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A woman in her forties emerged from a small door, dressed in a mung bean-colored satin jacket, with only a circle of embroidered lotus flowers on the collar. She wore a single gold peacock hairpin on her head, presenting a professional and capable appearance. Her features were delicate, and she seemed vaguely familiar.
When they saw the man behind her, they understood why she seemed familiar; the man turned out to be Steward Luo.
Dabao greeted loudly, “Steward Luo, what a coincidence.”
Chen Feng also smiled, indeed, there are no coincidences in life.
Chen Feng thanked Steward Luo again and briefly mentioned how his son had supported their cause.
Steward Luo smiled and said, “Madame and young miss both like Dabao. It’s only right.”
He then introduced the woman as his own younger sister.
This woman was Luo Shi, Manager Luo’s sister. Their mother was the former wet nurse of Lady Chu, who is now the Abbess. In other words, they were once the foster siblings of the Abbess.
Upon hearing that the buttons were designed by Chen Feng, Manager Luo seemed somewhat doubtful. After glancing at the buttons on Chen Feng’s chest, she said, “Although your buttons have unique color combinations, but…”
Steward Luo, however, fully believed in Chen Feng. He chuckled softly and said, “Little sister, those swallow dolls in young miss Yan’s hands were made by Ms. Chen. She is skillful and would not lie.”
Upon hearing this, Manager Luo’s eyes sparkled, and she hastily invited them to a private room to discuss further.
When she saw Chen Feng bring out the three dolls, she couldn’t hide her disappointment. She said, “Although these three dolls are somewhat novel, they don’t have the same stunning effect as the buttons. Compared to the swallow dolls, they are quite far off.”
Chen Feng nodded in agreement, indicating that she only made these three items to earn a little money.
Although these three cartoon dolls were different from contemporary dolls and quite adorable, they didn’t have the same stunning effect. She didn’t dare make dolls that were too attractive because such items are easily imitated by others, and she feared unscrupulous merchants might see them and drive down the price.
The Ni Shang Embroidery Workshop is a shop owned by the Chu family, and the shopkeeper is Manager Luo’s sister. She felt relatively at ease and also wanted to showcase her true abilities.
She smiled and said, “I can design buttons that are as beautiful as the chrysanthemum buttons, and there are many varieties. I can also make dolls and accessories that are even more attractive and adorable than these.”
Manager Luo was pleasantly surprised, “Really?”
Chen Feng nodded and said with a smile, “I wouldn’t dare lie to Manager Luo. However, I can’t make the buttons immediately. I have an agreement with Madam Lou, and I can’t make buttons for a year, let alone sell them.”
Manager Luo chuckled, “Are you referring to Madam Lou Si? She’s coming to Dingzhou in a few days to celebrate the young miss Yan’s birthday. The Ziyun Embroidery Workshop is her dowry shop. I’ll consult with her then and see if we can revise your agreement. If we introduce new-style buttons, Ni Shang Embroidery Workshop can also offer some benefits to Ziyun Embroidery Workshop, and everyone will benefit. Furthermore, would Ms. Chen be willing to cooperate with our Ni Shang Embroidery Workshop?”
Chen Feng had been waiting for this question and smiled, “What kind of collaboration are you proposing?”
Manager Luo pondered for a moment and said, “There are two options. The first is, you design something, and we pay you once. For example, if the designed accessory is as good as the chrysanthemum button, we will pay you twenty to thirty taels of silver. If it’s better, we’ll add more silver. If it’s not as good, we’ll deduct silver. The second option is, you become the new product manager for our embroidery workshop, providing new designs regularly, and we will pay you monthly. The monthly payment is, um…” After thinking for a moment, she said, “If the chrysanthemum button is truly your design, you will receive ten taels of silver as a monthly payment.”
Mrs. Wang listened with delight. If they were to collaborate long-term, it would amount to one hundred and twenty taels of silver in a year. However, she remembered her daughter’s warning before she left and didn’t dare to say too much.
Chen Feng thought for a moment and smiled, “I choose the first option.” She didn’t want to be tied down and added, “Since my family is close to Steward Luo’s family, I can ask Steward Luo or Mr. Luo Xiao to deliver the designs if they are created.”
Manager Luo nodded and then took the small chicken, dog, and duck dolls, saying, “These dolls are quite novel, well-made, and have good fabric. Children will like them. I’ll give you ten taels of silver. How’s that?”
Chen Feng nodded, ten taels of silver was fair.
Afterward, they drafted two copies of an agreement. Manager Luo and Chen Feng both signed and stamped them. They agreed that after consulting with Madam Lou, Chen Feng would design a button.
Chen Feng nodded in agreement. She planned to sell jewelry and dolls in the prefectural city and also wanted to visit and to inquire about purchasing fields in Zhongning County. Therefore, she had agreed with Chen Ming to stay in the Dingzhou Capital city for ten to fifteen days. Zhongning County was situated between the capital city and Sanqing County, and it took a little over an hour by donkey cart to reach there. Buying land there would not only divert attention but also wasn’t too far away.
Seeing that their business discussions were almost complete, Steward Luo smiled and said, “When Dabao comes to the prefectural city, he should visit young miss in the prefectural mansion. Among so many children, only Dabao can play with young miss.”
Dabao was thrilled to hear that he would see Chu Hanyan and immediately said, “I miss little Hanyan. I’ve also brought Qiqi and Gray to the prefectural city. They are at my third grandfather’s house. I’ll bring them to see little Yan as well.”
Steward Luo laughed and said, “That’s even better. First go to your third grandfather’s house and bring them. Then we’ll return to the Chu mansion together.” He then said to Chen Feng, “Ms. Chen, why don’t you join us for a visit as well? Last time my eldest son brought back the osmanthus and sticky rice dates you gave us, and young miss loved them. However, when the kitchen made the same dates, she didn’t like them. Can you make more for young miss?”
Chen Feng thought to herself that the girl was quite discerning. She made the sticky rice dates using water from her home with added ingredients, and there was indeed a subtle difference from the ones without added ingredients, and yet she managed to notice. She agreed and planned to take the opportunity when she returned home to retrieve some wood scraps of agarwood tree from the space.
She had intended to inquire about young miss Chu’s health, but she refrained from doing so. They were all tight-lipped about Chu’s illness, and it wouldn’t be wise to ask too much.
Steward Luo added, “Also, make a bigger swallow doll for young miss. She didn’t like the one made by the needlework room in the mansion. You can choose some satin and cotton here to make it. Please make it as soon as possible.”
Chen Feng agreed. If she could help the girl recover from her illness more quickly or bring some joy to her, she was willing to do anything.
She then selected some satin for making the larger dolls and estimated the quantity. This time, she chose several different colors, retaining off-white and adding navy blue, light blue, primrose, and crimson. Additionally, she requested some embroidery threads.