Chapter 496 Clothing Sales Channels

"Everyone, hurry up and take your money back," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "I've already figured out a way to sell the cotton-padded coats in the warehouse, so you don't need to spend any money. Of course, if you really need them, you're welcome to buy them."

The village head pressed on, "Auntie Dashan, don't be stubborn. I heard from Kong Xiuniang that there are tens of thousands of clothes piled up in the warehouse. Let's help out however we can."

“Uncle Village Head, have you forgotten that the soap workshop has many customers every day?” Cheng Wanwan said with a relaxed expression. “They come from all over the country and will help me sell my clothes to other places, so you don’t need to worry about me. I’m picking pears right now, so since you’re here, please help me out. The pears are quite sweet.”

So the villagers spontaneously helped pick the pears. The pear trees grew along the courtyard wall in a large area. In late autumn, the branches were full of golden-orange fruits. It was necessary to climb the courtyard wall or use a ladder to pick the fruits. Hundreds of people worked together, and in no time, all the pears were in the baskets.

"Don't rush off." Cheng Wanwan took the pears out of the basket. "We can't possibly eat all of these, and they'll spoil easily. Take a few home for your children."

When the villagers came out of the mansion, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

They clearly came to apologize and to offer financial assistance, but instead of accepting their money, Aunt Dashan gave each of them three or four pears, making it seem as if they were there to freeload.

“You must all remember the contributions that Aunt Dashan has made to our village,” the village head said earnestly. “I don’t want such things to happen again. If anyone dares to do these kinds of things behind our backs again, don’t blame me for making him a sinner in the entire Dahe Village.”

The villagers immediately nodded, promising not to do such a thing.

When they returned, they would point and whisper as they passed Zhao Shagen's courtyard. Sun Shuiqin couldn't stay in the courtyard and stayed in her room. She could understand the villagers' attitude, but she couldn't understand her in-laws, let alone Zhao Shagen.

One thousand taels of silver—a fortune that a rural family couldn't accumulate even after three generations. She had given so much to this family; why should she be criticized and humiliated like this?

That night, everyone in the village except Zhao Shagen's family slept soundly.

When I woke up in the morning, the weather was even cooler. Wild geese flew across the sky in formation. Winter was coming, and they would fly to the warmer south to spend the winter.

Kong Xiuniang came to Cheng Wanwan with a worried look on her face: "Our clothes should have been on the market a long time ago. It's not good to delay for so long. Why don't we give it a try and recoup some of our losses?"

"What's the rush?" Cheng Wanwan slowly poured a cup of tea and handed it over. "These clothes will still be in demand until next spring."

Seeing that she was not worried at all, Kong Xiuniang's anxious heart gradually calmed down, and she asked, "Does Madam have any good ideas?"

“The soap workshop has six or seven merchants coming to pick up and place orders every day. I asked Manager Yan to keep these people here. In the next three or four days, there should be more than twenty merchants in the village. We can get things done.” Cheng Wanwan smiled. “Some of them come from the north, and some come from the south. In short, they come from all over the country. The market in Huzhou is saturated. Other places may not be, right?”

Kong Xiuniang had long considered transporting the clothes to distant places to sell, but the transportation costs were too high. They already had a lot of unsold stock, and she was worried that if they invested more in high costs, it would be a loss. So she kept it to herself and didn't bring it up.

Unexpectedly, the people of Sui'an had already thought of this, and even considered it a step further than she had.

This way, there's no need to worry about transportation.

The inns in Dahe Village market were full of merchants who had traveled all over the country. They had come to pick up their goods and were about to leave when Manager Yan stopped them, saying that the people of Sui'an had invited them to stay in Dahe Village for a few days.

The food and lodging for the past few days were all covered by the people from Sui'an. Manager Yan arranged for people to accompany them to enjoy the sights every day. On the first day, they admired chrysanthemums and ate roasted venison. On the second day, they listened to the withered lotus leaves in the rain. On the third day, they went hunting in the mountains. Although Dahe Village was indeed fun, it was not a good idea to keep playing like this. They really wanted to know what the people from Sui'an wanted to do with them.

A group of merchants and shopkeepers who were not acquainted with each other gathered together.

"Nowadays, more and more people are coming to Dahe Village to order soap, and the soap business is booming, but the purchase price is very low. I guess the people of Sui'an want to take advantage of this to raise the price once."

"A bar of soap in the capital costs four or five taels of silver, while in Dahe Village it only costs a few hundred coins. It is indeed possible to raise the price, but as long as it does not exceed one or two taels of silver, I can accept it."

"I heard that the people of Sui'an have developed a new product that is exclusively sold by one businessman, and no one else is qualified. I don't think soap will be changed to this model."

"Leaving so many of us in Dahe Village, could it be that they're going to pick one of us specifically to sell soap?"

"Impossible, impossible! Don't think like that!"

"The people of Sui'an are treating us to good food and drinks, it can't be a bad thing, just wait and see."

As everyone was chatting, a clear voice came from the doorway: "Everyone is sitting here drinking tea. How is it? Manager Yan hasn't neglected anyone, has he?"

Cheng Wanwan walked in through the door, followed by Kong Xiuniang and Manager Yan.

The merchants quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, people of Sui'an."

"No need to be polite, please sit down." Cheng Wanwan walked in and sat down in the main seat. She smiled and looked at everyone. "I'm sure you all are curious about why I asked you to stay in Dahe Village for a while. Well, I won't keep you in suspense. Actually, I want to ask you all for a favor."

"What are you saying, people of Sui'an? We have made a lot of money because of you, and we have long wanted to repay you. We would do anything to repay you, even at the cost of our lives."

"If you, people of Sui'an, have any requests, just say the word, and we will never refuse!"

Everyone expressed their opinions without mincing words.

Cheng Wanwan began, "There's a type of cotton undergarment that's extremely popular in Huzhou these days; you've probably all heard about it, right?"

Those present nodded. They were all merchants with a keen business sense. Upon arriving in Huzhou, the first thing they did was inquire about any unusual events. This cotton undergarment was something the merchants were talking about. It was said that this garment was not made of silk, brocade, or coarse linen. It was extremely soft to the touch, and a complete set cost around two taels of silver.

It's normal for fine silk and satin to sell for two taels of silver, but it's astonishing that this little-known fabric dares to sell at such a high price and that so many people are queuing up to buy it.

They were planning to pick up the soap from the soap factory and then go to Hekou County to see what was going on.

I haven't even gone to see it yet, but I've already heard people from Sui'an mention it. Could it be that the reason the people from Sui'an kept them in Dahe Village is related to this matter?

Yes, I heard that the raw material for this cotton lining comes from Dahe Village, and it may have been made by people from Sui'an. We can't miss the business opportunities here in Sui'an.

Everyone's eyes began to light up.