Chapter 96 – Inferiority Complex
The innkeeper and his wife both remembered Yu Tang.
They warmly welcomed Yu Tang and her brother to stay, and also picked a private guest room for her and personally fetched hot water so that she could freshen up.
Yu Tang naturally thanked them repeatedly.
The lady innkeeper lowered her head and showed her the silk flower in her hair. “You gave it to me the last time you were here. Everyone said it looked beautiful. Every time I wore it, I got praised.”
Yu Tang smiled as she asked the innkeeper’s wife to accompany her to go shopping in the alley selling those head flower materials.
She planned to make a few more flower headpieces so that when her brother and Lady Xiang returned, she could show them off to the Xiang family.
Yu Yuan was glad to hear that.
He was about to go to WuLin Gate to find information and was worried about how to take care of Yu Tang.
“Please be careful.” He instructed his sister, “Come back as soon as you’re done shopping, I’ve already told the innkeeper I won’t be at the inn for the evening meal. The innkeeper’s wife would bring the evening meal to your room., If I’m still not back by the time you finish your meal, remember to close the room door and windows tightly and go to bed early, I’ll talk to you tomorrow should I find out anything.”
This was the first time for YuTang to entrust her brother with such matters. She could not help but be get a little worried that he might be targeted by the Gu family or encounter something life-threatening. She pulled on his sleeve and said concernedly, “You have to be careful as well. The most important thing is to stay safe. You also mentioned previously, a gentleman would wait ten years for revenge. As long as we are still alive, we can find a way. If this time we can’t do it, then next time we can think of other ways. If anything happens to you, I wouldn’t know how to live with myself.”
“What nonsense are you saying?” Yu Yuan didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. He said, “I told you to read less of those books and plays, but you turned a deaf ear. Stop thinking about unnecessary things. What do you think I’m going to do? The business of our family store is what’s most important. I’m going to Wulin Gate to find Yao San’er, and getting the information you want in passing.”
Since the last time he came to Hangzhou City and make contact with Yao San’er, Yu Yuan and him frequently got together. The other day he even asked someone to bring Yao San’er a gift for the New Year. When their store opened, Yao San’er also asked someone to bring congratulatory gifts to Lin’an.
That’s good!
Yu Tang smiled cheekily as she replied “Brother you better go now and return early. Remember to get me the braised pig’s head from the north-side.”
“You’re a girl, why are you eating things like braised pig’s head?” Yu Yuan mercilessly cut in, “If I wanted to buy something for you, it would be things like cinnamon cake, lotus root powder and brown sugar thread candy.” After saying this, he was afraid that Yu Tang would pester him to buy this and that, he would be soft-hearted and agree to everything she said like before, so he simply waved his hand towards Yu Tang and said abruptly “I’m leaving, take care of yourself”, and quickly left the inn without a backward glance.
Yu Tang got so mad that her cheeks puffed up in anger, but there was nothing she could do. She went to the alley next door with the innkeeper’s wife and saw a chestnut cake vendor. She bought two kilos and asked the innkeeper to send it to Second supervisor Tong, and asked the errant boy to pass a message, saying “This is a sign of gratitude towards Second supervisor Tong for taking care of me the last time I came to Hangzhou. I wanted to bring some of the local delicacies from home, but as they were not as good as the ones sold in Hangzhou, I simply bought some cakes from the alley nearby. It’s pretty ordinary and is only good as a small token of respect. Please excuse my humble gift. When my brother returns, I’ll visit you then.”
After being taught a lesson by Pei Yan, she went home and studied up about proper etiquette from Yu Wen. Thus, she knew that if she wanted to visit someone, she couldn’t show up directly, but had to send a name card, fruits or something in advance as a greeting and arrange an appointed time to visit. Only then would it be considered polite and courteous. In addition, she also learnt the importance of sincerity and truthfulness from her previous gift-giving experience with PeiYan.
Second supervisor Tong was delighted to receive the cakes. As Yu Tang sent the cakes under Yu Yuan’s name, Second supervisor Tong had his serving attendant send a message to Yu Yuan, saying that he would have a celebratory feast in the back courtyard of the store tomorrow night and invited Yu Yuan for drinks.
Yu Tang agreed on Yu Yuan’s behalf and asked the innkeeper’s errand boy to buy several jars of good Jinhua wine, and waited for Yu Yuan to return.
Yu Yuan returned just in time.
As he drank some wine, his face was flushed, his eyes were a little glazed, and his words were mostly incoherent.
Looking at him, Yu Tang was struck with helplessness. She previously thought to use the funds from the auction to buy a personal attendant for Yu Yuan. Their family was not a prominent family, and the attendant that Yu Yuan used was actually eldest uncle’s. Moreover, Yu Yuan was about to marry, and although Lady Xiang grew up the countryside, but she never lacked in silver. She would definitely have a few serving maids to attend to her needs, so she couldn’t let her eldest brother be seen as poor in comparison.
Once she thought of it, she couldn’t help but want to take some action.
She slipped a few coins and asked the innkeeper’s errand boy to take care of Yu Yuan’s grooming, and she went to find the innkeeper’s wife to introduce a trusted and reliable agent to get Yu Yuan a personal attendant.
The innkeeper’s wife was surprised and laughed, “Your family is doing better and better now.”
In a family like theirs, the line between servants and masters was usually not clearly defined. Therefore to get someone specifically for Yu Yuan, if the family wasn’t well-to-do, they certainly wouldn’t resort to such measures.
Yu Tang didn’t intend to disclose more information and just smiled, “My brother is about to get married, so he needs to at least have one attendant to help him with errands.”
“That’s true.” The innkeeper’s wife smiled and agreed, and immediately left to settle this matter for Yu Tang. Yu Yuan woke up early the next morning with a splitting headache that made him want to hit his head against the wall, and Yu Tang, who came in with his breakfast, didn’t sympathise with him at all.
“Serves you right!” Yu Tang scoffed, “Who asked you to drink so much? You have no attendant with you either, so if you fell into a ditch somewhere, what would you do? You promised me you would be fine on your own!”
Yu Yuan smiled sheepishly and answered, “Ah-tang, I checked it out for you yesterday. If there is nothing important on the Gu family’s side, Lady Gu’s nursing maid should be visiting the store tomorrow to see her son. It’s quite a coincidence that Yao San’s store is right behind the Gu family’s store, and Yao San not only knows her son, but also knows several of their family’s shopkeepers. According to him, the third head steward of their family is extremely talkative, and especially likes to talk about the family’s affairs. Because of this, their senior head steward was very dissatisfied with him. He is well aware of that fact, and thus while he is still in the employ of the Gu family, he wishes to find a small store and become its boss. He heard that I came from Lin’an City and wanted to open a store in Hangzhou City, so he was particularly enthusiastic. The reason I drank so much was also because he kept persuading me to drink.”
Very few stewards would leave their masters, and if they did, without the previous master’s letter of recommendation, the new master would not dare to use this person at all.
Upon hearing that this third head steward was loose-lipped, she didn’t like him and said “If you really set up a shop in Hangzhou City, would you use this person?”
“No!” Yu Yuan also didn’t like people like that.
Yu Tang thought of what Pei Yan taught her and said, “Although we are using him to find out more information, but we can’t let him think that we would be hiring him as our shopkeeper in the future. These two things are separate and should be clearly explained to him.”
It would not be good if it caused misunderstandings and grudges to arise.
Yu Yuan held his head, which was starting to hurt again, and said weakly, “I know. It was Yao San. He was afraid that I would be looked down upon by them and thus told them that I was coming to Hangzhou City to open a store. I told them that I really wanted to come, but my father would not let me. This matter most likely would not come to fruition. The most I could do now is to come over and have a look.”
Yu Tang nodded.
Yu Yuan brought up the topic of the Sheng family’s lacquerware store, saying “When you first walk in, the things in the store looked really nice and it’s not too expensive either. Of course, there were also some very expensive items on display, but understandably so. The patterns of their lacquerware are all new and interesting. For example, the same lacquer box of Fu Lu Shou, their carving work, was extremely lifelike – our family’s craftsmanship really can’t hold a candle to it. Moreover, they still had knowledge of other crafts like coloured shells inlay….”
After saying this, he looked depressed.
“I didn’t have the heart to continue looking, and it just so happened that it was about time to meet up with Yao San, so I went off. On the way back, I was thinking that I still had to revisit the store again to see more and get inspiration.”
Yu Tang could feel his pain within his heart.
Although Yu Yuan was a young proprietor and also followed Yu Bo and travelled to different places, but in the end he was just a young boy who has not yet reached maturity. The first time to travel without his father, to the renowned Hangzhou City, the top city in Jiangnan with various reputable and prestigious businesses and top-of-the-line products; there will certainly be some discomfort and unease.
In her previous life, when she married into the Li family, she too had such an inferiority complex when she met the beautiful and talented Gu Xi.
“I’ll go with you.” Yu Tang replied, “It just so happen that I am also nearing the age of maturity, so if that coloured shell inlay is really as good as the rumors say, when I accompany Mother and Eldest Aunt the beginning of next spring, I can also buy one or two pieces back.”
The primary reason for her to visit the Sheng family’s store was to give Yu Yuan a good reason for visiting and provide moral support. With this, Yu Yuan naturally would act in a more confident, dignified manner, and the shopkeepers and attendants in the store would notice that even though they were wearing plain coarse clothing, but they were bold in surveying the items at will, would definitely think that they were the sons and daughters from a large family out for some training and to gain experience, and thus would not dare to treat them poorly.
Her cousin can also learn how to speak and handle customers through this.
Yu Tang was inwardly pleased for coming up with this idea. Suddenly, she thought of Pei Yan, who wore a plain, fine cloth robe but carelessly played with a treasured item in his hand.
It would easily infuriate those snobbish people who placed high value on obtaining those rare objects.
Yu Tang clearly felt Pei Yan’s wicked sense of humour.
She couldn’t help but wipe the non-existent sweat from her forehead, before informing Yu Yuan about Second supervisor Tong’s invitation. “We have to return earlier in the evening today. You can also take this opportunity to ask the second supervisor Tong for guidance on doing business in Hangzhou City.”
Yu Yuan was a little apprehensive.
This was the first time he had left his father and uncle’s guidance and received a senior of such stature like second supervisor Tong alone. But he wasn’t the type to retreat from a challenge. Since Yu Tang helped him with the arrangements, he would try his best to do a good job.
For today, they decided to go shopping at the Sheng family’s lacquerware store in Hangzhou City in the morning, before heading to Yao San’er’s place in the afternoon to meet the Gu family’s third head steward and talk about the Li family’s matters, preferably when Gu Xi’s nursing maid happened to be passing by.
Having made up their minds, the two siblings had breakfast, before changing into a fresh set of clean clothes, and headed for Wulin Gate.
Chapter 96 – Inferiority Complex
The innkeeper and his wife both remembered Yu Tang.
They warmly welcomed Yu Tang and her brother to stay, and also picked a private guest room for her and personally fetched hot water so that she could freshen up.
Yu Tang naturally thanked them repeatedly.
The lady innkeeper lowered her head and showed her the silk flower in her hair. “You gave it to me the last time you were here. Everyone said it looked beautiful. Every time I wore it, I got praised.”
Yu Tang smiled as she asked the innkeeper’s wife to accompany her to go shopping in the alley selling those head flower materials.
She planned to make a few more flower headpieces so that when her brother and Lady Xiang returned, she could show them off to the Xiang family.
Yu Yuan was glad to hear that.
He was about to go to WuLin Gate to find information and was worried about how to take care of Yu Tang.
“Please be careful.” He instructed his sister, “Come back as soon as you’re done shopping, I’ve already told the innkeeper I won’t be at the inn for the evening meal. The innkeeper’s wife would bring the evening meal to your room., If I’m still not back by the time you finish your meal, remember to close the room door and windows tightly and go to bed early, I’ll talk to you tomorrow should I find out anything.”
This was the first time for YuTang to entrust her brother with such matters. She could not help but be get a little worried that he might be targeted by the Gu family or encounter something life-threatening. She pulled on his sleeve and said concernedly, “You have to be careful as well. The most important thing is to stay safe. You also mentioned previously, a gentleman would wait ten years for revenge. As long as we are still alive, we can find a way. If this time we can’t do it, then next time we can think of other ways. If anything happens to you, I wouldn’t know how to live with myself.”
“What nonsense are you saying?” Yu Yuan didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. He said, “I told you to read less of those books and plays, but you turned a deaf ear. Stop thinking about unnecessary things. What do you think I’m going to do? The business of our family store is what’s most important. I’m going to Wulin Gate to find Yao San’er, and getting the information you want in passing.”
Since the last time he came to Hangzhou City and make contact with Yao San’er, Yu Yuan and him frequently got together. The other day he even asked someone to bring Yao San’er a gift for the New Year. When their store opened, Yao San’er also asked someone to bring congratulatory gifts to Lin’an.
That’s good!
Yu Tang smiled cheekily as she replied “Brother you better go now and return early. Remember to get me the braised pig’s head from the north-side.”
“You’re a girl, why are you eating things like braised pig’s head?” Yu Yuan mercilessly cut in, “If I wanted to buy something for you, it would be things like cinnamon cake, lotus root powder and brown sugar thread candy.” After saying this, he was afraid that Yu Tang would pester him to buy this and that, he would be soft-hearted and agree to everything she said like before, so he simply waved his hand towards Yu Tang and said abruptly “I’m leaving, take care of yourself”, and quickly left the inn without a backward glance.
Yu Tang got so mad that her cheeks puffed up in anger, but there was nothing she could do. She went to the alley next door with the innkeeper’s wife and saw a chestnut cake vendor. She bought two kilos and asked the innkeeper to send it to Second supervisor Tong, and asked the errant boy to pass a message, saying “This is a sign of gratitude towards Second supervisor Tong for taking care of me the last time I came to Hangzhou. I wanted to bring some of the local delicacies from home, but as they were not as good as the ones sold in Hangzhou, I simply bought some cakes from the alley nearby. It’s pretty ordinary and is only good as a small token of respect. Please excuse my humble gift. When my brother returns, I’ll visit you then.”
After being taught a lesson by Pei Yan, she went home and studied up about proper etiquette from Yu Wen. Thus, she knew that if she wanted to visit someone, she couldn’t show up directly, but had to send a name card, fruits or something in advance as a greeting and arrange an appointed time to visit. Only then would it be considered polite and courteous. In addition, she also learnt the importance of sincerity and truthfulness from her previous gift-giving experience with PeiYan.
Second supervisor Tong was delighted to receive the cakes. As Yu Tang sent the cakes under Yu Yuan’s name, Second supervisor Tong had his serving attendant send a message to Yu Yuan, saying that he would have a celebratory feast in the back courtyard of the store tomorrow night and invited Yu Yuan for drinks.
Yu Tang agreed on Yu Yuan’s behalf and asked the innkeeper’s errand boy to buy several jars of good Jinhua wine, and waited for Yu Yuan to return.
Yu Yuan returned just in time.
As he drank some wine, his face was flushed, his eyes were a little glazed, and his words were mostly incoherent.
Looking at him, Yu Tang was struck with helplessness. She previously thought to use the funds from the auction to buy a personal attendant for Yu Yuan. Their family was not a prominent family, and the attendant that Yu Yuan used was actually eldest uncle’s. Moreover, Yu Yuan was about to marry, and although Lady Xiang grew up the countryside, but she never lacked in silver. She would definitely have a few serving maids to attend to her needs, so she couldn’t let her eldest brother be seen as poor in comparison.
Once she thought of it, she couldn’t help but want to take some action.
She slipped a few coins and asked the innkeeper’s errand boy to take care of Yu Yuan’s grooming, and she went to find the innkeeper’s wife to introduce a trusted and reliable agent to get Yu Yuan a personal attendant.
The innkeeper’s wife was surprised and laughed, “Your family is doing better and better now.”
In a family like theirs, the line between servants and masters was usually not clearly defined. Therefore to get someone specifically for Yu Yuan, if the family wasn’t well-to-do, they certainly wouldn’t resort to such measures.
Yu Tang didn’t intend to disclose more information and just smiled, “My brother is about to get married, so he needs to at least have one attendant to help him with errands.”
“That’s true.” The innkeeper’s wife smiled and agreed, and immediately left to settle this matter for Yu Tang. Yu Yuan woke up early the next morning with a splitting headache that made him want to hit his head against the wall, and Yu Tang, who came in with his breakfast, didn’t sympathise with him at all.
“Serves you right!” Yu Tang scoffed, “Who asked you to drink so much? You have no attendant with you either, so if you fell into a ditch somewhere, what would you do? You promised me you would be fine on your own!”
Yu Yuan smiled sheepishly and answered, “Ah-tang, I checked it out for you yesterday. If there is nothing important on the Gu family’s side, Lady Gu’s nursing maid should be visiting the store tomorrow to see her son. It’s quite a coincidence that Yao San’s store is right behind the Gu family’s store, and Yao San not only knows her son, but also knows several of their family’s shopkeepers. According to him, the third head steward of their family is extremely talkative, and especially likes to talk about the family’s affairs. Because of this, their senior head steward was very dissatisfied with him. He is well aware of that fact, and thus while he is still in the employ of the Gu family, he wishes to find a small store and become its boss. He heard that I came from Lin’an City and wanted to open a store in Hangzhou City, so he was particularly enthusiastic. The reason I drank so much was also because he kept persuading me to drink.”
Very few stewards would leave their masters, and if they did, without the previous master’s letter of recommendation, the new master would not dare to use this person at all.
Upon hearing that this third head steward was loose-lipped, she didn’t like him and said “If you really set up a shop in Hangzhou City, would you use this person?”
“No!” Yu Yuan also didn’t like people like that.
Yu Tang thought of what Pei Yan taught her and said, “Although we are using him to find out more information, but we can’t let him think that we would be hiring him as our shopkeeper in the future. These two things are separate and should be clearly explained to him.”
It would not be good if it caused misunderstandings and grudges to arise.
Yu Yuan held his head, which was starting to hurt again, and said weakly, “I know. It was Yao San. He was afraid that I would be looked down upon by them and thus told them that I was coming to Hangzhou City to open a store. I told them that I really wanted to come, but my father would not let me. This matter most likely would not come to fruition. The most I could do now is to come over and have a look.”
Yu Tang nodded.
Yu Yuan brought up the topic of the Sheng family’s lacquerware store, saying “When you first walk in, the things in the store looked really nice and it’s not too expensive either. Of course, there were also some very expensive items on display, but understandably so. The patterns of their lacquerware are all new and interesting. For example, the same lacquer box of Fu Lu Shou, their carving work, was extremely lifelike – our family’s craftsmanship really can’t hold a candle to it. Moreover, they still had knowledge of other crafts like coloured shells inlay….”
After saying this, he looked depressed.
“I didn’t have the heart to continue looking, and it just so happened that it was about time to meet up with Yao San, so I went off. On the way back, I was thinking that I still had to revisit the store again to see more and get inspiration.”
Yu Tang could feel his pain within his heart.
Although Yu Yuan was a young proprietor and also followed Yu Bo and travelled to different places, but in the end he was just a young boy who has not yet reached maturity. The first time to travel without his father, to the renowned Hangzhou City, the top city in Jiangnan with various reputable and prestigious businesses and top-of-the-line products; there will certainly be some discomfort and unease.
In her previous life, when she married into the Li family, she too had such an inferiority complex when she met the beautiful and talented Gu Xi.
“I’ll go with you.” Yu Tang replied, “It just so happen that I am also nearing the age of maturity, so if that coloured shell inlay is really as good as the rumors say, when I accompany Mother and Eldest Aunt the beginning of next spring, I can also buy one or two pieces back.”
The primary reason for her to visit the Sheng family’s store was to give Yu Yuan a good reason for visiting and provide moral support. With this, Yu Yuan naturally would act in a more confident, dignified manner, and the shopkeepers and attendants in the store would notice that even though they were wearing plain coarse clothing, but they were bold in surveying the items at will, would definitely think that they were the sons and daughters from a large family out for some training and to gain experience, and thus would not dare to treat them poorly.
Her cousin can also learn how to speak and handle customers through this.
Yu Tang was inwardly pleased for coming up with this idea. Suddenly, she thought of Pei Yan, who wore a plain, fine cloth robe but carelessly played with a treasured item in his hand.
It would easily infuriate those snobbish people who placed high value on obtaining those rare objects.
Yu Tang clearly felt Pei Yan’s wicked sense of humour.
She couldn’t help but wipe the non-existent sweat from her forehead, before informing Yu Yuan about Second supervisor Tong’s invitation. “We have to return earlier in the evening today. You can also take this opportunity to ask the second supervisor Tong for guidance on doing business in Hangzhou City.”
Yu Yuan was a little apprehensive.
This was the first time he had left his father and uncle’s guidance and received a senior of such stature like second supervisor Tong alone. But he wasn’t the type to retreat from a challenge. Since Yu Tang helped him with the arrangements, he would try his best to do a good job.
For today, they decided to go shopping at the Sheng family’s lacquerware store in Hangzhou City in the morning, before heading to Yao San’er’s place in the afternoon to meet the Gu family’s third head steward and talk about the Li family’s matters, preferably when Gu Xi’s nursing maid happened to be passing by.
Having made up their minds, the two siblings had breakfast, before changing into a fresh set of clean clothes, and headed for Wulin Gate.
