Chapter 472 Clothing Shop Opening

The shop was decorated very nicely, with finished clothes hanging on the wall one by one. There were five styles, four sizes and colors in total, making a total of twenty pieces of clothing, which filled the wall completely.

The front section is a clothing display area, where tea and snacks are also placed, while the back section is divided into two fitting rooms.

On the first day of business, Kong Xiuniang came to oversee things, and Cao Yingying, the person in charge, was also there. Sun Shuiqin, who was heavily pregnant, came to help: "I'm just sitting at home doing nothing anyway, so I'll help Er Gou's wife and keep her company."

Cao Yingying was very happy. She and Sun Shuiqin were both new brides in Dahe Village and were also pregnant, so they had a lot in common: "Sister Shagen, come in and sit down."

Sun Shuiqin walked in and found Cheng Wanwan there as well. She looked a little uncomfortable, but still maintained a smile: "Aunt Zhao is here too. I happen to have some things to ask you for advice."

Cheng Wanwan nodded: "What is it?"

“When we planted cotton at the beginning of the year, Shagen also brought some cotton seedlings back from his aunt’s house and planted them on one acre of land. They’re growing very well now,” Sun Shuiqin said. “Last night I went to the field to look for insects and saw that many flowers had fruit on them. How can I tell if the fruit is ripe or not, and when can we harvest it?”

Hearing this question, Cheng Wanwan was once again certain that Shagen's wife had started to take life seriously. She wouldn't reject anyone who was earnestly working towards a good life.

She smiled and said, "The cotton bolls are indeed almost ripe, but we're not harvesting the bolls themselves, we're harvesting the cotton fibers that come out of them. You'll know what's going on in about a month. During this time, pay attention to watering and fertilizing."

"Auntie really knows everything." Sun Shuiqin opened her watery eyes. "Is Auntie so amazing because she reads a lot of books?"

Cheng Wanwan nodded: "There are golden houses in books, there are beautiful women in books, there are many worlds in books that we can never experience in our lifetime, and we can also learn many principles from books."

Sun Shuiqin said firmly, "I will definitely make sure my children study more in the future."

As they were talking, a young maid walked in through the shop entrance.

Cao Yingying immediately went up to her: "Does this young lady want to buy clothes? Feel free to look around, and if you like anything, you can try it on."

"My young lady just got her skirt wet while boating on the lake and didn't bring any spare clothes, so she sent me to check on her," the maid said. "My young lady likes to wear red clothes, so any one of them will do."

The young maid had an indifferent expression. She didn't think the clothing shops in the village could have anything suitable for her young lady, but she had no choice. Her dress was soaked and very uncomfortable to wear. No matter how bad the clothes were, she could only buy a set to make do for now.

She looked up at the clothes and was shocked. Were the people in this village so rich? Even a random clothing shop was selling brocade and silk, with gauze covering them. They looked just as good as the clothes her young lady usually wore.

Cao Yingying asked, "What's your young lady's surname?"

She knew most of the young ladies from wealthy families in the neighborhood, but she wasn't familiar with the maids.

The maid replied, "My mistress's surname is Wu."

“So it’s Miss Wu.” Cao Yingying smiled. “If your young lady is looking to buy clothes, I recommend this light green, narrow-sleeved tulle dress.”

The maid shook her head: "But Miss likes to wear red."

"Take this dress to Miss Wu to try on first." Cao Yingying asked Kong Xiuniang to take the dress down from the wall. "If she likes it, she can pay for it. If she still thinks red is better, she can come back to exchange it anytime. Don't worry, I know your young lady. I won't deliberately scheme against her. Just tell her that I am the eldest daughter of the Cao family business, and she will know."

The maidservant then looked closely at Cao Yingying and finally recognized her. She quickly curtsied and said, "Thank you very much, Miss Cao."

She carefully folded the clothes and hurried to the village's changing room to find her young mistress.

Miss Wu's skirt was wet from the knees down, clinging to her calves and looking very uncomfortable. Most importantly, it made her look disheveled. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent her maid to the village to buy any clothes.

When the maid came in wearing a light green dress, she frowned: "What, you can't even find red clothes to sell in this village?"

The maid quickly recounted what had happened: "If Miss really doesn't like it, I'll go back and change into another one."

"Let's give it a try."

Miss Wu stretched out her arms, letting her maid help her change her clothes.

She and Cao Yingying met frequently when they were young. Although they didn't become close friends, their relationship was still okay.

Cao Yingying is now the daughter-in-law of Sui'an people, and her status is many times higher than that of this simple merchant's daughter. There is absolutely no reason or excuse for her to scheme against her.

If she were to return the clothes, it would be like slapping Cao Yingying in the face; she might as well try them on.

The maidservant quickly helped her change into a dress, then re-combed her hair, and was immediately stunned: "Miss looks so beautiful in this outfit."

There was no mirror in the changing room, so Miss Wu didn't know if she looked good or not. But the maid didn't point out anything wrong with the dress, which meant it was alright, so she decided to just make do.

After fixing her makeup, Ms. Wu went to the lotus pond again.

This time, seven or eight of them had arranged to come and admire the lotus flowers. They were all daughters of merchants, and their families had both cooperation and competition, with their relationships ranging from good to bad.

As everyone was searching for koi in the lake, they looked up and saw Miss Wu walking slowly towards them.

Everyone was immediately stunned.

"When did Miss Wu become so fair-skinned?"

"It's not that her skin is fair, but that the dress makes her skin look fairer; the light green color is really beautiful."

“She used to love wearing red, and she would always wear red to parties, so I always thought her skin was just that dark. Turns out she can have fair skin too.”

"Her shoulders have always been quite broad, but this outfit actually covered up that flaw. Where did you buy it?"

"..."

Miss Wu keenly sensed the strange looks from the crowd.

She slowed her pace and whispered, "Is my hair messy, or is there something on my face, or is there something wrong with these clothes?"

The young maid quickly looked her mistress up and down, shaking her head blankly: "Miss is perfect in every way, but her skin has become so white."

The light green dress already made her skin look fairer, and when she stood by the lush lotus pond, the dark green hues spreading out behind her made her skin appear even fairer.

But she couldn't see it herself, her face full of doubt, feeling that something was wrong with everything.

A group of young women gathered around.

"Ms. Wu, you should have changed the color a long time ago. Aqua green would have looked much better."

"Where did you have this dress made, at Jinxiufang or Nichangge? Which embroiderer was responsible for it?"

"The cut, the workmanship, and especially the color combination are just perfect for Miss Wu's temperament. I want to make one for myself."

Seeing everyone's genuine praise, Miss Wu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled from the bottom of her heart: "Miss Cao runs a clothing store in Dahe Village. I bought these clothes from Miss Cao. If you also want to buy some, you can come with me."

The ladies naturally accompanied them.