The two arrived at the largest cloth shop in town.
Chen Han followed behind Chen Qingqing with timid eyes, looking at the various fabrics on the counter, and whispered, "Sister, just buy me the cheapest coarse cloth."
Chen Qingqing smiled slightly, "Xiao Han, you don't need to worry about it, I know what kind of fabric to buy."
Upon seeing a customer, the waiter hurriedly ran over with a smile to greet her, "Young lady, what kind of fabric would you like to buy?"
As the waiter spoke, he sized up the two men's clothes. Their clothes were worn-out coarse linen, patched upon patched, clearly indicating a very poor family who were lucky to be able to afford even a few feet of coarse cloth.
A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he pointed to the fabric on the counter and said, "Miss, these are all new coarse cloths from our shop. They're sturdy and durable for making clothes. How many feet do you need?"
Chen Qingqing glanced at it and said, "I want to buy cotton fabric."
The waiter was taken aback; these two people were dressed so shabbily, they didn't seem like people who could afford cotton cloth.
Coarse cloth costs twenty coins per foot, while cotton cloth costs forty coins. To make a suit, you need ten feet of cloth. Even if you buy coarse cloth, it would still cost two hundred coins to make a suit. This girl asks for cotton cloth right off the bat. Does she not know the price of cotton cloth?
He kindly reminded her, "Young lady, coarse cloth clothes are more durable and cost-effective than cotton clothes."
"I know that coarse cloth is sturdy and durable, but clothes made of cotton are softer and more comfortable, aren't they?"
"Yes, yes, yes, what you say is absolutely right, young lady." Although the waiter was dissatisfied, he still politely led Chen Qingqing to the cotton cloth section.
Chen Qingqing, who didn't know much about making clothes, asked with a smile, "How many outfits can be made from one bolt of cloth?"
"One bolt of cloth can make about four sets of clothes."
"Give me a dark blue one and an apricot one."
Chen Qingqing planned to make two sets of blue fabric for her father and Xiaohan, and two sets of apricot fabric for herself and her mother. Although cotton fabric was comfortable to wear, she decided to make one set of coarse cloth for herself to wear while working at home. "Second Brother, get me another batch of gray coarse cloth."
The waiter had assumed that the girl, dressed so shabbily, wouldn't be able to buy much fabric, but to his surprise, she brought out three bolts of cloth. The waiter beamed with delight.
"Alright, please wait a moment, sir, I'll get you the cloth right away."
As they were talking, someone called out, "Waiter, what nice fabrics have arrived lately?"
Upon hearing the call, the waiter's face lit up with joy. "Please wait a moment, miss. I'll go and attend to the guests."
Chen Qingqing turned her head and saw Liu Fengjiao leading Chen Ruolan into the room. This mother and daughter were heartless; she should avoid them if possible, as she didn't want to provoke them.
She nodded slightly to the waiter, "Okay, but I'm also very busy. Please prepare my fabric as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, young lady, I'll attend to the guests and be right there."
After the waiter finished speaking, he hurried over to greet her, "Madam Chen, please come in. We just received a new batch of fine silk fabrics from Jiangbei yesterday. The quality is excellent, and we guarantee you will like them."
"Okay, take me to see her quickly." Liu Fengjiao looked up and saw Chen Qingqing. She was stunned. It was truly a case of enemies meeting each other with intense hatred. She frowned and said, "Hey, waiter, why did you let a poor beggar in? Get him out of here quickly."
"Madam Chen, this young lady is here to buy cotton fabric. Please pick some out first, and I'll prepare all the goods for her and then let her leave," the waiter said with a smile.
Chen Ruolan curled her lip in disdain. "Waiter, are you mistaken? I know this person. They're so poor they can't even afford to eat. How could they possibly have extra money to buy cotton cloth? I think you've been fooled by her!"
Seeing Liu Fengjiao bullying her sister, Chen Han gritted her teeth in anger, "You're talking nonsense, we're not begging, our family is rich."
The waiter stood there, looking troubled. "Miss, why don't you settle the payment first, and I'll go get you the cloth right away?"
Suppressing her anger, Chen Qingqing ignored the provocations of Liu Fengjiao and her daughter, "Waiter, how much silver is it for two bolts of cotton cloth and one bolt of coarse cloth?"
The waiter quickly calculated on his abacus, "One bolt of cotton cloth costs one tael and six mace of silver, two bolts cost three taels and two mace, plus eight mace for coarse cloth, totaling four taels of silver."
Chen Qingqing suddenly remembered the man she had rescued and her older brother Chen Feng, who worked at the Qingshui Restaurant. Their clothes were tattered and practically unwearable. It seemed she would need to buy another bolt of cloth and make each of them a decent set of clothes.
"Waiter, wait a minute."
The waiter was taken aback. "Miss, what's wrong?"
"How about what I said? You've been exposed, haven't you? You're broke but still trying to act all high and mighty. It's really embarrassing." Chen Ruolan curled her lips into a mocking smile.
Liu Fengjiao also looked at him with disdain, "That's right, a stinking beggar who can't even afford to eat, yet he asks to buy cotton cloth. Doesn't he fear that the wind will blow his tongue?"
Over the years, Chen Han had been oppressed by Chen Zhancai's family. Seeing Liu Fengjiao and her daughter being aggressive, and fearing that his sister would suffer, he quickly tugged at Chen Qingqing's sleeve and said, "Sister, I don't want to buy new clothes. Let's go!"
"Don't be afraid, Xiaohan, I have money to buy you clothes," Chen Qingqing comforted her.
Chen Ruolan looked disdainful and sneered, "Chen Qingqing, you're overestimating yourself. Others may not know, but I know you. Your family has probably run out of food long ago. You still have money to buy cloth by the bolt? Can you afford that?"
"What if I could afford the fabric?"
Chen Ruolan reacted as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, "If you can afford these three bolts of cloth, I, Chen Ruolan, will crawl out of here. But if you can't afford them, not only will you crawl out, you will also have to bark like a dog."
"You said it yourself, so I hope you won't go back on your word." Chen Qingqing smiled coldly.
Chen Ruolan was full of confidence; she didn't believe Chen Qingqing could buy three bolts of cloth. She crossed her arms, striking an arrogant pose.
"Chen Qingqing, you've ruined my good mood. If you kneel down and kowtow to me to apologize, saying that you disturbed my shopping, I'll forgive you. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll even give you a few feet of coarse cloth."
Liu Fengjiao covered her mouth and smiled, "Qing girl, our Ruolan is kind-hearted, so don't pretend to be something you're not. Quickly kowtow and apologize to our Ruolan, and I believe Ruolan will forgive you."
"No need." After saying that, Chen Qingqing clasped her hands in a fist and bowed to the crowd watching the commotion at the entrance of the cloth shop. "Uncles, aunts and grandmas, you all heard what this young lady said. Please bear witness for me: if I can afford these few bolts of cloth, this young lady will crawl out of here."
The onlookers had long been fed up with the behavior of Liu Fengjiao and her daughter, and many voiced their agreement.
"Okay, we'll be your witnesses. If she doesn't climb, we won't let her leave."
"Okay, thank you all, uncles and aunts." After saying that, Chen Qingqing took out a silver ingot from her cloth bag and slammed it on the counter. "Waiter, add a bolt of cotton cloth, that'll be five taels and six mace in total, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes, you're absolutely right, young lady." The waiter grinned from ear to ear. He hadn't realized this young lady was so wealthy; she was incredibly generous. He had to keep her on his good side...
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