Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 26: Taking Advantage of Weapons
Noticing that the people around her slowed down their pace, Pei'er asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"

Tan Huaike shook his head, his eyes still wandering around: "Nothing, let's go to the shop first."

Compared with the drug store, the cloth shop's business atmosphere is much better.

The shopkeeper was clacking away on his abacus as he bargained with a customer: "My dear Madam Xiang, you're a regular customer, how could I possibly cheat you? Three bolts of cloth and two suits of clothing, a total of thirty-six strings of cash. Is that expensive?"

The Xiang family's wife said, "Shopkeeper Du, last time I brought my sisters to buy cloth, you promised to give me a better price."

Shopkeeper Du fanned himself with his handkerchief and complained, "I've already given you the lowest price. These three bolts of cloth you picked out, oh, don't you see how discerning you are!"
"Look, this piece of cloth is our best-selling product at Zhiyun. We only have the last one left, and no one else can buy it. And this one is a new product that just arrived. I dare say no woman in the four counties of Hexi has had time to wear it yet. This one is even more amazing. It's brocade from Jiangnan. Even the wives of officials are vying for it. It looks gorgeous and makes you look proud. I won't talk about these two sets of ready-made clothes. I'm almost selling them to you half-sold and half-given..."

"I feel like the waist of this dress is too wide." Mrs. Xiang was even more picky.

"Where is it too wide?" Shopkeeper Du took out the tape measure he had prepared long ago and measured it for her swiftly. "This has been altered strictly according to your measurements. Are you still not confident in my embroiderer's craftsmanship? Of course, if you feel there's anything that doesn't fit, we can still alter it for you until it fits perfectly."

"Shopkeeper Du, it's still too expensive. How about I try another time..."

"My dear Madam Xiang, let me tell you a price. Do you want to keep it that way? And I must remind you that if you come back next time, the fabric and color you want may not be available."

As he spoke, Shopkeeper Du moved a few beads on the abacus and pushed them to Mrs. Xiang for review.

Tan Huaike had good eyesight and could tell from a distance that it meant thirty-two strings of cash.

The Xiang family's wife was obviously persuaded and paid her in silver and two strings of cash. "Okay, if you have new materials in the future, please remember to send someone to let me know. Your place is noisy and messy, and I don't come here often on weekdays."

Shopkeeper Du arranged for someone to pack her things and even helped carry them to the carriage at the street corner. He said with a smile, "Of course I won't forget you." Then he whispered, "Don't tell anyone about this price. If everyone asks me for this price, the boss will definitely scold me."

Mrs. Xiang got the fabric and clothes she wanted, and also got benefits that others didn't have, so she left very satisfied.

While strolling in the shop, Tan Huaike witnessed the whole process and felt that Manager Du was very versatile and a good businessman; the staff in the outer room who were responsible for greeting guests and counting the goods were also arranged in an orderly manner; the four seamstresses and embroiderers in the inner room each did their job, and their work was fast and delicate, which was really impeccable.

But there are indeed not many customers in the shop, and they often leave after just a short while. Even old customers like Mrs. Xiang say that they rarely come on weekdays. What is the problem?
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After seeing off a distinguished guest, Shopkeeper Du noticed Tan Huaike with his sharp eyes and immediately greeted her personally: "This lady looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time at our Zhiyun Cloth Workshop? Would you like to see what kind of fabrics we have for ready-made garments?"

Tan Huaike pointed to the wooden tablet in Pei'er's arms and pretended to be an ordinary guest. "We happened to be passing by. We're worried that the small things we have might get lost, so we'd like to buy a piece of cloth to make a bag. It should be sturdy and durable."

This kind of cloth was cheap, and she bought only a small amount, but Shopkeeper Du didn't neglect them. Instead, he enthusiastically led them to the two rows of cloth on the west side of the shop and introduced them, "The cloth here is perfect for making bundles. It's very strong, especially this kind, which is difficult to cut with a knife."

"Let me see……"

"My dear, if you trust me, choose this color. It is stain-resistant and easy to wash."

"Okay, Manager Du, how much do you think is a good cut?"

"Just cut it out to six feet."

"how much is it?"

"My lady is a new customer, and I don't expect to earn much from this order. Ten cents is enough. If you like other fabrics and want to buy them to make clothes, I can give this fabric to you for free."

Tan Huaike nodded: "Okay, then I'll take a look at other fabrics."

Seeing her agreement, Shopkeeper Du was not hesitant and immediately hired a tailor to cut the fabric and sew the bundle. This job was very simple. While Tan Huaike was still selecting the fabric, it was already finished and delivered.

Pei'er placed the six scrolls of wood in her bundle, tied it up, and slung it over her shoulder, finally freeing her hands. Following Shopkeeper Du's guidance, they came to the shelves on the east side of the shop. The fabrics here were much more expensive, delicate and soft to the touch, and available in a wide variety of styles.

As they were selecting, they heard screams from inside the shop. Tan Huaike and Pei'er were startled and looked over. Shopkeeper Du, however, seemed accustomed to this. He apologized to Tan Huaike, rolled up his sleeves, and hurried to the inner room.
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The other customers in the shop did not want to cause trouble, so they all avoided and left. Only Tan Huaike took Pei'er to the outside of the room where the tailors and embroiderers were working to watch the fun.

A drunk, his face flushed red, staggered into the inner room, mumbling incoherently, "What? You guys at Lanying Pavilion aren't accepting guests anymore?"

Shopkeeper Du rolled his eyes in disgust and, while signaling to his two assistants to pull him away, he said, "Young master, you've come to the wrong place drunk. This is the cloth shop, not the Lanying Pavilion. The Lanying Pavilion is diagonally across from us, several shops away. It's still early, and they haven't opened yet."

The drunk was very strong and pushed away the man who had grabbed him in a few seconds. With blurry eyes, he reached out to pull the embroiderer's hand and said, "Who said that? Such a soft and tender little hand, it's obviously Madam Fei's. Madam Fei, play a little song for me, will you?"

The embroiderer wanted to pull her hand away but couldn't. She was so scared that she burst into tears and looked at Manager Du for help.

Seeing her desperately trying to retreat, the drunk was very dissatisfied. He rushed forward and hugged her, saying in a messy manner: "Madam Fei's waist is really soft... This young master just wants to hear you play a little tune, Madam Fei's tune, Madam Li's song... It's much better than those Yuefu songs..."

Shopkeeper Du couldn't stand it any longer and called two more waiters to go up and pull the people away.

The four of them worked together to pull the drunk off the embroiderer and carried him out the door. Unexpectedly, the drunk started to act up again after just two steps. Unable to get rid of the people, he rushed around recklessly and bumped into Tan Huaike in the chaos.

Behind Tan Huaike were shelves full of fabrics, and there was no way to retreat, so he was blocked.

The drunk sniffed and said, "What a nice fragrance! What kind of incense is this? Are you... are you Lady Qi?"

Pei'er hurriedly tried to pull the drunk man away: "You, you let go of my wife!"

"Madam Qi, you dance the most beautifully. Oh, the fragrance is blowing in my face... No, you are so white. Is it Madam Wan?"

"Look carefully," Tan Huaike said, unable to push him away. He picked up the bag that had fallen from Pei'er's arm and smashed it on his head. "I'm not Madam Qi or Madam Wan. I'm your mother!"

If one hit doesn’t work, hit it twice. If two hits don’t work, hit it continuously.

The bundle containing the six wooden scrolls was so heavy and hard that the drunk man was stunned. He covered his head and wailed.

After kicking the man hard to the ground, Tan Huaike stopped and the four men carried the drunk man out.

Seeing that he had offended the customer, Shopkeeper Du apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, my lady, I frightened you. Today, just pick a piece of cloth and it will be our apology to you..."

Tan Huaike straightened his clothes and said while holding the bundle, "Shopkeeper Du has a good eye. This cloth is indeed very strong and it is quite easy to swing."

Shopkeeper Du smiled awkwardly, not knowing whether she was praising him or criticizing him.

Tan Huaike continued, "After going through this, I finally understand why my cloth shop's business is not doing well."

Own cloth workshop?

Shopkeeper Du looked at her in surprise: "Madam, could it be..."

Tan Huaike said, "I am the current owner of Zhiyun Cloth Workshop, Tan Huaike."
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　Next chapter: The Woodcutter with Black Beard.

　　Thank you all for your monthly ticket recommendation tickets (-people-)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)