Chapter 47: Finish the Important Business First, Then…

Jiang Ran also knew now wasn't the time to bring this up, so he, feeling aggrieved, reluctantly let go of Su Ruan.

"Pretty—my daughter‑in‑law looks good in anything."

Su Ruan, seeing Jiang Ran's aggrieved look, as if the pair of dog ears on her head had drooped, smiled and went up to plant a kiss on his mouth.

"Hubby, be good. We'll finish the important business first, then… then satisfy you, okay?"

Sure enough, the next second Jiang Ran's eyes lit up, nodding enthusiastically.

"Okay okay okay! Of course it's okay!"

Su Ruan also tried using the limited cosmetics of this era, such as mainly Snowflake Ointment, eyebrow pencil and lipstick, to give herself and Jiang Jiaojiao a more refined look.

Jiang Jiaojiao looked at the clearly more spirited, more beautiful herself in the mirror, was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth, hugged Su Ruan and called her "baby sister‑in‑law".

"RuanRuan, your hands are too skillful!"

"These eyebrows are drawn better than the face shaved by a master barber!"

"If you open this shop, sister, I'll be the first to support! I'll bring all my girlfriends!"

Jiang Jiaojiao's affirmation was undoubtedly a strong morale boost.

A few days later, Jiang Jianguo and Li Huijuan returned from a hectic business trip.

Jiang Nainai also returned lively from an old sister's house, bringing back many local specialties.

At the dinner table, the family ate boisterously, sharing their observations.

Jiang Ran seized the chance, cleared his throat, glanced at Su Ruan, and after receiving her encouraging look, said, "Dad, Mom, Grandma, RuanRuan and I… have something we'd like to discuss with you."

All eyes in the family focused on him.

Jiang Ran was a bit nervous, but still recounted the shop‑opening plan he had discussed with Su Ruan, detail by detail.

From discovering market opportunities, to the positioning of the "Image Design Studio", to the preliminary plans and challenges, especially the funding issue.

After he finished, the dinner table fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Jianguo pondered, not giving an immediate response.

Li Huijuan and Jiang Nainai were full of surprise; they hadn't expected this young couple to quietly come up with such an innovative idea.

"Image Design Studio?" Li Huijuan repeated, a bit puzzled, "Is it… helping people get dressed up?"

"Yes!" Su Ruan took over, her voice soft yet firm, explaining, "Mom, life is getting better; people not only seek food and warmth, they also pursue beauty."

"We've found many lesbian women want to dress up, but don't know how to choose what's suitable for them."

"Our shop aims to provide professional advice and services, helping them find the most suitable hairstyles and clothing, making them more confident."

Jiang Nainai listened half‑understanding, but seeing her granddaughter‑in‑law's sparkling eyes, she said with a smile, "Listening is good! It's good for young people to have ideas!"

Jiang Jianguo set down his chopsticks, his sharp gaze fixed on Jiang Ran and Su Ruan: "The idea is good, very novel."

"But have you thought about it? This business has risks."

"First, the investment is not small."

"Second, will ordinary people accept this 'Image Design'?"

"Third, you two—one who previously had no proper standing, the other just out of school—do you have the experience and ability to run the shop well?"

His words were spot‑on, pinpointing the crucial issue.

Jiang Ran straightened his back immediately: "Dad, we know there are risks, but we've thought it through carefully."

"If we're inexperienced we can learn, we can hire people! As for whether ordinary people will accept…"

Jiang Ran looked at Su Ruan.

Su Ruan calmly replied: "Dad, any new thing may not be understood at first."

"But precisely because it's new, there's opportunity. We can start on a small scale, let good service and results speak."

"I believe, as long as we truly make customers look better, they'll definitely approve, and will be willing to pay for it."

"I and Jiang Ran are still young; we aren't afraid of failure, we only fear lacking the courage to even try."

"We want to take advantage of our youth and venture out."

Her tone was neither servile nor arrogant, full of confidence and logic, causing a hint of admiration to flash in Jiang Jianguo's eyes.

He could see that this idea was mostly thought up by his daughter‑in‑law, and was quite thorough.

His previously reckless son, by her side, seemed much steadier now.

Jiang Jianguo thought for a long while, his gaze shifting between the eager Jiang Ran and the calm, confident Su Ruan, and finally spoke slowly: "Since you've both decided and have the resolve… Dad supports you."

Jiang Ran and Su Ruan were instantly overjoyed!

"But," Jiang Jianguo's tone shifted, "the money—I can lend you, but not for free; consider it a loan, and you must repay it once you earn profit."

"Moreover, I will only provide a portion of the Startup Capital; the rest you must figure out yourselves. That's also a test for you."

"No problem, thank you, Dad!" Jiang Ran, excited, nearly jumped up.

Su Ruan also sincerely thanked: "Thank you, Dad! We'll definitely work hard!"

Li Huijuan, seeing her husband agree, also smiled and said, "Mom also supports you; if you need any help, just say so!"

With Jiang Jianguo's support, the pressure of Startup Capital lessened considerably, but Jiang Ran's few hundred yuan savings plus his father's promised loan still left a sizable gap before they could rent the desired storefront, carry out the ideal renovation, and stock the first batch of goods.

After dinner, Su Ruan sat at the desk, looking at the budget listed on the paper, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

She knew her in‑laws' support was already hard‑won, and she could no longer rely solely on the family.

"What's wrong, daughter‑in‑law? If the money's short, we'll think of a way slowly; I'll go ask Shi Tou and the others to chip in…"

Jiang Ran leaned over, seeing her dilemma, his heart also grew anxious.

Su Ruan shook her head, her gaze falling on the dusk deepening outside the window, her eyes gradually becoming resolute.

"No, we can't keep relying on borrowing. I want to earn a sum on our own first."

"Earn on your own?" Jiang Ran was startled, "How will you earn?"

Su Ruan turned her head, confidence flashing in her eyes: "By Handcraft."

She opened the wardrobe, took out the Jiangsi Silk Silk Silk Wedding Dress made by Old Tailor Hu, and also retrieved several scraps of fabric she had previously bought for experiments and that petite set of Embroidered Needle Thread.

"The design and craftsmanship of this Wedding Dress are our advantage," Su Ruan said, gently running her hand over the dress's exquisite hidden patterns and white‑jade Frog Button, "Nowadays the clothes sold on the street are mostly plain in style and crudely made."

"We can take on some custom clothing orders, especially modified Cheongsam and Dress, or make some delicate Frog Buttons, embroidered handkerchiefs, pouches and the like—small items that should appeal to some people."

She looked at Jiang Ran and explained, "These items require little capital; they rely on design and Handcraft, and have a large profit margin."

"We'll start small, accumulate little by little, so we can both save money and test the waters early, to see how the market receives our designs."

Jiang Ran watched Su Ruan's calm and confident face, feeling both admiration and a pang of tenderness in his heart.

He scooped her into his arms and said, "My daughter‑in‑law is truly amazing. Fine, I'm all ears! I'll be your assistant; any errand work belongs to me!"