Rebirth of a Farming Wife

As for the preparations Chen Li had made previously, including the banquet she had hosted days before, they were all aimed at drumming up recognition for the opening of her new shop, and they had some effect. Although she hadn’t managed to win over many noblewomen from the upper layer, several housewives from smaller families were quite interested in the goods at Chen Li’s department store. Given their status, most of these women did not come from particularly wealthy backgrounds. However good the goods at Heavenly Pavilion, they were expensive. The items at Li Xiu Department Store might have been of inferior quality, but given their prices, they were deemed acceptable by these women.

If it had been any other day, Chen Li’s department store would have seen a good turnout of supporters. But choosing the same day as Su Wenyue, even at the exact same opening time, meant those housewives from smaller families, who would have preferred to shop at Li Xiu Department Store, ended up at Heavenly Pavilion instead. Being a place of a different caliber, rumours abounded that many important figures would visit on opening day. If the women could take the opportunity to network with a few noblewomen, it would be to their advantage.

The two stores were separated by less than a street’s distance; the crackling of fireworks created a lively atmosphere, with the sound audible to both sides. Yet, after the fireworks, one side remained spirited and bustling, while the other was cold and quiet.

“Madam Han did come today, accompanied by Lord Han. Madam Han is indeed fortunate,” someone recognized the striking Su Wenyue and sought to engage her, offering compliments that contained genuine envy. These days, few men would be willing to spare the time and set aside their pride to accompany their wives shopping.

Su Wenyue smiled and nodded in response. Those who had come today were there to bring her business, and she naturally welcomed them with a smile. She spoke to Madam Li warmly and cordially, “Madam Li has also come to the Heavenly Pavilion today, what a coincidence!”

“Today, on the opening day of the Heavenly Pavilion, everything is half price. I must choose carefully. I’m grateful to Madam Han for recommending such a wonderful place to us. Look at these exquisite and unique items; they are second to none, not just in Yiyang Prefecture but across the entire Daming Dynasty. The only drawback is the exorbitant price. Even with the 50% discount for the first few days, they are considerably more expensive than goods at an ordinary store, not affordable to just anyone,” Madam Li said frankly, giving voice to her thoughts. Su Wenyue didn’t take offense; she knew her business was all about making a hefty profit. It wasn’t as simple as doubling or tripling; what she wanted was the brand of ‘luxury.’ The more exclusive and costly the items, the more they served as trophies for the noblewomen to flaunt.

Before Su Wenyue could reply, a noblewoman beside them, seemingly looking down upon Madam Li’s remarks, said with a hint of scorn, “Quality goods naturally come at a high price, and every item has its caliber. Just like today, both stores have opened at the same time; the Heavenly Pavilion draws noblewomen from the upper crust, while Li Xiu Department Store attracts the poorer commoners. If you find it expensive, you are welcome to shop at Li Xiu Department Store. Though it can’t compare to Heavenly Pavilion, it has the advantage of being cheap.”

The speaker was Madam Li’s rival, and her words were anything but courteous, full of sarcasm, using Chen Li’s department store as a contrasting example just to prove a point.

Su Wenyue personally didn’t like the aggressive tone and smugness of the woman, but her words aligned with Su’s own intentions. Many of the noblewomen present had heard this, and it served to pigeonhole both Heavenly Pavilion and Chen Li’s Li Xiu Department Store.

Madam Li was so flustered she choked, but there was a grain of truth in the other’s words—good items were indeed worth their price. Madam Li also believed this; her exclamation was merely a response to the unusually high prices at Heavenly Pavilion, not expecting it to provoke such a spate of comments.

Madam Li had decent poise and, mindful of the many onlookers and Su Wenyue’s presence, didn’t want to make a scene. So, she just snorted coldly and began to shop intensively, her actions speaking to her ability to afford fine things.

Yet, as Madam Li inspected the goods on the shelves more closely, she began to appreciate their worth, particularly the items from the Western outer domain—the genuine Western goods. Despite their high price tags, they wouldn’t be much cheaper elsewhere, and importantly, they were indeed superior to those in other shops. In short, you get what you pay for.

“Ah! These are definitely exclusive to the Western Royal Family. Although they aren’t marked with the exclusive insignia of the Western Royal Family, I’ve seen the style and material of these boxes before. There’s no mistaking they’re exclusively made for royalty,” a lavishly dressed noblewoman confidently asserted. Her certainty stemmed from her previous luck in acquiring items from the Western Royal Family, coupled with a desire to flaunt her knowledge and impress the others, prompting her to share her assertion.

“Really? How is that possible? How could goods exclusively for the Western Royal Family end up here, and in such quantity on these shelves? If that’s true, the owner behind Heavenly Pavilion must be incredibly powerful.”

“It’s very likely accurate. A distant relative of mine is in overseas trade. Even though the system in the West is different from ours, there are still loopholes to exploit. The exclusives we provide for our own imperial court are obtainable as well; they just lack the reputation of being ‘imperial use only.’ These goods are probably from the same batch as those meant for the royal supply, but for convenience, they don’t bear the Western Royal Family’s exclusive emblem,” another guest chimed in.

If one person makes a claim, others might doubt, but when two or three make the same claim, it starts to sound like fact to the listeners.

Su Wenyue felt somewhat ashamed, relieved that she was not the face of this business, or it would have been quite embarrassing. Her subordinates had produced ‘fake goods’ that were now being touted as exclusive supplies from the Western outer domain—it was a significant misinterpretation. Su Wenyue, having designed this style based on some fine products purchased from Chen Li’s store and information from the West, wondered whether this could be considered a fortuitous stroke of serendipity.