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This was a two-story shop, its storefront looking much grander than the neighboring ones.
Upon entering, the first thing that caught Wei Yunlan’s eye was the tall, blue and white porcelain vase on the left.
The vase was smooth and lustrous, and the patterns fired onto it were extremely delicate and exquisite.
Unfortunately, on the right side of the entrance, only the base remained. The vase on top, whether it hadn’t been saved during the “Earth Dragon’s Roll” or had encountered something else, was gone.
Just as Wei Yunlan paused to lament, a shop assistant came over, sizing her up before asking blandly, “Is there anything you’d like to buy, sir?”
Wei Yunlan’s brows furrowed slightly, “Of course I’m here to buy porcelain. If the price and style are suitable, I’d like to buy a large quantity.”
The assistant’s lazy demeanor instantly changed. He put on a smile, “Which household are you from, sir? Our manager is currently receiving distinguished guests upstairs. I’ll go up and inform him.”
“I’m not from Suijiang. I’ve only heard of the famous Suizhou porcelain and happened to pass by. I want to buy some.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the assistant, who had just shown eagerness, immediately retracted his smile, “That’s a bit difficult. Our Fengji Porcelain Shop is one of the best in Suizhou. We usually only supply noble households. If you buy a few pieces, it’s fine, but if you want to buy in bulk, I’m afraid…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Wei Yunlan understood that doing business with Fengji Porcelain Shop required a certain threshold. Not everyone could do so.
Just at that moment, a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe, with a thin but dignified face, led a plump-looking manager downstairs, “Manager Liu, please take care of this batch of goods.”
“No problem. When the goods arrive in the capital, Manager Feng will be waiting to split the profits.”
The two men spoke as they walked out of the shop. Seeing Wei Yunlan still standing there, the assistant raised an eyebrow, “Did you see Manager Liu just now? He’s the manager of the household of the younger brother-in-law of the Suizhou Military Commander, Lord Hong. The goods in our warehouse are all supplied to Lord Hong’s younger brother-in-law, to be taken to the capital to make a fortune.”
Wei Yunlan nodded faintly and turned to leave.
She wasn’t necessarily set on buying porcelain from Fengji Porcelain Shop. In fact, as long as the glaze was delicate and the quality was good, it would be fine.
Leaving that street, she inquired at a teahouse on the corner and soon found another shop called “Yuantouju.”
The storefront was small, but it was quite different once you entered.
Behind the small storefront was a U-shaped corridor. Along the corridor walls were shelves lined with exquisite porcelain. Sunlight poured down from the middle, illuminating the beautiful porcelain on the shelves.
When Wei Yunlan entered, there was no one at the storefront, but the U-shaped courtyard behind was bustling with activity. Five or six people were scurrying through the corridor, checking and organizing the items on the shelves.
One could faintly hear the sound of heavy sighs, “Ai, this one is cracked!”
“How could this one also be shattered!”
Wei Yunlan took a couple of steps inside. A handsome young man who looked like the manager was frowning at the assistant in front of him, “The Weiyuan Escort Agency won’t take our order either?”
“Then ask those merchants on East Street. If someone wants it, lower the price a bit.”
The assistant hurried out after receiving his orders. The manager then noticed the extra person in the shop and bowed, “Excuse me, sir. Our shop is currently closed for inventory.”
Wei Yunlan pondered the manager’s previous words to the assistant and asked, “Manager, do you have a batch of goods that you need to sell urgently?”
The manager immediately understood that the customer had heard his previous words and nodded in acknowledgment, “That’s right. Our shop has a batch of porcelain that we need to sell urgently to raise money to repair the kilns that were damaged in the disaster.”
Kilns were the foundation of a porcelain shop. No wonder the manager was so urgent.
This was a stroke of luck for Wei Yunlan. It was like someone had sent her a pillow when she was about to doze off. “I’m planning to buy a batch of porcelain to sell in another province. Manager, would you mind letting your assistant show me your goods?”
“Of course!”
The manager, overjoyed, gestured for her to follow, “We have some of the goods in the shop’s warehouse. Please come with me. As for the rest, it’s in our warehouse outside the city. If you’re free, I can take you there anytime.”
“Let’s look at the goods in the shop first.” Wei Yunlan calculated her time; she still had to go back and trade with Mr. Luo for the thousand bolts of silk.
The manager led Wei Yunlan through the corridor, introducing the porcelain displayed on the shelves as they walked.
After a few steps, Wei Yunlan suddenly noticed that the vase displayed in the center looked familiar, and she couldn’t help but take a closer look.
This vase… wasn’t it exactly the same as the one she saw at the entrance of Fengji Porcelain Shop?
Noticing Wei Yunlan’s gaze, the manager asked, “Do you recognize this vase?”
“I happened to see it in another shop.”
Hearing this, the manager couldn’t help but smile wryly. Seeing the inquiry in Wei Yunlan’s eyes, he briefly explained the origin of this vase.
It turned out that Yuantouju and Fengji Porcelain Shop were once one!
This manager also had the surname Feng. The current head of Fengji Porcelain Shop was originally an apprentice at the Feng family’s kiln, learning from the current manager’s grandfather.
Just listening to this complicated relationship, Wei Yunlan had already imagined a grand drama, but the manager didn’t talk much about the intricacies, only saying that their Yuantouju porcelain was no worse than Fengji Porcelain Shop, but there was a special technique that required a specific kiln to be fired, and only Fengji Porcelain Shop had that kiln.
Wei Yunlan was accustomed to using good things and could tell that Yuantouju’s porcelain was indeed of excellent quality, as the manager had guaranteed.
After inquiring about the prices, she made an appointment with the manager to meet at the West City Gate the next day at the Si hour to go and see the remaining half of the goods outside the city.
Leaving Yuantouju, she had just enough time to return to Mr. Luo’s.
Money for goods, goods for money.
After handing over nine thousand taels of banknotes, the entire room full of silk belonged to Wei Yunlan.
Mister Luo handed her the keys to both courtyards, his chubby face creased with a smile, “Master Yue, the lease for these two courtyards has two months left. I’ve already paid the rent in full. You can use them freely. I’ve moved all my things.”
As he spoke, his servant had already packed his bags and stood by the carriage.
As soon as everything was completely handed over, he got into the carriage and left for the city gate without a moment’s delay. He was afraid he wouldn’t want to come back to this broken place that had cost him nearly half his fortune for the rest of his life!
Watching Mister Luo’s carriage leave, Wei Yunlan told Suihe to take the key to the front courtyard and lock it. She then turned and walked back into the courtyard.
Entering the room and closing the door.
She reached out to touch the silk in front of her, about to put it into her space, when she saw that the entire room full of silk had vanished!