Although the product was made, the cost was far too high. This cup of essential oil used nearly ten kilograms of osmanthus flowers. If it were made into soap or aromatherapy and sold, what price would it fetch?
A bamboo tube of ordinary soap costs about ninety coins to produce, and can normally be cut into ten pieces.
But this is only the most basic cost of raw materials, not including labor, shop space, advertising and packaging costs. If all of these are included, the cost of one piece would be sixteen or seventeen coins.
Soaps with added essential oils and herbs would be even more expensive, but fortunately, Meng Zhao's soaps are made with high-quality ingredients, and one bar can last for several months. Farmers with some spare money can afford them.
"Zhao Zhao, how do you plan to sell this soap?" Madam Gu knew that Meng Zhao was a resourceful person; since the product had been made, she must have made a plan.
Meng Zhao stopped what he was doing, thought for a moment, and then said, "Mother, this bar of soap can be used for a long time. People won't buy it every day, and it's not cheap. If we set up a stall to sell it, I'm afraid we won't get a good price. So I'm planning to buy a shop instead."
"Does that shop only sell soap?"
Meng Zhao shook her head. "Of course not. We'll be selling a lot of things, like the toothpaste and toothbrush that Mom already uses, these soaps, and the shampoo and bath products I made in the backyard. We can sell all of those in the shop."
In fact, many skin care products and cosmetics can be sold, but Meng Zhao doesn't have enough materials right now, and the production and research also require time and money, so she can only start with relatively simple washing and care products.
These things take time to produce. If she waits until she buys the shop before starting, it will be too late. So once the product has been tested and found to be working, Meng Zhao immediately began intensive preparations.
However, the staff at the braised pork shop was already stretched thin, and there were no extra people available to help. Helpless, Meng Zhao had no choice but to recruit workers again.
She put Meng Jianqiu and He Jianxia in charge of the matter, and recruited a total of four workers to participate in the production. They were all residents from the surrounding area. Although this made her feel relatively at ease, Meng Zhao still signed contracts with them to ensure that the formula would not be leaked.
At the same time, the production process is divided into different parts, with different people doing the work. This way, no one can master all the steps, which also increases the level of secrecy.
During the preparation of goods, the shop's situation was finally settled, and Xiao Zheng from the brokerage firm came over with a beaming smile.
"Madam Meng, Madam Meng, there's news about the shop you wanted."
Meng Zhao hurriedly went to greet him, "Really? Where is that shop?"
“Madam Meng, as you know, shops on Xishui Street are in high demand, so I kept an eye out and inquired about the situation on several surrounding streets. Well, there are two adjacent shops that are currently vacant on Qintai Street next door. One of them used to be an inn. Wouldn’t it be perfect if you were thinking of opening a teahouse?” Xiao Zheng said, slightly out of breath, after calming down.
Good shops are in high demand, so Meng Zhao immediately decided to put down his work and go with Xiao Zheng to take a look.
Meng Zhao had never been inside the shop that Xiao Zheng mentioned, but he had passed by it a few times. Although it wasn't in a prime location, the shop was unusually large.
The ground floor alone is estimated to be nearly 200 square meters. If you add the second floor and the backyard, it would probably be 300 to 400 square meters.
It used to be an inn with several private rooms. If a teahouse is opened later, these rooms can be partitioned into individual rooms to create VIP rooms.
Meng Zhao also went to see the shop next door. It was smaller than her shop on Xishui Street, and compared to the two-story inn, it seemed rather stingy.
After inspecting the place, Meng Zhao got straight to the point and asked, "I remember this inn used to be doing quite well. Why are you suddenly selling it?"
"Sigh, it's all because the shop owner's son is a good-for-nothing. He's been living a life of debauchery and has racked up a huge debt. He has no way to pay it off, so he's made up his mind to sell the shop to pay it off."
Meng Zhao was somewhat surprised. The shop she bought last time was in a similar situation. Was raising a son really that risky? It was so easy to lose all one's assets.
"How much do these two shops cost?"
"This inn alone costs seven hundred taels of silver. The shop next door was previously rented out for three taels of silver per month. If you're interested in buying it, I'll negotiate the price for you. It won't be higher than the shop on Xishui Street."
That's about three hundred taels. The two rooms together would be a thousand taels, which is a considerable sum of money. If it were just her, she really wouldn't be able to come up with it. However, if it were just her, she wouldn't bother opening a teahouse at this time.
After thinking for a moment, Meng Zhao said, "Xiao Zheng, wait here for me for a moment. I'm going to pick someone up."
Before long, Meng Zhao picked up the person and arrived at the shop entrance by carriage.
The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Song Wanyin gracefully stepped down from it. Xiao Zheng, who was standing to the side, was full of surprise when he saw this.
As a broker, he naturally wouldn't recognize the magistrate's wife, but he recognized the carriage, which frequently entered and exited the yamen. In addition, Song Wanyin was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had a dignified and noble demeanor. Every broker was shrewd, and after a little thought, he guessed the general idea.
He immediately greeted her with a beaming smile, "Madam, I'm a clerk at the brokerage firm. Let me show you around this shop."
Song Wanyin gently took Meng Zhao's arm and followed Xiao Zheng into the shop. After looking at everything, she turned around and asked, "Zhao Zhao, what do you think of this place?"
“I think it’s fine. Although the location is a bit out of the way, we’re opening a women’s teahouse. If it were in a noisy place, it would make the customers feel uncomfortable.”
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