“Guniang, guniang, good news!”
Xiao Cui ran excitedly into the study. “Guniang, Lu hou fu has sent a matchmaker to propose marriage!”
“Huh?”
The news left everyone in Zhilan Yuan stunned.
Qing Mei grabbed Xiao Cui’s hand. “Really? Tell us exactly what happened!”
“If Lu hou fu is proposing marriage, then doesn’t that mean guniang will marry into their family? Compared to san guniang’s match, this seems much better!” Qing Zhu said happily on Gu Jiu’s behalf.
Gu Jiu rubbed her temples. Hearing that a matchmaker had come with a proposal, she too was momentarily dazed.
She was supposed to be the frail, sickly one – how could someone actually want to propose to her? Could it be a mistake?
But when she heard it was from Lu hou fu, she knew it wasn’t a mistake. Still, the first thought in her mind was: this marriage was unlikely to go smoothly.
“Xiao Cui, tell me everything.”
Xiao Cui caught her breath before saying, “Just now, Chun He jiejie saw Matchmaker Li out. Nubi asked around – Matchmaker Li came on behalf of the Lu hou furen. She proposed on behalf of the di younger son of the household. And the proposal is for guniang. Lu hou’s younger son will turn seventeen after the New Year. He’s just the right age for you.”
“Congratulations, guniang, congratulations!” Qing Zhu beamed.
Gu Jiu gave a short laugh. “The characters for the marriage contract haven’t even been written yet – don’t be in such a hurry to congratulate me.”
Qing Mei asked, “Guniang, are you worried this marriage won’t succeed?”
Gu Jiu replied, “Lu hou fu isn’t like other noble families. Lu hou himself commands heavy troops. The court fears him, and other noble families both guard against him and try to win him over.
“Do you know what marrying into such a household means? It means high risk. Father has always valued stability. I doubt he’d readily agree to this match. And as for taitai – do you think she’d allow me to marry into a family better than her darling daughter’s?
“Just wait and see. This marriage is far from certain. So don’t be too quick to celebrate, and don’t go blabbing outside. If it falls through, we’ll be the laughingstock.”
Qing Mei nodded. “Don’t worry, guniang. Nubi will keep everyone in line. No gossip will spread. Xiao Cui, you keep an eye on things in the household. If you hear anything unfavourable about guniang, you must report at once.”
Xiao Cui said, “Don’t worry, Qing Mei jiejie. I know what’s important.”
Qing Zhu asked, “Guniang, do you truly think this marriage won’t happen?”
Gu Jiu set down her book. “Father hasn’t spoken yet. It’s too early to say anything.
“I’ve heard that a major case has just come up in the yamen. Father leaves early and returns late every day, too busy with the case to spare any attention.
“Qing Mei, tell Li Chuan to pay attention to any news outside the manor. And have Erzhuang watch what’s happening in the capital. Even though we women are confined to the inner residence and it’s inconvenient to go out, we can’t just blind ourselves to what’s going on.”
“Yes, guniang. Nubi will find Li Chuan right away and have him pass the word to Erzhuang.”
Qing Mei then added, “Erzhuang has mentioned several times that he’d like guniang to find him a task. He feels uneasy sitting idle every day.”
Gu Jiu chuckled. “He really can’t stay idle. Ask him if he’s found a shop he likes.”
Qing Mei said, “He’s looked at many, but the rents are too high. The cheaper ones are in poor locations. Guniang, may nubi ask – what kind of business do you plan to do?”
Gu Jiu said, “Our capital is limited, so we can only do small trades. Think about it – which business would work best?”
Qing Zhu was the first to speak. “Food! Let’s do food.”
Qing Mei shook her head. “With food, Erzhuang couldn’t manage alone. We’d have to hire help. Better to do something he can handle himself – like selling hairpins or little trinkets. Even girls from small families in the capital like to adorn themselves. They usually have a little money. If the hairpins are pretty and not too expensive, I’m sure many would buy them.”
Xiao Cui suggested, “What about selling pickles? Families eat them all year round.”
Qing Mei shook her head again. “Too many people make their own pickles. You’d hardly make any profit, and it takes time and effort. The jars take up space too, meaning extra rent.
“I still say hairpins. We wouldn’t need a big shop, just a cheap place. Our customers would be ordinary families’ daughters and wives.
“And it’s a business we maids can help with. We could do handicrafts in our spare time and sell them in the shop. In a few years, once guniang has earned money from the northwest, she can open a bigger jewellery shop catering to wealthy ladies.”
Gu Jiu looked at Qing Mei in surprise. She hadn’t realised Qing Mei had such a head for business.
She said, “Good. Keep thinking – this business will belong to all of you too.”
Qing Mei quickly shook her head. “We don’t need a share, guniang. As long as we can help ease your burdens, that’s enough.”
Qing Zhu agreed. “We already get our monthly allowance. There’s no need for a share. Besides, guniang doesn’t have much money. It should be saved for emergencies. If something comes up, at least we’d have funds to smooth the way.”
Gu Jiu laughed. “You all underestimate me. Do you think I can only scrape by on this little bit of silver I have?”
Qing Zhu smiled. “Guniang certainly has abilities. But making money doesn’t happen overnight. It’s always good to have reserves, just in case.”
Gu Jiu smiled back. “All right, I understand your intentions. We’ll talk about shares later. For now, let’s settle on the business first. What do you think of Qing Mei’s idea about hairpins?”
The maids exchanged glances, then all nodded in agreement.
“Nubi thinks Qing Mei jiejie is right. With the pearl-flower business, Erzhuang alone can manage it. And Erzhuang is handsome – young ladies and married women all like his type, so business definitely won’t be bad. If we add some fashionable styles, make more varieties, I don’t believe the city’s young ladies and wives won’t buy them.”
Getting excited, Xiao Cui laughed, as if already seeing a scene of booming business.
Gu Jiu nodded. “The pearl-flower trade can indeed be done, but there’s one problem you’ve all overlooked. Accessories like pearl flowers are very easy to copy.
“Once someone sees Erzhuang doing good business, they’ll surely follow suit. They’ll make the same designs, or even create variations, offering more and better than ours. By then, Erzhuang’s business may collapse overnight.”
“Ah, then what do we do?”
“Guniang’s concern is justified. Pearl flowers aren’t a big business – it doesn’t take much capital to make them. As soon as Erzhuang succeeds, imitators will definitely appear. Guniang, what shall we do then?”
Qing Mei grew anxious. She didn’t want the business they’d worked so hard to start to be stolen away.
Gu Jiu smiled. “But we have one advantage no small merchant has. Don’t forget, laoye is the Prefect of the capital. Behind Erzhuang stand the Gu fu and the hou fu. With such a backing, rest assured, the business will survive.
“Merchants in the capital are shrewd. When they see Erzhuang has powerful support, they won’t go too far. Erzhuang eats meat, they drink soup – everyone ends up satisfied.
“Still, you mustn’t get careless. You need to think harder, keep introducing new and fashionable designs. Even invent fresh ideas ourselves and push them into the market. As long as they’re well received, we’ll profit. Whether it’s dozens of taels or hundreds, as long as there’s money to be made, I won’t despise small sums.”
The maids all laughed.
Qing Mei teased, “Guniang has fallen into the money pit.”
“Guniang is nothing but a little money-grubber.”
Gu Jiu’s eyes curved with amusement. “I’m counting on one day becoming a true little rich woman. So everyone has to work hard.”
“Rest assured, guniang, we won’t disappoint you.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Tell Erzhuang to hurry and secure a shop. Get me the measurements, I’ll think about how to decorate it.”
“Guniang, you’ll have to be frugal – we don’t have much left.” Qing Mei reminded her.
Gu Jiu felt a pang. She whispered to Qing Mei, “Good Qing Mei, tell me, exactly how much do I still have left?”
Qing Mei fetched the account book, picked up the abacus, and clumsily began calculating.
Gu Jiu silently watched her, offering no complaint – she wouldn’t scold. Qing Mei needed the practice; this was a rare chance for her to learn.
The accounts weren’t many, so Qing Mei quickly finished.
She reported, “Guniang, you have two hundred twenty-one taels and five qian of silver left, plus three hundred copper coins. As for the gold and silver ingots, five of each remain.”
Gu Jiu sighed deeply. From thousands of taels, only two hundred or so remained.
She had to open new sources of income and cut expenses quickly.
Gu Jiu said, “New Year is coming soon. Everyone will have some pocket money on hand. Ask Erzhuang if he can open the shop before the holiday. We’ll prepare stock in advance – once the shop opens, send in the goods so Erzhuang can start selling immediately.
“If demand grows later, we can directly hire outsiders to make pearl flowers and other small ornaments.”
She had already thought it through: break down the making of pearl flowers into steps, operate it like a production line.
That way, she wouldn’t fear others learning the craft and starting rival businesses.
Pearl flowers might be a small trade, but it would require everyone’s time and effort.
In the future, once she had money, Gu Jiu thought, she’d buy a shop in the capital’s busiest district and open a jewellery store – selling the most expensive jewels and ornaments, earning from the rich.
That would be a delightful life indeed.
She had been poor for too long.
Since crossing into this world, aside from a few days of wealth, most of the time she’d lived as a pauper.
Being without money was terrifying!
In life, you can lack many things, but not money.
Gu Jiu resolved to become a little rich woman – and would begin working toward it now.
Qing Mei went to find Li Chuan, telling him to deliver a message to Erzhuang.
Meanwhile, Qing Zhu, Xiao Cui, and Wang Yi brought out the scraps and odds and ends they’d saved, preparing to make pearl flowers.
Gu Jiu’s handicraft skills were only average, so at first she simply observed.
The simple designs were easy to make, requiring only some force to shape them.
That didn’t stump Gu Jiu – she quickly learned.
The complicated pearl flowers, however, cost more and took much longer to make.
So Gu Jiu said, “For now, let’s only make simple pearl flowers – the ones that take just a few bends to form. They’re most suitable. After all, our target customers are women from modest families, whose purchasing power is limited.
If this batch sells well, then later we can add varieties – some pricier ones – for people to choose from.
Also, each design – we only make twenty pieces. Even when our volume increases, no more than two hundred per design.”
“Guniang, why only twenty?”
Gu Jiu smiled. “As I said before, once business grows, imitators will surely appear. How do we set ourselves apart? By selling in limited quantities.”
“Other shops can supply the same styles of jewelled hairpins in unlimited quantities. But in our shop, every style of jewelled hairpin is strictly limited.
“If you were the ones buying hairpins, would you rather buy something so common that everyone has one? Or would you prefer a limited design, one that only a few others share with you?”
Xiao Cui jumped in first, “Of course I’d buy the limited ones!”
Qing Zhu was a little worried. “But young ladies all like to compare and follow trends. If we limit supply, won’t we lose some customers?”
Gu Jiu nodded. “Of course, we’ll lose some customers. But in the long run, this kind of strategy will help us build a unique style of our own.
“In the future, whenever young ladies or newlyweds want to buy jewelled hairpins or other accessories, the first place they’ll think of will be our shop – only later will they go to the smaller merchants.
“Who knows, one day our hairpins might even become an essential part of every bride’s dowry.”
“That would be wonderful!” Xiao Cui clapped her hands and laughed.
Gu Jiu went on, “When we make more money in the future, we’ll open a jewellery shop that caters exclusively to the wealthy.
“I’ve already thought it out – every piece in that jewellery shop must be one of a kind. Any piece priced over a thousand taels will have only a single unique design.”
“Wow! The daughters of rich families will probably fight over the jewellery,” Xiao Cui said dramatically.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Gu Jiu picked up her brush and sketched a few new designs. “What do you think of these patterns? If we make jewelled hairpins after these designs, will they look good?”
Xiao Cui leaned in to look. “They’re beautiful! If the hairpins are made according to these designs, they’ll definitely look wonderful.”
Qing Zhu said, Nubi wi’ll try making one first.”
Qing Zhu was skilled with her hands. Following the drawing, she quickly made a jeweled hairpin.
It was crafted from scraps of bright red silk, blooming like a rose in full blossom.
“It’s so pretty!”
Xiao Cui loved it. “Qing Zhu jiejie, can you put it on my head? I bet it will look even better when worn.”
Qing Zhu looked to Gu Jiu for permission. Seeing her nod, she slipped the jewelled hairpin into Xiao Cui’s hair.
Xiao Cui’s face lit up with excitement. “Well? How does it look?”
“Here, look in the mirror.”
Wang Yi brought over a bronze mirror.
Xiao Cui turned her head left and right, grinning like a fool. “I love it! It’s so pretty. Qing Zhu jiejie, your hands are amazing.”
Qing Zhu laughed. “It’s because guniang’s design is so beautiful.”
Gu Jiu said, “No matter how good the design is, it needs skilled hands to bring it to life. If you all think this style looks good, then make plenty more.”
“It’s gorgeous, gorgeous! We must make more – it’ll definitely sell well.”
Xiao Cui was the most excited.
Everyone was full of energy, each looking forward to the day business would flourish.
But while some were happy, others were not.
When Gu Yue heard that Lu hou fu had come with a marriage proposal – for Gu Jiu of all people – she gaped in disbelief.
“How is that possible? What’s so good about Gu Jiu? Lu hou furen isn’t blind – how could she have chosen her?”
“This is absolutely true, guniang. The news has spread throughout the manor.”
Gu Yue snorted. “I don’t believe Gu Jiu could have such luck. In what way am I inferior to her? None of the noble households have proposed to me, so why should Gu Jiu be singled out by the Lu hou furen? Is it just because she knows how to do accounts?”
Burning with resentment, Gu Yue told her maid, Putao, “Come with me to see Mother. I need to speak to her – this marriage must never be agreed to.”
If Gu Jiu married better than her, how humiliating would that be?
No matter what, she had to stop Gu Jiu from marrying into the Lu hou fu.
Gu Yue rushed over to Furong Yuan.
But a maid blocked her path.
Gu Yue was furious. “Get out of my way! Who gave you the courage to stop me?”
Guo Taohua trembled nervously, speaking carefully, “San guniang, taitai has ordered that no one disturb her, unless it’s laoye himself. Nubi dare not disobey taitai’s command. Please return, san guniang.”
“You insolent wretch! A mere maid dares block me? Don’t you know a single word from me could send you to the laundry room, doing menial labour for the rest of your life?”
Guo Taohua shivered, but still firmly held her ground. “Even if san guniang punishes nubi, nubi cannot let you in. This was taitai’s order – without her permission, no one may enter.”
Gu Yue’s rage exploded. “You lowly slave! How dare you–”
“Oh, so it’s san guniang. Nubi wondered who was making such a racket, nearly waking taitai from her rest.”
Chun He had heard the commotion, and came out of the room, smiling faintly as she looked at Gu Yue.
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