“But I secretly went to take a look, and their pirated copies are still pirated copies. They can’t compare to the quality of yours,” Hong Erniang continued.
Fortunately, the Ni Chang Pavilion didn't have such good skills, otherwise her little shop would definitely have had to close down.
This incident served as a wake-up call for He Tiantian, and she hurriedly asked, "When did this happen?"
"Just two days ago, they sold their products cheaply due to their poor quality. Most of the buyers were ordinary people." Hong Erniang curled her lip, inwardly showing great disdain for the manager of the Ni Chang Ge.
He Tiantian seemed to be deep in thought. It was only these two days that had happened. It seemed that the manager of the Ni Chang Pavilion had seen the business opportunity in cross-stitch.
Just by looking at it, she can copy it. If, in time, someone actually replicates this cross-stitch or even surpasses it, wouldn't she lose all her profits?
He Tiantian looked at Hong Erniang very seriously and reminded her, "Then you have to be careful. If the Ni Chang Pavilion makes some good embroidery in the future, our cross-stitch will probably not fetch a good price."
Everything is valued for its scarcity; once mass-produced, it becomes affordable.
Hong Erniang was startled. "What should we do, sister? Do you have any good ideas?"
He Tiantian looked around Hong Erniang's shop, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "Erniang, have you ever heard of yarn? It's made of cotton."
Yarn? Cotton? Hong Erniang was completely confused. "Those wealthy families use cotton quilts, I've never heard of yarn."
He Tiantian snapped her fingers in her mind. That's right, she hadn't heard of it! Since Hong Erniang had been in the ready-made clothing business for most of her life and was very knowledgeable, she could definitely make it as long as she had the materials.
He Tiantian secretly bought a ball of blue yarn from the mall and handed it to Hong Erniang.
"This thing is really useful. You can use it to knit sweaters, crochet shoes, or crochet all sorts of pretty little things."
Hong Erniang's eyes lit up, and she carefully took the ball of yarn from He Tiantian's hand. It felt soft in her palm, and despite its size, it was very light and had almost no smell.
This is really great stuff!
"Young lady, where did you come from?" Hong Erniang asked anxiously.
Um... He Tiantian was a little embarrassed, then said, "This was given to me by a merchant from the north many years ago. I've kept it but never used it."
"Second Aunt, if you can make this thing, I guarantee you'll become rich! And this yarn can be dyed not only blue, but also any color of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. You can even dye it any color you want."
“I heard from that merchant that they grow that kind of white cotton, as white as clouds. Why don’t you have someone go there, or go there yourself, it’s all good.”
He Tiantian talked a lot, describing what cotton looks like, its uses and benefits, and the advantages of making it into yarn.
In spring, we knit sweaters; in summer, we crochet shoes; in autumn, we knit vests; and in winter, we knit scarves.
There are so many products to sell all year round!
Hong Erniang was completely taken aback, her shrewd eyes sparkling. She could almost see herself making a fortune every day.
"Okay, okay. You're so knowledgeable, sister. I'll ask someone to go up north to buy cotton right away."
In their area, there are silkworm farmers and silk reeling workshops. The wealthy merchants are accustomed to wearing silk and using duck and goose down for their quilts. They use relatively little cotton.
After leaving Hong Erniang's Yunshui Shop, He Tiantian still wanted to pass by the entrance of Ni Chang Pavilion.
But before she had taken more than a few steps, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes stopped her.
Despite the sweltering heat, this middle-aged man was wearing a hat. His large, sweaty forehead was soaked with sweat.
He Tiantian thought to herself, "Is he a fool?"
"Sister-in-law, hehe, did you provide the cross-stitch kits at Yunshui Shop?"
Upon hearing this, He Tiantian looked at the middle-aged man in front of her warily. He actually called her "sister-in-law"? He looked older than her!
"You've mistaken me for someone else," He Tiantian said coldly, turning to leave.
"Hey... Sister-in-law, wait a minute. I'm Manager Guan from Ni Chang Pavilion. I saw you giving the goods to Hong Er Niang just now." Manager Guan said with a smile, he didn't mean any harm.
I'm just curious where Hong Erniang, a small shop selling clouds and water, got such good things.
So he spent many days staking out the Yunshui Shop, and finally he caught a glimpse of the big fish behind the scenes.
“I’m a reasonable person, and I don’t do bad things. Sister-in-law, your cross-stitch is very popular in the county now. Do you think we can talk business? My shop is big, and my sales will definitely be much higher than that small Yunshui shop!” Manager Guan analyzed for He Tiantian very seriously.
He Tiantian was indeed very tempted when she thought of the large shop of the Ni Chang Pavilion.
However, she had signed an agreement with Hong Erniang, stipulating that one must be honest and trustworthy. She wouldn't do something so immoral.
He Tiantian shook her head and said regretfully, "That's such a pity. Manager Guan, I think you're an honest person. It's just that we met too late. My goods have been monopolized by Second Aunt. How about this, if there are other things in the future, perhaps we can cooperate?"
He Tiantian also knew the benefits of having more people and more options. Besides, she didn't have a bad impression of the manager of the Ni Chang Pavilion, so there might actually be opportunities for cooperation in the future.
Upon hearing this, Manager Guan's eyes immediately dimmed.
He also found the best embroiderer in the county to imitate that cross-stitch, but the result was far from satisfactory.
After thinking for a moment, Manager Guan shamelessly spoke again.
"Sister-in-law, how about this? I'll pay for your recipe, then I won't need you to supply the goods. I'll offer a thousand taels, is that alright?" Manager Guan hardened his heart; the thought of a thousand taels was like a knife to his heart.
One thousand taels... This really surprised He Tiantian.
This is quite a generous gift; even the emperor himself only gave her a hundred taels of silver as a reward.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the recipe, and she didn't know how to make it. She always bought ready-made items from the store.
"Shopkeeper, I'm really sorry. Let's cooperate again in the future if we have the chance," He Tiantian said reluctantly.
Before leaving, Manager Guan specifically emphasized to He Tiantian that he should be the first choice for business in the future.
He Tiantian felt that Manager Guan had said it at least thirty times, because he thought it was important to say it three times!
That's dedication! With that kind of drive, even if the Rainbow Pavilion didn't do this business, it wouldn't be too bad.
He Tiantian returned to the wonton stall by the roadside. The four children and Sister-in-law Yulan had already finished eating. Because there were few seats to begin with, they had to make room for other customers after they finished eating.
The group could only stand by the roadside and wait.
[Author's Note]: Please vote for this chapter, my darlings! I'll be updating three chapters during the recommendation period!
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