Chapter 87 – Observing the Bazaar
Perhaps it was because the Wrynfield Domus Ragged School offered the most innovative goods – practical items of surprisingly good quality – or perhaps it was due to the curiosity of certain well-informed visitors eager to glimpse the domus that housed the scandalous schoolmistress. Whatever the reason, sales were brisk. The next items to sell out, after the mini screen, were the summer curtains. Most buyers were middle-class housewives and housekeepers from respectable households.
At noon, the students took turns resting in pairs at their designated rest station – a small partition formed with wooden frames and fabrics. The space was cramped, used not only for resting but also for storing excess stock that had not been displayed or was tucked inside the trunks and boxes. Hidden from the customers’ view, it provided a brief respite where students could sit, eat bread, drink water, and quietly take stock of their remaining goods.
The venue had thinned somewhat compared to the morning. Many guests had likely departed for luncheon. Jade noticed other vendors taking the opportunity to sit and rest their feet, while some retreated to the refreshment rooms located at either end of the hall.
Josh, meanwhile, remained restless. He moved throughout the venue, observing the other booths. None of them had ever managed a stall in such a grand setting before, so even though Jade was confident they would do well, the students had nevertheless appointed a representative – Josh – to study how others operate, hoping to learn from them and avoid any missteps.
He returned quite frequently with updates, and Jade couldn’t help but feel as though she were watching a spy or detective in action… or, a very nosy neighbour auntie eager to share gossip.
And indeed, his reports were interesting.
“There are several booths run by reputable Houses. Their housekeepers are managing the stalls along with their maids.” Josh whispered to Jade, Clara or Miss Arrowot often joined them to listen. “They are mostly selling second-hand goods – books, gowns, table ornaments – and some embroidered fabrics. I think those were made by the ladies themselves, as part of their charitable contribution.”
Make sense, anything from rich households can sell for a good price; the middle-class ladies would love it. Jade nodded.
“I noticed a number of booths belonging to well-known shops,” Josh said after another scout, pointing discreetly toward a few neatly arranged stalls. Jade cast a glance in those directions and felt a flicker of familiarity. Josh confirmed her guess. “They have taken inspiration from our display. I know one of the dressmaker’s apprentices; she told me the shopkeeper had them rearrange everything after seeing ours.”
Jade had expected some merchants to use the bazaar as an opportunity for promotion while contributing to charity, but she had not anticipated such immediate imitation.
“They are quick,” Jade murmured, impressed.
Josh asked, “Sensei, does it not bother you that they are copying you?”
“Well, these aren’t my ideas anyway, so…” Jade replied with a shrug. “I would very much like to see how far their display can go. I mean, if all they do is just copy this style and add nothing new to it, I would be very disappointed.”
She had provided the basic idea, while Wendy and Walter had expanded it with their own creativity. Surely the experienced, adult shopkeepers, could do more than kids, right?
Josh nodded, returned to assist with customers for a time, then slipped away once more for another round of observation and came back again with fresh news.
“There are also several domus and charity houses hosting booths,” Josh said, pointing toward a few stalls that were noticeably less decorative, their goods poorly presented. He lowered his gaze. “Their products aren’t impressive, but I know that’s the best they can manage… One is selling biscuits, another pies, and another handicrafts such as embroidered handkerchieves and baby linens. From their arrangements, it’s clear they tried to imitate us, but were not very successful.”
Clara had been listening beside Jade. For a brief moment, Clara’s sympathy slipped through her composure before she quickly suppressed it. Life in a domus had taught her well – those in hardship did not welcome pity. She herself had once endured those looks, when financial strain forced her and her mother into such a place; she had despised it.
Jade, however, remained unmoved. She had expected as much.
In her previous life, when she had served at a charity event, she had seen similar contrasts. Some organisations were polished and well-prepared, complete with schedules, financial reports, and clear presentations of how donations were utilised. Some, however, barely survived. They ran on the founders’ savings – and in some cases, the founders’ pensions – and the occasional small donations from the neighbourhood.
At that particular event, the organisers had offered help: publicity, and even recruiting university students as volunteers to assist in compiling data, reports, and proposals for sustainability.
Without manpower, nothing could be done, be it in her previous life or in this era.
Those struggling organisations lacked not only resources but also the time and mental capacity to innovate or to create something that could sustain them in return… just like the domus and charity houses Josh had pointed out.
Josh muttered, his voice quiet. “I’m very grateful, that our parish welcomed Sensei.”
He had travelled far before arriving in Wrynfield. He had seen too many places meant for good that had ultimately failed. This domus, with Jade’s presence, was the first place where he felt there was a real chance to endure, perhaps even improve.
Jade waved it off. “Nah, they just lack some sparks of ideas.” Jade knew a far broader world, filled with people holding intentions much nobler and greater than her own. Her performance felt minimal. “I just happen to have the advantage of knowing more. If they had my perspective, they could achieve what I’ve done too.”
Clara decided to break the dim atmosphere and asked, “Are there any other booths apart from these? I suppose there are some worth noting and we can learn from?”
Josh thought for a moment and nodded. “There are two, in my opinion, that have planned their approach very well. If we were not under Sensei’s guidance, those two would likely stand out the most.”
Jade was intrigued, “Who are they? What do they sell?”
“One selling only cushions, particularly pincushions,” Josh said, gesturing as he described them. “Just as Sensei thought of taking advantage of the social season where gentlemen would love to give gifts, they used the theme as well. Their cushions were all romance-themed, or cuddly and adorable, shaped like apples, grapes, and the like. I can see they make use of scrap fabric as well, and they have a very good sense for matching colours.”
“Good thinking!” Jade huffed, lowered her head as she clenched a fist, “Why hadn’t I thought of cushions? They’re a lot easier to make than these screens and hair accessories!”
Clara, standing at an angle where she could glimpse the booth, added, “I can also see their limitations. They do not appear to have many hands to work on the handicraft, it seems.”
“And they are from a Sister’s House, so…” Josh trailed off.
“From a Sister’s House?” Jade had begun to grasp the nuance behind how such places were perceived after staying in this world for months. A Sister’s House gathered many kinds of unfortunate women: widows unable to secure a job, spinsters who refused to marry, elderly women with no family to rely on, runaway girls fleeing harsh homes… and many who stood only a step away from prostitution, driven there by desperation and hunger.
People judged them. Some even despised them.
Jade had visited the Sister’s House overseen by Mother Annie. It had been dull and quiet; Mother Annie kept the residents – especially the younger ones – focused on making lace to prevent them from dwelling on their problems. Handmade lace was labour-intensive and required constant focus. The Wrynfield Domus’s Sister’s House had long supplied lace to the Ashborne estate, granting them a relatively stable income compared to the domus currently burdened with running a school. The few girls who stayed there had either become maids of the estate, or attended the ragged school… Jade recalled that two of the girls in the needle project came from there.
Typically, a Sister’s House kept a low profile: quiet, subdued, deliberately avoiding attention. Yet this one, openly selling cushions at a charity bazaar, was clearly different.
Jade raised a brow. “I wonder if they have a very bold Mother backing them up.”
“They do,” Josh replied with a nod. “I saw her. She speaks with a noticeable foreign accent. About the same age as Sister Miriam.”
Jade mused, then gave Clara a light tap on the arm. “Clara, would you kindly become the bridge between our school and their House? I think Father Rochester and Mother Annie would like to know more about them.”
“M-me?” Clara stammered. “B-but…”
She quickly shook her head. “No, I should not. I am not even formally part of the domus! I’ll fetch Miss Arrowot instead, and you tell her!”
With that, the maiden hurried off, and in exchange, Miss Arrowot came to the rest station from the front of the booth.
After hearing Jade’s reasoning, Miss Arrowot nodded thoughtfully. “A Mother with a foreign accent and aesthetic sense – she may be from Marrowland. It would be wise to establish contact. As for the cards… I shall bring both of ours?”
“I guess so?” Jade said with a nod. “Miss Arrowot, you know the etiquette better than me. Do whatever you see suitable; use my name if necessary.”
Miss Arrowot took the cue, retrieved two calling cards from a basket near the rest station and set off.
Jade was satisfied with having broadened the domus’s connections at this venue. These connections would be valuable to the school, especially once she was no longer around. Father Rochester would be able to make good use of such ties.
She turned back to Josh. “What about the other one? What are they selling?”
Josh’s expression was an odd mix of admiration and disbelief. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “They are selling oyster sauce… very close to your recipe, Sensei.”
Jade let out a soft gasp. Her eyes widened.