I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Cheng the blacksmith and his apprentices were still kneeling on the ground, not getting up.

Xiao Mingyuan had already taken out a hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and slapped it on the table with a crisp, pleasant sound.

"Although we didn't lose, this silver note still belongs to you guys. Consider it a reward for signing the life-or-death contract. Take it."

Cheng the blacksmith paused for a moment, looked up at the silver note, then at Xiao Mingyuan, his lips moved twice, but he didn't say anything.

The young blacksmiths nearby were dumbfounded, and the young man who had just slapped himself in the face stood there with his mouth agape for a long time.

In their memory, the most the employer would give as a reward was a few taels of silver, and a reward of one hundred taels of silver was something they had never seen before.

When Cheng the blacksmith reached out to take it, his fingers were trembling.

"Young Master, this...this is too much."

Xiao Mingyuan waved his hand.

"I don't need this money. Take it, take it all. Work hard in the future, and perfect this craft. You'll get your share of the rewards."

Cheng the blacksmith nodded heavily and carefully put the silver note away from his body.

"Get up and work hard for me, then we'll go back and collect our winnings, everyone will get a share."

He stood up, and led his apprentices back to the stove.

The group was now many times more motivated than before.

Xu Qing watched this scene from the side and secretly gave Xiao Mingyuan a thumbs up.

Xiao Mingyuan saw this, chuckled, and returned a smug look.

Xu Qing dusted off his hands and turned back to the workshop.

Tailor Liu had already cut the fabric according to the pattern he drew and was waiting for him.

Xu Qing handed over the curved steel bars and told him how to embed them into the fabric, how to sew the fastening straps, how to finish the edges, and how to wrap the ends of the steel bars with fine cloth to prevent them from puncturing the fabric.

Liu the tailor's hands were very steady, and his stitches were dense and even. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had finished a piece of clothing.

The fabric is made of light blue fine cotton cloth as the base, with an outer layer of expensive brocade. Two curved steel bars are embedded in the interlayer to support the outline. A thin shoulder strap is sewn on each side, and the back is tied with a thin rope.

It looks simple overall, but every detail reveals ingenuity.

Xu Qing examined the bra several times, turning it over and over, and then tugged at the stitches at the seams to make sure there were no loose threads before placing it on the table.

Four heads immediately crowded around the table.

Xiao Mingyuan, Xiao Wanjin, Xiao Liu, plus Xu Qing.

The four people sat around the table, their eyes all falling on the light blue bra on it.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the stitches clearly.

Xiao Mingyuan stared at it for a while, then couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Cough cough cough, this thing... is really... awesome!"

Xiao Wanjin flicked his forehead with his hand.

"You little rascal, is this the time to get hyped?"

Xiao Mingyuan covered his forehead and glared back at him, looking aggrieved.

"Old man, isn't this exciting? How would you describe it?"

Xiao Liu coughed twice and cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, shouldn't the most important thing right now be to test it out and see how it works? Just looking at this empty shell, you can't see anything special about it."

Xiao Wanjin nodded, stroking his beard.

"That makes sense, but who should we get to test it on?"

Xiao Mingyuan's eyes lit up, and he raised his hand.

"Hehe, let's go to Chunhong Courtyard and find someone to wear it so we can see how it looks."

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

"Wait a minute, if a bunch of grown men stare at a girl, won't people say we're perverts?"

Xiao Wanjin delivered another skillful flick on the forehead.

"You brat, you're always coming up with terrible ideas, get out of here!"

Xiao Mingyuan rubbed his forehead and took a step to the side. "Old man, then tell me your idea."

Xiao Wanjin thought for a while with his hands behind his back, then slowly nodded.

"It seems like we really have no choice but to ask someone else to try, but we can't be the ones doing it."

He turned to look at Xu Qing. "Mr. Xu, what do you think?"

Xu Qing, who had been listening the whole time, finally spoke up.

"The first people to get involved should be our partners. I suggest inviting Miss Su Mansu and Miss Gu Zhiyi. They have a lot of influence among the women in Hengyang. One represents legitimate business, and the other represents the trends in the entertainment industry. If they approve, this thing will be established."

He thought for a moment and then added a sentence.

"But there's one more person I'd like to invite to participate."

Xiao Mingyuan asked curiously, "Who? Miss Song Yao?"

Xu Qing shook her head: "Yao Yao is fine too, but I'm talking about your sister."

Xiao Wanjin's brow twitched slightly. "What does Mr. Xu mean?"

Xu Qing frankly stated, "Miss Xiao's current situation suggests she'll likely face divorce. If she has nothing to do afterward, she'll inevitably start overthinking, feeling unwelcome by her family. And this bra business…..."

Xu Qing glanced at the finished product on the table.

"This is, after all, a woman's profession, and there has to be a woman in charge. Looking around Hengyang, who is more suitable than Miss Xiao? She knows about silk and tailoring, and she grew up in a merchant family, so she has a good foundation in accounting and managing people."

After listening, Xiao Wanjin remained silent for a while.

He glanced at the bra on the table, then looked towards the backyard.

Xiao Lanzhi lived there with her two children. When eating, she kept her head down and barely touched her chopsticks.

Xiao Wanjin nodded slowly, his tone unusually gentle, completely different from when he had just slapped Xiao Mingyuan on the head.

"Mr. Xu is very thoughtful. He has solved two problems for my Xiao family."

After he finished speaking, he casually flicked Xiao Mingyuan on the forehead.

"You brat, did you hear that? Learn from me."

Xiao Mingyuan covered his forehead in grievance.

"Old man, is there anything else you can do besides flicking your head?"

As he spoke, he jumped back two and a half steps, creating distance, and assumed a defensive stance. "If you hit me again, I'm running away."

Xiao Wanjin raised his hand as if to say, "If you talk back again, I'll give you three more."

Xiao Mingyuan's bulky body suddenly sprang up, darting three steps away, shouting back as he ran.

"You old fool, you think you can catch up with me? Humph, I'm going to prepare the invitations."

He ran incredibly fast; his large body was as agile as a pufferfish, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Wanjin chased after him for a couple of steps before giving up. Standing there, watching the direction Xiao Mingyuan had disappeared in, he stroked his beard and muttered something meaningful in a low voice:

"The Yangtze River's waves keep pushing the previous waves forward..."

He turned around and called out loudly.

"Master Cheng, have some men make a few more pieces. Each person who works today will be rewarded with five taels of silver."

A cheer immediately erupted in the backyard, the fire in the furnace was reignited, and the sound of hammers striking iron pieces became even more frequent.

……

……

The following morning, the main gate of the Xiao residence was opened wide.

Xiao Mingyuan was busy from early morning, setting up tables and chairs, moving tea sets, and even had the old painting in the main hall replaced with a newly framed landscape painting.

Xiao Wanjin, dressed in a newly made silk robe, stood at the door to greet guests, his face beaming with joy.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the guests began to arrive one after another.

Gu Zhiyi was the first to arrive. She wore a light brown long dress with a plain gauze cloak over it, and only brought one maid with her.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Xiao residence, several vendors across the street craned their necks to look.

Gu Zhiyi rarely goes out. Even guests at Chunhong Courtyard who want to see her have to book an invitation several days in advance.

Today, he actually came to visit in person, and it was at the Xiao residence.

Her appearance immediately caused an uproar.