The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 540 - 538 - Idea

Chapter 540: 538 Chapter Idea

How could he not know? When someone coveted the dye recipe before, he had reported it to the family head, who had indicated that a noble patron in the capital city was interested, and it was not appropriate for the family to intervene.

Such words could be used to appease an uninformed person like the Wang Family Young Lady, but Shopkeeper Wu had also spent time in the capital city and was clear about the underlying mechanics. Where was the difficulty in intervening?

The family head had already seen the enormous potential behind the dye recipe provided by Wang Yongzhu and felt that the twenty-eighty profit split they had agreed upon was too generous. Therefore, they wanted to use the opportunity of the coveting of the recipe either to have Wang Yongzhu voluntarily offer to sell the recipe outright for a sum of silver, settling the matter once and for all,

without having to share twenty percent of the profits from future earnings with Wang Yongzhu.

So they used this excuse.

Unexpectedly, Yongzhu was also clever, using the widow to bait Boss Tian into the trap. They were naturally aware that Boss Tian thought he had the recipe, had dyed a large amount of fabric, tried to flatter the noble patron he was clinging to, and ended up being driven out by the patron.

Such things could not be kept secret. Knowing that Boss Tian had been outmaneuvered by Wang Yongzhu and had obtained a fake recipe,

as the news spread, those who were still coveting the recipe immediately vanished.

A joke, indeed—no one wanted to become the second Boss Tian. No one could guarantee that the recipe they got their hands on was the real one!

And those with the capability, even if they could force the real recipe out of Wang Yongzhu by threatening the lives of the Wang Family, couldn’t guarantee that Yongzhu, who had managed to deceive an old pro like Boss Tian with a fake formula, wouldn’t treat them the same if she were truly cornered.

Could one be sure of controlling such a calculating woman for a lifetime?

Besides, if they really did that, it would be quite beneath their dignity, and it wouldn’t sound good if it got out—indeed, it might even become a handle against them.

Moreover, the benefits of the dye recipe had not yet reached a level that could move those nobles.

Those without sufficient strength didn’t dare gamble with their entire fortune, with Boss Tian serving as a warning.

Those with enough strength did not find the benefits worth their intervention yet.

Thus, Yongzhu was safe for the time being.

Even his own family head changed their attitude when they saw the accounts at the end of the year, even considering sacrificing their own legitimate but lesser-born young master.

Shopkeeper Wu himself, when recalling the tactics and calculations from that period, couldn’t help but sweat.

It was unclear whether Wang Yongzhu was just lucky or what, but she was indeed safe and sound.

Not to mention anything else, even if it was just luck, that luck was a form of strength in itself. Building good relations with someone this fortunate could only be beneficial and not at all harmful.

Even without the master’s command to win over Wang Yongzhu, Shopkeeper Wu would have maintained a good relationship with her.

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However, at this time, why did Wang Yongzhu bring up this Boss Tian? Could it be she has discovered something? She couldn’t possibly know that the main house had also been involved in the past, could she?

Shopkeeper Wu immediately became alert, calculating in his mind how to explain, or how much benefit to offer, to ensure Wang Yongzhu’s cooperation with him.

Wang Yongzhu, unaware of Shopkeeper Wu’s many thoughts, tapped rhythmically twice on the box before saying, "The recipe that Boss Tian took away was fake, and because of that, he could no longer continue his business and had to sell the Riches Dye Workshop and his fabric business, and return to his hometown..."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Wu began to understand somewhat.

"Since he was in a hurry to sell, the price was low, so I gathered some silver and bought his Riches Dye Workshop and fabric business, including the batch of ruined fabric in his storeroom," said Wang Yongzhu with an apologetic smile.

Shopkeeper Wu kept a smile on his face while internally commenting, "My dear young lady, you’ve done such a big thing; what’s there to be embarrassed about?"

At that moment, Shopkeeper Wu maintained the good qualities of an inn-keeper, always keeping a smile on his face, "Then, Miss Wang, what do you mean?"

Do you intend to sell the Riches Dye Workshop to the Auspicious Dye Workshop, or what?

Wang Yongzhu smiled lightly, "I did not realize our fabric was selling so well before, so I hadn’t thought about it this way. But today, after looking at the accounts, I do have an idea—"

Shopkeeper Wu was very cooperative, "Miss Wang, please feel free to speak."

"Here’s what I’m thinking, our fabric is selling so well, surely we must sell to other areas. Just one dye workshop in town is definitely not enough, plus the location here is not ideal, it’s inconvenient to transport goods to Jing County, wasting manpower and time. Not to mention, selling to even more distant places in the future, the costs wasted on the road would be too much, not worth it."

"We don’t have to think about making a name for ourselves, to be truly nationally known, the approach must be cost-effective, good quality. When people need to buy fabric, their first thought should be to buy our Auspicious Fabric. To reduce costs, we definitely need to increase production, and even if we expand the town’s dye workshop several times, it probably won’t be enough."

"Therefore, I was thinking, why not increase the number of dye workshops in each major county, prefecture city, or provincial city, and recruit more dyers..."

At this point, Shopkeeper Wu’s eyes lit up. He had always been in charge of the dye workshop and naturally understood directly that their fabric was in high demand, and even though the dyers were working day and night, supply was still falling short.

He had the idea of increasing the number of dye workshops as well, but he hadn’t thought as far as Wang Yongzhu had, because he had a concern: she might not agree, the more people who knew, the higher the chance that her recipe would be leaked.

Shopkeeper Wu voiced his concern, to which Wang Yongzhu simply smiled, "What’s there to worry about? The colors of these recipes I hold are secondary; the most important thing is the dyed fabric remains colorfast no matter how much it’s washed—that’s the key. The secret to colorfastness naturally lies in my hands. If we really open Auspicious Dye Workshops all over the country, then I just need to prepare the color-fixing medicinal packets in advance, distribute them to all locations and configure them according to proportions, there would naturally be no problem."

Shopkeeper Wu was overjoyed. If this problem was solved, he could boldly proceed with the work.

He was filled with surging emotions, thinking that if all went well, they could really spread the Auspicious Dye Workshop and fabric business all over the nation, making the Auspicious Fabric famous far and wide.

However, being an experienced individual having weathered many storms, Shopkeeper Wu could still maintain his composure at this moment: "Miss Wang, this idea aligns perfectly with my thoughts. I will send a letter to the main house today. I’m sure they will agree wholeheartedly. If all goes well, we can proceed with this by next spring."

Wang Yongzhu thought to herself that of course the main house would agree. This was a chance to make a fortune—missing out would be foolish.

Only then did she slowly express her plans: "The Riches Dye Workshop and fabric business I purchased are well-located in Jing County, with convenient transportation, and the facilities are complete. If the wages are right, the previous shop assistants and dyers, I believe, could also be called back to continue working. No need to worry about finding suitable dyers...

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