The Lucky Heiress

“Impossible, cotton cloth can’t be this soft and delicate,” said Madam Sun.

“Then does Madam Sun think this is made of silk?” asked Wei Ruo.

“It’s not made from silk. I, Madam Sun, began rearing silkworms at age five, weaving at age seven, and trading silk at age thirteen. Whether it’s spring silkworms or autumn silkworms, whether it’s from Jiangnan or Shu region, I can tell at a glance. I stake my reputation that this material is definitely not made from silk,” asserted Madam Sun.

Wei Ruo smiled faintly, “So indeed, it’s cotton, made from cotton. But the cotton used is a bit different.”

“What’s different?” Madam Sun couldn’t help but ask.

“The variety of cotton is different, leading to significant differences in the cotton fibers produced. The final textiles produced also vary greatly. This one in my hand is made from high-quality cotton, its texture is no less inferior to that of silk, and it’s soft and skin-friendly, very suitable for making intimate clothing”

“Where does this kind of cotton come from?” Madam Sun quickly asked.

“Madam Sun, that’s my trade secret I’m afraid I can’t disclose that.”

Of course, she couldn’t tell. This was a new space seed — long-staple cotton, unlocked when her space upgraded to level seven. Compared to normal cotton, it exhibits better resistance to diseases and pests, longer fibers, and has a better texture.

For a variety of reasons, Wei Ruo had not yet introduced these cotton seeds for large-scale cultivation outside.

However, now that her space had seven plots of land, even if she only cultivated in her space, the harvest from one season was a considerable amount of cotton which was enough to fill a warehouse.

Before heading to Capital City, Wei Ruo dispatched some cotton to Mo Jiazha in Huzhou Prefecture and hired a few local weavers to spin the cotton into cloth.

The first sample along with two jars of thyme was sent to the Loyal and Righteous Duke Residence before the New Year, and a larger quantity of the fabric was still stored in the warehouse at Daiyue Residence.

Madam Sun stared at Wei Ruo for a long time, then responded with a charming smile, “Young Master, do you know that my shop, Caiyun Room, is one of the top fabric stores in Capital City? The queue of people wanting to do business with me stretches from White Tiger Street to the west gate of Capital City. If you want to do business with me, you’d better show your sincerity, otherwise, I, Madam Sun, will not keep you company.”

Wei Ruo was not flustered, calmly replying, “If Madam Sun is reluctant, I can’t force it. I must have disturbed you.”

Saying this, Wei Ruo was about to leave.

As he reached the door, Madam Sun called out, “Wait a moment!”

Wei Ruo stopped, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he turned back and asked, “Does Madam Sun have something else to ask?”

“I don’t need to know the origin of your cotton,” Madam Sun compromised, “But I want to see the whole cloth. You can’t expect me to close the deal just with this handkerchief-sized sample, can you?”

“Naturally there’s no problem, but transporting the full cloth here will require some cost and time. Before that, I would like to ask how much Madam Sun is willing to offer for my cloth. If the price is right, I will have it shipped here,” replied Wei Ruo.

Instead of replying immediately, Madam Sun narrowed her eyes, studying Wei Ruo with shrewd eyes.

“How much are you thinking per chi, young master?” Madam Sun countered after a long silence.

“Five hundred wen,” Wei Ruo replied.

“Five hundred wen? Are you referring to a chi or a zhang?” Madam Sun asked.

“A chi.”

“Are you spouting nonsense?” Madam Sun sneered.

Five hundred wen a chi would mean five taels for a zhang, which is twenty-five taels for a roll of cloth!

“Why not? Madam Sun, there are more expensive fabrics in your shop,” Wei Ruo countered.

“Those high-priced fabrics are all high-grade silk and satin, your cotton cloth is no comparison,” Madam Sun retorted.

“However, Madam Sun, there is a rarity factor for my cotton cloth which is not less valuable than silk. Ordinary cotton cloth sells cheaper than silk because it does not share the luster and is not scarce. My cotton cloth, however, possesses both of these qualities, hence I believe the price I have quoted is not unreasonable.”

“Even so, your cloth is ultimately made from cotton and can’t be compared with silk products. How about this, I’ll compromise and offer two hundred wen per chi. This price is already higher than ordinary cotton cloth,” Madam Sun suggested.

“Five hundred wen,” Wei Ruo repeated the price.

“I, Madam Sun, am known for offering fair prices. I know better than anyone who buys what cloth and how much it’s worth. No matter how good your cloth is, it cannot be worth more than what I’ve offered.”

“What if the color factor was included? A plain fabric may not fetch this price, but wouldn’t a fabric of a rare color?” Wei Ruo asked.

Madam Sun paused, narrowing her eyes and reexamining the fabric sample in her hand. Then she said, “This purple color is indeed valuable. If all your fabric is this color, it really can fetch a high price. Is all of your fabric this color?”

If it really was all purple, then it would definitely be worth more than five hundred wen.

Would anyone really use such a precious purple dye for cotton fabric on a large scale?

“Not all of them, but one out of twenty rolls is this purple color.”

“The ordinary colors I’ll take for two hundred wen per chi, and the purple one – five hundred wen.”

“Sell them mixed, all at the price of five hundred wen per chi,” said Wei Ruo.

We Ruo knew very well, purple would go for more than five hundred wen per chi, while the other ordinary colors wouldn’t fetch this price. He wanted Madam Sun to take all of them together.

Madam Sun had to take a second look at Wei Ruo.

Finally, with a charming smile, she said, “You’re quite shrewd, mixing a batch of purple in twenty rolls, but expecting me to take all of them for five hundred wen per bolt.”

“Madam Sun, you wanted me to stay and negotiate, which indicates that you are really interested in this fabric. And any fabric that interests you surely has a good market. Therefore, I believe Madam Sun can still profit at this price,” said Wei Ruo.

“Are you very familiar with me, Madam Sun?”

“No, I don’t know Madam Sun, in fact until today I didn’t even know Caiyun Room’s owner was a lady. But I know any owner who can start a shop like Caiyun Room in Capital City is definitely very knowledgeable about the market and very wise.”

“Are you buttering me up?” Madam Sun approached Wei Ruo with a winsome smile.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“You are quite clever for your age,” Madam Sun complimented.

“Madam Sun, you flatter me. I am just starting out and have a lot to learn from you,” said Wei Ruo.