These past few days, the hottest topic of conversation among people in Qingfeng Town and Furong Town has been the tea lady of Daling Village.
The Tea Lady is universally praised; in everyone's eyes, she is a figure worthy of utmost respect.
A peasant woman, without a husband or son, was able to thrive. Before this matter was settled, who could have imagined that a mere peasant woman would rise to become a Tea Lady personally appointed by the Emperor?
Often, the things that seem most unbelievable become reality.
Upon hearing that the visitor was indeed Lady Cha, the servant at Master Wang's gate immediately went to report. A moment later, the servant returned with the message: "Lady Cha, our master requests your presence!"
Liang Shuyan was dressed in a light blue dress, simple and plain. No one would guess that she was the Tea Lady whom the Emperor had just bestowed upon her.
But upon closer reflection, since it was personally bestowed by the Emperor, who would dare to risk their life to impersonate him?
Jin Sanwang had been doing business with Liang Shuyan and had met all sorts of people along the way, but no matter what happened, he only needed to look into his mother's eyes to know what to do.
Upon entering the Wang family mansion, one is greeted by a striking artificial hill, pavilions, carved beams and painted rafters, and graceful maids standing in the corridors. All of this suggests that the Wang family is no ordinary household.
Jin Sanwang knew that no matter how unique and novel it was, he could not act like a country bumpkin, looking around aimlessly. His mother had told him not to embarrass himself.
Liang Shuyan led Jin Sanwang into the flower hall, where a pot-bellied man sat, none other than the famous Wang Yuanwai of Qingfeng Town.
"My name is Wang Xing, and I greet Lady Cha!"
Master Wang stood up and bowed politely.
"Sir, you're too kind," Liang Shuyan said softly with a smile. "I'm just a peasant woman, please don't be so polite."
Master Wang wasn't stupid. Even if she lowered her status, she was still an official appointed by the Emperor himself. Even a small official position is still an official position. He didn't want to be accused of disrespecting the Emperor. He just wanted to do business and make money, and he didn't want to risk his family's lives for it.
The servants brought over some snacks and tea and placed them respectfully on the table.
"Madam Cha, is there anything important that brings you to your residence today?"
Liang Shuyan nodded: "It's not that important, I just want to discuss a business deal with you, sir. I wonder if you'd be interested?"
How could Master Wang not be interested in business? He was born to run away from business; he'd be a bastard if he didn't do business!
"Madam, please speak."
Master Wang appeared very confident.
"I heard that the tea shops in Qingfeng Town are all run by general merchandise dealers, and there isn't a single store that specializes in selling tea."
Liang Shuyan wasn't in a hurry. She picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Although distributors can sell tea, they're not professional enough or large enough. They can do it on a small scale, but they won't make money. I wonder if you'd be interested in setting up a large tea supermarket in Qingfeng Town? That way, we can train our staff, expand the scale, and raise the prices by more than double. We can exclusively sell my tea, monopolize some of the less reputable merchants in the market, and avoid price wars. What do you think?"
After hearing Liang Shuyan's words, Master Wang couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of the Tea Lady personally appointed by the Emperor, even her sales channels are so meticulously planned. No wonder..."
Liang Shuyan could only chuckle.
This isn't a sales channel at all; it's just the experience I've accumulated over so many years of doing business.
"But what benefit would you gain from this? If I open this tea supermarket, wouldn't the supply be cheaper than other merchants?"
Liang Shuyan shook her head: "That's not how it is. As the workshop owner, I only focus on the quality of the products. Before I started making tea, most of the tea in Qingfeng Town was transported from the capital, and it was all dregs. Even tea like that cost more than ten coins per pound. My workshop is in Qingfeng Town, which saves on transportation and labor costs. You can make back the rest of the profits. If you do the math carefully, you'll understand the difference."
After so many years in business, how could Master Wang not understand this principle?
Some inferior tea leaves were transported from the capital, costing only a dozen or so coins per pound, but it wasn't guaranteed that anyone would buy them. The wealthy looked down on the quality of the tea, while the poor thought the price was too high and couldn't afford it. As a result, they ended up as some bottom-of-the-barrel stock stored at the bottom of warehouses.
On the contrary, for the same amount of money, one could get second-grade tea from Jin's Tea House in Daling Village, without any transportation or labor costs, which was equivalent to saving half the money.
After Liang Shuyan said that, he didn't hesitate and readily agreed: "Okay, then let's do as you say and open a tea supermarket to sell tea from your Jin's Tea House."
Seeing his mother's signal, Jin Sanwang took out a paper package and handed it to Master Wang.
"This is our new tea harvest this year, and it's also a tribute to the imperial city. The reason the emperor bestowed this title upon me, the Tea Lady, is all because of this new tea!"
Upon hearing this, Master Wang's eyes widened in surprise: "What? You mean this new tea is the same batch that was sent to the palace?"
Liang Shuyan nodded: "Yes, our Jin's Tea House is honest and trustworthy. We use the purest floral fragrances and cooking oils in both the recipe and the color and aroma."
When Master Wang brought it to his lips and smelled it, he could indeed detect a faint floral fragrance.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask someone around you to brew you a pot of tea, look at the color, and taste it."
Master Wang said to the maid standing to one side, "Go and make a pot of tea!"
The maid quickly brewed a pot of tea, brought it over, and placed it on the table.
Sure enough, the tea that was poured out had a slightly reddish hue, clear and free of impurities, and importantly, it had a faint sweetness mixed with the fragrance of roses, making it unforgettable after just one sip.
Master Wang's eyes widened in surprise.
Why is there such a big difference between teas that are both imported? He would buy this kind of tea even if it cost thirty coins a pound, let alone ten or twenty coins.
"Madam, I don't know the current price of this tea, so... just give it to me at the wholesale price!"
Liang Shuyan hesitated for a moment, looked at Master Wang, and slowly said, "This is second-grade tea, 20 copper coins per catty. Of course, if you can sell all the pre-ordered tea within a month, I can give you an extra two copper coins off!"
Without a second thought, Master Wang nodded in agreement: "Alright, since it's this tea and this price, I'll gladly accept it. Can the production be on time?"
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