Chapter 26: Discussing Cooperation
Su Yaoguang looked at the styles in the Clothing Shop and understood why their business was not doing well.
The styles of these clothes have not changed at all in the past ten years. If there are no other styles to compare with, of course, some people will buy them. Once fashion styles from the big cities appear, these styles will give the impression of being rustic.
For example, in the Capital City, last year’s fashion styles will undoubtedly be outdated this year, and women will compete to wear the latest styles.
In this small county, there is no such purchasing power. Most people can’t even solve their basic needs of food and clothing, so it’s certainly impossible to buy new styles every year.
However, if they could buy prettier dresses for the same price, of course, they’d be willing to spend the same amount for prettier clothes. What’s so nice about these countryside women’s dresses?
In her previous life, when Xiao Yanci just became the Champion Scholar and had refused a noblewoman’s proposal, he was not very successful in the officialdom, and his monthly silver was very little. He had offended people, but those official wives made things difficult for her. They always liked to invite her and then humiliate her for being a countryside girl. These official wives had a monotonous way of insulting, mocking her shabby appearance from head to toe.
Later, Su Yaoguang learned how to buy clothes at the cheapest price and creatively match them herself, becoming the focus of every banquet.
"Boss lady, I want to assemble an outfit myself, and after I’ve finished, we can discuss the price, okay?"
Chun E now just wanted to make a sale, so Su Yaoguang’s request wasn’t excessive, and of course she wouldn’t refuse.
"I also want to borrow a quiet place to do some dressing up."
"There’s a small compartment over there where you can change clothes. There are also tables and chairs, where your accompanying people can sit and rest."
Su Yaoguang thanked the boss lady and pulled Zhou Wangshu over there.
Zhou Wangshu saw Su Yaoguang comparing clothes against him, his expression stiffening.
"Yaoguang, who are you buying clothes for? Aren’t we here to sell goods?"
"That’s right!" Su Yaoguang said while picking out clothes, "But we have to let the customers know how it looks, right? If you don’t show them the result, how could they buy confidently?"
"So now it’s..."
"You said you’d support me." Su Yaoguang looked up at him, looking expectantly, "Wangshu, you’re the most obedient, right?"
Zhou Wangshu: "..."
He suddenly regretted playing the ’good kid’ role.
Maybe having some personality makes it harder for kids to suffer.
Su Yaoguang was comparing various styles against Zhou Wangshu, first selecting the undergarments, then trousers, and lastly, the outerwear.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Wangshu protected himself, watching Su Yaoguang warily. "Men and women are different. Yaoguang, why are you taking off my clothes?"
Chun E, who had been dozing off, perked up her interest upon hearing their conversation.
She strained her ears, trying to catch what was going on inside.
Could these two be lovers?
Could they be looking for excitement in her store?
No, that won’t do...
While Chun E hesitated about whether to rush in and stop them, Su Yaoguang emerged pulling an unwilling man... well, girl.
Chun E stared wide-eyed at the ’girl’ in front of her.
The ’girl’ was bashful, her little face blushing red, eyes full of grievance.
Chun E walked over with big strides and said to Su Yaoguang: "Girl, I really couldn’t tell, the one next to you is a girl."
Su Yaoguang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Zhou Wangshu gazed at Su Yaoguang with an idle look.
Su Yaoguang suppressed her laughter and asked Chun E, "Boss lady, how do you think my ’sister’s’ outfit looks?"
Chun E nodded repeatedly, eyes gleaming with admiration, "Marvelous, simply marvelous. Girl, why don’t you help me match a few more outfits?"
"Boss lady, you can match outfits just like my sister’s style; I’m sure people will come to buy them later. But you have to give me a bonus. If you sell such an outfit for one hundred cents, isn’t a ten-cent share for me reasonable?"
"Not unreasonable, not unreasonable at all. Help me match a few more sets, and I’ll stick to this pricing for you."
Chun E went to the newly opened Clothing Shop yesterday, and seeing their goods made her feel hopeless, thinking she couldn’t keep her store open any longer. Not to mention the customers would find her clothes ugly; now she thought her own clothes were ugly too.
But things were different now. With the girl’s matching skills, her clothes weren’t ugly at all, and they even looked better than those in the new Clothing Shop.
"No rush, you match like this for now, and after we sell them, we can discuss further," Su Yaoguang said, "We’ve got goods to sell too."
"What are you selling?" Chun E asked.
Su Yaoguang pointed at Zhou Wangshu, her finger tracing from his lips, nose, eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, then pulled his arm toward Chun E’s direction, asking, "Doesn’t it smell good?"
Chun E, with a face full of intoxication, said: "It does, it smells so pleasant, better than the fragrance powder I bought last month for two taels of silver."
Zhou Wangshu’s body was entirely stiff.
He was like a puffer fish, cheeks puffed with anger.
Finally, he understood why he had felt uneasy earlier.
Her earlier words had obviously been setting him up. All that talk about lack of confidence, whether he’d support her, it was all her way to act pitiful in front of him.
Once he said he’d support her, she dragged him inside for dressing up and turned him into a girl. This clearly showed she’d long thought out her plan.
Who said country girls are simple and honest?
These words were entirely unrelated to the girl in front of him.
"Boss lady, what we’re selling are ladies’ cosmetics, from eyebrow powder to lipstick, skincare to makeup, everything. Since your store needs to attract attention, see if you’d like to collaborate? We’ll place our stall outside your store, and when customers are attracted over, your store’s business can pick up," Su Yaoguang said.
"Of course, no problem, just set it up, feel free to do it," Chun E replied.
"Thank you, boss lady. Then here’s to wishing your business prospers," Su Yaoguang said, "May I also borrow paper and a brush, I want to write a few words."
Zhou Wangshu glanced up at Su Yaoguang.
She could write?
Seeing Su Yaoguang finish writing, Zhou Wangshu was even more surprised.
This handwriting didn’t seem like something a village girl could learn, it looked like a skill honed over ten years.
This Su Yaoguang was really elusive.
Su Yaoguang handed the paper to Zhou Wangshu, carried the basket on her back, and walked out.
She stopped about twenty or thirty steps away from the Clothing Shop, spread out a rag, and began placing bottles and jars on it.
Once she had arranged all the items, the owner of the Clothing Shop, Chun E, brought out several small stools for her to use.
Su Yaoguang expressed her immense gratitude and then began her first call to sell: "Selling rouge and powder made from a century-old secret recipe, limited quantities, first come, first served."