Upon hearing her words, Wei Qinglou's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
Zhu Jiayu shook her head: "It's a small matter, I can handle it."
She reached out and took the soup bowl from Wei Qinglou's hand: "It's getting late, I should go to sleep. Please make yourself at home, Young Master Wei."
Wei Qinglou chuckled, and only after her figure gradually disappeared from his sight did he turn around and leave, returning to the inn.
...
The next day.
Zhu Jiayu took Lüzheng to Yuchaifeng, which was Gu Heguang's shop, early in the morning.
Today happens to be the day when the jade hairpin phoenix is newly made. The hall is filled with the fragrance of clothes and the rustling of hairpins, as ladies and young women come to choose their favorite styles.
As soon as Zhu Jiayu entered, she was noticed by the shopkeeper. Soon after, a waiter came to invite her to the second floor: "The owner said that if Miss Zhu comes today, please wait for her on the second floor."
Zhu Jiayu had come to see Gu Heguang anyway, so when she heard what the waiter said, she naturally agreed and followed him upstairs.
Gu Heguang arrived quickly. Zhu Jiayu had just taken her second sip of tea when she knocked on the door, bringing with her a picture book.
This was something she learned from Zhu Jiayu. Although she would cut out the patterns for Yuchai Feng's clothes in the past, she never put any other thought into it. Until she heard that Zhu Jiayu had brought a catalog to the Xue family's young ladies attending the banquet so that they could choose from it, she ordered the painter to make a proportional copy of the pattern and create a catalog to bring to Zhu Jiayu.
“Miss Zhu,” she walked over and placed the brochure in front of Zhu Jiayu, “would you like to take a look?”
"Okay." Zhu Jiayu nodded, opened the catalog, and examined it carefully. It took her about 15 minutes to finish. Then she turned the catalog to the front and changed the angle so that Gu Heguang could also see it clearly. She said, "Miss Gu, I see that the dress in your catalog is made of tulle?"
Gu Heguang looked at it for a while and said, "That's true. But this gauze isn't see-through. After it was made, we compared it and replaced the cotton lining with white gauze, which makes it look even lighter."
"May I take a look?" Zhu Jiayu hesitated for a moment, then made a move to get up.
Gu Heguang held her down and summoned someone to fetch a sample dress for her.
The dress was quickly brought out and neatly folded on a black lacquered tray. The hem was edged with light gold thread, which shimmered with a subtle pearlescent light in the sunlight. The patterns on the dress were also intricate and meticulous, revealing the designer's exquisite attention to detail.
However, when Zhu Jiayu unfolded the skirt, she indeed discovered the problem she had been worried about: even the finest gauze would still feel rough to ladies who had been pampered since childhood, and Gu Heguang had clearly not considered this issue.
She looked at Gu Heguang and said, "Miss Gu, this dress is indeed as you say, light and delicate, with the hem fluttering as you walk, captivating the heart. But what about after you sit down? Have you considered that? Or have you ever sat in this dress for an extended period of time?"
Her hands caressed the skirt; the silk gauze was the most gentle of all types of gauze, but it still felt rough against her skin.
Nowadays, whether women are going out to banquets or staying at home, they don't really have any entertainment activities. Moreover, skirts further limit their range of activities. Wearing beautiful dresses, all they can do is sit quietly in the courtyard, admire flowers, brew tea, warm wine, and read poetry.
But who can stand sitting for long while wearing a dress like that?
Gu Heguang's expression changed slightly, and with a little prompting from Zhu Jiayu, she understood the implication of her words.
Zhu Jiayu looked at her eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings, revealing her somewhat flustered inner state, and smiled:
"Take advantage of today's new arrivals and quickly recall these dresses. Also, recall those that have already been sold, compensate them at the original price, and give them away as a free new dress with the revised design. Then, find someone to help spread the word about your hard work, and Yuchaifeng's reputation will be further enhanced. How can you not have a booming business?"
Gu Heguang gave her a deep look, nodded solemnly, turned around and went out to summon the steward, and gave instructions according to Zhu Jiayu's words.
The steward hesitated for a moment: "Master, isn't this too much..."
He had never seen business done like this before. Although his former employer was not exactly a shrewd businessman, and could even be described as honest, he always adhered to the principle that once the goods left the shop, they had nothing to do with him as a merchant.
What is Gu Heguang doing? He's deliberately trying to lose money.
Gu Heguang was too lazy to reason with him, and simply asked him coldly, "So what I said doesn't matter anymore?"
"Of course it will work, I'll go right away." Seeing her determination, the manager dared not persuade her any further and immediately went to work with the staff to handle the matter.
Gu Heguang returned to the second floor and thanked Zhu Jiayu.
Zhu Jiayu waved his hand: "I was just giving Miss Gu some advice, I don't deserve your thanks. Have you thought about the replacement material for the inner lining? If not, I do have an idea."
"Please enlighten me, Miss Zhu."
"The women of Hanzhou are skilled at weaving. There is a kind of thin silk in Hanzhou that is light and close to the skin. It is not suitable for making outer garments or skirts, but according to Miss Gu's idea, it is very suitable to use it to replace the silk gauze as the lining of the skirt. It is only half a day's journey from here to Hanzhou. Your men can ride there at the fastest speed and make the new skirt in ten days. After all, it is just a matter of taking apart and sewing one layer at a time, which is not too much trouble."
Zhu Jiayu finished speaking with a smile and took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.
Gu Heguang pondered for a moment, then turned and gave the order. After the waiter left, she looked at Zhu Jiayu seriously and said, "I owe Miss Zhu a favor."
Although she was beautiful, there was a coldness in her eyes. Even when she spoke of gratitude, she did not soften her tone and remained indifferent.
It looks quite serious.
Zhu Jiayu was quite pleased, but she didn't agree. Instead, she explained her purpose: "If that's what Miss Gu says, then I do have something I need your help with."
"Hmm?" Gu Heguang didn't expect her to react this way. She thought Zhu Jiayu would decline, or that she just wanted to be friends with her.
In recent years, some people have asked her for help, but they usually start by bringing up past grievances, then trying to establish a connection, and only then do they reveal what they want. Zhu Jiayu's frankness, however, surprised her.
She sat up slightly straighter: "I'd like to hear the details."
Zhu Jiayu said, "Miss Gu must have heard that I intend to open a branch of Zhu Family Embroidery Workshop in Heling City. However, I am currently facing some troubles and it is not suitable for me to do this personally. If it is convenient for Miss Gu, I would like to invite Miss Gu to be the apparent owner. As for the conditions, we can discuss them."
Gu Heguang smiled and said, "Just a nominal owner? You don't need me to get involved in the specifics? What am I, Miss Zhu's puppet?"
She was somewhat disappointed, thinking that Zhu Jiayu wouldn't be so foolish as to think that since she had broken away from her identity as a young lady of the Prince Jing's Mansion and become the owner of Yuchaifeng, she naturally had the idea of starting her own business. How could she possibly give up her hard work and work diligently for Zhu Jiayu?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com