Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 92 - 91: Sharp-tongued (for Diudiu, Jianjian and Shibishi+)

Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Sharp-tongued (for Diudiu, Jianjian and Shibishi+)

A woman in her forties stepped out of a small door. She was wearing a green pea-colored satin vest, embellished only with a circle of embroidered lotus flowers around the collar. Her only hair accessory was a gold peacock hairpin, adding an efficient, business-like touch to her appearance. Her facial features were delicate, somehow familiar.

As she was followed by a man, recognition dawned, that was why she looked familiar - the man was Manager Luo.

Dabao yelled out, "Grandpa Luo, what a coincidence!"

Chen Afu also laughed. It was indeed a coincidental encounter.

Chen Afu thanked Manager Luo and briefly mentioned how his son was supporting their family business.

Manager Luo chuckled, "Our young master and his son both like Dabao. It’s the least we can do."

Then he introduced the woman as his younger sister and the manager of the shop.

This shopkeeper was Manager Luo’s sister, Mrs. Luo. Their mother was the first wife of Mr. Chu, Luo Yun. Now she was the wet nurse of Abbot Liao Chen. In other words, they were friends of Liao Chen from early childhood.

Mrs. Luo seemed skeptical that the disk button design was Chen Afu’s own work. Glancing at the button on Chen Afu’s chest, she commented, "Though your button does mix interesting colors, I..."

But Manager Luo had complete faith. In a low voice, he laughed, "Sister, the swallow toys Yan wears were made by Ms. Chen. She is skilled and honest."

Hearing this, Mrs. Luo’s eyes immediately sparkled. She quickly asked them to a private room to negotiate further.

When Chen Afu took out the three toys, disappointment flickered in Mrs. Luo’s eyes. She said, "Although these three toys are interesting, they are not as stunning as the disk button, and don’t match the swallow toys’ appeal."

Chen Afu nodded in agreement, as she had initially made these small items just to earn some extra money.

Although these cartoon toys were different and adorable compared to the toys of their time, they could not be described as stunning. Chen held herself back from making too beautiful toys as imitators could copy and lower her asking price.

This particular embroidery shop was owned by the Chu family, and the shopkeeper was Manager Luo’s sister. Chen Afu felt relieved to trust them, and decided to show off her true skills.

Smiling, she said, "I can design buttons as beautiful as the chrysanthemum button, and many other types. I can also make more adorable toys and accessories compared to these, and again, in many types."

Mrs. Luo was visibly thrilled, "Really?"

Chen Afu nodded, smiling, "I dare not cheat Mrs. Luo. However, I can’t manufacture buttons right away. Because I have an agreement with Miss Luo that I can’t make or sell buttons within a year."

Mrs. Luo chuckled, "Are you talking about Granny Luo? She is going to come to the capital city to celebrate her granddaughter’s birthday in a few days. The Yayun Embroidery Workshop is her property. When she comes, I will ask her if we can renegotiate your agreement. Our Nirvana Embroidery Workshop can share some of the profits from the new style of button with Yayun Embroidery Workshop. We will all benefit." She then asked, "Ms. Chen, would you like to cooperate with our Nirvana Embroidery Workshop?"

Chen Afu had been waiting for this question, and she replied with a smile, "How will we cooperate?"

Lowering her gaze thoughtfully, Mrs. Luo answered, "There are two ways. One, for every design you provide, we will pay you once. For example, if the new product is as good as the chrysanthemum button, we will give you twenty to thirty taels of silver. If it is better, we will pay more. If it is worse, we will pay less. The second way is for you to serve as the new product manager for our workshop. You will provide us with regular new products, and we will pay you a monthly salary. The monthly salary is, um..." After some thought, she said, "If the chrysanthemum button is indeed your design, we will give you ten taels of silver per month."

Mrs. Wang was elated to hear this. Long-term cooperation meant an annual gain of 120 taels of silver. But she remembered her daughter’s instructions before they left home, and didn’t dare to blurt out anything.

Chen Afu thought it over and said with a smile, "I choose the first option." She was not ready to be tied down. Then she added, "Our houses are next to Manager Luo’s. If I come up with a design, either Manager Luo or Junior Manager Luo can bring it along when they come to the capital for work."

Mrs. Luo nodded and picking up the chicken, dog, and duck toys, she said, "These toys are novel, well-made and made of high-quality fabric. Children will like them. I will give you ten taels of silver for them, how about it?"

Chen Afu nodded; ten taels of silver seemed reasonable.

Afterward, an agreement was written up in duplicate, and both Chen Afu and Mrs. Luo signed it and stamped it with their seals. It was also agreed that once Granny Luo had been consulted, Chen Afu could start designing a new button.

Chen Afu promised to do so. Since she planned to sell jewelry and toys in the capital city and intended to visit the dental clinic to inquire about buying farmland in Zhongning County, she agreed with Chen Ming to stay in the city for ten days to a half month. Zhongning County was located between the capital and Sanqing County, just a bit more than an hour away by donkey cart. Buying land there would be discreet and not too far away.

Seeing that their business discussion was almost done, Manager Luo finally laughed and said, "Dabao, since you have come to the capital city, why not visit Miss Chu at our house? Out of all the children, she enjoys playing with Dabao the most."

Dabao brightened up at the mention of visiting Chu Hanyan, quickly saying, "I miss my little sister Yan’er too." He added, "I brought Qi Qi and Hui Hui to the city, too. They’re at my third uncle’s house. I will take them with me when I visit my little sister Yan’er."

Manager Luo laughed heartily, "That sounds perfect. Let’s first go to your uncle’s house to get them and then return to the Chus’ Mansion altogether." And to Chen Afu, he said, "Ms. Chen, why don’t you also come with us? Last time, my son brought home some osmanthus sticky rice cakes you made, and my sister loved them. The chef at our house tried to make them according to your cakes, but she didn’t like them. You can make some more for my sister."

Chen Afu thought to herself that the little girl’s palate was indeed discerning. The sticky rice cakes she made used specially flavoured water from her home, which made a subtle difference that the girl was able to taste. She agreed to do so, planning to collect some agarwood wood chips from her space when she got home.

She wanted to ask about Miss Chu’s health, but decided not to. They were all quite sensitive about her condition, and it would be inappropriate to ask too many questions.

Manager Luo continued, "Make another swallow toy for our young lady, but make it bigger this time. The one made by our sewing room did not appeal to her. You can choose some satin and cotton here to make it, and finish it as soon as possible."

Chen Afu nodded her agreement. If she could help the little girl recover faster or make her happier, she was ready to do anything.

So she selected several types of satin for making the big toy, stating approximately how much would be needed. This time, she changed several colors for the satin. Apart from the retained moon-white, the other colors were changed to dark blue, azure, goose yellow, and bright red. Additionally, she needed some embroidery thread.