Chapter 12

A birthday banquet left the name Ye Yu deeply etched in the minds of the guests. Although most people found his fawning despicable, it also made some ill-intentioned individuals more cautious. Because Ye Yu's joining the Su family's clothing shop had caused Li Tong and others' businesses to decline, he had become a target of their resentment.

To avoid the hidden arrows from Lu Zheng and Li Tong, Ye Yu took the opportunity of the birthday celebration to intentionally get closer to County Magistrate Lu Kun. Although this move was considered disgraceful, as everyone in Qingliu County knew that Lu Kun was a thoroughgoing corrupt official, he had no other choice.

The days that followed were peaceful yet fulfilling. Ye Yu was busy at the shop during the day, and whenever he had free time, he would go to the dyeing workshop outside the city to conduct dyeing experiments himself. After repeated trials, he finally achieved some success.

The basic dyeing process in the dyeing workshop is divided into three stages. The first stage involves removing the sizing from the original fabric, boiling it, and bleaching it in water.

The original fabric, also known as gray cloth, contains many impurities before dyeing, which need to be treated to ensure even coloring during the dyeing process.

The second stage is dyeing. The ancients created various dyeing techniques based on the characteristics of different dyes, including direct dyeing, mordant dyeing, reduction dyeing, resist dyeing, and over-dyeing. However, the core of these techniques lies in the precise mixing of dyes.

The third stage is fixing the color, which is the most technically demanding part. Whether this stage is successful directly affects the quality of the fabric. It was precisely because Su Quanzhong failed to master this stage that the dyeing workshop closed down after three months.

After a period of diligent research, Ye Yu gained a general understanding of the current state of ancient dyeing. At present, whether it is the imperial dyeing bureau or the large and small dyeing workshops in the civilian sector, the method used to fix the color of the dye is mostly to use salt as a mordant to prevent fading.

However, with the appearance and application of alum (potassium aluminum sulfate), after several applications and transformations, it eventually became a high-end color fixative for dyeing workshops.

This high-end color fixing technique indicates that only the imperial dyeing bureau and some wealthy merchants in the textile business have mastered it.

From this, it can be seen that the quality of the Pan family's fabric is so superior not only because of the quality of the original gray cloth but also because they added alum to fix the color during the dyeing process.

However, when it comes to alum, Ye Yu thinks of the popular snack of the time—youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks). Youtiao is a major breakfast delicacy invented by the people to "commemorate" the couple Qin Hui.

Using alum as an additive, two strips of dough are twisted together and placed in hot oil to fry, resulting in golden youtiao. This process embodies the people's wishes and wisdom.

In recent days, Ye Yu has conducted multiple experiments on alum color fixing, carefully analyzing the proportions and usage.

Not only that, but he also recalled that in the future, acetic acid was added to the dyeing process to enhance the color fixing effect. Therefore, he incorporated this idea into the color fixing process.

On the drying racks, the newly dyed indigo fabric looked particularly bright in the sunlight.

Sitting under the eaves, Ye Yu watched Qiulan, who was sweating profusely and still working hard, and said, "That's enough, Qiulan. The fabric is already dyed. Come and rest for a while. It's very hot in the early summer!"

"Okay!" Qiulan responded brightly, then tidied her sleeves and came under the eaves, sweating profusely.

"Here, wipe your sweat!"

Ye Yu took a damp towel from a wooden basin and handed it to Qiulan. She took the towel lightly and glanced at Ye Yu, then used it to wipe her sweat, her slightly red face beaming with joy.

"I hope this time it will be successful!" Ye Yu said to himself, looking at the dyed fabric fluttering in the wind on the drying racks.

"It will definitely be successful. Qiulan believes in you!" Qiulan's small nose wrinkled slightly, and she responded confidently.

Ye Yu smiled slightly, saying, "Ninety-nine failures, it's time for success!"

"It's getting late. Let's go back, Master! We can check the quality of the fabric tomorrow..."

"Alright! That's a good idea. Hehe, you mentioning it, I feel a bit hungry now!"

After Qiulan tidied up the workshop, she pushed Ye Yu out of the dyeing workshop.

...

Three miles east of the county gate, there is a crossroads. Since this is a must-pass route to the county, it has gradually formed a market over time.

On both sides of the road, there are vendors selling grains, fruits, and vegetables, as well as tea and snacks for passersby.

Although it was early evening in early summer, the weather was still very hot. Therefore, Ye Yu and Qiulan, master and servant, stopped at a teahouse to cool off and rest. The teahouse attendant brought tea and snacks, and Ye Yu gestured for Qiulan to sit and rest.

Qiulan sat down and took a sip of tea. Seeing that Ye Yu was free, she hesitated and said, "Master, Qiulan wants to learn poetry and literature... Can Master teach me?"

Ye Yu, who was about to drink tea, was taken aback and put down the teacup, looking at Qiulan with doubt, "Why this sudden idea?"

"Although Qiulan can't match Miss Su in talent, I also want to learn to read and write. Maybe one day I can help Master..." Qiulan said, lowering her head, not daring to look directly at Ye Yu.

"Being diligent and eager to learn is a good thing. Of course, I'm happy to teach you!" Ye Yu said, but he was speechless inside. After spending so much time together, how could he not see through Qiulan's little thoughts?

However, learning poetry and literature is a good thing. Although Qiulan had been with him for a long time and knew some characters, she was still a blank slate when it came to poetry.

After some thought, he said solemnly, "We don't have pen and ink right now. Why don't we use this free time to teach you how to compose couplets?"

Qiulan's face lit up with joy, and she clapped her hands, "Good! When I was washing clothes by the river, I often heard people composing couplets on boats!"

Now that Ye Yu is the second manager of the clothing shop, his income, though not abundant, is still sufficient. Therefore, at Ye Yu's insistence, Qiulan quit her job washing clothes and stayed at home to manage the household.

Seeing Qiulan's excited face, Ye Yu was also very interested and said, "Composing couplets is actually quite simple. However, if you delve into it, it can be as difficult as climbing a mountain! For example, 'heaven' to 'earth', 'rain' to 'wind', 'continent' to 'sky'..."

Ye Yu's passionate explanation started from the basics and gradually became more complex. Although Qiulan was initially overwhelmed, she still gained some understanding.

When Ye Yu's mouth was dry from talking, he stopped to drink some tea, and Qiulan, resting her chin on her hand, asked, "Master, the old scholar Li next door often scolds his wife, saying, 'husband leads, wife follows, an ancient tradition.' If this is the upper line, what would be the lower line?"

"Uh..."

Ye Yu didn't expect Qiulan to apply what she learned immediately and now test him.

To be honest, this upper line isn't too difficult, but it's not something he could come up with immediately. Moreover, he knew he wasn't particularly good at composing couplets.

"Master..."

Qiulan's urging made Ye Yu feel a bit embarrassed. After thinking for a long time, he finally came up with a lower line but was hesitant to say it.

"This..."

"Master, please say it!"

Ye Yu cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "Man on top, woman on bottom, yin and yang in harmony!"

"Man on top, woman on bottom... yin and yang in harmony... Master! You... you're bullying me..." Qiulan was initially stunned but then instantly understood the deeper meaning, her face turning bright red as she turned away, embarrassed and stomping her feet.

"Bullying? You asked me to say it... Besides, 'husband leads, wife follows' matches 'man on top, woman on bottom,' and 'ancient' matches 'yin and yang'..." Ye Yu shrugged helplessly, looking innocent.

"Master, you... you're so bad..."

"Am I?" Ye Yu tilted his head, looking puzzled.

"Hmph!... I won't talk to you anymore..." Qiulan was speechless with embarrassment at Ye Yu's rogue-like behavior.

Just as they were chatting, a commotion came from the opposite bun shop. Ye Yu turned to look and saw a crowd gathered around the shop.

Since Ye Yu was sitting in a teahouse on a hill, he could see everything clearly. The bun seller was a very burly middle-aged man with a beard that made him look fierce.

At that moment, the middle-aged man, with his chest exposed, pointed at a man standing in front of the shop and shouted, "You're like a plaster, get lost if you can't afford buns! Don't block my business!"

The man he was scolding was a young man with a dirty face, looking like a beggar.

The young man did not retreat because of the man's scolding but instead pleaded, "Brother, I have no money to buy buns to fill my hunger. But I have strength. If you don't mind, I can work as a laborer in exchange for a meal..."

"I don't need anyone here, get lost!" The middle-aged man, seeing that the man still wouldn't leave, glared and threw his towel aside, circling around the shop to teach this ungrateful young man a lesson.

But when he came close and grabbed the man's collar to lift him up, he suddenly found that the man didn't budge, which made the middle-aged man's heart sink.

Usually, he could easily lift a 200-pound bag of rice with one hand. Now, this young man didn't move at all. Could it be that this guy had roots in the ground?

The middle-aged man, not convinced, used all his strength, determined to throw the young man three yards away.

However, the reality was not as he expected. Even with all his strength, he couldn't move the young man an inch. This scene not only shocked the onlookers but also made the middle-aged man gasp in surprise.

At this moment, a man in a blue robe rushed past in a hurry. Soon after, an old village woman hobbled over, shouting, "Help! Robbery! Give the money back to this old woman!"

Due to the uneven road and her panic, she stumbled and fell to the side. Many people were watching, but no one came to help the old woman, and no one chased the fleeing thief.