A moment later, the maid brought in a group of people. Zhao Juan looked at the people in front of her and asked anxiously, "Shopkeeper, you said someone wants to buy this shop, is that true?"
The shopkeeper nodded vigorously: "Absolutely true! How could I possibly joke about something like this with you!"
You previously said I could sublet the shop as long as I didn't terminate the lease… so I put up a sublet sign on the door. I didn't expect someone to actually be interested in the shop; they came to ask me about it today. However, they don't want to rent; they want to buy it.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Juan was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Where is he? If he wants to buy my shop, we need to meet in person to discuss it, right?"
Remembering Gan Li's instructions, the shopkeeper naturally dared not reveal her identity, and thus spoke vaguely:
"That guest appears to be the son of a wealthy family, who wants to acquire some property, but it is not convenient to reveal his identity for the time being, so as not to let the news leak out and cause trouble."
So they asked me to run errands for you, to ask how much silver you'd want for this shop if you were planning to sell it.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Juan had no doubt whatsoever.
In traditional operas, it is said that even brothers and sisters in powerful families fight each other endlessly. Perhaps this person wanted to secretly acquire private property but did not want his family to know, so it is understandable that he did not want to reveal his identity.
Her eyes darted around, and she had already made up her mind. She smiled and said:
"Since that's the case, then I won't press the issue further. I do want to sell this shop, but the price..."
The shopkeeper asked cautiously, "How much silver does Miss Zhao want?"
Zhao Juan held up five fingers and said with a smile, "Five hundred taels, not a penny less."
Five hundred taels?
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper did some mental calculations and felt that the price wasn't outrageous. He thought the shop should have been worth this much, or even more, initially.
But over the years, that shop has developed a reputation for losing money no matter what it's in, and no one dares to take it easily. Even he was cheated when he rented it, which is why he paid such a high rent.
Five hundred taels of silver for a shop like this? That's really a bit expensive.
Zhao Juan was initially a little hesitant when she quoted that price, and she became even more anxious when he remained silent. However, she was reluctant to lower the price and only promised:
"Shopkeeper, haven't you been wanting to terminate the lease? I know your difficulties, but I just don't have the money. If this deal goes through, I'll refund your rent immediately."
The shopkeeper was naturally pleased to hear this. He still had money in Zhao Juan's hands and didn't want to offend her, so he agreed for the time being, saying he would go back and discuss it with the buyer and get back to her in a few days.
After the shopkeeper left, Zhao Juan's personal maid, Cui'er, couldn't help but advise:
“Miss, isn’t five hundred taels too little? When Master bought that shop, he spent six hundred taels of silver, and even if it’s rented out, it’ll bring in sixty taels of silver a year…”
Zhao Juan glared at her and said disdainfully:
"Don't you know the situation of that shop? Once the lease is terminated, it's questionable whether it can be rented out again. Sixty taels a year? You're dreaming."
This shop is a money-losing proposition if I just leave it. If someone were willing to buy it, I could at least recoup some of the costs, which is better than it being stuck with me. If you don't understand, then don't argue. Are you the prostitute or am I?
Upon hearing this, Cui'er dared not say anything more and silently retreated.
When the shopkeeper returned to the shop, Gan Li and Gan Mingyi were still waiting. He told them Zhao Juan's price quote.
Gan Mingyi's eyes nearly popped out of his head upon hearing this: "Rob the young master? Five hundred taels? Why doesn't she just rob him!"
Gan Li frowned slightly—this Zhao Juan really was asking for an exorbitant amount.
Given this location and foot traffic, selling it for 500 taels isn't expensive, but it still needs to be considered in light of the actual circumstances.
Because of the shop's reputation for losing money no matter what it sells, everyone avoids it like the plague, and it's so difficult to even rent it out. Selling it for another five hundred taels is simply too much.
Although she liked the shop, she didn't want to be ripped off.
She thought for a moment, then pulled the shopkeeper aside and said:
"Five hundred taels of silver is too much, and I'll have to trouble you to make another trip. I'm not afraid to tell you that my price is four hundred and fifty taels—that's the most I can offer. But if you can negotiate the price down to four hundred taels... we can split the fifty taels we save. How about that?"
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he heard this. He could earn twenty-five taels of silver for free just by helping to negotiate a price?
That's a great deal!
He patted his chest and assured Gan Li, "In business, the most important thing is being good at negotiating, right? Bargaining? I'm an expert! Just watch, I guarantee I'll close the deal!"
After saying that, he took a sip of tea and went to the Zhao family in high spirits.
On the way, the shopkeeper had already prepared his speech, and as soon as he saw Zhao Juan, he said:
"The buyer wanted to leave as soon as he heard the price, saying that you were not serious about selling... Miss Zhao, I'm not trying to criticize you, but the price you asked for was indeed a bit too high. You know what kind of state that shop is in now."
"Finally, someone was willing to buy, but upon hearing your price, they said you weren't serious about selling and wouldn't buy. Luckily, I pleaded with them, saying we could negotiate, and managed to keep them interested. They even offered you a maximum of four hundred taels of silver."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Juan indeed panicked.
She hadn't originally expected to sell it for five hundred taels; she was just hoping to earn as much as possible. But now, hearing from the shopkeeper that the other party was almost scared away, she started to feel uneasy. Four hundred taels? She felt that wasn't enough.
“Well, we can’t sell it for only four hundred taels. At least…” Zhao Juan gritted her teeth and said, feigning toughness, “Four hundred and fifty taels, no less!”
Four hundred and fifty taels? Then his errand fee is gone.
The shopkeeper remained calm, because he had seen that Zhao Juan was starting to panic and had even offered to lower the price. He realized that Zhao Juan was a paper tiger who couldn't be easily intimidated, so he remained composed and said firmly:
"But they also said the maximum is four hundred taels!"
He cleared his throat and said earnestly, "Miss Zhao, in business, it's all about securing your profits. If you don't sell this shop this time, it will be even harder to sell it later. You should think this through!"
Zhao Juan was at a loss. After thinking it over, she realized that the shop was going to be the same no matter what. Anyway, it was only a hundred taels of silver short. If she sold it for four hundred taels, after deducting the rent to be refunded, she would still have two hundred and eighty taels in her hands.
Two hundred and eighty taels! As far as she knew, this was probably all the wealth that Granny Lü had accumulated over more than ten years.
The thought of this filled her with satisfaction. Afraid of missing out on this buyer, she quickly nodded and said, "Four hundred taels it is, but the shop must be transferred today!"
She kept the shopkeeper's words in mind, worried that if people didn't buy it after today, she would suffer a huge loss.
The shopkeeper had been waiting for her to say that, and immediately agreed: "No problem, I'll go back and tell that... young master that we'll meet at the village head's place!"
Seeing that he readily agreed, Zhao Juan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly told Cui'er to prepare.
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