Chapter 115: I Want Them All

Su Qinghu smiled, turned around, and waved. “Come on, go with me somewhere.”

Yuan Hang and Sister Li quickly came over, nodded at the young woman, and were led by her into a narrow alley.

The alley wasn’t wide or very long, but at a glance, most of the shops inside were tailoring businesses.

As if worried Su Qinghu might be lured away by another tailor, the young woman quickened her pace and even promised to serve her some spring tea she’d saved from before.

The girl clearly wasn’t used to this sort of thing—her face flushed a little red.

Once inside the tailor shop, before the girl’s aunt could say anything, the young woman blurted out their purpose for coming, told her aunt to bring out the good tea, and then said something in a soft Wu dialect that Su Qinghu didn’t understand.

Su Qinghu raised her eyebrows and glanced at Yuan Hang. Seeing him shrug, she knew he didn’t get it either.

“Are you looking to buy a dress?” The girl’s aunt asked the young woman to make tea and personally greeted Su Qinghu. “That dress is perfect for a fair-skinned, beautiful young lady like you.”

The aunt was elegant, her every move graceful and calm. Su Qinghu thought for a moment and asked, “How many colors does this style come in?”

“Just one—the color you see.” The aunt looked at Su Qinghu’s fair, slender neck and seemed inspired. “But I also have a dark green skirt, about ten centimeters above the ankle.”

As she spoke, she took out both the long dress and the skirt. “Don’t worry about the sizes—I’ve been in this business for nearly twenty years. There’s not much difference among small, medium, and large…”

Su Qinghu had heard about how southern people did business, and experiencing it firsthand today, she felt it was exactly as expected.

The aunt was sharp, treating a small deal with the care of a big one, and even offered a second option beyond the first.

Su Qinghu picked up the garments, examined the details, felt the fabric, and said directly, “How many of each do you have—the long dress and the skirt? If I want them all, what’s your price?”

“Fifty long dresses, a hundred skirts.” The aunt probably didn’t even realize the helplessness and bitterness in her voice as she answered. Hearing Su Qinghu say she wanted them all, she didn’t show much surprise. “Because of the fabric and other costs, they’re a bit expensive…”

“Name your price.” Su Qinghu smiled. “I won’t be staying here long, so I want to settle this quickly.”

The aunt looked at Su Qinghu, thinking.

Su Qinghu said, “I’m serious about buying, so I’m not beating around the bush—just asking for your price.”

The aunt frowned and emphasized again, “They really are expensive. The cost is almost as high as men’s suits.”

Sister Li raised her eyebrows in surprise, and even Yuan Hang couldn’t help but look at the dresses.

Su Qinghu just smiled at the aunt, saying nothing.

This woman was interesting—she kept hinting that the clothes were expensive and couldn’t be discounted much, probably hoping Su Qinghu would hesitate to bargain too hard.

Sensing the tension rising, the young woman brought tea for Sister Li and Yuan Hang, then smiled at Su Qinghu, inviting her to drink.

“I’ll skip the tea for now,” Su Qinghu glanced at the old clock on the wall. “It’s an hour till noon, and we have a lunch reservation.”

Su Qinghu’s attitude was clear: I really want these, but if you ask for too much, I can walk away.

That subtle message made the aunt more cautious. “You want all of them?”

If she wanted everything, she could offer a wholesale price.

Su Qinghu nodded with a smile. “All of them.”

“My fabric is 2.8 yuan per meter,” the aunt warned her first. Seeing Su Qinghu’s expression unchanged, she grew a bit nervous.

“Each long dress takes about two meters,” she added.

Su Qinghu said, “I’m genuinely interested, so just give me your price. If it’s reasonable, I won’t haggle. If it’s higher than I expect, I’ll have to bargain.”

She smiled. “If we can’t agree, well, I’ll take it as a learning experience.”

The aunt kept smiling, but her little finger curled up—she was nervous.

Did that mean if the bargaining failed, the deal was off?

Thinking of her recent financial stress and arguments with her husband over buying a house, she gritted her teeth. “Ten yuan for the long dress, seven for the skirt!”

She quoted her price, looking Su Qinghu straight in the eye.

Su Qinghu smiled. The clothes were beautifully made and worth the price, but business was business—she couldn’t just accept any price given.

Besides, the way the aunt quoted the price so reluctantly meant there was still room for profit.

“Since you’ve named your price, let me make a counteroffer,” Su Qinghu said with a smile. “Don’t be nervous—I’ll bargain reasonably.”

“You’ve probably noticed our accent—we’re not from the south. We’ll need to ship these clothes,” Su Qinghu continued. “Here’s my offer: 8.8 yuan for the long dress, 5.8 for the skirt. If you agree, we have a deal.”

The woman was stunned. “That’s a pretty steep cut, isn’t it?”

Su Qinghu smiled. “So, can you accept that price?”

“No, no, no, that’s too low,” the aunt waved her hands. “At the wholesale market, those clothes are mass-produced and the sizing isn’t precise. Mine are all carefully sized, and really, they’re custom-made.”

“I understand all that, and I get how you feel. But selling one by one is different from selling in bulk,” Su Qinghu said. “That’s what wholesale is, after all.”

The woman shook her head. “No, that price is just too low. If you want them, you’ll have to go a bit higher.”

“That’s my final offer,” Su Qinghu said. “In fact, it’s the highest I’m willing to go.”

“But I designed these myself, sourced the fabric and materials myself. It’s really hard work. Every set, every trip, every detail—so much effort goes into it,” the aunt said. “If you’re really sincere, maybe we can go just a little higher than your price, so both sides are satisfied. What do you think?”

Su Qinghu shook her head. “You should be able to tell I’m sincere about my offer.”"