Chapter 235: The Flower Pavilion

Chapter 235

"Prince An speaks wisely. Earlier, I hadn't given adequate thought," uttered Old Master Song, eyes glinting with a barely suppressed flame.

The people had suffered under the hand of Xuanping House for a long time.

He was determinedly neutral, but when it came to overthrowing Xuanping, he would be obliged to lend a hand.

He desired that Xuanping's heir should face justice as soon as possible, so the suffering common folk could finally see their salvation.

"Rest assured, he will soon pay the price, principal and interest," Li Shuchen picked up his teacup, only to notice Old Master Song's grimace out of the corner of his eye as he brought the tea to his lips.

He halted his drink midway, raising an eyebrow at Old Master Song.

Upon finding himself the subject of Li Shuchen's gaze, Elder Master Song scratched his head, saying forthrightly, "My niece once said, the temperature of tea matters greatly. Too cold, it can bring out the cooling properties of the tea leaves; too hot, it can burn your esophagus and stomach. Warm tea is best."

"My niece's father was once a royal doctor, so I take her words to heart. Seeing Your Highness consume cold tea, I couldn't help but feel unsettled. I hope you can pardon my intrusion."

"No harm done," Li Shuchen placed his tea cup down.

Huan once said: the first duty of a man is to respect his wife's opinions.

Even though he did not believe that Master Song would betray today's confidential discussion to Qi Huan, wherever she could not see him, he would still honor each of her words as law.

Aside from terms like 'stop' or 'don't want', he almost always complied with Huan's wishes.

A mere cup of tea? Just switch to a warm one.

*

Meanwhile, within the Flower Chamber.

Wooden mannequins, meticulously polished and varnished, dressed in a variety of dresses lined up neatly inside the lobby on the first floor. The peculiar thing about it was, each mannequin had different body proportions.

Yuan Yuan, with a pleasant smile, explained, "Our master says that simply designing clothing on paper or hanging them on a wall doesn't suffice. It's not demonstrative enough.

So we made these dummies for display.

The clothes on these dummies are size 'S'. The second rank are 'M', the third are 'L', the fourth are 'XL', and the fifth are 'XXL'. We can also provide custom fittings."

"What do these 'S', 'M', and 'L' stand for?" asked Elder Madam Song, curious.

She had read a good amount of literature, but stepping into this shop, why did she suddenly feel illiterate?

Yuan Yuan patiently clarified, "S stands for small, M stands for medium, L stands for large, XL stands for extra large, XXL stands for double extra large..."

Hearing this, Qi Huan is taken aback.

She had clearly told Xiu Yuan, XL meant extra large, why did it turn into 'large large' in Yuan Yuan's words?

Also, why didn't Xiu Yuan simply translate the S/M/L codes into words that are easily understood in this era?

Actually, Xiu Yuan did it on purpose, for the sake of a unique trademark.

Not only did they continue with the S/M/L usage, but on the cuff of every piece of clothing, a small flower was embroidered, signifying the Flower Chamber.

Below the small flower embroidered with silk, there was also a simple serial number to prevent counterfeiting.

When she finished, Qi Huan did not immediately close the catalog. Instead, she said: "Since we're here, let's choose a few more."

"No, no." Panic fills the eyes of Song You'an as she hurriedly waves her hands.

If she continues to choose, she estimates that her mother and father will secretly weep for days when they return home.

Coming from a modest family, she's always been frugal.

Furthermore, after reaching the age of womanhood, her height hasn't increased much. She can still wear last year's clothes. She only needs to make an outfit for going out.

Seeing through her thoughts, Qi Huan signals Yuan Yuan and the others to step back for now.

"Grandmother, Aunt, surely you've seen earlier how well our restaurant is doing. According to Xiu Yuan who secretly reported to me, today's profit is around this figure."

She extends six slender, fair fingers and brings them together.

Elder Madam Song gapes, "Sixty taels?"

"No, six hundred taels."

Elder Madam Song instantly pinches herself in disbelief, afraid she might faint from excitement.

Six hundred taels in a single day, thirty times that in a month, that's a lot of money!

She laughs and cries in delight, "Huan Huan, you're just like a living God of Wealth. What kind of pastry do you like?"

In the future they could just worship Huan Huan instead of any God of Wealth!

Qi Huan blinks, smiling cheerfully, she continues:

"There are plenty of rich people in the capital. If each one plucks a hair for us, our days will get better and better!

The Song family will also become more and more prosperous. After all, we are the lucky ones who can find coins in our dumplings on New Year's Eve!"

Xiu Yuan very much has the potential of a cunning merchant. He says to do high-end business, prices must be expensive.

The simple-minded gents would not only not feel cheated, but would feel that it's a symbol of their noble status.

Plus, the seasonal vegetables used in the restaurant are indeed difficult to obtain, thus ensuring a ready source of considerable income.

Qi Huan smiles brightly:

"Before, we agreed that my Grandmother would lend me the starting capital, so this restaurant would be mutually owned by us, and so the profits would be divided equally. If my Grandmother doesn't want to, then I will... throw a tantrum."

"You, this child."

Old Lady Song is filled with laughter: "Your Grandmother has nothing to say, you've preemptively sealed up all possible objections. Alright, I'll go along with your wishes."

Elder Madam Song also says: "This is my first time seeing someone so adamantly giving away money... and yet it's being given to me, which honestly makes me feel quite delighted. Huan Huan, you're truly our little lucky star!"

Qi Huan grins freely, after all, it's because the Song's have been sincere to her, treating her truly as a family member, that she is willing to reciprocate in this way. Otherwise, she isn't a fool, why would she be eager to give money?

"Aunt, we're soon going to have money, come and join me in picking the clothes fit for a future noblewoman."

Her gaze falls on Elder Madam Song, a glint in Qi Huan's eyes.

She's ready to gift Elder Madam Song another talisman of confidence!