Chapter 035

Chapter 35: Red Luan

Splendid Brocade Pavilion is the most high-end dress shop in the Capital, serving high officials and nobles. It stays on top not only because its seamstresses are skilled, but also because the owner always finds smart ways to boost business.

For example, every month the shop releases new designs and holds a viewing banquet. Invitations go out early to the Capital’s lords and ladies, and most give Splendid Brocade Pavilion this favor. The banquet is not only dry talk about fabric and cuts. The shop also invites famous performers and storytellers, and has its own seamstresses wear the new outfits to show how they look in motion.

Because the shop is the most famous in the Capital City, the seamstresses’ ability is beyond doubt. To stand on one’s own, a seamstress needs strong skills and the power to sell. Each one brings in piles of silver for the shop every month, and that kind of ability takes years to build.

But Red Luan needed only one year to gain the right to design and put her name on dresses. After Yu Zhi Yi wore that bright red dress on her return visit day, Red Luan’s name spread far and wide. That month many guests asked for her by name. She alone earned tens of thousands of taels for the pavilion. She did not disappoint them. Her pieces were fresh and elegant, and guests loved them. Since each was a one-on-one custom order, no one had to worry about bumping into someone wearing the same dress. Her fame rose fast, and Yu Zhi Yi was truly happy for her.

At today’s viewing banquet, Red Luan would launch three skirts. Yu Zhi Yi had a cool, quiet nature and did not like crowds, but she would never skip Red Luan’s big day. The carriage rolled to a stop outside Splendid Brocade Pavilion. As soon as Yu Zhi Yi stepped down, Red Luan came to greet her.

Seventeen and still unmarried, Red Luan had a lively energy that many girls her age in this era had already lost. She naturally linked arms with Yu Zhi Yi and said: “I knew you would come and cheer for your sister.”

Yu Zhi Yi smiled and said: “I never refuse chances to make money.”

Red Luan shot her a playful look and said: “Do you have to poke holes in my little fantasy? Can’t you let me feel deep sisterly love for a moment?”

Red Luan’s father is devoted. He has only one wife and only one daughter, Red Luan. But she still has a crowd of cousins. Some are ambitious and want her removed, so they can become her father’s rightful heir or adopted daughter. Because of that, she suffered many secret attacks when she was little. She finds it disgusting every time she talks about them.

She and Yu Zhi Yi met by chance. Years ago, Yu Zhi Yi slipped out to tell fortunes for the Marchioness Wu’an. On the way back, a thug harassed her. Many people watched, but no one dared help. Red Luan, also under the hairpin age then, rushed over with house servants. Wearing a flaming red dress, the little miss was as bold as her clothes. She did not even use the servants at first. She personally kicked the thug until he rolled away on the ground and begged for mercy. As Red Luan puts it, they built a friendship by beating a lowlife together.

Yu Zhi Yi did not know what “revolution” meant when Red Luan joked about it, but after that day, whenever she slipped out of Yu Manor, she had another place to go besides the Marchioness’s estate. Even so, she stayed distant. After seeing the ugly faces of the Yu clan for years, she did not expect deep friendship from anyone. Red Luan, however, was a natural warm soul. No matter how Yu Zhi Yi tried to keep a polite distance, Red Luan stuck close. After a few failed rejections, Yu Zhi Yi let her in.

As they walked, Red Luan’s eyes lit up and she said: “I prepared three dresses this time. One is called ‘Golden Autumn.’ The main color is the gold of ripe corn. The skirt has a hidden lining, so you won’t feel cold in the morning and evening when the air drops. I also worked on the shawl. Folded up in the cool hours, it becomes a short wrap. The double layers keep out the chill. At noon, let it down, and it turns into an extra skirt layer, light and not hot.”

The little miss chattered on, sharing the design ideas for all three dresses. Then she leaned closer and said in a secret tone: “Aunt Hong told me today that if I perform well, I’ll be promoted to Gold-Ranked Seamstress after the banquet.”

The seamstresses at Splendid Brocade Pavilion have ranks. Bronze is the lowest, gold is the highest, and above gold is steward. Aunt Hong is a steward. There are only five Gold-Ranked Seamstresses, almost all old hands who have been with the shop since it opened. For Red Luan to reach gold in a year with one viewing banquet shows how good she is. But excellence often draws jealousy.

Seeing the bright smile on Red Luan’s face, Yu Zhi Yi did not want to dampen her joy, yet she still warned softly: “I’m afraid today may not go smoothly.”

“Ah?” Red Luan froze.

They had known each other for years, but Yu Zhi Yi almost never revealed she could read fate. Minister Yu’s long-term scolding had pressed her down too hard. The few times she helped Red Luan avoid trouble, they were tiny matters she could fix quietly without even telling her. The heavens’ backlash for those little fixes was small enough to bear. This time was different. If she did not speak, the matter might be hard to solve. She also did not know whether Red Luan would believe her.

Yu Zhi Yi pressed her lips together, hesitated, and said: “I left home without reward money. Can I borrow some from you?”

Red Luan looked surprised. In all their years, her friend had always been proper and careful. She had never asked so bluntly, or even politely, for money. Red Luan could feel that Yu Zhi Yi had been quietly looking after her for a long time.

Yu Zhi Yi watched the girl in front of her in silence. If Red Luan refused or did not believe her, she would still handle today’s danger for her. But after that, there would be no need to keep seeing each other. The anger of heaven is not something she can shoulder every time.

Right then, Red Luan pulled out a money pouch from her sleeve. It was full, maybe twenty to thirty taels. She handed it over and said: “I didn’t bring much, but I have more in my room. Go inside first. I’ll fetch it and bring it to you.”

For common folk, twenty or thirty taels is a fortune they might never earn in a lifetime. Red Luan was born rich, but after leaving home she lived on the shop’s pay. Her fixed base pay was only three taels a month. Bonuses depended on sales, and before this rise, she had lived several months on base pay alone.

Yu Zhi Yi’s lips curved up. She smiled and said: “No need. This is enough.”