After Lan Tingzhou went to study at the Lùmíng Shūyuàn, Gan Cai’er also began to focus on her own endeavors.
The embroidery shop Wei Yulan had chosen for her was not particularly famous in Dànzhōu Fǔ, but its business was thriving.
Nishang Pavilion was located at the entrance of Rouge Lane. The owner, Yunniang, was an embroiderer and an old acquaintance of Wei Yulan.
“So you’re Yulan’s daughter?” Yunniang was petite, with delicate features and a gentle, friendly demeanor that made people feel at ease.
“Yes,” Gan Cai’er nodded, then handed over a food box. “This is peach blossom pastry that Mother made. She said it’s your favorite and asked me to bring some especially for you.”
“Oh, she’s still the same, always trying to win me over with food. Does she think I’m still a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl?” Though Yunniang’s tone was dismissive, her hands had already taken the food box with genuine eagerness.
Gan Cai’er smiled faintly.
Yunniang opened the box and, without any regard for the presence of an outsider, picked up a piece of peach blossom pastry and popped it into her mouth. Her brows relaxed, and she smiled, her eyes narrowing with delight.
“Ah, I’ve been craving this taste for years, and today I finally get to enjoy it again.”
After eating three pieces in a row, Yunniang patted the crumbs from her hands and said, “Your mother really went out of her way. Even after leaving Dànzhōu Fǔ for so many years, she still remembers my embroidery shop.”
“For the sake of the peach blossom pastry, I’ll agree to her request.”
“Although my Nishang Pavilion isn’t large, it earns at least eight hundred to a thousand taels of silver a year. You can invest three hundred taels, and I’ll give you a twenty percent share of the profits.”
“What do you think, little girl?”
Gan Cai’er had never done business before and knew nothing about commerce. However, she trusted Wei Yulan and believed the shop she had chosen for her couldn’t be wrong.
She immediately took out a silver note, slapped it on the table, and without hesitation signed the contract with Yunniang.
Gan Cai’er’s decisiveness greatly pleased Yunniang. From then on, Yunniang personally taught Gan Cai’er all aspects of the shop’s operations. Gan Cai’er was diligent and visited Nishang Pavilion almost every day.
After spending more time there, Gan Cai’er noticed a problem.
“Rouge Lane,” as the name suggested, was a street of brothels and pleasure quarters. As a result, most of the shop’s customers were the women from the various houses of pleasure in the lane.
Although these women had money and didn’t hesitate to spend on new clothes, there were only so many of them, and the amount they spent was ultimately limited.
If Gan Cai’er only wanted to earn some extra pocket money, that would be fine. But if she wanted to establish the Gan family in Dànzhōu Fǔ through this? It was far from enough.
“Aunt Yun, I see most of the shop’s orders come from the women in the lane?” Gan Cai’er remarked.
“Of course. ‘When you live by the mountain, you eat from the mountain; when you live by the water, you eat from the water.’ Nishang Pavilion is located in Rouge Lane, so naturally, we rely on the business from these women,” Yunniang said with a smile.
“Dànzhōu Fǔ is a prefectural capital, with many officials, nobles, wealthy merchants, and gentry gathered in the city. Nishang Pavilion’s embroidery and fabrics are top-notch. Why not try to attract their business?” Gan Cai’er asked, puzzled.
“That won’t do,” Yunniang shook her head.
“Don’t think it’s just about tailoring clothes and embroidering patterns. The clothes worn by ladies and young misses are completely different from those worn by the women in the lane. They’re not the same at all.”
Gan Cai’er thought for a moment and said, “Is it the difference in styles and patterns?”
“That’s part of it. Besides, ladies and young misses don’t want to use an embroidery shop that’s also used by courtesans.”
“I have a close friend who grew up in Jingdu. Many of her clothes are in styles never seen in Danzhou, and they’re absolutely beautiful.”
“Aunt Yun, what if we open another shop, specializing in styles for ladies and young misses?” Gan Cai’er suggested.
Gan Cai’er was not only beautiful but also extremely fond of beauty. In her past life, aside from pursuing Lan Tingzhou, her favorite thing to do was to dress herself up.
The title “Empty-headed Beauty” was not undeserved.
During the years before she fell into hardship, she had bought all the most fashionable clothes in Jingdu—not piece by piece, but in piles.
Thus, she had a thorough understanding of the clothing trends among noble ladies and young misses for the coming years.
She planned to seize the opportunity based on these memories.
Upon hearing her suggestion, Aunt Yun looked at her hesitantly, wanting to speak but holding back. Opening a new shop was no easy matter. However, seeing Gan Cai’er’s eager and excited expression, Aunt Yun couldn’t bear to dampen her spirits.
“I know the owner of Jinxiufang, Master Zhang. His shop specializes in making clothes for ladies and young misses. You could try placing some new designs in his shop first.”
“Thank you, Aunt Yun!”
Gan Cai’er was overjoyed, instantly filled with fighting spirit.
As for close friends she had grown up with in Jingdu, Gan Cai’er had none. But friends—she did have those.
Gan Cai’er was not skilled in writing or painting; she could only read and write, and her drawing was a complete mess. The things she drew were so unbearable that even she couldn’t stand to look at them.
Those beautiful and exquisite garments existed only in her mind. To turn them into reality, the first step was to draw them.
The first person Gan Cai’er thought of was Lan Tingzhou.
“Why do you want to draw so many clothes?” Lan Tingzhou asked.
“I’ll describe them, you draw them, and then we’ll use them as templates to make the clothes and sell them for money,” Gan Cai’er replied.
Lan Tingzhou fell silent.
Then, he slowly said, “Is the household short on money? Tell me how much you need, and I’ll find a way.”
Lan Tingzhou was now very capable of earning money; people lined up to request his calligraphy and paintings. His paintings couldn’t be said to be worth a fortune, but one could still fetch twenty or thirty taels of silver.
Lan Tingzhou’s attitude made it clear that he did not want Gan Cai’er to go out and earn money herself.
“But I want to earn money on my own,” Gan Cai’er pouted.
Lan Tingzhou understood—she was too idle, bored from having nothing to do.
After a moment’s thought, Lan Tingzhou said, “Tingzhi wrote a letter some time ago, saying he’s growing quickly and his old clothes are all too short, with hardly any left to wear. If you have time, you could make a few pieces for him.”
Gan Cai’er took two deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the urge to hit someone, then flung aside the door curtain and went into the inner room.
Since Lan Tingzhou was not an option, she had to find someone else.
Gan Cai’er went through everyone she could think of from head to toe, and only Zhu Xiaoxiao had a bit of a scholarly air. Although her paintings were also rather questionable, they were at least better than her own.
The next day, Gan Cai’er wrote a letter inviting Zhu Xiaoxiao to come stay for a while in Dànzhōu Fǔ.
After receiving Gan Cai’er’s letter, Zhu Xiaoxiao packed five large trunks of clothes, boarded a carriage, sang songs, and happily set off for Dànzhōu Fǔ with her personal maid, Huan’er.