“Alright, shopkeeper.”
The seamstress acknowledged and called for the children to come along, but they stood rooted in place, all looking toward Feng Xinyao in unison.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper chuckled. “Feng’s wife truly raises well-behaved, sensible children.”
Hearing this, the children’s ears reddened involuntarily. Naturally, they couldn’t cause trouble for their stepmother, even though they too wouldn’t have minded a change of clothes without patches.
Reading their thoughts, Feng Xinyao said, “Go with Auntie to pick out clothes you like. Your stepmother will buy them for you.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Shen Jiaojiao said sweetly.
Shen Yu kept his head down in silence. Shen Yueyue blinked her bright eyes at Feng Xinyao but ultimately said nothing and followed the seamstress.
Just as the seamstress was about to walk off, the cloth shop owner added, “Don’t forget to bring two outfits for Feng’s wife as well.”
Feng Xinyao: “…”
She quickly said, “Partnership is partnership, business is business. Whatever the items in your shop cost, shopkeeper, just tally it all up for me. I’m not one to owe favors.”
Seeing how serious Feng Xinyao sounded, the shopkeeper immediately replied, “Fine then, Feng’s wife, no need to worry. If this deal succeeds, with the three-tenths profit plus the extra hundred taels, I’d owe you a settlement of five hundred twenty taels. How about this—I’ll deduct twenty taels to cover the bedding and those foodstuffs?”
Though Feng Xinyao was new to the area and didn’t know exactly how much rice, oil, and daily necessities cost, she knew that the bedding and clothes she was taking back from the cloth shop alone would exceed twenty taels.
Thinking that the shopkeeper was generously offering her convenience, she figured that itemizing every little thing would be rather petty of her.
Feng Xinyao took up a brush and paper and casually sketched out several clothing designs for the shopkeeper.
Seeing them, the shopkeeper slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, “Feng’s wife is truly remarkable—these designs come to you as easily as reaching into your pocket. How about this: from now on, whenever you draw up any clothing designs, bring them to me. For every piece sold, I’ll give you three-tenths of the profit. What do you say?”
Feng Xinyao hadn’t originally considered a long-term partnership, but now that the shopkeeper brought it up, she found it quite viable.
With this arrangement, she could live comfortably even after the mutual divorce and leaving Dawang Village.
So she said, “I’m honored by your regard, shopkeeper. Then Xinyao will gladly accept.”
The shopkeeper was delighted by her agreement. “I can tell that Feng’s wife also has a deep knowledge of herbs. If you find any herbs that can dye cloth, or even come up with any new ideas, I’d be willing to establish a separate partnership model based on your suggestions.”
“Very well, thank you, shopkeeper.”
The shopkeeper waved his hand—he actually felt he should be the one thanking Feng Xinyao.
Those few designs she’d casually drawn could completely remedy his shop’s inability to come up with new styles.
Once this white cloth was dyed, if it could catch Miss Bai’s eye, his business was sure to reach a new level.
With that thought, he grew even more eager to see the results of the white cloth.
Feng Xinyao took note of the shopkeeper’s impatience. When the time for soaking finally came, she fished the cloth out and tossed it directly into clean water.
This move startled the shopkeeper again.
Normally, freshly dyed cloth shouldn’t be rinsed in water—it should be hung to dry directly.
But recalling Feng Xinyao’s confidence and certainty in this ingenious method, the shopkeeper swallowed his questions.
He watched as Feng Xinyao rinsed the cloth through the water twice, then stretched out the twisted knots in the fabric.
It was only at that moment that the shopkeeper understood what Feng Xinyao meant by displaying blue and white on a single piece of fabric.
The shopkeeper was stunned, and even the old craftsmen who had been dyeing cloth in the shop for decades could not help but be astonished.
Such a dyeing technique had never been seen before, and the one who mastered it was actually a young girl.
Amid the crowd’s amazement, Feng Xinyao climbed the ladder and directly spread the tie-dyed fabric over the bamboo pole.
Instantly, the fabric, interwoven with blue and white like a clear sky, fell perfectly into everyone’s eyes.
Then, thunderous applause rang out in the courtyard.
Someone even choked up and said, “Shopkeeper, our business is saved.”
“Yes, thanks to Madam Feng.”
Such an important batch of cloth—they had failed to handle it properly in the dye house, already feeling ashamed before the shopkeeper. Now that someone had salvaged this great loss, everyone could not help but feel grateful to Feng Xinyao.
When it came to business dealings, Feng Xinyao knew what to say, but facing these expressions of gratitude, she did not know how to respond.
She called the shopkeeper to the front hall: “How to turn beautiful fabric into beautiful garments—the people at Splendid Brocade Shop are already well-versed in that. There’s no use in me staying, so I’ll take the children back first.”
“Very well, very well. The shop assistant has returned from purchasing, the clothes and bedding are loaded onto the cart, and the children are already waiting in the carriage for Madam Feng.”
With that, the shopkeeper neatly counted out five hundred taels of silver and handed it to Feng Xinyao.
Feng Xinyao thanked him and took it, then turned to walk out of the shop.
The shopkeeper saw her off but deliberately slowed his steps, as if he had something to say. Feng Xinyao raised an eyebrow, and before she could ask, she saw the young servant from the Bai family, who had caused trouble earlier, step forward and snarl at her:
“What? Trying to run off just like that?”
The shopkeeper believed that cloth could turn blue from herbal dyes, but he did not.
Besides, if this young lady were unmarried, he might have learned to show some tenderness toward her, but as things stood, there was no need.
Seeing the servant’s arrogant demeanor, Feng Xinyao sneered: “If I hadn’t succeeded, you’d better go pick out a good coffin for yourself.”
“Heh, you wild-tongued little wench, do you believe I—”
The servant reached out toward Feng Xinyao as he spoke, but the shopkeeper shoved him aside.
Earlier, he had nearly botched his task and had no choice but to show this servant some face. Now, with Feng Xinyao’s help, he had completed the matter beautifully. As the head shopkeeper, why should he kowtow to a servant?
“Whether the matter succeeds or fails is the master’s concern. What right does a servant like you have to butt in? Come now, send this man back to the Bai residence and give Miss Bai a full account of today’s events.”
The shop’s assistants, now emboldened, stepped forward without a word and carried the servant away.
The shopkeeper felt vindicated, and in that moment, his gratitude toward Feng Xinyao grew even deeper. He resolved to voice his request.
“Madam Feng, if you come up with new designs in the future, do remember this old man.”
“That goes without saying.”
Feng Xinyao agreed and was about to head out to meet the children, but the shopkeeper stopped her again.
The shopkeeper looked a little embarrassed, slowly pulling a contract from his sleeve.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, madam, but since this is business, we should still put it in writing with a proper contract.”
Feng Xinyao nodded, took the contract, and read it over.
A partnership naturally required a contract—since it was business, the rules had to be clear. She hadn’t thought of it herself, being new to this era and unfamiliar with the local merchants’ customs.
“Is there a problem?”
The shopkeeper asked nervously, as if afraid she might refuse to sign.
Feng Xinyao smiled and said, “Won’t the shopkeeper lose too much this way?”
The contract clearly stated that if clothes were sold according to her designs, she would receive a thirty percent share of the profits. Should any other matters concerning the cloth shop’s operations arise in the future, the agreement could be redrawn to accommodate her needs.
Looking over the entire contract, what stood out most was not the profit-sharing terms, but rather a single line of small text marked in bright vermilion red.