for firing and color setting.

By sunset, one of the plates had cracked, but the remaining two plates had stabilized in color, and the artwork had been perfectly rendered.

Liu Mian Tang had been living in Lingquan Town for over a month. During her visits to various porcelain workshops, she had made many connections within the industry and learned a lot about the unwritten rules of the trade.

Selling porcelain is three parts dependent on the quality of the porcelain itself, three parts on the reputation of the shop, and the remaining four parts on the shopkeeper's ability to promote their goods.

Promotion often involves using classical references. For example, the top porcelain shop in Lingquan Town, the He family's old shop, boasts that their kiln was personally appraised by the favored Consort Xi during the reign of the late Emperor.

It is said that when Consort Xi first entered the palace, she was quite playful. One time, while accompanying her father to select porcelain, she visited a kiln workshop and, inspired by the story of the blacksmiths Ganjiang and Moye, playfully cut off a lock of her hair and threw it into the kiln. To everyone’s surprise, the kiln produced exquisite porcelain with a rainbow sheen.

The late Emperor, enamored with Consort Xi, also developed a fondness for the rainbow-colored porcelain from Lingquan Town. As a result, the He family’s old shop became the imperial workshop for the royal family.

After the late Emperor deposed the crown prince and appointed Consort Xi's son, Liu Tang, as the new crown prince, Liu Tang successfully ascended the throne and became the reigning Emperor.

Since then, the He family’s old shop has been firmly established as the top porcelain workshop in Lingquan Town.

Liu Mian Tang, on the other hand, did not aim to surpass the He family or become the top shop in Lingquan Town. Her goal was merely to sell her plates at a good price and establish a reputable name.

However, according to the path to fame of the old brands in Lingquan Town, the "Burned Jade Porcelain Workshop" had everything in place except for a compelling backstory to make it renowned.

At this time, Liu Mian Tang couldn't find anything like Emperor Qin Shi Huang's fingernails or Empress Wu Zetian's hair. She could only display the two plates on exquisite sandalwood stands, hoping that some discerning noble would recognize the value of these finely crafted items.

Unfortunately, those who visited her shop were mostly common folks. Despite Liu Mian Tang’s enthusiastic explanations and her efforts to highlight the dragonfly’s eyes, their interest quickly waned after a few “impressive” remarks.

The reason was simple: they offered too little, which did not reflect the painstaking effort Chen Xiansheng had put into creating these pieces.

Liu Mian Tang, with countless imaginative stories swirling in her mind, found herself short of a noble patron to bring the tales to life. Unable to suppress her frustration, she let out a deep sigh.

On this sunny midday, the yard was filled with the aroma of food. In the North Street residence, there were two tables set up—one high and one low.

Liu Mian Tang and Cui Jiu sat at the high table, while Mo Ru and Li Mama, the two maids, were seated at the low table closer to the small kitchen door.

It was clear that having the master and servants eat together in this manner did not adhere to the rules of a noble residence.

However, since Liu Mian Tang was in charge here, she decided that, given it was mealtime, it was better to eat at two separate tables rather than making the servants wait until the master finished, which would require reheating the food and waste firewood. As a modest household, they didn’t adhere strictly to such rules.

Cui Jiu indicated to the servants to follow Liu Mian Tang’s arrangement.

Recently, Cui Jiu had been coming back for lunch due to his free time. This was also because, after the prince found a cockroach with eggs in the army’s large pot of food a few days ago, and after severely punishing the cook, he had no desire to eat in the military camp any longer.

As a general, he knew that having a separate kitchen for himself would create a bad impression. So, after some consideration, Cui Jiu decided to have his meals in Lingquan Town and take a food box to bring back dinner to the camp.

So, these days, Cui Xingzhou had been having lunch with Liu Mian Tang. After all, if he intended to make Lu Wen jealous, he needed to act the part and set a proper stage to lure Lu Wen in, right?

When Liu Mian Tang heard that her husband’s chess teacher’s wife was ill and unable to prepare meals during the day, and that he would be studying chess strategies at the chess hall in the evening, she promptly agreed to take on the task of preparing the food boxes.

Given that a disciple should not neglect their master, the food boxes couldn’t contain only preserved radish, so she made sure to include a variety of fish and meat, avoiding repetition as much as possible.

However, each time Liu Mian Tang checked the kitchen and then did the accounting, she was alarmed. She asked Li Mama where the money for the meat and vegetables came from.

Li Mama was about to fabricate a story when Mo Ru, who was helping with the firewood, cleverly mentioned that the money came from a reward received after the master won a difficult chess game.

Liu Mian Tang, upon hearing this, nodded in admiration.

Though gambling and betting on chess are only one word apart, the former involves dice, while the latter involves chess pieces, reflecting a very different demeanor.

Her husband’s clever thinking and skillful chess play were not only impressive but also provided for the household!

For a moment, Liu Mian Tang felt ashamed of her own uselessness, unable to earn money immediately to let her husband focus on his chess studies without worrying about financial matters.

So, Liu Mian Tang thought long and hard and finally couldn't help but express her concern at the dinner table: “Husband, do you think it would be a good idea for me to intercept Prince Huaiyang's carriage?”

Mo Ru, who had just swallowed a boiled egg, was startled by Liu Mian Tang’s comment about stopping the prince’s carriage. In his surprise, he hastily swallowed half of the egg whole, causing him to choke and gasp for air, prompting Li Mama to quickly pour water for him and pat his back.

Meanwhile, the calm Cui Jiu smiled and asked Liu Mian Tang why she wanted to intercept the carriage.

Liu Mian Tang placed a peeled shrimp into Cui Jiu’s bowl and explained earnestly, “Husband, you may not know, but Prince Huaiyang is extremely filial. I heard that recently, for the Old Princess Consort’s birthday, the prince ordered an entire set of porcelain from the He family. Just a tea set cost five hundred taels! That amount could buy several houses!”

[Author’s Note:] Meow~~~ Miss Liu, don't scare us like that~~~

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