Chapter 70: Celebrate the New Year Together
Su Luo went to Qinji to seek cooperation. The shopkeeper of Qinji naturally cooperated because of Qin Huai's care, and was very interested in the method Su Luo said, wondering if he could also cooperate with other businesses. Su Luo said it was up to you, as long as you don't leak this matter before the tenth day of the first lunar month, everything else is up to you. She asked about Qin Huai's whereabouts, but the shopkeeper didn't know either, only saying that it was the New Year and he probably went back to Nanjing. Su Luo scratched her chin and nodded. It seemed that after finishing the sale of the money box, she had to go to Nanjing to discuss the matter of "Compendium of Materia Medica" with Qin Huai, and by the way, complete the task assigned by the steamed bun lady.
It is now late December, and the Little New Year is coming. Although it is the Little New Year, the ancient people also attached great importance to it. They would take down the smoked blackened image of the Kitchen God on their stoves, make a straw horse out of straw, smear some kitchen sugar or rice cake on the Kitchen God's mouth, and burn these things. The Kitchen God would eat the sugar and ride the horse back to the heaven to report on his work. The Kitchen God is the prosecutor who supervises the owner's actions throughout the year. Because he eats the sugar and his mouth is sweet, the Kitchen God only talks about the good things of the owner. When the Jade Emperor hears it, he will say, "Well, this family is good. I hope you will be safe and smooth next year." The owner's goal is achieved. It seems that bribery is not only applicable to the human world, but also to the heaven.
But these gods are so easy to fool, they can be sent away with just a piece of candy.
The old Kitchen God left, and the new Kitchen God would take office after the New Year. Therefore, from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to the 30th day of the lunar year, there was no prosecutor in the house. Without the supervision of the Kitchen God, most people indulged in overeating, gambling, and committing small mistakes that they thought they should not commit. Anyway, there was no one to supervise them, so they were not afraid of being sued. This made Su Luo very happy, because because of this, many more people came out to have fun, and the KTV industry's business also ushered in an unprecedented peak period. Seeing the scene of guests coming in every day, she was reluctant to sell the cash box, so she begged the Kitchen God to rest for a few more days in heaven so that these working people could relax thoroughly.
New Year is the most important festival for the ancients, especially for wealthy families like the Su family. Starting from the Little New Year, the servants were busy all day long. Su Luo didn’t know what they were busy with. Anyway, she was quite idle. Every day, apart from checking the cash box, she would wander around the streets, thinking about doing some other business after selling the cash box.
In the meantime, she had to go to Jintaixuan to take a look. After all, it was her "family"'s business, so it was normal to show some concern for it.
Jintaixuan is not too far from Qiangui, as they are both on the most prosperous commercial street in Zhuxian Town. It's just that Su Luo didn't know about this relationship before, and he didn't pay attention to it. Now, it seems that the scale of this store is not small. The facade alone is twice as big as Qiangui. The store has all kinds of silks and satins, and there are ready-made clothes for sale.
Ready-made clothes were not a popular business in ancient times, because knitting and sewing were almost necessary for ancient women, and making clothes and insoles was even easier. If someone didn't know this skill, the in-laws would look down on you. Of course, Su Luo didn't know it.
For this reason, ready-made clothes are not easy to sell. Most silk shops only display a few of the simplest styles for customers who are out and about. However, it is different at Jintaixuan. The ready-made clothes are neatly displayed in two rows, one for men and one for women. The quality and styles vary. Some of the women's clothes seem to be popular styles, and there are a few styles that Su Luo has only seen people wearing in Nanjing, and they have not yet become popular in Zhuxian Town.
These were not the things that surprised Su Luo the most. What interested her the most was that these ready-made clothes were actually divided into sizes.
Small, medium, large, extra large.
As I said earlier, the clothing industry had no market in ancient times. Stores only sold ready-made clothes as a sideline, which was not profitable at all. How could anyone make so many styles and even divide the sizes so finely? The most important thing is, the square cloth label sewn inside the collar of the clothes has the words Jintaixuan printed on it. Is it a trademark?
Although people are paying attention to branding these days, at most they would stamp or print on the seam of the fabric to indicate that the product is sold by this store. This is the first time Su Luo has seen such a clear form of trademark.
Seeing Su Luo's surprised expression , Su Hong, who was temporarily helping in the shop, smiled and said, "Is it new? This is something Sister Jiang came up with. In the first few years, other fabric shops were very disdainful of our large-scale sales of ready-made clothes. What about the past two years? They have also learned from us."
"Are there so many people buying it?" Su Luo doubted.
"Of course there weren't any before." Su Hong laughed, "But there are so many clothes hanging in the store. First, customers have more choices when they enter the store. Second, these clothing styles can be used to stimulate those who just want to take a look. Many people buy clothes because they like the style of our clothes. Third, the clothes in our store are all marked. Whoever buys one will never forget Jintaixuan no matter where he wears it. These three words will form an impression in his mind, and he will come again next time. So now, ready-made clothes have gradually been accepted by people, and more and more stores have begun to sell ready-made clothes. I am applying to my father to open a separate ready-made clothing store. I believe that the future of the ready-made clothing industry must be glorious!"
Su Luo quickly interrupted his beautiful fantasy and pointed at the trademark on the collar, "Did Su Jiang come up with this too?"
Su Hong was puzzled. "What's so new about this? As for the signboard, every store has it. We just print it smaller and sew it directly onto the clothes."
Su Luo had just suspected that Su Jiang was also a dresser, but after hearing what Su Hong said, her doubts were dispelled. Yes, it's just a signboard, the Chinese people have used it for thousands of years, why don't they sew it on the collar, why don't they divide their clothes into different sizes? The ancient people were not stupid!
Thinking of this, Su Luo took the opportunity to inquire about Su Jiang. As expected, it was almost the same as she thought. Su Ji was not the biological son of the second aunt, but the concubine. The other two daughters had nothing to do with the second aunt. She only gave birth to Su Jiang, because at that time the second uncle loved the concubine who gave birth to a son. The second aunt made up her mind and said that she also gave birth to a son and raised Su Jiang as a son since childhood. Su Jing always wanted to cultivate the second generation into talents, so he brought the boys in the family with him since childhood. Su Jiang was really competitive. When he was thirteen or fourteen years old, he showed his talent for business. Some of the suggestions he made were just trials at first, but later became the main business of the store. Jintaixuan's business grew bigger and bigger without notice. Two years ago, it opened a branch in Kaifeng, and became a leader in the fabric industry in Zhuxian Town. The name of Su Wugongzi gradually spread . As Su Jiang's status in the family grew day by day, Second Aunt dared not reveal her secret any more, until Su Jiang was sixteen years old and reached the age to get married. She had no choice but to make it public. She told the public that a monk had read Su Jiang's fortune since he was a child and said that he should be raised as a boy. The ancient people were very simple and honest. They believed it without any doubt and felt very sympathetic towards Su Jiang. Only the eldest uncle almost had a heart attack. From what Su Hong said, it seemed that the eldest uncle wanted to hand over the family business to Su Jiang in the future.
Su Luo didn't believe it. She didn't believe that the smiling tiger-like uncle could really distinguish between public and private affairs so clearly. He already had a son but wanted to pass on the family business to his nephew.
Su Luo saw through Su Luo's thoughts, shook his head and smiled, "Jintaixuan is an inheritance from our ancestors. Before Grandpa passed away, he said that the family business would never be divided. How the business is run is up to our uncles and us. My elder brother and I are not good at doing business . It's okay for us to run a shop, but it's difficult to expand it. Dad saw this in us, so he never let us manage the business in Zhuxian Town."
Hearing this, Su Luo began to admire Su Jing. The ancestral precept of not dividing the family business was all nonsense. Just based on his desire to expand and strengthen the family business, he was a qualified businessman.
"So Su Jiang has never married, is she looking for a live-in son-in-law?"
"Father does think so. Sister Jiang's reputation has already spread. Even if she is allowed to be the head of the family in the future, outsiders will not be able to say anything wrong."
Su Luo suddenly realized why Aunt Mantou was so anxious to let Su Xuan show up. The current situation is that Su Jiang is the only one among his peers who is surprisingly outstanding. If Su Xuan suddenly gains divine power and does something that contributes more than Su Jiang, Su Jing might consider handing over the family business to Su Xuan.
"What did Su Jiang do that everyone is talking about?"
"Our store used to sell cloth."
Su Luo looked around and said, "Isn't it selling cloth now?"
"In the past, we went to the cloth shop to collect cloth and then sold it back. Now, we notify the cloth shop of the cloth that sells well and increase the supply, while reducing the inventory of other cloth that sells poorly. There is more room for money turnover, and the cloth can be updated in time. Don't underestimate the update of cloth. Some cloth has only been on the market in Jiangnan for a few days, but we already have it in our store. In addition, the store has hired two designers and tailors." Su Hong pointed to the two people sitting behind the counter, "Whoever comes to buy cloth, we ask what the cloth is used for, and we can help design it for free. Whether it's curtains, sheets, clothes or shoes, we guarantee that they are not the same as those of other shops." Su Hong smiled again, "In fact, these things may not have been done by no one in the cloth industry, but we did it, all thanks to Sister Jiang's perseverance."
Su Luo nodded, not rushing for immediate benefits. It seemed that Su Jiang was really capable, so he would have to ask for more advice in the future.
Su Luo has been here for almost a year, and she hasn't made any friends of the same age. This time, she finally met someone of similar age, single, and also a businessman. They will definitely have something in common. She had a hunch about this since the first day she met Su Jiang.
However, her premonition seemed to be inaccurate. Su Jiang had always been lukewarm towards her. She didn't know if it was a natural trait. Su Hong said that it was already good. Sister Jiang spoke even less before. Su Luo was relieved.
Come to think of it, a girl who has been dressed as a man since she was a child, not only can't have a girlfriend, but also has to be very cautious with male friends. How can such a person have a cheerful personality? Thinking of this, Su Luo raised her arm and clenched her fist. Liberating Su Jiang became her slogan for some time in the future.
Two days later, on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Qiangui's business began to slow down. Everyone was busy going home to celebrate the New Year. Su Luo simply gave the store employees a holiday and brought Yunlang and Bao Zixing to Su's house to celebrate the New Year together.
No one said anything about Su Luo's action of bringing outsiders back, except the second aunt, who looked unwilling and said a lot of sarcastic words. Su Luo was too lazy to fight back, but Aunt Mantou was used to fighting back, so she dragged the second aunt to a warm place to have a war of words, leaving Su Luo alone.
Speaking of the second aunt, Su Luo felt that she was dissatisfied with herself. She already had a capable daughter, who might have been prepared to be the mistress of the house. Now someone who was capable of doing business had appeared and was highly valued by Su Jing. It was hard to predict what would happen in the future.
But Su Luo didn't have time to think about these things. She was busy playing Landlord with Yun Lang. It was very simple to make a deck of cards. Su Hong also came over to join in the fun. The four of them played upgrades and Su Hong's face was covered with notes. Su Hong was generous and generous, and she was very compatible with Yun Lang. After playing a round of cards, the two of them started calling each other brother and sister. The laughter in the west courtyard spread throughout the garden. Su was sewing something she had nothing to do while looking at them with a smile on her face. Su Yi squatted behind Su Luo to watch the fun. Su Luo suddenly felt that such a life was simply too happy. Of course, she would be happier if she were in another place.
Su Luo asked Su Hong to call Su Jiang, but Su Hong waved her hand and said that Su Jiang had gone to the shop early in the morning. Su Luo really admired him. It was so cold and there were not many customers, but he still stayed at his post. It was not easy.
Hearing Su Luo praising Su Jiang, Su Hong felt as if she was being praised, which made Su Luo even more curious about Su Jiang. Logically speaking, with her cold personality, her relationship with her brothers and sisters should be weak, but the fact is obviously not the case. Not only the enthusiastic Su Hong, but also Su Xuan and Su Qi, are very impressed with Su Jiang.
Su Luo threw the cards in his hand and said, "Let's go to the store, take a walk and pick her up. It would be pitiful for her to stay in the store alone during the New Year."
Su Hong responded immediately, and Yunlang and Su Yi were not far behind. Under Su's instructions, they dressed warmly. Just as they were about to go out, a servant who usually followed Su Hong ran in and greeted Su first, then the fourth young lady... Ahem! The Su family arranged the boys in order and the girls in order. Su Luo was the fourth in line. The first, second and third sisters were all married. The fifth sister was Su Jiang, and the sixth sister was also married. Su Qi was the seventh.
The servant asked for everyone's well-being before hurriedly saying to Su Hong, "Second Young Master, Fifth Young Master is injured and is now in the front hall."
This fifth young master is also Su Jiang. The Su family has four genuine young masters, plus a fake one. In any case, Su Jiang is the fifth among all the men and women .
When Su Hong heard this, she jumped up immediately and ran outside. Su Luo followed her out and asked how seriously Su Jiang was injured as they walked.
The servant said, "Actually, he wasn't hurt, he was just frightened. A young man on horseback almost bumped into the Fifth Young Master."
Su Luo was stunned, "Did the young master send her back?"
The servant nodded and said, "They are two young masters."
I almost burst out laughing. This scene sounded familiar. They were probably going to compose a love song. I'll have to see what the two gentlemen look like. It's not easy to act out such a clichéd plot.
When they arrived at the front hall, the people from the second room had already arrived and were surrounding Su Jiang and asking questions. Su Jiang looked a little unhappy, but Su Luo thought that it was because her mother was annoyed, not because she was scared.
Looking again, the second uncle was chatting with two people. They looked quite handsome from behind. Su Luo saw that Su Jiang was busy and couldn't get rid of the second aunt for a while, so he squeezed next to the second uncle. As soon as he met those two people, he almost choked to death.
"Lao Zhou? Qin Huai? How did you meet each other?"
