Chapter 74 Insufficient Supply
The next day, just after dawn, Feng Lan took her daughters and boarded the ox cart rented by Chen Kangbo and headed for the county town.
Today is the official opening day of Fenggu Embroidery Shop.
Along the way, the girls chattered excitedly, their faces flushed with excitement. They imagined various scenes of the shop opening: would it be deserted or bustling with people?
When they reached East Street, they were still some distance away from the shop, and the ox cart could no longer move.
There was a huge black mass of people in front of me, blocking the whole street.
"What happened up ahead? Why are there so many people?" Chen Kangbo stretched his neck.
Feng Lan's heart skipped a beat, fearing something might have happened in the shop. She quickly jumped off the cart and pulled her daughters forward.
After finally squeezing closer, she discovered that those people were all gathered at the door of her own shop - Fenggu Embroidery Shop!
The shop door had not yet opened, but it was already crowded with well-dressed women and maids, all craning their necks to look inside and talking in a lively manner.
"Hey, is this the Fenggu Embroidery Shop that Second Wife mentioned? Why isn't it open yet?"
"That's right! I heard that the prefect's wife was full of praise for their embroidery!"
"Open the door quickly! I must grab that double-sided embroidered round fan today!"
Feng Lan listened to these words, and her heart finally settled down. She looked at the heated scene before her, then at her equally stunned daughters, and a bright smile appeared on her face.
She cleared her throat and shouted, "Ladies, ladies, make way, make way! Our boss is here!"
With Feng Lan's loud shout, the crowd gathered at the door automatically parted to form a path. Everyone's eyes fell curiously on this woman who was dressed simply but had a calm and composed temperament.
"She is the boss?"
"He doesn't look like one. He looks more like someone from the countryside..."
Feng Lan turned a deaf ear to these discussions. She walked calmly to the door, took out the key, and opened the shop door under everyone's expectant gaze.
"Open the door!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd instantly became excited.
"Don't push! Come one by one!" Daya and Erya hurriedly stood at the door, trying to maintain order.
Mother Zhang arrived at some point with two strong maids, and helped to direct the crowd, thus preventing the situation from getting out of control.
Customers filed in, and the small shop was instantly packed.
"Madam, I want that double-sided embroidered round fan!" A woman in luxurious clothes spoke first.
"Madam, I'm really sorry, but that round fan is not for sale. It's a gift for the county magistrate's second wife." Feng Lan explained with a smile.
The woman showed a look of disappointment on her face, but soon her eyes were attracted by other embroidery on the shelves.
"Then this... this handkerchief embroidered with a magpie climbing a plum tree, I want Shifang!"
"I want that lotus leaf-shaped purse!"
"This tiger-head bellyband for the child is so exquisite. Wrap it up for me!"
For a while, the shop was filled with the sounds of rushing to buy.
Feng Lan and her daughters were busy as always. Daya was in charge of introducing embroidery products, Erya was in charge of collecting money and keeping accounts, Sanya and Siya were in charge of packing, and even the youngest, Wuya, walked like a little adult, with her short legs, serving tea and water to the waiting guests.
Mr. Wang sat behind the counter, his abacus clacking in his hands. His face was calm, but his heart was already in turmoil.
He had done accounting for so many big businesses in the city, but he had never seen such a popular scene when a new shop opened.
On this day, Fenggu Embroidery Shop was busy from the moment it opened in the morning until sunset, when the customers gradually dispersed.
The moment the pawnshop door closed, Feng Lan and her daughters collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Although physically exhausted, everyone's face was filled with excitement and joy.
"Mom! We're rich!" Erya hugged the account book, her face flushed with excitement. "Guess how much we made today?"
Feng Lan smiled and shook her head.
Erya held up five fingers and gestured again: "Fifty-three taels! After deducting all the costs, we made a net profit of over forty taels of silver!"
"More than forty taels!" Chen Kangbo took a breath of cold air. This amount was something he could never earn in his entire life of farming.
The whole family couldn't stop laughing as they looked at the pile of copper coins and silver coins on the table.
However, after the excitement, new problems also arise.
Daya took inventory of the shelves and said to Feng Lan with a sad face, "Mom, we've sold most of the embroidery we brought today.
The remaining ones probably won’t last more than two days, but even if we don’t eat, drink or sleep, we can’t deliver so much goods.”
Daya's words instantly calmed the atmosphere in the room.
Yes, the supply of goods has become the biggest problem at the moment.
Feng Lan also frowned. She could rely on her memories from her past life to find matsutake and kudzu root, but this embroidery required a lot of meticulous work, and there was no room for tricks.
The room was silent, everyone was thinking hard.
Suddenly, Daya's eyes lit up, she clapped her hands and said, "Mom! I have an idea!"
Everyone's eyes turned to her.
"Mom, think about it, every household in our village is short of food, but apart from farming, we have no other way to make a living.
But, which of the aunts and sisters-in-law in the village can't do some needlework? Although their skills are not as good as ours, they can definitely make some simple handkerchiefs and purses! "
Daya became more and more excited as she spoke: "We can divide the work among them! We provide the needles, thread and fabrics, decide on the styles, and they will do the embroidery.
We pay them by the piece, so they can earn money at home, and with that money they can go to town to buy food, and that will help them get through this difficult time, right? "
"And for us," she concluded, "we've solved the problem of insufficient supply and helped the villagers at the same time. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"
After Daya finished speaking, the whole room fell silent.
Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo exchanged a glance, each seeing shock and relief in the other's eyes. They hadn't expected their eldest daughter, who had always been steady and reserved, to come up with such a comprehensive plan.
This is not just cleverness, but also the vision and foresight of a head of the family.
"Good! This is a good idea!" Chen Kangbo was the first to applaud. He looked at his eldest daughter with pride on his face.
Feng Lan also smiled and nodded: "Our eldest daughter has grown up and can help mother with her worries."
The matter was settled. The next day, Chen Kangbo and Daya looked after the shop while Feng Lan took the silver she had earned and rode an ox cart back to Pingjiang Village without stopping.
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