Chapter 59 My Daughter Isn’t Foolish

After chatting a while longer, Ning Yaxin grew anxious to return to the city and find a carpenter. She had no mind to inspect the workshop under construction, so she rose to take her leave.

Xu Mo immediately called her back. “Miss Ning, please wait a moment. I have something for you.”

Curious, Ning Yaxin halted in her steps.

Xu Mo turned back into the house and quickly returned with a small cloth bundle, which he handed to her. “Miss Ning, these are two new varieties of soap I’ve just made, meant specifically for bathing. Please take them and try them out—let me know if there’s anything that needs improving.”

“Soap…” Ning Yaxin pondered, then asked, “Is that scented soap?”

“Yes,” Xu Mo replied. “One is peony-scented, the other a blend of jasmine and osmanthus.”

Ning Yaxin nodded and handed the soaps to Ling’er, then bid her farewells once more and left.

Inside the carriage, as soon as the wheels began to turn, Ling’er couldn’t contain her excitement and opened the bundle.

“Miss, look! How lovely they are!” Ling’er exclaimed in delight.

Ning Yaxin turned to see Ling’er holding a bar of soap in each hand—one a shade of red between pink and rose, the other a pale yellow with hints of orange when examined closely.

Ling’er sniffed the red bar and immediately beamed. “It smells wonderful, Miss! What a delightful fragrance!”

Ning Yaxin’s curiosity was piqued. She took the red soap from Ling’er and brought it to her nose for a gentle inhale.

“This one is peony,” she declared at once.

Ling’er then sniffed the yellow bar and nodded eagerly. “This one smells amazing too!”

Ning Yaxin handed her back the peony-scented soap, accepted the yellow bar, and inhaled its aroma. She nodded. “Indeed, it’s a blend of jasmine and osmanthus. The scent is fresh and elegant—never cloying.”

Ling’er said with anticipation, “Miss, after bathing with these, you’ll be fragrant from head to toe. Stand in a crowd and everyone will be green with envy!”

Ning Yaxin didn’t reply, but she too was eager to get home and try these new soaps as soon as possible.

An hour later, Ning Yaxin returned to Xinzhou City.

The moment she entered, she sent people out to hire carpenters, promising double the usual wage. By evening, she had successfully hired twelve carpenters.

She arranged for them to meet outside the city gate at the hour of the dragon the next morning to travel together to Gushan Village.

After dinner, Ning Yaxin went to her father’s quarters.

She told Ling’er to wait outside and entered the room alone. Her father was resting against the headboard, listening as a servant read aloud—a daily ritual and his favorite pastime.

Seeing his daughter, Master Ning signaled for the servant to pause and leave them. The servant marked the page, bowed to them both, and quietly withdrew.

When the door closed, Ning Yaxin approached her father’s bedside. “Father, how are you feeling today? Any better than yesterday?”

Master Ning’s complexion was wan and his spirit somewhat weary, but he forced a smile for his daughter. “Much better. Yesterday my chest felt tight, but today it’s nothing.”

Ning Yaxin nodded, adjusted his quilt, and said, “Father, when I last visited Lord Li in Fuchun County, I ordered several roots of century-old wild ginseng. They should be delivered any day now.”

Her father shook his head. “Yaxin, I know my own health. Ginseng, deer antler—none of these will restore me...”

“How can you say that, Father?” Ning Yaxin hurried to reassure him. “The apothecary said century-old wild ginseng is precious and has the power to bring someone back from death’s door. As long as you drink ginseng broth every day, you’ll recover!”

Master Ning smiled, unwilling to discuss the matter further. “Let’s not talk about that now, Yaxin. I have something to ask you. Recently you mentioned signing a contract with someone named Xu Mo—a contract to make him the… what was it… yes, the general distributor. Is that right?”

“Yes!” Ning Yaxin nodded. “Why do you ask, Father?”

His tone grew stern. “I heard someone say that Xu Mo, who lives on Jiming Lane, is addicted to gambling. Not only did he lose his entire fortune, but he even pawned his wife. How could you choose to partner with such a man?”

After Ning Yaxin had told her father about making Xu Mo the general distributor, he’d quietly had him investigated. What he found only deepened his confusion and concern.

Ning Yaxin explained, “Father, at first I had the same doubts, but after getting to know him, I realized he isn’t what we imagined…”

“How well can you really know him, Yaxin? You’ve only just met,” Master Ning said.

“Father, do you know why Yongqiang’s Zhenxiu House suddenly became so popular?” Ning Yaxin asked.

Her father frowned. “Yaxin, this is serious. Why are you bringing up Yongqiang?”

She smiled. “Because I want you to know that the reason Zhenxiu House is thriving is entirely thanks to Xu Mo!”

“What? Are you saying he’s the ‘sage’ Yongqiang always speaks of?” Master Ning was astonished.

Whenever Ning Yongqiang had time to visit, he would lavish praise on Xu Mo, but never mentioned his name—always calling him “the sage.”

“That’s right,” Ning Yaxin confirmed.

Master Ning was baffled. “How could someone so capable lose his fortune and pawn his wife?”

Ning Yaxin, too, was troubled by this. “I can’t understand it either, Father. Perhaps it was a single misstep that led him astray.”

Her father fell silent, then gave her a word of caution. “Yaxin, in my current state, I can’t help you much. But remember: never trust people lightly. Always keep your wits about you, so you don’t suffer loss or regret it later.”

“Don’t worry, Father, your daughter is no fool,” Ning Yaxin replied with a smile.

He smiled as well, then asked, “By the way, Yaxin, how is the shop doing these days? Any improvement?”

Ning Yaxin’s smile faded and she lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Father. It’s the same as before.”

Seeing her disappointment, Master Ning reassured her. “Don’t worry, Yaxin. Take your time—our Ning family’s silk shop has a long history. If we can weather this storm, things will improve.”

The core of the Ning family’s business was silk. Although they dabbled in ceramics and tea, those were minor ventures—the main profits still depended on silk. But the Ning family had competition; in Xinzhou, there were three other silk merchants, with the Wang family being the primary rival—the same Wang family at odds with Ning Yongqiang.

After a moment’s silence, Ning Yaxin summoned her courage and said, “Father, our silk shops are doing worse by the day. I think we should close the ones in Heyang, Kaixian, and Fuchun for now, leaving just one in each county. What do you think?”