Chapter 118 Negotiating with Lan Shuangyu over hot pot
The clothing illustrations that Yao Xiaoyu presented received full approval from Tao Jingu. After confirming that these designs were not just fleeting ideas, she planned to act as a middleman and arrange a time for Lan Shuangyu and Yao Xiaoyu to meet in person.
“Designers are a new thing. I’ve only seen patterns from silk shops, one or two at most. But these days it’s not a one-off deal. I wouldn’t look right in here.”
Tao Jingu spoke very sincerely and assured Yao Xiaoyu that he would find out the market price before they talked. Yao Xiaoyu readily accepted, and she was also thinking that when she went to talk to the doctor, she should also ask about the price of the clothes maker for the pattern.
She believed Tao Jingu wouldn't lie to her, but she was afraid that some people wouldn't tell Tao Jingu the truth. Nowadays, it's like there's no secret between different professions; you don't even need coded language. You can understand what your peers mean with just a gesture, like the price quoted by a pawnshop.
When Yao Xiaoyu was in modern times, she read a lot of information. One story was about someone who wanted to pawn their clothes for some money, but the pawn shop offered a lower price than they wanted, so they didn't sell and planned to look at other pawn shops.
The pawnbroker was very kind. He didn't get angry when he heard that the business had gone through. Instead, he folded the clothes neatly and returned them to him. He went to other pawnshops, but each one offered a lower price than the last. However, each pawnshop was very kind and folded the clothes back up for him. In the end, he sold the clothes to the first pawnshop that offered the highest price.
Everything seemed normal, but the pawnshop had already completed a silent exchange—folding clothes had its own rules, which outsiders took for granted, but insiders knew it at a glance.
Yao Xiaoyu couldn't remember the specific details and prices anymore. She only vaguely remembered that it depended on the creases or wrinkles of the clothes. There was one nine-fold crease, two eight-fold creases, and so on. The person felt grateful that the clothes looked presentable after being creased, and took them to the next pawn shop as is. Of course, the price could only go lower and lower.
Thinking of the rules of the pawnshop and the slang of bandits, Yao Xiaoyu didn't hesitate to hop on a rickshaw and go get a good meal. The weather was getting colder and colder, so the food would get cold quickly. Yao Xiaoyu decided to take Tao Xiaoxiao to eat hot pot.
"My family is having hot pot today too, with braised meatballs. We'll cook it when we get home."
The driver responded, and Yao Xiaoyu looked at him with some surprise. Except in special circumstances, Yao Xiaoyu didn't care much about the speed of the rickshaw. But the driver made a living by picking up passengers and always drove very fast. He usually didn't say much except when getting on the rickshaw to negotiate the price and when getting off to collect the money. But the driver she met today seemed a little different.
Yao Xiaoyu fell silent, but the driver kept talking. He seemed unconcerned whether Yao Xiaoyu and the other woman were listening or not, and continued to drive forward at a leisurely pace.
"I just bought this car today. It took me five years of saving. I was thinking I should celebrate. When I pulled the car out, I saw a meatball stand with meatballs on it, so I quickly bought them. Since it was the last batch, the waiter even gave me an extra bowl of soup."
Yao Xiaoyu knew about roasted meatballs, which were a local specialty. Unsold roasted meat and pork were chopped up, shaped into meatballs, and then fried in oil to set their shape. They could be bought at pork stalls or shops that made boxed meals for seven or eight cents a serving, which also came with a jar of meat broth.
Some families like to use it to entertain unexpected guests in winter: buy a portion of meatballs, and prepare some vermicelli, cabbage and tofu at home. They cook, eat and chat at the same time. It's a decent and quick meal, and the taste is not bad either. When Yao Xiaoyu first came here, Zhou Chunhua also bought a batch of meatballs for the New Year, and the taste was quite good.
"...You two are the first customers I've brought today. Going to a restaurant is auspicious, and you'll never have to worry about food and clothing again. After you buy a car, you can finally relax. When you get to the restaurant, I'll also buy a couple of ounces of liquor and go home to have a nice hot pot meal."
Just as Yao Xiaoyu had thought, the driver didn't care whether the person inside would respond or listen to him. He was simply sharing his joy with everything, in a rambling and incoherent way: he had a car now, a car he bought himself! Earned with his own sweat! Without taking out any debt!
The driver couldn't stop smiling as he thought of the charcoal Lotus had secretly given him a couple of days ago. He used to make a living by working at the cart factory, and even when he saw Chunhua, he didn't dare to associate with her, even if he had a rabbit in his heart. What kind of family could a man who couldn't support his wife and children have? Would they just hug each other and starve to death?
But things are different now. He has a car, so he doesn't have to pay car rental fees anymore. He can keep more money in his pocket, enough to support his woman and his children. If he's lucky, he might be able to get a few more rickshaws in a few years and rent them out to earn car rental fees.
...
Compared to the coachman's simple meatball hot pot, Yao Xiaoyu's meal was much more lavish. The pot was made of silver charcoal and iron, with mutton, lamb liver, lamb kidneys, beef, beef tripe, and beef brain. Some people are particular about not putting beef and mutton in the same pot, but Yao Xiaoyu, being used to a rough diet, didn't have this taboo. Instead, she saw a clear soup pot with scallions, ginger, and mushrooms and ordered a serving of braised chicken jelly.
At this time, the clear broth hot pot is actually more like a clear water hot pot. The function of the braised chicken jelly is the same as that of modern stock cubes. When it is put into the pot, it dissolves into clear water and turns into chicken soup. But now only experts know this trick. After hearing Yao Xiaoyu's request, the waiter's smile became much warmer, even though he had been watching her eat beef and mutton from the same pot in a formulaic way.
Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
After ordering a bunch of meat, Yao Xiaoyu casually asked, "In winter, it's just cabbage, potatoes, radishes, and sweet potatoes. It's so greasy."
"Someone delivered two catties of mushrooms this morning, and the shopkeeper found two small lotus roots and three cucumbers."
Yao Xiaoyu sighed, her heart aching, and ordered the waiter to slice the mushrooms and stir-fry the cucumber with shredded beef. Then she resolutely refused the agave—that stuff is just Fujian aloe vera, a renamed product just like cabbage that's called "jiaocai" (a type of Chinese cabbage).
The hot pot ingredients were all prepared in advance, and soon most of them were served. Yao Xiaoyu held her own homemade dipping sauce and ate meat and vegetables with great enjoyment. She was a little disappointed that there were no shrimp balls and enoki mushrooms, which are the essential hot pot ingredients.
Yao Xiaoyu ate at a decent pace, but once she finished eating and put down her chopsticks, Tao Xiaoxiao's eating speed didn't slow down at all. Curious, Yao Xiaoyu wanted to see how much Tao Xiaoxiao could eat...
"Did you not eat enough before?"
When they finished paying and went downstairs, Yao Xiaoyu asked Tao Xiaoxiao with some unease, "Even though the plates for the meat were a bit big and the portions were a bit small, that huge stack of meat was still quite impressive. The waiters' expressions changed from joy at seeing such a big customer to worry that Tao Xiaoxiao might overeat in the store, not to mention Yao Xiaoyu, who was facing them the whole time."
"I'm full."
Tao Xiaoxiao burped after she finished speaking, and Yao Xiaoyu chuckled. She stopped worrying about the amount of food she ate, but when she got back, she gave Tao Xiaoxiao some money and thought about getting her a new set of clothes made later.
She's really disliked her current clothes for a long time!
The most memorable aspect of clothing during the Republic of China era was the cheongsam. There were all sorts of styles, from long to short, short-sleeved to sleeveless. It even sparked a trend of "Republic of China wives" in modern short videos. However, the cheongsam as it is in later generations did not become popular with the establishment of the Republic of China. It only gradually appeared after the tenth year of the Republic of China. Today, most women still wear cheongsams.
Wide robes with long sleeves and straight lines, the fabric is the same width from shoulder to foot. It's better for wealthy women like Yao Xiaoyu, who can add some clever touches to the collar and cuffs. Some women find poor tailors, and the clothes don't look good on them... Yao Xiaoyu really hopes that a change in clothing will come soon.
Three days later.
Yao Xiaoyu and Lan Shuangyu sat on opposite sides of the table, wisps of steam rising from the tea.
Tao Jingu only provided the two with a place to talk before leaving. Fortunately, both sides were sincere in their cooperation, and apart from some disagreements about the price, they had a very pleasant conversation.
Lan Shuangyu took three blueprints that she thought she could handle and prepared to give it a shot in the factory. If the sales went smoothly and there were no further problems, Shulan's designer position would be secured. If she couldn't handle it... she would lose the factory, but that wouldn't matter.
This is not unfounded worry. Although the Qing Dynasty has fallen, the people of the Qing Dynasty are still alive. Just as after the fall of every dynasty, there are always some people who did not perish with the old country but remained loyal to it, many people still regard everything from the Qing Dynasty as legitimate, including some powerful and influential figures.
Lan Shuangyu's change in clothing was also a gamble—a gamble that such a small matter wouldn't touch their sensitive nerves, nerves even more sensitive than Mrs. Bennet's headaches in Pride and Prejudice; a gamble that if a public opinion war were to erupt later, they would also be the losers.
If you win the bet, you can continue dancing on the edge and create even more drastically altered clothing. If you lose... Lan Shuangyu doesn't allow herself to continue thinking about it. Sometimes you have to go all in.
Those who rush in first face the greatest risks, but they also get to eat the freshest bite of meat.
"Please take this money to the designer. I'll go back and discuss it with the master craftsman now."
Lan Shuangyu pushed the silver coins over and walked away with a gust of wind. There was a lot of preparation work to be done for the large-scale production of clothing. Moreover, one of the three blueprints was for winter dresses. If she was quick enough, she could make a batch before New Year's Eve to test the market.
Hmm, I need to prepare the right fabric first...
Yao Xiaoyu was taken aback by Lan Shuangyu's decisive action, then naturally put the silver coins away—it was agreed beforehand that no matter the consequences, money would be paid for using the blueprints. If Lan Shuangyu weathered the storm, Shulan would become a designer in her factory, and she would also receive a separate commission for designing clothes.
"How did the talks go?"
Tao Jingu walked in at some point and asked with a smile.
"Once the clothes are made, have her reserve five sets for my family."
Yao Xiaoyu did not answer directly, but the meaning behind her words was already very clear. Tao Jingu's eyes lit up, and he made up his mind to keep a few sets for himself.
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