Early in the morning, Gu Liyue arrived in the county town. Compared with the small town, the county town was truly much more magnificent. The broad and straight avenue stretched as far as the eye could see. Standing at one end, she couldn't even catch a glimpse of the other end. There were several bustling streets lined with high - rise buildings on both sides, which dazzled Gu Liyue.
There were so many people here. Gu Liyue dared not wander around. Remembering the shop the traveling merchant had mentioned, she summoned up her courage to ask for directions and then found the shop with Yunniang.
The shop was extremely large and decorated in a very grand style. A golden - lettered signboard hung high. Gu Liyue recognized the characters on it: Feng's Merchant Firm.
There were quite a few customers coming in and out. Gu Liyue waited inside for a long time before a fair - complexioned clerk came over.
The clerk sized Gu Liyue up and down, squinted his eyes, and asked in a gruff voice, "Buying something? What do you want? Over there, all the goods are cheap."
Gu Liyue blushed slightly. This man looked down on her and Yunniang because of their shabby clothes. She quickly explained, "I'm an embroideress. Uncle Zhao, Zhao Qian, told me to come here..."
The look of disdain on the clerk's face grew stronger. He pointed to the counter inside and said, "If you're not buying anything, don't block the door. How can the customers come in and out?"
Gu Liyue put on an ingratiating smile. "Brother, I'm from the countryside. I'm not as well - traveled as you. I hope you won't be angry. Could you please show me the way?"
"Go and find Manager Feng. But the things you country folks bring are usually not very good. Whether he'll take a fancy to them or not is another matter."
Gu Liyue thanked the clerk profusely. When she reached the counter, she saw a kind - looking old man stroking his beard and teaching his apprentice how to use the abacus. Gu Liyue didn't interrupt and quietly watched the abacus beads move.
After the apprentice finished calculating, he said, "Seven taels and two qian."
Gu Liyue hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the apprentice was about to write it down in the ledger, she quickly stopped him. "No, it should be seven taels and four qian."
The apprentice looked up at Gu Liyue. "Little girl, go away. Don't get in the way."
Manager Feng, however, seemed quite interested. He waved and said, "You noticed? Come on, show me how you calculate it."
Gu Liyue blushed shyly and picked up the abacus to calculate. It was her first time using an abacus, so she calculated slowly and repeated what Manager Feng had just said while calculating.
Manager Feng reached out and ruffled his apprentice's hair. "I told you to be more careful. You even made a mistake in such a simple calculation. It'll be hard to check when we reconcile the accounts later."
The apprentice smiled awkwardly and quickly picked up a pen to correct the entry in the ledger.
Only then did Manager Feng ask Gu Liyue, "You're quite good, little girl. Your movements are a bit clumsy. Is this your first time using an abacus?"
Gu Liyue nodded. "I thought it was fun and just blurted out. Please don't blame me, Manager Feng."
Manager Feng sized her up and asked, "You know me?"
Gu Liyue then explained her purpose. "I'm from Yangxin Town. I've made some embroidery works. Uncle Zhao said I could come directly to you."
When Manager Feng heard the name Yangxin Town, his eyes lit up. He immediately asked, "Are you Miss Gu?"
Gu Liyue opened the package with her embroidery works and presented them to Manager Feng.
Manager Feng took out each piece and looked at it, nodding in satisfaction. "Old Feng brought back your embroidery works last month. Our boss took a fancy to them at first sight and even took them back to give to his wife. I've run out of goods. I was wondering why the things Old Feng brought back these two times were not good. So you've come in person?"
Gu Liyue said embarrassedly, "I've never been to the county town before. I just wanted to come and have a look. This was just an excuse."
Manager Feng assigned the tasks in his hand and then led Gu Liyue to the small courtyard at the back. He personally poured her a cup of tea. "Speaking of which, I've watched your embroidery works grow. They used to be a bit immature, but then they got better and better. However, there seems to be a sudden leap in the past two months."
Gu Liyue didn't mention the disputes in her family. She just nodded. "Yes, now that I'm free, I can focus on improving my skills."
Manager Feng understood. He had met such embroideresses before. In order to rush the work, even those with good embroidery skills couldn't produce good works.
Gu Liyue asked, "Manager Feng, Uncle Zhao said last time that my embroidery works were good and the price could be adjusted a bit higher. I... I just wanted to ask what the details were?"
Manager Feng was a person who appreciated talent. He said boldly, "I let you in because I wanted to talk to you about this. Your embroidery skills are excellent. If you only supply our firm in the future, we can sign a contract. The profit will be divided according to the selling price. For example, for this purse, I'll give you a hundred wen first. After it's sold, we'll deduct the hundred wen, and then divide the remaining profit in a 4:6 ratio. You'll get 60%. How about it?"
Gu Liyue didn't have time to figure out how the 4:6 ratio worked. She was just extremely surprised. Could she get a hundred wen for such a small purse?
"Then... what if it can't be sold for that much?"
Manager Feng laughed. "Miss Gu, don't worry. Our Feng family's merchant firm has a good reputation. Besides Cangyun County, we have shops in every prefecture and county in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and even in the capital. How could such a delicate purse not be sold for a hundred wen? The fabric and silk thread of this purse are not of the best quality. I estimate it can be sold for about three hundred wen. In the future, I'll provide you with better fabric and silk thread. Even if it's sold for a few taels of silver, it'll still be in demand."
Gu Liyue was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth. A few taels of silver? That would be the expenses of a whole family for several months!
Manager Feng added, "However, the cost of the fabric and silk thread I provide will be calculated. We'll deduct the cost after it's sold."
Gu Liyue nodded repeatedly. As long as the things could be sold, she didn't have so many other concerns.
Seeing the little girl looking so confused and innocent, Manager Feng sighed slightly. "Miss Gu, have you never cooperated with anyone before? Do you want to ask your family members to come and negotiate?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "No need. I... I can handle it."
Manager Feng asked someone to draw up a contract and asked, "Can you read?"
Gu Liyue didn't dare to say that she didn't know many characters. She just nodded. "Yes, I can."
Manager Feng laughed. "It seems that your family used to be well - off. Why has it fallen into such a state now?"
Gu Liyue briefly explained, "After something happened to my parents... But I'm living a good life now."
Manager Feng didn't expect this little girl to be so open - minded. After such a great change in her family, she didn't seem lost, sad, or decadent. Instead, she supported the whole family with her own hands.
"Okay, let's sign the contract for two years. All your embroidery works within these two years will be supplied to our firm. Take a look at the contract. Each month, you're required to make at least four embroidered handkerchiefs and two purses. Of course, this is just the quantity. If there are customized orders, we'll negotiate separately."
Gu Liyue was naturally willing. She quickly glanced at the contract and then signed her name. It wasn't that she was really confident, but she thought that there couldn't be a worse time than when she was in the Liu family. Now that she could make her own decisions, she was already very happy.
After the negotiation was completed, Manager Feng asked someone to take Gu Liyue out. He was going to report to the boss of the Feng family.
When Gu Liyue returned to the shop, she immediately saw Feng Lanqing standing with a woman, selecting items.