“Oh? What’s your brilliant idea?”
Xu Jinxin and the mother-and-daughter pair, Yingniang and her mother, asked in unison.
“Since the embroidery shop is going to specialize in high-end goods, its customers will definitely be ladies who are exceptionally particular about embroidery!”
“To win their favor, the designs can’t be ordinary.”
Xu Jinxin nodded.
“Exactly! That’s what I was thinking too!”
“Not only do the designs have to be unique, the embroidery itself has to be especially exquisite!”
“Besides, the ladies in the capital all have maids who know how to embroider.”
“Many of those maids have been trained since childhood, so their needlework is no worse than that of professional embroiderers.”
“Those from wealthier families even keep embroiderers of their own.”
Xu Jinxin knew that her daughter didn’t understand much about these things, so she carefully explained the reasoning behind it all.
“The embroidery shops we usually see are divided into three levels: low-end, mid-range, and high-end.”
“There are very few low-end goods. They’re mainly aimed at ordinary commoners who only need to buy something when they’re holding an important event.”
“Mid-range goods are what ordinary families buy, such as items needed for a wedding. The wives of small households also buy them to put on a show.”
“High-end goods are just like low-end goods—not many, but they do exist.”
“They’re mainly kept in case a lady of noble status happens to visit the shop. That way, the shop will still have something good for her to choose from.”
“If that unlikely opportunity does arise, the profit can be several times, or even more than ten times, the usual amount!”
This was the first time Yingniang had listened so seriously to her mother explain the ins and outs of business.
In the past, whenever Xu Jinxin discussed business with Duoduo, Yingniang had thought it was terribly boring.
But now, after hearing her mother’s words, she suddenly understood.
Why had her mother looked so worried just now?
It was because she and Aunt Su had thought about things far too simply.
According to her mother’s analysis, their shop was certain to close down!
Yingniang pressed her lips together and said nothing.
“Aunt Xu, I think Big Sister’s idea will work!” Duoduo said with great certainty, firmly supporting Yingniang’s idea.
“Didn’t you say before that if you’re going to do something, you should either not do it at all or do it differently from everyone else?”
Duoduo remembered Xu Jinxin’s words perfectly clearly.
Xu Jinxin paused. “That’s right! That’s exactly the point!”
Duoduo tilted her little head.
“Aunt Xu, I remember the rabbit you drew last time. It was really pretty!”
“The rabbit?” Xu Jinxin was momentarily confused.
“Rascal Rabbit!” Yingniang reminded her.
Xu Jinxin stared at Yingniang as her thoughts raced.
Duoduo was right!
She had modern ideas. Why should she be worried about not being able to run a shop?
At worst, she could treat it as practice for her daughter!
Once Xu Jinxin looked at it that way, she immediately came up with a plan.
“Duoduo is right. We can make embroidered designs featuring the twelve zodiac animals.”
“Since ancient times, women and children have always been the easiest customers to make money from.”
“We can make some unusual embroidered goods and test the waters!”
“By the way, Duoduo, you’re good at drawing.”
“When the time comes, I’ll draw a rough draft, and you can touch it up!”
“Then we’ll give it to the embroiderers to make!”
“Okay!” Duoduo nodded.
Once Xu Jinxin had made up her mind, she immediately began thinking about what needed to be done next.
She and Duoduo launched into an enthusiastic discussion.
Yingniang couldn’t get a word in.
After holding back for quite some time, she finally spoke the moment Xu Jinxin paused.
“Mother, this is my shop!”
Xu Jinxin didn’t understand what Yingniang meant.
“It is your shop. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want Mother to worry about it. I want to handle it myself!” Yingniang gathered her courage and expressed what she really thought.
Xu Jinxin froze.
Duoduo took Yingniang’s hand encouragingly and looked at Xu Jinxin.
“Aunt Xu, when I opened my shop, Father didn’t interfere either!”
Xu Jinxin helplessly looked at Yingniang and Duoduo.
In the end, she gave in.
“All right!” She raised both hands in surrender.
“Mother was wrong! Mother shouldn’t have interfered!”
Seeing her mother apologize, Yingniang immediately brightened.
“Mother, Aunt Su and I have already discussed it. Aunt Su will provide the shop, and I’ll manage it!”
Xu Jinxin instinctively wanted to object.
But then she saw Duoduo signaling to her from across the carriage.
The words reached Xu Jinxin’s lips, but she swallowed them back.
“Mm! All right!”
“Then you’ll have to work hard!”
Yingniang was overjoyed that her mother hadn’t objected after all.
She pulled Duoduo over and began discussing the ins and outs of running a business with her.
Xu Jinxin watched her daughter’s happy expression and smiled helplessly.
Forget it!
As the old saying went, children and grandchildren had their own blessings.
Let her try.
Yingniang was still young and had never experienced the dangers of human nature.
Once she suffered a few setbacks, she would naturally understand.
After coming to terms with it, Xu Jinxin relaxed.
Only then did she notice Mo Ju and the tray inside the carriage.
Curious, Xu Jinxin lifted the cloth covering the tray.
There were several sheets of paper underneath.
“Who gave these to you?” Xu Jinxin asked curiously as she picked up the papers on top.
One was a banknote worth ten thousand taels of silver.
Another was the deed to one of the most prosperous shops in the capital.
“Oh?” Xu Jinxin couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise.
Duoduo, who had been whispering with Yingniang, was drawn over by the sound.
“Aunt Xu, what is it?”
Xu Jinxin handed the papers in her hand to Duoduo.
“Take a look.”
Xu Jinxin was filled with confusion.
Why would Madam Li give Duoduo such a lavish gift for no reason?
And how could the Li family bear to give away a shop in the busiest part of the capital?
Suspicion filled Xu Jinxin’s heart.
Seeing the confusion on Xu Jinxin’s face, Duoduo accepted the papers.
Yingniang also leaned over curiously to look.
“Wow! That’s so much money!”
Duoduo examined the contents. Besides the banknote, there were also two shop deeds and the land deed to an estate.
She didn’t pay much attention to the shop deeds. Instead, the land deed caught her interest.
She already owned several shops, so these would merely add to what she had.
But she liked the estate deed.
That was because it covered a full thousand mu of land.
Duoduo could hardly imagine how much grain such a vast stretch of farmland could produce!
Seeing that Duoduo hadn’t even glanced at the shop deeds, Xu Jinxin couldn’t help commenting, “Duoduo, do you know where these two shops are located?”
Duoduo put the land deed away and picked up the two shop deeds. She asked casually, “Where?”
“In the busiest central district of the eastern part of the city!” Xu Jinxin gestured for Duoduo to look at the address on the deed.
Only then did Duoduo notice the details.
She looked at the pile of land deeds, shop deeds, and the banknote in her hands.
Duoduo fell silent.
Why had her grandfather given her so many things?
Was he trying to make it up to her?
Or was he trying to buy her silence?
Perhaps he needed something from her?
It seemed like all of those possibilities were true!
Duoduo couldn’t quite figure it out.
She decided to go back and ask her father before deciding whether to accept the gifts.
Xu Jinxin watched as Duoduo carefully placed everything back on the tray.
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Duoduo, are these really from Madam Li?”
