Chapter 94 Good impression
Is Jiang Nanxue a time-traveling girl or did she have some adventure? Song Yanjin didn't know, but she really wanted to make friends with such a thoughtful person.

Song Yanjin stood up and stretched his limbs, then sat on the tea table, washed his hands and made a pot of tea. "Yuanyuan, has your cousin ever thought about expanding the bookstore to the capital?"

Last year, when my brother returned to the capital, I seemed to have heard my cousin mention that she wanted to expand her business to the whole country. Maybe she had some ideas. Gongshu Yuanyuan asked in confusion, "What does Song Shanzhang mean by this?"

Song Yanjin didn't keep the secret any longer and said directly, "I want to co-brand with your cousin. Her bookstore is opening in Beijing, and Qingyun Academy is investing in it. The students in the academy are quite talented. If we publish a collection of poems or a comic book, it will definitely be a bestseller."

Qingyun Academy has the most powerful printing administration department, so publishing books is not a problem.

Song Yanjin thought about going it alone, but mainly he wanted to get to know Jiang Nanxue, a person with advanced ideas. Almost everyone in Beijing has a copy of the storybooks she wrote, and they have been popular for a long time. The joint cooperation with the academy will only take their success to a higher level.

As expected, powerful women have ideas about making money. Gongshu Yuanyuan didn't understand what the comic version of the story was, but the best-seller probably meant that it could make a lot of money.

Gongshu Yuanyuan was tempted, "Give me a share, and I will definitely invite my cousin to come to Beijing."

Song Yanjin could still afford just one share. He picked up two cups of tea and handed one to her, "It's settled."

Gongshu Yuanyuan was pleased to see this and nodded with a smile, "Yes."

The new top scholar Gu Jiajing went to work in the Hanlin Academy, Xia Yange went to the Ministry of Rites, Ye Shiran went to the Ministry of Justice, and Huangfu Yunqing, with the help of his family, went to his hometown in Jiangnan.

Gongshu Tianye stayed in Beijing and worked in the Honglu Temple.

The rest of the students who passed the imperial examination at Qingyun Academy went their separate ways to take up their posts in the various prefectures, cities and counties to which they were assigned.

Thanks to her brother's halo as the top scholar, Gu Jiaxing was reassigned by His Majesty to the position of commander of the Tiger Guard Battalion.

The Tiger Guard Battalion was stationed ten kilometers outside the capital. They were the emperor's personal guards, ready to be dispatched by the emperor at any time.

After coming back from court, Gu Jiaxing practiced with her spear in the training ground for the whole afternoon in a fit of anger. She stopped only when her clothes were soaked with sweat. Compared to staying in Beijing and being ordered around by others, she still preferred the freedom of being at the border where the emperor was far away.

The old marquis stood in the corridor and watched quietly. He was happy to see his daughter staying in Beijing, and he also thought that Jiaxing's unruly character should be restrained.

The unsuccessful Song Yanxi hasn't left her room for half a month. Zhu was afraid that she would do something stupid, so she dragged her out today and stayed at the farm for a few days to relax.

Song Yanxi was filled with grievances and resentment. She couldn't accept the fact for a while and became skinny. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, and she no longer had any hope for the future.

When they arrived at Zhuangzi, Zhu got off the car first. Song Yanxi could hardly walk steadily and had to be helped down by the maid beside her.

Zhuangzi was Zhu's dowry. In the yard, colorfully painted rhombus-colored gauze was drying in the sun. The breeze blew, and the green gauze swayed. Song Yanxi was a little dazed as she looked at it.

"Don't underestimate this dye shop. Its annual income is equal to half a year's income of the Song family. Fortunately, I don't manage the family, so I don't have to pay for it myself."

Zhu led the way and introduced the way. She brought her daughter here to get her familiar with the cloth shop and find something to do so that she wouldn't be depressed and tired all day.

When Xier gets married in the future, Zhu plans to give this cloth shop as a dowry.

When the workers saw the master coming, they stopped their work and bowed politely.

Over at the paint pool, the young man caught a glimpse of the girl behind the host and recognized her at a glance as the girl who had a crush on him at the window of Zuixianlou on the day of the top scholar's parade.

With his hands covered in dye, he ran away in a hurry out of inferiority. How could he meet the fairy when he was working so sloppily?
Song Yanxi and her mother were busy managing the farm and the servants every day, and the depression of being rejected gradually dissipated. Today, on a whim, she took her maid to the dyeing pond, intending to start with dyeing cloth and make a beautiful skirt herself.

Song Yanxi had never done any work before. She didn't even know how to tie a rope or which vat to put the cloth in for dyeing. Since they were young ladies, the servants were so frightened that they dared not come forward and say anything, and just quietly did their work.

Xu Shaowen, who was hiding in a corner, saw the opportunity and stepped forward to help, ignoring the strange looks from others.

As the cloth was about to go into the water, Xu Shaowen quickly grabbed the pliers and said, "Miss Song, this is wrong. If you put a piece of cloth in, it won't be dyed the color you want, and the pattern won't come out."

Song Yanxi turned her head and saw the young man's cold gaze. She suddenly remembered, it was him?

"Finally someone helped me. I thought they were all mute."

The maid angrily threw away the wooden stick that was stirring the dye vat in her hand. The young lady was brought up in pampered love since she was a child. Everyone in the mansion addressed her as the Second Young Miss when they saw her. The country people just had no rules and allowed their master to busy herself here for nothing.

Song Yanxi glanced over with a cold brow and warned, "Golden Branch."

The maidservant shut her mouth tactfully, lowered her head and remained silent.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I've spoiled you, and I have a bit of a rude temper."

The young man in front of her was not dressed as gorgeously as when she first met him, but he was wearing a linen shirt that had been washed so much that it looked bleached, and it was obvious that he was a particular person. Song Yanxi apologized repeatedly.

Xu Shaowen smiled indifferently, pretending not to care. He grew up in a cloth shop and learned to read and write only from his family who dyed cloth for the employer. Naturally, he was used to the faces of those who were high and mighty.

With help, Song Yanxi dyed the first piece of cloth that she was satisfied with. The light green color gradually turned into dark blue. After washing the golden branches, they were hung on bamboo poles to dry. It should be ready for harvest in the afternoon under the strong sun.

Song Yanxi stood in front of the fabric with a full sense of accomplishment.

"Miss Song, I'm Xu Shaowen. My family is a dyeing worker in a cloth shop. I passed the imperial examination in the autumn, but failed in the spring. Now I'm helping to earn some money to supplement the family income. My mother was an embroiderer in Jinluyi when she was young. If you want to make a dress, you can draw some patterns you like for me."

Xu Shaowen introduced himself frankly, saying that his mother was very skillful, so why not embroider some exquisite patterns for Miss Song to please her?

He had been observing Miss Song for many days and had no idea what she had been through. On the first day she came to Zhuangzi, he saw that she was skinny and her eyes were dull. This was the first time he saw her smile during her time at Zhuangzi.

Jinzhi wanted to say something, but was stopped by Song Yanxi, "I'll give it to you in three days, and your mother's wages will be doubled."

Scholars spend money, and pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and books are ridiculously expensive. Let’s consider this as the reward for his help today.

Wearing plain-colored dresses in summer makes people look more energetic. The elder sister's dresses are mostly blue or light green, which makes her look otherworldly. This time, she also wants to make a beautiful dress.

Jinzhi followed the young lady back to the house and couldn't help complaining on the way, "Young lady, your clothes are all made by the embroiderers in the mansion. They work all day long and their hands are not very clean. If they dirty the fabric, how can you wear it?"

"How about I send you back to the capital and have the embroiderer embroider the pattern for you, and then we can sew it together with Madam."

Song Yanxi had a good impression of Master Xu, who was the first to come forward to help. But after being criticized so badly by the maid next to her, her face darkened. "Jinzhi, if I remember correctly, you are a house-born child, the granddaughter of the kitchen manager's mother. How clean can you be when you grew up in the kitchen?"

"Whether I am a lady or you are a lady, I don't mind it, but you do."