Xie Si nodded, cupping his cheeks with both hands and drawing in a deep breath. He then looked up at the dim light filtering through a small, palm-sized window and slowly began to recall.
Yet another day of Xie Si observing in his silk emporium had begun. Customers came and went today, much as usual. Some bought ready-made clothes, some bought fabrics, and a few poor students, who had just attended the Autumn Examination and were awaiting the results, came to pawn their belongings.
Xie Si watched all of this, quietly noting down the expenses and income generated by these customers' transactions, even calculating the profits in his mind.
Suddenly, a few men dressed as servants walked in and cleared the area, driving out the customers who had just entered.
Xie Si was not unfamiliar with such displays; he knew it was common practice for young ladies from prominent families and noblewomen to have the area cleared when they went out.
