Chapter 93: What Do You Think of My Qiao’er?

“The interest has to be paid back, and it has to be paid back bit by bit.”

Xie Zhao’s breath was scorching hot as it brushed against her earlobe, leaving a flush of red in its wake.

The next moment, he kissed her again, his voice muffled as their teeth met.

“Do you know what it means to… pay with your body?”

He chuckled softly.

By the end of the night, Lin Muyu’s hand was too sore for words.

She was exhausted and slept deeply.

She didn’t even open her eyes when Xie Zhao kissed her cheek in the morning.

Ah.

Xie Zhao, on the other hand, was refreshed and energized, clearly thoroughly satisfied.

*

The days flew by quickly.

Two days later.

Another batch of ten women’s bags sold out, and Xie Zhao saw off the bustling crowd with a beaming smile.

He put the money away, turned around, and handed a new design sketch to Zhang Shuixian and Qi Genshou.

“This is a new style. Take a look. We won’t be using rabbit fur for this one. Just use the lining as the base, cover the outside with floral fabric, and use the same hardware and zippers as before. We still need to sew the Jinxiu label inside, but we don’t need to number this batch.”

Xie Zhao explained patiently.

This was another women’s bag he was introducing, separate from the four limited-edition styles.

Xie Zhao understood better than anyone that if he wanted to make big money, his true target audience was the mass market.

Because the target demographic was vast and the customer base was huge, even if the profit margin per bag wasn’t high, the sheer volume of customers made up for it.

Added together, it would become a very substantial sum.

Otherwise, why didn’t brands like Chanel, Gucci, and Dior just cater exclusively to the wealthy?

Instead, they priced their bags at a somewhat subtle, strategic amount.

At tens of thousands of yuan, the middle class could still scrape it together if they gritted their teeth.

It was like a red apple hanging on a tree, not too high and not too low. If you stood on your tiptoes or stacked a few bricks, you could just reach it. It gave people endless hope.

Xie Zhao’s new bag was just like that apple.

The target: women between the ages of eighteen and thirty-eight, who were prone to impulse buying.

Most of them had already started working and had their own savings, or they were students from well-off families.

Priced at thirty-eight yuan, roughly a month’s salary, it was far more affordable than the one hundred and eighty-eight yuan version. They could manage it if they gritted their teeth.

And once the “Jinxiu” label was sewn inside, it became a status symbol.

It created a sense of vanity, giving them something in common with those wealthy wives.

With this, he had the psychology of female consumers completely figured out.

Once Xie Zhao finished his explanation, Qi Genshou and Zhang Shuixian asked a few more questions while looking over the design. They mentally reviewed the details, and only after confirming there were no issues did they finally ease their minds.

In just these few days, with a commission of two yuan per bag, they had already made nearly twenty yuan.

This was more than they used to make in an entire month!

Zhang Shuixian carefully put the design away. Seeing Xie Zhao prepare to head out, she finally couldn’t help but call out to him.

“Oh, Little Xie, I have something I want to ask you!”

Xie Zhao stopped. “What is it, Auntie?”

“Well, the one sweeping the floor outside, that’s your older brother, right?”

Zhang Shuixian smiled and rubbed her hands together, her heart in her throat. “You’re married, but what about your brother? How come I’ve never heard him mention his wife?”

Xie Zhao suppressed a smile.

“Oh, him? He’s not married yet!”

Zhang Shuixian’s eyes widened. “Ah! Not married yet?”

“Exactly! My brother is a very honest, down-to-earth guy. Years ago, when our family was struggling, he went down into the mines by himself to support us, which delayed things. Now, my parents are worried sick. Since we’ve started making money these past two years, they’ve been nagging him constantly.”

Xie Zhao said with a straight face, “Auntie Zhang, why don’t you help keep an eye out? As a son-in-law, my brother would absolutely be second to none!”

Zhang Shuixian grew excited.

She couldn’t hold back the smile spreading across her face.

“Yes, yes, he’s a good lad!”

After saying this, she couldn’t help but turn to look at her daughter.

Whether by coincidence or not, Zhang Qiao’er happened to be standing right by the doorframe of the inner room, hearing every single word.

Her cheeks burned hot, and her heart fluttered like a trapped rabbit.

Her eyes shone with an intense brightness.

Not married!

Xie Cheng hadn’t started a family yet!

“Then… what do you think of my Qiao’er?”

Zhang Shuixian couldn’t help but speak up. She glanced at her daughter. “Her father and I only have this one daughter, and we’ve raised her like a precious pearl. If she could really match up with your brother, I’ll give him this shop and the land it stands on!”

“And what does Qiao’er think?”

Xie Zhao said, “Her own willingness is the most important thing!”

Bringing this up made Zhang Shuixian feel both amused and exasperated.

“Does she look like she’s unwilling to you?”

How could she not know her own daughter?

Every time she saw Xie Cheng, her daughter would blush, her heart would race, and her eyes couldn’t help but drift toward him.

Zhang Shuixian felt both amused and comforted.

Her daughter had finally grown up.

It was time for her to let go.

Fortunately, both she and her husband liked Xie Cheng, the man their daughter had set her eyes on.

He was honest, family-oriented, and capable of earning money. No matter how you looked at it, he was a good catch.

As for him being a country bumpkin, Zhang Shuixian and Qi Genshou really didn’t mind.

They might have urban status, but without a secure government job, didn’t they still have to worry about putting food on the table?

As long as a man was capable, she could marry him even if he was from the countryside!

Thus, Xie Zhao and Zhang Shuixian agreed to arrange a time for the families to meet.

In an era where a parent’s word was law, the matter was already half-settled.

*

Meanwhile, at the Chen Family home, Zhao Lanzhi looked at the shoulder bag in her hand, feeling incredibly stifled.

Since when did she have to look at others’ faces just to spend money?

It was especially frustrating to think that she had bought it from Xie Zhao.

Seeing Zhao Lanzhi’s face pale with anger, Chen Qiming quickly hurried over, massaging her shoulders with a pleasing smile.

“Mom, once you give this bag away, my goods can go on the shelves at the department store tomorrow!”

Chen Qiming said, “The style of the bags I made came straight from Yangcheng! They won’t be any worse than the ones from Jinxiu Tailor Shop! Plus, I’m only selling them for twenty-eight yuan each! It’s so cheap! They’ll definitely sell out in two or three days! Just you wait and see!”

“Once we make some money, I’ll buy you a bag. Any kind you want!”

He chattered away, finally coaxing her expression to clear up.

She sighed and looked back at Chen Qiming.

In that moment, her feelings were inexplicably complicated.

Deep down, there was a nagging thought she didn’t dare voice.

What if, just what if.

What if the Jinxiu Tailor Shop really belonged to Xie Zhao?

He had made these things all by himself, leaving those officials’ wives unable to put them down, practically obsessed.

If he started another business in the future, like… selling clothes?

Wouldn’t it be smooth sailing, with all the officials’ wives rushing to offer him connections?

Zhao Lanzhi’s heart shuddered.

She was startled by her own thought. The next moment, she let out a long, heavy breath, as if trying to exhale all the anxiety in her heart.

That was absolutely impossible!