Chapter 111
Chapter 111: Chapter 111 Guessing the Origins_1
Chapter 111: Chapter 111 Guessing the Origins_1
Chunxi, with Lin Yue and Dalang in tow, arrived at a serene building on the street corner. The signboard above the entrance displayed the golden characters “Brocade Embroidery Store.” Behind the small building was a courtyard, which also belonged to the Brocade Embroidery Store’s property.
“Chunxi is here. You must be here to sell some embroidery,” said the Manager.
Just as they entered the Embroidery Store, they happened to meet Manager Jin, a woman in her thirties, who started her career as an embroiderer before being promoted by the master to her current position. She had been at the Brocade Embroidery Store for many years.
Having frequented the Embroidery Store, Manager Jin had some impression of Chunxi, a woman from the countryside. She admired the coin purses Chunxi brought to sell last time, which had good color coordination, novel designs, and fine embroidery; hence, Manager Jin had a deeper memory of Chunxi.
“Indeed, Manager Jin, but today I’ve also brought a friend of mine. The coin purses from last time were actually embroidered by her. Didn’t you say you wanted to meet her?” Chunxi said with a smile on her face.
“It was really you who embroidered these?” Manager Jin expressed her surprise, seeming somewhat incredulous. The girl appeared too young, only about thirteen or fourteen years of age. Leaving other considerations aside, the skill reflected in her stitches could only be attained through real practice. The embroiderers in their store were cultivated from a young age, and it was truly unexpected that a village woman could develop such fine embroidery skills.
Aside from her outstanding embroidery skills, Manager Jin was promoted to her current position for her shrewd, smooth, and capable handling of responsibilities. With so many years of experience, she hardly showed her emotions. Her surprise was only momentary, and her expression quickly returned to normal, but she scrutinized Lin Yue, looking for something special in this countrywoman.
Lin Yue was not an ordinary villager; she felt no pressure under such scrutiny. She met Manager Jin’s gaze with neither inferiority nor arrogance, her demeanor natural and composed, allowing Manager Jin to size her up.
The longer Manager Jin observed, the more surprised she felt in her heart. Had she become too jaded? When did a woman from the countryside begin to exude such temperament and poise, one that instantly gave the impression of complexity, even though the clothes she wore were the simplest of cotton garments that could not conceal her extraordinary nature?
“Good day, Manager Jin, I am Lin Yue. This time, I’ve brought a few fan surfaces hoping to sell them to your esteemed store. Could you please see if they meet your standards?” Seeing that Manager Jin had observed her enough, Lin Yue smiled and took out a few carefully wrapped fan surfaces—these were the results of several nights of hard work.
After inspecting the four embroidered fan surfaces, Manager Jin’s eyes shone with undisguised admiration. Even with more than thirty years of experience in embroidery, she felt she couldn’t match the skills of this countrywoman.
“Miss, this is classic Suzhou embroidery style, with diverse stitches, fine craftsmanship, and elegant color matching. The only flaw is the bottom material and the embroidery thread, which somewhat affects the overall appearance. I can offer the highest price of two taels of silver per surface. What do you think, Miss?” Manager Jin was prepared to pay this price, also aiming to establish good rapport, as she valued Lin Yue’s exceptional embroidery skills. Their Brocade Embroidery Store was never short of buyers for quality embroidery—they only worried about not having enough to sell.
“Being such a reputed and large establishment, the Brocade Embroidery Store must surely be extremely trustworthy. I believe you, Manager Jin,” Lin Yue implied she was agreeing to sell.
In reality, Lin Yue had thought selling a fan surface for one tael of silver was already quite good. Although due to her lack of understanding of the market prices her expected price was low, an offer of two taels of silver per surface was higher than the usual rate. Being able to sell four fan surfaces for eight taels of silver made Lin Yue extremely happy. However, her expression concealed her inner thoughts, which increased Manager Jin’s regard for her and made her speculate about Lin Yue’s background.