An Yan Was Astounded

An Yan had great confidence in Jiang Nuan. The moment she heard Jiang Nuan say she could secure a shop, she had begun preparing plans for opening it.

She led Jiang Nuan into her room, then took out several sheets of paper and placed them before her.

"These are a few plans I've prepared. Nuan, take a look.

"First is a jewelry shop. There aren't many jewelry shops nearby, so there would be less competition. It's worth considering.

"Second is a fabric shop. Most people nearby like buying fabric to make their own clothes, so that would be a good option too.

"And then..."

An Yan explained a great deal to Jiang Nuan, rather than brushing her off as a child who knew nothing.

Although Jiang Nuan understood most of it, some parts still left her confused. In the end, she decided to leave professional matters to a professional. After all, she was an outsider to the trade.

"Sister, you can decide on this. I don't know anything about this field."

Jiang Nuan did not pretend otherwise.

Hearing this, An Yan continued:

"Personally, I'm leaning more toward jewelry and clothing. The jewelry designs in that shop are rather old-fashioned, but quite a few people nearby still buy them. It's only operating at a slight loss. If we update the designs, we'll definitely be able to turn a profit.

"As for clothing, some people want to buy an outfit to match after purchasing jewelry, and the reverse is also true. The two can boost each other's sales, and that shop is large enough to accommodate both."

Jiang Nuan nodded. An Yan clearly had ideas of her own.

She could not offer any advice on that front, but she could help with marketing. She did know a few modern marketing methods.

Seeing that Jiang Nuan seemed to have something to say, An Yan asked directly, "Nuan, what is it? Do you have any ideas?"

"Your plans are perfectly fine, Sister. I think we could introduce some limited-edition clothing, such as seasonal collections for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, or collections based on the twelve zodiac animals.

"We could also offer membership cards. For example, customers who deposit ten thousand taels get ten percent off, those who deposit a hundred thousand taels get a private VIP lounge, and those who deposit a million taels can receive service at home. We could use those funds to develop new businesses.

"We could create an outfit with only one available each year, and only VIP customers who deposit more than a certain amount would be eligible to buy it.

"And we need to create a brand of our own..."

Jiang Nuan told An Yan everything she knew in one breath.

After she finished, An Yan fell silent.

That left Jiang Nuan feeling uncertain. Could these marketing methods be useless in ancient times? That would be embarrassing!

Seeing that An Yan was still staring blankly, Jiang Nuan waved a hand in front of her eyes before finally bringing her back to her senses.

Once An Yan came around, she cupped Jiang Nuan's face in both hands and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.

"Nuan, you're absolutely amazing! How did you come up with all these ideas? I did the calculations. Compared with my original plans, these ideas of yours could at least triple our revenue!"

At first, An Yan had not paid much attention, but as Jiang Nuan went on, she pictured it all in her mind and realized just how powerful those plans were.

"Hehe, they're not that amazing."

Jiang Nuan spoke with great modesty.

"Actually, I also have..."

"Do you have more plans, Nuan? Hurry, let me hear them."

An Yan spoke eagerly.

"No, I already told you all my plans just now. I only meant that if you're opening a fabric shop, Sister, you could offer some ready-made clothes. I have some fairly novel designs you could use for reference."

Jiang Nuan thought of those designs. Some of them should appeal to certain customers.

"What designs? Why don't you draw them for me, Nuan?"

An Yan had studied this area as well, and she was very curious about the novel designs Jiang Nuan had mentioned.

"Sure!"

Jiang Nuan agreed at once, then remembered her crooked handwriting. Her drawings probably would not fare much better.

"Chunhua, Qiuyue, go find me a thin piece of charcoal."

If a writing brush won't work, surely a charcoal pencil will.

A short while later, Jiang Nuan began drawing on a sheet of paper with a roughly fashioned charcoal pencil.

She was very good at drawing! She had even won a prize! Though that had been back in kindergarten...

Still, she could produce chibi characters and simple sketches with ease.

Looking at the simple yet expressive figures, An Yan was won over by their cuteness.

"These should be very popular with children and some girls!"

An Yan gave her verdict. She could already imagine the sensation these figures would cause among the children of Capital City.

Beyond that, Jiang Nuan also told her about puff sleeves, A-line skirts, lace trim, and other elements common in modern times, leaving her to use them as she saw fit.

Since Jiang Nuan had some skill, but not much, she could only explain as she drew. Fortunately, An Yan caught on with just a hint and understood about eighty percent of what she meant. They could gradually adjust the rest once the clothes were made.

"Sister, there's one more thing I need you to do."

At this, Jiang Nuan's expression grew considerably more serious.

Seeing her like that, An Yan grew more serious as well.

"All right, Nuan. Tell me."

"I need you to collect down from domestic birds, like ducks and geese. Gather it all, clean out all the miscellaneous debris, then find some fabric that doesn't let much wind through. Make it into this design and stuff all the down inside."

As she spoke, Jiang Nuan drew a simple sketch of a down jacket.

"A large part of the reason domestic birds like ducks and geese can survive the winter is their down. Stuffing it into clothes will make them very warm."

Seeing An Yan's puzzled expression, Jiang Nuan explained.

"That does make sense. It would be the only thing of its kind in Capital City, too. If it really is warm, people wouldn't have to wear those bulky clothes anymore. These clothes would certainly be sought after by most people, and we could make a great deal of money."

Understanding dawned on An Yan.

But Jiang Nuan shook her head and said, "I don't intend to make a profit from these clothes. We can sell them to ordinary people at cost, or even below cost."

It was winter, and Jiang Nuan, who hated the cold, always bundled herself up tightly.

Yet whenever she went out into the streets, she would occasionally see people dressed in thin clothing. Some she had only ever seen once, and she could not be sure whether they had frozen to death on a bitter winter night. She wanted to change that.

So this was what Jiang Nuan had in mind. An Yan felt a surge of admiration.

She, too, had once received help from others. Otherwise, she could never have survived in that family that devoured people when she was so young. When she returned to the Minister's Residence, she had also wondered whether she might be able to help more people in the future.

But the outcome had slapped her hard across the face. She could barely protect herself, so she could only bury her compassion deep in her heart.

Still, looking at Jiang Nuan's earnest little face, she marveled inwardly that she seemed to have gained a wonderful younger sister.