Chapter 262: Dyeing Fabric

After seeing off Jia Yue’er, Shopkeeper Su returned and called for Su Zhi and her husband. He had the accounts settled by his assistant and handed the silver to Su Zhi, along with eighty taels, which covered Jia Yue’er’s expenses.

Su Zhi handed all the silver to Shen Zi’an and then discussed business with Shopkeeper Su.

“Sister Su, I have another matter to ask for your help this time. I know your family not only manages the embroidery workshop but also operates a dyeing mill, right?”

Su Zhi had already inquired about this. While the Su family ran both the embroidery and dyeing businesses, they had refrained from opening a fabric shop in town because others had already established theirs first. They didn’t want to compete unfairly and instead maintained a fabric shop in the county seat. Since Su Zhi wanted to venture into dyeing, she needed to understand the process and acquire dyes to test if her magical spiritual spring water could produce vibrant fabrics.

Shopkeeper Su nodded when Su Zhi asked about the dyeing mill, though he didn’t quite understand her intent. “Yes, we do have a dyeing mill. What can I help you with, sister? Are you looking to dye some fabric? That’s no problem at all; just bring the fabric over.”

Su Zhi smiled. “Sister, you’re truly sharp. Yes, I do want to dye fabric.”

Su Zhi instructed Shen Zi’an to bring some fabric. Knowing they weren’t particularly close, she devised this plan to avoid arousing suspicion by casually requesting a visit to their dyeing mill under the guise of dyeing a piece of fabric.

“Not only are you skilled in embroidery, but your weaving is excellent too. This fabric is woven very evenly”

Shopkeeper Su examined the fabric and was impressed by its quality. He thought it was woven far better than what was typically sold in fabric shops. If they could dye it successfully, it would surely sell well. However, he quickly dismissed the idea of expanding into fabric weaving; it was too labor-intensive. Besides, Madam Shen of the Shen family was already overworked with the embroidery.

“Dear sister, rest assured, I’ll dye it well for you. What color would you like? I can dye any shade you want,” Shopkeeper Su assured.

Su Zhi thought for a moment before replying, “I’d like a light green, like the color of young spring leaves.”

Shopkeeper Su chuckled. “You describe it so well! When you say that, I can almost see the fresh green just sprouting. It’s indeed a lovely color, though it might be a bit tricky to dye. I’ll have them do their best.”

Su Zhi nodded and then said, “Sister Su, speaking of dyeing fabric, I wonder if I could have a look at how the dyeing process works. I’m quite curious. Please don’t worry, I’m simply curious and have no other intentions.”

Shopkeeper Su smiled. “Why would I mind? If you want to see, then by all means, come and see.”

Although Shopkeeper Su found it somewhat peculiar that Su Zhi, a woman, was so interested in their dyeing mill, he didn’t dwell on it. Their dyeing mill wasn’t a secret, and as long as there were funds to hire craftsmen, they could operate it. The key lay in the dye recipes, which their family had from the Liang Dynasty era. While not the best, they were sufficient for their business to thrive. If they were truly worried about competitors stealing their business, wouldn’t all the craftsmen in the dyeing mill be on guard?

“Then let’s do it that way. Come find me tomorrow when the fabric is dyed, and I’ll take you to see. Today is market day, and I really can’t leave. Besides, you have goods on your cart. It’s tiring to haul so much stuff to the city for the dyeing mill,” Shopkeeper Su suggested.

Su Zhi nodded in agreement.

After leaving Baise Embroidery Shop with Shen Zi’an, Su Zhi continued on to the market. They met many fellow villagers while shopping. At the pork stall, they bought five pounds of pork, five pounds of ribs, two pig trotters, and some pig offal. The children seemed to prefer offal over meat, and even Uncle Lan enjoyed eating fried pork intestines with wine.

Once they finished shopping, they returned home and stored everything away. Su Zhi then went out to pick vegetables.

In the vegetable garden, the crops had flourished abundantly, vibrant green thanks to Su Zhi’s addition of a small amount of Spiritual Spring Water. This exceptional growth was a stark contrast to the previously barren land, which had earned its reputation as inferior soil. Now, with Su Zhi’s expert gardening, many believed she had a green thumb, attributing her success to both skill and good fortune. Some credited the quality of the pond water, but others argued that the crops thrived even before the pond existed, reinforcing the belief in Su Zhi’s agricultural prowess.

Su Zhi harvested green beans, hollow-heart greens, and a bunch of garlic chives before returning home. Meanwhile, Yueyue and the others picked chives alongside          Aunt Lan, grabbing handfuls of vegetables freely under the adults’ watchful eyes. Su Zhi believed in teaching children to work early on to prevent them from growing up spoiled.

Back home, Su Zhi began cooking while Aunt Lan assisted on the sidelines. Despite her age, Aunt Lan admired Su Zhi’s cooking skills and helped with simple tasks like fetching water, leaving the intricate cooking techniques to Su Zhi.

In no time, Su Zhi finished cooking a variety of dishes: scrambled eggs with chives, braised pork with green beans, stir-fried hollow-heart greens, a large pot of stewed ribs, and spicy fried pork intestines, specially made for the two men who enjoyed drinking.

Feeling joyful, Su Zhi prepared a lavish lunch for the White Wolf family as well, ensuring everyone ate heartily. Little Black even took away the bones in the end.

After the meal, adults and children took leisurely strolls or sipped tea, eventually settling in for an afternoon nap. Upon waking, they resumed their respective activities.

These peaceful and fulfilling days were Su Zhi’s favorite.

She watched her three children earnestly writing and Shen Zi’an weaving baskets nearby, thinking how wonderful it would be to continue living like this, perhaps with another child of their own in the future.

The next day, Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi returned to town together, where Shopkeeper Su escorted them into the county seat.

Shopkeeper Su’s dyeing mill was expansive, bustling with activity as soon as they entered.

First, Shopkeeper Su showed Su Zhi the fabric she wanted dyed. As soon as she received the fabric, it was sent over for dyeing, and now it was ready.

Examining the fabric, Su Zhi found it slightly duller than she had imagined. She thought to herself that such a color wouldn’t have been like this in her previous life; it seemed there was room for improvement in their dyeing techniques.

Shopkeeper Su led the couple around to inspect the dyed fabrics, observing Su Zhi closely throughout. She noticed Su Zhi’s serious expression but lack of a smile, wondering if Madam Shen from the Shen family was only here to observe. What exactly was she after?

Having understood the dyeing process, Su Zhi nodded in acknowledgment. It didn’t seem too difficult, but she had no intention of trying it herself. Since she aimed to collaborate with Shopkeeper Su, she saw no harm in discussing it early on.

“Shopkeeper Su, the fabric here is very good,” Su Zhi remarked to Shopkeeper Su. She began with praise, genuinely so, having visited fabric shops both in town and in the county seat over these days. The best fabrics she saw there were comparable to those here. She had also seen Liang Fu’s clothes, which were naturally of better quality than those here, although still not as vibrant as the fabrics she remembered from her previous life. Liang Fu had even gifted them a piece of fabric from the capital, claiming it was purchased from the largest fabric shop and highly praised by many ladies and wives in the capital for its brightness. However, in Su Zhi’s eyes, the fabric was not that bright.

It was this incident that made Su Zhi aware of the level of fabric dyeing in this world, giving her more confidence in making money from dyeing fabrics.

However, Su Zhi had never experimented herself. She wanted to try using some dyes and fabrics on her own. Yet, this seemed somewhat impractical, and when she considered she have the Spiritual Spring on hand, she thought about adding Spiritual Spring water to the dye and seeing if it could improve the fabric. It might be better to tamper with the dyes here at Manager Su’s place instead, but she didn’t want to keep it a secret from Manager Su.

No matter the outcome, Su Zhi had nothing to lose.

“Have you ever thought about making the fabric more vibrant?” Su Zhi said to the shopkeeper. She had prepared her response beforehand, confident that whether the spiritual spring could enhance the brightness of the fabric or not, she wouldn’t have any problems.

The shopkeeper had a smile on her face after hearing Su Zhi praise the fabric earlier. She acknowledged that their fabric was indeed good, thanks to their secret formula. Their fabric sold exceptionally well, ranking among the top in the region, if not the very best. However, upon hearing Su Zhi’s question, the smile on the shopkeeper’s face faltered. She wondered how Su Zhi, so clever, could have thought to ask that. Surely Su Zhi knew their dyeing workshop was the best and most renowned here. Did Su Zhi perhaps encounter better fabric elsewhere, hence finding their fabric lacking?

“Maybe you’ve seen better fabric somewhere else, which is why you’re asking this?” the shopkeeper said. “That fabric you saw must have been excellent, likely dyed by a large dyeing workshop. You might not know, but dyeing fabric requires skill, and some dyes have secret formulas. The ingredients in the fabric you’ve seen must have been very good. Obtaining those? It’s like trying to reach the heavens.”

The shopkeeper continued, reflecting on her years in the business and their efforts to improve. “Our fabric has been getting better with each dyeing, gaining recognition even in the capital. But to achieve something better is difficult. I envy those families with secret formulas.”

Su Zhi realized the shopkeeper had misunderstood her intentions. However, her words deepened Su Zhi’s understanding of the dyeing trade and piqued her interest even more.

“Sister Su, I’m not saying your fabric here is inferior to others,” Su Zhi clarified. “I’m just wondering if you’ve ever thought about making these fabrics brighter. But after hearing your explanation, I understand it’s not that simple. It’s made me quite unsettled. To be honest with you, I once met someone who shared a recipe with me, claiming it had benefits for dyeing fabrics. I’ve never tried it, so I’m not sure if it’s true or not.”

“What? Is that really possible?!”

Shopkeeper Su was astonished to hear this. Su Zhi wasn’t just an ordinary farmer’s wife; she clearly knew something. Now that she was offering a formula, Shopkeeper Su couldn’t dismiss the possibility. Instead, her heart filled with anticipation.

From her basket, Su Zhi produced a small bottle, giving it a shake before saying, “I’ve made some according to that formula myself. Whether that person tricked me or not, trying it out will tell. I know you run a dyeing workshop, so I thought of coming to you to give it a try. I wonder if it’s convenient for you. Let me dye a batch of fabric, regardless of the outcome—it’s on me. I’ll use the same colors from earlier but this time I will add this bottle of solution and see if there’s any difference later. Would you be willing to give it a shot?”

“Alright, it’s settled then!”

Shopkeeper Su looked at the small bottle in Su Zhi’s hand and readily agreed. She was curious to see if they could indeed dye better fabric. If successful, it could be a significant breakthrough!

Shopkeeper Su made arrangements and watched as Su Zhi poured the contents of the small bottle into the dyeing vat.

Inside the bottle was nothing but the diluted spiritual spring water that Su Zhi had cautiously used. She didn’t dare use the pure spring water directly—who knew what the consequences might be? She preferred a mild outcome rather than something too alarming.

After pouring in the mixture, Shopkeeper Su instructed the staff to start dyeing the fabric. By now, it was already noon, so she invited Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an to have lunch.

After finishing their meal, the overseer responsible for dyeing approached with an excited expression, informing Shopkeeper Su that the fabric turned out exceptionally bright. Shopkeeper Su’s eyes sparkled even brighter than Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an’s upon hearing this. She immediately stood up and headed outside. After a few steps, she remembered Shen Zi’an and his wife and quickly turned back to invite them along.

The group went to inspect the fabric again, now that it had been dyed. Though it wasn’t dry yet, its brightness was already apparent. Even without a direct comparison to the previous fabric, it was clear that this cloth was different.

The workers at the dyeing workshop were all looking at the fabric hanging high, discussing it enthusiastically. They unanimously praised its quality.

Shopkeeper Su gazed at the fabric, her eyes filled with delight. It truly matched Su Zhi’s description—it looked like freshly sprouted leaves in spring, inviting one to reach out and touch, making the surroundings seem brighter and more vibrant.

Su Zhi watched the fabric, feeling excited. The spiritual spring water had indeed worked, and the amount she had added this time was just right. The fabric wasn’t overly bright but had achieved the perfect level of vibrancy. Finally, it resembled the bright fabrics she remembered from her previous life. In this era, it was truly outstanding!

Su Zhi could already see piles of silver flowing in like snowflakes, quickly forming into a mountain of silver.

Shen Zi’an looked at the fabric, equally surprised, though his surprise was fleeting. He thought to himself, his wife knew how to build a kang bed, cook new dishes, weave and embroider knots, laces and make headbands, prescribe medicine, and even garden better than others. With such a recipe in her hands, it seemed quite normal.