Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 104

“Just drop me off here. I can go up by myself,” Pei Che takes the package handed to him by the servant and turns to Jiang Miao, who is about to get out of the carriage.

He has taken ten days off from the Imperial Academy to get married, and now that the vacation is over, it’s time for him to return.

“Alright then, you can go up on your own. Oh, by the way, while you’re away, we’ll stay at the Jiang residence. It’s closer to my shop, and it’s more convenient for Xiao Shitou to attend school,” Jiang Miao says. Although the Duke’s Mansion is nice, it feels too oppressive to live there. They usually only stay in Pei Che’s courtyard, and Jiang Miao, who dislikes trouble, doesn’t want to interact much with the rest of the Pei family.

Pei Che nods. “Go ahead, I’ve already told Grandmother.”

Jiang Miao’s eyes widen. “When did you tell her?” He has only just decided today.

“Yesterday afternoon, while you were napping in the study,” Pei Che’s eyes gleam with a hint of amusement.

Jiang Miao pouts. He thought he only dozed off while reading the Four Books and Five Classics, but apparently, he can also nod off while reading fiction. Blame it on these vertical texts with no punctuation and cramped characters—who wouldn’t get dizzy?

“Since you already told her, I don’t need to, right?” Jiang Miao, who is quite intimidated by the old lady of the Pei family, isn’t good at dealing with such cold old people.

After receiving Pei Che’s confirmation, Jiang Miao visibly brightens. Pei Che looks at him with some guilt, feeling it’s his fault that Jiang Miao has been constrained. However, he is determined to ensure Jiang Miao won’t feel restricted in the future.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Miao notices the complicated expression on Pei Che’s face and becomes a little worried.

“Nothing. You all head back. I need to go up now.” Pei Che smiles at him, takes two steps back with the package in hand, and watches them leave.

“Driver, before heading back, let’s make a detour to Minghua Street,” Jiang Miao says, naturally curious about the shop that’s rumored to make a fortune daily.

Now that the Jiang family’s small shop is steadily developing, Jiang Miao has time to take an interest in other things. Ever since promoting Tang Lin as the manager of the Jiang family’s shop, he’s been working with enthusiasm every day. During the days Jiang Miao is away, the business hasn’t changed much.

Of course, Li Ping also contributes greatly to the shop’s success. Aside from his unique skills, Jiang Miao has taught him how to make other breakfast items, and Li Ping can imitate them with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy. Customers who aren’t particularly picky can hardly tell the difference.

The carriage heads toward Minghua Street, and about an hour later, Jiang Miao arrives. The street is bustling with people, making it inconvenient for the carriage to enter, so Jiang Miao asks the driver to wait outside.

Grandmother Pei’s shop isn’t far from the entrance of the street. Following the address on the property deed, Jiang Miao soon finds the shop that sells glassware.

The shop is about twice the size of the Jiang family’s small store, also with two floors. From the entrance, he can see rows of glass ornaments on the shelves. When sunlight streams into the shop, the glass ornaments shimmer, appearing luxurious and beautiful.

Jiang Miao can’t help but sigh. Such exquisite craftsmanship would fetch a high price in modern times, but compared to today’s prices, it’s not worth mentioning.

Since it’s his first time here, Jiang Miao doesn’t plan to reveal his identity. He wants to secretly observe how the staff and manager treat their customers.

He has a good plan, but as soon as he enters the store, a loud “Young Madam” from one of the shop assistants shatters his anonymity. The manager soon comes over as well, treating him with utmost respect.

Jiang Miao is curious about how they recognize him. Perhaps his confusion is too obvious, as the manager kindly explains, “A few days ago, your wedding with the heir needed extra hands. I brought some people to help and had the honor of meeting you then.”

“Haha, is that so?” Jiang Miao chuckles awkwardly. Since his disguise plan has failed, he decides to look around openly.

He tours the entire shop, and during that time, three sales are made. Watching the real gold and silver transactions, Jiang Miao can’t help but sigh—indeed, luxury goods are the most profitable business!

“Madam, did you and the young master see anything you like? If so, just let me know, and I’ll have it packed and sent to your residence,” the manager offers eagerly, knowing that the shop is now under Pei Che’s ownership.

“No need, just leave it here to sell for profit,” Jiang Miao replies. “Manager Hu, where does the colored glass in our store come from?”

Manager Hu proudly answers, “The glass in our shop isn’t sourced elsewhere—it’s made right here. You won’t find better-quality glass anywhere in Liangjing, and we offer a wider range of colors as well.”

Jiang Miao’s interest is piqued. “Do you have transparent glass?”

“We do have pure transparent ones. Come take a look.” Manager Hu walks to a discreet corner and picks up a lotus-shaped glass piece. The glass is crystal clear, faintly glowing, and it would surely look stunning in the sunlight!

“Isn’t this transparent glass hard to sell?” Jiang Miao asks, admiring it in his hand.

Manager Hu replies, “Yes, it seems people prefer brightly colored glass ornaments. This ice lotus has been sitting in the shop for a long time and still hasn’t sold.”

“Is it easy to make this kind of transparent glass? Could it be made larger?” Jiang Miao asks.

“Larger?” Manager Hu ponders for a moment. “If it’s the size of a plate, it should be possible to produce. However, transparent glass is not easy to come by. This piece was a rare find. I thought it would fetch a good price, but as it turns out, it hasn’t appealed to customers.”

Jiang Miao feels a bit disappointed. He had hoped they could make large pieces of glass, something akin to window panes.

Seeing Jiang Miao’s disappointed expression, Manager Hu adds, “Actually, I’m not entirely sure. It’s possible that the craftsmen at the kiln could produce larger pieces of transparent glass!”

Hearing this, Jiang Miao’s hope reignites. “Where is the kiln? Can you take me to see it?”

“”Of course, but it’s outside the city, about thirty or forty li past the east gate of Liangjing,” Manager Hu says.

Jiang Miao asks, “Isn’t that… a farm estate?” This sounds like the estate Grandmother Pei had given, the one with over 200 mu of land. He hadn’t expected that behind the appearance of a farm, there’s something more.

“There is a farm, but the kiln is there too. The farm in front is a cover, so no one knows where our glass really comes from. To this day, people still think we source our glass from other regions,” Manager Hu says proudly. Every time they transport vegetables from the farm, they hide the colored glass under the vegetables and transport them in.

“Alright, it’s a bit late today. I’ll come by tomorrow morning, and I’ll trouble you to guide us there,” Jiang Miao says.

“Whatever you say, we’ll do. Oh, by the way, the ice lotus ornament has already been packed by the shop assistant. When you return to the Guogong Mansion later, remember to take it with you,” Manager Hu says with a smile.

Since he is being so courteous, Jiang Miao doesn’t refuse. After all, the item is made by them and isn’t selling well, so it wouldn’t hurt to take it back and display it.

Jiang Miao leaves with the lotus ornament. Before leaving, he forgets to ask about its price. Had he known the cost, he wouldn’t have walked out so casually.

…

The next day, Jiang Miao arrives at the shop as planned. Considering the long journey, he leaves Pei Mu at home to practice calligraphy, with Chan Yi and Wen Jing watching over him.

Meanwhile, Manager Hu is also ready. The shop is staffed with experienced employees that day, so his absence for one day doesn’t pose an issue.

The two of them board the carriage and set off towards the east gate. They pass from the inner city to the outer city, and then beyond the city limits. The scenery gradually shifts from bustling to ordinary, and then from ordinary to desolate. The stark contrast makes Jiang Miao uncomfortable. No wonder the people from the inner city are reluctant to leave—it’s true what they say about the difficulty of transitioning from luxury to frugality.

The route is familiar to Jiang Miao, as it also leads in the direction of Jiangjiawan. After the carriage travels about thirty li, it suddenly turns onto a narrow path.

After being on the path for a few minutes, the path in front of them suddenly opens up, wide enough to accommodate two carriages at the same time.

They haven’t been on the small path for long when it opens up to a wider road, wide enough for two carriages to pass at the same time. Jiang Miao lifts the carriage curtain and sees the nearby fertile fields and the neatly arranged farmhouses in the distance. These elements combine to form a scene resembling a typical farm, just as Manager Hu described. It appears to be an ordinary farm on the outside.

As the carriage approaches the farmhouses, a group of children who have been playing under a large, lush tree at the entrance suddenly run inside. Not long after they enter, an elderly man with a pipe in hand comes out and stands under the tree, waiting for the carriage to stop.

“Manager Hu, what brings you by for a visit today?” The old man seems surprised to see them.

“The Young Madam wants to take a look at how the glass kiln operates. Old Lin, take us inside for a tour,” Manager Hu says in a familiar tone, indicating that they have dealt with each other often.

Young Madam? Old Lin glances at the man stepping out of the carriage and realizes that this must be the young master’s male wife.

“Young Madam, please, come inside. The glass kiln is a bit of a distance from here. I’ll have them prepare bamboo chairs and carry you over,” Old Lin says warmly, though his suggestion leaves Jiang Miao both amused and embarrassed.

“Grandpa Lin, there’s no need for that. It’s not far at all—how could I ask to be carried? My hometown is just down at Jiangjiawan, and even when walking from one end of the village to the other, I’ve never complained of being tired.” If he really lets them carry him, Jiang Miao would be too embarrassed to come back next time.

“Jiangjiawan?” Old Lin looks at Jiang Miao, who is dressed in fine clothes and whose appearance and demeanor don’t seem to match the area. He feels a bit suspicious. However, the way the Young Madam speaks isn’t too different from that of country folk.

“Yes, the roads in Jiangjiawan are not as smooth and wide as yours here. If I can walk there, I can certainly walk here as well,” Jiang Miao insists. There is no way he will let them carry him.

Since Jiang Miao is so firm, Old Lin doesn’t push the matter further. He goes inside to give some instructions, then leads the two of them toward the kiln.

Along the way, Jiang Miao observes the surroundings and notices that aside from the farm, there doesn’t seem to be any other villagers nearby. He voices his curiosity, and Old Lin nods immediately, “That’s right, it’s just us here. Originally, there were only five or six families in this area. After we built the farm here, we bought their houses and land, and helped them relocate to another village. They were quite happy about it.”

Jiang Miao nods in understanding. After all, this isn’t just an ordinary farm. Having outsiders around would indeed feel restrictive.