At noon, five people sat around the small dining table in the backyard of Cloud Silk Atelier, the atmosphere strangely tense.
Shen Nianyi wore a stern expression on her pretty face, her gaze fixed straight ahead, focused solely on the rice in her bowl as if she intended to count every grain with her eyes.
She remained silent throughout the entire meal, her chopsticks moving only within the dishes directly in front of her, completely treating Pei Yanshu, who sat opposite her, as if he were air.
Pei Yanshu, however, seemed utterly unbothered, eating at his own leisurely pace. He even offered occasional commentary: “This bok choy is stir-fried just right, though it’s a tad too oily.”
As he spoke, he even attempted to transfer the carrot slices he didn’t like from his bowl into Shen Nianyi’s.
Shen Nianyi immediately moved her bowl aside, causing him to miss his target. The carrot slice fell onto the table, but Pei Yanshu showed no sign of embarrassment.
The other three watched this silent battle between the two, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Da Chun tried hard to lighten the mood. Shoveling a large mouthful of rice, he mumbled, “Uh… today’s millet porridge is really fragrant! Right, Sister A Man?”
A Man shot him an annoyed glare and whispered harshly, “Just eat your food! You talk too much!”
Although she was also angry about Pei Yanshu’s behavior that morning, seeing the shopkeeper so furious and Pei Yanshu acting so shamelessly, she felt a complicated, indescribable emotion.
Xiao Ya was the most well-behaved. Silently, she pushed the plate of pickled cucumbers closer to Shen Nianyi, then discreetly nudged the plate of scrambled eggs—which Pei Yanshu seemed to have taken extra helpings of—a bit closer to his side.
Noticing Xiao Ya’s actions, Pei Yanshu flashed her a toothy grin. “Xiao Ya is the sensible one.”
He then turned to Shen Nianyi, his tone casual as if nothing had happened. “Nianyi, don’t just eat rice. Try these pickled cucumbers; they’re quite refreshing.”
Shen Nianyi didn’t even lift her eyelids, continuing to count her rice grains.
Watching this scene, Da Chun couldn’t help but whisper to A Man again, “Sister A Man, the shopkeeper like this… won’t she starve? Young Master Pei actually… doesn’t seem that bad, right? He even knows to care if the shopkeeper eats…”
A Man stomped hard on his foot under the table, gritting her teeth as she hissed, “What do you know! This is called strategy! The shopkeeper is expressing her strongest protest through silence! And who needs his fake concern!”
Pei Yanshu overheard their whispers, the amusement in his eyes deepening. He stopped provoking Shen Nianyi and instead asked Da Chun, “Da Chun, that new batch of Suzhou satin arriving this afternoon needs to be stored, right? Is it heavy?”
Da Chun was taken aback, not expecting Pei Yanshu to ask about this. He answered honestly, “Heavy? Not really. There are just a lot of bolts; it’ll take several trips.”
His words had barely left his mouth when Shen Nianyi, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly slammed her chopsticks down onto her bowl with a loud smack, startling everyone.
Her face seemed frosted over as she addressed Da Chun coldly, “Da Chun! Since Chief Manager Pei has asked you about it, he must be intending to help you with the work! What are you still standing there for?”
She turned to Pei Yanshu, a stiff, insincere smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Chief Manager Pei is so considerate of his subordinates; he definitely wouldn’t just talk without action, right?”
Without waiting for Pei Yanshu’s response, she immediately instructed Da Chun, “In that case, this afternoon, all the Suzhou satin that needs storing, and those dye vats in the backyard that need scrubbing—hand them all over to Chief Manager Pei to handle.”
This series of orders left even A Man gasping in shock.
Da Chun was utterly dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open as he glanced at Pei Yanshu’s spotless moon-white robe, then at his manager’s icy-cold face. He stammered, “M-Manager… that much work, Young Master Pei alone probably…”
“Probably what?” Shen Nianyi shot him a sharp glare. “Manager Pei is highly capable—no need for you to worry!”
After saying this, she stood up directly. “I’m full.”
She turned and walked out, her skirt sweeping up a chilly breeze.
The dining table immediately fell into dead silence.
Da Chun and A Man exchanged bewildered looks, and even Xiao Ya forgot to chew.
After a long while, A Man leaned close to Da Chun and whispered in a tone of exasperation, “You blockhead! The manager was just speaking in anger! Did you really think she meant for Young Master Pei to do all the work alone?”
Da Chun looked utterly confused. “Huh? But the manager clearly said…”
“Said nothing!” A Man stole a glance at Pei Yanshu, who was still leisurely sipping his porridge, and lowered her voice. “The manager meant, let him do it first! When he can’t handle it anymore and admits defeat, then you go help! That way, he gets taught a lesson without delaying the real work. Understand?”
Only then did Da Chun have a sudden realization. “Oh… so that’s how it is…”
“So that’s how it is—”
A leisurely voice chimed in.
Pei Yanshu had already set down his porridge bowl and was resting his chin on one hand, smiling as he looked at the two of them, his peach-blossom eyes filled with understanding.
“It seems Manager Shen truly went to great pains.” He nodded with an air of seriousness, then turned to Da Chun, his tone perfectly natural. “Brother Da Chun, what do you think… should I exhaust myself moving the Suzhou silk first, panting and out of breath, or should I start by scrubbing the dye vats and get myself all dirty? Which look would better meet Manager Shen’s expectations for teaching me a lesson when I come to you for help?”
Da Chun was completely stumped by his question, his mouth hanging open. “Huh? This… Young Master Pei, I…”
A Man’s face flushed with anger. This guy had clearly overheard their plan and was now openly talking about it!
She stiffened her neck and retorted, “S-So what if you heard! You still have to do the work!”
“Do it, of course I’ll do it.” Pei Yanshu stood up, smoothing the sleeves of his moon-white robe with elegant composure. “Manager Shen personally arranged it—how could I dare neglect it?”
He crooked a finger at Da Chun, a sly smile on his face. “Come on, Brother Da Chun.”
Da Chun, like a simple ox being led by the nose, followed Pei Yanshu in a daze toward the backyard storeroom.
At the entrance of the backyard storeroom.
The Suzhou silk was piled up like a small mountain.
Beside it were several dye vats half a person tall, their walls stained with dried dye in varying shades.
Da Chun took in the scene and stole a glance at Pei Yanshu beside him—this gentleman, in his moon-white robe, was as clean as a freshly peeled egg.
“Young Master Pei,” Da Chun swallowed hard and forced out a simple smile, “how about… I move the Suzhou silk, and you just… give some pointers from the side?”
He wasn’t really looking for pointers—he was mostly afraid this celestial being might strain his back doing rough work, and the manager would blame him for it later. Besides, if today’s work wasn’t finished and dragged into tomorrow, tomorrow’s tasks would pile up… Just thinking about it made Da Chun’s head spin.
Pei Yanshu didn’t respond, only smiled faintly.
He walked over to the dye vats and, covering his nose with his fan, pointed disdainfully. “These vats—are they usually left piled up like this?”
Da Chun rubbed his hands together and nodded with a simple smile. “Ah, yes, Young Master Pei. We’re not a dye workshop, after all. We only use them occasionally to dye fabric scraps or adjust color samples. Usually… they’re just left like this.”
Pei Yanshu gently tapped the side of a vat with his fan, producing a dull thump-thump sound.
Noticing a speck of dust on the fan’s ribs, he frowned slightly.
“This vat,” he asked leisurely, “when was it last used?”
Da Chun scratched his head, trying hard to recall. “Last month? Or the month before? I can’t remember.”
“Who usually cleans these vats?”
“Whoever has time.”
“And if no one has time?”
Da Chun grinned innocently. “Then we wait until someone does!”
Pei Yanshu was amused by his shamelessly lazy logic and snapped his fan shut. “Da Chun, how long does it usually take you to clean one of these vats?”
“About half a day…”
“Then I’ll make a bet with you. I can have you finish in half an hour, and it’ll be thirty percent cleaner than usual.”
Da Chun’s eyes widened. “How is that possible!”
“Like this,” Pei Yanshu said, lightly tapping the leftmost vat with the tip of his fan. “This one—soak it in hot water for two quarters of an hour.”
Then he pointed to the middle vat. “This one—use a stiff brush directly.” Finally, he gestured to the rightmost vat. “This one… leave it for now.”
Da Chun was even more confused. “Why separate them like that?”
“Look at the rims.” Pei Yanshu leaned down and traced the rim of the left vat with his fan. “This vat has splattered dye stains on the rim. The color is still bright, meaning it was used recently, and the grime hasn’t hardened yet.”
He pointed to the middle vat. “This one has dust on the rim, but the vat wall reflects light, meaning it’s old, hardened grime.”
Finally, he gestured to the right vat and smiled faintly. “This vat’s rim is clean, but the body is dirty. Clearly, it’s just splashed dirty water from when someone cleaned the vat next to it. A simple wipe will do.”
Da Chun stared, dumbfounded. “Young Master Pei, but it looks the dirtiest…”
“Just surface dust. A damp cloth will wipe it clean.” As he spoke, Pei Yanshu actually took a damp cloth and wiped the right vat—sure enough, a clean, smooth surface was revealed.
A Man, hiding behind the moon gate, watched Pei Yanshu’s demonstration with her mouth agape in astonishment. She quickly tiptoed back to the front shop.
Pei Yanshu had already caught a glimpse of A Man peeking but pretended not to notice.
“Young Master Pei, how do you know all this?” Da Chun couldn’t help asking.
Pei Yanshu chuckled lightly. “Back in the academy, I hated cleaning inkstones and brush washers the most, so I kept thinking of ways to save effort. Over time, I figured out a few tricks.”
Seeing Da Chun still marveling, he snapped his fan shut. “Alright, Brother Da Chun, let’s get to work.”
But Da Chun looked troubled. “But… the manager said these chores have to be done by you personally…”
“Who says I’m not doing it personally?” Pei Yanshu said matter-of-factly. “I’m personally using my brain, and you’re personally using your hands. Isn’t that a clear division of labor?”
Seeing Da Chun still hesitating, Pei Yanshu added, “How about this: if we finish within half an hour, I’ll treat you to two sesame cakes with extra meat.”
Da Chun’s eyes lit up, but then his face fell again. “But if the manager finds out I helped you slack off…”
“How is this slacking off? The work will be done faster and better. Manager Shen will be praising you, not scolding you.”
Seeing Da Chun still hesitating, he added fuel to the fire: “Besides, if you finish the work early, won’t you have some free time this afternoon? I heard a new storyteller has arrived at the West Market, and his rendition of ‘The Tale of the Curly-Bearded Stranger’ is absolutely thrilling…”
Da Chun was clearly tempted and immediately began working, though he still muttered softly, “Then you must put in a good word for me in front of the shopkeeper…”
“Don’t worry,” Pei Yanshu smiled like a fox, “with me here, I guarantee you’ll get to eat your cake, listen to the story, and still avoid any scolding.”
In the front shop, Shen Nianyi was calculating the accounts when she heard Da Chun’s cheerful humming from the backyard, accompanied by Pei Yanshu’s leisurely instructions:
“That’s right, use less lime… Crush the soapberries finer… Hey, don’t add too much water…”
A Man leaned close to Shen Nianyi’s ear: “Shopkeeper, I think Da Chun has been completely fooled by Young Master Pei—he’s still so happy even while working…”