Shumei Paper Mill, quite an elegant name that suits a talented woman’s temperament.
According to the description in Greenwater City’s "Autumn Garden Evening News," Shen Rongqing bought a paper mill from the He Family two years ago—this very Shumei Paper Mill. At the time, only a small notice about it appeared on page three of the evening paper.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the paper mill, Li Banfeng didn’t rush inside. He wasn’t sure if the mill was still Shen Rongqing’s business.
He first entered a newsstand, bought two magazines, and started chatting with the owner.
"Do you know who owns this mill?" Li Banfeng asked.
The newsstand owner shook his head. "I’ve been selling newspapers here for over ten years, but I haven’t seen the owner these past two years."
"You’ve seen them before?"
"Yes, I have!"
"The previous owner was from the He Family. Have you really seen them?"
"Who said their surname was He? The owner’s surname is Tu!"
Li Banfeng was puzzled. The mill was clearly an asset Shen Rongqing had bought from the He Family; it had even been reported in the newspaper.
"What was the original owner’s name?"
"Tu Shumei, from Black Stone Slope. Our Boss Tu was quite a figure. In the papermaking and printing trades, everyone knew her. Later, for some reason, the business couldn’t continue, so she sold it. This sort of thing happens quite often in Black Stone Slope."
Tu Shumei. She also had the surname Tu. Li Banfeng remembered something—Qin Xiaopang had once mentioned that Tu Yinghong also came from Black Stone Slope.
Li Banfeng asked, "How old is Boss Tu?"
The owner thought for a moment. "I remember when she was still at the factory, she was almost sixty."
"I’d like to meet this Boss Tu. Do you know where she lives?"
The owner shook his head. "That I don’t know. I heard she’s no longer in Black Stone Slope."
"Does she have any relatives living here?"
"No. When Boss Tu’s business was at its peak, a journalist interviewed her. Boss Tu said her parents were deceased, she had no children or siblings, and she built up the business all by herself—a true heroine among women!"
"Do you have the ’Autumn Garden Evening News’ here?"
"I don’t carry that. You’re from Greenwater City, right? Nobody in Black Stone Slope reads the ’Autumn Garden Evening News’," the owner chuckled. "If you want proper news, I have the ’Green City Daily’ right here."
This was a newspaper run by the Ling Family and still had a market in Black Stone Slope. Ling Miaowen and Ling Miaoying had both died, but the Ling Family’s newspaper was still in operation.
The owner continued, "If you want to read something less proper, I’ve got plenty of those. The most improper of them all in Black Stone Slope has to be ’Night-blooming Jasmine!’" His words caused Li Banfeng’s cheeks to twitch.
"I’ll take a copy of ’Night-blooming Jasmine’."
"Are you looking for a newspaper, magazine, or a shadow play reel?"
Li Banfeng was startled. "You have shadow play reels too?"
"Yes! ’Night-blooming Jasmine’ shadow plays come out once a week. I have the latest, and I also have previous issues in stock!"
The newsstand owner raised his eyebrows. "Want one? Twenty-eight yuan!"
Li Banfeng frowned. "Twenty-eight yuan isn’t cheap. I might as well go watch a movie. Isn’t ’Blood Gun Detective’ more exciting than this?"
"How can that be the same? ’Blood Gun Detective’ is shown in cinemas. You get excited watching it, but are you going to... *do it* right there in the cinema? How shameful! For that sort of thing, besides Ma Junyang from Greenwater City, probably no one else would dare. ’Night-blooming Jasmine’ is different. You set up the machine at home, play it secretly, and nobody will know!"
"What if one’s wife finds out?"
"If she finds out, no problem, watch it together! I tell you, my wife loves watching them..."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don’t have a Shadow Play Machine."
"I have one! It’s also from ’Night-blooming Jasmine’—the genuine Qi Chuan Brand."
The owner brought out the Shadow Play Machine, asking for eight hundred yuan.
Li Banfeng bargained down to six hundred yuan, but the owner wouldn’t budge. "These things sell like hotcakes! Eight hundred yuan is a steal. Many families scrimp and save just to get one, and even reporters from various newspapers are scrambling to buy them. The newspaper, magazines, plus that film reel—I’ll throw those in for free. I can even add a screen as an extra discount. But for this machine, I won’t go a single cent lower."
The owner was firm, but Li Banfeng wasn’t angry. He bought the Shadow Play Machine, carrying the machine, its stand, the newspapers, and magazines, and headed to the paper mill.
The gatekeeper of the paper mill approached Li Banfeng. "Who are you looking for?"
"I’m looking for your boss."
"May I ask your business?"
"I’m a reporter."
Seeing Li Banfeng was well-dressed and carrying a Shadow Play Machine, looking every bit the reporter, the gatekeeper said, "Please wait here a moment. I’ll go ask our manager."
Shortly after, the manager arrived and greeted Li Banfeng with a smile. "May I ask which newspaper you’re a journalist for?"
"I’m a journalist from ’Black Stone Miscellany,’ looking to do a special feature on the papermaking industry."
The manager became much more polite; ’Black Stone Miscellany’ held considerable sway in Black Stone Slope.
"Our boss isn’t at the factory at the moment. Could we perhaps schedule another time?"
Li Banfeng said, "That won’t work for me; I’m on a deadline for my article."
The other party didn’t insist. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Banfeng left, carrying the machine.
Shen Rongqing had many businesses, all deeply concealed. Her subordinates were also well-trained, making it very difficult to uncover anything through overt means.
Upon returning to the newspaper office, Li Banfeng was greeted by Bai Qiusheng’s surprised voice. "Seventh Master, you’ve come!"
Li Banfeng, carrying the Shadow Play Machine, smiled. "Where’s Chuanzi? I’m here to celebrate his success! Hurry and get some drinks ready."
Bai Qiusheng looked troubled. "Seventh Master, Chuanzi is ill. He hasn’t been able to get out of bed for two days."
"Ill?" Li Banfeng’s head buzzed; he immediately thought of Disease Cultivation.
He went to Chuanzi’s room and saw him pale, lying flat on the bed. Seeing Li Banfeng, Chuanzi tried to speak but couldn’t get the words out.
"Did Chuanzi meet anyone recently?"
This question stumped Bai Qiusheng.
"Seventh Master, shall we try to piece it together slowly..."
"Let’s discuss it on the way. First, let’s get Chuanzi to Greenwater City."
"Seventh Master, the doctor said Chuanzi is too weak to be moved rashly."
In his anxiety, he suddenly heard the Wine Gourd whispering in his ear, "Little brother, let’s find a place to talk."
Li Banfeng went back to his own room, where the Wine Gourd said, "Little brother, this young brother’s symptoms are different. Ma Wu was genuinely ill, but this young brother just looks exhausted."
"Just exhausted? He’s rested for two days and still hasn’t recovered?"
The Wine Gourd said, "I followed the Medicine King for many years; I wouldn’t be mistaken about basic pathology. How about we consult Sister about this?"
Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence, and the Wine Gourd relayed Xiao Chuanzi’s condition to the Phonograph.
HUFF!
"Judging by the symptoms, it seems like overexertion. He hasn’t improved even after resting for so long. What’s his usual physique like?"
"His physique is very good."
When he operated the steamroller, Chuanzi’s physique was already good. After joining the Taoist Sect, it had improved significantly. Logically, mere fatigue shouldn’t have laid this young man out.
His wife, the Phonograph, asked again, "Does he have a cultivation level?"
"First Layer of Craftsman Cultivation."
"Has he made anything good recently?"
"He made a Shadow Play Machine." Li Banfeng showed the Shadow Play Machine in his hand to his wife.
The Projector beside them snorted coldly. "The materials are crude; truly an eyesore."
"But this device is cheap; ordinary people can afford it. Set up a screen at home, and you can watch movies."
"How are sales?" the Phonograph asked. She rarely inquired about business matters.
"The business is thriving."
"That’s right, my dear husband. When a Craftsman Cultivator creates something that earns a good reputation, his cultivation progress surges. The more people use it and the better its reputation, the faster his progress. Judging by this lad’s condition, he’s definitely about to break through to the Second Layer, and might even leap to the Third Layer. An ordinary physique can’t withstand such rapid advancement."
"Do you have a solution, my dear?"
"Oh, my dear husband, if this were any other Taoist Sect, a cross-layer advancement would mean certain death. But Craftsman Cultivation and Farming Cultivation are exceptions; there’s still a chance to ease the process. I’ll write a prescription. First, my dear, go gather some herbs."
Li Banfeng said excitedly, "My dear, you have such methods?"
The Phonograph laughed. "Oh, my dear husband, do you feel like you struck gold marrying this Little Servant of yours?"
"Excellent treasure, indeed!" Li Banfeng pressed his face against the Phonograph, rubbing vigorously against the cabinet door for a long time.
Laughing so hard she was breathless, the Phonograph said, "My dear husband, stop that! You mustn’t! Your beard... it’s tickling this Little Servant to death!"
His wife, the Phonograph, wrote a prescription with her needle. Li Banfeng had someone gather the herbs, then brought Red Lotus over to refine them into an elixir.
"Give him this elixir and let him rest quietly for a while. When the Peddler comes, buy a bowl of Resurrection Soup for him. He should be able to pull through."
Li Banfeng quickly fed the elixir to Chuanzi. After taking the elixir, Chuanzi clearly improved. Li Banfeng made sure everything was taken care of, then called for Bai Qiusheng and began to inquire about Shen Rongqing.
Bai Qiusheng’s reaction was similar to Ma Wu’s. "Shen Rongqing is an unrivaled genius; the literati of Black Stone Slope all know her name."
"Two years ago, she bought a paper mill in Black Stone Slope. Do you know about that?"
"I don’t know," Bai Qiusheng shook his head repeatedly. "A talented woman like Shen Rongqing wouldn’t be involved in business, would she?"
"What’s wrong with doing business? Is it shameful?"
Bai Qiusheng chuckled awkwardly. "She can support herself with her incredible talent; there’s no need for her to toil away at business."
Li Banfeng continued, "Do you know a Tu Shumei?"
"I know her. A true heroine, a Craftsman Cultivator, and a leading figure in the paper and printing industries. The hand-cranked printing press Chuanzi bought earlier? That was made by Tu Shumei. All these small newspapers in Black Stone Slope rely on that little machine to get by."
"How old is Tu Shumei?"
After pondering for a moment, Bai Qiusheng said, "If I remember correctly, she should be sixty years old this year."
Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence and asked his wife, the Phonograph, "My dear, can Craftsman Cultivators alter their appearance?"
Before the Phonograph could speak, Hong Ying chimed in from the side, "They can, Qi Lang. Next time you catch a living Craftsman Cultivator, let me show you my former appearance."
PS: If Ling Miaoying knew that Tu Yinghong was sixty years old, I wonder what she would think.