The Daily Life of a Concubine's Daughter After Transmigrating

A hint of surprise flashed in Shan Xingwen's eyes.

He slowly and deliberately made tea for Li Anqi.

"Girl, please speak."

"May I borrow the dyed, mature silk from the Young Master's Shop?"

"of course."

Dan Xingwen sent people to fetch dyed, mature silkworm silk in various colors.

Li Anqi took the bundle from Zhilan, which contained some things she had just bought at the general store.

Li Anqi first tied silk threads to bamboo chopsticks in a gradient order of white, red, and white.

Then, she placed the bamboo chopsticks in the pen holder's hook groove and used a bristle brush to comb the silk until each silk thread was distinct and the surface was smooth and shiny.

Li Anqi took out thin copper wires, twisted them one by one onto the silk thread, and then cut them off with scissors.

She used one end of a wooden block to press down on one end of a copper wire and rubbed it continuously in one direction.

And so, strips of white, red, and white velvet appeared.

Li Anqi cut the two ends of the velvet strip into pointed cones with scissors, then folded it in half and tied the two copper wires together, thus completing the making of a fluffy peach petal.

Li Anqi made five petals using the same method and set them aside.

Then, she twisted yellow silk threads into flower stamens.

Finally, she combined the petals and stamens together and then used green silk to bind the copper wire frame tightly.

A fluffy peach blossom suddenly bloomed on her fingertip.

Looking at the beautiful and vivid fuzzy peach blossoms before them, Shan Xingwen and Zhilan were both speechless with amazement.

Li Anqi then rubbed five more flower petals.

She removed the lampshade, heated the candle with a small metal clip for a while, and then used the clip to flatten the petals.

Next, she mixed egg whites and water to make glue, and then used a small brush to apply the glue to the petals.

After the petals have dried and set, tie them together with the stamen using the same method.

A delicate artificial peach blossom was thus created.

Dan Xingwen's eyes widened slightly, and he said haltingly, "I have never seen anyone make flowers out of silkworm silk and make them so lifelike!"

Li Anqi held up two peach blossoms in front of Shan Xingwen.

"These are called velvet flowers. The one on the left is a plush version, which is cute. The one on the right is a flat version, which is lifelike. Because the material is silk, they will produce a special luster in the sunlight, making them more vibrant and elegant than ordinary fresh flowers. They will never wither and are suitable for making hairpins."

Before Li Anqi transmigrated, besides studying, she also had a hobby of handicrafts.

This is the traditional craft of velvet flowers, an intangible cultural heritage, which Li Anqi learned online.

For some reason, velvet flowers never appeared in the history of this era.

She was not as ambitious as Li Baoqin, nor did she want to fight against the times.

I had never considered using my modern advantages to make money and gain power before.

But the situation is special now, and she has no choice but to do this for the sake of the important people in her life.

Li Anqi continued, "Different colors of ribbon lines and different trimming methods can create different petals, and thus different flowers."

Shan Xingwen stared blankly at Li Anqi.

"I want to use this to do business with you, young master."

Shan Xingwen took the velvet flower into his hand.

He stared intently at the flower in his hand, seemingly reluctant to put it down.

"The chess girl is so skillful that she can create flowers that never wither?!"

Li Anqi said, "I see that your embroidery workshop is full of skillful embroiderers. Why not teach this craft to them and try selling the velvet flowers in your silver shop? If people like them, you can popularize it throughout the country."

"May I ask which woman could not fall in love with this flower upon seeing it? I have a premonition that this flower will become a national treasure and be passed down through the ages!"

Shan Xingwen looked at Li Anqi.

"This flower doesn't need a trial sale; it can be mass-produced and shipped to every single jewelry store in Daxin Dynasty! You, young lady, will be responsible for the style and design of the velvet flower; the rest will be left to me. I guarantee that once this flower is launched, it will definitely set a new fashion trend!"

Li Anqi took the silver note from Zhilan and handed it to Shan Xingwen.

"Here are ten thousand taels of silver notes. That should be enough for you, young master."

Shan Xingwen did not accept Li Anqi's silver note.

He said, "This is the young lady's idea, and it's also her business. If I let the young lady pay for everything, how could I possibly accept that?"

Li Anqi said seriously, "This is my business, and it's also your business. I only offered the idea; the rest is up to you. If I don't even contribute any capital, wouldn't that be incredibly unfair?"

Li Anqi continued, "I will provide the design drafts and 10,000 shares, and the profits will be split 50/50 with Young Master Shan. Would you be willing, Young Master?"

Shan Xingwen thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Since Miss Qi says so... I will accept the silver note. Deal."

"When I get back today, I will write down the detailed breakdown of the velvet flower making process and the precautions, and draw some pattern drawings, and send someone to deliver them to you. In addition, the number of embroiderers in the embroidery workshop may not be enough, so you might as well hire more people."

Shan Xingwen couldn't help but ask, "Is the young lady in a hurry?"

Li Anqi didn't hide anything, frowning and nodding: "The sooner the better."

Dan Xingwen looked alarmed and said, "Understood, I will expedite the process of sending someone to handle it."

"Thank you, Mr. Shan."

Back at Jingguo Mansion.

Li Anqi spent several days drawing up a breakdown of the production process and writing down important notes. He then drew dozens of velvet flower patterns and asked Zhilan to deliver them to Shanji Cloth Shop.

After Zhilan returned, she told Li Anqi.

Shan Xingwen's velvet flower business is booming, and Shan Xingwen is very interested in it.

Li Anqi felt somewhat relieved.

On this day, Li Anqi visited the old lady as usual.

It's only been two years.

The old lady's former radiant appearance had vanished, replaced by a haggard and sickly look.

Whenever Li Anqi thought of the changes in the old lady, a sense of sadness and helplessness towards fate welled up in his heart.

"Cough cough cough... Come here, let Grandma take a look." The old lady beckoned to Li Anqi, her voice hoarse and weak.

Li Anqi squatted down in front of the bed, curled up in a ball.

The old lady cupped Li Anqi's face in her hands and gently stroked it.

"Why are your eyes all bruised? Have you not been sleeping well these past few days?" the old lady asked.

Li Anqi smiled and shook his head.

"No, it's just that I started reading a little late."

These past few days, she's been worrying about the velvet flowers and has been staying up late.

The old lady looked somewhat distressed.

"No matter how hard you work, you can't ruin your health."

"Yes, Qi'er will definitely go to bed early tonight."

Li Anqi pulled the old lady's thin blanket up a little.

How have you been feeling lately?

The old lady sighed deeply and said.

"I'm getting old and useless. Lately, I've been feeling dizzy and weak, and can only rest in bed. To make matters worse, I have a cough that flares up from time to time, which is almost killing me. I can't even sleep well anymore."

A hint of worry appeared between Li Anqi's brows as he grasped the old lady's hand.

"You must take your medicine on time. Doctor Guo said that your cough is not incurable. You will definitely get better."

The old lady smiled kindly and gently, then shook her head and said.

"Our Jingguo Mansion, like Grandmother, is nearing the end of its life. It's all thanks to you that it's kept going. You've really worked so hard."

The old lady patted Li Anqi's hand, her cloudy eyes filled with tears.

Li Anqi was taken aback.

"You know?"

“Grandmother knows that you’re keeping this from me because you’re afraid of my illness. But Grandmother has lived in the Jingguo Mansion her whole life. How could Grandmother not know what’s going on in the mansion?”

The old lady's tone was not blaming at all; on the contrary, she seemed somewhat relieved.

"Fortunately, our Jingguo Prefecture produced someone like you; otherwise, this century-old foundation would probably have declined into obscurity."

Li Anqi held the old lady's hand tightly.

"Even if it's just for your sake, Grandmother, Anqi will never let this edifice collapse!"

The old lady smiled kindly: "Ahem... Good, good, with your words, Grandmother can rest assured."

At this moment, Zhilan entered the inner chamber, bowed to the old lady and Li Anqi, but did not speak.

Although Zhilan didn't show any unusual behavior, the old lady knew her too well, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Reporting to the old lady, nothing serious. Granny Fang from the night watchman's quarters died last night," Zhilan said.

Li Anqi suddenly turned around.