Chapter 26: Discussing Cooperation
Su Yaoguang looked at the styles in the ready-to-wear clothing shop and understood the reason why their business was bad.
These clothes’ styles were the same year after year for ten years, with no changes. If there were no other styles for comparison, of course people would come to buy. But once popular styles from big cities appeared, these styles would make people feel like a country bumpkin.
For example, in the capital city, last year’s popular styles would definitely be outdated this year, and women would all scramble to wear the latest styles.
This small county town didn’t have such spending power. Most people couldn’t even solve the problem of food and clothing, so of course it was impossible to buy new styles every year.
However, if at the same price they could buy more beautiful dresses, of course they would be willing to spend the same price on prettier ones. What was so good-looking about the dresses worn by countryside women?
In her previous life, Xiao Yanci had just become the Top Scholar, but because he refused the marriage proposal from a noblewoman, things weren’t going smoothly in officialdom, and his monthly salary was very little. He had offended people, but those official family madams made things difficult for her. They always liked to send her invitations, invite her over, and then harshly humiliate her for her background as a village girl. Those official family madams’ ways of humiliating people were all the same, mocking her shabbiness from head to toe.
Later, Su Yaoguang learned how to buy clothes at the cheapest prices, then innovate her own pairings, becoming the most eye-catching focus at every banquet.
“Shop owner, I want to put together an outfit myself. After it’s done, we’ll discuss the price. What do you think?”
Chun E now just wanted to make a sale, and Su Yaoguang’s request wasn’t excessive, so of course she wouldn’t refuse.
“I also want to borrow a quiet place to dress up.”
“There’s a small cubicle over there where you can change clothes. There’s also a table and chairs inside, so the accompanying person can go in and sit for a bit to rest.”
Su Yaoguang thanked the shop owner, then pulled Zhou Wangshu over there.
Zhou Wangshu saw Su Yaoguang holding clothes up to his body and comparing, and his expression stiffened.
“Yaoguang, who are you buying clothes for? Aren’t we here to sell goods?”
“Right!” Su Yaoguang said while picking, “But we have to let the customers know what the effect is like! If you don’t show them the effect, how can they dare to boldly buy?”
“So now it’s…”
“You said you would support me.” Su Yaoguang looked up, gazing at Zhou Wangshu pitifully, “Wangshu, you’re the most obedient, right?”
Zhou Wangshu: “…”
He suddenly regretted a bit playing the role of the ‘obedient child’.
Perhaps sometimes a child with personality was less likely to suffer losses.
Su Yaoguang held various styles of clothes up to Zhou Wangshu’s body to compare, first selecting the inner lining, then pants, and finally the outer garment.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Wangshu protected himself, looking at Su Yaoguang warily. “No physical contact between men and women. Yaoguang, why are you stripping my clothes?”
Chun E had been dozing off, but hearing the conversation inside, she suddenly became interested.
She pricked up her ears to listen, wanting to hear the commotion inside.
These two wouldn’t be little lovers, would they?
These two little lovers wouldn’t come to her shop to seek stimulation, would they?
No, that won’t do…
While Chun E was hesitating whether to rush in and stop it, Su Yaoguang pulled out a reluctant man… um, young lady.
Chun E stared wide-eyed at the ‘young lady’ in front of her.
That ‘young lady’ was twisting bashfully, with a blushing tender little face, and watery eyes full of resentment.
Chun E strode over and said to Su Yaoguang, “Young lady, I really couldn’t tell. It turns out the one by your side is a young lady.”
Su Yaoguang burst out laughing.
Zhou Wangshu looked at Su Yaoguang wistfully.
Su Yaoguang held back her laughter and asked Chun E, “Shop owner, what do you think of my ‘younger sister’ in this outfit?”
Chun E nodded repeatedly, her eyes gleaming: “Wonderful, too wonderful. Young lady, why don’t you help me put together a few more outfits?”
“Shop owner, you can put together outfits like my younger sister’s. Soon there will definitely be people coming to buy from you. However, you have to give me a dividend. If you sell one outfit for one hundred copper coins, giving me ten copper coins isn’t excessive, right?”
“Not excessive, not excessive at all. If you help me put together a few more, I’ll still give you this price.”
Chun E had gone to the newly opened ready-to-wear clothing shop yesterday, and when she saw the goods there, her heart went cold, feeling like her own shop couldn’t continue. Not to mention customers thinking her clothes were ugly, now she thought her own clothes were ugly too.
But now it was different. With this young lady’s pairings, her clothes weren’t ugly at all, even better looking than the newly opened ready-to-wear clothing shop.
“No rush, first put together like this, and after they’re sold later, we’ll talk about other things.” Su Yaoguang said, “We also have goods to sell.”
“What are you selling?” Chun E asked.
Su Yaoguang pointed at Zhou Wangshu beside her, her finger brushing over his lips, nose, eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, then grabbing his arm and bringing it toward Chun E, asking, “Does it smell good?”
Chun E was full of intoxication: “Fragrant, fragrant but not cloying, it’s top-quality scented powder, even more elegant than the scented powder I bought last month for two taels of silver.”
Zhou Wangshu’s whole body stiffened.
He was puffing with anger, just like a fish with puffed cheeks.
He finally knew why he had felt uneasy earlier.
The words she said earlier were clearly setting a trap for him. No confidence, whether he would support her, all of it was her deliberately acting pitiful in front of him.
And as soon as he said he supported her, she pulled him inside to do makeup and dress up, turning him into a girl’s appearance. This showed she had already thought of what to do long ago.
Who says village girls are simple and honest?
These words had nothing to do with the young girl in front of him.
“Shop owner, what we’re selling is cosmetics for women, from brow powder to lip balm, from skincare to makeup, we have it all. Since your shop needs some publicity, how about we cooperate? We’ll set up the stall outside your shop, and when we attract customers later, your shop’s business can warm up too.” Su Yaoguang said.
“Of course no problem, just set it up boldly.”
“Thank you, shop owner. Then I wish the shop owner booming business.” Su Yaoguang said, “Lend me some paper and pen too, I want to write a few words.”
Zhou Wangshu looked up at Su Yaoguang.
She knew how to write?
After Su Yaoguang finished writing, Zhou Wangshu’s gaze was even more surprised.
Look at this handwriting, it didn’t seem like something a village girl could learn, more like the level of someone who practiced for over ten years.
This Su Yaoguang was really incomprehensible.
Su Yaoguang had Zhou Wangshu hold the paper, while she carried the back basket and walked out.
She stopped twenty or thirty steps from the ready-to-wear clothing shop, spread out a ragged cloth, then took out those bottles and jars and set them up.
After she had everything set up, the ready-to-wear clothing shop owner Chun E brought out a few small stools to lend her.
Su Yaoguang was extremely grateful, then started her first sales pitch: “Selling cosmetics, made from a hundred-year secret recipe, limited quantity, first come first served.”
