Lotus refused, saying, "Aunt Guilan, I have to go. I want to see what kind of clothes those girls like, and then I'll go back and tell Aunt Jiu Niang."
This was her own idea, but Lu Guilan subconsciously thought it was a task assigned to her by He Jiuniang, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
"In that case, let's go together."
Zhang Song said that as long as he was there, he would definitely take good care of them.
In the end, they had no choice but to go together. However, it was the first time for everyone to be in a place like this. Lu Guilan warned in a low voice, "You're not allowed to look around, or I won't let you off the hook!"
Zhang Song smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, we're here to do business, serious business!"
Lu Guilan finally stopped, and Lianhua covered her mouth and laughed. Perhaps this was the reason why Aunt Guilan insisted on coming along.
The carriage slowly entered an alley, where three brothels were located.
The storefront is decorated in bright colors; you can tell at a glance that it's not a respectable place.
It's midday now, and the brothel isn't open for business. The doors are open, but only a few servants and maids are cleaning; you can't see any other girls.
The madam was overseeing the cleaning when she saw the three men. She gave them a scrutinizing look, then smiled and asked Zhang Song, "Sir, are you here to sell your wives or sisters?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Guilan and Lianhua with great satisfaction. They were both very beautiful, and in all her years in this line of work, this was the first time she had ever seen such obedient, sensible, and well-behaved children.
The three people: ...
“This… Ma’am, you’ve misunderstood. We want to do business with the girls in the building.”
Although she found the madam's fragrance quite overpowering, Lianhua still smiled and spoke, seemingly without any discomfort.
"oh?"
The madam sized her up again. This young girl was really pretty; she was even thinking of offering a high price, but it turned out she wasn't there to sell herself...
Zhang Song and Lu Guilan took out three brightly colored feather garments and asked, "I wonder if Mom has heard of these feather garments? They're lightweight, warm, and even have a fragrance. If you wear them for a long time, you'll still smell nice!"
The madam paused, "A feathered garment? I've heard of it before!"
A few days ago, an old man who was in charge of guarding the back gate in the courtyard was wearing one. He said his daughter-in-law bought it for him. It was very warm, and he wasn't afraid of the cold even when guarding the gate at night.
She had seen it at the time, and it was indeed nice, but the colors and design were too ugly and didn't suit their style at all, so she had to give up.
"Are you the ones selling feather clothing at the main street corner?"
As she asked, the madam picked up a garment, touched it, and smelled it. Sure enough, it smelled very similar to the old gatekeeper's garment, except that the old man's was more ordinary, while the one in her hand was much richer and more refreshing.
This is the trick He Jiuniang deliberately played when using perfume powder; the scents for men and women naturally cannot be the same.
Moreover, the outer fabric is a floral satin, which is of good quality and has a bright and beautiful pattern, perfectly meeting the needs of the girls here.
However...
The madam said, "These clothes are indeed nice, but you should know what kind of place this is. These clothes are too formal, and our guests won't like our girls wearing them."
Lu Guilan didn't understand this at all. This is how clothes are worn, why is there a distinction between proper and improper?
But she soon found out—
The madam called out, inviting the girls upstairs to come and see the clothes and see if they wanted any.
The three men stared wide-eyed as soon as the girls came down.
The clothes, which were originally proper, were altered inexplicably, revealing a lot of skin and looking like tattered rags.
In Lu Guilan's words, even the beggars on the street weren't dressed this tattered...
The girls were practically naked, and even Lu Guilan couldn't bear to look at them.
Zhang Song glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away. After receiving a warning look from Lu Guilan, he hurriedly said, "I'll wait for you outside!"
After saying that, he ran out in a flash, making the girls cover their mouths and laugh.
Fortunately, she didn't forget the important matter. Lotus was the first to react and explained the benefits of the feather clothes to the girls again. The girls were indeed tempted, but their concerns were exactly the same as the madam's.
Lotus thought for a moment and said, "We can customize according to the girls' requirements. Of course, the price of customized clothes may be slightly higher. Besides, these are winter clothes, so warmth is the main concern. I'll go back and talk to my family and make a few styles for the girls to see first."
The madam felt a pang of regret seeing how eloquent the girl was at such a young age; she thought that if she had come to work for her, she would have made a fortune!
The girls were very interested, and one of them said, "Okay, if you can do a good job, I'll take one ordinary one and one custom-made one. Price is not a problem."
The girls in the building all have their own little savings, so buying one or two pieces of clothing like this is no problem for them.
Once someone took the lead, the others followed suit.
During this time, Lianhua learned a few words from Leizi and the others, so she made a simple note of it with paper and pen, preparing to go back and tell He Jiuniang about the situation.
Lu Guilan stared blankly to the side. Now she finally understood why Lianhua had come. If she hadn't come, how could such a huge business deal have been completed?
"Ladies, I will be coming to deliver samples in seven days. A deposit will be required at that time. I wonder..."
She was asking the girls if they could accept it, because once such unusual clothes were made, they would be impossible to sell to others, posing a certain risk.
"Don't worry, just go ahead and do it."
The madam couldn't help but speak up, saying that in their line of work, everyone has to pay in advance, even if they order from other places.
Having received a response, Lianhua and Lu Guilan left and then went to two other houses.
For safety reasons, Zhang Song only stayed outside and didn't go in. Lianhua, on the other hand, had the experience from the first time. As soon as she went in, she chatted with the other two customers and quickly won them over, securing the same orders as the first one.
"My goodness, Lotus is such a smooth talker! I hadn't even figured out how to bring it up, and she'd already got it done!"
Lu Guilan kept exclaiming in amazement. No wonder her third sister-in-law wanted Lianhua to come; it turned out she had already discovered this promising talent.
Lianhua smiled shyly and said, "I learned it from Aunt Jiu Niang. A person who does business relies on their words."
Although He Jiuniang hadn't taken her under her wing many times, she always studied diligently, thinking that she had to repay the kindness of the Lu family for taking her in.
"You're right, but how did you manage to make those two companies compete with each other?"
P.S.: There will be another chapter tonight!
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