Chapter 73
Yu Ying and his group arrived at the Cangwu County seat before the evening of the third day.
The middle-aged man driving the ox cart would go to Cangwu County two or three times a year, so along the way he probably told them which inns in the county seat would be cheaper.
After arriving at the county seat, we followed the driver's instructions and found a cheap and affordable inn.
It's a bit old, but it's cheap, only 35 cents per room.
After asking the shopkeeper if she could use the kitchen on weekdays, Yu Ying booked two rooms.
She and her sister-in-law shared a room, and the other three shared another.
After eating the noodles, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
After washing up, Yu Ying changed out of her worn-out clothes and put on her usual clothes. She lay on the bed and calculated her expenses for the past few days.
Staying in Cangwu County for three or four days, including food and accommodation, would cost about three or four hundred coins.
The fare here and the driver's two wen per day for food totaled about one hundred wen. They also had expenses along the way, so all in all, the total cost was about six hundred wen.
Moreover, her elder brother, his wife, and Song Sanlang all dropped their work and came with her.
When she came, she had promised that if there was a profit, each of them would get a 10% share of the profits. If there was no success, each of them would also receive 50 wen as compensation for lost work.
Yu Ying has seen too many examples of people turning against each other because of interests, so she will always keep public and private affairs separate and will never be ambiguous when it comes to interests.
With this calculation, it is estimated to be around 800 Wen.
She thought to herself that even if she lost money, she should at least find a way to make back the money she spent.
Feeling stressed, Yu Ying naturally couldn't sleep well, so she got up early the next day.
After breakfast, she asked the innkeeper where the Renshan Clinic was, took twenty cans of facial cream, and left the inn with her elder brother and sister-in-law.
Cangwu County is located in Lingnan. It is poorer than the Central Plains, but as a county seat, it is prosperous.
Compared with it, Yu County is simply incomparable.
The most obvious manifestation is in clothing. The clothes of the people in Yu County are often patched, while the clothes of the people in the county seat are mostly clean and tidy, with very few patches.
The lively hawking sounds can be heard from the beginning to the end of the street, and there are customers stopping in front of almost every stall.
Walking along the way, one is dazzled by the sight.
Yu Ying felt that if they lived in this county seat, they could set up a small stall and do some business.
But unfortunately, they live in Yu County.
After walking for about half an hour, we finally found Renshan Medical Clinic.
This clinic is far more impressive than those in Yu County.
Even though she was introduced by Manager Luo, Yu Ying was still not sure whether this deal could be done.
Whether it succeeds or not, you have to give it a try.
Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and then stepped into Renshan Medical Clinic.
In autumn and winter, many people are infected with colds, so the clinic is filled with constant coughing sounds.
People were coming and going in the clinic, and there were long queues in front of the doctors.
Yu Ying walked to the counter and asked about the price of facial cream.
I didn't know until I asked, and I was really shocked. The cheapest one cost fifty cents for a small can.
This is much more expensive than Yu County.
She didn't buy any facial cream. She walked around the clinic and stopped a pharmacist. She said to him, "I'm looking for Doctor Wu. Is he available?"
The medicine boy pointed in the direction of one of the doctors sitting in the clinic: "That's him. If you want to see a doctor, go and queue up."
Yu Ying smiled and said, "I'm not here for a consultation. I came to see Doctor Wu through the recommendation of the drug dealer Luo Mingqi."
The medicine boy frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go talk to Doctor Wu."
After saying that, the medicine boy walked towards Doctor Wu. After Doctor Wu finished writing the prescription for a patient, the medicine boy spoke a few words to him and pointed in the direction of Yu Ying.
Doctor Wu raised his head in surprise and looked in the direction the medicine boy pointed.
He pondered for a moment and said a few words to the medicine boy.
After a while, the medicine boy came back and relayed, "Doctor Wu asked you to wait in the side room for a while. He will come back after he finishes seeing a few patients."
Yu Ying thanked him and then followed the medicine boy to the side room.
While the medicine boy went to prepare tea, Wen Xing looked reserved. She lowered her voice and asked, "Sister-in-law, can this be done?"
Yu Ying: "Whether it works or not, we have to give it a try."
The medicine boy served tea, and after sitting quietly for half an hour, Doctor Wu finally arrived and several people stood up from their seats.
Doctor Wu is about forty or fifty years old and is the image of a traditional old doctor.
After he came in, he looked at the man in the side room and asked, "What is the relationship between this young man and Luo Mingqi?"
Fu Zhen looked at his brother's wife and said, "The one who knows Manager Luo is my brother's wife."
Doctor Wu was stunned for a moment, then followed his gaze.
Yu Ying nodded slightly towards Doctor Wu and said, "My last name is Yu, and I'm from Yu County."
Doctor Wu raised his eyebrows slightly when he looked at the young woman, but still asked, "How did this Madam Yu know Luo Mingqi?"
Yu Ying smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Luo previously purchased medicinal herbs in Yu County. I've done business with him twice, so we got to know each other."
"Then why did you come to see me?"
Yu Ying took out a can of facial cream and said, "Shopkeeper Luo knew I made facial cream and felt that the market for it was limited in Yu County, so he recommended me to come to the Renshan Clinic in the county seat to see Doctor Wu for a try."
After that, he handed it over and said, "Doctor Wu, please take a look."
Doctor Wu hesitated for a moment, but still took the facial cream and opened it to take a look.
You won't see any effect just by looking at it, but since it was introduced by Manager Luo, he should have some real skills.
Yu Ying explained, "This facial cream is made with sixteen medicinal herbs. I don't use lard, but other animal fats instead. It's extremely effective for treating chapped cheeks. If your cheeks aren't severely dry, it will moisturize them overnight. Daily use can keep your skin moisturized. Even for mild chapped cheeks, you'll see results overnight, and even for more severe cases, you'll see some improvement after a night."
Doctor Wu glanced at her, then lowered his head to examine the facial cream, and put it under his nose to sniff it.
The medicinal herbs completely masked the smell of animal fats, leaving only a faint fragrance, and it was difficult to tell what kind of animal fats were used.
After pondering for a few breaths, he asked, "Can this be used?"
Yu Ying said, "Doctor Wu, please feel free to do as you please."
After getting the consent, Doctor Wu scooped some and spread it evenly on his wrist.
The texture is smooth, soft and non-greasy.
Judging from the appearance, smell, and texture, this is definitely not a rough facial cream. But I don't know how effective it is.
Doctor Wu covered the face cream and returned it, looking apologetic. "I'm just a doctor in the clinic. I can't make a decision. Besides, the clinic already sells many kinds of face creams, and I have no idea how effective Madam Yu's face cream is, so I probably can't be of much help."
Yu Ying smiled, took the cream back, and said, "Words are not enough. Why don't you ask Doctor Wu to find someone to give it a try? If there's no effect, then just pretend I never came."
After saying that, he placed the facial cream on the coffee table beside him.
Doctor Wu thought for a moment, but didn't refuse outright. Instead, he left room for maneuver: "Okay, I'll find someone to try it out first. If the results are satisfactory, we can discuss other options."
Yu Ying nodded, then told him about the inn where she was currently staying and that she would stay in Cangwu County for another three days.
"If Doctor Wu is interested in cooperating, you can send someone to the inn to look for him."
Doctor Wu smiled and replied "OK".
After a few people left, Doctor Wu looked at the facial cream on the table thoughtfully.
I thought that if the effect is good and the price is acceptable, I would order twenty or thirty cans for Brother Luo's sake.
After thinking it over, he called the medicine boy over, handed him the facial cream, and said, "Didn't you say that the weather has been dry lately and your hands and feet have started to crack? Try this facial cream on yourself and tell me if it works."
Although the medicine boy was puzzled, he decided to take advantage of the free facial cream.
Yu Ying came out of the clinic and sighed secretly.
Wen Xing, who was standing by, asked in a low voice, "Is this a success or a failure?"
Fu Zhen said: "At least I accepted the trial facial cream, there is hope."
Yu Ying also nodded: "Brother is right, as long as you are willing to meet us and accept it, there is hope."
However, Yu Ying would not put all her hopes on this clinic.
Her eyes fell on the small stalls on the street. While waiting, she might as well set up a small stall and give it a try.
With an idea in mind, she began to stroll around the busy streets of the county seat.
There were several stalls selling facial cream and rouge. After asking, I found out that the cheapest facial cream was twenty cents.
This texture is the same as the lard paste that costs five or ten cents in Yu County.
The expensive ones cost sixty or seventy cents, and are said to be very effective in treating chapped skin, and also have the effect of beautifying the skin.
Yu Ying asked, but they refused to give her a trial.
After a round of shopping, Yu Ying had a rough idea of the price of the facial cream.
After returning, she told them about her plan to set up a stall.
The eldest sister-in-law was surprised and said, "But we will only be in the county seat for three or four days. Will setting up a stall be useful?"
Fu Zhen said, "Every day in the city, we have to spend money. Setting up a stall is better than just waiting. Every can I sell is a can."
Song Sanlang also nodded in agreement.
Yu Ying said, "I'm not sure if the clinic will be successful. Let's put it out there for a few days and see. As Big Brother said, we'll sell every bottle we can. I took a look around today and found that the facial creams in the county seat are generally much more expensive than those in Yu County. Ours is pretty good, so we'll set the price at fifty wen."
Not counting the labor cost, the cost of materials and pottery jars for this sheep fat facial cream is fourteen cents, and after deduction, the profit is thirty-six cents per jar.
If we can successfully sell 25 cans, we can cover all the expenses of this trip to the county government.
Today, Yu Ying also learned that setting up stalls in the county seat requires a space fee. Because of this fee, even the best spots are taken, but some of the less prominent ones are still there.
Yu Ying borrowed a long bench from the innkeeper, and then went to the cloth shop to buy a few feet of coarse cloth.
Find the yamen runner patrolling the street, pay five cents and you can set up a stall directly.
Cover the bench with a long cloth and put some grease on it, and the stall is ready.
Among these people, the eldest sister-in-law has the most flawless face, so she can just guard the stall.
But the eldest sister-in-law was afraid of dealing with people, so attracting customers became Yu Ying's job, while the eldest sister-in-law only had to keep up appearances.
After setting up the stall for an hour, two or three people came to inquire about the product, but when they heard the price of the facial cream, they left without even trying it.
Wen Xing asked her sister-in-law worriedly, "Isn't the price too high?"
Yu Ying shook her head. "The most expensive item at other stalls is only sixty or seventy coins. Besides, I didn't expect to sell many jars today."
She heard the other vendors shouting, and after thinking for a moment, she had no choice but to put her pride aside and join in the hawking: "Selling facial cream, try it and if it doesn't work, no charge!"
The voice spread, and the words "no money needed" had a great effect, and soon several people came.
Yu Ying didn't mention the price of the facial cream first. Instead, she took out a bottle of it and said, "Today is the first day of opening. I'll give you one free application. If you find it useful, you can come back and buy more!"
Someone spoke first: "Let me try."
This voice was very familiar. Yu Ying looked up curiously. Isn't this my elder brother...
Fu Zhen's expression was serious, and there was no sign at all that he was a shill.
Yu Ying suppressed her smile and scooped some facial cream with a bamboo stick and placed it in her elder brother's palm.
Fu Zhen applied it directly on his face.
Someone took the lead, and others followed suit, saying, "Let me try it too."
Because there were several people gathered in front of the stall, others who didn't know what was going on also came over to take a look.
The more people there are, the more people will come to watch the fun.
But most of them came to use the facial cream for free, or to watch the fun. By the time she closed the stall, Yu Ying had sold a can of facial cream and also sold half a can for trial use.
Although it’s just one can, being able to sell one can is a good start.
I hope that some of those who have tried the facial cream today will come back to buy it tomorrow.
Originally, they brought twenty bottles of facial cream. Doctor Wu used one bottle, tried one bottle, and sold one bottle, so there were seventeen bottles left.
I earned fifty cents, and after deducting the cost of the three cans, I still made eight cents, so it wasn't a loss.
None of them had any complaints about the current situation, which made Yu Ying want to make this facial cream business even more attractive.
The next morning, I went to set up the stall early.
Because I went early, I got a good seat.
This location is not far from yesterday's location. If anyone wants to buy facial cream after trying it yesterday, they can see their stall if they look closely.
Yesterday, when we set up the stalls, it was afternoon, so there were relatively few people. But today, we came early, and the streets were really crowded.
Yu Ying continued to shout with all her might, and today when people heard the words "free trial", many more people gathered around her than yesterday.
This time, the eldest brother didn't act as a pawn, but Song Sanlang came over and acted as a pawn: "My face is already dry and chapped. I used it yesterday and it really worked. Give me a can."
Yu Ying: ...
Song Sanlang and the elder brother have discussed this before, right?
Both of them are not good at speaking, but when it comes to being a shill, each one has more potential than the other.
In order to avoid being exposed, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law had to suppress their laughter, and then took a jar for him and symbolically accepted fifty cents.
Because Yu Ying had made lard facial cream before and also gave a bottle to Song Sanlang, Song Sanlang's face was not as dry and flaky as other people's, which was very convincing.
Just then, someone who had tried it yesterday came over and said, "You're right, after using it once yesterday, my face doesn't seem to be as tight anymore, and the smell isn't as bad as the twenty-cent jar."
The man then said, "Fifty cents is too expensive. Can you make it cheaper?"
Yu Ying smiled and said, "Since you were here yesterday, it's natural that I can give you a discount. Forty-eight coins a can, no less."
Every penny saved is a penny earned, so the man bought one can.
Today's opening lottery has finally been announced.
Because two cans were sold at once, some people were tempted.
After Yu Ying tried it for them, she strongly recommended it: "This facial cream can not only treat chapped skin, but also moisturize and beautify the skin. Moreover, this facial cream is made from more than a dozen Chinese medicinal herbs. The ordinary facial creams you buy may not be made with medicinal herbs, right?"
"Besides, regular facial cream costs twenty coins a can, but I've brewed this with over a dozen herbs, so selling it for fifty coins isn't expensive at all. Fifty coins a can will last you at least two months, so it doesn't cost a penny a day. And it can be used by both the elderly and children at home."
When Wen Xing saw her sister-in-law's eloquent recommendation, she was stunned for a moment, but she was more filled with admiration.
My sister-in-law is so awesome!
In one morning, with Yu Ying's hard work, a total of four cans were sold, excluding the one sold by Song Sanlang.
All four cans were sold for forty-eight cents, which gave everyone hope.
At noon, Yu Ying didn't plan to go back to rest, but set up the stall until closing time.
Yu Ying and her sister-in-law each had a steamed bun, which was considered lunch.
Song Sanlang and Fu Zhen, who were guarding them not far away, each had two steamed buns.
There were fewer people in the afternoon, so only two cans were sold.
After taking a bath in the evening, Yu Ying put all the copper coins she earned that day on the table and counted them.
Yesterday and today, I sold a total of seven bottles of facial cream. After deducting the cost, I earned about two hundred and forty cents.
While she was pondering, the eldest sister-in-law came into the room carrying a teapot filled with hot water. Seeing her sister-in-law counting copper coins, she asked, "Sister-in-law, why don't you set up the stall for a few more days to earn back the money you spent on the trip to the county seat."
Yu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "If business is this good every day, we can open it for a few more days. However, the daily expenses in the county government are around 100 coins. If business is bad that day, it won't be worth it."
Accommodation costs seventy wen per day, and even if food costs ten wen per person per day, it will still cost forty wen.
After Wen Xing had calculated this, she said, "It's still too uneconomical to live here."
The two of them sighed one after another, and at this moment, there was a knock on the door. It was Fu Zhen and Song Sanlang.
Not knowing what they came for, Yu Ying welcomed them in and left the door open to avoid suspicion.
After the two of them entered the house and sat down, Fu Zhen said, "Song Jun is thinking that if the business at his stall is good over the next two days, he would like to stay in the county seat and set up a stall for a while, and then go back at the end of the year."
Yu Ying was stunned for a moment, then listened to Song Sanlang say, "My sister-in-law from the Fu family said that after winter, the number of medicine merchants purchasing medicinal herbs will decrease, and the number of herbal collections will also decrease. I have nothing to do anyway, so why not set up a small stall in the county seat and help my sister-in-law from the Fu family sell their facial cream."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying actually started to think about the feasibility of this.
As the weather gets colder, the demand for facial fat increases.
After a while, customers who have used the cream and found it effective will spread the word. By then, even if business is slow, you can still sell one or two bottles of cream.
Thinking of this, Yu Ying said, "Let me think about it carefully first. If you set up a stall in this county seat, you will definitely need a place to live. This cannot be ignored in the cost. Food also needs to be calculated."
Several people were stunned when they heard this. Song Sanlang said, "I will take care of these myself. Don't worry, Fu's sister-in-law."
Yu Ying shook her head. "You're doing business for me. I can't let you spend all your earnings on these things. If that's the case, you might as well not set up a stall in this county seat."
After pondering for a moment, Yu Ying said, "Let's see how business goes over the next two days. If we can sell at least two bottles of facial cream every day, we can consider it."
After discussion, they all decided to take another look and then went back to rest.
Early in the morning of the third day after arriving in the county seat, I started a new day of setting up stalls.
Worried that the clinic might have some feedback, Song Sanlang stayed in the inn and waited for news.
Yu Ying set up a stall today. With the experience of the previous two days, she became more and more skilled in sales. Even her sister-in-law, who was shy by nature, started to sell after these few days.
Business this morning was better than yesterday. Five cans were sold in one morning, leaving only six cans left on the bench.
After Yu Ying asked her elder sister-in-law and elder brother to look after the stall, she went to buy some sheep oil and clay pots and made another twenty jars of facial cream.
After selling the goodies, Yu Ying returned to the stall and took a look. There were only a few people there and no one needed her, so she went back to making facial cream.
As soon as I returned to the inn, I met the medicine boy from Renshan Hall in the inn lobby.
The medicine boy who was asking the shopkeeper about this recognized Yu Ying and called out, "Madam Yu."
Yu Ying turned her head and looked over. The medicine boy said, "I'm the medicine boy from Renshan Clinic. I saw him there a couple of days ago."
After hearing this, Yu Ying finally had an impression.
When the people from the clinic came, she began to feel excited.
After finding a table and chair in the lobby and sitting down, the medicine boy said, "Doctor Wu asked me to ask about the facial cream."
Yu Ying: "Excuse me."
"I wonder how much Madam Yu plans to sell this facial cream?" asked the medicine boy.
Yu Ying thought for a moment and said, "Under fifty jars, fifty coins per jar; over fifty jars, forty-eight coins per jar; over a hundred jars, forty-five coins per jar."
The medicine boy was stunned when he heard this, and remembered what Doctor Wu said.
——If it’s thirty cents a can, we’ll order fifty cans, and their clinic will provide the cans.
"Madam Yu, this price seems a bit high. Besides, our clinic sells jars, so shouldn't the price be lowered a bit?"
Yu Ying smiled and said, "Since it's provided by the Jar Clinic, then we can give you an extra two cents discount for each stage."
The medicine boy frowned slightly and simply explained: "Doctor Wu has instructed that if we can get 30 coins per can, we will order 50 cans."
Yu Ying wasn't in a hurry to discuss the price with the medicine boy. She just asked, "If the clinic sells the facial cream from me, will it eventually be sold under the clinic's name?"
The medicine boy replied, "Of course."
Yu Ying lowered her eyes and smiled, then continued, "The facial cream is effective, that's the reputation of the clinic. And I've asked around, and the cheapest facial cream at your clinic costs fifty coins a can. If I were to sell this facial cream at the clinic, it would be at least seventy, eighty, or even a hundred coins a can."
The medicine boy said in embarrassment: "That's true, but I'm just a messenger. If Madam Yu thinks it's not feasible, you can talk to Doctor Wu."
Yu Ying nodded and said, "I'll go to the clinic after I finish the work at hand."
After sending the medicine boy away, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
Thirty wen a can, sixteen wen a can, fifty cans would be eight hundred wen. Although there was a profit, it was far less than she had imagined.
If it really came true, the county government would hardly make any money from this trip.
After much deliberation, she still felt that the price should be negotiated down to at least forty cents per can.
After thinking it over, Yu Ying soaked the herbs in wine, and then called Song Sanlang and asked him to go to the clinic with her.
In the afternoon, there were not so many people visiting the clinic, and Dr. Wu soon arrived.
Apparently, the medicine boy had already told Doctor Wu the price Yu Ying had mentioned, so after a cup of tea, Doctor Wu spoke up, "Madam Yu's facial cream is indeed better than ordinary facial creams, but the price is indeed too high. It's difficult for me to negotiate with the owner at this price."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
