Blueprints

Seeing Madame Qian's expression, the four members of the Wang family picked up the drawings she had just finished examining.

"Qibao, this 'Kitten Chasing a Butterfly' design is really interesting!" Mrs. Zhang said: "And there's a dog gnawing on a bone. Most embroidery I've seen is all flowers and plants, very stiff and formal. Adding these little animals could be a nice change."

"You're right!" Said Madame Qian: "These animals look so cute. It reminds me of the paintings on the walls of our barbecue restaurant!"

Qibao nodded: "That's true. These are 'Q-version' animals - a cartoon style. Even though people don't like mice, if you follow the design to embroider one, it comes out looking cute and lively."

"What does 'Q-version' mean?" asked Mrs. Li

Feeling a bit awkward, Qibao smiled: "Oh, it's just a name I made up for this style of drawing. Don't worry about it. These are the twelve zodiac animals, perfect for handkerchiefs for women. When they're finished, customers can choose the one matching their zodiac sign. I'm sure it'll attract lots of people!"

Mrs. Wang chuckled: "My Qibao must have had her brain blessed by a Buddha before she was born. She's always full of such clever ideas."

After flipping through the designs, Madame Qian said: "The figures you mentioned are indeed impressive. I'm amazed by Qibao's clever mind. Look at these—a picture of the Eight Immortals celebrating longevity, the Seven Fairies dancing, and a phoenix reborn from fire. These patterns are unlike anything I've seen before. They could be used for large pieces, and if we manage to stitch them out, it would surely make us famous in the embroidery world! However, to create these, we'd need many different colored threads. It's quite complicated."

Qibao Qian replied: "Aunt Ru, it indeed sounds complicated. But if we can just make one of these pieces, it would leave everyone in awe. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if having a shop is even important anymore. We could just open an embroidery workshop right here in Xujia Village!"

Madame Qian considered this for a moment before saying excitedly: "That's not a bad idea at all! Once we're famous, we won't have to worry about finding customers. People would come to us to ask for custom-embroidered pieces. Just thinking about it gets me excited!"

Qibao nodded: "That's exactly what I was thinking, Aunt Ru. It would give our village one more unique offering. These designs aren't many, but I'll collect more blueprints later. That way, our customers will have more choices. But we mustn't lose these blueprints—they're our money-making tools. And for big pieces like these, we can't charge too little!"

Mrs. Wang asked: "If we charge a high price, will anyone still be willing to spend so much?"

Qibao smiled mildly: "Grandma, I'm planning to go to the high-end route. Think about it, If everyone could afford them, wouldn't the village girls have a tough time? They definitely couldn't reproduce these, especially the large ones. It'd take months, at least, just to complete one."

Madam Qian said: "Qibao's right. We'll focus on quality, not quantity. But since we want to charge high prices, we must use the best silk and embroidery cloth. I'll cover the cost for that."

Qibao said: "Aunt Ru, we may need to buy it ourselves in the early stage. Then we can let the customers choose the embroidery cloth themselves. It would be a pity if the customers don't like the embroidery cloth we choose!"

Madame Qian's eyes brightened: "Good! What a clever idea. But we should still keep some extra fabric ourselves, just in case."

Qibao agreed: "Yes, if Aunt Ru covers the upfront costs, we'll split the profit equally among all of us, after covering expenses."

Mrs. Wang shook her head: "No way. Without your designs, Qibao, we never would have thought of such beautiful embroidery patterns. You've done the most work, so you should get a share too!"

"I just gave you some designs." Qibao said: "It didn't take much effort! I was planning to give them to Aunt Ru as a gift anyway."

Mrs. Wang held onto Qibao: "Listen to your Aunt Ru! You can't just give it away!"

"You're right." Madame. Qian agreed: "Qibao, I think of you as one of us. We can't let you lose out. You didn't just give us designs—you also helped plan everything. From now on, you'll be the little boss of our Xujia Village Embroidery Shop. How does that sound?"

Qibao was speechless, she didn't expect things to turn out like this, how did she become the owner of an embroidery workshop?

Mrs. Wang agreed and said: "Okay, I think it's possible. By then, Yueru, you will be the head of the embroidery workshop, responsible for guiding the girls in the village. Qibao will be the boss, and all the costs of the embroidery workshop will be paid by our family!"

Qibao rubbed her nose, still trying to wrap her head around this new role: "Aunt Ru, shouldn't we talk to all the girls first? And their parents too?"

Madam Qian said: "Yes, we have to tell the adults in their family, they will probably agree."

Qibao nodded. Each pattern she provided was unique to this place. If they could be embroidered into large pieces, like the Eight Immortals celebrating longevity or the seven fairies dancing, the prices would definitely be high. However, they'd have to see how the finished products looked before setting exact prices.

Madam Qian thought for a moment and said: "After dinner, I'll gather the girls' families to discuss it."

Mrs. Wang said: "Well, this is a great thing. The wives in the village will definitely agree to it."

Xu Dabo kept scratching his head as he listened. He didn't understand what the woman was doing, embroidery or something. He only knew that Qibao had gained another business, so he also grinned happily.

Su Chenyu took the patterns and began flipping through them one by one.

"Look, Cousin." He said excitedly: "If we can embroider these designs, we'll really make some money. They're that beautiful! I've seen countless embroideries before, but none are as innovative and stunning as these!"

Jing Chen agreed wholeheartedly. Although the palace embroiderers produced flawless work, their designs were too conventional—mostly traditional auspicious motifs like flowers and birds. This made their pieces seem ordinary. The designs on these new patterns, however, were far more elegant and dynamic, with equally excellent symbolism.

Since the plan was set, after dinner, Madame Qian called together the parents of the village girls.

In Xu Family's large courtyard, Uncle Fu closed the gate. Someone, unable to contain their curiosity, asked: "Madame Yueru, is there something you want to discuss?"

Madame Qian smiled: "Of course, I have good news for everyone. Since I've lived in Xujia Village for a few years now, I'm familiar with you all. So, let me explain!"

She then repeated the agreed plan to the gathered crowd.

As she finished, everyone started discussing it.

"That's indeed fantastic news! I've heard that large, high-quality embroidered pieces can fetch a significant amount of money!"

"Hmm, I've heard that even a single large screen for a rich family could be worth hundreds to a thousand taels of silver!"

Madame Qian quickly waved her hand: "That's why I called everyone together. If you're all in, I'll get started on this tomorrow!"

"Madame Yueru, I'm in! This is a great opportunity! It's my daughter's future we're talking about, and as a mother, I wholeheartedly support it!" Hua'er's mother took the lead and spoke.