Chen Liyun hurried back. The shoe shop owner’s face lit up with delight the moment she saw her, though her expression tempered slightly as an afterthought struck her. “Well, sister? Did anyone at the department store want them?”
Chen Liyun beamed and nodded. “Yes! Three shops made offers.”
“I knew they would!” the owner said, pleased. She wanted to ask about the prices, hoping to buy some herself, but felt too embarrassed to bring it up.
Chen Liyun took out a handkerchief. “Sister, I noticed how much you liked my embroidery earlier. Please take this as a thank-you for pointing me in the right direction.”
A butterfly among flowers was embroidered onto the cloth. The blossoms were vivid and the butterfly lifelike. Thanks to the exquisite needlework, even the ordinary fabric looked remarkably fine.
Surprised, the owner accepted the handkerchief and admired it, unable to tear her eyes away. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly. I only pointed down the street; anyone would have told you where to go. Sister, how much is this? Sell it to me, let me pay you for it. I’d also love to buy a pair of those pillow covers.”
“Are you looking to buy pillow towels?” Chen Liyun asked, following the shopkeeper into the shoe store. Setting her bag on the counter, she pulled out all the pillow towels and pillowcases. “Did you want the towels or the cases?”
The shopkeeper had only glimpsed the lotus-embroidered pillow towels earlier. Now, seeing the pillowcases adorned with mandarin ducks playing in the water, she looked at Chen Liyun in a whole new light.
This had to be a traditional craft passed down through generations. Who in this day and age could produce such exquisite needlework? It was fine enough to put on display in an exhibition.
If she bought them, she could give one set to each of her two daughters. Adding them to their dowries would certainly bring the family prestige. The fabric itself was ordinary, but with embroidery this good, they could pass as family heirlooms.
Excitement surged through her. Being a seasoned businesswoman, she wasn’t shy about bargaining. Thickening her skin, she asked, “Little sister, if I take both the pillow towels and the pillowcases, can you give me a discount?”
Without a second thought, Chen Liyun readily agreed. “Sure! Big Sister, what price are you offering?”
The shopkeeper hesitated before holding up three fingers. “Thirty yuan for both pairs, what do you think?”
It was more than fair.
Chen Liyun already thought the woman was warmhearted, and this offer only confirmed it. The price was certainly bargained down, but the fact that she was still willing to pay so much proved she was genuinely decent.
Chen Liyun handed over the pillow covers and pillowcases, then drew out another handkerchief. “Sister, let me give you a handkerchief too.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have!” The shopkeeper’s eyes crinkled into narrow slits with her broad smile. Thirty yuan had been a steep stretch for her, so she did not refuse the gift.
“I have two daughters at home, actually, and was just about to ask if I could buy another. Otherwise, they’d fight over it the moment I got back!”
Chen Liyun smiled. “You have two girls? I have three. I feel the same way whenever I buy anything, I have to be completely fair and get something for everyone. It just hurts their feelings if they start fighting over things.”
Though Chen Liyun had not been a mother for long in her past life and had only been one for ten-odd days in this one, she had once been a young lady herself. Growing up in a grand ducal mansion had taught her that even in the wealthiest families, sisters often squabbled over trivial things until hard feelings festered. Now that she was a mother, she was determined to prevent that.
Mothers could talk endlessly once the subject turned to their children.
“Tell me about it!” the proprietress said. “My eldest is eighteen and already engaged, yet she still bickers with her younger sister all the time. It’s such a headache!”
Seeing the woman smile as she complained, Chen Liyun knew she was not truly exasperated. “No matter how old they get, aren’t they still little children in front of their mother? Even grown children want their mother’s love.”
“Exactly, you took the words right out of my mouth!” the proprietress laughed.
The two shared their thoughts on parenting, conversing effortlessly despite the gap of more than a decade in their ages.
Noticing that time was running short, Chen Liyun asked a few questions about the businesses on the pedestrian street before taking the initiative. “Sister, would you be interested in partnering with me on a business venture?”
The shopkeeper looked surprised. “What kind of business?”
“My embroidery,” Chen Liyun replied. “You seem like a straightforward, capable person, and I’m sure you have great character and a loyal customer base. We could partner up. I’ll give you a base price, and anything you sell above that is yours to keep. You won’t even need to pay upfront for stock; we’ll treat it as consignment. Since you already have a shop, you can just set the pieces aside, take the money when customers buy them, and settle with me later.”
So that’s how it works!
The shopkeeper hesitated. This was a shoe store, after all. Would selling embroidery even make sense here?
Yet she had fallen in love with the pieces the moment she saw them, which meant others surely would, too. If she received them at cost and marked them up, the difference would be pure profit.
She had just bought a pair of pillow covers and a pair of pillowcases for thirty yuan. On consignment, she could easily sell them for at least forty, earning ten yuan in clear profit.
She wouldn’t have to source inventory or risk money on unsold stock. All she needed was to set them on a shelf in her existing shop. It was a guaranteed win.
She could not resist asking, “In that case, how should we price the embroidery?”
Chen Liyun considered it for a moment. “I can set a lower price initially. Still, I expect these will sell well. If demand picks up later, you know my needlework, no one else can help me with it, so the price will have to go up a bit. Besides, I used ordinary fabric this time. I’ll look for better material later to make more pieces, and we can put both varieties in the shop to see how they do.”
The proprietress was straightforward and decisive. After weighing the pros and cons, she agreed. “All right, let’s give it a try.”
Chen Liyun took out the remaining two handkerchiefs and priced them at one yuan fifty apiece. As for the pillow covers and pillowcases, she refunded five yuan, charging only twenty-five in total.
“Sister, you can put these up for sale in the shop first,”
Chen Liyun added. “You mentioned your eldest daughter is already betrothed. I’ll buy finer fabric and make her something even better. Don’t worry about your two daughters fighting over them, either. As long as our business takes off, I’ll take care of all the embroidered wedding linens for both of them!”
The shopkeeper beamed with delight. A simple act of kindness on her part had yielded such a wonderful return. Casting aside all reserve, she exchanged names with Chen Liyun, gave her both the store and home phone numbers, and personally guided her along the pedestrian street to buy high-quality fabric.
Carrying the cloth, Chen Liyun hailed a motorized tricycle and said, “Sister Cuiying, you should head back to the shop. I have to hurry home, but I’ll call you in five days.”
The shopkeeper, Wang Cuiying, nodded with a smile and waved goodbye.
By the time Chen Liyun returned to the town, dusk had already settled. She had earned good money today, and though she was still unsure about making a steady living from her embroidery, she had been away all day.
Worried sick about her three children, especially little Abao, she spent the money on another tricycle to take her all the way to the village entrance.
The moment she stepped off, she broke into a jog.
To reach her house, she had to pass by the home of Old Qi and Old Madam Qi.
As she drew near, she saw Old Madam Qi stepping out of the house with a plump, older woman. The two were chatting, and Old Madam Qi was laughing happily.
Her smile broadened even further when she caught sight of the thin, frail Chen Liyun rushing toward them.
She deliberately raised her voice. “Oh, sister-in-law, Hongwei’s affairs aren’t something his father and I can decide. You know I’m not one to brag about my own son, but he’s handsome and has a great job. Word is, now that he’s getting divorced, even daughters of wealthy city bosses have their eyes on him. So I can’t give you an answer just yet. I have to wait until he sends word.”
Chen Liyun stopped in her tracks.
She had not expected matchmakers to come knocking for Qi Hongwei so quickly. Were these people completely blind? Qi Hongwei was undeniably good-looking and had a decent job, but he was pure scum. How could parents be so cruel to their own daughters?
Anyone with eyes could see his true character, but there were always families willing to overlook it for his financial stability, confident their own daughters would bear him sons.
The matchmaker chimed in, echoing Old Madam Qi’s praises before adding, “Still, who knows when the divorce will actually go through? And once it does, what will happen to his three daughters?”
The smile froze on Old Madam Qi’s face, and she shot the matchmaker a subtle glare. What kind of person brought up the one topic she wanted to avoid?
Chen Liyun smiled, stepped closer, and raised her voice. “Don’t worry, Qi Hongwei and I finalized the divorce today. As for the three children, I saw him getting very cozy with a girl from town earlier. She didn’t want to raise his kids, so he dumped all three on me. Oh, and he signed an agreement: until the children come of age, they and I can keep living in our house.”
Without bothering to check Old Madam Qi’s reaction, she brushed past her at a brisk pace.
Old Madam Qi was indeed furious. That was a three-room brick-and-tile house! The courtyard was enclosed by brick walls, and while the gate wasn’t solid iron, building it had still cost a pretty penny. How could Hongwei just give it away like that?
Before she could confront Chen Liyun, the matchmaker scoffed. “Looks like I came here for nothing. Turns out your Hongwei lined up his next woman before he even got divorced. In that case, I won’t waste any more effort. Abandoning all three of his own daughters, what a man your Hongwei is. If he hadn’t at least left the house to that mother and her children, he’d be worse than a beast.”
Old Madam Qi’s face fell. “How dare you speak to me like that?”
The matchmaker glared at her. “I’m not the only one saying it. Go outside and ask around. Who doesn’t think your family went too far?”
Old Madam Qi grew even angrier. “If that’s how you feel, why did you even come here to play matchmaker?”
Turning to leave, the matchmaker called back over her shoulder, “Someone asked for a favor, so what’s the harm in making a trip? If I had a daughter, I’d keep her unwed for the rest of her life before I ever married her into your family!”
Old Madam Qi stomped her feet in sheer rage.
When Chen Liyun arrived home, she saw Chen Lihong seeing off a nursing mother from the village. Realizing at once that Abao must have been starving, she hurried over to thank the woman. She had hastily bought some pastries in town, conveniently packed into three separate portions, and insisted on pressing one of them into the woman’s hands.
Once the woman left, Chen Lihong asked, “Why are you back so late? Did things not go well?”
Chen Liyun smiled. “They went well! Extremely well! Sister, let’s talk inside.”
In the house, Abao was already asleep after nursing, while Chen Shu and Chen Chang had finished their meal and were playing. Both girls were well-behaved. Knowing their mother had business to discuss with their aunt, they took their pastries and quietly went off to the side to eat.
In the inner room, with only the two women present, Chen Liyun did not hesitate to strip off her clothes right in front of Chen Lihong. Knowing she would return late, she had layered three undershirts that morning and padded them with toilet paper, but as she peeled them off, everything was completely soaked through.
It had been an exhausting day. Between the anxiety of selling her embroidery and the rush to get back to her baby, she had not nursed all day, and only now that her clothes were off did the full ache set in.
Wincing and grimacing through the sharp pain, Chen Liyun still managed to smile as she spoke.
“The divorce went through this morning, and he even signed an agreement letting us stay in the house until the kids are grown. The civil affairs staff signed as witnesses, too! I grabbed lunch in town, then spent the afternoon looking for someone to buy the embroidery. The shopkeeper at the department store was a real crook, but luckily I ran into a kind older sister who agreed to take my things on consignment. Handkerchiefs are a yuan fifty each, and pillow covers and pillowcases are twelve-fifty a pair. As long as I keep stitching in my spare time, we won’t have to worry about making a living!”
Chen Liyun changed her clothes, a wide smile still on her face. Noticing the lingering silence from Chen Lihong, she turned around, only to see tears streaming down her sister’s cheeks.
Startled, she asked, “Sister, why are you crying?”
Chen Lihong stepped forward, gripping her hand tightly. Reaching up to stroke her head with the same tender affection she had shown when they were children, she choked up.
“You silly girl! Going a whole day without nursing the baby, how much pain must you be in? Foolish girl, things will get better. You’re going to have a wonderful life from now on. If those three girls ever dare to be unfilial when they grow up, I’ll beat them for you!”
Did it hurt?
It hurt terribly.
Yet compared to losing Abao in her past life, and thinking of her well-behaved daughters waiting at home in this one, the physical pain was negligible. Even so, her sister’s gentle comfort brought tears to Chen Liyun’s eyes.
Her nose stung with emotion. “They won’t be unfilial, they’ll treat me well. You’re right, sister. Things will get better, and life will be wonderful. For both of us.”