High-class Spring Joy

"Business??"

Qinghe pursed her lips, holding a warm teacup in her hand: "I wonder what business Sisi Niang has to tell me? But Sisi Niang also knows that, given my status here, I don't really have any particularly good business acumen, nor am I considered a smart person. Sisi Niang, with such a large industry and such a large foundation under your control, I am just an ordinary person. I don't know what kind of help I can offer you, Sisi Niang, or what I can do to encourage Sisi Niang to do business with me."

"Miss, you are being a bit too modest. Your embroidery, while perhaps not the best in the country, is certainly unmatched in Bianjing. The business I want to discuss today concerns your embroidery."

Hu Shisi Niang took a sip of tea, looking at Qinghe before her, her alluring eyes filled with a smile: "Since we're here, I won't beat around the bush. The key to this business ultimately lies with you. Your embroidery is excellent, the best I've ever seen in my entire life, in all my travels, without exception. But no matter how good your embroidery is, it's still just one person with two hands; time is limited, and the number of pieces you can produce is also limited. If we continue with our previous method of cooperation, where you finish your embroidery and then send it to me, while this method is certainly stable, you won't earn much per piece, at most one or two taels of silver. If you only earn one or two taels, then naturally I won't earn much either. So I have an idea; what do you think, young lady? Would you be willing to hear it?"

Qinghe also knew that her and her child's departure was just the beginning, and there were many things and difficulties to face. The first and foremost problem was making a living.

Qinghe originally thought that he would leave the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion first, and if all else failed, he could make a living by selling embroidery. Although he wouldn't become rich and powerful, he could at least make a living.

Once her belly gets bigger, she might not be able to embroider day and night to earn money like before. So Qinghe must save enough money while she is still able to embroider, so that she can at least make a living when she can no longer earn money due to health reasons. As for what kind of stall to open in the future, she will wait until she has given birth and the child is a bit older. She can cook, make snacks, and make all kinds of pastries.

As for what kind of stall to set up, Qinghe actually had no idea yet.

But no matter what kind of small stall they set up, it was still a small business. At most, it could only support the mother and son to make ends meet, so they wouldn't be too strapped for cash. But if they wanted to be rich or have some spare money, that would be quite difficult.

Qinghe didn't really care about her own circumstances. After all, she was a grown man, so what difference did it make how she lived? It was one thing for an adult to suffer, but how could the baby in her womb, who was so small, endure hardship? Qinghe couldn't bear to let the child suffer with her from the moment it was born.

But it did become a problem. Who knew that before things had even started, Hu Shisi Niang had already come knocking on the door. It was just like someone offering a pillow when you're about to doze off.

Qinghe deliberately remained silent for a moment before saying, "If Fourteenth Sister has any deeper meaning or some hidden agenda, please feel free to speak."

"Since you've spoken, I won't hide it from you. Your embroidery is exceptionally good, far surpassing even the embroiderers in the palace. Logically, selling your work for only one tael of silver is already cheap. Since your embroidery is so excellent, let's imagine that each piece could sell for ten taels of silver. If you embroider ten pieces a month, you'd earn at least eighty or ninety taels of silver. Eighty or ninety taels of silver is practically a decade's worth of living expenses for an ordinary person. So, let's boldly imagine that each piece could sell for a hundred taels of silver! Even if you only embroider one piece a year, and that one piece sold for a hundred taels, wouldn't you no longer need to work so hard?"

When Qinghe heard Hu Shisi Niang's words, her eyes widened. To be honest, how could Qinghe not be tempted?

Qinghe didn't even dare to dream that an embroidery piece could sell for a hundred taels of silver. Just the fact that an embroidery piece could sell for ten taels was already a result of her praying to the gods and thanking heaven and earth. She was already dreaming and didn't dare to hope for a hundred taels of silver.

Seeing the smile on Hu Shisi Niang's face, Qinghe realized what was happening. She lowered her head and drank several sips of tea before calming herself down. She smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Shisi Niang, please don't tease me. I have a pretty good idea of ​​the quality of my embroidery. Actually, selling each piece for one tael of silver is already a special price you gave me. You can't get that much silver anywhere else, let alone sell it for ten taels of silver!"

"Of course, this can't be done using ordinary selling methods."

Hu Shisi Niang raised her chin with a hint of pride as she spoke: "Others may not be able to do it, but in my hands, there's nothing I can't do. As you probably know, my Hongxiuzhao business has always targeted all the young ladies of Bianjing. Our clientele isn't just girls from ordinary families, but even more so, the daughters of noble families. A key characteristic of our business with these young ladies is its uniqueness and exclusivity. To some extent, whether your embroidery is exceptionally good or not isn't the most important thing. What matters most is the value your embroidery brings to them. In short, they don't want something exceptionally good. If something exceptionally good existed, everyone would have it, and those young ladies wouldn't be fighting tooth and nail for it. They are different from ordinary girls; they don't worry about their basic needs, on the contrary..." In terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, they are generally far superior to ordinary people. Therefore, what they crave is a sense of superiority and specialness. What they pursue is to showcase their uniqueness. As long as something can provide them with unique emotional value and highlight their distinguished status, then that thing will have a value far exceeding its intrinsic worth. At that time, let alone ten taels of silver, even a hundred taels of silver would not be out of the question. As long as I can elevate the young lady's embroidery to the point where all the young ladies in Bianjing are eager to acquire it, a hundred taels of silver will be just a matter of time. To achieve this, two conditions are required. The first condition is that the young lady's embroidery is good enough. In this respect, the young lady's embroidery is obviously already very good. Almost no one in the entire Bianjing can find a second one with better embroidery. The second condition depends on how skillful I, Hu Shisi Niang, am.”

It has to be said that Hu Shisi Niang's plan was truly tempting to Qing He.

Although Qinghe didn't have any ambition to become rich and powerful, she was determined to do everything in her power to provide the best conditions for her child since she was pregnant.

In this situation, the business partnership proposed by Hu Shisi Niang was the most cost-effective for Qinghe. It only required her to embroider, which was not only much easier than before, but also yielded much higher pay.

Who wouldn't be tempted by something that achieves twice the result with half the effort?

Qinghe pondered, but quickly became wary again. Why would such a good thing fall into her hands? Qinghe couldn't help but have doubts.

Qinghe looked up at Hu Shisi Niang in front of her: "Shisi Niang, the plan you described is truly tempting. Anyone would be interested in such a collaboration. However, I have a question. With the size and reputation of Hongxiuzhao, there must be no shortage of people seeking cooperation. Why did Shisi Niang choose me this time? Why did she choose someone like me who has no background, no family, and practically nothing..."

Hu Shisi Niang made no attempt to hide anything, waving her hand and downing the teacup in one gulp: "Since you've asked, Miss, I have nothing to hide. I, Hu Shisi Niang, do indeed have methods, but the material itself must be good enough. My Hongxiuzhao is never short of partners, but even the best partners can't match your embroidery. I genuinely admire your embroidery, partly due to my personal taste, but the biggest reason is that by collaborating with you, I can make your embroidery famous and elevate its reputation." A high price tag is also profitable for me. The most crucial point is, young lady, your embroidery. In a sense, your reputation already speaks for itself; I don't need to resort to any extraordinary means. At the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, you won over all the young ladies, and even Princess Mingyue from Nanzhao. There's no better advertisement than that. Your reputation has already spread throughout Bianjing. Your embroidery has won the Empress Dowager's favor and appreciation, naturally making you the object of desire and competition among the young ladies and noblewomen of Bianjing.

At this point, Hu Shisi Niang smiled somewhat shyly, glancing at her with her alluring eyes. "Actually, this can be considered me taking advantage of you, Miss. Your embroidery has already become famous throughout Bianjing, naturally becoming a popular trend, sought after by young ladies and noblewomen. While my Hongxiuzhao claims to be providing you with a platform and a channel, it's really just a way to secure your exclusive sales partnership. Once you've finished your embroidery, send it to Hongxiuzhao, and I will provide you with the best resources to ensure your embroidery fetches the highest price. I will then take a percentage as my share of the profits. This way, you won't have to work tirelessly day and night to embroider, yet you can still earn a living. What do you think, Miss?"

Since things had come to this point, Qinghe had no reason to refuse. The only remaining difficulty lay in the commission rate.

When it came to profit sharing, Hu Shisi Niang's expression changed again, her eyes flashing with shrewdness: "It's like this, miss. Since Hongxiuzhao has promised to provide you with the best resources and ensure your embroidery sells for the best price, then considering all the venue fees, service fees, exhibition fees, and other miscellaneous expenses, it shouldn't be unreasonable for me to take 40%, right?"

As Hu Shisi Niang spoke, she observed Qinghe's expression. Seeing that Qinghe hesitated and didn't agree immediately, she quickly offered a percentage: "How about 30%, 30% is fine, right? Miss, you can't do this. If you were doing business with just me, that would be fine, I could take 10% or 20%, but I, Hu Shisi Niang, am supporting the entire Hongxiuzhao. The entire Hongxiuzhao has so many servants, and I need to pay them wages. Those wages will take up 20% of that 30%. Good girl, good Qinghe, Qinghe, just 30%, I won't take more."

Qinghe originally didn't know much about this kind of thing, but seeing Hu Shisi Niang's very serious and sincere appearance, Qinghe immediately agreed: "Okay, okay, then I'll do seven parts and you do three. As for any requirements or matters regarding the embroidery, just tell someone to let me know."

As soon as Qinghe agreed, Hu Shisi Niang took out a contract from the side, on which the terms were written in great detail: "Miss, please take a look at this contract first. If you are sure that there are no problems with the contract, then put your fingerprint on it. If any changes occur in the future, we will have a basis and proof."

Fortunately, Qinghe could read some words. Although the words on the contract were a bit difficult to read, Qinghe carefully looked at them and, after confirming that there was nothing wrong with each clause, decisively pressed her handprint down.

"Alright, alright, that counts as accomplished."

Hu Shisi Niang carefully put away the voucher, folding it layer upon layer, and finally placed it in an extremely exquisite little box, locking it with a small lock. The level of care she showed was extraordinary.

After doing all this, Hu Shisi Niang turned to Qing He and asked, "But Qing He, I'm a little curious. Logically speaking, your Zhenguo Marquis's mansion shouldn't be able to leave the mansion so easily, right? Why did you suddenly come out at this time today? Did something happen?"

"Something happened, well, it's a bit complicated, I don't know where to begin, and it's a long story. But the result is that I'm no longer a maid in the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, now I'm... just an ordinary commoner. That's why I'm thinking about how to earn some money to support myself."

Qinghe said this.

Hu Shisi Niang immediately perked up: "You don't need to go back to the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion anymore. You have your own place to live there. Are you going home?"

Qinghe smiled and shook her head: "It's not about going home. Where would someone like me have a home? I was thinking of looking for a cheap and simple house to stay in temporarily, but it's too late now, so I thought I'd just stay at an inn for the night. But when I passed by Hongxiuzhao, one of their servants recognized me and pulled me in. I have to thank him though. If he hadn't seen me and grabbed me, I probably would have missed a great opportunity to do business with you, Fourteenth Sister."

Upon hearing this, Hu Shisi Niang immediately and warmly took Qinghe's arm: "Finding a house is easy. Tomorrow I'll have someone take you to look, or I can take you myself. Why bother looking for an inn tonight? Just stay at my Hongxiuzhao for the night. If you'd like to stay longer, I'd be more than happy to oblige. With so many places in Hongxiuzhao, surely there's enough room for you? Besides, you're my business partner now, so why not come and visit my Hongxiuzhao?"

Hu Shisi Niang took an instant liking to Qing He. Before meeting Qing He, she already admired Qing He's embroidery, but after meeting her, they felt an even stronger bond.

Hu Shisi Niang was very hospitable to Qinghe. Qinghe was also a little tired today, after all, she had spent half the morning traveling in the carriage and then experienced all these things. In addition, she couldn't refuse Hu Shisi Niang's hospitality, so she agreed to rest at Hongxiuzhao for a day.

For dinner, Hu Shisi Niang also dragged Qinghe along. The dishes were very good, although not as exquisite as those of the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, they were still of a very high standard.

Hu Shisi Niang broke off both chicken legs from the kiln-roasted chicken and put them into Qinghe's bowl. Qinghe ate with gusto, her mouth greasy, and then ate a bowl of rice and a plate of vegetables. Hu Shisi Niang kept putting food on Qinghe's plate, and after Qinghe ate a couple of bites, the next dish would arrive.

In the end, Qinghe ate until she was quite full, and then she slumped back in her chair.

By the time Qinghe had rested, Hu Shisi Niang had already instructed the servants to prepare hot water for her bath. Qinghe took a nice hot bath, and the moment the hot water warmed her, she felt completely relaxed.

That feeling of ease and freedom made Qinghe feel incredibly comfortable, as if she had never experienced such a relaxed moment before.

Qinghe sighed and almost fell asleep in the bathtub. After taking a bath, Qinghe changed into clean clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, and kept lying down, pulling the quilt up, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Great.

When she opens her eyes tomorrow, she will no longer have to help anyone get up, and she will no longer have to be a servant.

Thinking of this, Qinghe felt as if the shackles that had been pressing down on her had finally been removed, and the burden had finally been cleared away. She felt as if even her bones had become lighter.

Before long, Qinghe had fallen asleep.

The next day, Qinghe got up very early. When she came out of her room, all the servants of Hongxiuzhao were already getting busy.

Once Qinghe finished washing up, a servant brought up the morning meal. There wasn't much food: two bowls of congee, a few side dishes, and some dishes that were not commonly seen in the Zhenguo Marquis's residence but were common among ordinary people.

Qinghe ate to her heart's content. Although it wasn't anything fancy, she felt completely comfortable. After stretching, she walked out of Hongxiuzhao feeling refreshed.

Hu Shisi Niang sent a servant to guide Qinghe, specifically to prevent Qinghe from being cheated when renting a house.

Little did she know that as Qinghe led the servant to the rented house, her every move was already being observed by someone else.

Chen Sha only dared to peek out from a great distance. Qing He's destination was too obvious, and even he couldn't tell.

Qinghe is going to rent a house.

Renting a house is a big deal. It determines where Qinghe will live in the future, and where he and Zheji will often go.

Without hesitation, Chen Sha immediately ordered someone to send a message to Zheji in the Marquis's residence.

The servant sent by Hu Shisi Niang took Qinghe to see several houses, but the houses were either too big or the rent was too expensive.

In short, none of them quite meet the requirements.

Qinghe was looking for a professional dentist, but as soon as she arrived at the dental clinic, a middle-aged woman stopped her in her tracks, looking at her with excitement and anticipation: "Young lady, are you here to look for a house?"

Qinghe looked at her warily, neither nodding nor shaking her head, nor even giving a reply.

"If you're looking for a house, come find me! I, Peach Blossom, am the most skilled matchmaker in Bianjing. Whether it's matchmaking, renting a house, finding an inn, or any other kind of thing, you can come to me, Peach Blossom. There's nothing I can't find in Bianjing. Of all the clients I've dealt with, not one has been dissatisfied. Young lady, I only wanted to help you because I saw you were preoccupied with legal troubles. If you're looking for a house, I actually have a good place to go."

Ignoring Qinghe's reaction, the middle-aged woman continued enthusiastically, "I have an excellent house here, would you like it? It's great value for money, the location is excellent, and the house is comfortable. Unfortunately, the owner seems to be in a hurry to rent it out, so he offered a discount to my brokerage and asked me to help him rent it out."

Qinghe could hardly believe it; how could such a good thing happen to her?

At least there was a servant boy following her, so Qinghe went with Taohua.

Once they arrived, Qinghe realized that the house was indeed quite nice. It wasn't very big, but it would be spacious enough for one or two people to live in.

The tables, chairs, and benches aren't particularly fancy, but they're quite comfortable.

Qinghe's first feeling after seeing this house was a sense of belonging, as if...

Qinghe racked her brains trying to describe the feeling this house gave her, but only one word came to mind first—home.

When that word came out, Qinghe was completely stunned.

Is it...like home?

This house actually gave her a feeling of home.

Qinghe thought for a moment, then glanced at the peach blossoms beside her. "This house is quite nice, but I wonder what the price is?"

When Qinghe asked the question, she already had a rough idea of ​​the price in mind. As long as it didn't exceed 500 coins, she could grit her teeth and rent it.

The next moment, Peach Blossom's words shattered her heart.

One tael of silver.

Qinghe immediately shook her head, about to refuse, but then Taohua added, "One tael of silver a year."

What are you waiting for?

Qinghe took out some silver from her small purse and placed it in front of Taohua: "I'll rent it for three years."

At that moment, Qinghe, who had just placed the silver on the table, had no idea what renting this house meant.