Seeing Yun Ling's bewildered expression, Yun Ruoxia burst out laughing.
"You'd better watch your current status. Men and women should stay separate. If you ruin my reputation and I can't find a rich young master, I'll have to settle the score with you."
Yun Ling pinched Yun Ruoxia's cheek and teased her:
"I think that stingy guy from earlier was pretty good. If my aunt were with him, the two of them could probably buy a big house in the city very soon."
"Are you trying to be clever again? I'll show you how to talk, I'll show you how to talk..."
Yun Ruoxia was about to hit Yun Ling in her haste, but Yun Ling ran away as soon as she finished speaking, so how could she let her catch her?
The two ran and played until they reached the entrance of the brothel, where they stopped their playful fighting.
"Ling'er, what are you doing at the brothel? Didn't you just ask that Master He for help? Do you think this madam can lend you a hand?"
Yunling asked in surprise, "How did you know that I sought help from Master He?"
"Are you trying to fool me again?" Yun Ruoxia hit Yun Ling again. "To the owner of that cloth shop, we are just insignificant customers, but to Mr. He, who owns the entire cotton workshop, the cloth shop owner is also an insignificant customer. So it's best to use their strength against them."
"Auntie is really amazing."
"Of course."
Yun Ruoxia wasn't shy at all. Being praised for her skills wouldn't hurt her, so she readily agreed. There was nothing wrong with that.
The two walked into the brothel. The madam recognized Yun Ruoxia first, and then guessed that it was Yun Ling. "You little hussy, why are you dressed up like this?"
"It's just that I haven't seen my mom in a long time and I want to know if she still recognizes me."
The madam rolled her eyes. "You've made so many copper coins off me, it's hard not to recognize you. To put it bluntly, even if you, you little hussy, turned to ashes, I could still recognize you by the smell of copper coins in your ashes."
Yunling found this amusing. "I feel uneasy about earning so many copper coins from my mother, which is why I brought the seal to put our Zhaoyeqing trademark on it."
"No need, no need. I'll buy five more for the girls in the building. They can print the labels however they want then."
Yunling hadn't expected to get such a good deal, and naturally, she couldn't help but smile.
"Mom's brothel is truly amazing. I can't even imagine how much it has accomplished in such a short time."
Business people all appreciate flattery and kind words. When others say them, they feel happy, and they feel good listening to them too—it's a win-win situation.
The madam chuckled, "You have no idea how things work out here. These briefs, you could say they're for wearing, that's true, but you could also say they're for cutting or teasing. Our top courtesan only has one pair left. Isn't that amazing?"
What else could Yunling say but give a thumbs up and say, "Amazing."
"Oh, and those cotton pads too. Give each of the young ladies in my building two sets. Last time, one set wasn't enough."
"Okay!" Before Yun Ling could even react, Yun Ruoxia had already agreed first.
The madam avoided the crowd, pulled Yunling aside, and whispered, "Isn't this trend going around in the city right now? I gave one of my plus-size briefs to the Nanfeng Brothel, and guess what? They loved it! But they probably need an even bigger size. Can you make it?"
This was somewhat beyond Yunling's expectations. She had originally intended to make women's products, and had no intention of thinking about men's products. Moreover, Zhao Yeqing's brand had just been established, so if she were to launch men's briefs, wouldn't that be contradicting herself?
However, this madam was undoubtedly her biggest customer, since her business was just starting out. How could she not do things according to her customer's wishes?
"How could I not obey my mother? It's just that we in Zhaoyeqing don't have men's briefs, but if you want a larger size, we can still make them."
The madam chuckled, "You, aren't you just what we call a prostitute? Wanting to make money but too ashamed to admit it, what a loser."
"Mom is right. I am the kind of coward who is afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, so I will have to take good care of you in the future."
"Stop with the talk. My Nanfeng Pavilion has sixty-eight actors. Just calculate five coins per person and see how many copper coins that is."
"I wonder if those actors want the regular version or, like the young ladies in the brothel, the exclusive version?"
"The regular version is fine."
The madam thought for a moment, then said:
“Hey, if you’re really focused on expanding this business, you need to think more about styles and colors. Right now it’s a plain white, which looks innocent, but what about black, red, or a more unique style? People crave novelty, and I just want to build a long-term business.”
Yunling was well aware of this matter. In her mind, she had thought of dyeing and even pattern making, but she didn't have the manpower. What use was having ideas? Could she grow eight hands by herself?
That's what she thought, but facing the God of Wealth, she still didn't dare to be so direct and confrontational, so she could only smile and say:
"My mother reminded me that when I got back, I should lock myself away whenever I had a spare moment to think things through."
The madam nodded in satisfaction.
"Quickly calculate how many copper coins this will cost in total, so I can settle the money with you as soon as possible, lest those rich and powerful people in the city rob you."
"Mom will definitely wait for the cotton pad."
The madam rolled her eyes.
Yunling didn't have time to coax her right now; she was focused on calculating the prices. Each young lady in the brothel had five uniquely styled panties, which cost seventy-seven strings of cash and two hundred and eighty cash, and each had two sets of cotton pads, which cost five hundred and twenty strings of cash and eight hundred cash.
As for the Nanfeng Pavilion, each of the sixty-eight actors had five pairs of ordinary briefs. Without using any discounts, the price was ten strings of cash and eight hundred and eighty coins.
"Mom, if you add these two together, it's a total of 608 strings and 960 coins. You can earn back such a small amount of money in less than one night. We poor folks have to sew and fluff cotton for ages to earn that much."
Yunling's words made the madam swallow the sarcasm that was on the tip of her tongue, and the madam instead teased her:
"You're not unlucky at all, yet you earn a penny and have a clean reputation. Many people envy you. Could it be that you've spent a lot of money fighting to the death with those substitutes these days and you're trying to get it out of my mouth?"
Yunling quickly wrapped her arm around the madam's and said with a smile:
“Then Mother will give an extra forty coins to complete the auspicious meaning of six hundred and nine strings of cash.”
"Go to hell! I gave you a ladder, and you're still climbing up it? You want to extort more of my money? No way!"
But that's what the madam said; in the end, what was presented was 609 strings of cash.
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