sjar Chapter 34: A Perfect Product
Chapter 34: A Perfect Product
Zhang Yishun couldn't take his eyes off them, and praised them with admiration: "Every piece is a fine product, and every piece is priceless! Even the nobles in the palace may not have seen them! Brother Chen, you are a capable person. You can get such good things. I, your brother, really admire you!"
Chen Ruotong smiled and said, "Hey, Brother Zhang, thank you for your compliment. I was just worrying about how to set the price. It's a good opportunity for you to give me some advice. Let's set the price. After all, you are knowledgeable and have a good idea of the price."
So the two of them sat in the living room, drank tea and discussed the price. In the end, they decided to price the glassware according to its size. The cheapest small cup was 200 taels, the most expensive large cup was 800 taels, and glass bowls, plates, vases, etc. were over a thousand taels each. It was really a sky-high price!
Chen Ruotong was shocked when she heard this: "Brother Zhang, can the rich and powerful officials in the city accept this price?"
"Haha, I'm just worried that you don't have the goods. If you have the goods, you won't be afraid of not being able to sell them. Do you understand the psychology of curiosity? Scarcity makes things valuable! We don't have many fine products, only two hundred pieces. Do you believe that they will be sold out in a few days? Word of mouth will spread to ten people, and ten to a hundred. The nobles and wealthy businessmen in the capital will also come after hearing the news. Don't forget, our capital is only two cities away from the capital, and news spreads fast. The closer to the capital, the richer you are." Zhang Yishun smiled cunningly.
"Okay, haha, I've learned my lesson. Our business will definitely have a good start!"
"Yes, Brother Chen, congratulations on your prosperity!"
"Brother Zhang, congratulations on getting rich together! Hahahaha..."
Chen Sanhe was in charge of writing the price tags, and then stood to the left of each precious item. Chen Sanhe had gone from being shocked at first to being numb now. He felt that the world was too fantastical, and his mind couldn't work. How could his little sister have such great abilities? She was on good terms with the owner of the dental shop, and was doing rare business with friends overseas. He felt that everything was too unreal!
All matters on the first floor were arranged in the morning. At noon, Chen Ruotong led everyone to Baiweilou for a meal. There were two tables for the master and servants: roast chicken, pork elbow, pork rib soup, fried meat with fresh bamboo shoots, lion's head, and two pots of wine.
Chen Sanhe felt distressed while eating. How much money did Xiaomei have to spend? Xiaomei was too wasteful and didn't know how to live. When the bill was finally settled, two tables cost ten taels of silver. My God, this was a year's salary and he still had to pay for it!
In the afternoon, Chen Ruotong took everyone to the second floor to display porcelain products.
When the box was opened, Zhang Yishun was stunned. How could there be such high-quality porcelain? The porcelain craftsmanship of the Daliang Dynasty was not so advanced. When he saw the signature "Made in Jingdezhen" on the back of the porcelain plate, he asked in confusion: "Brother Chen, where is Jingdezhen?"
Chen Ruotong's heart skipped a beat: Oh, I forgot about that. There are manufacturer's marks on the back of porcelain. Unlike glass products, you can just tear off the label on the bottom. This is fired on the top and can't be removed! So she perfunctorily said, "It's a place that specializes in making porcelain. This must be kept secret. Brother Zhang, do you understand?"
Zhang Yishun seemed to suddenly realize: "Oh, Zhang understands, hahahaha..."
The two men sat in the reception room on the second floor to discuss the price of porcelain.
Zhang Yishun grinned and said, "Although porcelain is common, this is not ordinary porcelain. It is the best quality porcelain I have ever seen, and the price cannot be low. Since it is placed on the second floor, it is a fine product. How about pricing it at the same level as glass?"
"Okay, we'll listen to Brother Zhang. It's settled!" Chen Ruotong said readily.
So Chen Sanhe spent another afternoon writing price tags. He had become immune to the hundreds or thousands of taels of silver that were exported and was no longer shocked. He really didn't understand the world of rich people!
Zhang Yishun looked at the items on the antique shelf and said, "Brother Chen, when do you plan to open the business?"
"My brother is impatient. He doesn't like to drag things out. He likes to get things done quickly and efficiently. How about we do a one-day promotion tomorrow and open the business the day after tomorrow?"
"Then Brother Chen, you have to hurry up and write the invitations. Let's see who needs to be invited."
"I'll have to ask Brother Zhang for advice on this one."
So, Zhang Yishun took a pen and wrote down a string of names, including several friends from his yamen, the wife and daughter of Pan Zhang, several wealthy businessmen from South Street, Shopkeeper Zhou, Zhou Qian, and several prominent families from East Street.
Zhang Yishun added: "My uncle is very supportive of us opening Zhenpin Pavilion. If it is done well, we will have tax revenue, which will also be good for his political achievements. You don't have to worry about the safety of the business. Friends from the government will often patrol our street, so there will be no problem with public security."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Zhang, I wish us a happy cooperation!"
"Brother Chen, happy cooperation!"
Zhang Yishun took over the task of writing and sending the invitations, then excused himself and went back to write the invitations. Chen Ruotong was relieved of the trouble and thought about how to write the flyers to be sent out tomorrow.
At this time, Qiao Zien came back from school and entered the Zhenpin Pavilion. He was shocked to see the glassware on the shelves. After being stunned for a moment, he said with joy: "Brother Guchuan, these are really exquisite products!"
"Zi En got out of school so early today?"
"My teacher and I have asked for leave, and we want to come and help."
"You came just in time. I was thinking about how to write tomorrow's flyer."
"When will it open?"
"Can you come the day after tomorrow?"
"What a coincidence! We have a day off the day after tomorrow, so we can come and help."
The two sat down and discussed writing the flyers. After deciding on the content, Qiao Zien and Chen Sanhe copied the flyers together until they had 100 copies.
The main target customers are the rich people in South Street and East Street. Ordinary people cannot afford such high-end and expensive utensils, so the publicity should capture the corresponding customer groups. This thing is easy to sell, and word of mouth is the best. The leaflets are just a supplementary role. It is not about quantity, but quality.
In the evening, Uncle Qiao brought Sun over to cook for everyone. After dinner, Uncle Qiao went home to look after the house, and everyone stayed in the staff room in the backyard of Zhenpin Pavilion.
Chen Ruotong was a little worried, so she rested on the bamboo couch in the reception room on the first floor of Zhenpin Pavilion. Chen Sanhe couldn't sleep, so he came to talk to Chen Ruotong.
Chen Sanhe asked hesitantly: "Little sister, this Zhenpin Pavilion is a bit scary. This thing is so good and so expensive, can it be sold? Besides, how can you have such a big industry? I don't believe that it was given to you by that Mr. Qiao. When did you make friends overseas? Third brother is really confused, and third brother can't see you clearly anymore!"
"Third brother, you forgot to call me fourth brother again. Everyone here thinks I am a man, so please don't call me the wrong person. Even the title deeds and land deeds of these properties are written in Chen Guchuan's name. If I am not called Chen Guchuan, these properties will no longer belong to me." Chen Ruotong said half-jokingly.
Chen Sanhe said seriously: "Fourth brother, don't interrupt, don't treat me like a fool, answer my question just now."
Chen Ruotong: The eldest is stupid, the second is cunning, and every family has a bad third brother! This third brother is not easy to fool!