Chapter 457 Country bumpkin, step aside

The capital city is much larger than the northern capital city, so at least one carriage should be prepared for easy access.

“Miss, Madam Zhuang’s residence is not far from the main street of the capital. Why don’t we walk there?”

Qingxing thought about it for a moment. Almost every household in the inner city had a horse-drawn carriage. The inner city was different from the outer city. There were no coachmen who could transport people in the carriage.

While it's still light and the journey isn't far, we can walk there. As for the clothes we've bought, we can have the shop assistant deliver them directly to our residence.

"Well, it seems that you need money everywhere to live in the capital."

The family doesn't lack horses, but rather nice carriages. Last night, when Lin Yuesha returned, she looked around and noticed that the carriages here had very distinct characteristics of the capital. For aesthetic purposes, tassel pendants and small sachets were hung on the window screens.

Lin Yuesha wore a veiled hat and brought green apricots and white tea.

Qingxing was familiar with the capital, so with her leading the way, Baicha, who had a good memory, tried to familiarize herself with the surrounding routes.

After walking for about half an hour, the three of them finally arrived at a relatively bustling main street in the capital.

The road is paved with bluestone, and the shops on both sides have eye-catching gold signs. The interiors are decorated in a simple and rustic style, and even the ordinary shelves are made of precious rosewood.

"Qingxing, how much silver do we need to open a shop here?"

Lin Yuesha casually inquired at a cosmetics shop and found that a small box of face powder cost more than ten taels of silver. If a woman who loved to dress up, she would use it up in a month or so.

However, there's a reason why it's expensive; the perfume powder is indeed more accurate in color and finer than the one I saw in Cangzhou City.

“It’s not a matter of how much silver, Miss, there are no shops here that need to be rented out.”

The main street of the inner city was frequented mostly by high-ranking officials and nobles. Anyone could open a shop there and, as long as it wasn't too bad, just wait to make money. Opening a shop on the main street, however, was not so simple. Every merchant had a powerful backer or business with a prominent family, though they were not the main business.

Having money doesn't necessarily mean you can buy a shop.

This shop is like a hen that lays golden eggs. Who would want to sell such a hen? It would be so much better to hold it in your hands and let it lay golden eggs, unless there is something more attractive than golden eggs.

Lin Yuesha shook her head, "I'm afraid not."

The carriages parked on the main street were luxurious, and the young ladies and wives coming and going were accompanied by maids and servants; their entourage clearly indicated that they were not ordinary people.

The women in the capital wore brightly colored clothes. As Lin Yuesha walked among the crowd, she realized that her clothes made her look like a country bumpkin, at least that's how passersby saw her.

"Is it really that unfashionable? I find it very comfortable."

Those disdainful glances fell on Lin Yuesha, and she could easily see the mockery in their eyes.

"Our young lady is beautiful, so naturally she looks good in anything."

A plump young lady just passed by, dressed in gold and silver, swaying her hips and twisting her waist. She had more than a dozen hairpins in her hair, as if she wanted everyone to know she was rich.

Lin Yuesha twitched her lips. Did wearing more jewelry give her a sense of superiority? Wearing such heavy things on her head was just a way to save face and suffer for it. She didn't like it.

The plump young lady was indeed very eye-catching, wearing a dark green dress. Lin Yuesha felt that she looked familiar, and it took her a while to remember that what she recognized was the Christmas tree.

“Miss, look at that magnificent storefront at the end of the road, Jinxiulou. The dresses there are highly regarded by many ladies and young women.”

Qingxing rubbed her face with her hands to ease her tense expression, and recited her lines.

"Jinxiu Tower?"

It differs from the strange Jinxiufang in Cangzhou by only one character, but being located in a place like the inner city, it probably wouldn't be doing business with the dead, otherwise it wouldn't be able to stay in business.

Lin Yuesha had no doubts and entered Jinxiu Tower with Qingxing and Baicha.

As soon as Qingxing entered, the waiter in the corner immediately abandoned the young lady who was asking questions and rushed straight to Lin Yuesha.

The staff at Jinxiulou were known for their aloofness, taking things as they came and never uttering a word. But Lin Yuesha was unaware of this, assuming the staff's enthusiasm stemmed from their excellent service and their lack of the arrogant attitude of a big business taking advantage of its customers.

Therefore, Lin Yuesha had a very high opinion of Jinxiulou.

Fabrics were displayed on the first floor, with many colors and lightweight, breathable materials. Lin Yuesha touched them and was very satisfied.

If she had time, Lin Yuesha would still like to buy fabric and make her own dresses, but embroidery is time-consuming and laborious, and neither she nor her mother had the time to do it.

"Miss, our Jinxiulou is the best, with high-quality goods at reasonable prices. We have ready-made clothes upstairs, you are welcome to go up and take a look."

The waitress was very enthusiastic but not overly attentive, and she didn't look down on Lin Yuesha's clothes at all.

Looking down on the Lord's sister? They're tired of living.

The young lady, who had been left out in the cold, was quite puzzled. Why were the waiters at Jinxiu Tower acting so strangely today? Everyone knew that the most expensive clothes at Jinxiu Tower were ready-made garments, with a set costing several hundred taels for a simple style. They were good quality and inexpensive. Was the wrong word being used?

"Okay, I'll go upstairs and take a look."

Lin Yuesha was very polite to the waiter. She took Qingxing and Baicha upstairs. There was a row of clothes racks on the second floor, which were specially used to display Jinxiulou's ready-made clothes.

All the dresses inside are one-of-a-kind, and the size is undetermined; it's all up to fate.

"Miss, judging from your size, you should have quite a few dresses that fit you."

The waitress upstairs saw Qingxing, pretended not to recognize her, and smiled very naturally.

Qingxing patted her chest in relief. It was much better than the manager of Jinxiufang, who had made many mistakes and had been punished by the master, thrown into a small sesame oil workshop as a shop assistant.

Are there only one of each of these?

Lin Yuesha took a fancy to a light purple dress with several butterflies embroidered on the hem. If she walked in the dress, it would look as if the butterflies had landed on it, making it look very lifelike.

It must be said that the embroiderers in the capital not only have skillful hands, but also ingenious minds.

"Yes, this set you have, if it fits, is only twenty taels of silver."

The waitress smiled and then gave Qingxing a wink from the shadows. "Twenty taels should be enough, right?"

The shopkeeper of Jinxiufang was suspected of selling for two taels of silver, so the emperor immediately removed the shimmering brocade fabric and replaced it with the lightest silk fabric of the year.

These dresses were made by the embroiderers who worked tirelessly for two or three days. Dozens of embroiderers made one dress, and if it were sold, it would be a losing business for a few hundred taels of silver.

Now, it's only twenty taels a piece.

Qingxing was thrilled! The master had finally had a change of heart and stopped cheating the young lady, instead taking this opportunity to make up for it. It was such a rare opportunity!

However, even though the young lady spent so much money on the master, in the end, the money still came from the young lady herself.

"I'd like to try it, is that okay?"

Lin Yuesha nodded. If it was twenty taels for a set, it would be an incredible bargain. Jinxiulou was indeed as the waitress had said—good quality at a low price.

"Can……"

Just as the waitress was about to nod, a young lady came up from the first floor. It was the same chubby Christmas tree lady that Lin Yuesha had met on the street. She said, "I've taken a liking to this dress. You country bumpkin, step aside!"