Chapter 25: I Like Peonies

The carriage made its way along the street where the Delicacies Pavilion was located. At this hour, the restaurant was bustling with business; a sea of people crowded the entrance, and the carriage could go no further from quite a distance away.

Xu Mo and Chen Miaoyi alighted and swiftly blended into the throng, heading straight toward the front. Xiao Wu, who trailed behind, grew anxious upon seeing them disappear into the crowd, so he hurried his pace in an attempt to catch up. Yet the street was too crowded; after only a few steps, he bumped into someone, and by the time he looked up again, Xu Mo and Chen Miaoyi were nowhere to be seen.

Panic rising in his chest, Xiao Wu searched in vain—there was no trace of them. Left with no other choice, he returned to the Sundries and General Goods Hall to report to his manager.

When Liu Rushi learned that Xiao Wu had lost them, she was displeased but did not scold him harshly, simply waving him away.

Meanwhile, Xu Mo and Chen Miaoyi had already slipped out through a nearby alleyway, heading directly back to Uncle’s house in Sweetwater Alley.

As soon as they stepped through the door, Xu Hui was stunned, her eyes widening as she looked them up and down.

“Cousin, Sister-in-law, didn’t you go out to discuss business? How… how did you end up like this?”

Xu Mo smiled lightly. “We were out on the street anyway. Why not buy some clothes for myself and your sister-in-law while we’re at it?”

Chen Miaoyi hurried to explain, “Huihui, don’t listen to him. There’s a reason for these new clothes…”

She proceeded to tell Xu Hui the cause.

During this, Xu Mo was already in the courtyard, checking the concentration of the lye.

Suddenly, an exclamation rang out behind him. “What! Six strings of cash?”

Xu Mo turned, frowning. “Why are you shouting? No need for such a fuss…”

Xu Hui shook her head repeatedly. “But… it’s six strings of cash! Do you know how much meat that could buy?”

To spend so much on attire and accessories was beyond Xu Hui’s capacity for thrift—she could scarcely imagine it, let alone bear it.

Xu Mo couldn’t be bothered with her feelings. “Where’s Uncle and Peaceful?”

“In the back courtyard. I’ll fetch them.”

Soon, Xu Hui brought Xu Tieshu and Xu Ping’an into the main room.

Xu Tieshu, concerned about the business, asked at once, “How did it go? Was it a smooth negotiation?”

Xu Mo smiled, “Uncle, we’ve already come to an agreement with Shopkeeper Liu of the Sundries and General Goods Hall. In two days, we’ll deliver the soap, and payment will be settled on delivery.”

As he spoke, Xu Mo took out the signed contract for his uncle to review.

Xu Tieshu was eager to know the price. “Xu Mo, how much did you settle on?”

“Five strings of cash per bar, with the first batch being two hundred bars.”

“Hmm! Five strings per bar is… not bad…”

He had barely uttered the word “bad” when he froze, turning in shock. “What did you say? How much?”

Xu Tieshu’s expression changed utterly, bordering on astonishment.

Xu Mo laughed. “Uncle, you heard right—five strings per bar!”

“Really… truly five strings?”

For a moment, Xu Tieshu’s mind spun, his lips trembling. Hadn’t they discussed selling at one string per bar? How had it quintupled in the blink of an eye?

Though Xu Hui was dumbfounded, her miserly instincts compelled her to do the math on her fingers. “At five strings per bar, two hundred bars is… is one thousand strings!”

Her heart pounded. “Heavens, this is… this is a thousand strings? Am I dreaming?”

Xu Hui, usually as quick-tongued as a firing crossbow, now struggled to speak.

Xu Ping’an, meanwhile, hadn’t spoken a word, standing in a daze. Unbeknownst to the others, a conundrum preoccupied him: a single string meant a thousand copper coins, so a thousand strings was a thousand times a thousand coins—what a mountain that would be! Likely, a whole room couldn’t contain it. How would they bring all that money home?

For a good while, the family basked in the joy of impending wealth, all save Xu Mo, who remained calm.

Once the excitement had faded, Xu Mo turned to his uncle. “There are two more things I’d like to ask of you, both concerning the molds.”

Xu Tieshu nodded at once. “Tell me, Uncle will do as you say.”

The first matter was to craft a hundred more soap molds. That would bring them to four hundred, meaning each batch of two hundred bars could be made in two shifts, ensuring efficiency.

The second was Xu Mo’s hope that his uncle could carve decorative patterns into the molds. Not only would this make the soap more attractive, justifying the price, but it would also serve as a kind of trademark—one glimpse of the pattern, and people would know the soap’s origin.

Xu Tieshu considered these small requests and slapped his chest. “Don’t worry, that’s easy enough. Peaceful and I will handle it!”

With that, he called his son over, and the two of them went out to the courtyard to chisel the new molds.

Xu Mo, meanwhile, was not idle. He fetched brush, ink, and paper, sitting at the table in the main room to design a pattern. He spent an hour sketching but remained unsatisfied, though he had gone through many sheets of paper.

At this moment, Chen Miaoyi brought over a cup of hot tea, her voice gentle. “Husband, rest your mind for a moment and have some tea. Perhaps inspiration will come after a break.”

Xu Mo nodded, sighing as he set down his brush and accepted the tea, pacing the room as he sipped.

Chen Miaoyi approached the table, glancing over his sketches.

Xu Mo looked at her, then suddenly thought of something. “Miaoyi, what is your favorite flower?”

She lifted her head. “I like peonies.”

At that, a spark seemed to flash in Xu Mo’s eyes. He smacked his forehead. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of the peony?”

He had struck himself so hard that tea splashed from the cup.

“Husband, what are you doing?” Chen Miaoyi hurriedly asked.

Without answering, Xu Mo set down the teacup, took a fresh sheet of paper, and began to draw.

As he worked, he said, “Do you know what peonies represent? Wealth and good fortune—perfect for us!”

He was drawing a simple peony, the kind he had often sketched for school blackboard presentations, the lines still vivid in his memory.

When he finished, he showed it to Chen Miaoyi. “What do you think, does it look like a peony?”

She nodded at once. “Husband, you draw so well—it’s just like a peony!”

Pleased with her approval, Xu Mo grinned. “Let’s have our molds carved with this peony design. From now on, our soap will be called Peony Brand! What do you think?”

“Peony Brand Soap…” Chen Miaoyi murmured softly, then nodded. “Husband, I think it sounds beautiful. I like it very much!”

“I like it too!” Xu Mo exclaimed, delighted.

He then summoned Xu Tieshu’s family to the main room to show them the peony sketch.

As expected, all three agreed instantly to both the pattern and the name.

Xu Tieshu declared, “Peaceful, let’s set aside the other molds for now. Focus on carving two hundred peonies first—we can’t delay important work!”

“Yes, Father!” Xu Ping’an replied.

By evening, the lye had reached the desired concentration. So as not to be seen by the neighbors, they moved the process of mixing the pork fat indoors, shut the doors, and began their busy work…