Shen Nianyi stared at the scroll, feeling her eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
The dress was beautiful, no doubt, but if she actually wore it, how was she supposed to operate the abacus? How could she flip through the account books? How could she climb the ladders in the storeroom?
“Pei Yanshu! You’re deliberately picking a fight!” she gritted out through clenched teeth. “Dressed like this, am I supposed to greet customers or perform on stage?”
“Now, now, that’s not the right way to look at it,” Pei Yanshu retorted, slapping the design sketch onto the counter with an air of righteous conviction. “This is called elevating the shop’s style. Manager Shen, for the sake of Cloud Silk Atelier’s business, what’s the harm in sacrificing a little convenience?”
Then, his tone shifting, he suddenly leaned in close, using his folding fan to gently lift her chin. A mischievous glint danced in his eyes. “Unless… you’re afraid that dressing too attractively might catch my eye?”
Shen Nianyi reacted as if her hand had been scalded by a spark. She slapped his fan away and stumbled back three large steps until her back hit a shelf, her whole person resembling a cat with its fur puffed up.
She snatched the measuring ruler beside her and pointed it at him, her ears burning red. “Y-you… try coming closer again! See if I don’t turn your robe into a pomegranate-red skirt!”
If customers saw them tussling like this, by tomorrow the West Market would probably be buzzing with rumors that Shen Nianyi was flirting with a shareholder in broad daylight!
Seeing she was genuinely flustered, Pei Yanshu finally reined himself in. Turning to the stunned Da Chun and A Man, he raised his voice to give orders:
“What are you still standing around for? Da Chun, go quickly and hang the calligraphy I wrote yesterday in the most prominent spot by the entrance. A Man, rearrange that row of shelves by the window. They need to be staggered and varied, yes, just that feeling of seeming casual yet actually deliberate…”
Only Xiao Ya remained quietly wiping the counter, not even lifting an eyelid.
Da Chun and A Man exchanged glances, looking to Shen Nianyi.
Shen Nianyi looked at Pei Yanshu’s “head manager” demeanor, then remembered his three thousand taels of investment capital. Forcing down her anger, she squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: “Do as he says!”
She was determined to see what kind of spectacle this scoundrel could stir up.
Da Chun complied, hanging a scroll of rice paper on the wall beside the shop entrance.
The ink on the paper flowed freely, but it wasn’t poetry or aphorisms. Instead, it was three large, wildly cursive characters that were almost impossible to decipher.
To call them characters was generous; they resembled more a kind of abstract pattern full of rhythmic movement, exuding an untamed, unrestrained aura.
Da Chun scratched his head, staring for a long time without recognizing them, and couldn’t help but ask:
“Young Master Pei, what… what does this say?”
Pei Yanshu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking rather pleased with himself. “This is ‘Yun Ni Shang’ (Cloud Rainbow Garments). It draws from the meaning of ‘clouds yearn for garments, flowers yearn for countenance,’ while also subtly alluding to our shop’s ‘Cloud-Dream Neon-Glow Brocade.’ This bold, sweeping momentum, this freely expressed ink charm—it’s precisely meant to leave people feeling bewildered, to appear profound and unfathomable.”
Just then, an elderly scholar passing by was drawn to this “ink treasure” and stopped to look.
He narrowed his eyes, leaned in for a closer look, then stepped back to appraise it from a distance. His frown deepened. After a moment, he let out a long sigh, shook his head, and commented with a swaying motion:
“This calligraphy… the structure is scattered, the brushwork utterly lacks discipline, the ink blots are all over the paper, it’s simply… ghostly scribbles! A disgrace to refinement, a true disgrace!”
With that, he indignantly flicked his sleeve, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode away quickly, as if staying a moment longer would tarnish his scholarship.
Pei Yanshu’s expression didn’t change. Addressing the embarrassed Da Chun and A Man, he said, “One cannot discuss ice with a summer insect. True art always transcends the understanding of its time. You see, didn’t it just succeed in attracting someone’s attention?”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, his sharp eyes caught sight of a young lady covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. He reached out to stop her, asking with a cheerful smile:
“Madam, what do you think of this calligraphy? Is it pleasing?”
The young lady’s cheeks flushed pink as she held back her laughter and replied:
“It’s… it’s pleasing… It looks like my tabby cat knocked over an inkstone, dipped its paws in ink, and took a few steps across the paper. It’s rather charming, actually.”
Pei Yanshu immediately clapped his hands in delight. “Listen! Now that’s someone with true appreciation!”
Strangely enough, ever since that “cat-paw style” masterpiece was hung above the entrance, Cloud Silk Atelier truly became a sight to behold in the West Market.
Every day, small groups of young ladies and married women would jostle and crowd around the doorway, pointing at the calligraphy and chattering excitedly:
“Look! That’s Young Master Pei’s own handwriting!”
“Oh my, this calligraphy is… truly unique!”
“To me, it looks like a pair of mandarin ducks playing among the ripples on water…”
Pei Yanshu would then lean casually against the doorframe at just the right moment, offering a lazy, theatrical bow to the giggling young ladies, putting on an air of refined elegance:
“You ladies have excellent taste. This style is called ‘Cloud and Rainbow Robes.’ It was inspired that day when I saw the sky filled with radiant clouds and felt moved…”
Before he could finish, a bold Hu girl interrupted him:
“Young Master Pei, this clearly looks like the naan bread from our Western Regions!”
This sent the entire crowd into fits of laughter.
A Man, carrying a newly arrived bolt of Hangzhou silk, passed by the entrance from the back hall. The noise and laughter from the group of girls made her frown deeply.
She hurried over to the counter, leaned close to Shen Nianyi’s ear, and whispered:
“Manager, are you really going to let Young Master Pei carry on like this? Every day he attracts a crowd of onlookers, but hardly any of them actually come to buy fabric. They just stand there pointing and commenting on that scribble!”
Shen Nianyi didn’t even look up, her abacus beads clicking rapidly. “Let him have his fun. Once this novelty wears off, we’ll see who still remembers his face.”
No sooner had she spoken than the Hu girl who had compared the calligraphy to naan stepped cheerfully through the door and headed straight for the shelves:
“Manager, show me your most vibrant fabrics! If the calligraphy is this interesting, the fabrics must be exceptional too.”
The group of girls behind her followed, laughing and chatting as they entered. One felt the soft satin, another asked about prices, and the once-quiet shop suddenly buzzed with activity.
A Man stared, dumbfounded, not even noticing the bolt of Hangzhou silk slipping halfway from her grasp.
Pei Yanshu sauntered leisurely over to the counter and tapped its surface lightly with his fan. “Manager Shen, this lady wishes to have a horse-face skirt tailored and specifically requests the most fashionable colors.”
Shen Nianyi looked up and glared at him, but the Hu girl was smiling at her so amiably that she could only grit her teeth and pull out several bolts of fabric from under the counter.
After she finished measuring the fabric and turned around, she found that Pei Yanshu had somehow wandered back to the entrance and was already explaining that “cat-paw style” piece to new customers.
“…You see this brushstroke technique, doesn’t it carry the spirited flair of Wang Youjun wielding his brush in a drunken state?”
“To me, it looks like the ink blots my calico cat makes when chasing its tail!”
“Madam, you have a discerning eye!”
A Man returned to the counter carrying three bolts of silk she had just sold, her voice trembling slightly. “M-Manager… this rivals our sales during the New Year period…”
Shen Nianyi gazed at the shop full of young ladies selecting fabrics, then looked at the figure laughing and talking by the entrance. The scissors in her hand clattered onto the counter.
Early the next morning.
Shen Nianyi deliberately woke up half an hour earlier than usual. She dressed meticulously in her lotus-root purple ruqun, even tying her waist sash perfectly straight. She examined herself left and right in the bronze mirror.
“See what you can do about it.” She whispered to her reflection in the mirror, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door with feigned composure.
Just as she stepped into the backyard, her footsteps halted abruptly.
Pei Yanshu was leaning lazily against the moon gate, holding an ornate box in his hand as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing her come out, he looked her up and down, a “just as expected” smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“Manager Shen… planning to go burn incense at Ci’en Temple?” he teased.
Shen Nianyi forced herself to stay calm. “What I wear is my own business. Cloud Silk Atelier runs on integrity and quality fabrics, not these flashy tricks.”
Pei Yanshu lightly tapped the box with the tip of his fan, his tone leisurely:
“What a coincidence. I just came from the East Market and saw Madam Chen wearing a newly tailored ‘immortal’s skirt,’ all glittering and dazzling. She even specifically asked me—’I heard Cloud Silk Atelier’s business has been slow lately, and I haven’t seen the manager in any new outfits?'”
Shen Nianyi immediately bristled, her willow-leaf eyebrows shooting up. “Ha! What does she know besides covering her fabrics with gold and silver threads? Utterly vulgar! Dressing like a walking ingot and still having the nerve to criticize others? I won’t stoop to competing with her on such gaudiness!”
“Well said! That’s exactly why we can’t afford to lose face.”
He flicked open the box with a flourish. The pomegranate-red skirt sprinkled with gold threads shimmered with a restrained brilliance under the morning light. “This is true elegance. You just stand at the entrance wearing this, no need to say a word, and the difference in taste will be obvious.”
Seeing Shen Nianyi still hesitating, he leaned in and lowered his voice. “Besides, are you really willing to let her think you can’t even afford a decent dress?”
That struck a nerve.
She snatched the box from him, gritting her teeth. “Fine, I’ll wear it! Just wait till I blind her eyes with it!”
Pei Yanshu watched her storm back into her room, then leisurely added, “Remember to pair it with that gold-inlaid butterfly hairpin.”
Two incense sticks later, at the front shop of Cloud Silk Atelier.
When Shen Nianyi awkwardly clutching her skirt hem, shuffled out step by step from the backyard, the front shop instantly fell silent.
She wore a pomegranate-red wide-sleeved top, the gold-thread embroidery shimmering with delicate light. The skirt beneath was a fiery cascade of gold-sprinkled pleats, each step causing the hem to ripple with golden waves, as if she were walking with the morning glow.
The gold-inlaid butterfly hairpin was tilted in her hair, its wings trembling slightly with her movements, making her radiant beauty utterly breathtaking.
A Man was wrapping fabric for a customer. Looking up, she let out a startled “Ah!” and nearly dropped the silk in her hands.
“Manager! That outfit of yours… it’s just too—”
She stammered “too” for a while, unable to find the right word, finally blurting out, “Too much of a credit to our Cloud Silk Atelier!”
Da Chun had been organizing shelves on a ladder. Hearing the commotion, he glanced down, slipped, and almost fell, hurriedly grabbing onto Zhuzi. His honest face flushed bright red as he stammered:
“M-Manager… are you going to a banquet?”
Even the usually quiet Xiao Ya put down her cloth and scurried over to Shen Nianyi, her eyes sparkling. She pointed at Shen Nianyi emphatically, her face filled with undisguised admiration.
Shen Nianyi was already feeling thoroughly uncomfortable under the staff’s gazes when she looked up and saw Pei Yanshu leaning against the doorway leading to the front shop, having appeared at some point.
His gaze lingered on her, clearly pausing for a moment.
Shen Nianyi immediately stiffened her spine.
Sure enough, the man sauntered over and actually circled around her once.
Shen Nianyi clenched her skirt, feeling as if every spot he had looked at was burning.
“Your hairpin is tilted by three degrees.” He suddenly tapped her temple lightly with his fan, startling her into stiffening her neck.
“Your bun is tied too tightly.” The tip of the fan moved downward, tracing an imaginary line along her shoulder.
Finally, his gaze fell on her waist, and he suddenly leaned in close.
Shen Nianyi hastily stepped back, but his fingertips brushed swiftly past her waistband—
“The knot here is tied like a stubborn tangle.”
As he straightened up, his fingers pinched the messy tassel of her waistband. With a gentle shake, the tangled knot loosened and fell naturally into an elegant drape.
His eyes held a hint of amusement, as if mocking her flustered state.
Furious, Shen Nianyi slapped away his hand, which still held the tassel. “None of your business!”
“Of course it’s my business,” he declared matter-of-factly, fanning himself. “Da Chun, fetch the pair of coral earrings. A Man, redo her bun into something looser.”
Shen Nianyi was so infuriated by his string of commands that she wanted to argue, but A Man had already deftly undone her bun, and Da Chun came running over with an exquisite brocade box.
She was pressed onto a stool like a puppet, feeling A Man’s nimble fingers weaving through her hair. The cool coral earrings dangled from her earlobes, and as Da Chun handed her a bronze mirror—
The reflection showed her hair loosely gathered, the hairpin tilted just so, and two crimson dots swaying gently by her ears as she turned her head.
She looked away uncomfortably, only to hear Pei Yanshu’s voice, tinged with satisfaction. “That’s more like it.”
He had somehow moved to her side and gestured vaguely toward the door with his fan. “Go on, hang yesterday’s batch of Celestial Water Green on the display rack outside. Let everyone in the West Market see—the proprietor of Cloud Silk Atelier—”
He drew out his words, his gaze sweeping over her once more, his smile deepening.
“Is just as exquisite as the fabric.”
“Pei Yanshu! You…”
“Go.” His tone brooked no argument.
Clenching her fists, Shen Nianyi held back her words, shooting him a fierce glare before rising and walking out.