After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Manager Zhou gathered all the managers together again.

Manager Sun held the spun yarn, his face looking rather grim.

"Manager Zhou, everyone, there's a small problem with the yarn we spun in our workshop."

Zhou Youcai took the yarn, examined it carefully for a moment, and asked, "What's the problem?"

Shopkeeper Sun wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "The weaving process for this stuff isn't difficult. Although the weavers don't know the whole process, they're familiar with each step. But the problem is, the yarn we spin is a little different from what the embroidery shops sell."

Zhou Youcai frowned: "What's different?"

Shopkeeper Sun pointed at the yarn: "Feel it with your hand, isn't it oily?"

Zhou Youcai rubbed his fingers together and indeed felt a layer of greasy oil on his fingertips.

He brought the yarn to his nose and smelled it; a strong muttony smell wafted out.

Zhou Youcai threw the yarn on the table, his face darkening: "Is there a problem with the craftsmanship?"

Shopkeeper Sun quickly waved his hand: "No problem! Those weavers were all poached from the embroidery workshops. We copied all the processes they did exactly. Washing the wool, combing the wool, spinning the yarn—we did it all. And we did manage to spin yarn, although a few spinning wheels broke down at first, and the thickness of the yarn was hard to control, and it wasn't strong enough and broke easily..."

A slightly overweight man said, "Maybe they're not skilled enough yet."

This man, surnamed Li, was the owner of a cotton cloth shop in the west of the city. He was not a talkative person, but every time he spoke, he got to the point.

Zhou Youcai said, "Even if there's a slight odor, it shouldn't matter, right? After all, it's sold to ordinary people. As long as they're warmly dressed, who cares about this?"

Shopkeeper Sun said with a wry smile, "There's another problem: our yarn can't be dyed."

Zhou Youcai was taken aback: "Can't dye? What do you mean?"

Manager Sun said, "It just won't dye! The dye shop has tried several times, trying blue, red, and indigo. After it's dyed and dried, the color comes off as soon as you rub it. Some colors even fade on their own before they're completely dry."

Upon hearing this, everyone began to whisper among themselves.

Zhou Youcai remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It seems there's more to this thing than meets the eye; we underestimated that widow."

Manager Sun asked, "Then what should we do? Continue trying?"

Zhou Youcai looked at everyone with a questioning gaze.

Manager Li sighed, "We definitely have to try, but the timing... winter is already here, which is the time to sell sweaters. By the time we've figured out the process, and spring comes and the weather warms up, the sweaters won't be selling."

Manager Sun chimed in, "How about we sell this batch of goods first? We can lower the price, and just get the stall up and running."

Everyone agreed, with one saying, "That's right, seizing the market is the most important thing! If the price is lower, people will be more concerned about practicality and might not care about these things."

Manager Li objected: "The sweaters are already very cheap. If we lower the price again, it will be even harder for us to stay in business."

Zhou Youcai turned around and asked, "Manager Li, do you have any good ideas?"

Manager Li shook his head: "There's no good way, but there is one bad way."

Zhou Youcai narrowed his eyes slightly: "Speak!"

Manager Li leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "It's simple. If we can't do it well, can't we at least do it badly? The Embroidery Girl's Sweater Shop relies on its reputation. We just need to ruin its reputation, and the problem will be solved, right?"

Zhou Youcai frowned: "She has very powerful backing; we can't resort to underhanded tactics. Have you forgotten about what happened with Zhao Wu?"

Manager Li waved his hand: "There are different levels of underhanded tactics. Hiring Zhao Wu last time was the lowest of the low. We've been in the business world for so many years, are we really going to be outmaneuvered by a widow?"

Zhou Youcai became interested: "Tell me in detail."

"We'll proceed in two steps."

Shopkeeper Li held up one finger and said, "On one hand, send someone to the embroiderer's shop to get as much merchandise as possible. After bringing it back, return it. Say the quality is poor, the threads come undone easily, it's itchy to wear, and it has an odor. She runs a shop; she can't refuse to accept returns, can she?"

Zhou Youcai said thoughtfully, "Use our inferior goods to exchange for her superior ones?"

Shopkeeper Li nodded vigorously: "That's right! Nowadays, the only shop in the whole world that sells sweaters and yarn is Embroidery Girl's Sweater Shop. Even if she doesn't want to admit it, she has no choice. With so many people returning the goods, others will naturally think there's something wrong with her products."

Zhou Youcai then asked, "And then?"

Shopkeeper Li held up a second finger: "On the other hand, there are already people on the market reselling sweater yarn. We can find a few people to look for buyers near the shops and promote our goods. If those people get our goods, wear them for a few days and feel something is wrong, and then want to return them, they can only go to the embroiderers."

The house immediately fell silent, and everyone's eyes lit up.

Shopkeeper Sun slapped his thigh: "Brilliant! This is a brilliant idea! No matter how well she sells there, she can't withstand being cursed by everyone on the street. In less than ten days, her reputation will collapse!"

Zhou Youcai pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "This method is feasible."

He looked at Manager Li and said in a deep voice, "Manager Li, you are in charge of this matter."

Three days later, at the embroidery shop.

A crowd had gathered in front of the shop early in the morning.

Hearing the commotion outside, the embroiderer hurried out to greet them.

Seven or eight people crowded at the doorway, their faces full of anger.

"Where's the shopkeeper? Come out!"

"That heartless vendor! What kind of junk are they selling?!"

"We have to lose money! We have to lose money today!"

The embroiderer put down the account book and stepped out from behind the counter.

She glanced at the goods in their hands and said softly, "Gentlemen, what can I do for you?"

A lean man slammed the sweater he was holding onto the counter and yelled, "Look at this! This is the sweater your shop sells! I wore it for three days, and the seams are coming undone! The sleeves are showing!"

A woman nearby chimed in, "And this yarn! I bought two pounds of yarn to knit a scarf, but it broke halfway through, and I can't even mend it!"

Someone else shouted, "Look at this color! It'll fade terribly when you wear it!"

The embroiderer picked up the sweater and examined it from all angles.

He picked up the yarn again, twisted it, and brought it to his nose to smell it.

She looked up and said softly, "Sir, this sweater is not sold in our shop."

The lean man was taken aback, then jumped up: "Not sold by your shop? You're the only shop in the whole capital that sells sweaters, whose is it if not yours?"

The embroiderer pointed to the stitches on the sweater: "In our shop, every sweater has a loose thread left at the hem, tied in a slipknot, so customers can adjust the tightness when trying it on. This sweater has a fixed hem, and the loose thread is trimmed cleanly; that's not our shop's style."

The wiry man, his neck stiff, shouted, "You...you stop with the nonsense! What loose threads? I didn't mention that when I bought it. You're clearly trying to renege on your payment!"

The embroiderer picked up the ball of yarn again and said, "Our yarn is tightly spun and smooth to the touch. This ball of yarn is loose and greasy; it smells oily and has a musty odor. Our shop never sells this kind of stuff."

The woman paused, then shrieked, "What do you mean? Are you saying I'm framing you?"

The embroiderer looked at her calmly and said, "I didn't say you're wronging me. I'm just saying this item doesn't belong to our shop."