Chapter 271 The Best Treasure of the Shop
“Second Miss, you are exceptionally beautiful. Wearing the two dresses that are different from the dressing styles in the capital city makes the dresses even more appealing instantly. By then, you will only need to say that these dresses are from Butterfly Clothing Shop!” Madame Dong said profoundly.
Madame Dong eyed Qin Wanru’s stunning little face, which was beautiful when she was either angry or pleased. These dresses were very fairylike, and they were in harmony with Qin Wanru’s countenance. Madame Dong believed her eyes. “As long as Second Miss wears these clothes, the cloth and its brand will become famous in the capital, and the name of Butterfly Clothing Shop will also be known instantly.”
Even if few people knew its name and few Misses came to buy their clothes in the past, Butterfly Clothing Shop’s name would be known after the banquet.
“Then, let’s do it. What about opening tomorrow?”
“Okay, tomorrow is good. Will you come tomorrow, Second Miss?” Madame Dong asked. Qin Wanru was the shop’s real owner, but Madame Dong was the one known by the public.
“Sure, I will, but I may not enter our shop!” Qin Wanru smiled and said. Coincidentally, she didn’t have an excuse to leave the mansion tomorrow. Others might not know her shop would open, but her grandmother and mother knew it. So, it would be reasonable for her to go out.
Although she could not show her real identity in public, she still needed to take a look secretly.
“Okay. In fact, I have prepared everything; I only wait for your order, Second Miss!” Madame Dong smiled and said, full of joy. More and more, she felt that following the little master to enter the capital in the past was a wise choice.
Her master was not like some other masters, who were not professional but pretended to be, and also gave improper orders, instructing experts with their laymen’s knowledge. Nothing could be successful.
But Qin Wanru allowed Madame Dong to work with her ideas and also gave her reasonable suggestions on some things. As for the situation that their ideas coincided with some things, Madame Dong was very gratified indeed.
The longer she got along with Second Miss, the less she would dare to belittle her, feeling that Second Miss was exceptionally smart, not as weak as she looked. More and more, she believed it was not a wrong decision to follow Second Miss.
Thinking of Dong Xiuer’s matter, Madame Dong became more loyal to Qin Wanru!
Next, they discussed some details of the shop opening. Since it was inconvenient for Qin Wanru to appear, the truth that the Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion was its backer was not revealed. There were only several nearby shops to contact. As a woman skilled at handling relationships, Madame Dong had built good ties with some of the shopkeepers in the vicinity in a short time.
No doubt, this was because there were no other embroidery shops in the vicinity.
After discussing the details, Qin Wanru went upstairs to see the embroidered maids and the layout of the second floor before she felt satisfied with everything. Then, she got on her horse-drawn carriage with Yujie.
Madame Dong accompanied Qin Wanru to her carriage, saw her leave, and turned back to the shop.
Although they had made preparation, they still needed to make new plans for some things, for the shop was to open tomorrow. Immediately, she and Dong Xiuer began to work…
After leaving Butterfly Clothing Shop, Qin Wanru let her carriage take a few turns and stop at a gold item shop.
This one was no bigger than the previous one, but there were many customers. Most of them were Misses of the aristocratic families, served by servant girls and old maids. At first sight, she knew they were not ordinary.
It seemed that the invitation letters of the palace’s Flower Appreciating Banquet had made the capital’s market become a little more flourishing at once.
When the carriage stopped, wearing a curtain hat, Qin Wanru got off with Yujie and walked straight into the shop. Taking a look, they found the inside of the shop was even bigger than the previous one. That was why the shop bore the words “Century-old Shop” at its gate.
During the past 100 years, different dynasties appeared. Shops which could be as old as one hundred years were not usual.
This shop only had one floor, but it was wide and with many counters. Qin Wanru looked at them one by one and finally stopped before a set of cat’s eye ornaments.
The cat’s eye didn’t look so impressive as a ruby. At first glance, it was a little pale.
So, nearly no one cared about the ornaments, and everyone went to see the ornaments made of rubies!
Seeing a customer finally come, a shop-boy went hurriedly over to introduce it. “Miss, this set of items was customized by our shop’s carving master. It is only a cat’s eye, but it shines with different colors in the sunlight. Besides, it is also exquisitely made, with different sizes carved into different shapes!”
This set consisted of a hairpin, a decorative flower, two earrings, and a necklace.
The hairpin had a head shaped into a plum blossom, with a cat’s eye as its yellow pistil and a gold thread set carefully along its edge. It looked exceptionally stylish, different from other hairpins indeed.
The decorative flower was also mainly made of gold threads, with a pattern of frolicking butterflies. The pistils of the flowers between the two butterflies were cat’s eyes. Although they had slightly different shapes, they looked similar at first glance. Decorated by the gold thread butterflies, it looked delicate and beautiful.
Beneath the butterfly wings hung several rice grain-sized beads, which added somewhat light elegance to the flower.
Generally speaking, the set of ornaments mainly featured light elegance, in good harmony with the clothes Madame Dong tailored for Qin Wanru. Since it looked not eye-catching, it was left there alone. So, Qin Wanru got the chance to buy it.
“Pack them!” Qin Wanru nodded and Yujie said.
“Okay!” The shop-boy was overjoyed. His counter was no match for the ruby counter on the other side. Today he hadn’t sold anything. Hearing what Yujie said, he became energetic instantly, asking another one to take Yujie to pay. As he was packing the set of ornaments carefully, he introduced it to Qin Wanru cleverly.
“Miss, this set of ornaments can be counted as our shop’s best treasure, but no one recognized it. So, you’ve chosen a good one, Miss!”
“The shop’s best treasure?” Qin Wanru smiled and agreed. Looking all the way here, she felt this one was the most beautiful and exquisite one.
“Of course, it is. It was taken out just now. If it had been taken out much earlier, it would have been bought by the person knowing its value, although no one hadn’t cared about it. You have good luck, Miss!” the shop-boy smiled and said as he was packing fast.
“Why it is the shop’s best treasure?” Qin Wanru was interested, smiling, and asked.
The shop-boy raised his head to look around and whispered, “This set of ornaments was taken out by our shopkeeper today, made by our best carving master, who was uneasy to customize ornaments even if people beg!”
“Is your shop’s carving master unwilling to make ornaments?” Qin Wanru was surprised indeed.
“Of course, look at our shop, it’s a century-old shop. Without such a great master, how could our shop be a century-old shop? Many customers come because of his reputation and want him to customize items, but he only accepts orders relying on his mood. Most times, other masters accept orders. Look there, some people are still asking the master to carve!”
The shop-boy pointed to a counter around the corner, where shop-boys only received customers, but no items were seen.
“That’s where people customize products. Our small shop can customize jewelry with the gems that customers provide, but it is quite difficult to ask this master to carve!” the shop-boy clicked his tongue and said. “But they don’t know the set of ornaments of the master has long been displayed in the counter. Miss, is this not good luck?”
Hearing what he said, Qin Wanru became happy, with the corner of her mouth raised. Thinking about this, she knew she did have good luck!
Now, Yujie had paid the money and returned, showing the receipt to the shop-boy. The shop-boy received it, smiled, and handed the set of ornaments to Yujie.
Getting the ornaments, Qin Wanru didn’t linger anymore and turned around, ready to go out. She had been out for a long time, and it was time for her to return.
Just as she left the counter and walked to the shop’s gate, a shop-boy from another counter scuttled over to the shop-boy who packed Qin Wanru’s ornaments. He wiped away his sweat, and asked, “What about that set of cat’s eye ornaments? The shopkeeper asked you to put it away. Don’t sell it, there is already a buyer!”
“What? I… I just sold it!” the former shop-boy was stunned and said.
“Just sold it? Who bought it?” the shop-boy scuttling here asked quickly.
“It… it is that Miss!” the shop-boy looked around, saw the backs of Qin Wanru and Yujie, and reached out.
“Go, stop her!” the shop-boy coming to the counter said insidiously, “This set of ornaments has been ordered by someone and can’t be sold!”
“But she has paid!” the shop-boy in front said awkwardly.
“What of it? Do you know who ordered this set of ornaments?” the shop-boy behind him whispered.
“Don’t know!” the shop-boy in front shook his head, took a look at the back of Qin Wanru who had reached the gate, and said anxiously.
“She is the Miss of Duke Yong’s Mansion whom our shopkeeper also needs to fawn on. So, he thought about announced that the set of ornaments was made by the master. Knowing this, the Miss bought it at once.” Seeing the backs of Qin Wanru and her maid, the shop-boy coming later became quite anxious.
He stomped and turned around, running to the inside. As he ran, he said, “I’m going to report it to our shopkeeper. We can’t deal with it!”
“We can’t offend Duke Yong’s Mansion, but the Miss who left the shop also looks extraordinary. She might also be some great family’s lady, and our shop cannot offend her, either.” Thinking about it, he decided to leave the problem to the ladies.
The shop-boy coming later ran away, but the former was shocked. Seeing Qin Wanru taking her step out of the shop, he was suddenly relieved. “Even if the Miss of Duke Yong’s Mansion comes to make trouble, she can’t do anything. Anyway, she can’t get that lady back!
“An aristocratic family’s Miss also knows shame!”
The next moment, the shop-boy’s expression turned stiff, for he saw a Miss and her two maids coming ferociously from behind. They looked unfriendly.
Seeing that she came out of the shopkeeper’s room, the shop-boy knew this unfriendly Miss was from Duke Yong’s Mansion. He became panic and couldn’t help coming out of his counter.
He sold the jewelry. So, he couldn’t escape if anything went wrong.