Chapter 443: Hold on to your wallet
The workshop is not big, only the size of two rooms. There is a stove in the corner of the room, and a row of shelves on the wall opposite the stove. Various ornaments are placed on the shelves, sparkling in the sun. Some are placed in jewelry boxes, so the jewelry cannot be seen.
Master Li finished his work quickly, wiped his hands on his leather apron, then untied the apron and casually threw it on a small table beside him.
"How many of you want to make masks? Did you bring the blueprints?"
As Master Li spoke, he picked up the teapot on the table in front of him and poured a cup of water for everyone. Because there was a stove in the workshop, it didn't feel cold. On the contrary, it felt a little hot after staying there for a long time.
"I don't have the blueprints, but I'll just have to get them tomorrow, the sooner the better. Master Li, you can take care of the rest." Jia Yanbing knew that Wan Laoer was in a hurry to get on the road, and he also wanted to go to Beijing quickly and didn't want to waste too much time on the road.
Master Li nodded and said, "Since you are in a hurry, you can only make a simple mask. Who will this mask be used for?"
"I am."
Master Li glanced at Jia Yanbing's face and nodded, "So what kind of material do you need?"
Wan Lao Er immediately said, "Silver."
Jia Yanbing looked at Wan Laoer in surprise. The silver mask was not cheap. It would cost at least dozens of taels of silver.
"Brother Wan, we don't have much cash right now, so there's no need to make such a good one for me. Make me a worse one first, and I'll change it to a better one when you make money in the future."
Wan Lao Er shook his head and said, "No, you have to wear it all the way. If the material is poor, it will be uncomfortable. Just wear silver. You don't have to change it later."
Seeing Wan Laoer's firm attitude, Jia Yanbing did not try to persuade him much, but he became more convinced in his heart that he had not misjudged him. There is gain in loss, and he would definitely help him earn back the money from the mask tenfold or a hundredfold.
"If you decide to make a silver mask, you will need to pay a deposit of 20 taels first. Come pick it up at 7:00 tomorrow morning, and then pay the remaining 20 taels of silver."
Wan Laoer spoke very confidently just now, but when he was asked to pay the silver, his heart was bleeding. Why is this silver mask so expensive?
But since he had already said it, he was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he gritted his teeth and took out twenty taels of silver to give to Master Li.
After deciding on the mask, Jia Yanbing took Wan Laoer to the leather shop to buy leather.
There are three leather shops in the town. Jia Yanbing took Wan Laoer directly to the largest leather shop on the main street.
The boss of this shop is fair and his leather is of good quality, so it is very popular in Beijing.
"This one, Baiyun Fur Store."
Wan Laoer looked up at the plaque, then led Fubao inside.
The town was quiet and there were not many customers. The leather shop was doing better business, with a few customers selecting leather materials inside.
When the waiter saw the guest coming in, he hurried over to greet him.
Jia Yanbing said directly: "We are looking for your shopkeeper."
The waiter took a look at Jia Yanbing and saw that this man had an extraordinary temperament. Although his face looked a little bad, he could not conceal his luxurious aura. The waiter immediately bent down and ran to call the shopkeeper.
Soon a middle-aged man of medium build came.
"I heard that you are looking for me? I wonder what kind of leather you want to see? Our stock is the most complete in the whole town, including sheepskin, cowhide, deerskin, mink... whatever you want, I have it."
"Boss, we want a large quantity. What good stuff do you have? Let us see it first."
When the shopkeeper heard this, he immediately understood that the other party was here to purchase goods.
He quickly invited several people into the inner room.
"Niuzi, hurry up and bring our delicious tea and snacks."
"Okay. OK." The waiter knew that a big order had come in, so he apologized to the guests and trotted to the backyard to make tea and snacks.
"Boss, we don't have much time, so you don't have to hide anything. Just bring up those good stuff." Jia Yanbing took a sip of hot water, looking calm and composed, and it was impossible to tell his emotions.
Wan Laoer was extremely nervous. This was the first time he had seriously negotiated a price with someone. He kept his hands clenched into fists and placed them on his knees.
The shopkeeper did not go out either, but directly brought out a pile of leather from the compartment in the wing and placed it on the table.
"Take a look at these. Do they appeal to your taste?"
Jia Yanbing put down the teacup and took a look. Seeing that they were all snow ferrets, he was a little surprised. He didn't expect that there would be such stuff in this small town.
He reached out and picked up a piece, carefully looking at the hair and texture, and saw that they were indeed top-quality goods. The price of this piece of skin was about one hundred taels of silver, and there were about twenty skins here, which meant two thousand taels.
"Well, it's okay, but why does the boss have so many?"
"To be honest, I just got this yesterday. I can't tell you where it came from."
As soon as Jia Yanbing heard this, he knew there was something fishy going on. These things might not have come from legitimate sources. It looked like they were going to get a bargain this time.
"Boss, we are doing an honest business. We don't want your leather that comes from an illegal source. If we are caught along the way, we will be sued."
The shopkeeper didn't expect that Jia Yanbing actually knew all the ins and outs of this. It seemed that he had underestimated the other party's strength.
"Well, I'll sell it to you at a lower price. It's the same everywhere else, and there's no mark on it. If you want all of it at once, I can give you a lower price."
Wan Laoer was listening in confusion and had no idea what they were talking about, while Fubao's eyes were always on the snow-white leather. She wanted to use it to make a cloak for her mother. It must be very warm, right?
"Then I wonder how much the shopkeeper will pay me? If the benefits can make me bear the risks, I am willing to help the shopkeeper share some of the burden."
Jia Yanbing's words were flawless. Originally he was the one taking advantage, but now he made it sound as if the shopkeeper was taking advantage.
But the shopkeeper had no other choice. If he kept these goods of unknown origin for another day, he would be taking risks. He heard that the caravan had been searched in the nearby counties and towns, and that the caravan had connections above them, so they reported the matter to the authorities.
It is said that a horse cannot grow fat without night grass, and a man cannot become rich without external wealth. He used to cooperate with some bandits and earned a lot of money, but if you often walk by the river, you will get your shoes wet. This time he hit a wall. He had already sold half of this batch of goods, but the people in this town were not rich, so he didn't dare to take out this good leather.
"You know this leather, it usually costs 100 taels of silver per piece. How about I give you a 10% discount?"
Wan Laoer's breathing became short. This leather is so expensive? It costs one hundred taels a piece? He couldn't help but hold his purse tightly. He thought he had a lot of silver notes, but when faced with this pile of leather, he suddenly felt that it was pitifully little.
He stared at Jia Yanbing closely, afraid that he would agree, as he did not have so much money.
Jia Yanbing held up four fingers and said, "I'll pay 40 taels per piece. I want all your leather."
Wan Lao Er was already dumbfounded. How dare this man ask for such a high price? He asked for fifty taels of silver for a piece of skin. Wasn't this taking advantage of the situation?
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