Chapter 51 To maximize profits, one must follow the mass line.
When Jiang Mantang returned home, he carried a gong and struck it all over the village. The villagers who heard the gong came to Jiang Fuzheng's house.
Jiang Fuzheng's house is located in the center of the village, and everyone arrived in no time.
Upon seeing Ye Li there, they all greeted her.
Ye Li responded with a smile, addressing each of her uncles and aunts in turn.
Jiang Fuzheng glanced at each family to make sure someone had come, then cleared his throat and said, "It's like this."
"As some of you may have heard, Ji has a classmate whose neighbor runs a cold noodle shop. Ji's family recently sold their latest batch of preserved eggs to this cold noodle shop."
"The owner of the jelly shop is surnamed Gong. He turned preserved eggs into a cold dish, and business is good."
"So, he came to our village again today to buy preserved eggs."
"If you are willing to sell the eggs to him, he is willing to give you an extra 150 coins for every 500 eggs, on top of the original profit."
One hundred and fifty coins.
Upon hearing this number, everyone present couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
This is no small amount of money!
Moreover, before the preserved egg was even ready, someone had already raised the price.
That's great news!
Once you get involved with preserved eggs, all sorts of good things happen.
First, they made money for free, and then they had no trouble selling it.
Now someone else is raising the price!
Seeing the joy on many people's faces, Jiang Fuzheng knew that they hadn't thought too much about it yet.
He added, "If you don't want to sell the preserved eggs to him, then you can push your carts to the county town and sell cold preserved eggs yourselves."
He sold them for seven coins a serving... and eventually made a profit of two coins a serving.
"Two coins?!"
As soon as Jiang Fuzheng finished explaining, the villagers gasped in surprise again.
Two coins per serving, so for every five hundred servings sold, which is two hundred and fifty servings, you can earn an extra five hundred coins.
Selling a thousand of them would be worth a thousand coins!
Many people's minds immediately became active.
If this continues, it won't be a small amount of money!
no!
This is a huge sum of money!
Many people were filled with excitement, their faces flushed with elation, and they subconsciously changed their standing or sitting posture.
Jiang Fuzheng took in everyone's expressions, but he wasn't surprised.
In his eyes, this was a large sum of money.
So he said, "Those who refuse to sell their preserved eggs to the jelly shops can push their carts into the city and sell them themselves."
“Our village is close to the county town, and everyone is familiar with the county town. If we can find a way to sell it for a higher price, then it is what we deserve.”
"Facts have proven that our preserved eggs will sell well."
“But selling them individually is not as profitable as selling them to a cold noodle shop. Moreover, the price difference is between 100 and 350 coins for every 500 eggs.”
“Selling them individually can earn you an extra 100 to 350 coins. But if you sell them all to a cold noodle shop, you won’t make that money.”
"This is not a small amount of money; everyone should think about it carefully."
"But if you want to sell to a cold noodle shop, come over at this time the day after tomorrow and sign a contract with Boss Gong."
"He will pay a deposit of three hundred coins in advance."
"If you've taken the deposit, you can't go back on your word. They paid in advance, so we should keep our word."
After he finished speaking, the villagers immediately started talking about it again.
The minimum price difference is one hundred coins.
If you have the ability to sell it at an even higher price, you'll earn even more!
In an instant, Zhang Shi felt as if the scorching sun overhead had suddenly jumped into his heart. He stared eagerly at Jiang Fuzheng: "Clan leader, since the mutated eggs are so popular, do you have any connections? Let's sell them to Zuixianju?"
"Zui Xian Ju is the biggest restaurant in our county; it's sure to fetch a higher price!"
"Drunken Immortal Abode?"
Jiang Fu was surprised.
Ye Li was also somewhat stunned.
The others also got excited when they heard the name Zuixianju.
Yes, Zuixianju is the largest restaurant in Beiyang County. If we sell the preserved eggs to Zuixianju, we can definitely get a better price!
"This is a good idea, clan chief, what do you think?"
Wang Qiumei said happily.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Fuzheng shook his head: "We've been selling the preserved eggs for a while now, mainly in large quantities at low prices. Now we want to sell them to Zuixianju at a high price, but Zuixianju isn't a sucker, why would they pay such a high price?"
"We can sell only to Zuixianju! We won't sell to anyone else from now on. From now on, only Zuixianju will have the Transformation Egg!"
Zhang Shi immediately said.
But Jiang Fuzheng shook his head: "Each household in our village produces at least a thousand preserved eggs every month, which adds up to more than 20,000 in total."
"Judging by everyone's enthusiasm, from today onwards they'll roll up their sleeves and go all out to make preserved eggs, and the number of preserved eggs will probably triple or quadruple. How can Zuixianju possibly handle all that?"
Zuixianju is doing very well, but it caters to the wealthy.
Beiyang County was no ordinary county town; in addition to the county government office, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner was also stationed there.
Ultimately, Beiyang County is not a wealthy area in Jiangnan, and the current permanent population of the county seat is only slightly over 400,000.
The vast majority of people here are ordinary citizens; only a limited number are high-ranking officials or wealthy individuals.
How can these people eat so many preserved eggs in a month?
If we calculate based on 100,000 units, then we would need to sell more than 3,000 units per day.
There were more than 1,600 copies in total.
No more than 1,600 people enter Zuixianju every day.
The appeal of preserved eggs isn't that great; they're not a necessity.
It's just a dish, refreshing and delicious with a unique flavor, but in this summer, it's more popular than even a beverage.
"this……"
Zhang Shi frowned.
Well, he had indeed made up his mind to go to the county town to buy eggs later.
He was timid before and dared not invest too much money, but today, after being spurred on by 150 coins, he no longer cares about 150 coins!
He's going to invest all his savings!
If that's still not enough, he's willing to borrow money!
But if there are too many eggs, Zuixianju won't be able to eat them all.
If Zuixianju can't handle the demand, then they have to sell to many other people. In that case, they can't charge exorbitant prices.
Besides, the preserved eggs had already been on sale for a while, and restaurants like Zuixianju aren't ripped off, so why should they spend more money to buy them...
Wang Qiumei and the other villagers could also understand this principle. Jiang Fuzheng's cold water was really effective, and everyone calmed down.
"But chieftain, we finally found a way to make money, and we're not happy with how little we earn."
Humanity is humane.
"Yeah, how about we ask Boss Gong for a little more? Or, shall we go to Zuixianju and ask?"
"Or, should we push our cart into town and sell them ourselves?"
Then someone else made a suggestion.
"It's too hard for you to go into the city to sell your wares yourself, so let Boss Gong give you more money."
One of the proposals was quickly rejected.
Jiang Fu raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Tell me first, how many preserved eggs do you plan to make next? If Zuixianju can't handle it, then I won't waste my breath trying to persuade them."
Everyone: "..."
Oh, what a great thing, but we couldn't eat at Zuixianju!
They want Zuixianju to take it, but they can't make that many preserved eggs!
Ye Li observed the expressions on everyone's faces, but he remained silent, simply sitting on the small stool, his gaze sweeping around.
Ultimately, preserved eggs are just eggs; they can't be sold for the price of pork.
Even though it's been upgraded to Zuixianju and its prices have increased significantly, there are still few customers there.
Therefore, if you want to make more money, you still need to focus on volume and follow the mass line, making it affordable for more people.
The money earned by the few wealthy people in the county town is ultimately limited.
Zhang Shi then said, "How about we ask a few more restaurants? To be honest, selling it for seven coins a serving is too cheap. It should be eight or even nine coins a serving."
Mr. Gong doesn't know how to do business.
Jiang Fuzheng shook his head upon hearing this: "Then fewer people will buy them. Two eggs can't compare to a pound of meat."
Gong Lisheng's cold noodles cost seven coins for a small portion.
This price is actually very appealing.
Any higher, and it'd be as thick as meat.
The price of a live chicken is only eight or nine coins per pound. If it were as expensive as meat, there would definitely be far fewer customers willing to buy it.
The same applies to preserved eggs.
Even if it's a rare commodity, and there's only one available, it still can't be priced the same as meat.
After Jiang Fuzheng finished speaking, the doorway fell silent.
Almost everyone was frowning.
After years of stable poverty, it's rare for everyone to find a way to make money. At this moment, they are all racking their brains to find ways to maximize their profits.
Wang Qiumei subconsciously looked at Ye Li.
The idea for making preserved eggs came from Ye Li.
Such a big matter, yet Ye Li remained silent.
She asked, "Brother Li, what are you thinking? How do you plan to sell your preserved eggs?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present turned their gaze toward Ye Li.
Ye Li smiled shyly and said, "Auntie, I understand what everyone is thinking, but I think Uncle Jiang is right, preserved eggs can't be sold for the price of meat."
"If we want to make more money, we still need to increase volume."
“Our village is close to the Nantong Canal. Besides the county town, there are also merchants and travelers from other places. Before winter arrives, we should try our best to sell to these merchants and travelers.”
"The more preserved eggs we make, the more money we'll earn."
"So, my idea is that everyone can do as they please, whether it's sold to Boss Gong or to someone else, it's up to everyone."
His words were essentially meaningless.
The crowd looked at each other, and finally, Aunt Lü, one of the older women whom Jiang Fuzheng had previously handpicked, asked, "Brother Li, could Boss Gong give us a little more?"
This remark drew several echoes of agreement.
Pushing their carts to set up stalls in the county town is too hard work; they only have real free time in the winter.
There's a lot of work to be done in the fields.
But in winter, when the wind blows from the northwest and ice shards, how many people would be willing to buy cold preserved eggs?
Maybe even the cold noodle shops won't be doing well!
If the preserved eggs don't sell well later, then choosing a cold jelly shop now can help build some connections.
“Auntie, I can ask him how much he can offer. I don’t have time to set up a stall myself, but my family’s preserved eggs will be supplied to the jelly shop. Don’t worry, I will definitely try my best to get it.”
Ye Lidao.
"Oh! I'll trouble you then. You've been acting as the middleman and have been taking care of this matter. It just so happens that I have a lot of pumpkins at home, so I'll bring you a few later."
Aunt Lü said with a smile.
Seeing this, the other households also spoke up.
In the summer, every household grows a lot of vegetables, all kinds, and they are all willing to send some to Ye Li.
Seeing this, Zhang Shi asked, "Sister-in-law Lü, don't you want to earn more?"
"I'd like to, but there's still winter, right? Fewer people eat cold dishes in winter!"
Aunt Lü explained.
Before Zhang Shi and the rest of the group could even worry, Ye Li quickly said, "Don't worry, everyone. You can cook porridge with preserved eggs, and it's delicious."
"But if we make porridge, we might not be able to use up that many preserved eggs. After all, porridge takes a long time to cook."
The taste of preserved eggs is slightly different from that of century eggs, but they are equally delicious when cooked in porridge.
Even if it's a large pot of porridge, how much porridge can Gong Lisheng's small shop cook in a day?
Moreover, winter is the season for stir-fried mung bean jelly, so this couple still has to sell it.
But preserved eggs never have trouble selling.
A single classic congee with preserved eggs and lean pork is enough to consume all the preserved eggs in the village.
"At that time, we will still rely on selling them individually or to other shops. But don't worry, we will eventually be able to sell them."
Ye Li's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone's hearts.
Those who hadn't considered this floor before now had furrowed brows and looked resentful.
So, all things considered, the best course of action right now is to sell it to Mr. Gong?
Seeing that everyone was hesitant to make a decision, Jiang Fuzheng summarized the discussion:
It's best to sell preserved eggs in large quantities. Unless you only sell them to Zuixianju, it's unlikely that everyone will produce a small number of preserved eggs each month.
In addition, we must also consider that the cold winter weather may cause preserved eggs to be difficult to sell.
After summarizing, he told everyone to go back and think about it carefully.
Gong Lisheng will arrive the day after tomorrow.
If you still haven't figured it out by the day after tomorrow, then keep thinking about it. Anyway, everyone's eggs won't be ready for another eight or nine days.
However, it's not good to go back on your word.
Since this matter has been handled by him, the clan chief, everyone should still be cautious in signing the contract, lest they later go back on their word and cause him to lose face.
The crowd dispersed quickly.
Ye Li also went home.
When he got home, Jiang Ji had not yet returned.
Ye Liang was frying tofu puffs by the stove, his forehead covered in sweat.
Jiangmai and Jiangya stood under the shed eating watermelons.
The watermelon I just killed had four wedges specially left for the two little ones. As soon as they woke up, Ye Liang called them to eat the watermelon.
To be honest, this was actually the first time they had ever eaten watermelon in their lives.
The two were overjoyed, carefully nibbling at the watermelon with their little hands. Even when watermelon juice got on their faces, they didn't want to wipe it off, so they stuck out their little tongues to lick it off.
Upon seeing Ye Li return, the two hurriedly called out, "Brother Li!"
Her voice was loud, and her little face was smiling.
Ye Li was infected by their joy and laughed too. She walked over and asked, "Is the watermelon delicious?"
"tasty!"
The two little ones answered in unison.
It's so delicious!
Jiang Ya grinned from ear to ear, and after lunch he was still stuffing watermelon into his mouth with a little belly. Then, when he woke up from his nap, he was eating watermelon!
happy!
"Then when Brother Sheng comes next time, you two should thank him properly," Ye Li said with a smile.
The two little ones quickly responded.
Hehe, according to my two brothers, Brother Sheng bought a total of eleven melons.
We delivered one to the village chief's house.
I sent one to Brother Datong and Sister Liu each.
I just ate a bit, and there are seven left!
Seven of them! If you eat one every two days, it'll last you for half a month.
It's unbelievable. It's one thing to eat meat all the time, but now they can even eat this precious fruit regularly.
After they finished eating the four-toothed watermelon, they couldn't resist running to the mill to see the remaining seven watermelons.
They patted this and touched that, their little faces beaming with uncontrollable smiles.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, Jiang Ji's voice came from the courtyard, and they immediately ran out of the mill.
Seeing Jiang Ji standing under the shed talking to Ye Li, they ran towards Jiang Ji: "Big Brother!"
They stopped in front of Jiang Ji and started chattering about the watermelon.
Jiang Ji smiled and patted their little heads before sending them out to collect firewood.
After the two of them left with the rope, Jiang Ji picked up where he left off and asked Ye Li if things had gone smoothly.
Ye Li briefly recounted the discussion, which surprised Jiang Ji.
It seems that he and Ye Li were too naive.
Neither of them had ever thought of these things before.
Ye Liang had already heard Ye Li explain it once, and his expression remained calm.
Anyway, he's going to sell his own cold-dressed preserved eggs.
Jiang Ji quickly recovered from his surprise; he could understand the villagers' thoughts.
Everyone is terrified of poverty, and they would stretch every penny in half to spend. So it's perfectly normal for them to be surprised and flustered by this windfall.
He asked Ye Li, "Do you think Brother Sheng will raise the price?"
"Of course he will. Even if he asks, he can still earn it."
Ye Li spoke with certainty.
The main reason is that the recipe for cold preserved egg salad is too simple.
It's effortless and easy; this money is earned effortlessly.
"Then why don't we go ask them out now?" Jiang Ji said.
"Shall we go to the cold jelly shop?" Ye Li asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, let’s take a stroll around the county town while we’re at it.” Jiang Ji nodded.
He was still somewhat annoyed by what happened last night.
I want to buy something for Ye Li.
Ye Li saw through his thoughts at a glance, and Ye Li felt somewhat helpless.
It's all in the past now.
However, speaking of which, Ye Li hasn't been to the county town for a long time.
Moreover, Jiang Ji will be heading to the prefectural city after his vacation next month.
I should go to the county town to do some shopping tomorrow.
Having made up her mind, Ye Li smiled and said to Ye Liang, "Brother, you should come earlier tomorrow. If Jiang Ji and I haven't returned by the time you arrive, you can cook for Xiaomai and Ya Ge'er, and fry the tofu puffs while you're at it."
"Okay," Ye Liang replied with a smile.
Li Ge'er used to love going out, but ever since he started making tofu puffs, he's been confined to the house for a long time.
We should go out more often.
In particular, you should go out more often with Xiao Ji.
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