High-class maid

The streets were bustling with people and all kinds of shops; Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao felt overwhelmed by the sights.

"Xing'er, there's a clothing store here. Let's go in and pick out some fabrics," Shan Tao said, looking at the shop in front of her.

The two girls went inside, and immediately a quick-witted waiter came over. Seeing that the two girls were dressed in extraordinary clothes, he became even more enthusiastic.

"Ladies, what would you like? Our shop has needles and thread, fabric, and ready-made clothes. What would you like?"

"Where is the fabric?" Yamamoto asked.

"Here, here, you can see these two kinds of fabric. These are the most popular fabrics in our Jinling City. You can't find them anywhere else."

The waiter proudly held up two pieces of cloth and introduced them to the two guests.

"How is this any different from ordinary fabric? They all look the same to me." Shen Xing'er doesn't like embroidery, so she doesn't know much about these things.

"Look, young lady." The waiter carried them to the door. Under the sunlight, one of the pieces of cloth shimmered with a faint golden light, and another piece of cloth, after being exposed to the sunlight, even had a floral pattern.

Ordinary fabric becomes dazzling under the sunlight, truly understated yet luxurious.

Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao exchanged a glance. They both liked the fabric, but Shan Tao didn't show her liking for it. Seeing this, Shen Xing'er chimed in.

"Mountain peaches are beautiful, but they must be expensive. Why don't we go look around at other stores?" With that, he pulled the mountain peaches away.

"Hey, hey, don't go, young lady! You haven't asked the price yet. This kind of fabric is only available in our store; you won't find it anywhere else."

"Then, how much does it cost? It's too expensive, and I don't have that much silver." Shan Tao pretended to look at her purse with difficulty and asked.

"Alright, alright, these kinds of ones are sold for two taels a bolt. If you want both, I'll give you a discount." This waiter was new, and the older employees always looked down on him and wanted to get rid of him.

It took him three days to sell one bolt of this cloth. If he had sold two at once, the owner would have looked at him differently.

"Let's buy Shantao. It's much cheaper than the ordinary ones in the capital," Shen Xing'er said softly as she walked to Shantao's side.

Shan Tao nodded and said, "In that case, you can pack it up for me."

The waiter was prepared for a dispute, but seeing how straightforward she was, he hurriedly and happily went to pack the food.

"Xing'er, the prices in Jinling are really cheap. If it weren't for the difficulty in carrying the cloth back, I would have liked to buy a few more bolts!" Shan Tao said happily as they walked out the door.

"Alright, these two pieces are enough for you to embroider until you leave. By the way, what are you planning to embroider?"

"I plan to embroider some handkerchiefs. Actually, this kind of fabric would look beautiful embroidered into a screen, but there's not much room for it in the mansion," Shan Tao said regretfully, looking down at the beautiful fabric.

“Silly girl, you can keep it for yourself and take it with you as part of your dowry when you get married,” Shen Xing’er suggested.

“You’re right, you can never earn all the money in the world, so I’ll keep a whole bolt for myself.”

"You can also buy some decorations that we don't have in the capital, such as pearls. Nanjing is by the sea, and pearls are cheap and come in many colors. When you decorate handkerchiefs with them, the price can be several times higher."

Shen Xing'er said again.

"Yes, how come I didn't think of that? Xing'er, you're so smart." After saying that, Shan Tao pulled Shen Xing'er to browse the jewelry store.

In the end, she bought four beads of various colors, while Shen Xing'er bought a pearl hairpin for Wang Shi.

The two then wandered around and visited several embroidery shops, hoping to see what the specialties of Jinling were so that Shan Tao could learn from them in the future, and Shen Xing'er could also learn from Jinling's patterns.

"Xing'er, I'm so tired. It's even more tiring than being on duty." Shan Tao squatted by the roadside, not wanting to walk another step.

"There's a restaurant up ahead, let's go eat." Shen Xing'er looked up and saw a restaurant. She took the fabric that Shan Tao was carrying and pulled Shan Tao toward the restaurant.

"What would you two like to eat?" a waiter asked as he stepped forward.

"Okay, I'll have two bowls of your signature dishes," Shen Xing'er said.

"Alright, two bowls of plain noodles!" the waiter said, then went to serve the other guests.

"Xing'er, I think the embroidery and patterns in Jinling are mainly simple, unlike our capital city, which is luxurious and ostentatious." After eating and drinking her fill, Shan Tao regained some strength and told Shen Xing'er about her observations.

Shen Xing'er nodded in agreement, "You're right. What do you think? If we sell the styles from the capital to Nanjing, can we get some higher prices?" she asked suddenly.

"It should be possible, after all, things are valued for their scarcity. However, I didn't bring much fabric with me to Jinling this time, maybe only enough for three purses and three handkerchiefs."

After a brief moment of excitement, Shantao returned to reality.

"It's alright. If there are enough buyers, we can make money. How about I design the patterns and color schemes, and you provide the fabric and embroidery? We can split the profits 60/40."

Shen Xing'er thought that instead of asking around the streets if anyone would buy her patterns, she should just draw them for Shan Tao directly, killing two birds with one stone, even if it meant earning less money.

"No." Shan Tao refused without even thinking. Afraid that Shen Xing'er would misunderstand, she added.

"What I mean is, four is too little. Since we've already sold it, let's split it equally between the two of us."

“How can that be? Embroidery is hard on the eyes, not to mention you’re providing the fabric. I’m just drawing a pattern,” Shen Xing’er asked.

Unexpectedly, Shan Tao suddenly became serious and said...

"Xing'er, since we've decided to partner up, let's split the money for needles, thread, and fabric equally. After the embroidery is sold, we'll split the remaining amount in half after deducting the cost."

Although my embroidery strains my eyes, your pattern drawing also strains your brain. Neither of us should try to gain an advantage or take advantage of the other; this is called mutual benefit.

Shen Xing'er originally just wanted to draw for fun and earn some extra income, but seeing how serious Shan Tao was, she hesitated.

Yes, she has fertile land, and her parents only have her as their daughter. But Shan Tao only has a few acres, and she has an older brother and a confused mother. Her indifference is somewhat unfair to Shan Tao.

Shen Xing'er thought for a moment and said, "Okay, since you've decided to do it, then do it well. I have another suggestion."

"What suggestion?" Yamamoto asked.

"You can embroider a small design under each piece of embroidery to represent that it was made by us. What if it becomes famous in the future!"

“Sure, how come I didn’t think of that? I’m not busy these days, so I can do some embroidery.”

“Well, but I’ll still focus on my job. Your skills are already quite good, and if you add my designs and color schemes, it will be even better. I’m not worried about not having customers,” Shen Xing’er said.

"okay!"

The two girls sat in a small restaurant, dreaming about the future. No one could have imagined that a few years later, their embroidery would be in high demand and their shop would be thriving. Of course, that's a story for another time.