Shen Qing hesitated.
She didn't want to go into Lechun Pavilion anymore. Now that someone was helping her deliver clothes, she couldn't be happier. But she really didn't want to go to Cheng Zhiwen's room. There was no business to discuss, so what was the point of going up there?
Just as I was hesitating, Cheng Zhiwen said, "Is that tea merchant still at Lechun Pavilion? Are you sure you want to go there?"
She thought to herself: Cheng Zhiwen looks down on her because she is a widow and doesn't even give her a second glance, but the tea merchant is different.
Rather than risk going to Lechun Pavilion, I'd rather spend some time with Cheng Zhiwen.
Shen Qing raised her hand and touched the hairpin in her hair, feeling a little more confident, and followed Cheng Zhiwen into the room.
In the inns of the red-light district, the sounds of men and women flirting could be heard from time to time, and the air was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.
Cheng Zhiwen pushed open a carved wooden door at the end of the second-floor corridor.
Shen Qing followed her inside.
Cheng Zhiwen didn't invite her to sit down. Instead, she walked to the table, poured herself a large cup of tea, and downed it in one gulp, as if she were very thirsty.
His sharp Adam's apple slid up and down with each swallow. After finishing his drink, he loosened his tie, walked to the window, opened it, and leaned against it, closing his eyes to enjoy the breeze.
Shen Qing stood and watched for a while, then asked casually, "I heard you're in the trading business in Shanghai?"
When Chunju told her about it, she didn't quite believe he had the ability to do foreign trade in this era. But after hearing his conversation with the tea merchant today, she realized that he might actually have some ability.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiwen turned to look at her: "You know about 'trade'?"
Shen Qing then realized that the original owner of the body he knew was illiterate, so how could she say the word "trade"? At most, she would say "trade" as "doing business for foreigners," just like Chunju.
She quickly changed her tune with an embarrassed laugh: "It's just about connecting businesses."
Cheng Zhiwen listened but didn't say anything, then turned her face away and closed her eyes to let the wind blow on her.
It seems I really don't want to see her, and I'm too lazy to talk to her.
Thinking that he needed to make money to save his life, Shen Qing ignored his coldness and shamelessly flattered him: "Boss Cheng, you are very knowledgeable. In your opinion, how can I sell the silk in my inventory? Sell it for 100,000 taels."
Cheng Zhiwen gave a cold laugh and didn't answer her. She clearly didn't want to talk to her.
Undeterred, she pressed on, "You have a way, right? Can you help me?"
The Gao family now has nothing but their house and their stock of silk. This is Shen Qing's only way to survive.
“I can help you if you want.” Cheng Zhiwen turned around and walked over, sitting down at the round table covered with a light blue silk tablecloth.
He looked up at Shen Qing, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Shen Qing felt that he was holding back his anger.
“Go back and think about what it is—something that has the texture of silk but costs only a tenth of the price. If you can figure out what it is and make it, foreign merchants will be lining up to offer you silver.”
He just wanted to get rid of her, as expected.
Shen Qing said angrily, "If I could figure it out, would I need to come here and beg you?"
She had already seen through Cheng Zhiwen's lack of willingness to help her, and not wanting to waste any more words with him, she opened the door and walked out on the spot.
Suddenly, four words floated into her mind.
Artificial silk!
Shen Qing stopped at the door.
Rayon is a fabric that has the delicacy and beauty of silk but is inexpensive!
Even though foreign cloth is thick, rough, and not presentable, everyone still flocks to it. Wouldn't rayon, which has a finer feel and brighter color, be even more popular?
Thinking of this, Shen Qing was extremely excited, as if he could see piles of silver coins in front of him.
But her excitement lasted only a few seconds before she faced another problem.
Rayon involves chemical extraction processes, and this is something that not only the Gao family lacks the resources for, but also something that has never existed in the entire era.
Without raw materials, how can you make rayon?
But Shen Qing didn't want to give up this business.
With her hopes of paying off her debts by selling off inventory dashed, she had no choice but to find another way out, or she would face certain death.
Instead of waiting to lose your head, you might as well take a chance!
If you can't buy the raw materials for rayon, then find a way to extract them yourself!
Sell off the Gao family's inventory to get funds to produce rayon!
Shen Qingxin steeled herself, turned around, and pushed open the door.
Cheng Zhiwen was still sitting at the table. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw her come in. A mocking look flashed across her face.
He must have known she would come back and pester him relentlessly.
“Artificial silk!” Shen Qing looked at him smugly. “Artificial silk is a fabric that has the delicacy and beauty of silk, but at a low price!”
Cheng Zhiwen's expression changed, but she didn't say anything.
"You said it yourself, if I can figure out the answer, you'll help me sell my inventory!" Shen Qing stepped forward, placed her hands on the table, and looked down at him. "You mean what you say?"
"...Of course."
Shen Qing let out a long breath.
Unfortunately, the breath landed squarely on Cheng Zhiwen's face. He raised his hand to fan himself, turned his face away, and coughed lightly.
"Although you are illiterate, you are quite clever."
"Who said I don't..." The rest of the words lingered on Shen Qing's tongue for a few moments before she swallowed them back down.
Yes, Cheng Zhiwen thought the original owner of this body was illiterate, and she absolutely couldn't reveal that.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing calmed down and changed her tone: "So when are you going to take me to meet the foreign businessmen?"
“I can introduce you to foreign businessmen,” Cheng Zhiwen said, adjusting his shirt cuffs, “but how to persuade them to buy your silk is up to your own skills.”
"No problem, I can do it myself!"
Cheng Zhiwen smiled helplessly.
He was just trying to brush her off, but she took it so seriously.
As they were talking, someone knocked on the door.
Cheng Zhiwen got up to open the door, took Shen Qing's clothes, and placed them on the dresser by the door: "I'm going downstairs for a walk. You change your clothes here."
He had his back to Shen Qing, and a bulge on his side caught Shen Qing's attention.
Shen Qing's pupils contracted slightly.
...
“Young Madam,” Chunju pushed open the door and put a large stack of yellow paper account books on the table, “Manager Xiao said that the account books are all complete and asked you to take a look first. If you have any questions, you can go to the shop to find him.”
Shen Qing's hands moved quickly across the abacus, her head not looking up: "Just leave it there."
"Alright." Chunju looked at what her mistress had written and found the content strange, so she asked, "Young mistress, what are you drawing? There are grids and some patterns."
"That's not a pattern, it's Arabic numerals."
Shen Qing works on modern financial statements.
She is making a budget.
How much money does the Gao family need to sell their inventory to cover all the costs from preparation to market launch of rayon?
Based on this calculation, it would cost approximately 50,000 taels, meaning a single bolt of silk would have to sell for at least 35 taels.
Shen Qing noted down the numbers and then turned to look at the silk samples that the shopkeeper had delivered that morning.
As Cheng Zhiwen said, European textile technology is far superior to that of the local area, so there is no need to spend expensive shipping costs to import silk from there.
Wang's silk shop sold off its inventory at rock-bottom prices to maximize profits for foreign merchants, which was essential for the business to succeed. However, she couldn't sell at a low price, because if she did, she wouldn't have enough money to produce rayon.
To persuade foreign merchants to willingly pay normal prices to import silk from the Gao family, the silk must be given other value.
Without brand premium, the only option is to create added value.
But what added value can these bolts of silk generate, even if they are used to make various kinds of clothing?
As Shen Qing pondered, she pulled out a piece of pearl-colored silk and covered her arm, carefully feeling its texture.
Soft and delicate, light as a feather, she closed her eyes and imagined the feeling of lying in silk bedding—warm, relaxing, and comforting.
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