She had seen people use resin in crafts before, but he applied it to a tabletop, combining such carving skills and creativity was indeed impressive.
Li Fengtian rose from the sofa and walked over to the table, instantly captivated by it.
Mrs. Li repeatedly tried folding and unfolding the table. Though she wasn’t too fond of the dragons and clouds, the design, which could expand and contract, greatly appealed to her as a homemaker.
She then examined the coffee table and immediately thought it matched perfectly with the purple clay teapot set her husband’s subordinate had given them recently.
“And the price isn’t even over a thousand, using this set for years, even a decade, the cost-effectiveness is still very high.”
As she moved between the pieces of furniture, examining them, she walked up to her husband and nudged his arm, signaling with her eyes.
Her husband nodded subtly, and she immediately turned back and asked:
“It’s a bit pricey, isn’t it? How can an ordinary family afford this? There goes a month’s salary, what would they eat and drink? Could you give us a discount?”
Yao Nan’s mom had already noticed the couple’s glances, especially from someone dressed in mink, who could surely afford 1400 yuan.
Although Hua Jie had said she could lower it by 40, she firmly replied:
“This really is the lowest price. The carpenter originally wanted 1600 when he delivered the furniture; I had to push hard to get it down to 1400.”
“Could your carpenter throw in an additional single sofa?” Li Fengtian spoke up before his wife could continue bargaining.
“I can discuss that with them,” Yao Nan’s mom said with a smile.
“…” Li Fengtian turned to look at his wife; he never carried much cash on him—it was all in his wife’s purse.
Just as the two were about to make a decision, suddenly another woman in a long white down coat approached the door. She looked well-off, with a rather avant-garde taste.
She glanced at the furniture set up at the door and immediately took a liking to it, then spoke up:
“Is this new furniture? I was here yesterday, and it wasn’t here yet, how much is it?”
“Ah, for the whole set, it’s 1400 yuan,” Yao Nan’s mom replied, glancing at Mr. and Mrs. Li, then walked over to the woman in the white down coat.
“We’ll take this set,” Mrs. Li said hurriedly, worried it might be sold to someone else.
“Ah, sure thing,” Yao Nan’s mom apologized with a smile to the woman in the white down coat, then turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Li and asked:
“How about we deliver it to your home right now? Or would you prefer to schedule another time?”
“Deliver it now,” Mrs. Li said, already reaching into her pocket to get the money.
The woman in the white down coat looked at the couple beside her and stepped forward with a smile, saying:
“Big brother, big sister, my son is getting married next weekend, and I’ve been looking at furniture for days. It’s been hard to find a set I really like; could you possibly let me have this one?”
“This… we’ve also been looking at furniture for over a month and just found this set,” Mrs. Li replied, somewhat distressed.
“The wedding really can’t wait. Could we possibly do this: could the owner arrange another set for you, big brother and sister? I urgently need this one and would like to buy it now?” The woman in the white down coat said, turning to look at the shop owner.
“This… it’s not factory stock, but uniquely made by our in-house designer and top carpenter. To say whether we could make another set exactly like this, I’d have to ask to be sure,” Yao Nan’s mom said, finding herself in a difficult position.
This week she sold four chairs, never expecting today’s big sale to be the set Hua Jie consigned just yesterday.
Such expensive items were picked out early this morning, and now two families were competing to buy them.
Tsk, tsk!
“Would you consider that, big brother and sister?” the woman in the white down coat asked with a particularly polite tone.
Mrs. Li turned to look at her husband.
“…” Li Fengtian furrowed his brows and then spoke to the shop owner:
“Please could you ask if it’s possible to customize? I have a few requests if so. I’d like to add a single solid wood sofa and four more chairs for the dining table. Ideally, the carving theme should omit the dragon for something subtler—perhaps keeping the element of the dragon but without showing the dragon’s head.”
Customization would be ideal; as a government official, he needed to avoid being too ostentatious. If the overt dragon carvings could be replaced with more understated designs, it would be perfect.
“Thank you so much, big brother and sister,” the woman in the white down coat immediately expressed her gratitude.
“We haven’t agreed yet, and you can’t take the furniture just yet. If the designer disagrees, I’ll still be buying this set,” Mrs. Li said with a smile.
“Ah, then please make a call to check,” the woman in the white down coat suggested.
Yao Nan’s mom carefully noted down Li Fengtian’s requests, went inside, and dialed the phone number Hua Jie had left. Unfortunately, Hua Jie and her father were not at home, and her mother said that Hua’s father would call back in the evening.
The two buyers left their phone numbers and went home, waiting to be contacted once there was news.
The woman in the white down coat was visibly anxious about the possibility of not securing the furniture and repeatedly implored Yao Nan’s mom to do her utmost.
The Li couple left a deposit of 600 yuan and took the receipt.
Only then did they depart.
Yao Nan’s mom stood at the doorway stamping her foot, turned back to look at her husband, and both shared a look of disbelief and reflection.
Throughout the morning, passersby noticed the furniture set up at their door. Many came to inquire about the price, and upon hearing it was sold, left somewhat disappointed.
Among them, another family left their contact details, interested in buying similar style furniture but without the coffee table. They wanted a dining table, two dining chairs, a three-person solid wood sofa, a longer and taller TV cabinet, and a double bed.
With the ‘customer-attracting furniture’ set up at the door, Yao Nan’s mom broke out of the slump of only selling four chairs in a week, selling a table and a single bed as well.
Even the competitors a few steps away noticed the sudden buzz at Fuyun Furniture, standing at their doorways watching for a long time.
Phone calls to supply factories described the furniture’s colors and details, but several partner factories stated they didn’t have such furniture.
In the afternoon, Hua Jie returned home first. Hearing from her mother that a classmate’s parent had called, she immediately returned the call.
Once she understood the situation, Hua Jie decisively agreed, and although she hadn’t designed it yet, she estimated that the furniture Li Fengtian ordered would cost about 2,000 yuan, while the other customer who wanted a set with a bed would cost about 2,500 yuan.
“Our customers all want unique designs, and you’re saying you can make each one different, can you really do that?” Yao Nan’s mom was a bit worried, knowing that while carpentry could vary in quality, following a design usually resulted in something decent.
But design isn’t something just anyone can do.
“Don’t worry, Auntie, it will be absolutely one of a kind,” Hua Jie assured her with a smile, confident in her strength in this area.
Especially since she had the vision and insight of the next decade or more, there was absolutely no problem.
After hanging up the phone, Hua Jie still held the receiver, taking a long moment to come back to reality.
1,400 + 2,000 + 2,500 = 5,900 yuan.
This was almost equivalent to five months of her father’s salary, yet making these pieces of furniture, with her dad’s efficiency, would take less than two months.
It was extra money earned during his time off, and just these three orders would allow their family to have a very prosperous year.
She planned to buy her mother a nice coat, and even if they couldn’t afford mink, it would at least be a large fur-collared, cinched-waist coat.
Then, she’d get her dad a better motorcycle and a leather jacket to wear, which would definitely look cool.
Teacher Shen, who didn’t charge her tuition, would also get a gift.
And if Teacher Shen got a gift, then Shen Mo must have one too; otherwise, he’d definitely be upset.
Hua Jie made a loop around the living room, then headed back to her room to work on the design drafts.
With ideas in her mind and skilled hands, she had two sets of furniture designed within an hour.
She then tilted her head and thought for a moment, and also created a set of the most popular Western-style furniture of the era in Shanghai—
The kind that, a few years later, would be listed as cultural heritage, where homeowners are not allowed to alter the old Western-style houses, and the furniture inside was also highly characteristic of the era.
Solid wood matched with floral leather cushions, and various intricate Western styles.
A rectangular Western dining table, candlesticks, a dressing table, bedside tables…
She could also make white European-style furniture, with small checks and tiny florals, filling the room to the brim, the kind of early preference that leaves almost no space to walk, an absolute luxurious manor-like indulgence.
During the millennium, one group of people pursued the style of wealthy Chinese with antique, opulent furniture.
Another group sought the style of wealthy Westerners, drawing aesthetic inspiration mainly from “The Bund” and some American movies.
Hua Jie briskly took notes, suddenly feeling that the future held great promise.
After everything was set and a furniture pricing plan was made, she paced around the room for a while, then settled down and returned to her desk to continue studying and drawing.
The next day at noon after school, Hua Jie packed her things and stood up, her gaze immediately catching Yao Nan, who was energetically rushing toward the classroom door.
She immediately called out:
“Yao Nan, wait for me, I’ll walk home with you.”
“…” Yao Nan stopped abruptly at the door, turning his head in confusion to look at Hua Jie.
Then, his gaze inadvertently shifted and fell on Shen Mo’s unfriendly face.
?!
Why did Hua Jie want to walk home with him? Wasn’t this asking for trouble?
Brother Mo, listen to me…
However, Hua Jie had already grabbed her hat and scarf and hurried over to him.
Yao Nan’s pleading eyes turned to Shen Mo, no, Brother Mo, listen to me, I don’t know what’s going on.
Shen Mo glanced at him, grabbed his down jacket and ear muffs, and walked swiftly to the door, grabbing Hua Jie by the head:
“Why are you going home with him?”
“Oh, my dad consigned some furniture at his place, I’m going there to talk business,” Hua Jie pulled Shen Mo out of the classroom to avoid blocking the doorway.
“Uncle still makes furniture?” Shen Mo raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that Hua’s father was an all-rounder.
“Of course, my dad can make lots of things, like bird cages, cricket cages, everything really, all the furniture, cabinets, beds at home, my dad made them himself,” Hua Jie said proudly, lifting her head high.
“…” Yao Nan silently followed behind the two, feeling like he might be safe now.
“I’ll come with you,” Shen Mo suddenly said.
“!” Yao Nan’s eyes widened. Come with them? Come with him to his house???