sjar Chapter 53: Can Only Double
Chapter 53: Can Only Double
Due to the continuous launch of new accessories and effective promotional activities, for a time, Huicuilou's reputation even surpassed Zhenpin Pavilion.
On July 28th, Huicui Building had been open for one month, and the exciting day had arrived - it was time to pay the monthly salary!
The sales for this month were more than 20,000 taels. Although it was not comparable to the Zhenpin Pavilion, it was still a good result. After all, the previous sales were small items, and each item was only 200 to 300 taels at most. At the end of the month, only two enamel bracelets were made, and the diamond jewelry was limited to ten pieces, so not many were sold. After deducting taxes and the commission for Zhang Yishun, Chen Ruotong earned 17,600 taels. She said that although the money was not much, she was very satisfied.
Chen Sanhe and the young men were so happy with their work that their teeth were showing as they received their monthly salary. They were full of energy and felt that it was all worth it no matter how hard or tiring the work was.
Qiao Zien had ended her summer vacation and went to school. Old Man Chen led his men to the farm, but Chen Ruotong felt that her danger was over and she no longer needed Qiao Zien as a bodyguard, so she only had Haozi with her.
In the afternoon, Chen Sanhe went to the gold workshop to learn, and Chen Ruotong helped to look after the store. There were still many customers, but there were few customers from Pingyang Prefecture. After all, most of the things they should buy had already been bought, and they couldn't come to buy all the time. Most of them were foreign merchants and individual tourists who came here because of the reputation. After all, it would be much cheaper to buy in person, and this place was like a wholesale market. Chen Ruotong sat at the cashier, just keeping accounts and collecting money, and the other things were selling goods and explaining products, and the four children could do it well. From today, the buy one get two free event ended, so it was not so busy.
A noble lady in a lavender gauze skirt walked into the building slowly, waving a round fan. Chen Ruotong felt that this person was not kind at first sight: the drooping eyes and the thin red lips gave people a sense of charm, savagery, and cruelty. Behind her followed a beautiful girl who looked 50% like her, and there were two maids behind her.
Qiuyue came up with a smile on her face: "Madam, please come in, Miss!"
The woman raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes and glanced at the cashier, then said calmly, "Call your shopkeeper out. I'm here to discuss business with him."
Wow! This arrogant and conceited look is really unpleasant.
Chen Ruotong stood up without bowing and said, "The shopkeeper is not in the store today because of something else. Madam, you can tell me if you have anything to say."
"You? A young boy, can you make the decision?" she said with contempt.
"I'm the shopkeeper's younger brother and I can make the decision. Madam, please feel free to speak." Chen Ruotong said with a smile.
"Oh, really?" The woman narrowed her eyes and looked Chen Ruotong up and down, "Young man, I want to discuss business with Huicuilou." As she said that, she sat down on the chair beside the counter, and the girl behind her also sat down with her.
Chen Ruotong asked, "May I ask what business Madam would like to discuss?"
"I want to get some diamond rings and necklaces, as well as silver bracelets and silver bracelets from you."
“So where are you going to sell it?”
"Of course it's the capital. I have a small silver shop in the capital."
Chen Ruotong complained in her heart: "Looking at your attitude, it seems that it is an honor for us to import goods from our Huicui Building. With this attitude, you are still talking about business? It seems that your business is not very good.
"Excuse me, what is your name, ma'am?"
"I am the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery in the capital. You can just call me Madam Qiao." She said, fanning herself with a round fan.
Chen Ruotong immediately thought of Qiao Zien's stepmother, Tian, the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Isn't it a bit like enemies meeting on a narrow road? Of course, Tian and Qiao Zien are enemies, but not her, but if Qiao Zien saw Tian, how would she react? Chen Ruotong was a little gloating.
Chen Ruotong smiled and said, "Mrs. Qiao, it's nice to meet you, but there are already agents in Beijing who sell diamonds and new jewelry, so if you want these goods, just find the agent."
"What do you mean? What agent?" Tian asked with a raised eyebrow.
So Chen Ruotong explained to her the agency rights, and the business scope and operating rights of agents in various places.
She was unhappy when she heard this: "That means there can only be one agent in a city, so I can't buy a lot of jewelry from your building? I have to go to the agent to buy it?"
"Mrs. Qiao, this is it."
"Then I've come here for nothing. I've never heard of selling goods this way!" Tian said angrily.
"Madam, this is the business rule. We have to abide by it when doing business. We have signed a contract!"
"Huh! How can this be possible?" Tian stiffened her neck and fanned herself.
She had no choice if they refused to sell it to her. She wanted to use her power to pressure them, but she was only the wife of a sixth-rank official in Beijing. She heard that the Huicui Building was strongly supported by the prefect, who was a fourth-rank official, higher than her husband, so she could only swallow her anger.
Qiao Yuyan kept staring at Chen Ruotong, like a fangirl! Yes, Chen Ruotong's men's clothing was so attractive to girls. It was very attractive to little girls who were just beginning to fall in love. Her appearance and demeanor were unique.
Chen Ruotong noticed that the girl was staring at her, so she also glanced at her. Qiao Yuyan lowered her head shyly, smiled sweetly, and twisted her handkerchief with her hands.
Tian and Qiao Yuyan had no choice but to choose a diamond ring. When they saw the price tag, they exclaimed, "This, this, Yuyan, this ring is too expensive. Look at the price, one thousand taels, it's five hundred taels more expensive!"
Tian felt a pain in her heart. If she took this to the capital, she could earn 500 taels for each ring. What a huge profit! However, she couldn't get the agency rights! As individual customers, each person could only buy one, so she and Qiao Yuyan each bought another ring.
At this time, Shen Bing walked into the counter from the backyard holding an enameled gold bracelet.
Tian looked at the bracelet and fell in love with it at first sight. She had never seen this style of bracelet in the capital. Because the batch of goods that Manager He wanted had not been completed yet, it would take more than ten days before it could be shipped to the capital.
"Hey, young man, how much is this bracelet? Bring it here and let me see it." Tian waved her hand.
Shen Bing handed over the bracelet with both hands, and then looked at Chen Ruotong. Because the bracelet was freshly made and had no label, Shen Bing did not dare to quote a price. So Chen Ruotong hurriedly said, "One thousand six hundred taels. This is our signature bracelet of Huicui Lou, an enamel imperial concubine bracelet. It is unique to Huicui Lou and there is no one in Beijing."
Tian was shocked and blurted out, "Why is it so expensive? Are you trying to rob me? There is none in the capital, so I can be the agent for this bracelet, right?"
Chen Ruotong shook her head. "Someone has already taken over the agency for this bracelet, but the first batch has not been made yet. It will probably be available in the capital in ten days or so. It's expensive for a reason. Madam, have you heard of enamel? This is a craft that didn't exist in the Daliang Dynasty. New crafts are expensive. What we sell is not only gold but also craftsmanship."
Tian had no choice. No matter how expensive the bracelet was, she could just refuse to buy it. No one forced her to buy it. So she made up her mind and bought it.
Chen Ruotong: I originally wanted to sell it for 800 taels, but since you’re Xiaohaige’s mortal enemy, I can only double the price, hehe…
When she came to Huicuilou, she couldn't buy any goods without the agency rights, but she bought three pieces of jewelry, so it was not in vain. She spent 3,600 taels, which made her feel bad! At the same time, she was secretly happy. The diamonds were 1,000 taels cheaper. It was estimated that the bracelet would sell for more than 2,000 taels after it was launched. Wouldn't she save several hundred taels again? It was a profit!
So, Tian and Qiao Yuyan took a carriage to Zhenpin Pavilion. She wanted to meet Chen Guchuan, who saved Qiao Zien.