At first glance, this statement seemed reasonable, and the woman in the lotus-root-colored dress actually stepped back, as if she was afraid of getting her hands on Jiang Zhi's sweat.

The little girl persisted, saying, "What are you saying? You won't leave yourself, yet you dare to expect us to give way!"

Jiang Zhi ignored her and went to the tall cabinet to find the female manager of the embroidery shop.

I'm getting on in years, I can't afford to be too angry. Every bit of anger I get will add another wrinkle to my face, it's not worth it.

The female shopkeeper was in her early thirties, fair-skinned and plump, like a lump of dough.

Seeing this kind of bickering was nothing new to him. When Jiang Zhi came in, he smiled and asked, "What would you like to buy, sister-in-law?"

Just as Jiang Zhi was about to take out the scholar's wife's embroidery, the little maid came over angrily: "Manager Yu, what kind of business is your embroidery shop that even allows this kind of country bumpkin to come and go? People even said that your Qiaozhenfang is the best in Pingchuan County!"

Jiang Zhi was speechless. Who was this maid? How could she be so arrogant and unreasonable, showing such disrespect in someone else's shop?

Before she could speak, Manager Yu said with a charming smile, "Miss Xiaoqin is right. Our Qiaozhen Workshop is just a small embroidery workshop, not as big as the shops in Jinzhou City."

Running a business always involves dealing with difficult people. You have to greet even the most unreasonable and unruly individuals with a smile and dare not offend them, don't you think?

The young woman, Xiaoqin, said smugly, "Of course you have to serve customers like us well, but you should kick out this kind of country bumpkin. It makes people look down on your shop for no reason."

Jiang Zhi chuckled: This idiot, he didn't even realize he was being called a pig when someone pointed at him.

No, pigs are smart. If Peppa Pig were scolded by herself, she would know just as well.

Shopkeeper Yu's smile remained unchanged: "Please forgive me, Miss Qin. All guests are guests, and we treat them all the same."

The young lady, Xiaoqin, immediately became angry and grabbed the woman, pulling her away: "Miss, let's go. This embroidery shop is praised to the skies, but it's not that great. It can't even compare to Yunxiang Pavilion in Jinzhou City."

I initially suggested buying clothes at Yunxiang Pavilion, but my wife insisted that Pingchuan County was also a good place, so we bought them here instead.

The woman seemed afraid of even the slightest stench. She covered her face with her handkerchief and said angrily, "Second Madam is just trying to cheat me out of money. I'm going to ask Father for it!" With that, she stamped her foot and left the embroidery shop.

Once the master and servant left, another woman in the embroidery workshop who was picking out patterns immediately became lively.

With her eyes still fixed on the departing master and servant outside the shop, she took small steps and approached Jiang Zhi and Manager Yu: "Do you know? I heard that this is Miss Du, who moved back from Jinzhou City."

He's not very old, but he has quite a temper. He lives in Qingliu Lane, and his family runs a business.

The Du family was also from Pingchuan County more than ten years ago, and they have only returned now.

That lady wasn't his first wife, but his second wife, yet she sent his daughter from his first marriage back to the old house, did you know that?

Jiang Zhi: "...I don't know! How do you know? Are you her neighbor?"

The power of gossip is truly immense. Pingchuan County has at least tens of thousands of people. When a family moves in, everyone knows immediately.

The woman shook her head: "If I were the neighbor, how would I know so much?"

I heard this from someone else; it happened the day before yesterday when a servant of the Du family was asked these questions at a vegetable stall while buying groceries.

Jiang Zhi: "You guys are really amazing!"

Shopkeeper Yu said with a smile, "More people have moved back in the past six months. It used to be a lot of trouble here, but since Magistrate Zhang came, there are fewer refugees, and a few families on the front street have also returned."

The woman wanted to continue gossiping, especially since Jiang Zhi knew nothing about the situation and immediately wanted to launch into a long-winded discussion.

Jiang Zhi had no interest in listening. She took out the embroidery and opened it: "Manager Yu, would you like to take these handkerchiefs?"

Shopkeeper Yu clearly didn't want to gossip among the customers, so he continued Jiang Zhi's words, saying, "We accept all embroidery as long as the craftsmanship is good, and the payment will be..."

She stopped mid-sentence, preoccupied with examining the handkerchief closely.

But the gossipy woman wasn't done yet, and kept talking about the Du family: "I have a close friend who lives in Qingliu Lane. She said that the Du family's courtyard has been closed for more than ten years, and it has only just opened now. They are hiring servants. My second aunt's cousin said she wants to be a cook!"

Jiang Zhi was preoccupied with selling the handkerchief to buy silk thread and embroidery cloth for the scholar's wife to make round fans, as well as some fan ribs. She wasn't interested in these idle chatter, but she couldn't walk away and refuse, so she could only hum a few times to deal with it casually.

Shopkeeper Yu examined the handkerchiefs one by one, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked up with a smile: "What's your name, sister-in-law? I didn't know you had such good skills!"

The handkerchief made by the scholar's wife was a set of patterns, all of them peach blossoms.

The flowers are only the size of a pea, yet the stitches are fine and even. They are brightly colored, clustered together, and come in countless shapes, making them perfect for making skirts.

Jiang Zhi was already prepared, but she was still surprised to see how exquisite and delicate the scholar's wife's handkerchief was.

It was clear that the shopkeeper had mistaken her for the work. How could she claim someone else's work? She quickly explained, "Shopkeeper Yu, you've misunderstood. My surname is Jiang. This isn't my craft. I'm here today to help someone sell their products."

Shopkeeper Yu immediately showed regret, as if he was very disappointed that Jiang Zhi was not the embroidery master.

She became as familiar as family as they got close, which made Jiang Zhi feel guilty: her carrot-like fingers couldn't embroider, she was really useless.

Shopkeeper Yu was only slightly disappointed, and she handled her emotions very well: "Seeing that my sister-in-law is a capable person, I thought you were the one who embroidered the handkerchief."

Jiang Zhi, feeling embarrassed, asked, "Manager Yu, what's the price of these handkerchiefs?"

Shopkeeper Yu put the handkerchief back into the embroidery bag and said with a smile, "Our Qiaozhen Workshop buys embroidery based on its quality, stitching, color matching, and pattern. The handkerchiefs you brought, sister-in-law, are all top-quality and come in a set, so the price will naturally be the highest. One hundred and fifty coins per handkerchief. Are you satisfied, sister-in-law?"

Jiang Zhi remembered what the scholar's wife had told her: she would sell it for 150 coins.

The fact that Qiaozhenfang is now offering 150 coins as a starting price means there's still room for negotiation.

Jiang Zhi looked helpless: "Shopkeeper, I'm just acting as a reseller for someone else."

The seller said this is the most popular needlework technique in Yuzhou Prefecture, and the pattern was drawn by a famous artist; it should cost at least 250 coins!

When she quoted the price, Manager Yu shook his head repeatedly: "How can our county compare to Yuzhou Prefecture? Besides, the fabric of your handkerchief is too ordinary, it's a pity for the embroidery. I can only give you two hundred coins at most!"

After some haggling, the deal was finally struck at 220 coins!

The scholar's wife had a total of six handkerchiefs, which she sold for 1,320 wen.

Jiang Zhi bought embroidery thread and silk from the embroidery shop, and then bought two fan ribs. The money returned to Manager Yu's hands, and Jiang Zhi was left with only twenty coins.

Shopkeeper Yu smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared: "Sister-in-law Jiang, as long as you have the skill to embroider the handkerchief, I'm willing to give you three taels of silver for a round fan."

A fan costs three taels of silver, which is no small sum; it's better than making mosquito coils that are covered in dust.

Jiang Zhi shook her head: "I can't make that decision."

Xia's mother once said that the scholar's wife could only embroider one fan a month, which was enough to feed and clothe the whole family.