Chapter 27: Am I Dreaming?

Wen Lan and Yu'er felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Wen Ye gave a dry cough. "We are selling them for 30 wen apiece."

The expression on Shopkeeper Liu's pretty face stiffened immediately. "Oh, my dear girl, you really don't understand the market. I've heard that Miss Yao bought hers at the high price of 30 wen. But while the 'rabbit holding a radish' design is cute and whimsical, it is also very easy to imitate."

"In a few more days, this kind of handkerchief will be all over the streets. Forget 30 wen; even if you priced them just three or four wen higher than ordinary handkerchiefs, they would be hard to sell."

Wen Lan and Yu'er felt their hearts turn cold instantly. As expected, imagination is beautiful, but reality is cruel.

However, Wen Ye raised an eyebrow and said, "As you said, that will be in a few days! Even if someone tries to imitate them now, they won't be able to grasp the essence in such a short time. Today is only the second day—the trend is at its peak. Everyone is looking for that exact rabbit handkerchief. If you take them to your main shop in the county seat right now, I am confident those 45 pieces will be sold out in less than a day."

The Qiuyue Embroidery Shop's main branch was in the provincial capital; this town location was merely a small sub-branch.

Shopkeeper Liu looked at Wen Ye in astonishment. "Little girl... how do you know so much about these things?"

"I just used my brain to figure it out."

Shopkeeper Liu's expression stiffened slightly. She took a light breath and said, "What you say makes sense, but... 30 wen is a bit steep, isn't it? You have to let me make a profit!"

"Then sell them for 35 wen," Wen Ye replied, raising her chin. "Since they are identical to the handkerchiefs belonging to the magistrate's daughter, I believe many people will be willing to pay a few extra wen."

For young ladies in the county or provincial capital who wanted to follow the trend, 35 wen was hardly a large sum. As long as their families were reasonably well-off, they would be willing to indulge in a little vanity.

"You girl, you really are..."

"You had better hurry. If you are a step too slow, others will have already copied them," Wen Ye said unhurriedly. "If you don't want them, we will just go to the county seat and set up a stall ourselves."

Shopkeeper Liu’s mouth twitched. "I'll buy them!"

"Good, it's a deal. 30 wen each, 45 pieces in total. That will be 1,350 wen!"

Wen Lan and Yu'er were completely stunned. They actually sold them? 30 wen each! Had it been up to them, they would have been scared off by Shopkeeper Liu's warning about being imitated and would have sold them for a pittance. Yet, through Wen Ye's maneuvering, they had sold every single one at a high price. Were they dreaming?

Shopkeeper Liu grumbled about how unbelievable this was while counting the money. Finally, she produced a silver ingot and 350 wen. "Here, take it."

"Wait, I have other handkerchiefs," Wen Ye said, suddenly pushing two more stacks toward her.

Shopkeeper Liu frowned, opening them while saying, "The reason your rabbit handkerchiefs commanded such a high price was because of the hype surrounding Miss Yao. I won't pay that for anything else—"

She stopped mid-sentence and gasped. She had assumed the other handkerchiefs would be ordinary flowers or plants, but these were two little kittens! They were in the same style as the rabbit handkerchiefs, but even cuter and more charming. With her experience, she knew that once these kitten handkerchiefs hit the market, they would surely trigger another trend.

Shopkeeper Liu became instantly excited, yet she looked at Wen Ye with wariness. "How much... how much for these?"

"150 wen each!"

As soon as these words left her lips, Shopkeeper Liu nearly tripped over herself. "O-one hundred and fifty wen? Girl, have you lost your mind? Why don't you just go rob someone!"

Wen Lan and Yu'er were so shocked their knees gave way. They already thought 30 wen for a handkerchief was outrageous, but this time, Wen Ye had set an astronomical price. It was a multiple-fold increase!

The two girls trembled in fear. Wen Lan was nearly in tears, tugging at Wen Ye's sleeve, but Wen Ye swatted her hand away.

Shopkeeper Liu frowned. "Little girl, you are truly greedy! A handkerchief for 150 wen—who would be willing to buy that?"

"That depends on your target demographic," Wen Ye said, shrugging. "If you tried to sell these to my sister, she would think even two wen was too expensive."

"But if you sell them to the daughters of wealthy families, they wouldn't even blink at paying one tael, let alone 150 wen. What they are buying is the novelty and the joy of it. Besides, the more expensive you make them, the more unique they will seem to them."

This statement completely refreshed the worldview of Wen Lan and Yu'er. Was this really the 'Ye' they knew? How could she spout such profound logic that they hadn't even dared to imagine?

Shopkeeper Liu frowned. "That may be so... but the fabric of these handkerchiefs is quite ordinary, and the embroidery technique is not particularly advanced. Even if wealthy young ladies like novelty, they aren't fools."

"Then change the fabric and the technique!" Wen Ye lifted her brow. "Don't tell me that once you have the kitten design, you won't know how to imitate it or have your own embroiderers learn to stitch it!"

Wen Lan and Yu'er were stunned by this revelation. Shopkeeper Liu's expression flickered. "You..."

"Go ahead and learn it!" Wen Ye said magnanimously. "You can use better silk or even embroider them onto circular fans. What I am selling isn't just embroidery; it’s the creativity! Do you want them or not? If not, I will take them away right now and sell them to someone else."

As she spoke, she gathered the stacks of kitten handkerchiefs and folded them up, not even letting Shopkeeper Liu get another look, as if afraid they would be stolen.

"Wait!" Shopkeeper Liu broke out in a cold sweat. Her mind raced, and without much hesitation, she nodded. "I... I will take them!"

A handkerchief, no matter how good the fabric, had limited value. But a circular fan was different; it was an accessory held by wealthy young ladies at all times—it was a status symbol. If these kittens were embroidered onto fans, their value would skyrocket. She wasn't buying handkerchiefs; she was buying the idea!

Wen Ye smiled. "Good. 150 wen each. There are 95 pieces here, totaling 14 taels and 250 wen. Adding the previous rabbit handkerchiefs, that makes 15 taels and 600 wen."

Shopkeeper Liu gasped. As she took the money from her drawer, she shook her head with a smile. "I've learned something today. I've lived over thirty years, but I've never seen anyone as clever as you."

"You're too kind."

Seeing that they needed to split the money, Shopkeeper Liu took out 15 one-tael silver pieces, and the remaining 600 wen in copper coins.

Wen Ye accepted the money happily. "By the way, Shopkeeper, do you need anything else?"

Shopkeeper Liu looked at Wen Ye's bright, shining eyes, and her eyelids twitched. "Sell... sell what?"

"Things like these cute kittens and rabbits. I drew them all myself. I can draw a few more different styles for you."

"You drew them?" Shopkeeper Liu couldn't believe it. At first, she thought these designs were drawn by a professional artist Wen Ye knew, and she had even wanted to ask who it was. She never expected it to be this girl.

A flattering smile immediately spread across Shopkeeper Liu's face. "Quick, let's go to the back room and have a good chat."

"No need," Wen Ye said, waving her hand. She pulled a sheet of paper from her basket with over twenty patterns drawn on it. Some were little mice, cows, tigers—the twelve zodiac animals. Beyond that, there were little deer, butterflies... each one round, plump, and utterly adorable.

Shopkeeper Liu's eyes lit up with intense greed. "These... you drew all of these?" If these designs were turned into a series of twelve zodiac circular fans, they would surely be a massive hit.

"Yes," Wen Ye nodded.