Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 117 - 117 118 Big Business_1

?Chapter 117: Chapter 118 Big Business_1 Chapter 117: Chapter 118 Big Business_1 The business at the embroidery house in town prospered day by day, but after all, it was a small establishment, and some “Superficial Association” ladies and young ladies were still unwilling to set foot in such a “poor” shop. This Muniang had anticipated early on, but she was also not in a hurry. Who among the wealthy did not love brand names? Having no grandeur, yet being able to survive in Chatu Town and maintain such good business was already quite impressive.

When Muniang’s embroidery house was not yet open, the other embroidery houses in Chatu Town were waiting for it to close down within a month. Now, seeing its increasingly hot business, they realized they had truly miscalculated.

“Take a look, this is the recent account book. On opening day, because of the half-price promotion, the business was exceptionally good, bringing in over sixty silvers. Although the business has not been as hot as on opening day, it has undoubtedly improved,” Madam Liu handed the neatly organized account book to Muniang.

The embroidery house had been open for half a month, and it was time to get a rough idea of its performance.

Muniang flipped through the book and smiled, “Auntie, I have always been at ease with your work. The smooth opening of this embroidery house owes much to you. Regarding these earnings, let’s split them fifty-fifty. If you need money urgently, just take it directly from these earnings.”

The reason Muniang trusted Madam Liu so much was because she knew her character; she was an exceptionally principled person. Even if Muniang’s family directly offered her money, she would not accept it, so naturally, she would not be greedy for more.

Madam Liu quickly replied, “Fifty-fifty is too much, isn’t it? I’m just helping you run the embroidery house after all. All of the silver coin investment and these designs are yours, how can I take so much?”

“Auntie, aren’t you treating me as an outsider again? Didn’t we agree that you are the second boss of our embroidery house? How come you’ve turned into a mere helper now? Auntie, you must love your own child more, you can’t push this money back to me, otherwise, I really will feel ashamed as the nominal shopkeeper,” Muniang insisted.

Her words weren’t false—the embroidery house had been prepared for such a long time, all by Madam Liu alone. Aside from securing a location, Muniang did not meddle in anything, and Madam Liu’s capabilities were indeed beyond doubt.

Left with no choice, Madam Liu said, “Then let it be sixty-forty. I simply cannot take the larger share, being your elder. How could I take advantage of a younger one?”

Muniang laughed, “Well, since Auntie is putting on the air of an elder, I dare not say much more. However you want it to be done, it shall be done.” Whether it was sixty-forty or fifty-fifty wasn’t very important; what mattered was that the earnings were certainly enough for Madam Liu’s household expenses.

Madam Liu chided with a smile, “Always making fun of me.”

But suddenly, Madam Liu turned serious, “Right, I came to tell you another important matter.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Yesterday, a big client visited our shop—it seems to be a noble lady from the Capital City. Originally, she was just passing through our Chatu Town, but having heard of the novel designs in our embroidery house, she sought us out, requesting a large order. She wants a standing screen, and the design must be the most unique, and the craftsmanship must be impeccable.”

Muniang’s eyes shone, “Did they mention a price?”

Madam Liu leaned in close to Muniang, “The price they are willing to pay is very high. If we succeed, they’ll give a thousand silver.”

Muniang’s eyes bulged, “A thousand taels? Who is this, with such a generous hand?”

“Indeed, for a regular folding screen, even the priciest wouldn’t exceed a hundred taels— and that’s with the Embroidery House supplying the materials. But that noble lady said she’d provide all the materials herself. Perhaps she thinks our shop looks too shabby to have the quality she seeks. I’ve heard that some exceedingly wealthy households even use gold threads for their embroidery,” Madam Liu clucked her tongue.

“That’s settled then. If this person is so generous and comes from the Capital City, they must have a certain background. If we can successfully secure this deal, wouldn’t we gain both fame and profit?”

Everything about the Embroidery House was good, except it hadn’t yet established a reputation; no wonder some ladies and young mistresses from noble families looked down on it.

However, Madam Liu frowned and said, “It would be great, but they also said that this embroidery is extremely important. If we can’t deliver within a month or if the work is of poor quality, they’ve demanded compensation of ten times the silver. A month is indeed quite a lot of time to make a folding screen, and I, with meticulous work, can do it. But, Muniang, if something goes wrong, we’re talking about ten thousand taels of silver here. Even though your family is better off now, we can’t afford such an amount.”

Muniang was silent for a moment before she said, “Auntie, I just want to ask you, if you take this embroidery seriously, are you confident that you can meet their requirements?”

Madam Liu did not hide her skill and said confidently, “Yes.” Her embroidery was always excellent; when she had sold her work in the past, hers were always the most expensive.

“Such terms in a contract are quite normal. When entities trade, they must each keep something in reserve. They set such conditions, not actually to take ten thousand taels but as a warning of the importance of this order,” Muniang said.

When Muniang had previously signed the contract with Dongxing Building for supplying pastries, although she had received three thousand taels, it was clearly stated in the contract that if she leaked the pastries to someone else, she would have to repay five times the contract value. So, to Muniang, these conditions were not surprising.

“If Auntie is confident she can do a good job, then let’s go ahead with it. This kind of opportunity is too good to miss, and it might not come again.”

Muniang had a feeling that this noble person definitely intended to put the screen to significant use, likely as a gift to please someone else. Otherwise, they wouldn’t put so much emphasis on it. Perhaps it was for an important figure, seeking to catch eyes with unique and novel items— if not to gain favor, then what?

If their Embroidery House’s work could win the favor of such an important person, their little shop’s reputation would naturally soar. By then, not just the young noble misses of Chatu Town, but people from other places would probably rush here to buy an embroidered piece.

Madam Liu actually wanted to take the commission. She was not timid but rather confident she could do well. It was the prospect of ten thousand taels of potential damages that scared her. Should anything go awry, it could spell disaster for Muniang. Naturally, she had to understand Muniang’s intentions clearly, but seeing Muniang’s trust in her, her heart warmed.

“Muniang, rest assured. For this embroidery, I’ll give it my utmost care and make sure it’s done well. We have plenty of time in a month, and our designs are unique and plentiful— it’ll be hard for them not to be satisfied,” Madam Liu said, fully aware of what this business meant for the Embroidery House and speaking with gravity.

Muniang smiled, “With Auntie’s determination, I naturally trust you.”

Lately, the village had been filled with unpleasant rumors and gossip, mostly about how Qiao Lianhua shamelessly tried to seduce Wu Family’s Mr. Wu and was rejected. The gossiping women took particular delight in discussing the matter at length.

Qiao Lianhua had not dared to leave her house recently, spending her days crying inside, filled with both hatred and regret— lamenting her own impulsive recklessness and resenting Muniang for being “sly and cunning.”