Chapter 412 - 145: Colored Ribbon
Zhuang Ruolan had been in her postpartum confinement for forty-five days, and these days had passed quite smoothly. After she came out of the confinement, Zhuang Ruolan summoned the steward in charge of the dye workshop.
Zhuang Ruolan caressed the fine, smooth, red cloth, "Is this dyed by our Clothes Workshop?" If so, it would prove that the secret recipe given by Yueyao was authentic.
The steward’s face was bright with joy, "Yes, young lady, this was all dyed by our Clothes Workshop." The steward didn’t know where Zhuang Ruolan got the secret recipe from, nor did he know what it was, but to him, it was a great piece of news.
Each color required different materials, so Yueyao gave Zhuang Ruolan eight dye recipes that day, apart from those for different shades. The most difficult and secret recipe was still in Zhuang Ruolan’s hands; she hadn’t distributed it yet.
Zhuang Ruolan muttered to herself, "If the last recipe also turns out to be true, we’re going to make a fortune." Now that they had produced seven colors of cloth and dyed them excellently, the dye was still not as precious as if they had the last recipe. If the initial recipes were correct, the last one surely wouldn’t disappoint.
Yueyao had drawn all the sceneries she saw at Hualin Temple, and after finishing her painting, she showed it to Nanny Hao, "Nanny, how do you think this painting compares to the actual scenery?"
Nanny Hao observed it carefully and then laughed, "The painting is very well done, but I feel like something is missing." Nanny Hao couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but she felt something was lacking.
Yueyao thought deeply, and after contemplating fruitlessly for half a day, she simply put down her paintbrush and went for a walk in the courtyard. When she saw the goldfish in the water tank, her eyes lit up. Returning to the studio, she began to paint again, this time adding several carp blowing bubbles in the pond. After completing the painting, she showed it to Nanny Hao once more.