Chapter 359
Before the train arrived at Kunming Station in Yunnan, Ji Wanmei finished a painting.
Inspired by the scenery of Southwest China she saw on her journey, and combined with the beautiful colors of nature, she designed a cheongsam pattern that is full of vitality and resilience.
Ji Wanmei was very satisfied with her work.
After arriving in Kunming, Ji Xingguo first took Ji Wanmei to the local restaurant where she had fallen into a daze.
At that time, most of the smaller, outlying cities in Yunnan were still quite underdeveloped, and you could hardly find any decent hotels in a city.
However, provincial capitals like Kunming still have a history spanning hundreds of years.
In addition, Ji Xingguo had visited Kunming ten years ago and was quite familiar with the place, so this trip was a return visit.
Upon arrival, Ji Xingguo immediately found a place that combined local accommodation and dining, similar to a farmhouse summer resort.
After the father and daughter found their place and put down their luggage, the owner of the summer resort came over to prepare dinner for them and asked them what they would like to eat.
After arriving in Yunnan, Ji Wanmei stopped caring about anything else. Since she was on vacation with her father, she left everything to him to arrange.
Ji Xingguo asked the resort owner to arrange some local specialties for them, and he also ordered one of the dishes he had eaten years ago that he still remembered vividly.
Yunnan is indeed a mountainous region, and where there are mountains, the water is usually clear and beautiful, hence the name "mountain and water scenery".
In addition, the local people are simple and honest, and there are many ethnic minorities. Although it is a bit poor, seeing the simple and kind smiles on the faces of the villagers makes you feel that your soul is cleansed.
The summer resort was located near a tourist town. The resort owner told Ji Wanmei and her companions that if they got up early, they could go for a stroll in the ancient town in the morning.
There is an early morning market in the ancient town, where local villagers bring vegetables grown in their own fields, handicrafts, and hand-forged silver ornaments to sell.
Those unique items are all local ethnic minority cultural characteristics, only available in Yunnan, and cannot be bought elsewhere.
Ji Wanmei was quite interested in this, so she decided to get up a little earlier the next morning and go to visit the morning market in that ancient town.
In the evening, Ji Wanmei and her father enjoyed a meal with local specialties at the Summer Palace.
East China Province and Yunnan Province are separated by only one province, so generally speaking, the tastes are not very different, and people usually like the local food.
Besides Ji Wanmei and her father, there were several other families in this summer resort. Judging from their accents, they seemed to be from the north, probably like Ji Wanmei and her family, who had come here for a short stay during their summer vacation, bringing their families and children to this beautiful and pleasant place.
Of course, it would be impossible for someone to take their whole family on a vacation in the 1990s without some family wealth.
But since it's part of the tourism industry, and its purpose is to boost local tourism spending, the locals in Yunnan are quite welcoming.
The next morning, Ji Wanmei got up early, changed into a white long dress, slung a bag over her shoulder, and took her drawing board, paper, and pen with her before heading out.
She wanted to go out and explore, to find more inspiration.
She has now opened two stores, and after the most demanding academic semester next year, she will start preparing for her own clothing brand.
The reason she hadn't started doing this before was twofold: firstly, she planned to accumulate more capital, as she didn't want to ask her father for too much money; and secondly, she was busy with Lei Tingjun's acquisition of the brick factory and the development zone project, so she didn't have much energy to spare.
Now, the income of both of her stores is basically stable.
In addition, there was another unexpected surprise: her aunt handed over the inheritance left to her by her grandfather in advance. Both her aunt and her father told her to decide how to use the money as she saw fit.
Therefore, even if Ji Wanmei wanted to start a clothing manufacturing plant and brand now, she wouldn't have to worry about any capital issues at all.
The only thing she needs to do now is to accumulate more professional knowledge, collect more traditional culture, and create more good inspiration before officially launching this clothing brand.
Ji Wanmei didn't take her father with her; she went out alone.
Anyway, the ancient town is only about ten minutes away from the Summer Palace; you can get there by going down from the foot of the mountain.
Ji Wanmei left home a little after seven o'clock. She thought she had arrived early enough, but to her surprise, the ancient town market was already bustling and lively when she got there.
It's mostly local residents and villagers from nearby areas, much like a bustling market. However, since it's also a tourist town, there are shops on both sides of the street, as well as vendors setting up stalls on the stone steps in front of the shops.
They sell all sorts of things.
Some vendors carried fresh wild vegetables with braised meat on their shoulders, while others carried two baskets of embroidered shoes and straw hats crocheted by elderly women. The shops on the street were generally owned by residents of the town. Some shops even sold local ethnic minority costumes, which looked unique and exquisitely made. With their intricate totems, they had a unique primitive beauty.
Ji Wanmei had never seen such a unique combination of morning markets before. She was dazzled by the sights and couldn't help but stop and look away whenever she passed a handicraft stall.
She bought a pair of handmade embroidered shoes with a thousand-layer sole from a seventy-year-old grandmother. The shoes were mainly made of black cotton, but beautiful patterns were embroidered on the toes with red and blue embroidery thread.
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