When she saw He Tiantian enter, Hong Erniang lazily raised her eyelids, her heart unmoved.
He Tiantian didn't mind and took out the receipt from her bosom and handed it to Hong Erniang.
"Second Aunt, here is the receipt, and here is the handkerchief. Please check them."
Seeing Hong Erniang's disapproving look, He Tiantian felt a little worried. After all, this was her first time doing business with this person; wouldn't she be cheated out of her money?
Without even glancing at the handkerchief, Hong Erniang started taking money from under the cabinet.
“Here, this is a deposit of one tael of silver, and this is the wages of four hundred and fifty cash. We’re done.” Hong Erniang pushed the money in front of He Tiantian, and without even looking at the receipt, she took it back and stuffed it under the counter.
"We're even now, this business is over." Hong Erniang said angrily, her face dark.
He Tiantian counted the silver, put the money away, and only then did she feel relieved.
She looked at Hong Erniang again and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Can't you see? This shop hasn't had a single customer in days. What am I doing stocking up on all this?" Hong Erniang said irritably.
No wonder... no wonder He Tiantian always felt something was wrong.
"That shouldn't be the case. I saw your shop was doing quite well last time I came. It hasn't been that long..." He Tiantian put on a sympathetic look, but secretly she was delighted.
She was still thinking about how to sell her cross-stitch pieces when the opportunity came along.
"Heh, didn't you see that huge clothing store at the very end of this street when you came here? They have so many colors and embroidery patterns. They also have ready-made clothes, lots of styles and cheap prices, and most importantly, they even have their own embroiderers..."
Hong Erniang rattled off a long explanation, which He Tiantian finally understood. It turned out that the items at the Ni Chang Ge shop were beautiful and inexpensive, attracting all the customers, leaving her Yunshui Shop unable to continue operating.
In fact, not only Yunshuipu, but also more than a dozen other clothing stores on this street are facing the risk of closing down.
"Let's go take a look." He Tiantian pulled Hong Erniang and was about to leave.
"I'm not going. Just looking at it makes me feel upset and upset." Hong Erniang shook off He Tiantian's hand and refused to talk to her anymore.
Having no other choice, He Tiantian could only tempt her, saying, "Second Aunt, are you just going to stand by and watch your business get stolen? Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. What's wrong with going to take a look?"
Sure enough, after He Tiantian said that, Hong Erniang immediately perked up.
"I've been around Changning County for years, who says I'm giving up? Let's go then, who's afraid of who!"
The two arrived at the Neon Pavilion together and saw from a distance that the shop entrance was crowded with people, and there was even a long queue outside.
He Tiantian carefully observed the clothes of these people. They were all ordinary people, probably from the middle class.
Ni Chang Ge is having a promotion: buy three feet of fabric and get one foot free, and buy a garment and get a free handkerchief.
After looking at it, He Tiantian nodded approvingly and couldn't help but praise, "This shopkeeper is quite good at doing business."
Hong Erniang glared at her with a sharp look, snorted coldly, and warned, "Don't forget what you're here for."
He Tiantian immediately withdrew her approving gaze and followed the flow of people inside.
Ni Chang Ge's shop is one of the largest among all the ready-made clothing shops on this street. Although it is only one floor, three walls are covered with a dazzling array of fabrics.
In front were fabrics of various colors, and behind were clothes of various styles. The shop had more than a dozen people, who were busily introducing the products to customers.
After walking around for a while, He Tiantian had a general idea of what was going on.
This clothing store, Ni Chang Ge, mainly targets middle-class consumers. There are still many wealthy families in Changning Town who wouldn't be interested in the clothes here.
Because these wealthy people are very arrogant and would never allow themselves to wear the same clothes as ordinary people.
After watching, He Tiantian and Hong Erniang returned to Yunshuipu.
In the dead of winter, Hong Erniang was covered in sweat, whether from anger or exhaustion, she couldn't tell. She was currently fanning herself with a handkerchief.
"You see, it's not that I don't want to do business with you, but if I can't sell what's in this shop, it'll all be stuck with me," Hong Erniang said irritably.
He Tiantian looked at her and asked, "Where do those wealthy families buy their fabric to make clothes?"
Hong Erniang exchanged a glance with her and immediately understood.
"You mean you want me to sell the things in the shop to those rich people?" That's a great idea, but after running the shop for over ten years, she's only managed to accumulate four or five VIP customers.
At this point, Hong Erniang no longer kept it from He Tiantian and briefly explained the situation of her shop.
At this moment, He Tiantian opened her package and took out the "Pine and Crane Longevity" cross-stitch.
When she unfolded the foot-long cross-stitch for Hong Erniang to see, Hong Erniang rolled her eyes at her, thinking to herself that she had been scheming for so long, waiting for her here.
However, the next second, when Hong Erniang's gaze fell on the cross-stitch, she was also stunned.
"My goodness, what is this? I've never seen it before." Even though she had been running her shop for so many years, she had never seen embroidery framed.
Isn't this the same as wealthy people commissioning famous calligraphers to write their works and then framing them?
Hong Erniang held the embroidery in her hands, admiring it. The stitches were very fine, and the cranes on it looked incredibly realistic.
Such skill is something even the top embroiderers in the embroidery workshop couldn't achieve.
"This is called cross-stitch. You can buy it and hang it at home to admire, or give it as a gift, etc.," He Tiantian explained patiently.
After realizing what had happened, Hong Erniang dropped her naive and unsophisticated demeanor.
"How much is this? I'm planning to buy one to hang in my shop." She was silently calculating in her mind, determined to get the price down to the lowest possible level.
But then she thought, this He Tiantian is so cunning, she can't go too far. What if this person isn't satisfied and just turns left and sells her to the Ni Chang Pavilion? That would be the end of her.
He Tiantian saw through Hong Erniang's thoughts at a glance. She said seriously, "Two taels of silver, not a penny less." Anyway, her item was a modern product, and the ancients at this time could not imitate it.
"What?" Hong Erniang was clearly surprised that He Tiantian would make such an outrageous demand.
He Tiantian explained, "As you can see, embroidery is a complex and time-consuming craft. I dare say that no one in the entire Changning Town can make something this good. I even invited a master craftsman from Jiangnan to make it."
Hong Erniang knew more about goods than He Tiantian, so she stopped wasting words and took out two taels of silver from her bosom and stuffed it into her pocket.
He Tiantian chuckled, "If it sells well, I'll tell you how to sell the items in this shop next time I come."
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