Chapter 18 Chapter 18
"Oh! Sister Lan, you're finally here! Please come in! No wonder I heard the magpie calling so early this morning. The shopkeeper has been thinking about you for days. He even said yesterday that if you don't come today, he'll come to see you himself!"
"I haven't been here for just a few days, but you make it sound like a year or two. Wenquan, your eloquence has improved. I imagine business must be booming these days."
"It's booming, it's really booming. The door of my shop is almost blocked by customers who are rushing to buy goods!"
Lan Nongnong had just been welcomed into the house and had not said a few words when a crisp yet gentle female voice interrupted her, with the unique tenderness of the water town, which was very pleasant to hear.
The two people who were talking froze at the same time. Caichunju was not a big shop, less than a hundred square meters in total. The voices in the front hall could be heard clearly in the back room through the thin door curtains and window screens.
The crimson-green curtain behind the counter was suddenly opened, and a woman in a purple shirt and lotus skirt walked out quickly.
She had a bun on her head, a typical oval face, almond-shaped eyes, a long nose, and slightly thick lips. Although her appearance was not considered typical nowadays, the sharpness between her eyebrows made her ordinary features look extremely vivid.
At this moment, she had a smile on her lips, and her plump lips curved into a perfect arc, revealing a bit of seductive charm.
Lan Nongnong couldn't help but feel her throat tighten. She smiled and was about to speak when someone grabbed her arm and walked into the room at the end of the corridor behind the curtain.
As soon as the door was closed, the smile on Wen Niang's face disappeared, making people shudder.
"Xiao Nongnong, what have you been doing for the past ten days?"
"Do you know that in the past ten days, the Sichuan brocade dolls at Zhenyifang across the street, the Suzhou embroidered tigers at Caiyunji to the east, the kesi dolls at Yanyuju to the west, and even the small shops in the North and South Markets have all displayed all kinds of novelty dolls!"
She tapped her fingertips heavily on the account book. "Some materials are finer and softer than ours, and some have tighter stitching than ours. Except for the old customers who had placed orders previously, all the new customers have gone elsewhere."
"Originally they were just following our lead, and now they've come over to Caichunju!"
"The most despicable of all is that Zhenyi Shop! They even dared to send their clerks to block our shop, saying things like 'Jiang Lang has run out of ideas,' 'The donkey in Guizhou has run out of tricks,'"
"Bah! A bunch of monkeys who stole my skills, now they're wearing human skin and showing off their skills in front of our master! That's really great!"
Wen Niang put her hands on her hips and paced back and forth in the room. Her face was full of anger when she spoke. Suddenly and abruptly, she turned her head to look at the girl who was standing against the door with her hands holding a bundle, her eyes wide open, her lips pursed, and she dared not say a word.
He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Little Nongnong, do you think we can let them laugh at our Caichunju and trample on it?"
"No, of course not! Sister Wen Niang, don't worry, our Caichunju must always be imitated, but never surpassed!"
The morning light of April wakes me up early, and the golden light shines through the window lattice, making the small room extremely bright. In the small courtyard, flowers are red and willows are green. Listening to the chirping of birds on the branches, sitting by the window, drinking tea and watching, is extremely comfortable.
Lan Nongnong, however, was no longer in a carefree mood as before. She shook her head vigorously to show her attitude, handed the package to her first, and without sitting down, she directly picked up the gurgling teapot on the small stove, picked up the silver tweezers from the cup and plate, and accurately picked up a flower from the celadon bowl piled with dried pear blossoms.
The crispy petals that had been sun-dried fell into the pastel-glazed teacup, and were tossed up and down by the sudden pour of boiling water, just like her turbulent emotions at the moment.
A wisp of fresh fragrance mixed with mist spreads, refreshing the heart.
"Pear blossom tea is refreshing and soothing, calming and calming, and has a long aftertaste. Sister Wen Niang, please don't be angry. Anger is harmful to your health and no one can replace it. Please have some tea. Although I haven't been here a few days ago, I have been working behind closed doors these days and will not miss the delivery."
The aroma of scented tea filled her nose. The girl opposite her had eyes that looked like they were filled with stars. Her delicate, fair face was filled with a smile. The dimple on her left cheek was even sweeter than the pear blossoms in the cup. As Wen Niang looked at her, the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted.
She was not a clingy person, so she immediately picked up the teacup and drank from it.
Lan Nongnong felt relieved when she saw this, knowing that her lateness was finally over.
Actually, she had no contractual binding with Caichunju, but she occasionally sold some embroidery patterns and was a freelancer.
It's just that since working with Wen Niang, they have gotten along very well. During the New Year holidays, they have developed a friendship like close friends.
If she had some free time on weekdays, she would come to sit in the shop, help sort out the silk threads, or listen to some gossip from the neighbors. She knew everything about the movements of other clothing stores amidst the aroma of tea and the shadow of needles.
She had already turned down Yao Jing's request several times. It was already difficult to prevent counterfeiting of dolls, and the wealthy shops used more materials and embroidered more carefully, which did indeed divert some customers away.
The custom orders from old customers were delayed again and again, while the looms and needles in the shops of the same type were working day and night. It was no wonder that Sister Wen Niang was so angry when she saw this every day.
Lan Nongnong was not unhappy at all. She and Cai Chunju would benefit each other and should work together.
He heaved a sigh of relief, the handkerchief he was using to wipe his sweat still hanging in the air when he suddenly felt a pain on his cheek. He knew it was Sister Wen Niang venting her anger, so he sat down calmly and slowly tended to the teacup, letting the fragrance of pear blossoms gradually dilute the anxiety in the room.
Wen Niang expressed her anxiety, but she wasn't necessarily truly confused. Human nature is like that: the more you want something, the more anxious you become. While puppets are easy to copy, they ultimately fall into the same pattern. Those who followed suit only learned the basics.
Before the Nong Nong doll was released, no one in the city's clothing and cloth shops had ever imagined that an ordinary animal could be made so adorable. Not only would children throw themselves on the ground and beg for it, but even young girls and wives would be unable to resist it once they took one look.
As soon as the dolls were put on the counter, they became popular all over the city. Long queues formed in front of Caichunju every day, and the clinking sound of copper coins falling into the counter could be heard from morning to night. It was truly a scene of making a fortune every day.
How can it not attract people's attention when it is so popular?
Over the past year, not only the big silk and satin shops, but even the small tailor shops on the street corners have been vying to follow suit. Some of the more cunning ones are even secretly plotting to uproot this cash cow.
The dolls made by those skilled craftsmen and masters of embroidery have neat stitches and exquisite embroidery threads, but they look like the clay Buddhas in the temple, which are exquisite but lack vitality.
What's more, some people imitated the pattern of Chong Nong and turned the tiger into a sick cat. It was really like trying to draw a tiger but ended up drawing a dog. Only the eyes of Chong Nong's embroidery seemed to be able to talk, and even the tips of the tails were lively.
The most remarkable thing about her was her constant ingenuity and her constant creation of new designs. Whenever she had a brilliant idea, she would come to the shop and call upon the embroiderers to meticulously work on it with five-colored silk threads, each needle concealing a hidden loom.
Only by constantly innovating can the dolls of Caichunju always be the best in the world. No matter how others try to imitate them, they will never be able to catch up.
For someone with real talent, no matter whether she is a man or a woman, Wen Niang has treated her like more than just a shopkeeper looking after an embroiderer in the past year. She clearly loves her as her own sister.
Knowing that she was an orphan with no one to rely on, he couldn't help but feel a little more sympathy for her. Moreover, it was the first time that she didn't show up despite his repeated requests.
If Wenquan had not brought back a message and seen with his own eyes that she was fine at home, Wen Niang would have gone to look for her in person long ago.
Seeing her face as radiant as ever, her expression still full of innocence, Wen Niang felt relieved and didn't rush. She unwrapped the bundle with her bare hands and glanced over a small pile of drawings. There she saw five rabbit figurines lying close together, each large enough to be held in one hand, yet each possessed a spirit.
They would puff up their cheeks while chewing radishes, or prick up their ears while sniffing vegetable leaves. Their red, pink, blue, and green shirts were set against their snow-like fur, and they looked even more clever than real rabbits.
The rabbit's eyes were like rouge-soaked glass beads, round and embedded in the velvet-like face. The fingertips sank into the snow-white fur, which was three times softer than newly fluffed cotton.
Holding it in the palm of your hand, it feels like holding a breathing cloud, making your heart feel soft from fingertips to the tip of your heart. You want to hide it in your arms immediately. It looks like it will melt your heart.
Lan Nongnong didn't bother her, simply setting her teacup aside and leaning against the twig-patterned armrest. Her left hand rested on her cheek, the pink bracelet on her wrist twirling slightly as her fingertips unconsciously stroked it, reflecting the window light and creating a soft, ripple-like halo.
She looked up to the window, her eyelashes half-drooped, but her gaze was floating in the distance. Although she was clearly there, her soul had already drifted away with that person's shadow.
It had been eight days since they last met on the day of the dragon boat race. Lan Nongnong knew where he lived, but a servant had come the day before to tell him that he had important matters to attend to. So, she didn't want to bother him rashly.
Ever since I met him, my heart has been tied to him. The drawings that I once cared about the most are now empty. The orders sent by Caichunju are piled up in a thick stack on the table, and the silk threads are in a tangled mess, so I have no time to take care of them.
Although I have been forcing myself to work hard these days, I always get distracted when writing. I often realize that I have forgotten to eat when the sun is setting. At night, I fall into a deep sleep as soon as I get into bed, without even taking off my hairpin.
Now that I have a moment of leisure, my thoughts are creeping in like spring ivy. Come to think of it, this is the first time we've gone eight days apart since we met. I wonder if he's got his affairs in order, if everything he's doing is going well...
"Thick,"
"Nongnong?"
"Uh-huh?"
"What happened to Sister Wen Niang?"
The girl looked back suddenly, her cheeks flushed, her eyes so bright that they could reflect people's shadows, and even the trembling of her eyelashes seemed to be full of affection.
Wen Niang lowered her eyes slightly, and suddenly saw that the girl had added a new pink jade flower bracelet to her wrist. Her fingertips were rubbing the bracelet surface, and the jade plate tied with a vermilion silk rope underneath shook, and there were faint traces of words on it?
Thinking about her absent-minded look just now, and her uncharacteristic behavior these days, she couldn't make excuses. As a woman, Wen Niang couldn't understand.
She has fallen in love and is deeply in love.
In fact, at Nongnong's age, matchmakers should have been knocking on her door, but she had no parents and was the only one who had the unique skill of making cloth come alive. Moreover, she was pretty, lively, had a bulging wallet but a clear mind.
Although she was not interested in fame, anyone with a discerning eye could see the business of the doll business. Her ingenuity supported half of the embroiderers on the street.
Since each family wanted to follow her lead and share the profits, they all put on a smile on their faces, but secretly, they were more jealous.
In this world, the most frightening thing is that someone is keeping an eye on you.
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