Chapter 74

After hearing what Doctor Wu said, Yu Ying understood that he was trying to lower the price.

Doctor Wu was interested in the fat, but he was not particularly impressed, so he only wanted to buy fifty jars to see how it went. If business was good, he would buy it for a long time.

Yu Ying pondered for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Doctor Wu, do you know how much money it cost me to come to the county seat?"

Doctor Wu paused in thought and asked, "How much did it cost?"

Yu Ying said truthfully, "About eight hundred coins."

When Doctor Wu heard this number, he was slightly surprised: "So much?"

"With the round-trip fare, food and lodging, and the lost wages for my colleagues, this amount of money is already very economical."

Doctor Wu thought about it and it seemed to be about the same.

Yu Ying continued, "Doctor Wu should also be familiar with the prices of medicinal materials. My facial cream requires sixteen herbs and also requires wine. The cost of the herbs and oils alone is quite a bit of money. At thirty coins per can, I do make a profit, but I can only say that I'm not losing money, and there's not much profit either."

"In that case, why should I go through all the trouble of sending it to Cangwu County? Why not just set up a stall in Yu County and sell it for twenty-five wen instead of thirty wen? If I sell one or two jars a day, I should be able to sell fifty jars a month."

Doctor Wu smiled and said, "Madam Yu, that's not how it's calculated. Our clinic is bustling with patients, and autumn, winter, and spring are peak seasons for facial cream sales. Even though autumn is over, we still have spring and winter left. As long as the facial cream sells well, demand will increase. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we can make small profits but quick turnover."

"If I sell more at a lower profit, then your clinic's price is sixty cents per can?"

Doctor Wu was silent for a moment, then listened to Madam Yu say, "The clinic has its own facial cream and won't be promoting mine. Furthermore, if the clinic sells it for two or three times the price, I'll be the only one left with a small profit margin and a large turnover. Even if I sell a hundred jars in two months, it's just hard-earned money."

Yu Ying smiled faintly, then said calmly, "Thirty cents a jar is of course not an option, but if your clinic uses my name to sell the medicinal cream, thirty cents is acceptable to me."

Doctor Wu heard this and shook his head and smiled: "That's definitely not going to work."

If this medicinal cream is not sold under the name of Renshan Medical Clinic, there is no point in purchasing it for sale. It would be better to just sell our own facial cream.

"Since that's not possible, then I'll also name a minimum price. I'll have Renshan Clinic provide a container for the facial cream, about the same size as the pottery jar I sent you earlier. Forty-five coins per jar."

Doctor Wu fell silent.

The original plan was to price this facial cream at eighty-five wen, which was just the right price, not too expensive nor too cheap, so it would sell better.

Their clinic has long-term cooperation with the local ceramic workshop, so the purchase price of these utensils is cheap. They only need five cents to buy a porcelain jar that costs ten cents outside.

The facial cream cost thirty wen, and including the container, it would only be worth thirty-five wen at most. He could make another fifty wen from selling it, and he would take a commission of ten wen per can. It was not a very high profit, but it was still profitable.

Doctor Wu thought about this and began to speculate secretly.

Since Madam Yu had spent so much money to come all the way from Yu County to this county seat, she must be eager to get rid of the medicinal cream. Now she's here just to bargain for a lower price.

After pondering, Doctor Wu said, "Madam Yu may think that our clinic makes more money, but if it weren't for the profit, and our clinic also has its own facial cream, which would be more profitable, why don't we continue to sell our own, instead of spending thirty cents to buy Madam Yu's facial cream?"

At this point, Doctor Wu sighed and continued, "I saw that Madam Yu was introduced by Manager Luo, and she came all the way from Yu County to the county seat, so I offered this price. If it were someone else, even twenty cents would be considered."

Yu Ying fell silent.

She had hoped to negotiate, and if that failed, she might as well get 40 wen. But Doctor Wu was sure she was in a hurry to get rid of the item, and he refused to raise the price even a penny.

After thinking for a moment, she smiled gently and said, "The price I offered is unacceptable to Shopkeeper Wu, and the price Shopkeeper Wu offered is also somewhat unacceptable to me. It seems that we can't cooperate this time."

After that, he stood up and said, "Even so, I can't disturb you anymore."

Shopkeeper Wu was slightly stunned, but did not say anything to keep him.

He stood up from his seat and said, "Madam Yu, go back and think about it. If you are interested, you can also make an appointment at the clinic."

Yu Ying smiled and nodded: "Then I'll take my leave first."

The medicine boy sent Madam Yu away and returned to the side room. He asked Doctor Wu in confusion, "Doctor Wu is also somewhat interested in this facial cream. Why did you let Madam Yu go?"

After using it once the day before, he felt some effect, so he told Doctor Wu about it the next day. Doctor Wu took it back and studied it carefully.

After thinking it over, he asked him to ask Madam Yu about the price, as it was obvious that she had taken a fancy to the facial cream.

Doctor Wu looked at the door and said confidently, "Just wait, the woman will come back."

After saying that, he told the medicine boy to get back to work and not to ask any questions.

*

Yu Ying and Song Sanlang came out of the clinic.

Song Sanlang, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up: "Sister-in-law of the Fu family, why don't you let me give it a try in this county town?"

Yu Ying replied, "If the clinic isn't working, setting up a stall might be a bit more difficult, but it's still a way out. Once I have a few stable customers and my reputation gets out, people will naturally come looking for me."

She pondered for a moment, then added, "But if you decide to stay, I'll have to make all the necessary preparations. I can't just set up a stall like this."

Song Sanlang was stunned and asked, "What preparations?"

Yu Ying thought for a moment, looking at the various shop signs on the street, and then thinking about the endless variety of brands that would emerge in the future, she said, "Let's make our own sign."

"Besides the signboard, we should not only sell the facial cream that is currently 50 cents, but also have a cheap and affordable facial cream for others to choose from."

After the two of them exchanged a few brief words, they did not go back to the inn directly, but went to the stall.

Only one can was sold in the afternoon. Yu Ying carefully observed the other stalls and saw that there were still a few people there.

To be honest, the business of this stall is actually not stable. Maybe we can sell several cans a day, but it is also possible that we can't sell a single can.

In addition to this concern, Song Sanlang also has to solve the problem of food and accommodation in the county government. These are all things that need to be carefully considered. He can't just set up a stall whenever he wants.

This matter needs to be considered carefully.

Before going to bed, Yu Ying was thinking about this matter in her mind and tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. Her sister-in-law beside her also knew that she was under pressure.

"Sister-in-law, are you thinking about facial cream?"

The soft voice of her sister-in-law was in her ears. Yu Ying said "hmm" softly and expressed her troubles.

"I was wondering if I was too hasty in rejecting the clinic's offer today."

Wen Xing thought for a moment and said, "I don't really understand this business, but I know my sister-in-law is a very capable person. She rejected the clinic's offer after careful consideration and didn't make a hasty decision."

"Also, we've sold thirteen bottles of facial cream these past few days, proving that the cream my sister-in-law makes is profitable. It's just that the clinic lacks vision."

Hearing this, Yu Ying smiled.

"Sister-in-law, you are really good at comforting people."

Wen Xing said softly, "I'm not trying to comfort my sister-in-law. I'm telling the truth. She's the most capable woman I've ever met. Even the men aren't as capable as her. I admire her immensely!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying couldn't help but jokingly ask, "Does the elder sister-in-law admire me more, or does she admire the elder brother more?"

Wen Xing was stunned for a moment, and looked at her sister-in-law with a pair of confused eyes. She really didn't expect her sister-in-law to ask her this question.

The dim candlelight shone through the curtains from outside, and Yu Ying saw her sister-in-law's confused expression, not knowing how to answer.

Wen Xing looked embarrassed and said hesitantly, "It's hard to say. Dalang is also very powerful..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Wen Xing finally realized that her sister-in-law was teasing her. She shyly hit her sister-in-law lightly and said, "Sister-in-law, you did it on purpose."

Yu Ying's mood also became much more relaxed after teasing her sister-in-law.

After laughing, she asked, "I haven't asked how my eldest brother and his wife met. Did they meet through a matchmaker?"

When talking about the past, Wen Xing's shame and anger faded away, and she looked at the ceiling of the tent and fell into memories.

Seeing the look on her sister-in-law's face, Yu Ying knew that the past wasn't such a good thing. She said, "If sister-in-law doesn't want to talk about it, then let's not talk about it."

Wen Xing shook her head and whispered, "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, it's mainly because what my family did was shameful."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying remembered that her sister-in-law had been back for so long, but her family had not come to look for her, or she had gone back to contact them.

Yu Ying didn't ask, but Wen Xing still explained it briefly.

"My parents passed away when I was young, and I lived with my grandmother ever since. After my grandmother passed away, my eldest aunt, for a betrothal gift of one tael of silver, unscrupulously married me off to an old man half buried in the ground to bring good luck."

"At that time, for people of low status like us, the basic betrothal gift was one or two hundred coins. If someone offered one or two taels of silver, it was already a sky-high price."

"I ran away and met Dalang while I was escaping. I told him about my experience, and he went to the Wen family with a little over a hundred coins and asked my aunt to agree to sever ties with me and never have any further contact with me."

Yu Ying listened to the past of her elder brother and sister-in-law. This was a very common hero-saving-beauty routine in later generations, but in this era and place, it was rare and precious.

"Big brother must have had some feelings for Big Sister-in-law at that time, otherwise why would he be so willing to let her go?"

Hearing this, Wen Xing blushed and half of her face was hidden under the quilt. She said in a muffled voice, "It was me who first asked him to be his wife."

Yu Ying looked in surprise at her sister-in-law who blushed when she was teased. She really didn't expect that it was her sister-in-law who spoke first.

"Sister-in-law, please don't look at me like that. It's weird, it makes me embarrassed."

Yu Ying: ...

After a moment's silence, Yu Ying didn't continue teasing her thin-skinned sister-in-law. Instead, she asked, "Did your sister-in-law's black-hearted aunt really stop causing trouble after that?"

Wen Xing shook her head and muttered, "They did plot against me. It was years after I'd been married to the Fu family. They were supposed to send someone to the quarry to do hard labor, but they put my name on the list and then disappeared. Dalang and I went to the government office. The people there must have been bribed, and they just wanted someone to get the job done, regardless of whether I was a Fu family member or not."

When Yu Ying heard what her sister-in-law said, she became furious: "How could you do this!"

She had previously wondered why the Fu couple both went to the quarry, and thought it was a relevant regulation of that era, and she had never thought that this would happen.

Wen Xing said, "Fortunately, the previous magistrate was dismissed not long ago, and the current magistrate is not as incompetent as the previous one. Otherwise, if my second brother were to work as an aide to such a magistrate, Dalang and I would be worried."

Yu Ying frowned, pondered for a while, and said, "Sister-in-law, don't you want to seek justice for this matter?"

Wen Xing said angrily, "I do!" Then she sighed, "But I don't know where that black-hearted aunt and her family moved to."

Yu Ying said, "With Erlang in the government office, investigating the whereabouts of a family is not a problem. And as far as I know, if a pariah wants to move, he must have the consent of the county magistrate, and it must also be recorded in the register."

At this point, he asked his eldest sister-in-law, "Before, was your eldest aunt a lowly woman?"

Wen Xing nodded: "Yes, but I don't know if my aunt and the others have been pardoned in this amnesty."

"Even if they are pardoned, they won't move so quickly. After we return from the county seat, we will find Erlang to get information. We must get revenge!"

Wen Xing felt a little excited when she heard this. She hated her aunt and the others for hurting her time and time again. Now that she had the chance to seek justice, she didn't want to let it go.

Yu Ying put aside the worries about facial cream and now focused on seeking justice for her sister-in-law.

As the night deepened, she felt vaguely sleepy, but now it was her sister-in-law beside her who tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

She asked, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

Wen Xing lowered her voice and said, "When I thought about the possibility of finding my aunt to vent my anger, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about how to vent my resentment when the time comes."

Yu Ying: ...

Okay, now it’s my sister-in-law’s turn to be excited.

In the morning, both of them came out of the house with black eye sockets. Fu Zhen was stunned for a moment and asked his wife, "Didn't you sleep well?"

Yu Ying replied, "I chatted with my sister-in-law quite late yesterday. By the time I fell asleep, it was already late at night."

She estimated that she slept for only an hour and a half.

Wen Xing wanted to tell her husband about what she and her brother's wife discussed yesterday, but it was difficult to do so with others around, so she had to keep it to herself for the time being.

During breakfast, Yu Ying talked about what she had been thinking about last night: "I was thinking that since the deal for the clinic couldn't be concluded, and the third brother of the Song family wanted to stay in the county seat to do business, then we should stay in the county seat for a few more days, figure out the business, and then rent a place where the third brother of the Song family could stay."

Yu Ying's abilities were obvious to everyone, and she was the one who helped Fu Zhen and his wife. She had also saved Song Sanlang's legs from being nearly crippled, so no one had much of an issue with her decision.

"And the driver?"

Yu Ying said, "I'm afraid the driver wouldn't want us to stay this long. When we came here, we saw some horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts heading to Yu County. We can ask them and spend some money to get a ride back. If that doesn't work, we can spend a little more money to rent an ox-drawn cart."

"We still have to give the driver enough money, and also let him go back and give a message to A Niang and Er Lang, so that they won't worry about us."

Fu Zhen: "Let's do it this way. Do you want me to go find the driver now?"

Yu Ying said wait a minute.

She considered it again and said, "I'd better buy a small scroll of bamboo slips and write a letter back. I'll give the driver seventy coins first, and then have Erlang give him the remaining ten coins after he takes the letter back."

After the discussion, Song Sanlang went to buy bamboo slips, and Fu Zhen went to tell the coachman to go back first.

After buying the bamboo slips, Yu Ying wrote a letter, briefly explaining that they would be staying in the county seat for a longer period of time and the reasons behind it, and asked them not to worry too much.

Finally, he asked Fu Wei to wait for the driver to arrive and then gave him ten cents.

The driver did not want to return empty-handed, so he went to the county seat to recruit people for a day to see if he could recruit anyone who wanted to go back.

Yu Ying agreed and paid him for the taxi fare.

At first the driver was reluctant to pay the full fare, but thinking that he could still take a few people back with an empty carriage, he agreed.

After Yu Ying asked the driver to deliver the letter, she started to get busy.

She made an extra batch of facial cream, which was twenty jars.

Then Song Sanlang looked after the stall while she and her elder brother and sister-in-law went to a real estate agent to find a cheap house, and at the same time, they also looked for some exquisite and affordable small jars that could have their names on them.

They also thought about whether anyone would recognize that Song Sanlang was a shill.

The county seat was bustling with people, and although Song Sanlang was tall and handsome, he wasn't exactly unforgettable. Even if they recognized him, they wouldn't take it too seriously, as long as they gave him a few criticisms.

Besides, this house is much more expensive than the one in Yu County.

The small courtyard in Yu County, near the government office, earns 200 coins a month.

Two hundred wen here can only rent the most remote and dilapidated thatched house. A better adobe house costs four hundred wen a month, and it takes more than half an hour to walk to where they set up their stall.

A ceramic jar that was more delicate and had to be stamped with a red mark cost twelve cents each, while one that looked a little less attractive cost eight cents each.

After coming back from finding out the news, they ate their evening meal with a look of worry on their faces, as if they were chewing wax.

Yu Ying bought some writing brushes, ink and a few bamboo slips, and wrote down all the expenses on them so that she could see them clearly.

The facial cream made from sheep fat and sixteen medicinal herbs is sold in a good porcelain jar for fifty cents. The cost is twenty cents, and the profit is thirty cents for the time being.

The cheaper one is also made from sheep fat, but only uses five medicinal ingredients and is placed in a slightly inferior porcelain jar. It costs thirty-five cents, and the cost is fifteen cents, so the profit is twenty cents for the time being.

Song Sanlang rents a house for 400 wen a month, and his average daily expenses are at least 8 wen, which means 240 wen a month, or 640 wen a month.

One can of each of these two facial creams was sold every day, making a profit of 1,500 wen a month. After deducting more than 600 wen, there was more than 800 wen left.

This profit is similar to the price of fifty cans given by the clinic. Although the clinic's demand may gradually increase in the future and Song Sanlang's labor costs must be included, the only advantage is that at least the good reputation of the sales is his own.

As long as the facial cream is effective and the results are better than others, business may be bleak at first, but after that, customers will gradually come to you based on recommendations from acquaintances.

Even so, the business at the front must be developed first. The most important thing at the moment is to attract the first batch of customers.

After thinking for a long time, Yu Ying decided to give out trial packages based on the principle that you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child!

Several people were stunned when they heard Yu Ying's calculations and then the delivery of trial packages.

The eldest sister-in-law said, "But there are a lot of people who are greedy for small profits. If we give it to ten people, we can't be sure that one of them will come back to buy it."

Yu Ying smiled and said, "I use small bamboo tubes that are as wide as a thumb and shorter than it. One jar of facial cream can be divided into about 16 or 17 tubes. If you apply it on your face, you can use it two or three times at most, and then the effect will be seen."

"Of course, I have to carefully consider the people I'm giving this facial cream to. If someone really wants to buy it but thinks it's too expensive, I'll give it to them. I'll also give it to people who dress better."

She thought for a moment and then said, "If someone specifically asks for a trial, I'll give them the cheaper kind, fifteen tubes a day, while supplies last."

After everyone pondered the matter for a while, the eldest brother spoke first, saying, "This is actually a similar method to the one we tried before, except this time we're giving it to them to use when they take it back."

Yu Ying nodded and continued, "You'd better remember the people you've given gifts to, and don't give gifts to them again."

Song Sanlang asked, "But what if they ask their family members to come and pick them up?"

Yu Ying frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "If someone asks for a trial right away, then be careful and ask them carefully about the source of their knowledge. If they say they were referred, only give them a single trial on the spot to prevent them from hoarding the product and trying to get a bargain."

"Let's try this for a few days. The quantity we deliver each day is limited, so we won't lose too much money. If it works, we'll set up a more decent stall and add a sign."

For some reason, although it was just a fantasy with no clear path forward, the trust in them gave rise to fighting spirit and filled their hearts with energy.

After the agreement was reached, Fu Zhen went to find some small bamboos, and together with Song Sanlang, they started to assemble the small bamboo tubes for the trial use.

Yu Ying also spent some money to buy thirty porcelain jars of two different prices.

There is a small red seal on the lid and bottom of the porcelain jar, with the three words "Ruyufang" written by Yu Ying herself on the seal.

Because the mark is very small, it cannot have a fancy design, it can only be a name that people can tell at a glance.

Ordinary stalls wouldn’t spend so much time and effort on these things, but Yu Ying wanted to do things differently from them. Even if some of them followed her example, she was still the one who walked in front, and her reputation had already spread.

*

Fu Wei waited for eleven days, but the person did not come back. Instead, he waited for a scroll of bamboo slips.

After reading it, he gave the driver ten cents.

After receiving the bamboo slips, Fu Wei was absent-minded all day, looking in the direction of the county seat from time to time.

She said in the letter that she might have to stay in the county seat for some time.

Wait for a while...

How many days is that?

In the silence, Sun's voice came from behind, trying to get close to him: "Young Master Fu, are you free after your shift today?"

Fu Wei turned his head and saw Sun's staff walking towards him with a smile.

Fu Wei also smiled and asked, "What's the matter with Sun Muliao?"

Sun Muliao said hypocritically, "I feel that Young Master Fu has misunderstood me, so I plan to set up a table at my house and invite Young Master Fu and Huo Yacha to have a drink with me, and at the same time, clarify this misunderstanding."

After the disabled man had been here for half a month, Sun Muliao felt more and more that the Lord valued him more and more, and was increasingly neglecting him.

If this continues, he will probably have to hand over the position of right-hand man to this disabled person.

He can't just sit there and wait for death!

Fu Wei smiled and said, "As fellow staff members, we are supposed to work together to help His Excellency resolve his concerns and difficulties. It is normal for us to have some friction during our daily work. How can there be any misunderstanding?"

"Besides, I only have my old mother and two young children at home. If I drink a few more glasses of wine tonight, I'm afraid they won't be able to take care of me. But if I don't drink, it will be a real bummer. I think I'd better give up and let everyone go."

Sun Muliao was speechless for a moment, then said, "How can this be? I've already told everyone that Young Master Fu is coming, and everyone is looking forward to it. If Young Master Fu doesn't come, I'm afraid it will be a real disappointment."

Fu Wei was about to speak when a cold voice suddenly came from behind him: "Your Excellency has been working day and night these days, forgetting to eat or sleep, pondering how to implement policies, and yet Sun's staff still has the leisure to drink and have fun. I'm afraid he's just idle, isn't he?"