Chen Lishu wore an orange short cotton jacket with a stand-up collar and zipper today. Beneath it was a white knitted fleece top, paired with fitted flared jeans. Her overall look was youthful and fashionable, complemented by her beautiful face, making it hard for people to look away.
"She must own the shop, after all, she's an individual proprietor," Jiang Yuchi said casually before Chen Lishu could speak.
The term "individual proprietor" caused the gazes of the people present to shift slightly towards Chen Lishu.
For a university student to be an individual proprietor – wasn't that akin to "willingly falling into depravity"?
Chen Lishu glanced at Jiang Yuchi, then turned to Director Zhou and replied, "It was made by a master craftsman in my shop."
This was a direct admission.
Jiang Yuchi's lips curved into a mocking smile. "I heard the clothes in your shop aren't cheap; a coat costs four to five hundred. Such blatant profiteering – do you have someone backing you up?"
As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at Sun Yongmei, who was standing beside Chen Lishu.
Jiang Huaian had almost taken Chen Guoping's position, but after an incident, he was not only transferred to another department but also demoted. Consequently, his feelings towards Sun Yongmei, Chen Guoping's wife, were naturally not good.
However, given Chen Guoping's position, she had to be somewhat wary and dared not speak directly. Thus, she directed all her barbs at Chen Lishu.
A madam gasped, "Four to five hundred for a coat? That's outrageously expensive! It's nearly half of my husband Li's salary for half a year."
"Don't the relevant departments do anything about such exorbitant pricing?" someone at a nearby table whispered.
"Didn't you see who's sitting next to her? Who knows what's going on behind the scenes."
Chen Lishu pretended not to hear anything, looked directly at Jiang Yuchi, and said calmly, "Actually, most of our clothing is priced affordably for the masses. Only a few select items, like cashmere coats or those with fur trim, are priced a bit higher."
Upon hearing her explanation, everyone seemed to understand.
Hundreds of yuan for cashmere coats and fur-trimmed clothing was perfectly normal.
"Furthermore, these coats are all personally designed and crafted by a master craftsman in my shop. The production of a single garment, from design to completion, takes at least a week. I believe that every woman in her life should own at least one piece of clothing that is truly hers; this was my original intention when I opened the shop."
These few sentences elevated the act of selling clothing to a much higher plane.
The female comrades present felt a surge of emotion upon hearing her words.
While the outside world proclaimed gender equality and that women could hold up half the sky, they simultaneously expected women to be good wives and mothers, care for their in-laws, and manage the household frugally.
They had been silently dedicating themselves to others, never considering self-care. Owning a piece of clothing that belonged to them – wasn't that a form of reward and comfort for oneself?
Director Zhou: "Little Chen, what is your shop called, and where is it located? I'm quite interested in seeing it."
"It's on Commercial Street, and the shop is called 'Shu Se'. If any of you wish to visit, mention my name, and you'll receive a 20% discount on everything."
"Really? A 20% discount?" The crowd's eyes lit up, and their initial prejudice against individual proprietors vanished. They began to inquire about the shop's offerings.
Sun Yongmei watched Chen Lishu smilingly introduce her shop, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes.
She had initially thought this child might not handle the situation well, as they were attending someone else's banquet and it wouldn't be good to cause a scene. To her surprise, she had handled it so adeptly.
Jiang Yuchi, however, gnashed her teeth in resentment. After a moment's hesitation, she snorted, "Individual proprietors are just small-minded. They even use a banquet as an opportunity for self-promotion. It's indeed in your nature to be driven by profit, you individual proprietors."
Giving them an inch, and they'd take a mile.
"Are you Comrade Jiang Yuchi? How is your younger brother? I met him a couple of times before. Alas, he built quite a substantial business, but then that incident occurred. It's truly a shame."
She's mocking me for being an individual proprietor? Don't your family also have one? And theirs is even bigger than mine. It's a pity that their intentions were not pure, so they can only go inside to reflect obediently.
"You!" Jiang Yuchi suddenly stood up, glaring at Chen Lishu with a livid face.
Jiang's mother tugged at her daughter's sleeve. Whatever one does, one must consider the occasion. Making the situation too tense would not only embarrass oneself but also disrespect the Han family. However, she truly hadn't expected Chen Lishu, at such a young age, to be so sharp-tongued.
"Little Chen, isn't it? Did you come here by yourself?" Jiang's mother asked meaningfully.
This table was filled with people from government and institutional units. Even if she herself wasn't, her husband's official position was quite high. For an individual proprietor to boldly sit here, wouldn't that be a laughing matter?
"She came with me. This child is good in every way, except she's a bit shy, and I was afraid someone might try to bully her, so I brought her along."
Sun Yongmei's smile faded slightly, her intention to protect evident. They were good-natured, and anyone who said otherwise would not only be troubling Chen Lishu but also her.
Chen Guoping's official position was significant. Previously, Jiang Huaian was a deputy, and now there was a two-level gap between them. Jiang's mother pursed her lips and said nothing further.
Not long after, the banquet began.
As the dishes were served, to Chen Lishu's surprise, one of the dishes was prawns. A plate of such a dish was considered a substantial offering at that time.
"I heard, Little Chen, that you come from the countryside. You probably haven't seen prawns before, right? This is a rare opportunity, so try some," Jiang Yuchi said, pointing to the plate of prawns, a look of schadenfreude in her eyes.
She was certain that Chen Lishu would not eat this, perhaps having never even seen it before. It would be best if she ate it whole, shell and all, and then everyone could laugh at her.
"It is indeed quite rare, but your mother is sitting right beside you. To ask me first, I feel a bit embarrassed," Chen Lishu said. She picked up a prawn, placed it on her plate, and then, ignoring Jiang Yuchi's face turning the color of an eggplant, slowly began to peel it.
Everyone at the table was trying hard to suppress their laughter, wearing knowing smiles.
"Auntie Sun, please have some," Chen Lishu said, even meticulously removing the prawn vein. She didn't seem like someone who had never eaten prawns before.
Instead, Jiang Yuchi, by being so aggressive, appeared rather impolite.
After the meal, Sun Yongmei chatted with a few of her close friends while bringing Chen Lishu along. Chen Lishu knew she was indirectly helping her and felt very grateful.
"Can you really customize clothes? How is the craftsmanship of the master you mentioned?" A madam asked, looking a bit intrigued by Chen Lishu's attire.
Chen Lishu smiled, "You shouldn't just take my word for it, lest you think I'm bragging. How about this: you can visit the shop first and see the finished samples. If you find them satisfactory, then we can arrange for custom tailoring."
They chatted for a while longer, and after bidding farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Han Shengquan, they left.
Within the territory of the Su Kingdom, Zhao Xingwang and Li Qiang exchanged everything they had for raw materials as much as possible, and the remainder was converted into rubles.
Everything had been proceeding smoothly, but they encountered difficulties on their way back.