Chapter 97 — Background (1)
Xie Jing’s eyelashes twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying on the bed, not yet getting up, a thin blanket covering most of his body.
After a moment, he vaguely recalled the events of last night.
The wine brought from the North was smooth to drink but extremely strong; after just two small cups, he was already drunk.
Lord Bai Jiu had hugged him from behind, pulled him into his arms, kissed the top of his head, and said hoarsely, “Sleep a bit longer. I’ll need to step out for a while. You go find Sun Fu and have him open the warehouse for you.”
Xie Jing: “Open the warehouse?”
“Mm. I bought some things for you at the auction yesterday. Go have some fun with them.” Lord Bai Jiu pinched his earlobe, played with it for a moment, and then let go, satisfied. “These next few days are relatively free. If you have time, organizing the warehouse is good, or you could go help Bai Er at the factory.”
Xie Jing agreed. He was about to get up, but Lord Bai Jiu pressed on his waist, making him flop back onto the soft bed, his ears turning red.
Lord Bai Jiu chuckled: “Don’t push yourself. Rest a bit more.”
“But I haven’t been back these past few days. I should ask first…”
“No rush. Take it slow. There’s plenty of time ahead.”
Xie Jing closed his eyes and obediently lay there. That one sentence calmed much of the unease in him.
The residence in Shanghai was marked as “East Courtyard.” Apart from different buildings, everything else was modeled after the East Courtyard, especially the layout of the garden.
Xie Jing didn’t go to the factory in the morning. He stayed in the East Courtyard to help Steward Sun Fu organize the warehouse.
Here, he saw many valuable items previously stored in the Northern private warehouse. Sun Fu patiently taught him how to organize and store them, also giving a few lessons on identification. He assumed Xie Jing had never learned this before and explained meticulously—but Xie Jing learned extremely quickly. A few pieces of gold and stone artifacts were placed in their respective spots on the shelves even before Sun Fu had explained them.
Sun Fu froze: “Little Xie, you’ve studied this before?”
Xie Jing paused briefly in his hands but maintained a calm expression: “No, I’ve just seen similar things in Master’s study before and thought they should go here… Uncle Sun, did I place them incorrectly?”
Sun Fu’s doubt vanished, and he smiled: “Ah, that explains it—you learned from following Master. Everything you placed is correct. I’ve heard people say that reading and memorizing aren’t as good as hands-on experience. You’ve been by Master’s side since you were young, so it’s normal that you recognize the quality of these items.”
Xie Jing exhaled in relief. These were skills he had learned long ago, and he still couldn’t reveal them fully. He spent the morning with Sun Fu, asking many questions, gradually giving the appearance of “gaining experience.”
Sun Fu noticed nothing unusual. Xie Jing was always modest and eager to learn, and Sun Fu taught him attentively. After being by Lord Bai Jiu’s side, Xie Jing’s temperament and character hadn’t changed at all. As long as he treated Lord Bai Jiu well, the East Courtyard staff naturally treated him even better, and Sun Fu grew closer to him than before.
After tidying the warehouse, Sun Fu led Xie Jing to another room, filled with shelves of large and small blue-and-white porcelain pieces.
Sun Fu said, “Little Xie, these are the blue-and-white vases Master bought at yesterday’s auction. He said you like them, so I picked a room to display them for now.”
Xie Jing hadn’t expected so many. He stood and examined them, and in a flash noticed a few familiar blue-and-white pieces. He froze: “All for me?”
Sun Fu chuckled: “Yes. Master said you can do whatever you want with them—keep them, play with them, or gift them. Anything goes.”
Xie Jing moved closer to examine them. Two of the pieces were exactly as he remembered—the years, markings, everything matched. If he recalled correctly, just these two could fetch tens of thousands of silvers at auction in a few years.
His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed. “How much did Master spend on these?”
Sun Fu said, “In total, less than a thousand silvers. They were found in a stack at the Yu Jing Zhai shop. After picking through, only these few were worth keeping.”
Xie Jing closed his eyes. If it was from Yu Jing Zhai, then it made sense.
The current low price was because Yu Jing Zhai still had a batch that hadn’t sold for years. Later, a scholar appraised them and discovered that this batch of blue-and-white porcelain was different from the rest—extraordinarily delicate glaze and unique dates. But when they tried to look for more, a fire broke out in Yu Jing Zhai’s warehouse, destroying everything. These few pieces became rare, making them extremely hard to find.
Xie Jing remembered because the price of these pieces had skyrocketed more than tenfold over a few years. Buying now meant only profit, no loss.
Most of his past memories were blurry, especially about Lord Bai Jiu. It felt like looking through a white mist, impossible to see clearly.
Xie Jing vaguely felt that perhaps things had changed from his previous life; the relationship had shifted.
But no matter how things changed, some events were destined to happen, so he could still remember fragments—like the prices, the skyrocketing blue-and-white porcelain, and silver notes that would later lose value.
Xie Jing picked up a small blue-and-white bowl, playing with it in his hands. In his mind, he thought about waiting a few years for the price to rise, selling it in exchange for grain or salt, acquiring needed resources. In chaotic times, these felt far more practical than food. After all, Lord Bai Jiu had done the same… Xie Jing’s thoughts trailed off; a memory surfaced briefly, then slipped away before he could grasp it.
Sun Fu noticed him staring at the porcelain. “The vase you picked last time looks good with flowers. Master praised it several times.”
Xie Jing smiled softly.
Lord Bai Jiu didn’t like that vase the most. He liked the Jun kiln sky-blue glazed brush washer the most. Just because Xie Jing picked one blue-and-white piece, Master had bought a whole set to please him, already changing much for his sake.
Xie Jing put down the porcelain. “Uncle Sun, I haven’t learned everything. I want to recognize more items with you.”
Sun Fu was delighted. “Of course. When you follow Master out, you’ll use these skills more. The more you learn, the better—skills never hurt anyone.”
Everyone in the East Courtyard was talented. Xie Jing, representing them when he went out with Master, would naturally be the best.
Sun Fu taught with responsibility and effort. Xie Jing’s attitude was serious and correct, making the steward grow increasingly fond of him.
At noon, Lord Bai Jiu sent someone back with a letter saying he was busy outside and wouldn’t return for lunch.
Xie Jing ate casually and went to the factory in the afternoon to find Bai Mingyu.
Bai Mingyu was in the office, enduring two groups of people arguing. Seeing Xie Jing, he immediately seized the opportunity, jumped up, and said, “Alright, alright, I got it. Give me some time to think about how to handle it. Meeting dismissed!”
He had some authority at the factory; the others bowed and dispersed.
Xie Jing waited until they left before asking, “What happened?”
Bai Mingyu leaned back in the leather chair, hopeless: “What else? I argued with those foreign students again. They shout about reform but insist on preserving the old crafts. They dragged me in as a judge but don’t listen to a word I say. Chattering and bickering gave me a headache.”
Xie Jing asked, “What will you do?”
Bai Mingyu said, “What can I do? I have to accommodate both sides! I can’t afford to offend either. Those foreign students know machines, but not everyone at the factory does. We’ll have to train them slowly. Step by step, we’ll find a way to integrate them.”
Xie Jing studied him for a moment.
Bai Mingyu straightened a little: “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Xie Jing: “You’ve grown a lot.”
Bai Mingyu: “…Wait, don’t talk to me like that. You and Lord Bai Jiu are one thing, but between us, we’re peers! Don’t take advantage of me.”
Even saying that, Bai Mingyu felt proud seeing Xie Jing so close yesterday when he had backed him up—Lord Bai Jiu’s second young master felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
