Cross-stitch does not require advanced embroidery skills, as long as you can needle and thread.
However, cross-stitch required a lot of preparation work, so Shen Xiu hired Sophora japonica to help with dyeing.
Sophora japonica helped Shen Xiu dye silk embroidery thread for a long time. She knew which dyes did not fade, and also knew which dyes were most likely to fade.
With the help of Sophora japonica, Shen Xiu quickly selected a dye that was easy to fade.
Dye alone is not enough, you also need to choose fabric suitable for cross stitch.
Shen Xiu selected for several days, and finally selected a coarse cloth on the market. With a little more processing, it could be made into a cloth suitable for cross stitch.
The dyes and fabrics were available, and Qu Huan also found helpers.
An honest and reliable woman, Qu Huan immediately thought of his two married sisters, so he invited them over.
Sister Qu and Sister Qu, you can tell at a glance that they are serious people and they can also do some needlework.
Shen Xiu drew orchids on the coarse cloth, called Sophora japonica, and taught the three of them the cross-stitch technique.
The cross-stitch method is actually not difficult at all. All three of them have done needlework, so they naturally picked it up very quickly.
In just a few days, the three of them had finished an orchid embroidered screen.
Shen Xiu looked at the orchid embroidered screen in front of her and asked Qu Huan, "How is it? This orchid embroidered screen should be sold, right?"
Qu Huan carefully looked at the orchid embroidered screen in front of him. The feeling of this embroidered screen was not as shocking as the last time. It was a little less lively and agile, but the orchids on the orchid embroidered screen were still lifelike, as if they were
Same as the painting.
He thought for a moment and said, "It should be able to be sold, but as my sister-in-law said, the price won't be too high."
"After all, my sister-in-law helped me build this screen, so I plan to split the accounts with her. I only want 30% of the profit, and the remaining 70% belongs to my sister-in-law."
The cost of the screen was all Shen Xiu's expense, so naturally she took the lion's share.
Shen Xiu felt that Qu Huan was suffering too much, so he said: "It's a bit unfair to divide the accounts between thirty and seven. Let's do this, six for me and four for you."
Qu Huan was also thinking about dividing the accounts between four and six, but the screen was all directed to Shen Xiu, so he didn't dare to ask for more, for fear that the other party would be unwilling.
Now that Shen Xiu said this, Qu Huan only declined and agreed.
According to Shen Xiu's wishes, he originally planned to make a few more screens and then transport them to Fucheng. However, Qu Huan said that he wanted to test the waters first, so after the second embroidered screen was embroidered, he hired a carriage to transport the two screens.
Went to Fucheng.
Privately, Shen Xiu said to Wei Yan, "Did something happen to your classmate's family, so you are anxiously waiting for money?"
Wei Yan said: "That's not true, it's just that Qu Huan likes to do business. And I can guess a little bit of his thoughts. If his trip goes well, he will pass the county examination and take the government examination in the future.
At this time, I can bring more embroidered screens to Fucheng."
"It turns out that's what he thinks." Shen Xiudao, "He's thinking about the long term. It's a piece of business material."
When Qu Huan left, it was already the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Shen Xiu saw that Sister Qu and the three of them had become proficient in cross stitch, so they focused on the orchid book.
Luo Gong ordered a total of twenty booklets.
After Shen Xiu finished embroidering the two brochures, Qu Huan came back from Fucheng and brought good news.
"People in Fucheng are now very curious about this orchid embroidered screen. As soon as these two embroidered screens appeared, many people came to me to ask about the price, and they also said that they would charge as much as they wanted in the future." Qu Huan said with a smile on his face, "
In the end, each screen was sold for fifty taels of silver, and I earned one hundred taels of silver from this trip."
Fifty taels of silver is quite a lot. After all, the cost of an embroidered screen is only one tael of silver. Excluding the cost, one screen can earn 48 taels of silver. Two screens are almost a hundred taels of silver.
Shen Xiu now has more money and can remain calm as usual.
But it was the first time that Qu Huan had earned so much money, and he was so excited that he planned to bring more embroidered screens with him when he takes the government examination in the future.
Shen Xiu said calmly: "This orchid embroidered screen can only be sold for ten pieces at most. If it is more, it will not be sold at this price."
Qu Huan was originally in high spirits, but when he heard that the orchid embroidered screen could only be sold for crosses, he felt as if he had been showered with cold water.
But after he thought about it carefully, Shen Xiu was right. This orchid embroidered screen was an imitation after all, not a real orchid embroidered screen. The price it could fetch was already pretty good.
But he was unwilling to lose this source of wealth.
Shen Xiu didn't wait for him to speak and said: "The orchid embroidered screen cannot be sold. But we can sell other embroidered screens."
The reason why this orchid embroidered screen can be sold at a good price is partly due to her embroidery skills, but more importantly, it is the orchids embroidered on the embroidered screen. Half of the orchids are varieties from later generations. For people of this era, of course, they feel
Very novel.
According to this idea, as long as the cross-stitch patterns she draws are novel enough, the cross-stitch screens will continue to be sold.
Shen Xiu had already thought of what to embroider next. In addition to orchids, people in this era also liked plum blossoms, peonies, and chrysanthemums.
After embroidering these flowers, she can also embroider figures, the Twelve Hairpins of Jinling, and the Four Beauties.
Shen Xiu did not tell Qu Huan in detail, but only gave a brief description.
Qu Huan's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he felt that partnering with Shen Xiu to do business was simply the best thing he had done in his life.
"Sister-in-law, I listen to you. When these cross-embroidered screens are sold out, we will embroider other flowers."
Shen Xiu's prediction was correct. Because cross stitch is easy to learn, even a person who is proficient in needlework can embroider an orchid screen.
But precisely because of this characteristic, cross-stitch is also extremely easy to be imitated.
After Qu Huan's two orchid embroidered screens were shipped to Fucheng, they were quickly noticed by interested people.
Within a few days, an embroidery workshop in Fucheng launched the same orchid embroidered screen, which was almost exactly the same as the orchid embroidered screen sold by Qu Huan.
Whether it is the twelve kinds of orchids above or the mountains, trees, grass and rocks dotted beside them, they are all exactly the same.
When Qu Huan told Shen Xiu the news, the latter was not surprised.
"Since Fucheng already has the same orchid embroidered screen, we can no longer transport the embroidered screen to Fucheng. After all, Fucheng is not our territory, and it is impossible for us to compete with those embroidery workshops."
Qu Huan said: "Then what should we do? We can't smash these embroidered screens into our hands!"
Shen Xiudao: "It won't hurt if it hits your hand. Go back and spread the news in the county, saying that orchid embroidered screens are popular in Fucheng. Presumably, after those big families know the news, there will always be people who will follow suit. As long as there are people who follow suit, then we will
The orchid embroidery screen will not worry about sales."
Qu Huan said: "Why didn't I think of selling it in the county? I will find someone to spread the news."
Just spreading the news was not enough, Shen Xiu also had an embroidered screen placed in the store, so that Liandong could recommend it more when receiving guests.