The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 69 Crown Robe

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Time flies, and before we know it, it's September 30th. Today is the last day of September, and tomorrow is October 1st, which is also the wedding day of Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing.

Early in the morning, Aunt Liu, carrying a large bundle, barged into Yang Ming's house, completely blocking the two people who were still lazing in bed.

Zhang Yingning arrived in Zhengjia Village on Monday and hadn't left. She had been staying in the west room of Yang Ming's house with her daughter-in-law and grandson. When Liu Sao barged in, making quite a commotion, Zhang Yingning and her daughter-in-law Liu Yun were both awakened, except for the child who was sleeping soundly. They ran out of the west room to see what was going on.

"Look, how is it..." Aunt Liu's eyes were bloodshot, but she couldn't hide her excitement, because the fruits of her week's labor were showing their value.

Hanfu is known for its grandeur, elegance, and nobility. Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing are both outstanding individuals. The key is their positive attitude. With the support of their farm, they have unparalleled confidence in life. With this strong confidence, wearing Hanfu is a perfect match for them.

Upper garment and lower garment, black above and yellow below.

Yang Ming wore a pure white inner robe, and a golden crown on his head. It was not a large tassel crown, but rather a type of official hat similar to that of the Ming Dynasty, except that it had no wings on the sides and was adorned with tassels embroidered with dragon patterns. His forehead was inlaid with jade, making him look exceptionally solemn and neat. His upper body was a black robe, embroidered with the six symbols of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, and phoenix. His lower body was a yellow crimson robe, embroidered with the six symbols of algae, fire, rice grains, ancestral vessels, axe, and axe. This was the highest-ranking twelve-symbol robe among the crown robes.

The embroidery uses a twisted stitch technique, which creates a three-dimensional effect. Combined with Liu Sao's exquisite craftsmanship, the various embroidered decorations look incredibly lifelike and captivating.

On her feet, she wore a pair of boots with slightly upturned toes, embroidered with beautiful patterns. The entire material was made of silk, which was soft, smooth, and elastic, making them exceptionally comfortable to wear.

Behind Yang Ming, there was a large crimson fur coat, similar to a cape, draped over his shoulders. The combination made him look quite noble, just like an emperor.

Wei Qingqing was dressed similarly, but her crown was a phoenix crown, and her clothes were more feminine, slightly tight-fitting, highlighting the softness of the female body, with an inner garment and skirt.

"Now that men and women are equal, it's no big deal for us women to wear imperial robes. Besides, there have been empresses in history, so just consider it a matching outfit... Hehe, this is the treatment reserved for emperors. Even emperors only wear it when worshipping the Jade Emperor. I see you're getting married, which is a joyous occasion, so I made your imperial robes red. If it were in the past, if you dared to wear something like this, you would have been labeled as counter-revolutionaries." Aunt Liu looked at Yang Ming and his wife, who were wearing imperial robes, and nodded repeatedly with a smile.

"Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. This outfit really makes a difference, making him look more sophisticated..." Zhang Yingning exclaimed in admiration.

"This is what elegance looks like... Sister Liu, make me one too sometime..." Liu Yun's eyes lit up as she looked at Wei Qingqing in her gorgeous clothes.

"Alright, alright, in a few days, I'll make a set of shenyi for each of you. In the Han Dynasty, that was formal attire, but after the Han Dynasty, it became everyday wear." Aunt Liu's spirits were filled with excitement.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Liu..." Liu Yun said with a smile.

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing walked around the room twice, then sat side by side on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). They looked at themselves in the mirror hanging on the north wall, wearing crowns, right-fastening cross-collars, and belts with jade pendants... Indeed, dressed like this, they exuded an air of elegance, refinement, and civilization...

"Sister Liu, your cooking skills are really amazing..." Yang Ming breathed a sigh of relief and gave Sister Liu a thumbs up.

"It's hard to believe that you finished it in just seven days..." Looking at herself in the mirror, Wei Qingqing still couldn't quite believe it.

The young couple were still in awe, both of Liu's skillful hands and the magnificence of the Hanfu.

"Hehe, I'm not a god. My mother helped me a lot. The crown, boots, and inner garment were all made by my mother... Are you satisfied?" Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"Satisfied! Sister Liu, it's settled on our partnership to open a clothing company. How about we split the profits 40/60?" Yang Ming said.

"Alright! You're a straightforward person, so your sister-in-law won't be coy with you." Aunt Liu agreed exceptionally readily.

"Are you planning to start a company? Let me tell you, Auntie is your first customer, and my whole family has already pre-ordered a set of Hanfu..." Zhang Yingning interjected with a smile.

"Hehe, Aunt Liu, Aunt Zhang is quite wealthy. It seems we can make a great start," Yang Ming said with a smile.

So the three of them took two pages of paper and began to draft a contract. The contract was very simple, which stipulated the responsibilities and profit distribution of both parties. Yang Ming was responsible for providing raw materials and developing the market, while Liu Sao was responsible for production and processing. The profits, after deducting costs, would be split 40/60, with Liu Sao taking the larger share.

Zhang Yingning was a ready-made notary, and finally, the village party secretary Zheng Dabao was invited to join them. The two of them signed their names as notaries, and then the two parties to the cooperation signed the contract.

Before leaving, Zheng Dabao stared at Yang Ming and his wife for a long time. What were these two up to? Were they going to perform or something?

"The contract is signed, so what's next? What else can we do?" Aunt Liu usually just farms at home and has no idea about starting a company, so she couldn't help but look at Yang Ming.

"Then we need to register the company. We need to come up with a good name for it," Yang Ming said.

"The beauty of clothing is called Hua, and the grandeur of etiquette is called Xia. We specialize in Hanfu, so let's call ourselves 'Huaxia Clothing Co., Ltd.'" Wei Qingqing said.

"A good name, it should be called Limited Company. At my speed, I can only make four sets a month at most..." Aunt Liu nodded. She can make two sets of the most complicated Hanfu a week, but that's only if she's rushing. If she keeps at this speed, she'll be exhausted in less than two months.

Yang Ming, Wei Qingqing, Zhang Yingning, and Liu Yun exchanged glances and couldn't help but burst out laughing. They hadn't expected that Aunt Liu would be so humorous.

Aunt Liu was a little confused. What was wrong? Had I said something stupid?

Starting a company takes time, so there's no rush. Right now, Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing's biggest concern is their wedding. Tomorrow is their wedding day, and all the other preparations are done. They're just waiting for their Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), so the only thing left to do is take their wedding photos...

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing didn't even change their clothes before hurriedly calling Lao Yang to drive them to the city to take wedding photos. After the photos were taken, Yang Ming had to rush back to Yangjia Village to entertain relatives and friends and prepare for the wedding procession. Wei Qingqing also had to rush home to treat relatives and friends to a meal and prepare to be the bride. So time was very tight.

As for delivering vegetables to various hotels at the end of the month, Yang Ming had already discussed it with Zhang Yingning beforehand, and the vegetables were delivered yesterday.

Before long, Lao Yang arrived in his transport truck. Yang Ming, Wei Qingqing, Zhang Yingning, Lao Huang, and Lao Liu all got into the truck. Zhang Yingning was going to attend their wedding, so she naturally had to go with them. As for Grandpa Huang and Grandpa Liu... Yang Zhengfang had solemnly instructed him on the phone to make sure to bring his two old friends along as well.

The small carriage had six people seated. Although it was a bit cramped, there was still room for one person. At least, Wei Qingqing would only travel to the city before getting off, freeing up space for another person.

When they got back to the city, it was just 9:30. Coincidentally, as soon as they entered the city, they saw a wedding photography studio with a rather grand decor. The young couple asked Zhang Yingning, Lao Liu, and Lao Huang to wait in the car for a while, then got out of the car, and with their long fur coats hanging down their backs, they walked towards the wedding photography studio.

The couple's attire immediately attracted the attention of passersby. Some who had read too many online novels thought that someone from ancient times had traveled to the modern era, and they followed behind the couple. Many people took out their mobile phones and DV cameras to start filming.

The key is temperament. Hanfu is meant to enhance a person's temperament. If a sleazy person wears it, they will look even more sleazy, like a monkey wearing a crown. If a kind and honest person wears it, they will look even more dignified, with the imposing presence of towering mountains and thick earth. If an upright person wears it, they will look like a precious sword, upright and unyielding. If a dignified person wears it, they will look like a deity, awe-inspiring and intimidating.

This is also the origin of the ancient practice of selecting officials based on their appearance. If an ugly person stood in the court wearing fine clothes, it would be fine if there were only his own people present, but if there were foreign guests, well... even the dignity of the nation would be lost.

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing ignored the followers and went straight into the photo studio.

After the makeup was done, in the large photo studio...

"I never expected this! These kimonos look amazing on you two..." The photographer at the photo studio couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the exceptional couple in front of him. He had a feeling that he was about to capture the pinnacle of his career.

"What kind of eyesight do you have? This is a kimono! This is Hanfu, okay?" Yang Ming rolled his eyes at the photographer and said.

"Hanbok?" The photographer looked confused. "Hanbok it is."

"Are you deaf or what? Hanfu, Hanfu, don't you understand? I don't care if you understand or not. We're in a hurry to take photos..." Wei Qingqing didn't know why, but she suddenly got angry at the photographer.

"Hehe, pre-wedding jitters, don't mind me, bro..." Yang Ming felt a little embarrassed when Wei Qingqing got angry. He patted the photographer on the shoulder with a smile, "Let me put it simply for you, what we're wearing is Hanfu, it's Han Chinese clothing, not Japanese or Korean, it's Han Chinese clothing..."

"Do you think we're ignorant? Aren't Hanfu just Tang suits and cheongsams?" a makeup artist muttered quietly beside her.

The term "Tang suit" originated from foreigners, referring to the grandeur and enduring influence of the Tang Dynasty. Chinese people abroad are often called "Tang people," and areas with large Chinese populations are often referred to as "Chinatown." In reality, the Tang suit is a modified version of the Western suit, imbued with Chinese characteristics. As for the cheongsam, the word "cheongsam" itself suggests its connection to the Manchu Eight Banners. The beauty of embroidered clothing is called "Hua," and clothing with embroidered patterns is called "Zhangfu," which is the true Hanfu, also known as Huafu.

"...Uncultured..." Wei Qingqing looked at the makeup artist for a long time before uttering three words, then turned her head away, too lazy to pay attention to her, leaving the young makeup artist feeling very frustrated, her face turning black.

Wei Qingqing has a rather fiery temper, which is understandable. Firstly, she has a phobia of photography and gets camera sickness. Secondly, she has pre-wedding jitters. After all, in the Chinese consciousness, holding a wedding ceremony represents the true union of two people. Bowing to heaven and earth is not just a casual gesture; it is a union of a couple witnessed by heaven and earth. Chinese people have always revered heaven and earth (my family used to worship the "Three Realms of Heaven and Earth" during the Lunar New Year).

"Alright, alright! Brother, let's get the photos taken right away. We're in a rush, it has to be finished before noon today. Money is no problem," Yang Ming said.

"No problem..." The photographer's eyes lit up, and he immediately instructed one of his assistants to go find the manager, who was a big client.

Standing or sitting, after putting on Hanfu, Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing dared not make any frivolous movements. They could only maintain these two postures. Things like the groom putting his arm around the bride's waist or the bride leaning on the groom like a little bird were out of the question. Even if they agreed, the photographer would not allow it. He wanted to ensure that there were no flaws in the work he had high hopes for.

"She's quite pretty, and the key is her good temperament..." Sometime during the day, an intellectual woman appeared in the photography studio, one hand supporting her elbow and the other pinching her pointed chin, offering her very objective comments.

The sophisticated woman thought for a moment, then called over a costume designer, pointed at Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing, and whispered, "When did our photo studio ever stock clothes like this?"

"They brought this themselves; we initially thought they were filming a movie," the costume designer said.

"Okay! It's alright, you can go ahead with your work..." the intellectual woman said.

It took twelve photos to finally finish shooting. Then someone immediately took the film to be developed. Through repeated shooting and the exclamations of people, Wei Qingqing gradually regained her confidence and became radiant. Her performance got better and better afterward.

"You two have such great poise. I wonder if we could collaborate?" The sophisticated woman stepped forward at this moment.

"How do we cooperate?" Yang Ming asked.

"Once your wedding photos are developed, all fees will be waived, and our studio can display them in the window. How about that?" the sophisticated woman said.

"Okay, but you must print the words 'Chinese Clothing' under the hanging photo, and the font must be eye-catching," Wei Qingqing said with a confident smile.

Wei Qingqing used to work in sales and knew everything about men. She could use this photo studio to promote the name of Hanfu. When they came in, they saw that this photo studio was a national chain store. If they could get their men's photos taken here, "Huaxia Clothing" would become famous all over the country.

"Of course." The intellectual woman didn't hesitate at all; this was even better, saving them the trouble of giving her extra compensation.

"We're in a hurry; we need to get the wedding photos before noon," Yang Ming added.

He's afraid that if they don't accept the money, the staff will delay the work.

"No problem..." The sophisticated woman immediately took out her phone and made a call, instructing the staff to speed things up. After hanging up, she said, "It's 10:30 now. Please wait a moment. The wedding photos will be delivered in half an hour. Would you mind if we went to the reception room for a while?"

"Thank you very much then." Wei Qingqing smiled and nodded.

Yang Ming was quite frustrated by Wei Qingqing's performance. Wearing this outfit, Wei Qingqing became even more confident and had the potential to be an empress.

"No way, I absolutely can't let her wear this outfit again, or I'll be in big trouble..." Yang Ming made up his mind.

Upon arriving at the reception room, the two rested briefly on the sofa. Immediately, someone brought them fragrant tea. This reception room was on the first floor, and one could see the main street outside from here.

"Hehe, you two, this is my business card. You both have excellent temperament, and I think we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future." The intellectual woman smiled and handed a business card with gold trim to Wei Qingqing.

"I hope so..." Wei Qingqing smiled as she took the business card and looked at it. It had a name on it: Zhao Dongyuan, which was the name of this intellectual woman.

"Your Hanfu, these must be the Twelve Symbols Robes, right? I heard they're used for sacrificial rites and are the highest-ranking among all the imperial robes..." Zhao Dongyuan pulled up a chair and sat opposite the two. "You mentioned Chinese clothing earlier, are you from the same company? Are you two your company's fitting staff?"

"Hehe, we're planning to start a company called Huaxia Garment Co., Ltd. We'll be the bosses. I don't know if there are any duplicates of this name," Yang Ming said with a smile.

"I see. I can imagine your company will be a huge success." Zhao Dongyuan's expression changed, and she smiled.

"Thank you for your kind words." Yang Ming nodded with a smile.

"How much do your Hanfu cost? Our photography studio would like to order two sets," Zhao Dongyuan said with a smile.

"The imperial robe, one set costs 900,000 RMB, and the deep robe, one set costs 10,000 RMB," Yang Ming said with a smile.

"Isn't this a bit expensive?" Zhao Dongyuan asked, somewhat surprised.

It's not just expensive; it's ridiculously expensive. Even the world's most prestigious brands might not be able to sell for this price.

"It's not expensive at all," said Wei Qingqing this time. "Our Hanfu are made of real silk, and the entire production process is done by hand, without the use of any machines. It takes a week to carefully make each piece. Especially the Mianfu (ceremonial robe), the jade ornaments are all made of pure Hetian mutton fat jade. Just for the jade alone, it's worth the price. The Shenyi (deep robe) is the same. Although the jade ornaments are not Hetian mutton fat jade, they are still worth between five and six thousand. Of course, if you don't want the jade ornaments, it can be much cheaper. The Mianfu is 100,000 RMB, and the Shenyi is 5,000 RMB." The couple had already agreed on this price. The key was that Grandpa Liu's carving skills were so amazing that he multiplied the value of the jade several times over. If they sold it too cheaply, they would lose a lot of money.

"Our company only guarantees the quality of our clothing, not the quantity. We don't care if anyone imitates it, because the patent for Hanfu doesn't belong to us," Yang Ming said with a smile.

"Hehe, I can understand..." Zhao Dongyuan smiled.

Zhao Dongyuan made another phone call, and someone immediately delivered a contract about hanging photos in the shop window. The photo studio had precedents for this, and the contract was ready. After both parties checked it and found it to be correct, they both signed it.

Time passed quickly, and when it was 11 o'clock, Zhao Dongyuan's phone rang again. It was the staff member in charge of producing the wedding photos calling to tell her that the wedding photos were ready.

"Gentlemen, the wedding photos are finished. There are two sets in total, twelve photos in each set. You can go and take a look..." Zhao Dongyuan stood up and smiled at the two of them.

"Okay!" Wei Qingqing was the first to stand up.

The three of them left the reception room and entered the hall, where they saw twenty-four life-sized photos. Twelve of the photos showed two people dressed in Hanfu, some sitting and some standing. The photos were life-sized, and to be honest, the quality of the photos taken by this studio was really impressive; even at such a large size, they were all incredibly clear.

"We are very satisfied..." Wei Qingqing nodded and said.

"Alright, our cooperation shall begin here..." Zhao Dongyuan picked up an invoice from the counter and handed it to the two of them.

The staff quickly packed up the wedding photos, moved them outside, and loaded them onto the back of the truck. Yang Ming, Wei Qingqing, and Zhao Dongyuan shook hands, said goodbye, got into the truck, and the truck started up and drove towards Sunshine Community.

On the way, Wei Qingqing also called her parents to tell them that she would be home soon.

Upon arriving at Sunshine Community, they found red "double happiness" characters already pasted on the community gate. Wei Jianguo and Xue Hua, along with a group of relatives and friends from the Wei and Xue families, were already waiting at the community gate.

After dropping Wei Qingqing off, the truck also took a set of wedding photos and then sped off towards Yangjia Village.

"Sister Qingqing, what are you wearing? It looks so good!"

"Cousin, you're so beautiful, just like the people on TV! Are you an actress?"

"This dress feels so smooth, it must be silk..."

A group of young girls, seeing Wei Qingqing's elegant attire, swarmed around her and started chattering excitedly.

"Alright, alright, let's hang the wedding photos inside and then go to the hotel for dinner..." Xue Hua quickly rescued his daughter from the siege.

So the men helped carry the photos upstairs, while the women took a taxi directly to the hotel they had booked for dinner.

It is said that Wei Jianguo and his group booked the Yingning Hotel as the venue for their banquet. This was at Zhang Yingning's insistence. When it comes to hosting a banquet, it's all about saving face. The higher the hotel's class, the more face you can gain. Of course, Zhang Yingning would not miss any opportunity to befriend Yang Ming, so he directly instructed the hotel staff to prepare a deluxe private room for them.

The transport truck sped along the highway, the trees on both sides rushing past, and finally, around 6 p.m., when it was already getting dark, it returned to Yangjia Village.

Yangjia Village was already immersed in a festive atmosphere. Every door of the Yang family was adorned with a large red "double happiness" character, and colorful ribbons were hung at the entrances of alleys and on the streets.

Yang Zhengfang and Zhang Shufang were already waiting at the village entrance, accompanied by Sun Fangfang and Zhang Yang. Sun Fangfang had been asked by Zhang Shufang to act as a matchmaker. Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing were in a free-love relationship, but how could a wedding be without a matchmaker? So Sun Fangfang had to fill in.

Beside them were Zhao Dongge and Zheng Dongfang, along with their four girlfriends: Zhu Yun, Zhang Fenghuang, Liu Lili, and Zhang Yue. Behind them were Old Yang's entire family, Zhang Shufang's extended family, Yang Ming's elementary and middle school classmates, childhood friends, and so on...

Everyone eagerly awaited Yang Ming's return... This guy was just waiting for Yang Ming to come back so they could start the feast.

When the delivery truck came into view, everyone rushed to greet it.

The car slowly came to a stop, the door opened, and the figure that stepped out made everyone freeze in shock. Was this a movie shoot? Or what? Why was she dressed like that?

Amidst the lively discussion...

"Are you Yang Ming?" Zheng Dongfang stepped forward and pinched Yang Ming's cheek. "Not Dongfang Bubai?" In front of his parents, he naturally couldn't call him a stinky peasant.

"Get lost..." Yang Ming laughed and kicked Zheng Dongfang in the butt, but Zheng Dongfang was quite agile and jumped to the side to dodge the kick.

"Sister Liu's skills are amazing! No wonder they were hiding in the mountains waiting for their clothes... I must ask her to make me a set too..." Sun Fangfang was mesmerized, muttering to herself. She turned to look at her husband, then at her godfather, imagining her godfather's clothes being taken off and put on her husband. Hmm! If her husband wore such a set, he would definitely look better than her godfather.

"It's so beautiful, Yang Ming! Where did you buy this outfit?" Zhang Yue excitedly came closer, grabbing Yang Ming's clothes and touching them up and down. "It's so smooth, and it's real silk..."

"Hey Miss Zhang, can you stop focusing on my clothes? Don't you notice how handsome I look today?" Yang Ming said, putting his hands behind his back and striking a pose of arrogance.

"Hahaha, Yang Ming, your outfit is really interesting..." Zhu Yun pointed at Yang Ming's nose and burst into laughter.

"You're still so carefree, be careful you won't be able to get married..." Yang Ming was not polite to Zhu Yun at all. This tomboy was actually not that difficult to deal with. The key was that if you were serious, she wouldn't bully you. But if you were always joking around with her, you could expect to get your nose slapped open.

"..." Zhu Yun seemed to choke on her words, and after a long while she said sullenly, "If it weren't for the fact that you're getting married tomorrow, I would have given you a good beating."

"You're married! We should see the joy. Make his nose run, so he'll be all smiles." Zhang Fenghuang whispered, egging him on.

"I'll make you beam with joy," Zhu Yun glared at her and whispered.

Zhang Fenghuang stuck out her tongue and dared not say anything more. This older sister was really capable of hitting people.

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(End of this chapter)