The next day, Xu Ling led a group of maids into Meng's Embroidery Shop. The shopkeeper saw that she looked aggressive and knew that she was looking for trouble, so he hurried forward to stop her, but was kicked away.
"Meng Si, Meng Si, come out!" She rushed into the VIP room on the second floor and shouted.
"Ms. Xu, what can I do for you?" Meng Si and Li Jiarong came out from behind the screen together, followed by Li Xiudian and Meng Zhong. The four of them all frowned and looked unhappy, but due to Xu Ling's identity, they did not dare to lose their temper on the spot. Admiral Xu had been stationed in Zhejiang Province for many years, killing countless Japanese pirates. The books recording his military exploits were piled up as high as a man. He could be said to be the true local emperor of Zhejiang Province. So what if Li Ran is Concubine Min’s biological brother? Even when I came to Zhejiang Province, I still had to be humble and serve him.
"What do I have to say? You embroidered it yourself, it's tattered. Take a look at it yourself!" Xu Ling threw the priceless peony skirt to the ground fiercely, and said angrily: "Your skirt made me look ridiculous yesterday. You are so shameless to call yourself the best embroiderer in Zhejiang Province!"
"Is there something wrong with this skirt?" Meng Si picked up the skirt with a worried look on her face.
Li Xiudian looked at her distressedly and said, "Miss Xu, please talk nicely. Meng Si's skills are obvious to all. If there is really a problem with this skirt, please point it out so that we can improve it. Don't hurt the relationship."
"This skirt is fine, there's nothing wrong with it!" Li Jiarong snatched the skirt and looked at it again and again, then pointed at Xu Ling's nose and scolded: "Xu Ling, are you here to pick a fight on purpose? Sisi is my good sister, how dare you bully her! I, Li Jiarong, am not afraid of you!"
Xu Ling pinched Li Jiarong's fingers and forced them down, saying in a sinister tone: "What are you going to do? Can't you hit me? You are not afraid of me, so how could I be afraid of you? Meng Si's skills are not even as good as those of a novice who has just learned embroidery. The skirts she made are full of jewels and are extremely vulgar. How dare you call yourself the number one embroiderer in Zhejiang Province? I think you gave yourself the title of the number one embroiderer!"
"She is no match for anyone. Explain it clearly!" Li Jiarong pulled back her finger, grimacing in pain.
"Her embroidery skills are totally incomparable to Lin Dan's. Last time at Faxing Temple, she had the nerve to say that Lin Dan's embroidery skills were just so-so and not even as good as the apprentices at Meng's Embroidery Shop. Can the apprentices at Meng's Embroidery Shop make Lin Dan's wisteria skirt?" Xu Ling gritted her teeth in anger.
"You mean, Lin Dan made a wisteria skirt that's prettier than the one my sister made, so Miss Xu was outdone?" Meng Zhong seemed to understand Xu Ling's intention and spoke gently and politely.
"That's right, you made me look bad at the family dinner, and I will never forgive you!" Xu Ling snatched the peony skirt and stomped on it a few times, then she knocked to the ground several embroidery frames standing nearby, behaving in a very domineering manner.
Meng Si was so scared that her face turned pale and she shrank back slightly. Li Xiudian hurriedly protected her to his side and glared at Xu Ling. Meng Zhong pulled Li Jiarong behind him and said, "May I ask what style Lin Dan's skirt is? How can it compare to the one my sister carefully made? You know, in order to embroider this skirt, my sister used hundreds of pearls, gemstones and jadeite, and adopted the techniques of Guangdong embroidery, and added many newly developed embroidery threads. Whether it is workmanship or materials, it is absolutely first-class."
As he spoke, he picked up the skirt, patted it clean, and spread it flat on the embroidery frame.
The customers attracted by the noise stretched their necks to look in, exclaiming in amazement. This dress is so elegant and dazzling. If I could wear it and walk around, I would wake up laughing in my dreams. However, Xu Ling is still not satisfied. So what kind of dress does she want to wear? Fairy feather robe?
Xu Ling couldn't find the words to describe the beauty of the wisteria dress, and she was unable to refute it for a long time. Just as she was secretly worried, her nurse pulled her sleeve and reminded her, "Miss, the sixth girl is downstairs, please let them watch for themselves."
Xu Ling stood on tiptoe and saw Xu Qian and Lao Jiu walking hand in hand on the street. She quickly pulled Meng Si to the window and sneered, "Look for yourself! See if I have wronged you! You are not as skilled as others and you are unwilling to admit it. I will never come to your shop to make clothes again!"
Meng Si and Li Jiarong looked down and were both stunned. Customers who came to join in the fun also crowded to the window, and all showed surprised expressions.
Xu Qian was already extremely beautiful and charming, with a very gentle and calm temperament. She looked even more fresh and refined in the misty and colorful wisteria dress, which added a bit of agility and playfulness to her. Passersby who passed by her either stopped to watch or looked back, with expressions of fascination on their faces.
Xu Qian had never expected that the skirt would have such an effect. Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment and her steps became faster and faster. The hem of her skirt, which was decorated with flower petals, fluttered under her feet as if it was about to fly away. She was like a fairy who had fallen into the mortal world, looking so panic-stricken, pitiful and lovely.
Everyone on the second floor was stunned, and they didn't burst into exclamations until Xu Qian disappeared around the corner.
"Are the wisteria flowers on her skirt real wisteria flowers? I think I see the petals swaying gently in the wind!"
"It's true. I saw it too! It's covered with so many wisteria flowers, but it doesn't look bloated at all. Instead, it makes the figure look more light and elegant. It's true that only a fairy dress can have this effect!"
"What are you looking at? Those flowers can't be real, otherwise they would have withered long ago. I can see clearly that they are made of tulle cut into the shape of petals, dyed, embroidered with stamens, and then sewn on one by one!"
"She made these lifelike flowers out of tulle and then sewed them onto the skirt. What on earth was this embroiderer thinking? How could her skills be so exquisite!"
Everyone was amazed and asked about Lin Dan's situation. Then they looked at the peony skirt placed on the embroidery frame and all showed looks of disgust. The jeweled skirt is indeed gorgeous and eye-catching, but compared with the fairy skirt and feather dress, it is completely inferior. If you can be a fairy, who would want to be a mortal?
Thinking of this, the ladies and young ladies who had originally planned to order a few pieces of clothing at Meng's Embroidery Shop asked for their deposits back and went to inquire about the address of Lin's Embroidery Shop. Xu Ling glared at Meng Si fiercely, overturned the embroidery frame on which the peony skirt was placed, and then left.
Meng Si was still looking out the window with a dazed expression. Li Xiudian gently stroked her tense back, silently comforting her.
Li Jiarong withdrew her shock and said insincerely, "Sisi, that wisteria flower skirt is made of scraps of cloth. There is no embroidery at all. It is incomparable to yours. Lin Dan can only play with these strange and lewd skills. When she runs out of tricks, no one will care about her. Don't take her too seriously!"
If her lover wasn't Meng Zhong, she would probably be rushing to ask about the skirt now.
Meng Si forced a smile: "I haven't seen Lin Dan's embroidery yet, so it's hard to evaluate. Being clever is also a kind of talent. She does have some real skills after all."
Meng Zhong said disapprovingly: "How long has she learned embroidery? How long have you learned it? If she doesn't put her mind on these unorthodox ways, how can she succeed? The Lin family was defeated by me. If she becomes famous and makes things difficult for you, I will not let her go."
"What's the difficulty? Our family is even now. Just let Lin Dan go, brother." Meng Si shook his head, his eyes full of pity.
Seeing her like this, Meng Zhong stopped talking, but his eyes looked a little vicious. Li Xiudian liked Meng Si more and more, who was so gentle and kind, and couldn't help but rub her head.
…………
Three days later, the threshold of the Lin Mansion was almost broken down by the guests who came to visit. But Lin Dan had really used up all her energy in embroidering that wisteria skirt, and she didn't want to take a second order in the short term. The fingers of the two aunts and Cuilan were swollen from the scissors and needles and thread, and they haven't recovered yet. Fortunately, Xu Qian sent someone to deliver fifty taels of reward, which eased the pain she felt watching the silver slip away.
The customer who was rejected by her was making a lot of noise and refused to give in at first. Later, Du Ruyan heard the news and rushed over. She explained in detail how Lin Dan embroidered the wisteria flower skirt. She also said: To make such a fairy skirt, it takes a lot of time and energy. It is already good to get one order a month. If you rush, you can't achieve that kind of effect at all. The more exquisite the skirt is, the more it needs to be designed and tailored according to the customer's appearance and temperament. The finished product must be unique in the world and will never be the same as others. If you are in a hurry, please go to another store. If you are not in a hurry, please wait in line.
After Du Ruyan explained it this way, she doubled and tripled the price. The customers stopped arguing, and those who couldn't afford it left quietly, while those who could afford it lined up to pay the deposit. Although there were not many people and they only booked three, Lin Dan received a deposit of 75 taels of silver in one go, and had to pay the balance of 50 taels after the transaction was completed.
"They spent seventy-five taels on just one skirt. Do you think they are stupid?" Lin Dan looked at Du Ruyan in confusion.
Du Ruyan smiled and lay on the table, shaking her head and said, "Dandan, you are the fool! Do you know how much you can sell the wisteria flower skirt you made earlier for in the capital?"
“How much can it sell for?”
"The starting price is at least one hundred taels. The rich families in the capital city spend more than that on a meal. In order to eat a secret dish of duck tongue, they can slaughter dozens of ducks at the same time, leaving only the tongues, and the rest of the meat is rewarded to the servants. It is not an exaggeration to say that they spend money like water." Du Ruyan showed a nostalgic look, but did not feel envious. In fact, simple food is pretty good.
"Then sooner or later I will have to open an embroidery shop in the capital." Lin Dan rubbed his hands unconsciously.
Du Ruyan covered her mouth and smiled again, feeling happy.
Lin Dan slid two silver ingots into Du Ruyan's arms with a small stroke of her hand, and said generously, "You are the one who received the customers and set the prices. For every additional order in the future, I will give you a commission of five taels of silver. But you have to continue to help me deal with their inquiries and bargaining like you did today."
Lin Dan doesn't like socializing with others, so it would be great if Du Ruyan could help her.
Du Ruyan quickly hugged the silver ingot and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll help you, let's open an embroidery shop together. But I have to tell you in advance that you can't accept orders without my permission in the future. It's best to accept an order every one or two months. This way your skirt will look precious and the price will be pushed up. Do you understand?"
“Okay, I’ll do as you say!” Lin Dan stretched out his left hand.
Du Ruyan looked at her stupidly, with an inexplicable expression.
Lin Dan seemed a little helpless. He pulled her hand over, patted it gently, and said seriously: "Let's high-five and swear that we will be partners from now on."
Du Ruyan then started to chuckle and pulled Lin Dan to high-five again.
Hearing the bell-like laughter coming from next door, Du Rushong, who was practicing sword, couldn't help but shake his head and smile. The two poor people lived together, and their lives seemed to be getting better and better.
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