Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 180: Distribution and exclusive sales

Wei Shi was preparing Liu Yanqing’s wedding, and the embroidery workshop, which she originally managed, was smoothly handed over to Lu Shuang and Wen Shi.

Lu Chengzhang acted quickly. After returning on the fifth day of the new year, by the seventh day, he had found a carpenter. After a few days of knocking and hammering, they partitioned a large shop into two, one big and one small. By the tenth day, the signboard was up, and the shop was simply named “Xi Jiangnan”, skipping the word “embroidery shop” entirely. As Lu Chengzhang explained, “It’s easy to say and pleasant to hear. Once the clothes are hung up, everyone will know it’s an embroidery shop.”

Lu Chengzhang was very pleased. He took care of selling both clothes and fabric, becoming a dominant player in Xifeng Town. He felt like a true winner in life!

On the evening of the tenth, when he brought Zhou Qiongying to the embroidery workshop to select styles, he was grinning ear to ear at the fabric shop across the street. Lu Chengzhang was happy, and so was Lu Chengzong. He pulled Lu Chengzhang into the fabric warehouse and said, “Second brother, look at this! Our warehouse has never been this clean before.”

What did he mean by “clean”?

Lu Chengzhang leaned forward instinctively. By “clean,” his older brother meant empty. The entire warehouse was practically bare.

Stunned, Lu Chengzhang couldn’t say a word, while Lu Chengzong, with his simple and honest face, was grinning widely, “It’s almost been cleared out by our third sister-in-law’s embroidery workshop. If it weren’t for Yanqing’s upcoming wedding and knowing that our third sister-in-law couldn’t leave, our father would have been urging her to make a trip to Hongdu to restock.”

Lu Xun now trusted Liu Yu’s judgment in selecting fabrics, and, of course, also trusted Lu Shuang. This was a talent he had never noticed in his daughter before.

Finally closing his mouth with difficulty, Lu Chengzhang kept looking at the empty shelves in the warehouse, nodding as he said, “Impressive, really impressive! I’ve seen a lot of goods going out from our third sister-in-law’s place, but this still doesn’t seem like enough.”

From running a fabric shop to now operating a fabric warehouse, after all these years, he had never seen anyone sell out their stock so completely. Be it fabric or embroidery shops, everyone’s money was usually tied up in goods. This was the first time Lu Chengzhang had seen such a clean turnover.

Lu Chengzong nodded with a smile, saying, “I’ve already sent Babao back to transfer the stock from our family’s town warehouse over here. Luckily, those stocks include many of the fabrics that our third sister-in-law is currently using up the most.”

Lu Chengzong was genuinely happy. Even though the family and the Liu family jointly sourced the goods, not earning a single penny, clearing the entire inventory at cost price was still worth it. The funds would come back quickly, and the new stock would all be fresh designs. This was a hundred times better than those fabric shops in the county, where seven out of ten items were outdated no matter how many times you checked in a year.

On the twelfth day of the new year, Lu Chengzhang and Zhou Qiongying’s shop, Xi Jiangnan, opened. The Lu family’s eldest and third houses, along with the Liu family and Lu Chengzhang’s wife’s family, all came to celebrate. The shop offered some discounts for its grand opening, and the clothes from this series were not only beautiful but priced similarly to the items in the embroidery shop next door, with even better styles and craftsmanship. On its first day, the new store already showed signs of booming business.

Qin Shi, watching Zhou Qiongying bustling about, sighed to Chen Shi, “Look at our second and third sisters-in-law, both with their own businesses now. I’m feeling envious. If it weren’t for Yuge’er and Ruige’er being so young, I’d be tempted to open a shop somewhere and be a distributor for our third sister-in-law.”

Having your own business was great. With a ready-to-wear clothing shop, it was just a matter of selling the goods, much easier than managing an embroidery workshop. Qin Shi thought she might even be able to give it a try. However, her situation was different from Zhou Qiongying’s. The second sister-in-law worked with her husband in the same place, but if she opened a shop elsewhere, she would have to leave her family behind. Qin Shi only had to think about it to know she couldn’t do that.

Chen Shi was also helping out at the shop today. Among the three daughters-in-law, she had the longest relationship with the eldest daughter-in-law, and they got along quite well. She didn’t mind her daughters-in-law and daughter getting involved in business, in fact, she supported it. Hearing what Qin Shi said, she thoughtfully gave her a suggestion, “If you think it’s a good business, why not ask your third sister-in-law if there’s a town in the county that doesn’t have a distributor yet? You could open the shop and ask your second sister to be the manager.”

Qin Shi’s second sister was someone Chen Shi knew, being from the same village as Qin Shi. She was a clever and dignified young woman, with a sharp tongue. Selling ready-made clothes didn’t require much skill, just good judgment and a silver tongue.

Qin Shi’s eyes lit up, “Mother, you’ve really given me a great idea! I hadn’t thought of that.”

Running a shop didn’t necessarily mean you had to stay in it yourself. Their fabric shop in Changfeng Town was managed by Manager Yan, after all. With a manager and a bookkeeper, it could work out. If she hired her second sister, who worked with transparent pricing, she wouldn’t even need a bookkeeper.

Thanking Chen Shi, Qin Shi excitedly went to find Liu Yu, who was busy greeting customers, and caught her during a break to ask.

Liu Yu was genuinely surprised, “Big sister-in-law wants to sell clothes too?”

Qin Shi laughed, “Exactly! Seeing the good business you and our second sister-in-law are doing, I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. Selling clothes seems much easier than running an embroidery workshop.”

There were indeed two or three towns in Anyi County that had yet to develop distributors. Liu Yu shared this with Qin Shi, and Qin Shi, delighted, said, “Third sister-in-law, if anyone asks about these locations, please hold off on agreeing to anyone else. I’ll go check things out and see if there’s a shop available for rent.”

Since they were family, Liu Yu, of course, agreed with a smile, saying, “I’ll wait for your good news, big sister-in-law.”

The shop was bustling with activity—people congratulating, buying clothes, and passerby peeking in to see the crowd. Just across the street, the wife of the manager who had previously turned down Liu Yu and Lu Shuang’s offer to collaborate had been watching for almost half an hour. She observed people going in empty-handed and coming out with bags of clothes—more than ten customers in just half an hour. Her face turned green with envy.

After observing for several days, she finally swallowed her pride and rushed to Anyi County to find Ruyi Embroidery Shop. There, she was greeted by Lu Shuang.

Ruyi Embroidery had already promised to have only one distributor per town. Lu Shuang clearly remembered this manager’s wife and how she had mocked them previously. Moreover, this new shop was run by her second brother and sister-in-law. How could she undermine their efforts?

Without hesitation, she declined.

Upon learning that Ruyi Embroidery only allowed one distributor per town, the manager’s wife from Xifeng Town returned with a sour expression. She later tried to copy their designs, but of course, they couldn’t replicate them well. But that’s another story.

On the ninth day of the New Year, Lu Chengxiao went to Yuanzhou City and returned to Anyi County on the seventeenth. During his time in Yuanzhou, the initial preparations for the two shops there were fully completed. The cabinets and shelves were in place, the signboards were custom-made, and everything was ready. All they needed was to stock up, hire staff, and choose an auspicious day for the grand opening.

It was easy to prepare the stock from Liu Yu’s side. When stocking up for the embroidery workshop, they had prepared extra for Mixianji and Fangfeiyin series, with an additional set of each size. These series sold well in Yuanzhou City, and with new fabrics, they could add a few more high-end pieces for the Mixianji collection.

However, Lu Chengxiao’s fabric warehouse would have to wait until after Liu Yanqing’s wedding. Then, the group would make another trip to Hongdu to restock.

As the opening day approached, Liu Yu asked Lu Chengxiao, “Who will manage the fabric warehouse? Do you have anyone in mind?”

Lu Chengxiao shook his head, “It’s not easy to find someone right now. We spent almost all our money buying the shops, and we need to keep some capital for the weaving and dyeing factory. After covering these expenses, the little we have left will only be enough to restock. Once the shop opens, I’ll have to figure out a way to make more money with your second brother. The silk market opens in March, so we’ll likely need to leave by the end of February. I can’t handle things here for now. I’ve been thinking of asking Father and eldest brother for help, and we’ll hire staff in Yuanzhou. When the time comes, we’ll see if we can promote someone capable.”

Hearing that he had to leave by the end of February, Liu Yu thought about the upcoming trip to Yangzhou but remained silent. She just nodded and said, “That seems like the only way. Ask Father and eldest brother what they think first.”

That evening, Lu Chengxiao went to discuss with Lu Xun and Lu Chengzong. Both were supportive. Lu Xun said, “Your eldest brother has everything under control here. Whether I’m involved or not doesn’t make much difference. You go ahead and handle your business. I’ll take care of the fabric warehouse for you.”

Looking at Lu Chengzong, Lu Chengxiao saw that he agreed, “Don’t worry, third brother. I’m well-versed in managing the fabric warehouse, and with Father and third sister-in-law helping with stock quality, all I have to do is sell the goods. There’s no issue.”

Lu Xun had already visited nearby towns to scout for business opportunities, so all Lu Chengzong had to do was maintain the operations.

With Lu Xun overseeing the fabric warehouse, Lu Chengxiao felt completely at ease.

On the nineteenth day of the New Year, Liu Yanqing’s wedding day arrived. The Lu family—Lu Xun and his wife, Qin Shi, Liu Yu, and Lu Chengxiao—went early to Yangshan Village. Only Lu Chengzhang and his wife stayed behind, as they each had a shop to manage, and Zhou Qiongying was pregnant, so they feared the commotion. Instead, they sent wedding gifts through Chen Shi.

At the Liu family’s home, everyone was so busy that they barely had time to catch their breath. Wei Shi, especially, was walking so fast she seemed to be flying. Despite the chaos, the joy was real. She had waited years for a daughter-in-law to join the family, and now that her eldest son was finally getting married, she couldn’t have been happier. Her joy was so evident, it seemed her smile never left her face.

Liu Yanqing, usually the most composed person, didn’t stop smiling the entire day.

The wedding festivities lasted from early morning until night. Liu Yu saw Zhang Xiaofu for the second time in her elder brother’s new room. Though her makeup was heavy, her eyes were filled with shy happiness. She still recognized Liu Yu, and this time, instead of calling her “Miss Liu,” she proactively changed her greeting to “Yu’er, my little sister.”

Hearing this, Liu Yu smiled. She hadn’t told Zhang Xiaofu her name before, so it was clear that Liu Yanqing had mentioned it, a sign that her elder brother liked his new wife.

Following suit, Liu Yu changed her form of address and asked with a smile, “Big sister-in-law, are you tired? Hungry? Shall I bring you something to eat?”

Having been through the wedding rituals herself, she knew that after eating only a little in the morning, the rest of the day was so busy that there was no time for food until after the ceremony.

Zhang Xiaofu thanked her, and Liu Yu smiled as she left. Shortly after, she returned with a meal that Wei Shi had specially prepared. Skipping the banquet outside, she stayed in the new room to share the food with Zhang Xiaofu. Once the toasting outside seemed to be winding down, Liu Yu brought in water for Zhang Xiaofu to remove her makeup, then quietly made her exit.

After the banquet ended, the Lu family needed to return to the county. Since the female workers at Liu Yu’s embroidery workshop had been working late, the couple decided not to head home but to go straight to the workshop.

As soon as they got off the mule cart, they noticed a vague group of people standing outside the workshop. It was already the time of Xu (around 7-9 pm), and the sky had grown dark. The shops on the street had closed, and without streetlights, it was impossible to see who the people were.

The light from the mule cart lantern shone on the figures, so Lu Chengzong and Lu Chengxiao approached with their lamps and asked, “Who’s there?”

Under the light, they saw a group of people carrying large bundles. Before they could make out who it was, someone in the group recognized Lu Chengxiao.

“Master, it’s me, He Zhengqing!”

He Zhengqing! The second master of the He family and Liu Shancai’s uncle, as well as the master dyer whom Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping had invited!

Lu Chengxiao grew excited. Seeing that it was indeed He Zhengqing and his group, he smiled broadly, “Master He! You’ve arrived! When did you get here? Come, come, let’s go inside and talk.”

Since there were many female workers in the embroidery workshop, Lu Chengxiao led Master He and his group to the back courtyard of the fabric warehouse, all the while introducing Master He and his group to the family.

Hearing that he was the master dyer they had invited, Lu Xun and Chen Shi were both thrilled. Since Chen Shi and the other women weren’t able to greet the men directly, Lu Xun—who had spent half his life running fabric shops and had helped Lu Chengxiao prepare for the weaving and dyeing factory—was incredibly excited. He went over immediately and shook Master He’s hand, saying, “Master He, you’ve worked hard! Was your journey smooth?”

He then called on Lu Chengzong, Lu Chengxiao, and Babao to help carry the heavy bedding and other items from the hands of the master and his apprentices.

Master He was taken aback and quickly waved them off, saying, “No need, no need, it’s not heavy at all.”

Chen Shi hurried back to arrange food, and even Qin Shi, Liu Yu, and Lu Shuang went to help. After settling into the courtyard and serving tea, Liu Yu and Lu Shuang went back to the kitchen, happily smiling. Lu Shuang said with a grin, “Third sister-in-law, we’ll have custom-made fabric from now on, right?”

Liu Yu was all smiles. Lu Chengxiao had already mentioned Master He to her, a highly skilled craftsman with expertise in dyeing and fine detailing. Her custom fabrics were now within reach!

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