Chapter 85 The insistent guest inquires
Well, now she was in a pickle. Her two carefully-selected, simple and elegant tables and chairs were far from enough, and the ambiance she had meticulously crafted was wasted.
...Well, not entirely wasted, haha. Two children took a fancy to the cloth patchwork paintings she had hung on the wall and bought three pieces at a high price. Each painting sold for two taels of silver, so three paintings amounted to more than a month’s rent, with almost zero cost.
Those six taels of silver clearly told Ye Xinyan that her meticulously made cloth paintings failed to resonate with the sophisticated tastes of the ancient literati; they only managed to pique the interest of children and earn their admiration.
After much contemplation, Ye Xinyan finally understood that her paintings were likely too straightforward, only appealing to untrained children. In other words, Ye Xinyan’s cloth patchwork was, to put it kindly, simple and childlike, or bluntly, lacking depth and too superficial.
Upon further reflection, the outcome was understandable. As a student with a background in engineering, her cloth paintings hadn’t sunk to the point of being scorned by everyone, but still proved likable to children. This result was actually not bad.
Despite the awkwardness, Ye Xinyan found solace in those six taels of silver. Such unexpected joys were welcome; she wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed for lacking refinement. After all, that was six taels of silver! Earning the same amount making rice tofu would mean a whole month of toil for an entire family.
Making money was paramount, and even if it was awkward, Ye Xinyan joyfully accepted it. If her high-end leisure snacks had become an acknowledged fast-food joint, then having an extra source of income was a good thing. Since there was a market for cloth paintings, then she would make several more to keep on hand, available to anyone who wished to buy.
Ye Xinyan rushed to produce a few more paintings, not only to replace the three sold but also wrapped the others tightly, ready for any other interested customers.