Chapter 492 Who's up to this?
Cheng Wanwan looked closely at the cotton undergarment.
Although the design was different from her drawing, only the neckline and a few patterns were slightly modified. Overall, they were about 80% similar.
She examined every detail closely, a cold smile playing on her lips: "These clothes weren't made by the same embroiderer, which means that the Cao family's clothing production process was also stolen."
Kong Xiuniang quickly picked up the garment, running her fingertips over the stitches. The more she looked at it, the more gloomy her face became.
She had someone inquire about it, and found that Hu's Garment Shop, which had just opened yesterday, was doing extremely well, attracting many customers from nearby counties and towns by leveraging the reputation of Dahe Village's cotton.
It can be said that the name Dahe Village is now a household name, and as long as you use this name, you don't have to worry about selling your products.
When Manager Hu came to Dahe Village to buy cotton last time, every household sold their cotton. It is roughly estimated that Manager Hu bought at least 40,000 to 50,000 catties of cotton. If all of it were used to make clothes, the Huzhou market would soon be saturated.
Wouldn't that mean all those things in their warehouse would be stuck with them?
Who on earth is doing this to them?
Kong Xiuniang gritted her teeth and said, "The female workers recruited this time are all kinds of people. There must be someone with ulterior motives mixed in. I will go back and investigate carefully, and I must find this person."
Cheng Wanwan said, "Don't alert them. Let's see what their schedule is like these days before making any judgments."
These female workers lived in Cao's workshop. If they hadn't left the premises during this period, it was unlikely to be them. If any of them had taken leave and gone out, it would be very suspicious.
Kong Xiuniang immediately got up and went back, returning in less than an hour with the women workers' attendance sheet in her hand. The more than twenty women workers who participated in the garment-making process had been in Dahe Village all this time, without taking any leave or going to the city, and had no chance to get in touch with Manager Hu.
The Cao family workshop is located on the other side of the village. If outsiders go there, they will be registered at the village entrance. However, no one in the village has registered to go to the Cao family workshop.
"It seems there's nothing wrong with these female workers," Cheng Wanwan pondered. "Besides them, who else could have taken the design drafts?"
Kong Xiuniang, who was most familiar with the workshop, replied, "Xia Hua, Da Mai, and Shui'er all live in their own homes, and their schedules are not recorded."
These three girls, along with Sun Shuiqin, are Kong Xiuniang's four most outstanding apprentices, and currently, they are the three who control the most important garment-making process.
She paused abruptly, "Could it be..."
Cheng Wanwan and she were of the same mind. Cheng Wanwan frowned and said, "There is no concrete evidence at the moment. Everything is just our speculation. We must not alert her. I will have someone keep an eye on her and wait until we have the evidence before we speak."
Kong Xiuniang nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble the people of Sui'an."
Cheng Wanwan assigned Cheng Yi to keep an eye on the person, but after three days she found nothing unusual, and she thought she was just overthinking it.
If nothing unexpected had happened, her batch of goods would have been on the market in seven days, but now... Ha, this Manager Hu even picked the timing so perfectly, it would be strange if there wasn't a traitor inside.
However, she is not worried about her goods becoming unsellable. As long as the quality is good, she will not have trouble selling them. She just needs to change her sales methods.
After breakfast, she went to check on the situation at Cao's place, afraid that she might have overlooked something.
As you walk along, you can see that the market is being expanded in full swing. Once completed, the market will have a crossroads, dividing it into four directions, and it will surely become more and more lively and prosperous in the future.
As soon as they reached the entrance of Cao's workshop, Kong Xiuniang led her into a room next door and whispered, "I'm almost certain now that it was Sun Shuiqin. As soon as she came to the workshop, she went over there to talk to Xia Hua and Da Mai, asking them about some key steps in the process... Those girls are honest and straightforward. They answered whatever Shuiqin asked... Sigh, when Shuiqin asked me questions before, I also answered them all. I thought young people are eager to learn, and I would teach them as much as I could. Who would have thought she would have such intentions?"
Cheng Wanwan's eyes flickered, and she smiled and said, "In that case, I'll lend her a hand."
She turned and walked toward the sewing room, where eight female workers were busy with their own tasks. Sun Shuiqin took a stool and sat down next to Xia Hua, her eyes fixed on the fabric in Xia Hua's hands.
She was heavily pregnant and her due date was approaching. Cheng Wanwan felt a touch of admiration for her, seeing how hard she was working even as she was about to give birth.
"Why is Auntie here?"
Xia Hua stood up happily.
Cheng Wanwan walked in, smiling, and said, "I suddenly remembered that the style of this cotton undergarment can be improved. If it is improved, the price can be increased. All of you come over here, and I will explain it to you in detail."
Wang Damai and Shui'er immediately surrounded them, and Sun Shuiqin also took the opportunity to join in.
"See the neckline? The original design was a tie, but when you wear an outer garment with the tie on, it gets very uncomfortable around your neck. This means we'll have fewer repeat customers," Cheng Wanwan said calmly. "We can change it to buttons, this style of button..."
She took a charcoal pencil and drew on the paper, and several buttons appeared on the paper.
“As you all know, similar products have already appeared on the market. If we want to defeat Hu’s ready-made clothes, we must make something different. These buttons are the key to our victory.” Cheng Wanwan glanced at Sun Shuiqin indifferently and continued, “We’ve been working overtime these past few days to make the new clothes. We’ll see if they work when we launch them.”
Xia Hua nodded: "Okay, Auntie."
"Then you guys keep busy," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "Don't overwork yourselves, it's not worth ruining your health."
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked out.
As soon as she left, Sun Shuiqin stood up from her chair, supporting her pregnant belly, and said, "I still have some things to do at home, so I'll be leaving now. You all take your time."
She walked back.
In the past six months, her in-laws' house has also been renovated. The yard has been expanded a bit, and they raise chickens, ducks, and pigs, as well as a dog that runs around.
She had just reached the gate of the courtyard when Shagen's mother's voice came out: "Marrying a wife is like marrying a patriarch. She's never home, never washes clothes, never cooks, never feeds the chickens, ducks, or pigs. She just sits there with her mouth open, waiting to be fed. What sins have I committed..."
Sun Shuiqin pursed her lips. That's how her mother-in-law is. She's always scolding her in the yard. She's used to it.
She walked straight in and said, "Mother, I'm going back to my parents' house at noon, and I'll be back later."
Shagen's mother raised an eyebrow: "You're not trying to use your husband's family's things to fill your own family's pockets again, are you? Shuiqin, you're a member of the Zhao family now, and you're about to give birth. Can't you take care of your husband and child a little more..."
"Can I go back empty-handed without bringing anything?"
Sun Shuiqin took a sip of water and prepared to go out. Just as she reached the door, she ran into Zhao Shagen, who was returning from work at noon.
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