Chapter 67: The Way to Do Business Is Not to Be Expert but to Be Unique
Jiaer’s years of study cannot be in vain. If family conditions permit, we have to continue to support her and see if she can win a place in the next imperial examination.
Hao'er should go to school at his age. He doesn't know if there is a private school in the village. If not, he will have to find a chance to send him to the city.
As for Yu'er, she was not young anymore and would be getting married in a few years. She had to prepare her dowry in advance so that her parents would not think that she came from a poor family and would be bullied.
What's more, I have an elderly mother who needs my support, and I am very short of money.
She knew that if she didn't break the whole thing down and explain it to them, sooner or later they would have to sell candy behind her back.
Sang Yu sighed and said quietly, "Selling sugar seems to make money very quickly, but it also carries hidden dangers. I've said before that the amount of sugar a place needs in the short term is limited."
This was what she said when she came back from selling sugar in the canyon for the first time. Sang Yongjing still remembered it, but he was still puzzled: "But there are so many people in the city, and we only sold a dozen kilograms of sugar. It's far from the upper limit."
"There's still a shortage of sugar, but Dad, have you ever thought about this? There are a lot of people buying sugar, and there are a lot of people selling sugar. After those people buy our sugar, will they buy other people's sugar?"
Sang Yongjing didn't even think about it: "Of course not."
Even if it were him, he would not go to another place to buy another candy immediately after buying it at one place.
Thinking of this, he suddenly realized: "Yu'er, you mean, are you worried about retaliation from those whose business we've taken away?"
He had heard his second brother mention that the key to doing business is not to be specialized but to be unique.
Why would customers choose to consume at one store instead of another for the same business? Good quality and low price is one aspect, but having something that other stores don’t have is the fundamental reason.
At the beginning, the business of the Sang family's shops was booming, not only because of the reputation of the high-ranking official Sang Yongfeng, but also because of the reputation of the imperial merchant. It was said that all the high-ranking officials in the capital were using the products of the Sang family's shops.
Your stuff is good, but the stuff in my Sang shop is also good, not to mention that even high-ranking officials are using it.
If you come to the Sang family shop to buy things, you might be able to use the same things as the current emperor.
Even if it wasn't explicitly stated, could this be just a rumor? Suddenly, everyone in the capital rushed to the Sang family shop, scrambling to grab the items.
Although other shops were jealous, they could do nothing about it. Without the protection of high-ranking officials, they dared not spread such rumors easily.
Even though the Sang family shop is fine, if it were them, as soon as the news got out, people from the government would come to arrest people and close the shop immediately.
Although the current situation is different, the general meaning remains the same.
Simply put, the products they sell are not competitive enough, and they don't have any backing. If they steal other people's business, they must be prepared to face retaliation.
Sang Yu nodded slightly, confirming his statement: "Yes, the last time we went to sell candy, the candy vendor across the street looked strange before we left, so it's better for us to go there less often."
Even if she went to another market to sell candy today, she would have been targeted if she hadn't been quick-witted and thought of a good idea.
"I see." Sang Yongjing nodded with understanding, and suddenly looked up at Sang Yu: "Then you insisted on going alone today, didn't it mean..."
No wonder Yu'er was so tough last night and insisted on selling candy by herself.
He thought she was just a little girl and wanted to buy something, so she didn't want him to go with her. He didn't expect there was another reason.
One look at his expression told him what he was thinking. Sang Yu waved her hand nonchalantly, "Dad, what are you thinking? Today's mission is heavy, so let's split up."
Sang Yongjing asked her some more questions about what happened when she was setting up the stall today, and asked Xie Qiujin to carefully examine her body. He finally felt relieved after confirming that she was just unconscious due to heatstroke and dehydration and not beaten.
The family ate and chatted, talking about the interesting things that happened today and their plans for tomorrow. Time passed quickly.
I definitely can’t sell sugar recently, and I don’t dare to sell it, but I still have to do my job.
Today, Sang Yongjing and his team went to the mountains to cut bamboo instead of going to the canyon. They must go there tomorrow to see how the people responsible for cutting wood are progressing. It is also time to start digging the foundation pit.
They had originally planned to dig the bamboo themselves, but now it seems that they are simply too busy. Just carrying the bamboo cut from the mountain would require several trips back and forth, so they have to hire people to dig it.
Including the more than 900 copper coins that Sang Yu brought back this time, they now have a total of nearly 1,500 coins.
It seems like a large amount, but after deducting the money for Sang Xingjia's medical treatment, the rest has to be spent frugally.
Since Sang Xingjia's leg can be cured and his family can afford it, he must be treated. Sang Yu plans to take him to the city for acupuncture tomorrow.
Using the unburned flames on the fire, she bent a piece of bamboo and used it to make a crutch for Sang Xingjia to support his injured leg.
The bend of the bamboo was blackened by the fire and didn't look very good, but she tried it and found it was quite sturdy.
Sang Xingjia tried to walk a few steps with the help of crutches. He was shaky in the first few steps and seemed like he would fall at any time.
Sang Yongjing was so scared that he opened his arms like an old hen protecting her calves. He didn't know whether to help or not, so he could only follow beside her nervously.
Fortunately, Sang Xingjia quickly adapted to using crutches to replace his injured leg and was able to walk normally.
When Sang Yu asked him to come back, he was still a little reluctant.
It took him a while to be willing to go back to the shed. When he sat down, he was still holding the crutch tightly in his hand. Sang Yu couldn't help but find it a little funny: "Brother, you like the crutch so much? You can't leave tomorrow."
Sang Xingjia smiled shyly and said, "It's quite convenient to use. I just want to walk a few more steps while walking."
Ever since he injured his leg, he basically has to jump or drag his injured leg when walking, and he hasn't felt like walking normally for a long time.
Sang Yu was stunned when she heard this. She really hadn't thought of this. She had been busy making money to build a house and had ignored her elder brother's needs.
He should have been made a cane a long time ago so that he could move around more conveniently.
The teasing in her heart suddenly turned into heartache, but she did not show it. She said in a joking tone: "Then big brother, please use it more now. After your leg is healed, I am afraid you won't be able to use it even if you want to."
Mrs. Shi did not hide the basket of money that Sang Yu brought back under the mat as usual. There was too much money and it was too uncomfortable to put it under the mat.
She asked Sang Yu to dig a hole in an inconspicuous corner of the wall, fill it with copper coins from split hollow bamboo joints, and bury it. Nearly a thousand copper coins filled three bamboo joints.
After burying it, they did not forget to cover it with some ash and gravel. From the outside, no one could tell that there was a large sum of money hidden underneath.
Even though she buried it with her own hands, Sang Yu couldn't help but sigh at how flawless the ground was after seeing how it was arranged by Old Lady Shi.
No wonder people often say that an old person in the family is like a treasure. Look at my grandmother's ability to hide money. She can't catch up with her even if she flatters me.
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