Chapter 182 The Blooming Peonies
"Xiaxia, Lingling cares a lot about his face. How about we send him some homemade beauty cream every month?"
"Aunt Wu, don't worry, I have a plan. If you have anything you want to send, just pack it into one big package and mail it over."
"That works!"
When the train was no longer in sight, the group headed back home. Wu Lifang led Jiang An to the supermarket, while Yun Xia and Jiang Chao took a car to Wuyun Mountain. They climbed until they were panting and finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
As expected of seedlings nurtured in the fertile fields of the space, the land was lush and green, without a single yellow leaf in sight. The two walked along the boundary for a long time, and the girl nodded from time to time, seemingly quite satisfied.
When do peonies bloom?
"It blooms in May and June. Normally, it takes two years to bloom and three years to mature. But this one has been watered with green water. It will probably bloom next year and yield a harvest the year after."
Jiang Chao squatted down, his hands with distinct knuckles touching the stems and leaves of the peony.
"Hey, where did this tourist come from? This was planted by a big city boss, you can't touch it!"
A middle-aged man dressed in a navy blue T-shirt, carrying a teapot, shouted loudly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just picking flowers on the way down the mountain when I saw this peony field, and I was so happy that I turned around to take a look." Yun Xia didn't intend to reveal her identity as a small business owner, so the lie came out naturally.
"Looking is fine, taking pictures is fine too, but you can't touch them. These are all highly sought-after plants. If even one is missing, I'll be punished."
"Who are you?" Judging from his attire and dark complexion, he's probably from the village!
"Oh, I'm the one who looks after this field. I live right next door. Hurry up and leave after you've finished your walk. Don't linger too long." With that, he gave a simple, honest smile and turned to leave.
"Tsk tsk, the people Boss Bai invited are quite reliable. Let's go!"
Yunxia nodded in agreement, glanced at the peony field behind her, and turned to follow Jiang Chao down the mountain.
With the support of the green water, the peonies are growing very well. Spring comes and autumn goes, and in the blink of an eye, a year and a half has passed.
It's May, and the peonies that have sprouted are already blooming with bright red flowers. From a distance, they look like washed and dried silk, which is quite a beautiful sight.
Yunxia picked a lot, held them in her arms, and said to Bai Ye with a smile, "I thought it would bloom in a year, but I didn't expect it to take so long. But... it smells so good. The flower heads are big, and the petals are fresh and fragrant. It will definitely sell for a good price."
"We've discussed it with the village chief, and we'll start picking the flower buds tomorrow. We'll dry them in the sun, then can them and sell them."
"Huh, the distribution partnership has already been agreed upon?"
"Hmm, this is a beauty and dampness-removing wonder product, so there's no worry about sales. As for pricing... that's still up for discussion. Yunxia, how do you think we should price it, half a jin per bottle?"
With rapid economic development and soaring job opportunities, people have more money in their pockets, and their consumption levels have naturally risen. After some deliberation, Yunxia decided to set the market price at 2 yuan per bottle and the distribution price at 1.3 yuan per bottle!
"Yes, the distributor price is 1.3 yuan, the market price is 2 yuan. The trademark, box, and logo visual design are all ready. All that's left is to launch the product."
"Don't worry, even if the weather doesn't cooperate, we still have the drying room!"
Yes, Bai Ye had already made contingency plans, building a drying room and warehouse on the edge of the village in case it rained while harvesting the flower buds.
"Tsk tsk, big boss, you're so reliable. I just had an idea: flower tea could be graded, with prices set for large, medium, and small sizes. What do you think?"
"The idea is good, but it also needs to be realistic. Look at this peony field, can you find even a small flower bud?"
Upon hearing this, Yunxia walked into the peony bushes, bent down and searched for a while, but couldn't find a single one. She looked up and smiled sheepishly, "The peonies are really good. The dried buds will definitely sell better than those sold elsewhere!"
"Your talent and skills are good. Let's go home. We'll come back to supervise you tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Just as Bai Ye had predicted, not long after the peony buds were picked, the weather turned bad and a light rain began to fall. The village chief, who had already received instructions, called on the villagers to move everything to the warehouse and drying room, offering them double wages to help dry the buds.
After a week of hard work, the dried flower buds were successfully roasted, sealed in jars, and shipped to various places. Yes, Bai Ye and Gu Xun collaborated and used 'Sheng Xun's' business connections to promote the product to other regions.
Overnight, supermarkets and shops across the country began displaying "Baiyun" brand peony flower tea and launched promotional activities at their entrances, such as distributing flyers, offering games with prizes, and holding quizzes, which quickly spread the word about the tea's health benefits throughout the city.
Initially, most buyers were working women who often stayed up late and working overtime, as well as middle-aged housewives who were overworked and exhausted. After drinking it for half a month, they found that their physical condition improved, their faces were no longer oily when they woke up in the morning, and they felt refreshed all day long, making them feel comfortable in everything they did.
Word spread like wildfire, and the efficacy of Baiyun brand peony flower tea was proven. It even made it into the health column of Jiangcheng Daily (a paid article), and sales skyrocketed. Yunxia and her team also received their first share of the profits.
Over the past month, sales reached approximately 48,500 yuan. After deducting costs such as labor and transportation, the net profit was 38,000 yuan. Yunxia received a share of 19,000 yuan, and in accordance with the previous agreement, she gave Jiang Chao and Feng Jingling 975 yuan each, rounding it up to 1,000 yuan.
Yunxia felt a little guilty about the way the money was given, but Jiang Chao didn't think so. "A contract is both a constraint and a protection. You've already made so much money just by selling flower buds. You're very satisfied. Are you going to lose money when you sell the stems and roots?"
After being rebuked, Yun Xia was speechless. She could only count out 10 large bills and stuff them into his palm, insisting that he not give her any change. As for Feng Jingling's share, she sent it to him via the all-powerful courier service. She didn't receive a reply until half a month later.
'Little Butterfly, I've received my dividend and am very happy. I bought lots of new and exciting toys to reward myself. But I have a small suggestion: could the dividend be paid out annually? Because…'
He spoke at length from an economic perspective. Yunxia read it all in one go, feeling quite overwhelmed. She wrote a reply saying "agree" and mailed it to him through the post office.
After the final exams, the exciting summer vacation arrived. Unfortunately, the college entrance exam was coming up next year. The girl was delighted to receive tutoring from Jiang Chao. Even though she was unwilling, she could only agree with tears in her eyes under his tyranny.
On that day, Jiang Chao, with a stern face, patted the ruler half-heartedly, while Yun Xia, holding a ballpoint pen, painfully worked on... mock college entrance exam questions.
Why are you looking at me? Do I have the answer on my face?
"Hiss," this phrase is always a teacher's catchphrase in any world. The girl rolled her eyes at him, then lowered her head to continue answering the questions. Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the gate of the courtyard.
"Hey, someone's knocking on the door. I'll go open it and see!"
After saying that, without waiting for Jiang Chao's reply, he threw down the ballpoint pen and ran out of the main room in a flash.
"Uncle Liu, what brings you here?"
With a troubled expression and a hesitant silence, Yun Xia, who had a good idea of what was on her mind, immediately frowned.
"Uncle Liu, I have urgent business to attend to today, so I won't keep you for a cup of tea. Please give my regards to Xiao Nian!"
He gripped the wooden door with both hands, about to close it, when a pair of large hands blocked it. "Xiaxia, your uncle is here to see you. It's important. Your father... your father... he..."
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