Chapter 39: Cooperation
When the autumn harvest was in full swing in Songjiang City, the caravans of the Gu and Du families had already arrived at Shanhaiguan.
After the two caravans lined up to enter the customs, they did not hesitate much and headed south towards the Haichao Inn.
Gu Youan dismounted and smiled at the shopkeeper Ma Guang who came to greet him, "It's only been over a month since we last met, and Shopkeeper Ma's business has grown even bigger."
Shopkeeper Ma clapped his hands and laughed, "Thanks to Shopkeeper Gu and all the gentlemen, young and old, for your support, I am able to make a living from this small shop."
"Shopkeeper Ma is too polite."
Shopkeeper Ma attentively led the way, saying with a smile, "It's autumn now, and whether entering or leaving the border, everyone is rushing to make one last trip before the snow starts. That's why it's been so busy here these past few days."
As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw several tables of people sitting in the lobby of the inn. Judging from their skin color and clothing, most of them were traveling merchants. There were many whose names he couldn't remember, but Gu Youan knew they were from Songjiang City.
"Manager Du, we meet again."
"Hello, Manager Gu!"
"Where are you two going to make a fortune?"
Shopkeeper He and Boss Cao came over side by side, and Uncle Du and Gu Youan greeted them.
Gu Youan didn't answer, but smiled and continued, "Are you two going to Luoyang?"
"That's right. Manager Han has family matters to attend to and is busy, and there's a shortage of staff at the Luoyang pharmacy. We should take advantage of this opportunity to make some extra money so we can return to the border areas for the winter."
The Han brothers' division of the family property was not done in an undignified manner, and every household in Songjiang City knew about it. Now the head of the family, Cao, was not shy about it and openly expressed his desire to take advantage of the situation.
"Manager Gu, are you going to Luoyang too?"
"I need to go to Luoyang, but my medicinal herbs need to be sent to Jiangnan."
I won’t compete with you for Luoyang.
"Manager Gu is actually going to Jiangnan? How can we get back to Songjiang City in time? If the roads are blocked by heavy snow, you might have to spend the New Year inside the border, and you can only leave the border when the snow melts next year."
"Try to hurry up. I just started organizing a caravan this year. Unlike you two, I don't have regular clients who I work with, so I have to hurry up and find a stable path as soon as possible."
"Hahaha, Manager Gu is too modest."
Shopkeeper He invited Uncle Du and Gu Youan to sit down and have tea, but Uncle Du refused to sit down because he had to go and watch the unloading of goods. Gu Youan only talked to Shopkeeper He and Boss Cao.
Shopkeeper He personally poured tea for Gu Youan and said slowly, "I'm deeply moved by what Shopkeeper Gu just said. Back then, our family was hit by a natural disaster and couldn't survive. We sold the few acres of land we had left, and the whole family, young and old, moved out to make a living. It took two generations of hard work before my generation had the opportunity to change their way of life."
Cao DaDang continued, "Others don't know the hardships of being a merchant, nor do they know the dangers we encountered along the way, or the exploitation we suffered by officials. They only know that we are rich. Alas, only we ourselves understand the hardships of being a merchant."
The people in Manager He's caravan were all his uncles and brothers, all relatives. As a child, the Cao family, a military family, had been exiled to Songjiang City with their grandfather. As a young man, the Cao family had followed the late Han family as a trader. As he gradually learned his trade, he also formed a small caravan and was respectfully called the Cao family.
No matter how they set up the caravan, as long as they can become the boss of the caravan, even if it is just a small caravan of about 20 people, they are very good at speaking.
Gu Youan just smiled and nodded, while Manager He and Boss Cao talked about the hardships of traveling for business and how difficult it was for their small caravan.
If Gu Youan hadn't known the profits from trading, he would have believed what they said, that trading was not as good as farming.
"Manager Gu, the Han family is so wealthy and powerful that we can't compare. Just like you said, we have no other choice but to be diligent and willing to endure hardships."
Gu Youan nodded in agreement: "Manager He is right."
Cao Dadang laughed proudly: "My grandfather once said that soldiers who don't want to climb the ladder should go home and farm. I think it's the same for us merchants."
"The Han family is on the verge of collapse. Shopkeeper Han has been held back for several years by his legitimate mother and eldest brother. Who knows, we might be the next Han family. We can do the same business as the Han family."
What is the Han family's business?
Of course it’s the ginseng business!
Almost all the caravans in Songjiang City rely on the medicinal materials in Songjiang City for their livelihood. Apart from the medicinal materials, other mountain products are just supplements.
When it comes to the medicinal herb business, ginseng is undoubtedly the most profitable. The Han family's old man was the first to try it out, and over the years, he's gone from a herbalist in the mountains to a prominent figure in Luoyang City, all thanks to the Han family's help in turning things around.
If the old man of the Han family were still alive, no one would be able to surpass the Han family in the ginseng business because of his favor. But now that the old man is gone, and the Han family's descendants are not motivated, the Han family can't stop other families from making a name for themselves.
Shopkeeper He poured more tea for Gu Youan and said, "It turns out that the nobles in Luoyang City only recognize the Han family. We are also helpless. But Shopkeeper Gu is not as stubborn as us. Last time you made a name for yourself in Luoyang City and we applauded you. This time, we would like to ask Shopkeeper Gu for advice. If we don't go through the Luoyang trading company, what other ways can we go for this ginseng?"
Gu Youan was helpless. "This was my first time in this industry, and I didn't know the ins and outs of it. How could I know the ins and outs? I was very anxious at the time, and all I could think about was how to sell the ginseng. After thinking about it, I thought of the Zhang Imperial Physician family, who had some indirect connection with my family. I'm still confused. If you want to ask me about my connections, you've really asked the wrong person."
"Manager Gu, please be polite to us."
"Really? I'm just a little girl, how could I understand these things? If you really want to know something else, I think it's better for you to ask Shopkeeper Du than to ask me."
Manager He and Boss Cao looked at each other. This girl is really tight-lipped and not someone who can be fooled easily.
People die for money, and birds die for food!
Gu Youan picked up the tea and took a sip to calm himself down.
Ginseng is very profitable, but it also depends on how it is sold. If you want to avoid offending anyone, you must share the profits with those powerful nobles, which is also to find a backer for yourself. This is the reason why you sell the medicinal materials at low prices to various well-connected pharmacies in Luoyang City.
There are people behind the pharmacy, to put it bluntly, the store bullies customers because of its size.
The Han family sells medicinal materials through the Luoyang Pharmacy, and after all arrangements have been made, they can still make 50% to 60% profit. Small caravans with no foundation, such as Manager He and Boss Cao, can make 30% to 40% profit by selling ginseng through large pharmacies. This is because the pharmacies are very particular about their work.
The profit from selling ginseng by a small caravan is not much more than that from selling other medicinal herbs, but the cost is high. If something goes wrong on the way, they are considered lucky if they can survive or lose half of their fortune.
It turned out that Songjiang City was blocked by the Han family, and the ginseng business was risky and profitable, so most small caravans were unwilling to do this business.
But now, there are also some bold people who intend to replace the Han family. Shopkeeper He and the head of the Cao family are such people who want to make a breakthrough.
In their opinion, ginseng is expensive, and making an extra 10% or 20% profit would be more profitable than doing other medicinal materials business.
Gu Youan was just familiar with them, so she didn't need to be open with them. Besides, even if she did, they wouldn't necessarily appreciate it. If they followed her advice and something went wrong, she couldn't bear the responsibility.
No matter how Shopkeeper He and Boss Cao tried to get her to talk, Gu Youan avoided the subject and refused to respond.
After two cups of tea, Guo Su came to invite Gu Youan over, and Gu Youan stood up to say goodbye.
"Manager Gu, take care."
"Manager Gu, we'll go the same way tomorrow."
Leaving the lobby and returning to the room, Guo Su closed the door and said, "Those two are so shameless. Two grown men just staring at a young lady like you and bullying her."
Gu Youan glanced at the furnishings in the room, then smiled and said, "They just asked casually, and I answered casually. It's not considered bullying."
“They want to sell ginseng too?”
"Of course they do. I bet there's ginseng among the cargo they brought this time."
A few months ago, thanks to the Empress Dowager, ginseng was a big seller in Luoyang City. It had only been a few months, and with the Han family away, now was a good time to get involved.
Guo Su was shocked and said, "Then we can't go the same way as them. We have to run faster and get ahead of them."
Guo Su knew that although their medicinal materials had to be transported to Jiangnan, the ginseng still had to be sold in Luoyang City. If they went too late and were preempted by Manager He and his men, their ginseng would not be able to be sold at a good price.
Gu Youan: "You can definitely make money from ginseng, but this time it's not as profitable as a few months ago. It's definitely not as much as before."
"Why?" Guo Su was a little disappointed.
"Susu, when it comes to selling goods, the key is that scarcity makes things valuable. Even the best things are the same. If there are too many of them, they will lose their value."
Gu Youan has a bottom price in her mind. If the shipment price in Luoyang is lower than her psychological expectation, she would rather not sell the ginseng in Luoyang.
Gu Youan rested in the house for a while and went to the backyard of the inn to check out the goods. Uncle Du, Du Qing and Zhang Yinshan were standing together talking.
Uncle Du saw Gu Youan coming over and asked with a smile, "Manager Gu, how was the conversation going?"
Gu Youan was annoyed: "Second uncle knew that they were trying to trick me, but you just walked away and left me to deal with them."
Uncle Du couldn't help laughing, coughed lightly, and said, "I can't always interact with people for you. Since you're determined to do this, these things are inevitable. Just get used to it."
It’s not that he’s not used to it, Gu Youan is just used to being lazy.
Ever since she came to the Great Zhou Dynasty, no matter good or bad, she has been supported by her parents and protected by her elders. If she has any concerns in her heart, she can tell her parents and elders, and they will help her deal with everything.
Du Qing smiled and said, "An An, when we get to Jiangnan, we'll go back to Yizhou Prefecture. From now on, you'll have to personally handle everything from deploying personnel, purchasing goods, and negotiating business deals."
"Uncle, I know."
Zhang Yinshan knew who Gu Youan was, but he didn't worry about him. He just asked, "After you go to Luoyang, will your ginseng still be shipped through the Zhang family?"
"If the Zhang family is willing to lend a hand, we can ask them to contribute a portion."
"What about the rest?"
She will send some of the remaining ginseng to the pharmacy.
Manager He and Boss Cao were very reluctant to have their ginseng sold to the major drug stores in Luoyang because they were a small caravan and could not get a good price from the drug stores.
Gu Youan, however, felt that they could maintain a relationship by cooperating with the drugstore on a small scale, and when she became bigger, both parties could sit down and talk again.
Even after the division of the Han family is settled, she can talk to the big pharmacy together with Manager Han.
Gu Youan guessed what Shopkeeper He and his men were planning, and Shopkeeper He knew Gu Youan had guessed it. The next morning, several caravans staying at the Haichao Inn, as well as those staying at the inns along the official road to the north, set out at daybreak.
Everyone was chasing each other, smiling on the surface, but in fact they all wanted to be the first caravan to arrive in Luoyang.
Gu Youan originally estimated that he would arrive in Luoyang in mid-October, but in order to compete with his colleagues, he arrived in Luoyang in early October.
It's just... everyone is exhausted and tired.
The medicinal materials of the Gu and Du families were left outside the city as usual. Uncle Du and the Du family stayed behind to guard the medicinal materials, while Zhang Yinshan and Guo Su accompanied Gu Youan into the city.
When Manager He saw Gu Youan with bare hands and only the girl from Ping'an Escort Agency who was following her was carrying a small bag, he immediately began to wonder whether Manager Gu had brought ginseng into the city.
"Boss, let's hurry. Boss Cao and Boss Li have gone into the city and are heading towards Xinglin Street."
Shopkeeper He quickly chased after him, muttering, "You bastard Cao, we agreed to be together, yet you dared to leave me and run away first?"
Several caravans from Songjiang City went to Xinglin Street, and Gu Youan and the other two went to Zhang's house.
Zhang Yinshan came to the Zhang family mainly to deliver a letter to the Zhang family on behalf of his father. His mission was completed after the letter was delivered, and he ignored the Imperial Physician Zhang when he spoke to him.
Imperial Physician Zhang had no choice but to turn around and talk business with Gu Youan. Imperial Physician Zhang thanked her for the ginseng she gave him last time and was willing to help this time, but the price of ginseng had dropped by more than 30% in the past month.
"In the summer, ginseng was so popular that many medicine shops got involved and stockpiled it, which attracted medicine dealers from other places. As more ginseng became available in Luoyang, the price went down."
Gu Youan knew this clearly. She asked, "At the current market price, how much can you sell it for?"
Imperial Physician Zhang calculated in his mind and said, "The second-grade ginseng and the first-grade ginseng are the same as before, and the first-grade ginseng is reduced by half."
Gu Youan agreed: "I'll have someone deliver the ginseng to you tomorrow morning."
After the discussion, Gu Youan stood up to say goodbye, and Zhang Yinshan also stood up.
Imperial Physician Zhang hurriedly said, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Yinshan. Stay in the mansion tonight. Wait until I write a reply to your father before you leave."
Zhang Yinshan: "I'm not in a hurry. Take your time writing. I'll come get it when you're done. We can't leave for the next few days anyway."
Zhang Yinshan left with Gu Youan without looking back.
In the evening, Imperial Physician Zhang had a heart-to-heart talk with his wife. He sighed, "After all, we are incompetent. If my medical skills were more advanced, or if a member of the clan could be as capable as Yinshan's father, our Zhang family wouldn't be in this situation now."
They relied on nepotism to rise to power and had close ties with merchants. Who knows how the other imperial physicians would laugh at the Zhang family behind their backs.
"Since Master has taken this step, he must have been mentally prepared. You are doing all this for the future of the family. As long as you endure your anger for a while in exchange for the family's continued prosperity, all this is nothing."
Yes, he had known this would happen, but people are all made of flesh and blood, and are not made of iron. They cannot withstand the rumors from outside for years.
The next morning, Imperial Physician Zhang asked for half a day off from the Imperial Hospital. After receiving the ginseng sent by Gu Youan, he went to the palace that afternoon to check on Concubine Liu's pulse.
The next day, Minister Liu's wife went to Zhang's house and bought three high-quality ginsengs, and the news that the Zhang family had ginseng spread.
Whether it was for the increasingly powerful Minister Liu, the favored Concubine Liu, or because there was a real need, more and more people went to the Zhang family to buy ginseng, openly or secretly.
Three days later, Gu Youan took Guo Su and Zhang Yinshan to Wanjing Pharmacy.
The boss behind Wanjing Pharmacy was called Wang Fuchun. Wan Fuchun was just a commoner. He was able to open a pharmacy in Luoyang City because he was the nephew of the Minister of Personnel.
Although the Wan family had no daughter to serve as an imperial concubine in the palace, Shangshu Wan himself was the emperor's teacher. Shangshu Wan was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and also had the title of Grand Tutor. This shows how much favor the emperor had for Shangshu Wan.
The Wan family had a stable status and did not get involved in the struggles between the concubines' families. All the prominent figures in the capital had to give the Wan family some face. Therefore, Wan Fuchun's pharmacy business was extremely smooth.
Each caravan knew the inside story. They could sell medicinal materials to Wanjing Pharmacy without offending anyone, so small caravans that did not want to be involved in trouble liked to come here.
When Gu Youan entered the door, he saw Manager He, Boss Cao and their group. They had just come to the pharmacy, which showed that they had not found any better way to ship the goods in the past few days.
"Manager Gu, why are you here?" Manager He hurriedly stood up to greet him.
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Of course I came here to sell medicinal herbs."
"What medicinal herbs does Shopkeeper Gu sell?"
"Ginseng."
As soon as Gu Youan finished speaking, Guo Su and Zhang Yinshan put out the box of ginseng.
Manager He and Boss Cao suspected that they had heard it wrong. Wasn’t Manager Gu’s ginseng sold at Imperial Physician Zhang’s house?
Gu Youan didn't explain to them. He turned around and spoke to the owner of the medicine store behind the counter: "I'm from Songjiang City. I have ginseng to sell. Please give me a price."
Among the ginseng sent by Gu Youan, the most expensive one was a first-grade ginseng, and the rest were third-grade, fourth-grade and fifth-grade ginseng.
The shopkeeper glanced coldly at the ginseng in the box and asked the accountant to come and calculate the bill. When the account was almost finished, a servant came over from the backyard. The servant came to the shopkeeper, whispered a few words, lowered his head, turned around and left.
"This must be Shopkeeper Gu from Songjiang City."
"yes."
The shopkeeper smiled gently and said, "Let Shopkeeper Gu know that we at Wanjing Pharmacy have always been honest in our business and would never do anything like using our power to bully others. If you have any good herbs in the future, just send them to us. We can handle them all."
"Okay, if you have anything good in the future, I will definitely send it to you."
The accountant had stopped working, but after hearing the shopkeeper's words, he started counting on the abacus again. When he was done, he asked Gu Youan to come over and take a look.
"What do you think of this price, Shopkeeper Gu?"
Gu Youan nodded in agreement.
The shopkeeper immediately sent over a banknote and a bag of small change. He said, "Welcome, Shopkeeper Gu, to come back next year."
"Thank you very much."
Guo Su stepped forward and took the banknotes and purse.
Gu Youan nodded to Shopkeeper He and the others and said with a smile, "Please wait, everyone. I have something else to do. I will be leaving now."
After Gu Youan left, he left behind Manager He and others with confused looks on their faces.
Doesn’t Manager Gu ever bargain?
She sold it for whatever price someone asked her to pay?
The shopkeeper of Wanjing Pharmacy gave them a cold look and asked impatiently, "Are you still selling the goods?"
"Sell it, sell it right now!"
Manager He and his colleagues couldn't find a better buyer, and they were afraid that it would snow outside the Great Wall and they wouldn't be able to get back to Songjiang City in time. They couldn't afford to delay, so they had to come to the pharmacy to ship the goods.
When Manager He and others received the money from selling ginseng, they felt bad for the pharmacy's price reduction and were curious about Gu Youan.
"Mr. Cao, what price did you get for the little girl's ginseng?"
Cao Dadang's eyes widened: "You ask me, who should I ask?"
In the afternoon, Gu Youan and the other two left the city and followed the caravan south of the Yangtze River. On the way, Uncle Du also asked her, "What price did Wanjing Pharmacy offer?"
“Above average price, better than I expected.”
Gu Youan was also surprised by the price. The owner of Wanjing Pharmacy was too polite to her.
Uncle Du said, "Wanjing is pretty good. Although it's only recently emerged, it can't compare to those old brands. But from what you said, it's easier to deal with than the ruthless Bencao Store."
Zhang Yinshan couldn't help but chime in, "How much money has Bencao Store made from the Han family's ginseng business over the years? They turned on us so suddenly, without a care in the world."
Gu Youan immediately thought, could it be that Wanjing Pharmacy wanted to win her over and also wanted to follow the path of Bencao Pharmacy?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
