Chapter 368: The Idol Effect

Chapter 368: The Idol Effect

With the financial support of her mentor, Xianjin's reserve fund was exceptionally robust, yet she remained frugal when purchasing supplies, adhering to the principle of saving wherever possible—buying right, not expensive.

Except for the bold move of acquiring three shops at once, when it came to hardware, such as display shelves, tables, bricks, and tiles that had immediately visible value, Xianjin always bought the expensive ones. However, for softer items, she generally followed the principle of "spending little to make a big impression."

For instance, each dwarf pine from the Shu region costs around one or two taels of silver.

This price shocked Mother Zhang: "I might as well sit here and become a dwarf pine myself!"

These items without universal value were the most expensive.

During turbulent times, these items wouldn't even trade for a steamed bun; but in peaceful and prosperous times, wealthy families relied on them to display their riches.

Xianjin didn't want to spend so much money on these overpriced ornaments.

If she were to buy dwarf pines, she wouldn't buy them from the Shu region. Instead, she'd buy them from the border area between Qianzhou and Shu, where the climate and soil were almost identical. This meant that, apart from their origin, the pine trees were identical in leaves and stems, but the price of the dwarf pines from Qianzhou was only one-tenth of those from Shu.

Then there were the most mysterious calligraphy and paintings.

Famous calligraphy and paintings were beyond her budget, starting at a few hundred taels per piece—Qiao Daor wouldn't have that much money.

Thus, the shop mostly displayed non-famous pieces.

The calligraphy and paintings had no signature or seal, only the year and month. Regardless of fame, if the painting skills were proficient, she would buy them.

Coincidentally, such talented but unknown artists were a specialty of the capital—plentiful in supply. Oh, and there were a few fine bird-and-flower paintings, a friendly gift from Madam Duan, the head of the current Chen family, who not only offered them for free but also kindly provided free shipping.

Qiao Fangzhi, as the largest shareholder, was invited to tour the newly renovated shop and, as the top scholar of Great Wei, help Xianjin assess things.

Seeing the green fog juniper landscape scroll on the east wall of the main hall, Qiao Fangzhi leaned on his cane and pondered for a while: "This painting is excellent, with free and bold ink splashes, capturing both form and spirit, and a free and easy brushstroke that reveals a grand landscape in the artist's heart." Turning to the signature, he asked, "Why is there only the year and month, and no origin?"

Xianjin looked up and answered accurately, "Painted by Old Monster Sun at the eastern street alley entrance."

After a moment of thought, Qiao Fangzhi said, "Doesn’t seem to be famous?"

Xianjin nodded, "Yes. He failed the imperial examination for thirty-eight years and sold this one for eighty wen. Old Monster Sun even thanked me, saying he had his drinking money covered for the next couple of days."

Xianjin paused and continued, "Oh, Old Monster Sun also said that after he gets drunk, painting another ten or eight pieces for me would be no problem."

Qiao Fangzhi nodded without speaking and turned to look at the sweet white glaze double-eared gourd vase on the display shelf: "This gourd is also excellent, with even color, smooth glaze, and a complete kiln crack that is highly stylized."

Xianjin added, "I bought it for eighteen wen."

Qiao Fangzhi said, "You might as well say you stole it; it fits better."

Xianjin stepped on a stool, stood on her tiptoes, and held up the double-eared gourd for Qiao Fangzhi to see clearly: "Look, there's a big crack at the bottom, a defective product, and Suo'er found it in the scrap pile."

Qiao Fangzhi's expression was puzzled.

Xianjin set the gourd straight, jumped off the stool, and sincerely asked for advice: "Who would jump up and pry open our vase to check, right?"

Qiao Fangzhi remained silent: "...People in the capital are under pressure, but not so crazy."

Walking around, Qiao Fangzhi also noticed the red coral and small seal engraved seal in the glass display cabinet, looking at Xianjin with a questioning gaze.

Xianjin immediately said, "The coral is real, and the seal is not a famous piece, bought for thirty wen. Old Monster Sun's neighbor, Scholar Zhang, did the engraving, and I provided the stone."

Qiao Fangzhi nodded, with one hand behind his back and the other leaning on his cane, he walked out.

Xianjin poked her head out and asked eagerly, "Master, don't you think it's a bit... too cheap?"

Qiao Fangzhi stopped in his tracks and frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean by cheap?"

Xianjin replied honestly, "Some items really aren't... pricey enough."

Qiao Fangzhi thought for a moment and said calmly, "In my eyes, it doesn't feel cheap at all. I find the shop owner ingenious and uniquely tasteful. They don't follow trends or just repeat what everyone else says, nor do they aim to be aloof and create things that are too obscure just to seem special."

Qiao Fangzhi looked at the shop's smooth lacquered door and sighed, "Moreover, fame isn't always real."

Xianjin smiled with joy.

Qiao Fangzhi continued with a peaceful expression, "Hey big girl, let me remind you, if you're going to scour through waste for things—you'd better give me a detailed expense report. Even though I don't handle everyday stuff, I'd still like to know where those 2,700 taels went."

Xianjin laughed even more happily, knowing Qiao Fangzhi was joking, and replied loudly, "That won't work! I only used 700 taels; the remaining 2,000 taels, I spent on buying houses and land for myself!"

Qiao Fangzhi also laughed and handed over a four-meter-long Xuan paper, with a large character "Xuan" written on it. The semi-cursive script was smooth, with a distinctive style, and both the signature and date were fully inscribed.

The next day, the same font was wrapped in red cloth, amidst hushed whispers and the crackle of firecrackers, revealing the blue sky and white sun under the four corners of the eaves.

"Xuan?"

After many free hot searches, the shop finally unveiled its curtains.

The people gathered at the door were the same crowd from these days—people in the Capital City, under a lot of pressure, love meddling and watching the commotion. Even when two old men quarreled over a chess game, they could form circles of onlookers, layer upon layer.

"Xuan? What Xuan?" A one-character shop name was rare, and people were confused.

"There's a phrase in the 'Zizhi Tongjian,' where envoys hold Xuan to oversee and send to the town—the Xuan there refers to the documents issued by the Secretariat... Could it be that this shop has high-level connections to get historical documents for us to study?" said a scholar preparing for the imperial exams, clearly desperate for reference materials.

"One foot three and a third inches—is it about measurements?" said a minor official from the Ministry of Works, with comprehensive professional skills.

"You're all wrong—" The "know-it-all" appeared, "If I'm not mistaken, this 'Xuan' character should be 'I declare' your 'Xuan.'"

Puns lose points and get lost.

Amidst the guesses, someone with sharp eyes shouted loudly, "Look! The person who wrote this... is... could it be the one who just drafted the Great Wei Law, has 72 disciples serving as officials in the court, and became a Tanhua scholar at the age of 27... Master Qiao... Qiao Fangzhi?"

Everyone shifted their gaze to the signature.

"Qiao Fangzhi, Guimao Year, August 28th"

"Ahhh!"

"It's Master Qiao! It's Master Qiao!"

"No matter what this shop sells! Go! Go for it!"

"We must give face to Master Qiao! Master Qiao bless me to pass the exam today, and let that little brat next door fail—ah—don't push me!"