Zheng Ruqian flung open his folding fan and roared, "Good question!"
The girl was so frightened that she burrowed directly into her mother's arms and dared not peek out again.
“The Liao family must know about the lychees from Sichuan and Chongqing, but their sweet and sour taste and thin flesh mean they can’t raise the price.” Zheng Ruqian sneered. “Only the lychees from Hejiang can compete with those from Lingnan, but it takes at least seven days to get from Fengjing to Hejiang, which is not much different from going to Lingnan.”
Faced with the choice between low profit margins and high volume sales versus high profit margins and hard work, the Liao family chose the latter.
Sufficient quality and ten days of travel were also key factors in the Liao family's ability to negotiate higher prices with other prominent families.
Even the rule that "lychees must be eaten on the same day they are picked" is part of the scheme.
If you finish eating it on the same day and want to eat it again the next day, do you have to buy it again?
Regardless of the dynasty, merchants have always resorted to any means to make a profit.
The powerful families are high and mighty, and they don't care about a little money.
It's just that other people suffer; they can't even save up enough for two bites in half a lifetime just to taste lychees.
"Today, I, Jiuzhenfang, will act on behalf of Heaven!" Zheng Ruqian pointed to the lychees scattered on the ground. "Xiaosong, go tell the people of Fengjing that our Jiuzhenfang is selling lychees for five taels a pound."
"Alright!" Wang Xiaosong jumped up, more agile than a monkey.
He was known for his big mouth and was familiar with many shopkeepers at Tianjiekou. As he strolled around, he could greet anyone he went. “Brother Zhang is selling dried goods. Want to try some lychees? Oh, they’re not expensive, only five taels of silver a pound. If you mention my name to the shopkeeper, I’ll give you two extra.”
"Really, I'm not kidding you, it's only five taels of silver a catty. Go check it out quickly, or it'll be all gone."
In just over half an hour, before the entire cart of lychees had been cleared away, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance of Jiuzhenfang.
"I say, is this really five ounces a pound?" a man in a brocade robe asked on tiptoe.
Jiang Sheng nodded as she peeled the shells, and even sucked on the juice as she put them in her mouth.
The man stared intently, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed repeatedly.
If selling clothes is best done by wearing them and showing them off, then selling food is best done by having someone enjoy eating it.
Moreover, the lychees from Sichuan and Chongqing taste quite good.
At first, if you're used to pure sweetness, you might not like the slight sourness. But after a few more bites, you'll find that the sweet and sour flavor has a unique taste that's less cloying than pure sweetness and more refreshing.
"Come on, give me two jin." The man couldn't take it anymore and took out a ten-tael silver ingot from his pocket.
With him setting the precedent, the rest of the business naturally followed.
None of us are extremely wealthy, but we all have a little money. We wouldn't dare touch anything that costs fifty taels a pound, but we can always try something that costs five taels a pound.
When Zhang Xianglian was in a good mood, she would often give out a few extra pieces as a bonus, ensuring that every guest left with a smile on their face.
One hundred kilograms of lychees from Sichuan and Chongqing were sold out in just half a day.
Although not as profitable as lychees from Lingnan, it is still quite considerable.
Most importantly, it served as a warning to the Liao family.
“But we’re not selling Lingnan lychees. The Liao family isn’t stupid; they won’t be kept in the dark,” Jiang Sheng muttered.
Zheng Ruqian remained calm and composed, "So what? When people mention lychees, they only think of the five taels per catty from Jiuzhenfang. We have already beaten the Liao family in terms of price."
From a certain perspective, this can be considered as compromising quality in order to ensure profits.
But in the eyes of the people of Fengjing, the lychees from Jiuzhenfang were cheaper than those from the Liao family.
"What about the lychees from the aristocratic family?" Jiang Sheng reminded her. "The third batch is arriving soon. Sister Yao ordered fifty catties, and I'm too embarrassed to sell them to her for fifty taels again."
Out of respect for the Jiang family, the aristocratic families continued to order lychees, and Jiuzhenfang couldn't treat them like fools.
Even the Liao family had to go to great lengths to go to Lingnan in order to raise prices; they never thought of passing off Sichuan and Chongqing lychees as Lingnan lychees.
Wealthy families may have a lot of money, but they're not fools.
Fortunately, Zheng Ruqian had planned ahead. "Have you all prepared the lychee pastries I asked you to make before?"
Zhang Xianglian nodded.
Lychee-flavored pastries are not easy to make because the cost of the fruit is a factor. It's not appropriate to sell them at a high price or a low price. If they're too high, no one will buy them, and if they're too low, you'll definitely lose money.
Originally, it was thought that the company would follow the same high-profit, low-volume approach as Lingnan lychees. However, Zheng Ruqian generously announced, "For every pound of Lingnan lychees ordered from Jiuzhenfang, one pound of lychee pastries will be given as a gift, plus five pounds of Sichuan and Chongqing lychees."
Zhang Xianglian was a little confused.
The pastries I painstakingly researched and developed not only failed to make any money, but I'm also being given away for free.
Only Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up. "The price of lychees has dropped and can't be brought back up. Otherwise, how would our behavior be different from the Liao family? Giving so many things will make the aristocratic families feel like they're not losing out. In the future, whether or not to give them gifts will also be up to us."
Even if they lose a little money, the lychee pastries are made by Jiuzhenfang, and the lychees from Sichuan and Chongqing are also transported by them, so the profits still go back to them in the end.
"Second brother, you're something else." After thinking it over, Jiang Sheng suddenly realized, "Did you prepare all these little schemes ten days ago? Did you never intend to start a price war with the Liao family over Lingnan lychees?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Zheng Ruqian waved his hand with a smile. "Just like my aunt said, a price war can never end. The Liao family is willing to lose money, but I'm not."
That's what a truly shrewd and cunning businessman looks like.
Unfortunately, things didn't stop there, and the Liao family wouldn't just sit idly by and wait for their doom.
"Deliver the third batch of lychees first," Zheng Ruqian instructed. "If you want the aristocratic families to feel it's worthwhile, you still have to sell pastries, at the highest possible price. It doesn't matter if they don't sell, as long as everyone feels it's worth it."
Zhang Xianglian nodded earnestly, keeping it in mind.
Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.
In early July, the third batch of lychees from Jiuzhenfang arrived, and Wang Xiaosong, along with Jiang San and Jiang Si, delivered the goods to various families.
It's likely that the powerful families already had a plan in mind, and this time they might end up spending some money unnecessarily.
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