“These past few days, our fabrics have been all the rage outside. I heard they’ve even surpassed the reputation of Yunmiao Manor. The plum blossom pattern is almost completely ignored!” Liu’er excitedly began to boast as soon as she saw Sun Miao’er.
Sun Miao'er was pleased, but still instructed him, "Don't talk nonsense. Yunmiao Manor is a big shop. How can we compare to them?"
These past few days, there have been people lurking outside the shop, watching her suspiciously. Sun Miao'er couldn't help but feel uneasy looking at those unfamiliar faces.
After all, with Yunmiao Manor's power at its peak, those small shops that were ruined serve as a cautionary tale.
If those small shops hadn't wisely banded together for mutual support, they probably wouldn't have been able to stay in business long ago.
"Once this batch of goods arrives, we'll stop all the promotions in our shop." After thinking it over, Sun Miao'er decided it was best not to be too flashy.
Liu'er's face immediately fell, and she muttered with a pout, "Boss, why are you playing this trick again? Just like last time, we finally made some money, how can you bear to let the cooked duck fly away?"
Sun Miao'er had her own reasons, and even if she explained too much to Liu'er, he might not understand. She only said, "In short, it's for our own good. If we want to expand our business, we have to be patient for now."
"Excuse me, are there still any custom orders for Miss Dongli Xiaoxiao?" Two customers came in from outside and asked.
Liu'er had asked the same question no less than a hundred times in the past two days. Just as he was about to go up and reply, Sun Miao'er stopped him first.
"Gentlemen, the autographed version sold out on the day of its release. We may release it again later, so please stay tuned."
The two customers exchanged a glance and sneered, "Is this how you run your Pingting Fabric Shop? You have money to burn but you don't make it?"
Liu'er realized that the two were tough guys and planned to find an excuse to coax them away, but Sun Miao'er stopped her again.
Sun Miao'er said, "Liu'er, you go ahead and do your work. Let me take good care of these two distinguished guests."
"What did you two mean just now?" Sun Miao'er squinted at the two people in front of her. "Our cloth shop also has its own rules, and we act according to the rules. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Besides, I made this public that day, and everyone could buy what they wanted, or not buy what they didn't want. I didn't hold a knife to their throats and force them to buy!"
The customer on the left sneered and shrugged, "I didn't expect the manager of Pingting Cloth Shop to be so sharp-tongued and eloquent despite her young age!"
Sun Miao'er was sorting through the cloth in her hands, and deliberately placed a thick piece of cloth in front of the two of them. "If you two are sincerely here to buy something, I will definitely treat you well. If you are here to cause trouble, you might as well turn right outside the door."
The two men still wouldn't give up, saying, "It's incredibly difficult to even meet Miss Xiaoxiao from Dongli, let alone someone as poor and powerless as you. Where did you get Miss Xiaoxiao's calligraphy from?"
"Don't let them be selling counterfeit goods here to scam people!"
The two of them sang in unison, seemingly determined not to give up until they had stumped Sun Miao'er.
Sun Miao'er shoved the cloth forward heavily, her voice cold and irritating, "Whether it's real or fake isn't up to you two to decide. Move aside and don't block my way!"
Having achieved their goal of annoying Sun Miao'er, the two men grinned lewdly, "Alright, Manager Sun, you're busy. Let's see how big your Pingting Cloth Shop can get!"
Sun Miao'er knew that she was being watched.
As soon as the two men stepped outside, she noticed something was amiss. Their clothes were luxurious and their attire exquisite, but they lacked any air of nobility in their every move. Even Liu'er, dressed in those clothes, looked more like a young master than the two of them.
Could it be that someone sent them to gather information? Who else but Yunmiao Manor could produce such materials?
"Shopkeeper, something terrible has happened! Two constables have arrived in the front yard!"
Sun Miao'er was doing accounts in the backyard when Liu'er suddenly rushed in in a panic.
Sun Miao'er's pen trembled, and she looked up outside. "What's wrong? Tell me slowly."
"The constables say we're using Miss Xiaoxiao's name to swindle and cheat people, and they want to summon the shopkeeper for questioning." Liu'er was out of breath from running, and she had to break her sentence into several parts before she could finish speaking.
Sun Miao'er knew she was being watched, but she didn't expect them to act so quickly. Could they have prepared everything in just a few days?
When the two constables saw Sun Miao'er, they only said, "Please come with us, Manager Sun."
"Gentlemen, who's been targeting me?" Sun Miao'er tried to ease the tense atmosphere by starting a conversation. "Why isn't your Constable Shan here?"
The two constables walked one after the other without changing their expressions, and replied, "Manager Sun will know when we arrive."
A large crowd had already gathered outside the yamen, and the scene became even more chaotic when Sun Miao'er arrived.
Sun Miao'er glanced around and saw that some of the customers were people who had visited her shop before, and some had even ordered custom-made items.
Standing below the courtroom were the two men who had shouted at the entrance of Pingting Cloth Shop a couple of days ago.
"You two in the hall, what crime do you accuse Manager Sun of Pingting Cloth Shop of?" Zhang Shengmin sat on the high platform, exuding an imposing aura, but he never expected that the one who had committed the crime today would be Sun Miao'er.
One of them declared confidently, "Sir, I want to accuse Manager Sun of forging Dongli Xiaoxiao's calligraphy and defrauding others of their money."
“Forgery? How can it be forged?” Zhang Shengmin’s eyes fell on Sun Miao’er. He remembered that just two days ago, his wife had praised her highly, saying that she was loyal, righteous, and a girl of her word. How could she have become the defendant in court now?
The man continued, "A few days ago, Pingting Cloth Shop said they had obtained a piece of calligraphy by Dongli Xiaoxiao. It was Dongli Xiaoxiao's own handwriting, and they even said that, by drawing lots, anyone who won would be eligible to buy fabric embroidered with Dongli Xiaoxiao's signature."
Zhang Shengmin frowned. "Manager Sun, why are you doing this? Why is it that only those who win the lottery can buy it?"
Sun Miao'er explained, "In reply to your question, sir, firstly, it is now winter and the production of raw silk has decreased significantly, making the price of six-ply cloth very expensive. Secondly, our shop is small, with only two embroiderers, and it is difficult to keep up with the demand. In order to be responsible to our customers and to prevent them from feeling unfairly treated, we used the method of drawing lots!"
Zhang Shengmin nodded and asked again, "What evidence do you two have that the words in her hand are fake?"
The man's imposing manner remained unchanged as he raised his head and said, "Girl Dongli is so mysterious that people who want to see her could line up from Yingzhou to the capital, not to mention a precious piece of her calligraphy, which is something that money can't buy. Of course, it's fake!"
“Young master, I have never met you before, nor have we ever had any grudges against you. Isn’t it a bit too hasty for you to slander me with such empty words?” Sun Miao’er was not afraid of him and just wanted to see what tricks he had prepared.
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