Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 134: Changing the Business Model

While they were talking, Lu Xun had already returned, led up by the inn’s waiter.

The door was knocked, and Lu Chengzong and Lu Chengzhang immediately stood up.

Upon seeing Lu Xun, Lu Chengzhang asked right away, “Father, how did it go? Are the fabric shops willing to make concessions?”

After the waiter left, Lu Xun closed the door, sighed, and shook his head. “We visited four fabric shops, but none of them agreed. They said such rules never existed before and suggested we find our own solutions. Even if we find a stranger to collaborate with, it’s either the local merchants have sufficient strength or they have already found reliable partners. No one wants the trouble of bringing in a stranger. Everyone has different tastes and quantities of goods. Dealing with each transaction separately is troublesome. This path is almost impossible to navigate.”

Lu Xun was somewhat disheartened, but quickly regained his composure. Clearly, he had adjusted his thoughts on the way back. He then asked Liu Yu, “How do you plan to obtain the fabric from your end?”

Lu Chengzhang interjected, “Father, Third Brother and Sister can secure two bolts. If our four shops combine efforts, we should be able to sell seven bolts of fabric. We’re just three bolts short.”

“Third sister-in-law,” apart from the Liu brothers and sister who looked at Lu Chengzhang with surprise, the Lu father and sons were accustomed to this title.

It was what they called Liu Yu privately. With their minds set on procuring fabric, they didn’t even notice Lu Chengzhang’s address.

Lacking three bolts, Lu Xun paced around the room before making a firm decision. “Let’s proceed with ten bolts. We’ll only accumulate leftover autumn fabric this time. Next time, we’ll plan ahead. I’ll go to Yuanzhou early to schedule a time. Hopefully, we won’t encounter such a situation again. We can afford to stockpile fabric in Lu Feng for a season. Next year, we can reduce our material intake slightly to balance it out.”

With Liu Yu’s addition of Ruyi Embroidery Shop, if they continued to procure five bolts next year, they wouldn’t need to put in much effort to balance the total amount. Although there would be a slight excess of old styles, it wouldn’t have a major impact on one quarter of the goods.

Seeing Lu Xun make up his mind, Lu Chengzong and Lu Chengzhang breathed a sigh of relief, while Liu Yanqing glanced at Liu Yu.

Liu Yu knew what he meant, and she said, “Uncle, may I speak with you for a moment?”

The question stunned the Lu family’s father and sons.

Lu Chengzhang: Is there anything I can’t hear?

Lu Xun, after a moment of silence, nodded. “Of course.”

Liu Yu put on her curtain hat and asked Lu Xun to follow her to another room.

Once inside, she closed the door, took off her curtain hat, and waited for Lu Xun to sit down before saying, “I just heard about my uncle’s plan. This season, he wants to take a gamble and stockpile fabric for next year’s digestion. Next time, he wants to find Mr. Qian and fix the time in advance to take fabric together.”

Lu Xun nodded and asked Liu Yu, “What do you think is wrong?”

Liu Yu pondered, didn’t know how to open her mouth for a while, thought about it, and asked, “A few days ago, did Uncle go to Li’s house to send gifts? Did he see Mrs. Li?”

Lu Xun didn’t expect the topic to turn to Li’s house, but he still shook his head and said truthfully, “No, when we went there, they were not at home.”

Liu Yu’s eyes lit up, “Is the second Young Master Li not there either?”

Lu Xun shook his head.

He looked at Liu Yu’s expression, and he recalled the strangeness of the Li family’s gatekeeper that day. Logically, with his relationship with the Li family, when the host was not present, he came to send gifts and there was no reason to not fully enter the gate. It was reasonable for a steward to greet him and invite him in for a cup of tea.

This really wasn’t Lu Xun’s fault. He himself didn’t come from a prominent family; even the cook his family used was hired, not bought. The only person they ever bought was Babao, who served as a bookboy for Lu Chengxiao back then.

So at that time, he really didn’t think much about it. Although he vaguely felt something was off, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Now, with Liu Yu’s reminder, Lu Xun couldn’t help but sit up straighter. “What does this have to do with my cooperation with the Qian family in sourcing fabric?”

“It does,” Liu Yu said, clasping her hands on the table. “I privately asked my brother to inquire with the innkeeper. The Qian family head checked in three days ago and wasn’t alone; he was accompanied by the friend he partners with in sourcing goods.”

Lu Xun was stunned. It was as if something was just within reach, only a thin veil away from being revealed and understood.

Because every word from Liu Yu actually pointed out that there were not so many coincidences. Lu Xun didn’t arrive late, and Qian Hong didn’t depart for Hongdu at the end of July, nor did he wait for half a month. Naturally, there was no letter he never received.

The assistant from the Qian family lied, all planned by Qian Hong.

But why?

This layer of veil couldn’t be lifted because Lu Xun couldn’t understand why Qian Hong did this. If he wanted to bring his friend in for the purchase, the three families could still work together without any issues. In fact, with a larger quantity, some fabric shops might even take another look, showing some consideration. So why?

Lu Xun even thought to himself that the young Qian attendant had originally said it seemed Qian Hong had something to do and needed to come to Hongdu Mansion first. Did he handle other matters in Hongdu Prefecture and only met his friend here at this inn?

As soon as this thought passed, Lu Xun knew it couldn’t hold water because Liu Yu had initially asked about the Li family.

He looked at Liu Yu. “Is there something involving the Li family here?”

Regarding Li Yunbi, Liu Yu truly found it difficult to speak, not just because of Li Yunbi’s reputation. She didn’t have much interaction with Li Yunbi, mostly because of the relationship between the Lu and Li families and Li Zhongjue’s decent character.

More importantly, Liu Yu was concerned about Lu Chengxiao. He was a true gentleman. Although Liu Yu probably guessed what Mrs. Li had done, she knew Lu Chengxiao would still remember his relationship with Li Cunyi and Li Zhongjue, especially with Li Zhongjue, with whom he had a close friendship during their school years.

Moreover, being manipulated like this, Lu Chengxiao wouldn’t want to involve his parents and brothers.

However, things had reached this point, and some things couldn’t be kept from Lu Xun. If Lu Xun didn’t know anything, he might mistake the calculations between the Qian and Li families for coincidences. By then, they would have stocked up for a season, and if there were problems again the second time, Lu Feng would probably suffer a big loss.

Therefore, Liu Yu spoke quietly to Lu Xun about the trip to Yuanzhou in May. Of course, she kept it simple and tactful, and she made it clear about the maid’s scheming.

Lu Xun was dumbfounded. Did the Li family girl like Chengxiao???

But didn’t she already know about Chengxiao’s engagement last time?

Lu Xun felt absurd and couldn’t say anything for a long time. He stood up, paced around the room with his hands behind his back, suddenly stopped at the table, and said, “Yu’er, did Chengxiao really do anything to let you down, right?”

Liu Yu was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling like laughing. She quickly shook her head, “No, he’s quite clever. He escaped by jumping over the wall.”

Afraid that Lu Xun would think too much, she added, “He returned to the inn and called for the doctor.”

Lu Xun breathed a sigh of relief. He was so frightened that he forgot about the procurement matters. “It’s good that nothing happened, it’s good that nothing happened.”

He was quite satisfied with this daughter-in-law. The two children seemed to get along well. Lu Xun didn’t want his son to get involved in such a mess, and he didn’t want to leave a thorn in Liu Yu’s heart.

Thinking of this, he said to Liu Yu, “Chengxiao has recognized Li Cunyi as his adoptive father. What it means to have an adoptive father is that he treats Li’s children like his own siblings. How could there be such messy things?”

When it came to this point, Lu Xun felt like he was criticizing the Li family midway through and stopped himself, saying, “Don’t worry, Chengxiao has always been straightforward. Before he recognized you, I didn’t see any intention of him getting married. He’s absolutely innocent.”

Originally a heavy matter, Liu Yu was amused by Lu Xun’s reaction. “I know, Uncle.”

She composed herself and said, “Let’s focus on the procurement matter. I don’t believe this is just a coincidence. There aren’t so many coincidences in the world that all fit together so perfectly. If coincidences are all strung together, I only believe it’s artificially created. So, Uncle, what we need to solve isn’t the problem with this batch of goods, but the next one, and the one after that. We can’t rely on the Qian family anymore; we’ll have to figure it out ourselves.”

“Yes, you’re right. If I hadn’t known, I would have naturally made such plans. Thanks for reminding me.”

If not, if Qian Hong messed up the next batch of goods again, Lu Feng would really suffer a heavy loss. Moreover, Lu Xun wasn’t that shameless. If Qian Hong didn’t want to help, he wouldn’t force him. Did he need to waste so much effort on Qian Hong’s tangled thoughts?

Thinking of his encounter with the pretentious Qian Hong just now at the inn, Lu Xun felt truly frustrated. He paced around the room again. He could manage this once, but this sudden change required him to rely entirely on himself. Lu Xun couldn’t come up with a plan for a moment.

His train of thought, like Lu Chengchao’s, turned to the idea of adding another shop.

But when they brought goods to Hongdu Prefecture, they mainly dealt in silk. Adding another shop meant they needed a location of similar scale to Lu Feng in Anyi County. Who could they rely on? At least they could count on the third.

But Lu Xun also understood that his younger son had his own plans. If he wanted to open a shop, he would have done so long ago. Now he didn’t even know the regulations, and he was getting married at the end of September. He couldn’t open a shop in Anyi County, where Liu Yu still controlled the Ru Yi Embroidery House. He had found a matchmaker for his son and arranged for a house. He didn’t have the time or energy to run another shop in another county.

A newlywed couple, separated by two places, was probably difficult to part with while traveling outside, let alone manage a shop when they returned?

Lu Xun suppressed this thought.

But his expression was quite vivid, and Liu Yu could guess what he was thinking. This prospective father-in-law was indeed a good person, and she had nothing to say about how he treated her.

Liu Yu pondered for a moment and said, “Uncle, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?”

How could he refuse to hear it?

“Do you have an idea?” Lu Xun suddenly became spirited, stopped pacing around the room, and sat back in his seat. “Go ahead.”

“It’s quite simple to say. It’s also related to my adoptive sister, Cui Erniang. The clothes she previously made were all consigned in her shop. Do you remember?”

“Of course.” Lu Xun nodded, asking Liu Yu, “Are you suggesting that we make more clothes and consign them to Cui Erniang’s embroidery shop?”

Liu Yu shook her head. “That’s not enough, and it’s also about the embroidery house’s affairs. My idea involves your Lufeng Cloth Shop.”

How could that be possible?

Lu Xun had already thought all the way back when he returned, and just now he had racked his brains for a long time, but he couldn’t think of any solution for his own shop. Anxiously, he asked, “How can my side sell so much merchandise? Hurry up and tell me.”

Liu Yu didn’t keep him in suspense. “It’s simple to explain. It’s also an idea brought up by my adoptive sister wanting to buy goods from you, Uncle Lu. Why not change your cloth shop into a cloth emporium?”

“Cloth shop into a cloth emporium?” Lu Xun was startled. He understood but was uncertain. “Are you suggesting that we give batches of cloth to other cloth shops? But Anyi County and several nearby counties don’t have cloth emporiums; they’re all in Yuanzhou City.”

“There’s no cloth emporium, so let’s make you the first cloth emporium,” Liu Yu suggested. “Not only consigning batches of cloth to other cloth shops, but also to embroidery shops. In Anyi County, there are several towns, each with several cloth and embroidery shops. Uncle, aren’t these ready-made businesses? “

Lu Xun was stunned by this suggestion, both intrigued and hesitant. “Everyone takes their goods from Yuanzhou City. Why would they be willing to come to the county?”

Goods taken from the county always sounded like they were of lower quality.

There was no precedent in Anyi County or the surrounding counties, and Lu Xun hadn’t heard of any cloth emporiums in Yuanzhou either, so he lacked confidence.

Half of his question was doubt, and half was actually a flicker of interest, hoping to gain some ideas and find confidence from Liu Yu.

Liu Yu smiled and said, “How will you know if you don’t try?”

She explained her intention to help Cui Erniang and bring in some goods, discussed how to negotiate with Cui Erniang, and detailed Cui Erniang’s plans one by one with Lu Xun.

Finally, she smiled and said, “Aren’t these ready-made customers? If Cui Erniang is willing, how do you know other embroidery and cloth shops won’t be? I heard from Lu Chengxiao that a cloth emporium is just a larger cloth shop. Uncle, Lu Feng already has three branch stores. In Anyi County, you’re the number one figure in this line of business. It’s just the right time to try something like this. If we can sell out that remaining thirty percent, it will be worthwhile.”

“He’s become such a figure??”

Liu Yu’s praise nearly made Lu Xun float with pride. Yet, he also felt that Liu Yu’s reasoning was sound. Trying it wouldn’t hurt, and while silk fabrics didn’t sell much in small towns, finding a few more shops could help sell that remaining thirty percent. He wouldn’t need to rely on others in the future.

Plus, selling cotton and silk fabrics together opened up a new financial avenue for Lufeng!

“Alright, your idea is great!”

Thinking up to this point, Lu Xun was excited. Unable to sit still, he stood up again. “You’re right. How can we know unless we try? When we get back with this batch of cloth, I’ll change the sign and test the waters.”

As he spoke, he was already planning how to proceed. He paced around the room, saying, “Without reputation, people surely won’t know I have cloth here. When I get back, I’ll leave the shop to Chengzong and visit each town. If I just offer a bit more profit than the Yuanzhou cloth emporium, making it seem profitable, I’m not afraid we won’t secure the business.”

Lu Xun was also an experienced businessman. With Liu Yu opening up new avenues of thought, he could figure out the specific operations himself.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. “I don’t even know how to thank you! This move of yours has truly helped our Lufeng immensely!”

He chuckled, “No, it’s not just our Lufeng; it’s your Lufeng too!”

He had married such a valuable daughter-in-law! She was like a godsend!

Sansukini: She has the Midas Touch!

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