Chapter 14 Miss Zhuo

Miss Zhuo didn't continue to batter Ye Tao. She politely asked, "If you two have nothing else planned, would you do me the honor of joining me for a meal?"

Ye Tao remained noncommittal, but Du Fengchi said, "It is an honor to be invited by the young lady, and I would not dare refuse. However, I have an appointment with a friend. It's a meal, but also a business discussion. Since the appointment was made first, I must forego the pleasure of dining with the young lady."

Miss Zhuo said with a smile, "If Young Master Du is busy, I wouldn't dare delay you. What about Young Master Ye?"

Ye Tao felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. This Miss Zhuo seemed to be quite interested in his affairs, and he suspected that she had other things to say if she kept him for dinner. He shrugged and said, "It is my honor to be invited by the young lady. I wouldn't dare refuse."

Du Fengchi chatted for a few more words before taking his leave. At this time, Lu Dan had finished watching the chess match and listening to the commentary at the Yizhan Tower, and had wandered around the Yizhan Shop enough to buy what he wanted before returning. The Yizhan Shop was very meticulous and farsighted in its business. Along with the terrain components, they also sent three sets of instruction catalogs for various chess games and related products. Lu Dan found it interesting and asked his maid, Qiao'er, to bring a set of booklets up when reporting to Miss Zhuo.

Ye Tao felt a little embarrassed when he saw the set of booklets. This Miss Zhuo had helped him so much today, and yet she had spent money in his shop to buy so many things. The rules of the Yizhan Shop were also set by Ye Tao, and he knew very well how much money it cost to give away three sets of product catalogs. He quickly said, "I didn't know that the young lady was also interested in Army Chess. I should have offered these things. I shouldn't have let the young lady spend money."

Miss Zhuo said nonchalantly, "These things aren't worth much. Compared to letting my younger brothers continue to ruin things in my study, it's quite cheap. Young Master, don't take it to heart. Today, I looked at the Yizhan Tower and walked around the Yizhan Shop, but I didn't go to see the furniture made by the Ye Shi Workshop. However, the name 'Yijia Furniture' is really unique. Suitable for home, and also the home of Yicheng people, simple and warm, yet not lacking in lasting appeal. Which meaning did you take when you named it, Young Master?"

Ye Tao was stunned for a moment, then tilted his head and said, "I didn't think much when I named it. I just thought it was good and wrote it down."

Miss Zhuo then asked, "How did you make the blue monument and the yellow characters? It's not easy to make the colors so bright, and yet they don't fade even when exposed to the wind and rain?"

Ye Tao was very proud of himself. Indeed, he had put a lot of thought into that sign. It had been exposed to the wind, sun, and rain for several years, and it hadn't lost any color. Some curious people had secretly scraped off a little, and it had taken some effort to repair it. Ye Tao said, "Although the blue and yellow colors are different, the method used on the sign is the same. First, I found the base materials for the plant and mineral dyes, and chose powder particles that were relatively pure in color and insoluble in water, and mixed them with gypsum. The gypsum is just a modeling agent and is itself afraid of the sun, wind, and rain. The secret of this sign lies in a kind of fish glue. The fish glue is mixed with those powdered gypsum, and when the fish glue is dry, it is not afraid of the wind and rain at all. It's a bit like the jelly that fish soup turns into when it cools down in winter. It's just that this jelly is much tougher. Although it's not as good as stone, its hardness and luster are somewhat similar to porcelain. However, this kind of fish glue is not easy to collect. Although I've thought about using fish glue to make some tricks, the output has never been high."

Miss Zhuo listened carefully and nodded. "That's really a strange method. I was a little dizzy when I walked to the intersection today and didn't go close to see it. I'll have to go back and take a look. This sign is indeed a bit interesting."

Ye Tao said with a smile, "It's just a trivial skill. I wouldn't dare to trouble you, Miss. I'll have the workshop make two paperweights using the same method for you to enjoy."

Miss Zhuo smiled very strangely, making Ye Tao unable to figure out what she meant. Then, Miss Zhuo simply took out the *Huan Ling Qi* and asked in detail about the complex rules.

Perhaps having never seen Miss Zhuo discuss certain things so seriously with others, Head Butler Liu came upstairs and glanced around slightly. Since it was harmless to the young lady, he felt relieved and waited on the third floor. The maids Sisi and Qiao'er had been following Miss Zhuo for quite some time. They were even more surprised. They had never seen Miss Zhuo get along so well with a strange man while researching a toy. In the capital, even when facing the Qin master Gongsun Xu, whom she admired extremely, Miss Zhuo was still indifferent. In fact, Miss Zhuo's body was extremely weak. Although she was fine with daily walking, sitting, and lying down, great joy, great anger, great sadness, and great hatred were all major taboos. To recuperate her health, the key was to have a heart as still as water. But how much fun was there in living like that for a fourteen-year-old girl, a person of extraordinary talent, who could restrain all her emotions in order to live a few more days? Miss Zhuo had once said to her closest maid that she could maintain that calmness only because she had not yet encountered something, or someone, that she could not restrain.

So, was Ye Tao, whom she had only met a few hours ago, the person who could make the young lady lose control?

Sisi served ink and paper, recording everything that Miss Zhuo and Ye Tao discussed. Listening to Ye Tao talk about the grand ideas and complex rules of *Huan Ling Qi*, and that each chess piece was different, was also quite fun. It was a little difficult for Sisi to understand the rules, and she almost forgot to keep a cup of hot tea in Miss Zhuo's hand. As for Qiao'er, she was sent to prepare dinner and snacks. Judging from the enthusiasm of Miss Zhuo and Ye Tao's discussion, it seemed that they were preparing to continue the discussion while eating.

"Sisi, come and help." Qiao'er's head peeked out of the stairwell and whispered. Miss Zhuo had always been served by her and Sisi alone during meals. No one else was allowed to touch the tableware.

After apologizing to Miss Zhuo, Sisi trotted over. Miss Zhuo looked at Sisi, then looked at Ye Tao, and asked with a smile, "Young Master Ye, I have to ask you again, why is the furniture store called 'Yijia'?"

"What's wrong? Is there anything wrong with it?" Ye Tao was puzzled. He now admired Miss Zhuo's temperament and talent, but he always felt that Miss Zhuo was somewhat inscrutable. "Is there anything taboo about it? I've always been in Yicheng, and I don't know many taboos in the capital."

At that moment, Miss Zhuo's eyes sparkled with cunning. She smiled slightly, and her teasing words struck Ye Tao's heart like thunder, word by word: "What I'm thinking is, why not call it Bai An Ju, or Jin Hai Ma, or Ya Zan, or Yun Dian, or Da Vinci, or Nordic Style, or Ji Sheng Wei Bang, or Ling Fang Yuan, or Jia Shi Jia, but just have to call it Yijia?"