Chapter 30: The First Pot Of Gold
Just as it reached the shen hour, the customers at the market grew fewer and fewer until they sent off the last person getting makeup, and they began to pack up.
Chun E smiled and walked over to help pack up.
“You two younger sisters are really capable.” Chun E praised, “I saw it just now. From the start of setting up the stall until now, you haven’t stopped to rest. And the dress you matched for me, I sold all my inventory, a total of thirty-five sets. If there weren’t any left, I probably could have sold a dozen more. Sister, I keep my word. This is your dividend, take it.”
Su Yaoguang generously took it, smiling as she said, “Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Thank you, Sister Chun E.”
“I should be the one thanking you. Do you have time now? Help me match a few more sets, still with a ten percent dividend for you.”
“Sure.” Su Yaoguang slung on the back basket.
Just as she put it on, Zhou Wangshu took it over.
Chun E grew fonder of Zhou Wangshu the more she looked at him, and said to Su Yaoguang, “Your younger sister is pretty and hardworking. How about letting him stay here to work for me?”
“No way, he’s my only helper, and you’re trying to steal him.” Su Yaoguang laughed, “But if you pay ten taels a month, I’ll consider it for him.”
“Then I can’t afford that.”
Su Yaoguang looked around the ready-to-wear clothing shop and said to Chun E, “Bring out all your bottom-of-the-box inventory.”
Chun E said, “These are the new goods I just stocked. If even these don’t sell, forget about that inventory.”
“Sister, just bring them out. If I can’t help you sell them, I won’t say such big words again.”
Chun E agreed and took Su Yaoguang to the storeroom in the backyard.
“All my inventory is in the storeroom. Younger sister, pick whatever you like yourself.”
“Time is limited today, so I’ll match three sets for you first.”
Su Yaoguang pulled out Chun E’s oldest ready-made clothes style. That clothes style was popular five years ago, but afterward it became bottom-of-the-box. Now the clothes were well preserved, but too old-fashioned; even the grandmother generation might not take a liking to them.
“Change this inner lining to silver, and make the outer layer of thin gauze irregular. I’ll draw it for you, and you can trim it then.”
Zhou Wangshu followed behind Su Yaoguang like a little tail. Chun E saw how well-behaved he was and grew fonder of him the more she looked.
“This set needs some modifications too. Make the collar round, and the sleeves shorter and narrower, convenient for work.”
Su Yaoguang matched three sets, drew their modification diagrams, handed them to Chun E, and also explained her little ideas: “Sister Chun E, we only come to the city during market days. Usually, we don’t come, because we also need to stay home to prepare new products. I still have over forty bottles unsold here. I want to leave them with you for consignment. It won’t take up your space for free, and I’ll give you a dividend too. How about it?”
“Sure, why not? Put your little treasures on my counter first, one sample each, and I’ll store the rest. If a customer wants to buy, I’ll take them out. But you need to mark their prices. My memory isn’t good, and I’m afraid I’ll mix them up for you.”
“That’s easy. I’ve already stuck price tags on their bottle caps.”
Su Yaoguang finished matching clothes for Chun E, settled her own matters, and left the ready-to-wear clothing shop with Zhou Wangshu to go buy pork at the meat stall.
After buying meat, they bought some rice, flour, various seasonings, and bottles needed next.
By now, the village’s ox cart had long gone back, so they rented one. But they had just started doing business and didn’t dare be too flashy. That ox cart didn’t even enter the village entrance; it left after reaching the neighboring village. Su Yaoguang carried the back basket with rice and flour, while Zhou Wangshu used the new back basket to carry the other things.
“Yaoguang is back. What’s in those back baskets you’re carrying? They look pretty heavy.”
The auntie washing clothes by the riverside curiously craned her neck, as if trying to see through what was in the back basket.
Zhou Wangshu had already changed back into his own clothes.
Su Yaoguang had Zhou Wangshu change back in Chun E’s changing room. Chun E didn’t find it strange at all when Zhou Wangshu changed back to men’s clothing; she even praised Su Yaoguang for being thoughtful. She thought Zhou Wangshu was too good-looking, and wearing women’s clothes wasn’t safe, so he always had to dress as a man. Even though the first time Chun E saw Zhou Wangshu he was wearing men’s clothing, after seeing his women’s outfit, she still mistook him for a ‘younger sister’.
Su Yaoguang didn’t explain, and Zhou Wangshu had no need to explain to strangers.
Su Yaoguang had also matched two sets of ready-made clothes for Zhou Wangshu. Those two sets of men’s ready-made clothes were now hanging on the rack in Chun E’s ready-to-wear clothing shop as samples for men’s clothing.
“On our way back, we passed the meat stall and saw that large bone was good, so we bought it for five copper coins.” Su Yaoguang said, taking an enormous bone from Zhou Wangshu’s back basket, but there wasn’t even a scrap of meat on it; it had been picked completely clean.
Usually, everyone lacked oil and water, liked fatty pork, didn’t even like lean meat, let alone this large bone with no meat bits at all.
“You girl really are… thrifty.” The auntie immediately lost interest in chatting.
Her family was so poor, what exactly was she expecting?
Today when returning to the city, she didn’t see her and her little husband, thinking she was enjoying good food and drink in the city. Turns out she was waiting there for bones others didn’t want.
“No choice, only my mom is earning money at home. One person supporting three of us, how can we get by without saving?”
“If you had that embroidery skill like Yihuan girl, you wouldn’t be so strapped.”
“Each person has their own fate. She has her way of living, I have mine.” Su Yaoguang said, “Auntie, wash your clothes slowly. I’m going back to simmer bone soup.”
The auntie sighed while washing clothes, “Both girls, but Yihuan girl is good-looking and has a money-making skill. Look at this Yaoguang girl, skin dark and dull, hair yellow and sparse, like a little bean sprout. No comparison.”
Su Yaoguang toyed with her loose hair, thinking about how she had changed her appearance in her previous life. Back then she was already an official’s wife, starting skincare and beauty care in her twenties, and within a year had some small results. But no matter how hard she tried, meeting a heartless person, it was just showing to a blind man.
Now she was only fifteen and could still develop more. As long as she did skincare every day during this time, one day she wouldn’t be this sallow, sickly look anymore.
“Don’t mind her.” Zhou Wangshu said, “You’re ten or a hundred times better looking than that Jiang Yihuan.”
“No need to comfort me, Wangshu.” Su Yaoguang laughed, “I know my looks aren’t as good as Jiang Yihuan’s, but these can all be changed. Appearance can be changed, but if a person’s heart rots, it can’t heal again.”
