“We don’t plan to have Madam Cheng help us sell this year. We’ve discussed going to the docks and rouge shops ourselves. We’ll give them wholesale prices, and they can set their own prices. However, the prices they set can’t exceed half the price we sell to them. Does Madam Li have a rouge shop?” Cai Xiaolian didn’t mention their family’s relationship with the Cheng family; she simply said that they didn’t plan to have the Cheng family help with the sales.
"Of course we do. Our Li family's businesses cover all aspects of life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation, such as ceramics, cloth, restaurants, inns, and security escort agencies. Outside of Qingzhou Prefecture, I wouldn't presume to speak for myself, but within Qingzhou Prefecture, if our Li family says we're second, then absolutely no one can claim to be first. Of course, I'm referring to the scope of our business," Madam Luo said confidently.
"So Madam Li is from the Li family!" Cai Xiaolian exclaimed in surprise.
Having sold things outside for so long, she had naturally heard of the Li family's business and had even made a special effort to learn about it, mainly because she was particularly interested in the women of the Li family.
The Li family has been in Qingzhou Prefecture for over two hundred years. They have been doing business since the early days of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, they have few offspring, with a maximum of two boys per generation, and both of them have some problems, either dying young or being sickly.
Take, for example, the current matriarch, Old Lady Li. After marrying into the Li family, she gave birth to two sons before her husband died. Old Lady Li single-handedly supported the Li family business, and despite the entanglement of a large number of relatives, she firmly maintained control of the narrative.
Old Mrs. Li has two sons. The eldest son passed away a few years ago, leaving behind her eldest daughter-in-law and four granddaughters.
The second son was lively and energetic, but he was a spoiled old man. He had many concubines in his harem, but his only offspring were the sons born to his legal wife.
The current heads of the Li family are Old Madam Li and Second Madam Li.
Upon hearing this, Cai Xiaolian realized that the woman in front of her, Madam Luo, was the second wife of Li Er. She was a woman who cared only about the family business and remained unmoved by her husband's constant attempts to force women into the inner courtyard.
"Yes! It must be the Li family you know. Madam Cai, and the Gu ladies, would you be willing to cooperate with our Li family? There are two options: one, I will rent you a counter in my shop, and you will pay me half of the profits from the goods each month; two, I will buy the goods from you, and the Li family will handle all the sales. You just need to collect the money. How about that?" Madam Li said.
"Madam Li, if we choose the second cooperation method, can we sell the goods to merchants outside of Qingzhou Prefecture?" Cai Xiaolian asked.
“Madam Cai, to put it bluntly, selling to ordinary merchants is no problem, but if it's a large merchant house that's far away, they might come to your door and coerce or bribe you into buying the property directly. I heard from Boss Gu that your husband is preparing to take the imperial examination, and if he's bothered by people all the time, he won't be able to concentrate,” Madam Li said.
“This is indeed a troublesome matter, but it’s our family’s source of income. No matter how much money we spend, we’re unwilling to do it. From what Madam Li is saying, you can guarantee that after we cooperate with you, these things won’t come knocking on our door?” Cai Xiaolian smiled and asked.
“As long as it’s not royalty, we can guarantee it!” Madam Li said without hesitation.
"What about the royal family?" Cai Xiaolian thought of the things the emperor had taken away before, and how that unreliable emperor had muttered that he would have the Imperial Household Department buy more when they ran out.
She really thought that one day the emperor would find it too troublesome and simply have the Imperial Household Department buy the baby instead of the finished product.
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