Chapter 44: Whispering Sweet nothings with a random man
Customers who had pre-ordered clothes picked them up first, and now there were about ten people lined up at the door. Everyone was out in the sun, but surprisingly, they all had smiles on their faces and were chatting idly.
Ma Dalang and the others were no longer fierce and menacing. Some even asked about his marriage. A woman in her thirties was particularly enthusiastic, and from her tone, it seemed she wanted to introduce him to a potential partner.
From his early teens, Ma Dalang was a universally hated figure. After he started out in the underworld, he became the most desired person to die suddenly in Taohua County. People would run away at the mere sight of him, let alone try to find him a partner. Hearing his name would make them feel nauseous and vomit.
Someone actually wants to introduce him to a potential partner?
Zhou Mujiao happened to overhear this and offered her congratulations: "Brother Ma, when you get married, send someone to Peach Blossom Village to let us know that I'll give you a wedding gift!"
The woman's smile widened at the greeting "Brother Ma," and her gaze towards Ma Dalang became even more ardent.
Sister Liu was busy, but when she heard Zhou Mujiao's voice, she immediately perked up: "Ajiao! Come in and help!"
Smelling the roast chicken on her, Sister Liu's stomach growled loudly, and the shop assistant next to her also had a rumbling stomach. Sister Liu said with a resentful look, "You little darling, you just dropped the stuff and ran off without thinking about how big the stall is and how many people there are. How can I possibly manage everything!"
"Isn't this a good arrangement?" Zhou Mujiao said with a smile. "Besides, we agreed that I would be responsible for supplying the goods, and you would be responsible for store operations and sales. We would each do our own job."
"You're heartless, cold-blooded, and selfish!" Sister Liu accused. "Don't call me Sister Liu anymore! What younger sister would watch her older sister work herself to death while she runs off to be all lovey-dovey with a man!"
Zhao Yunjing blushed and placed the two oil paper packages on the counter: "Sister Liu, this is lunch that Ajiao brought for you."
The aroma of roast chicken wafted over even through the oil paper package. Sister Liu grabbed the package and called out loudly, "Girls, let's go have lunch. We'll leave this to Ajiao!"
Sister Liu took four employees to the back of the shop to have lunch, not caring whether Zhou Mujiao could manage on her own.
Zhou Mujiao smiled. If she couldn't even handle a situation with a dozen or so people, she would have already ruined Shengshi Group.
Shengshi Group...
Perhaps, in this unfamiliar time and space, she could also create a Liang-style version of the Shengshi Group?
It's not an impossible goal, but in ancient times, without cars, airplanes, or the internet, the difficulty of quickly building one's own business empire would be significantly increased, and the time required might be several times longer.
If one were to do everything personally, it would likely take even longer.
While receiving the guests, Zhou Mujiao pondered the situation and quickly came up with an idea.
Just past noon, the clothing store sold out its last dress, and Sister Liu closed the shop, collapsing to the ground, panting.
The four sales clerks couldn't care less about anything else; they slumped to the ground, unable to even lift their fingers.
Are you tired?
"tired."
It was really tiring. Before today, although the shop's business wasn't bad, the four of them were extremely idle. So when Sister Liu told them to be quick, to react faster, and to keep smiling throughout, they didn't think it would be too difficult.
Who knew today would be this busy?
It was also thanks to Ma Dalang and his team that they maintained order outside the store. Without them, the store would have been even busier and more chaotic, and they might not have been able to sell all the clothes.
Once Sister Liu caught her breath, she waved her hand and said, "Everyone has worked hard today. You can go home after taking inventory and cleaning up in a bit."
After the four shop assistants left, Zhou Mujiao and Sister Liu checked the accounts for a while and clarified the accounts.
The net profit is astonishingly high.
Sister Liu's mouth remained open for a long time.
"You're so excited about such a small amount of money. What will you do when the daily turnover exceeds ten thousand taels?" Zhou Mujiao joked.
Sister Liu's eyes widened even more: "Ten thousand taels of silver a day? Little Jiaojiao, are you crazy or am I? How is this possible?!"
"Anything is possible. Just you wait and see."
After the two joked around for a while, Ma Dalang came in. Sister Liu didn't hesitate and gave him five taels of silver: "Brother Ma, you've worked hard today."
Ma Dalang held the money in his hand, looking incredulous: "This...this is too much, I didn't do anything."
He didn't do anything, just stood there and shouted a few times, and he earned five taels of silver that morning. Even after sharing some with his brothers, he still had quite a bit left. Before, when he followed Boss Su, he always had to use knives, guns, and clubs, and he could only get half a bite of food from Boss Su.
Zhou Mujiao said, "I have a job for you. See if you want to do it. The pay may not be as much as Sister Liu pays, but it's a legitimate and long-term job."
Without a second thought, Ma Dalang declared, "I'll do it! Miss Zhou, I'll work for you!"
"Sister Liu, may I ask if you can let me talk to you in your backyard?"
"Let's talk, tea is free!"
The group moved to the backyard, where Zhou Mujiao sat down. Ma Dalang couldn't wait any longer: "Miss Zhou, tell me quickly what kind of work you've arranged for me? I'll do anything, as long as it's a legitimate way to earn money!"
"It's legitimate, but it's not as prestigious as you used to be. You're still doing it?"
"What's the use of being powerful? I'd be worried about getting killed every day." Ma Dalang scratched his head sheepishly. "My mother is getting old, and I want to get married and settle down. Miss Zhou, thank you for giving me this opportunity!"
Zhou Mujiao smiled.
She was willing to give him a chance because she saw that he could be saved.
"Alright, I have other things to do later, so I won't waste any more time. Brother Ma, your job is to come to Peach Blossom Village to pick up goods for me the day before each market day. I will also give you the types and quantities of fabrics I need for the next time, and you can pick them up for me next time you come. To ensure the safety and integrity of the goods, I require that you have at least three people with you."
"I understand, this is what escorting is all about! I get it!"
"It's similar to this, but we can put it another way: logistics management. As long as you can deliver the goods to me intact, you've completed your task."
Ma Dalang patted his chest and said, "No problem! So, how much will you pay me?"
Zhou Mujiao retorted, "How much pay do you want?"
Ma Dalang thought for a moment and said, "Two taels, I think I'm worth that price."
"You are certainly worth this price, but you are worth more than this price."
Zhou Mujiao smiled and said, "There are two ways. I'll finish explaining first, and then you can choose."
The first option is for Zhou Mujiao to hire him, giving him ten taels of silver each month, but he is not allowed to help anyone else except run errands for her.
The second option is for Zhou Mujiao to partner with Ma Dalang. Zhou Mujiao is responsible for investing money and controlling the operational direction, while Ma Dalang is responsible for management, recruitment, and staffing. There is no fixed salary, but they can receive money each month according to the agreed-upon percentage. At the end of the year, there is a surplus, and they can also participate in profit sharing. However, if the operation is not good, not only will they lose money, but they will also have to invest money to continue operating.
After Zhou Mujiao finished speaking, she saw that Ma Dalang was frowning and looking very troubled, so she smiled and said, "Brother Ma, you don't need to answer me now. Take your time to think about it, and tell me when you've made up your mind. Brother Zhao, let's go see the people from the cloth shop now!"
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