High-class maid

It's not easy for the family to get together, and the next time they leave the mansion will be after the New Year. Therefore, Shen Xing'er wants to go and check out the shops tomorrow, so that she can buy something sooner and have peace of mind.

“Okay, I have things to do this afternoon, so let’s get up early tomorrow and go look at shops.” Shen Kun made the decision.

Seeing the father and daughter's excited expressions, Wang couldn't bear to interrupt them. She smiled and got up to go back inside to put away the silver notes.

"Xing'er, I'm here!" Just as Shen Xing'er and her family of three finished lunch, Shan Tao's energetic voice came from outside the door.

"Shantao, have you eaten yet?" Shen Xing'er opened the door and welcomed her in.

"Yes, yes, I've eaten. My mom made dumplings for my dad yesterday. We brought a lot, enough for one more meal at home! Have you eaten yet?"

"Come on, come inside quickly. I'll pour you a cup of hot water. Look how cold your hands are." Before Shen Xing'er could answer Shan Tao, Wang Shi, who had just arrived, interrupted her and pulled the two of them back to the hall.

"Are you going to sell handkerchiefs this afternoon?" Wang asked after the group had settled down.

“Yes, Auntie, I embroidered four handkerchiefs and two purses this time, and I’m going to sell them on the street today,” Shan Tao said, holding a cup of hot water in her hands.

"Do you have a regular buyer?" Wang asked again.

"No... Can't we just sell to whoever offers the highest price?" Yamamoto asked doubtfully.

"Mother, what do you mean?" Shen Xing'er seemed to understand what Wang Shi meant.

Madam Wang nodded and said, "When the weather gets colder in the future, you won't be able to leave the mansion as often. Why not find a regular buyer?"

"But what if the price offered is too low? Wouldn't Xing'er and I have wasted our efforts?" Shan Tao was still puzzled.

“Mother, I understand what you mean. If our embroidery is novel enough and we only sell it to one company, the price won’t be too low,” Shen Xing’er said.

Wang nodded and continued, "Price is one thing. Nowadays, embroidery products have transparent pricing. Even if you compare prices from three different vendors, the final difference won't be much. The most important thing is that you will have a stable source of income in the future."

“That way, we don’t have to wait until we leave the manor to go out and sell our embroidery. We can just ask my father to bring it directly to the shop,” Shen Xing’er explained to Shan Tao.

"I think I understand a little bit, but I still don't understand. Xing'er, you make the decision! My mother said that when we're away from home, I should listen to you." Shan Tao said with an embarrassed smile.

"Then let's hurry up and set off. It gets dark early today, so we should go and come back as soon as possible." After Shen Xing'er finished speaking, she went back into the house to get a purse and then went out with Shan Tao.

"My daughter has grown up; she can even go to the street to sell embroidery now," Wang said with emotion, watching their retreating figures.

"Xing'er, these shopkeepers are offering us prices lower than in Jinling just because we're young. It's outrageous!" Shan Tao said angrily after visiting three shops.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, we just won't sell to them. Come on, let's go take a look at this one," Shen Xing'er comforted her.

"This shop is clearly less crowded than the previous three. Maybe we shouldn't go." Shan Tao's enthusiasm was waning, and she was starting to back out.

"Let's go! It seems my mother was right. We still need to find a regular buyer, otherwise it's too much trouble and a waste of time every time we go on vacation."

Shen Xing'er muttered to herself, but her steps didn't falter as she pulled Shan Tao inside.

There were only two or three people looking at the embroidery in the shop. After the two of them went in, no servant came to greet them. Shen Xing'er first walked around the counter and looked at the shop, so she had a general understanding of it.

"Another female manager! Maybe this will work out?" Shan Tao walked up to Shen Xing'er and whispered.

Shen Xing'er turned her head and looked around, feeling that this female shopkeeper resembled someone else.

"Big sister, we have a few embroidered pieces here. Would you buy them?" Shen Xing'er asked as she approached the shopkeeper.

The female shopkeeper slightly raised her eyelids and said, "Let me take a look first."

Shen Xing'er gestured to Shan Tao with her eyes, and Shan Tao hurriedly took out a purse and a handkerchief from her backpack and handed them to her.

"Hmm, not bad. This pattern is very novel, it looks like it's from Nanjing." The female shopkeeper looked at it carefully. Those who knew her knew that when she said it was good, it was the highest praise she could give to an embroidery.

"You've been to Jinling too? We got these inspirations in Jinling," Shen Xing'er said with delight.

To everyone's surprise, the female shopkeeper shook her head and said, "I have never been to Jinling. It's just that my sister married someone from Jinling and runs a shop there. She occasionally brings me some embroidery from Jinling."

Hearing her say that, Shen Xing'er finally realized who the shopkeeper resembled. She asked, "Excuse me, is your sister's surname Gao?"

"Indeed, you recognize him?" The shopkeeper's face finally showed a slight change as he replied with a smile.

"Yes, we sold our embroidery in Jinling to Sister Gao. She gave us a very fair price," Shan Tao replied with a smile.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony with you any longer. Bring out all the embroidery you have," the shopkeeper said.

"I wonder how much silver I can sell it for?" Shan Tao placed the embroidery on the table and looked at the shopkeeper expectantly.

"If you only supply me in the future, the price will be higher. If you only do this business once, I will give you a fixed price, and you are not allowed to bargain." After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he looked at the two of them and saw their reactions.

Shen Xing'er thought to herself that this person really resembled Sister Gao, not only in appearance but also in style.

"To be honest, we only want to supply one supplier, but the quantity we embroider may not be large, because we don't make a living from embroidery," Shen Xing'er revealed.

How much can you embroider in a month?

Shen Xing'er turned to look at Shan Tao, who lowered her head and pondered for a moment before saying...

"I can only embroider two handkerchiefs and two purses a month. The New Year is coming soon, and there are a lot of things to do. I can embroider more after the New Year."

"Can you guarantee that the needlework will be as meticulous as this?" the shopkeeper asked.

“Of course I can! Even if I don’t sell it for money, I still have high standards for my needlework!” Shan Tao retorted, not one to tolerate any questioning of her embroidery.

"In that case, bring two handkerchiefs and two purses on this day next month," the shopkeeper decided.

"These six embroidered pieces?" Shen Xing'er gently reminded her.

"We'll be working together for a long time to come, so I'll take the six embroidered pieces for seven taels of silver. No bargaining," the shopkeeper said readily.

Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao thought about the prices offered by the three shops earlier, none of which were as high as this one, so they nodded. Seeing that they had no objections, the shopkeeper went back to the counter to get the money.

"Seven taels of silver! My little treasury is full again!" After the two walked out the door, Shan Tao held the gleaming silver and smiled so much that her eyes narrowed.