Chapter 485 The Cotton Buyer
It was already midday when I left the village head's house.
Cheng Wanwan didn't stay at the village head's house for dinner. She was just about to go home when she saw the villagers carrying large sacks and running in one direction.
She grabbed a woman and asked suspiciously, "What happened over at the other end of the village?"
The woman put down the sack on her shoulder and said with a beaming smile, "They say a manager from Wanquan County came to our village to buy cotton. It's fifty copper coins a pound. Our family planted nearly an acre of cotton this year, made three or four large quilts, kept some for winter clothes, and still has three hundred pounds left. Oh my god, just by doing the math, that's more than ten taels of silver. My son's dowry money is all set."
Fearing that they wouldn't accept the cotton bag if she arrived too late, the woman picked up the bag and hurried away after saying this.
Cheng Wanwan frowned slightly. Their village's cotton had just been harvested and had not yet been put on the market for sale. Why would a manager from the neighboring Wanquan County come to buy it?
Wanquan County is not within the territory of Huzhou, but it is right next to Baiyun County of Huzhou. It is a little over an hour away, which is neither close nor far. Perhaps some villagers or relatives in Wanquan County spread the word.
Anyone who knows how to do business should be able to see the business opportunity when they see cotton, so it's normal for them to come from afar to buy it.
Fifty coins a pound, that's a really high price. Even the villagers who grow the least amount of cotton should have around a hundred pounds at home, so they can get five taels of silver for that.
However, this price is only valid for this year. If cotton is widely distributed next year, the price should be reduced to around ten coins. After that, even five coins will be considered a high price.
Because cotton is something that ordinary people use, the current high price is due to the shortage of goods, so the people of Dahe Village can earn whatever they can.
As Cheng Wanwan walked back, she saw many villagers carrying silver coins, their faces beaming with joy.
Several village women held her hands and thanked her repeatedly.
"If we had known cotton prices would be this high, we should have planted more at the beginning of the year."
"No matter what, we have to thank Aunt Dashan, otherwise my family would not have been able to earn more than ten taels of silver so easily."
"I heard from Si Dan that Da Shan's mother has been wanting to eat stewed goose in an iron pot for a long time. I'll kill the goose at home that likes to chase people and send it over later."
"..."
Cheng Wanwan chuckled: "You planted the cotton yourselves, and you fertilized and watered it yourselves. It has little to do with me. I appreciate your kindness, but I don't need the goose."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ninglan hurried over: "Madam, Manager Hu from Wanquan County requests an audience."
The woman next to him immediately said, "Manager Hu is the one who came to buy cotton today. He looks like Maitreya Buddha, always smiling at everyone, and he's generous with money."
"We won't take up any more of Aunt Dashan's time, we'll be going now."
The women dispersed.
Cheng Wanwan walked back suspiciously. Could it be that Manager Hu still wanted to buy her cotton?
Although she has a lot of cotton at home, every pound has its use, and she definitely won't sell it.
"I've met people from Sui'an!"
At the main gate of the mansion stood a middle-aged man who was overweight. As soon as he saw Cheng Wanwan, he bowed and scraped.
Cheng Wanwan said with a faint smile, "Manager Hu, there's no need to be so polite. May I ask what brings you here?"
"I heard that every household in Dahe Village grows cotton, so I came to take a look out of curiosity. This cotton is extremely soft; if it were made into quilts and fabrics for sale, it would surely be very popular," Shopkeeper Hu said, bowing his head. "However, I heard that the cotton seeds were found by people from Sui'an, who picked and planted them for the villagers for free. I should have asked the people from Sui'an beforehand and shouldn't have come so abruptly... If this has offended the people from Sui'an, I am willing to return all the cotton."
Cheng Wanwan twitched the corners of her lips. This person looked kind, but was somewhat hypocritical inside.
We've already received the cotton, and the money and goods have been settled. Returning it now would just be deliberately making things difficult for the villagers.
However, she didn't need to argue with a businessman. Businessmen are profit-driven, and when it comes to profit, they can disregard everything else.
She said calmly, "Manager Hu, you're overthinking it. You can handle this yourself."
"Thank you, people of Sui'an!"
Manager Hu thanked him repeatedly.
Cheng Wanwan's expression was extremely pale as she stepped into the courtyard.
As soon as she disappeared through the courtyard gate, Manager Hu raised his head, his face beaming with joy.
He quickly left the mansion and walked onto a small path. A pregnant woman approached him and whispered, "I told you long ago, the people of Sui'an are gentle and have excellent tempers. They won't hold a grudge against a merchant like you. With you being so hesitant, I'm starting to doubt that I've chosen the wrong person."
"As a mere merchant, how could I dare to go against the government? Naturally, I had to sound out their intentions. Now, all is well, I have no worries at all." Manager Hu stroked his chin. "However, your asking price is too high. A 30/70 split, where you take 30% of the profit just for providing the blueprints, is something I might not be able to afford."
Sun Shuiqin's expression changed: "I not only provided you with the blueprints, but also gave you information. Otherwise, how could tens of thousands of kilograms of cotton from Dahe Village have all fallen into your hands?"
"You know that all the cotton is in my hands now, so it's not impossible for me to change my mind and kick you out," Manager Hu said with a smile. "However, I'm a man of my word. Since we've agreed to cooperate, let's cooperate to the end, but the profits will be split 90/10."
"Manager Hu, you can't do this," Sun Shuiqin sneered. "I can take the initiative to cooperate with you, and I can also terminate the cooperation."
She turned to leave, but stopped after taking a step and turned back, saying, "Without my clothing design drawings, Manager Hu can only make quilts and fabric to sell. With a cost of fifty coins per catty, you won't make much profit from those two items."
Manager Hu's face darkened.
How dare a village woman try to bully him?
However, he also knew that the village woman was telling the truth; the quilts and fabrics were simple to make and could not be sold at a high price.
Only by making clothes, unique clothes, can you command high prices and make a fortune.
"At most 20%."
Shopkeeper Hu held up two fingers.
Sun Shuiqin didn't dare to make things too awkward. The profits from the two layers were already substantial. She pretended to hesitate, and after a long while, she nodded: "Then let's leave it at that."
She slipped the design drawings from her sleeve and whispered, "The people in Sui'an have already started rushing to finish production. If all goes well, it should be available for sale before November. You'd better hurry."
Manager Hu carefully put away the design drawings and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems."
Sun Shuiqin looked left and right, and seeing that there was no one outside the road, she went out.
Although Cheng Wanwan said she didn't want the goose, the woman from the village still brought over a slaughtered and plucked goose. When the goose was brought in, the several proud white geese in the yard were startled and shrank their necks to blend into the flock of ducks, trying to make themselves less noticeable.
"These geese are really something else," Granny Ma exclaimed. "Geese raised for more than a year will become tough and tough, and they won't taste good no matter how you cook them. We need to get rid of them as soon as possible."
Her words terrified the geese even more.
Cheng Wanwan chuckled: "The meat is too tough for me to chew, so let them guard the house. This goose is quite good though, let's use it to make antique soup."
Antique soup is essentially an ancient version of hot pot. She's been in this era for so long, but she's never eaten hot pot before.
Granny Ma was used to it. Although the people from Sui'an were from a rural background, they seemed to know a lot about the delicacies in the capital and the imperial city. As a servant who specialized in cooking, she sometimes knew less than the people from Sui'an.
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