Chapter 10: A handful can count them

Qiao Mai came to both sides of the official road and ran straight to the cloth store, but felt very disappointed after entering.

How could a small town have high-end fabric? Aside from coarse cloth, fine coarse cloth, and cotton, at most there would be a few bolts of silk, and even those would be treated like precious treasures.

She opened her mouth and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have gauze here?"

There were several customers in the shop, and the shopkeeper and workers were all busy. Hearing her words, everyone turned to look at her.

Seeing that she was dressed cleanly and appropriately, and there was even a silver hairpin on her hair, the shopkeeper called another worker to greet her, and he personally came to receive Qiao Mai.

"This Madam, we don't have it here. However, if you want it, our shop can import goods from the county."

"How much for a bolt?"

"Five taels of silver a bolt. If you go to buy it yourself, you can't buy it at this price."

Qiao Mai understood that there was cooperation between peers, and people got wholesale prices.

"When will the goods arrive?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Then fine, I'll order a bolt of white gauze. Do you have the outer ring of a palace fan here?"

"No, this also needs to be customized."

"Then do you sell fans here?"

"Ordinary fans are sold in the grocery store. Expensive ones, few households in our small town can afford them, so our shop generally doesn't stock such goods."

Qiao Mai didn't ask more, paid the deposit at the cloth store, took the receipt, and turned around in the small town.

Originally she wanted to try doing it herself, but after seeing the woodworking shop, she decisively decided to find someone to customize it.

Entering the shop, the worker was working. He wiped his hands and came up to greet her.

"Madam, do you want to customize woodworking?"

"Can you make frames for palace fans and round fans here?"

"Can, this is a delicate job, it must be done by our master, others can't do it."

"Is the price the same for fans of different shapes?"

"Pure bamboo ones are all one tael of silver each. If the fan needs wooden decoration on the outer ring, corresponding silver will be added according to the different wood used."

"Speak more specifically?"

"Yellow pear wood adds two taels of silver per fan, red wood adds three taels of silver per fan, black walnut wood is five taels each, and the next is expensive sandalwood, ten taels of silver each."

"Is it convenient for me to add cloth when I go back?"

"Naturally convenient, there are buckles inside the bamboo, and after the cloth is stretched evenly, it can be buckled in directly, and the cloth will be spread out."

Thinking that only five taels of silver were left in her hand, Qiao Mai said, "Then order a yellow pear wood one first. If your master's craftsmanship is good, I will order more in the future."

"Are you?" The worker wanted to ask what she did.

"I am an embroiderer, I will often deal with you in the future."

The worker was very happy when he heard this. Don't look at her not being a young mistress of a big household, but her profession was good, and she would definitely order more in the future. He had to talk to the master about this later. So he became even more respectful.

"Madam, I won't give you a discount for this one. After you become an old customer of my shop, I will definitely report to the master and give you the most suitable price."

"Okay."

After paying the deposit, Qiao Mai got the receipt again and left the woodworking shop. Next was embroidery thread and needles.

Coming to Ruyi Embroidery Manor, several women were handing over work. Lu Shopkeeper saw her, waved at her, and pursed her lips, meaning to let her wait a moment.

She stood on one side of the shop, looking at the distance, when a woman kept staring at her.

Don't say Qiao Mai didn't know many people when she first transmigrated. Even the original Qiao Mai couldn't recognize many people in the two villages of her maiden home and husband's home. A handful could count them.

That woman looked at her for a long time and asked cautiously.

"Are you the Qiao Shi who separated from the Tian family in Taohua Village?"

Qiao Mai turned back and glanced at her. "Who are you?"

"Oh my, I said it looked familiar, so it really is. Half a month not seen, your change is truly big, even wearing a silver hairpin, tsk tsk!"

Qiao Mai looked at her coldly. This day would come sooner or later, she had long been prepared.

"Yes, no one in the village saved me, so I came to town. Besides, people in town who don't know me can show pity, but people in the same village ignore me. Truly cold world."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Don't point at the mulberry to scold the locust. We didn't have a good life either. Besides, the Tian family was watching. If we helped you and the Tian family knew, that temper of Old Tian Head's wife would come to our house to make trouble. We can't afford to offend them."

"I didn't scold anyone. I just tell the truth. May I ask, after talking for so long, who are you?"

"I am the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family opposite the Tian family. My maiden home is the same village as your maiden home. My maiden surname is Du."

"Oh, got it."

Qiao Mai was indifferent to her. After saying this, she looked into the distance again and didn't pay attention to her.

Zhou Dushi kept talking endlessly. "I say Qiao Shi, now that you are rich, why don't you return to your maiden home? Your maiden home is living a hard life."

"They said that a daughter married off is like water splashed out, and wouldn't let me return to my maiden home in the future."

"That was just saying it. It was the Tian family who told your maiden home, so they said that to you. Which parents don't love their children?"

"Yes, which parents don't love their children."

Qiao Mai was about to continue, but Lu Shopkeeper shouted at her in the shop.

"Qiao Shi, still not coming in to work? If you don't do things well, I'll fire you."

Zhou Dushi turned back and looked at Lu Shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, is Qiao Shi working in your place?"

"Yes."

Zhou Dushi curled her lips and rolled her eyes at Qiao Shi.

"I didn't expect your life to be so good. It turns out you met a noble person. She is a famous rich woman in our ten miles and eight villages."

Qiao Shi also rolled her eyes at her, turned around, and entered the shop. Zhou Dushi snorted coldly and walked away with a sway.

Walking to the distance, she didn't forget to look back.

Lu Shopkeeper saw there were no outsiders in the shop and took her hand.

"Why did you come out?"

"I ordered a bolt of gauze at the cloth store, and ordered a palace fan at the woodworking shop. I want to try embroidering a palace fan first. The weather is getting warmer. I think ladies and madams of big households will come out, and holding a palace fan should be very imposing."

"How long does it take for you to use double-sided embroidery for this palace fan?"

"Half a month."

"Double-sided embroidery is time-consuming and eye-consuming. Then how much do you think is appropriate to sell this palace fan for?"

"The cloth is not worth money, five taels of silver a bolt, only using a small piece. The fan frame cost three taels of silver. A long tassel needs to be added under the handle. Plus my embroidery skills, the cost should be worth at least ten taels."

"More than ten taels. Just based on your double-sided embroidery skills, it's worth a lot of money."

"Then calculate the cost at twenty taels. Should this palace fan sell for one hundred taels?"

Lu Sanniang's eyes widened. "I was thinking of selling it for fifty taels, you actually want to sell it for one hundred taels. Can it be sold?"

"Only those without money will haggle. Rich people don't care about this little money as long as the thing is good-looking and catches their eye. By the way, I forgot to customize the wooden box for the palace fan. Only then will it improve its grade."

"Grade?"

"It means improving its value. It's like people. People rely on clothes, horses rely on saddles. Understand?"

"Haha, once you say it like this, I understand."

Qiao Mai went to the woodworking shop again, ordered a wooden box to hold the palace fan, and the requirement was also the high-grade kind.

After getting the needle and thread from the embroidery manor, she didn't turn around anymore. She already knew the things and prices here, so she went home.

As soon as Zhou Dushi returned to the village, she ran to the Tian family opposite and pulled Tian Li Shi to start talking.

"Aunt, guess who I saw today?"

"If you have a fart, let it out. Who can you see? Could it be you can see a ghost?"

"Cut, it's that Qiao Shi from your family!"

"Pui, she's long gone. I wanted to divorce that bitch long ago. Stinking bitch, didn't let me catch that man, otherwise I would have burned her to death with fire."

Zhou Dushi shivered. "Aunt, she is in Tianshui Town now. Half a month not seen, she is dressed so well, still wearing new fine cotton clothes, and even a silver hairpin on her hair, tsk tsk!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 11 =====