That night, Master He and his apprentices stayed in the empty guest rooms at the fabric shop. The next morning, Lu Chengxiao sent Babao to deliver a message to Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, and he hired two carriages to transport Master He and his group to a nearby estate for their accommodation.
At the same time, Lu Xun helped to hire a cook. There was no need to post a notice; most of the fabric shop workers were locals, and many households were eager to take up the job. Although the estate was in the western suburbs and a bit far from the county center, it was still work, and an extra income was welcome for any family.
By mid-morning, they had found someone, and the Liu brothers, Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, conveniently brought some rice, meat, grains, oil, and vegetables, along with the cook, to the estate.
With enough manpower, the weaving and dyeing workshop could start operations. However, it was still early in the new year, and the hemp harvest hadn’t begun yet. The weaving workshop could only produce cotton cloth for now. The cotton from the nearby Yangshan Village and Lu Chengxiao’s uncle’s side was of decent quality. After discussing it with the Liu brothers, they decided to gather a batch of cotton first and also notify the previously hired weavers to start work the next day.
The weavers, like the female workers in the Ru Yi Embroidery Shop, lived at the estate. Since most of the weavers were women and the dyeing workshop employed men, when the weaving workshop was built, the two workshops were kept separate, with different entrances on opposite sides of the estate’s wall. The two areas appeared like separate buildings, and they only interacted when fabric needed to be sent from the weaving workshop to the dyeing workshop. Meals were delivered by the kitchen workers to the weavers.
This separation helped ease the concerns of the weavers and their families. When their families came to drop off the women the next day, they saw how far apart the two workshops were and felt reassured.
Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping had hired experienced workers, so the weaving workshop quickly began operating. Since most of the weavers came from Chen Village and Yangshan Village, Lu Chengxiao’s aunt and the daughter-in-law of the clan leader from Yangshan Village were put in charge of managing different stages of the process. Both women were highly respected in their villages and skilled at their craft, so they commanded authority among the workers. At the beginning, when there was a shortage of workers, bringing in trustworthy people was the fastest and most efficient way to get things running smoothly.
Master He managed the dyeing workshop, so Lu Chengxiao had little to worry about there. When the first batch of fabric was produced, members of both the Lu and Liu families—who had some spare time—went to see the results. The quality of the weaving and dyeing was excellent, so Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping left Babao in charge of managing the workshop and trusted him completely.
With the workshop running smoothly, it was time to plan the trip to Hongdu. Around this time, Zhang Xiaofu returned to visit her parents, and Wei Shi finally returned to the embroidery workshop. In the afternoon, Liu Yu saw Zhang Xiaofu again, as Liu Yanqing and Liu Yanan helped unload one of Zhang Xiaofu’s dowry boxes from the carriage. The box contained her everyday clothing and jewelry, as she was moving into the back courtyard of the embroidery workshop.
By now, Zhang Xiaofu was familiar with the Liu family’s situation. Another embroidery workshop was going to be opened in Yuanzhou City, and Wei Shi planned to go there for a while. Wei Shi had asked Zhang Xiaofu about her interest in helping to run the business, and Zhang Xiaofu was not opposed to it. So now she was learning the ropes from Wei Shi in the front of the shop.
As for Wen Shi, Wei Shi didn’t make her go back to embroidery work. In fact, most of the time, Wei Shi only supervised, letting Wen Shi and Zhang Xiaofu take over some of the work. Wen Shi, who had been a little anxious, breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that if Liu Yu wanted to train her, Wei Shi might have objections, but it was clear now that Wei Shi approved.
With Wei Shi back, the next morning, Lu Xun, Lu Chengxiao, Liu Yanping, Liu Yu, and Lu Shuang hired a boat and set off for Hongdu, where they were going to restock supplies for the new shop in Yuanzhou City.
In late January, most fabric merchants had not yet introduced their summer collections and were still selling leftover stock from the previous winter. Few merchants came to restock at this time, so both fabric and embroidery shops were focused on clearing out old inventory. Lu Xun’s group, coming to restock during this period, was an oddity, and the prices were notably good. Everyone in the fabric trade, from top to bottom, was looking to clear stock at a discount.
One key factor in such trips was discernment. It was crucial to assess the quality of the fabric, choose the right patterns, and avoid being so tempted by discounts that you ended up with unsellable stock.
Lu Xun was an experienced trader, and he could not be easily deceived by subpar goods. As for choosing the right fabric and patterns, Liu Yu and Lu Shuang were both experts, especially Liu Yu, who could immediately plan what type of clothing to make from each fabric. This trip turned out to be very fruitful. After all, with the speed at which Ruyi Embroidery Shop was selling products, they could easily absorb the discounted inventory.
Even Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping had to marvel at how important channels are in business. With dozens of stable distributors, it made a world of difference. Their weaving and dyeing workshop hadn’t even made a name for itself yet, but just this one trip to stock up had already reduced their costs by nearly 30% compared to regular prices. What did this mean? It meant they were capturing not only their profits but also the profits that usually went to the fabric merchants.
This business trip left everyone feeling refreshed and thoroughly satisfied.
Two words: pure joy!
They were thrilled with the deals they made, but their wallets were feeling equally light. Liu Yanping was in a better situation, though, since the embroidery workshop had made a substantial profit last year. Plus, with the money he earned from trading, he wasn’t strapped for cash. Lu Xun’s fabric shop had also done well, benefiting from Liu Yu’s influence, which had helped clear out most of their inventory, so he, too, had some financial breathing room.
Only Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu were feeling the pinch. Most of their money had gone into buying the shop in Yuanzhou, and between setting up the weaving and dyeing workshop and this recent stock run, the couple’s money box was nearly empty.
However, with the fabric shop up and running, there would soon be a steady flow of income, which made them feel hopeful.
On the return journey, the boat stopped in Yuanzhou City, where Lu Chengxiao’s goods were unloaded at the dock and sent to the fabric shop. Liu Yu and Liu Yanping also took this opportunity to visit their embroidery shop.
Standing outside their Ruyi Embroidery branch in Yuanzhou City, the siblings couldn’t contain their excitement.
For the first time, Liu Yanping truly realized that the Liu family was no longer the same—they had really changed.
He vividly remembered standing on the streets of Hongdu, making a bold vow. At the time, it was just a wish, a goal, a dream. But now, it had transformed into a clear, tangible path before him. All he had to do was take a few more steady steps, and that wish, goal, and dream would be within his grasp.
Lu Xun and Lu Chengxiao stayed behind, while Liu Yu needed to return to Anyi County to handle the clothing production. The embroidery shop was going to stock ready-made garments, and although some had already been prepared, the real highlight was the high-quality fabrics they had just acquired, so there was work to be done.
Everything else at the embroidery shop had been arranged by Lu Chengxiao, and there wasn’t much for Liu Yanping to do. Since Liu Yu was heading back, Lu Shuang naturally followed her. Letting the two travel alone wasn’t safe, so Liu Yanping decided to accompany them.
Just as they had left, Yang Cunxu—who had instructed his servants to keep a close watch for Lu Chengxiao’s return—hurried over.
The attendant was very thorough, giving a detailed account of everyone who had arrived on the trip. Yang Cunxu was hoping to “accidentally” bump into Lu Shuang.
But, as you might guess, he was out of luck.
The servant had gone to inform him midway and wasn’t aware that Lu Shuang had already left, so Yang Cunxu had no idea either. He formally greeted Lu Xun in the fabric shop, but his eyes kept scanning the room, discreetly looking for someone. He even went upstairs, but where was Lu Shuang?
The door to the embroidery shop next door was shut tight. After circling the place, Yang Cunxu finally couldn’t hold back and quietly asked Lu Chengxiao, “Didn’t your sister come?”
Lu Chengxiao had been watching him search all over and had been waiting for this moment. Trying not to laugh, he stifled his amusement and, seeing that his father had gone to the back storeroom, chuckled softly, “She left. Just left, actually.”
Yang Cunxu: “…”
A thousand critical hit to the heart.
“She just got here. How could she have left already?”
He had thought he would at least get to see her. How could he chase after her if he didn’t even get a glimpse?
In a few months, would she forget what he even looked like?
Unable to contain himself, Yang Cunxu leaned closer to Lu Chengxiao and asked, “So, about that thing I asked you to look into—how did it go? Did you ask her what type of person she likes?”
The moment Lu Chengxiao heard this, he knew what Yang Cunxu was referring to—asking what kind of man Lu Shuang liked. He wanted to laugh but felt it would be rude, so he nodded solemnly and then shook his head.
“I asked. But it’s not looking good for you.”
Yang Cunxu: “…”
Twenty thousand critical hits. It’s hard to stay friends after this.
Lu Chengxiao, with a straight face, held out his hand and pressed his thumb against his palm. “First of all, she envies how I treat her sister-in-law. If she’s going to get married, the man must love her, spoil her, and hold her in the palm of his hand.”
Yes, according to Lu Shuang, “love” was key. Lu Chengxiao figured that love, pampering, and treating her like a treasure were essential.
Yang Cunxu scoffed, “What part of that can’t I do? You’re saying I don’t stand a chance? That’s too quick of a judgment. You’re not the only one who can dote on his wife.”
Show-off.
Lu Chengxiao smiled. “Don’t rush.”
He pressed his index finger into his palm. “Second, she wants to marry a businessman. Being a good match in terms of status is very important.”
He raised an eyebrow at Yang Cunxu. “You don’t meet either of these criteria.”
Yang Cunxu got anxious. “That’s not right. Why does it have to be about matching status? I think mutual affection is the most important thing. Isn’t that true? Did you think about matching status when you got married?”
Yang Cunxu knew a bit about Liu Yu’s situation. Her family’s original financial situation wasn’t great, and it certainly wasn’t a match for the Lu family.
Lu Chengxiao didn’t disagree, clearly acknowledging his friend’s point. He pressed his middle finger down. “Third, she enjoys doing business. Her husband must be open-minded, respect, and support her. This is probably why she wants to marry a businessman.”
After finishing, Lu Chengxiao looked at Yang Cunxu and said, “In your kind of family, would they want a daughter-in-law who runs a business and makes public appearances?”
He patted Yang Cunxu on the shoulder. “It’s not that I don’t support you, but our two families really come from different worlds. It’s fine for me to be friends with you, but if we were to become in-laws, it would be a case of mismatched status. One side would inevitably have to change, and most likely, Shuang’er would be expected to conform. Cunxu, my situation with Liu Yu is different from yours. We’re still part of the same class.”
The Lu family and the Yang family, in reality, belonged to two very different social classes.
Seeing that his father Lu Xun hadn’t come over yet, Lu Chengxiao added, “Shuang’er is a free spirit. I want her to live happily, doing what she loves with someone who shares her interests. That would suit her much better than being confined to a traditional household. But in your family, you’re the only one who can carry on the family line. You’re the eldest and only son. Your parents wouldn’t want a daughter-in-law who’s involved in business.”
Yang Cunxu was speechless for a long time. It was true that earlier that year, his parents had brought up the topic of his marriage, suggesting a match with the daughter of his father’s colleague. But he had refused, telling them he already had someone in mind. When his mother pressed him, Yang Cunxu tested the waters and mentioned that the potential match wasn’t equal in status.
His parents had tried to persuade him otherwise, asking who it was, but Yang Cunxu had refused to say, explaining that since the girl had no idea of his feelings, he didn’t want to damage her reputation.
He thought he’d take it slow and let things work out over time.
But he hadn’t expected that Lu Shuang wanted to marry a businessman and continue working after marriage. That made things difficult.
After a moment of silence, Yang Cunxu said, “There’s no need to be so certain. Anything is possible, right? There’s a saying, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ As your friend, just help me out a little—give me some time. Please, keep an eye out for me and make sure you don’t arrange her marriage before I’ve had a chance to try.”
Seeing his friend’s determination, Lu Chengxiao nodded. “Alright, but if she finds someone she likes on her own, I won’t interfere.”
Yang Cunxu smiled. “That’s good enough. I’ll head to Huibin Restaurant to book a table and treat you and your father to lunch.”
He hurried off.
Lu Xun, finished with his work in the back, came over and didn’t see Yang Cunxu. He asked Lu Chengxiao, “Did Young Master Yang leave?”
Lu Chengxiao nodded and mentioned that Yang Cunxu had invited them to lunch, making Lu Xun feel a bit nervous. “Your classmate is being too polite.”
Dealing with government officials’ sons always made Lu Xun feel a bit uneasy.
Lu Chengxiao: “…”
What classmate? He’s aiming to be your son-in-law.
Of course, he didn’t dare say that to Lu Xun.
Sansukini: Hehe. I like this guy, Yang Cunxu. Yes, this is a verified CP.
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