It's not that Shen Lao Er is being modest, but the materials used for this bed are all pine wood, which was readily available from the back mountain. He didn't spend a single penny!
It only took a little effort to carry it, and even that effort was put in by Shen Jiahao!
Aside from the physical effort and money required, this thing isn't very valuable.
Honest Shen Lao Er had previously thought that selling it for one or two taels would be good enough, and three taels would be the highest price he could get.
Although it takes a long time to make a bed, almost a month, earning three taels of silver a month is still a lot!
Three taels of silver is enough for others to earn for several years.
Lili didn't know anything about prices. Although she thought that thirty taels might not be much for wealthy families, they couldn't just sell to rich people, could they?
So Lili asked Shen Jialu to come over so they could discuss it together.
Shen Jialu scratched his chin and pondered, "That makes sense. Thirty taels is nothing to a family that can afford to buy a bed. After all, if they can afford to spend so much money on a bed, their wealth must be considerable. But if we want to do business in the long run, we can't just target these wealthy families as our customers."
Lili nodded: "Second brother is right. Although we have won the favor of some daughters of officials with the recommendation of Sister Xia Ning, it is only a temporary novelty. In the end, we are still just an unknown small family. We can't rely on Sister Xia Ning to bring us customers forever, can we?"
Shen Lao Er pondered: "So you mean we should both capture the rich and not let the common people go?"
Shen Jialu clapped his fist: "That's right! I've thought of a great idea. We can make two different kinds of beds. One kind is ordinary, sold to ordinary people at a lower price. The other kind will be more exquisite, sold to wealthy families at a higher price."
"That's a good idea."
Lili thought for a moment: "Since they are daughters of officials, they must also have the nobility of upper-class people. They probably don't like their things to be the same as those of commoners, so the things sold to them should naturally be different from others."
"Yes! Lili, you can ask Xia Ning to ask the ladies if they have any special requests, like what kind of patterns to carve, or... how about we give the bed a color? And... how about putting some pearls or other decorations on it?"
Lili's eyes lit up: "That's right! Second brother, you're so smart!"
Shen Jialu's words did remind her that they could make a booklet with some basic patterns and designs for people to choose from.
There are also colors, decorations, and so on.
Finally, you can also make a list of requirements and let the guests write down any additional requests, such as how many cabinets they want, and whether they should be on the left or right.
For example, who is it for, a child or an elderly person?
Isn't this the legendary personalized customization?
We can market this feature later: personalized customization, wow! Sounds so high-end!
Personalized customization makes it stand out from the crowd.
What do rich people like most?
He's just different from ordinary people!
Wouldn't those rich people be scrambling to buy it?
Lili thought about it more and more and felt it was a good idea. With her around, all those marketing tactics, like scarcity marketing, would definitely work!
When Shen Lao Er listened to the two children, he still only had a vague understanding, so he simply waved his hand and let them discuss it. He would just do his job.
Shen Jialu and Lili discussed it enthusiastically for a long time, but these were all just good ideas. The specifics depended on whether the bed would be favored by the buyer.
We've secured business in the capital; if we can successfully complete these deals…
Lili counted on her fingers, six beds, thirty taels of silver each, that's a profit of one hundred and eighty taels of silver!
Shen Jialu excitedly spun around, holding Lili's hand. One hundred and eighty taels of silver—that was more than the Shen family could earn in a lifetime!
During dinner, when the Shen family heard the two children mention this astronomical figure, they were so shocked that they could barely hold their chopsticks.
"What? Seize the young master? One hundred and eighty taels?" Madam Chen's mouth dropped open in shock.
The Ganoderma lucidum that Lili found before only sold for 150 taels, but now she's being told that a bed made of a few pieces of wood can sell for 180 taels.
You should have said so earlier!
If she had known this thing was so valuable, she would have had Shen Lao Er do it long ago.
She went to learn this thing too!
Old Mrs. Shen gasped in shock: "Lili, are you sure you didn't see wrong? The letter really says thirty taels? And they even collected a deposit of fifteen taels from each person?"
"Yes, I wasn't wrong about Grandma. Sister Xia Ning said that if we can provide six, she will immediately send someone to deliver the deposit to us."
Madam Chen repeatedly agreed, saying that this was 180 taels of silver. Even if Shen Lao Er couldn't give it to her now, she would force him to make it as soon as possible!
Fortunately, Lili had anticipated this situation a month ago, and Shen Lao Er had already been working overtime to address it.
Lili looked at Shen Lao Er: "Second Uncle, how many beds have you made now?"
Shen Lao Er said, "I've done a lot more work, so I'm much more skilled now. Plus, with Jiahao and the others helping me, it's much faster. I've already finished three pieces, and the size is based on the one I made for Xia Ning before. Lili, didn't you say something about...custom orders? Why don't you ask those ladies what their requirements are, or if the size needs to be changed, and I'll make some changes for them right away."
Lili nodded: "Okay, I'll write the letter later, and when I go to town with Father tomorrow, I'll ask the county magistrate to help me send it out."
As the whole family gradually finalized the plan, the amount of 180 taels became more substantial.
Wiping away her tears, Old Mrs. Shen looked at her three sons and said, "It's wonderful! Whether it's the eldest, the second, or the third son, they've all found their own good fortune. Our family has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel!"
Old Man Shen sighed, "These days are something I never dared to dream of before. First it was 150 taels, and now it's 180 taels. Thank goodness!"
Shen Lao Er laughed and said, "Father and Mother, our family is getting better and better now, which is inseparable from your constant worries for us. Mother, don't worry, your son is a member of the Shen family, and I will give you all of this 180 taels!"
The eldest son, Shen, also said, "I'm a mother too. Young Master Gu gave me quite a bit of commission, which means I'll get fifteen taels of silver! Although it's not as much as my second brother's, it's still my heart, and I'm giving it all to you, Mother! This silver is currently in Yingniang's father's hands, and he's distributing it to the people in the escort team. I'll give it to you when I get it back!"
Shen Laosan passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. According to regulations, the county government would give scholars an incentive bonus of about five taels of silver.
Shen Laosan is at the top of the list again, so his silver will only be more than he deserves.
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