"Ah Ru, I think it’s best to wait and see. Doing business isn’t just about securing a storefront.
Getting a shop is just the first step. After that, you need to hire people and decorate the store. Without at least ten to twenty taels, it simply won’t work."
Mu Shuangshuang doesn’t mind collaborating with Ah Ru to open a ready-to-wear shop.
In Qingshan Town, there are quite a few wealthy families with wives and concubines.
They can definitely afford to buy a few pieces of clothing.
But if you’re not well-prepared, Mu Shuangshuang isn’t willing to invest money easily.
Upon hearing Mu Shuangshuang’s words, Ah Ru felt it made sense.
Indeed, she hasn’t prepared many things, and opening a shop might be too early.
"So, Shuangshuang, do you have any good ideas to help open the shop as soon as possible?" Ah Ru asked.
"I don’t have any good ideas, but at the very least, you need to keep earning capital. The more capital you have, the more confidence you’ll have when you open the shop."
And if the timing is right, Mu Shuangshuang might actually be able to contribute so effort.
The ready-to-wear business makes money too, although in Mu Shuangshuang’s eyes, not as quickly as running a restaurant.
"Alright, then let’s go with what Shuangshuang says. I’ll work hard for the next two months and see what the situation is like after the New Year."
"Ah Ru, help pick out two pieces of fabric for winter clothes, sothing warm, as I plan to fill them with cotton."
In ancient tis, cotton clothing was made with only cotton or hemp scraps as filler, unlike modern tis with various types of down jackets offering excellent warmth.
So Mu Shuangshuang could only make the clothes as thick as possible to keep her family from freezing.
"Just in ti, we recently received two pieces of fabric with fleece. Co with ," Ah Ru said, grabbing Mu Shuangshuang’s hand and pulling her along.
Mu Shuangshuang turned to Lu Yuanfeng and said, "Fengzi, co along and choose, see which color fabric you like."
Lu Yuanfeng nodded and followed Shuangshuang into Ah Ru’s fabric store.
Since there were only two pieces of fabric, there wasn’t much choice in colors. One was navy blue, intended for making n’s clothes.
The other was for won, a light red. Perhaps due to the dyeing, the colors were slightly different from usual fabrics.
For instance, the navy blue had a hint of blue in it.
The cotton-padded clothes made from it should look particularly new.
"These two pieces of fabric are the best in the store, but they’re quite expensive—two pieces cost one tael and eight qian of silver," Ah Ru said.
Ah Ru offered the fabric to Mu Shuangshuang at the original price, not taking advantage of her at all.
And her store only had those two pieces of such fabric.
Mu Shuangshuang paid the money and also asked for so leftover fabric pieces from Ah Ru. After so small talk, she suggested a few ideas for Ah Ru’s ready-to-wear shop.
They also agreed that no matter what, she would contribute so money by then.
As for the specifics, it would wait until Ah Ru confird the shop opening ti. Mu Shuangshuang would then see how much silver she had. If more, she’d contribute more; if less, she’d have to find another way.
Actually, Mu Shuangshuang wasn’t too worried. If money really ran out, selling the recipe for cold noodles or popcorn could fetch a good price.
Of course, unless it was absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
"Ah Ru, it’s getting late. Fengzi and I need to head back to the village. I’ll co see you again next ti."
"Alright, then I’ll think more about these things you ntioned." Ah Ru nodded gently.
After leaving Ah Ru’s fabric store, Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng bought so food at the market and other items needed for winter.
They also took the opportunity to learn what was currently selling well and what was in short supply.
It’s sothing Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng did every ti they went to the market.
Understanding the market allows them to create products that the market likes.
...
...
It wasn’t until Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng returned to Er Gui Village that they learned everyone in the Old Mu Family was on strike again.
Scolded as he was, Mu Dazhong stopped going out to work. Mu Danian, not willing to suffer alone, risked being beaten to death by not stepping out at all.
As for the fourth branch, Mr. Mu had no face to make them work.
So they all simply stayed ho, living idly.
"Sigh, I knew that rewards sche wouldn’t last long." Mu Shuangshuang sighed.
She was a bit frustrated, not just for anything else, but because she put her heart into the ideas she gave to Mr. Mu.
"Shuangshuang, you don’t need to bla yourself. I guess even your grandfather couldn’t manage it anymore, which is why everyone’s just doing as they please."
Yu Si Niang, having stayed in the Old Mu Family for over a decade, knew the personalities of everyone in the family well, despite ignoring everything else.
After the third branch separated, other than the fourth branch, none of them could do any work.
"If my grandfather can’t manage now, what about in the future? If my uncle really becos an official and starts embezzling or doing bad things, will my grandfather still turn a blind eye?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.
Yu Si Niang had nothing more to say because the decision was up to her father-in-law and only he could decide.
"Mom, the Old Mu Family is bound to fail. I just hope it won’t drag the third branch down when that happens!"
Laziness is a fundantal sin. If an entire family indulges in it, the whole family can be ruined.
To put it bluntly, Mu Shuangshuang isn’t concerned about what happens to the Old Mu Family; her greatest fear is being implicated.
The third branch can forgo the good tis, but they can’t suffer along with them.
"Shuangshuang, let’s just talk about this here. If it reaches your grandparents, they’ll definitely be upset."
A few days ago, Yu Si Niang heard soone was gossiping about the Old Mu Family behind their backs.
Her mother learned about it and scolded the person in front of the whole village. Now, no one in the village dared to casually talk about the Old Mu Family.
"Mom, rest assured, what happens to the Old Mu Family has nothing to do with . We’ll focus on living our good days."
After speaking, Mu Shuangshuang reported the purchased fabrics and other items to Yu Si Niang and inquired about the approximate cost of preparing things for the New Year, ensuring to calculate everything clearly.
...
...
After resting for half a day, Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng started working in the fields again. Since Mu Dazhong didn’t co out, the rice in the field wasn’t depleted by noon or night.
It’s likely that Mu Dazhong is the only one who could think of stealing grain.
Just as the sun rose, Mu Shuangshuang and Yu Si Niang had already been harvesting rice for quite so ti.
But surprisingly, several more people suddenly appeared in the Old Mu Family’s fields, which had been idle for a day.
Mu Shuangshuang recognized them and, after recalling, realized the people on the ridge were none other than Huang Bitao’s three brothers.
Looking further, she found Huang Bitao herself.
Could it be that the Huang Family ca to help?
Mu Shuangshuang was amazed. The Huang Family was genuinely admirable.
Huang Bitao had not yet married, but her brothers were already helping her future in-laws with the work.
And with this fresh blood in the Old Mu Family, work in the fields gradually caught up with that of other households.
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