Chapter 90
"I can pay you a deposit first."
"Madam, this is a business transaction."
The slave trader assumed Yingxiang hadn't understood and repeated it to her.
"As for the play you mentioned, I'm sorry, none of my men have that ability."
Yingxiang's eyes darted around; she really didn't want to continue wandering around this place, feeling somewhat depressed and uncomfortable.
"Work with me, and you'll make a net profit of eight hundred taels over two years. Are you willing?"
The slave trader's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Yingxiang. In their line of work, earning a hundred or two hundred taels a year was already the absolute maximum.
It's usually wealthy or powerful families who sell their servants. She buys and sells them, and each person only earns a few taels of silver in difference. Sometimes, when the market is bad, she even loses money. The capital city is full of wealthy families and has quite a few slaves, so business isn't that easy.
For a moment, she thought she had misheard. The weather was bitterly cold, and there weren't many people on the road. If she couldn't sell the people she had, she needed to make sure they had enough to eat and drink. If anyone starved or froze to death, she would be stuck with them, and the money she had spent would be wasted. The human trafficker was quick-witted.
“I want all the people here. We can draw up a contract. I’ll pay you fifty taels of silver as a deposit first, and then you can let me take them away. You can keep their indentures first, so you don’t have to worry about them running away.”
"I'll tell you the address of my teahouse. As for how I use them, you don't need to worry about it. I'll pay you the remaining 750 taels of silver at the end of next year. We'll cooperate for two years. Next year, I'll give you 800 taels directly. But after two years, you have to give me all their indentures. You can calculate how much you can earn from it."
Yingxiang is confident in herself. Her current choice is unique. Even if her business succeeds, it may attract imitations, but seizing the opportunity is very important.
In the beginning, you will definitely make money.
She urgently needs funds from a legitimate source. She can secretly contribute some money from her own savings, but not too much. For now, she mainly uses the money hidden in her system inventory as her personal stash.
The slave trader glanced at the slaves in her hands. If she sold them all, she would only make two hundred taels of silver after deducting costs.
But if she let the person in front of her take all these slaves away, and they signed a contract, she wouldn't have anything to worry about. The indentures would be in her hands, and she would earn much more than before. The only drawback was that she could only take a deposit of fifty taels of silver at the moment.
"Can't the deposit be a little more?"
She started to bargain.
"If that doesn't work, I'll find someone else."
Yingxiang made a move to leave after she finished speaking, not giving her the chance.
"Don't."
The slave trader grabbed Yingxiang.
"I'll go get a pen and ink. Let's draw up a written agreement, okay?"
Even if she had to give up her indenture in the end, she wouldn't lose out after two years. After deducting the cost, she could still make a considerable profit, which was much more profitable than selling people directly now. The human trafficker gritted her teeth and decided to give it a try.
Yingxiang was dressed quite well, and she mentioned owning a teahouse. I don't know what she wants these people for, but she's definitely a businesswoman, which means she's wealthy. Perhaps she can sing opera and other traditional arts and teach these people. She'll seize the opportunity when it comes; there's not much risk for her.
"Why don't you work with me? I'll pay you a monthly salary, so you won't work for free."
Yingxiang looked at the person in front of her and, seeing that she was quite decisive, added that she was short-handed.
The slave trader was completely dumbfounded. She picked up a brush, about to write down the agreement, but after a moment of realization, she asked, "Then how much will you pay me per month?"
At heart, Yingxiang is a modern person, and there are some things she can't bear to do. But human slaves are different; they make a living from it. Moreover, she seems quite capable, knows how to do accounting, and is a smart person.
Five taels of silver.
“I’ll work for you, but this month’s pay is separate and can’t be taken from the previous pay.”
The slave trader looked at Yingxiang. Although she was young, she didn't seem stupid. He didn't know exactly what she was going to do, but it would be good if she could earn more money, and it would be safer to follow her.
"That's no problem."
"You should first draw up a written agreement, and we'll each stick to our own terms. Don't mess around anymore. Once it's written, for the next two years, you can only cooperate with me. All these people, including you, can only listen to me. If you violate this clause, you'll have to compensate me double for what I promised you."
"If the results are good, we can continue to cooperate."
The slave trader nodded; she was a businesswoman, so she was certainly honest.
"Madam, you can just call me Granny Yang from now on."
Yingxiang nodded, and after the agreement was drawn up, the two signed and sealed it, thus establishing a cooperation agreement, with each person receiving a copy.
"Come with me, all of you."
Granny Yang has quite a few people under her command. Besides two older women, there are five strong young men and six very thin maids. Of course, this will definitely be enough for the foreseeable future.
"To put it simply, it's about getting them to perform on stage in the future. I think you're familiar with them, so they'll be easier to manage. Their contracts are all in your hands."
"Madam, don't worry. I've been in this line of work for over ten years. I can tell at a glance whether someone is obedient or has ulterior motives, regardless of gender. As long as someone teaches them, I guarantee they'll learn very quickly."
Granny Yang patted her chest.
Yingxiang nodded and led the people to the second floor of the teahouse to settle them in. The men and women should stay in separate rooms, as three rooms would be just enough.
If the bed isn't big enough, then we can take turns sleeping on the floor to be fair.
These people seemed taciturn and silent, but some of them were more astute and were secretly listening to her conversation with Granny Yang, so they could probably guess what was going on.
However, they were slaves, having already sold themselves into servitude, so naturally they could only do jobs that others were unwilling to do. As long as their masters treated them well and provided them with enough to eat and wear, that was enough.
The platform is easy to set up, and you don't need to make the setup too complicated at the beginning, as that would be too costly.
A few days later, Yingxiang's teahouse was ready and opened for business.
Yingxiang hired a waiter to handle the bills at the front, while in the small backyard, she took the book she had written about Liu San Niang's marriage and began rehearsing. The plot was very simple, not to mention the lines.
The only challenge was acting, but that was something she had anticipated. When rehearsals didn't go as well as expected, she wasn't too upset.
There are enough people. There are people to play the matchmaker. For the role of Liu San Niang, she chose a female slave who is not bad looking. As for her future husband, she can choose a male slave who is a little taller than her. The other supporting roles are easier to arrange, and there are older ones as well.
Some of these slaves were not old, but having been slaves for many years, their eyes were very timid. Even if they acted according to her wishes, they were still not quite there.
Under the eaves, Xiao Leqian was happily eating a string of candied hawthorns, occasionally shaking his toys or watching Yingxiang and the others rehearse.
There was no one at home, so Yingxiang couldn't possibly leave him alone at home.
After several performances, these people had memorized their lines, but their expressions and eyes weren't quite right, their movements were very stiff, and they were all very cautious.
“You’re all blockheads. Third Aunt’s mother, your daughter has grown up and is getting married. You’ll be able to receive a bride price. Aren’t you happy? Smile, smile.”
After Yang Pozi finished speaking, she patted the old woman with her hand.
"And you, you're a carpenter. You're not a slave when you're acting. You have a skill and can support yourself. Be more confident, okay? Otherwise, how will you get a wife? Hold your head up and straighten your back."
If Yingxiang had any complaints, she would tell Granny Yang. After she finished speaking, Granny Yang would begin to reprimand these people.
She was quite experienced in this area. Yingxiang watched this scene without saying anything; professional matters should be left to professionals.
These people seem obedient, but rehearsals will take quite some time. As things stand, it would be great if they could perform before the new year.
Yingxiang's teahouse currently only charges ten coins for a pot of tea. She uses very ordinary tea leaves, and after deducting costs, she only makes three coins in profit. Yingxiang mainly wants to make money by selling tickets to see plays in the future. Food sales will increase later, and there will be considerable profits in that area as well. But right now, the most important thing is to put on the show.
Getting customers into the store is the most important thing.
“I’m telling you, if you don’t act well, you can’t eat anymore. You’re all just eating rice without doing any work. You can’t even act in a play.”
"What do you think you can do? Let me tell you, if you're disobedient and useless, I'll sell you off somewhere else and make sure you don't have a good life for the rest of your lives."
Granny Yang threatened fiercely, as she wanted to make money from Yingxiang, but was afraid that if the business failed, her source of income would be cut off.
In her opinion, Yingxiang was a person with ideas and opinions. Most teahouses would at most hire a storyteller to attract customers, or if they were better, they would hire someone to sing.
Her idea was quite original, and most importantly, she could also write plays.
In the evening, Yingxiang called a halt to the performance, noting that there had been some improvement in the final rehearsal.
The mother and son returned home, and as soon as they entered, they saw Wen Shi carrying food out of the kitchen.
"My husband."
"father."
Wen Shi knew that Yingxiang's business had already started, so he nodded and told the two of them to wash their hands and have dinner.
"What did you and Mother do at the teahouse today?"
Upon hearing this, the little guy immediately replied, "A grand opera is being staged, a grand opera is being watched, and Third Sister was scolded to tears by her mother-in-law."
He wasn't being entirely honest, but Wen Shi could hear him clearly. He glanced at his wife, Yingxiang, took a bite of her steamed bun, and then said, "It's similar to an opera singer, but they haven't rehearsed it yet."
"At the beginning, there was no other way; it was better to be stricter."
Wen Shi put a piece of roasted pork on his wife's plate. He was sure Yingxiang wouldn't do anything out of line, so he had nothing to worry about.
The next morning, the couple got up together.
"I'm determined to make this business a success."
Wen Shi smiled and encouraged his wife a few words. It was still dark outside. Wen Shi took the books he had copied a few days ago out to the bookstore, hoping to supplement the family income.
He has beautiful handwriting, and bookstore owners are very willing to buy the books he copies.
Wen Shi had already read the travelogue he bought several times and gained a lot of insights from it. He even had the idea of going out for a trip if he had free time in the future. You know, seeing is one thing, but being able to experience it firsthand is another.
He is also preparing to start copying this set of books recently. If he finishes copying it, he can earn a lot of money, but it will take some time and effort.
He doesn't need to stay up all night studying right now.
When he arrived at the Shuchang Hall, Yang Xun was already sitting next to him. When Wen Shi came over, he immediately smiled and said to him, "My family members all arrived yesterday."
"Congratulations."
"Come over for dinner the day after tomorrow, my wife is an excellent cook."
Wen Shi did not refuse, but nodded in agreement. It would be good to bring Yingxiang and the child along as well, since it was always good to see them.
Yingxiang is currently engrossed in business, but it wouldn't hurt to get to know more women. In their spare time, they can go out together for a stroll and relax.
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