Chapter 484: Clearing Up Doubts
Chen Zhen called the manager and took Wan Lao Er to the accounting office to settle the money.
This time, Wan Laoer did not leave Fubao behind. He carried Fubao to the accounting office.
An old man was sitting in the accounting office, clattering away on an abacus.
"Mr. Ji, the master has asked you to settle the payment for the goods from this master."
Mr. Ji looked up at Wan Lao Er and said slowly, "Is this the contract that was just delivered?"
"Exactly."
"Okay, got it. I'm calculating now. Sit down and wait for a while."
The manager settled Wan Lao Er down and left, claiming that he had something to do.
Fubao sat on Wan Laoer's lap, holding her little mastiff in her arms. Her eyes had left the mastiff and she looked around the room. She found that apart from a bookshelf and the table and chairs used by her grandfather to keep accounts, there were only the chairs they were sitting on and a high table.
The furnishings in the house are simple, but it is very sunny. The afternoon sun shines on the bluestone floor, making people feel warm and comfortable.
Soon the old man put down his pen and abacus.
"Young man, come and sign, and I'll give you the payment."
Wan Laoer quickly put Fubao down and walked over quickly.
Coming to the somewhat mottled table, he took a piece of paper handed to him by the old man.
Wan Laoer read the text carefully.
Jia Yanbing actually sold this mutton for seventeen cents per pound, and this was a live sheep!
He was very curious at this time. Could it be that Master Chen was drugged by Jia Yanbing? The mutton they slaughtered at the border only sold for 17 wen per catty this year, but when they got to the interior, they actually sold it for 17 wen per catty. This was simply unbelievable. Moreover, the distance between the two places was only more than 100 miles, but the price difference was so big.
Wan Laoer really wanted to ask Chen Zhen if his head was caught in the door.
"Why? Did I make a mistake in my calculation?"
When the old gentleman saw Wan Laoer holding the paper in a daze, he stopped his hand holding the silver in mid-air and looked at Wan Laoer and asked.
Wan Lao Er quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, I was just distracted by something for a moment. I'll sign it right away."
Wan Laoer would never say what was in his mind. He was not stupid. If the old man was wrong, wouldn't he lose his money in vain?
Wan Laoer signed his name neatly, and the old man gave him one hundred and eighty-five taels of silver.
"My master said that the total is 184 taels, 960 coins. I'll give you 185 taels to make it an even number. Please count it and we'll go through it face to face. Then we'll settle the payment. If there are any problems after you leave this house, I won't take responsibility."
"I know, I know." Wan Laoer agreed and started counting the silver.
The old man gave him a silver note of one hundred taels, and a silver ingot of fifty taels. The rest were a silver ingot of twenty taels, a silver ingot of ten taels, and five silver dimes of one tael.
There are no loose coins, so they are easy to count.
"One hundred and eighty-five taels exactly. Thank you for your hard work, old sir."
"It's not hard. This is my job. Once the money is paid, it will be credited to my account."
Wan Laoer quickly put the silver into his own pocket, and his pocket immediately became bulging.
Fortunately, he had put all the silver he had collected from the robbers in the carriage, otherwise his wallet would have burst by now.
After saying goodbye to the old gentleman, Wan Laoer left the accounting office carrying Fubao.
Jia Yanbing was already waiting for him at the gate.
"Mr. Yan, let's go now. It's getting late. We can't delay any longer."
Wan Laoer was actually afraid that Chen Zhen would realize his mistake and go back on his word. After all, they only collected nine cents from Old Sheephead.
What if the old sheephead told Chen Zhen the bottom price and they changed their minds and didn’t want to buy it? So they should collect the money and run away immediately.
Jia Yanbing didn't know what Wan Laoer was thinking, so he nodded and said, "It's time to leave. Chen Zhen is discussing business with Old Sheep Head, so let's not disturb them. I've already said goodbye to him."
Jia Yanbing's words hit the mark exactly what Wan Laoer wanted. This was the best way to go, he could just run away.
Wan Laoer quickly carried Fubao into the carriage, then came back to help Jia Yanbing get into the carriage as well.
Wan Laoer didn't even have time to say goodbye to Old Sheep Head and drove the carriage away directly.
He didn't see that Xiao Zhuang ran for a long distance after the carriage. If Wan Laoer saw it, he would only drive the carriage faster.
Only after leaving the city did Wan Laoer breathe a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Yan, I suspect that old man or your friend must have made a mistake in the calculation."
Only at this time did Wan Laoer feel like asking Jia Yanbing questions.
Jia Yanbing was confused, "Why did Brother Wan say that?"
"You don't know, do you? Our mutton sells for seventeen cents a pound, and at the border a pound of mutton slaughtered is only seventeen cents. Do you think your friend is confused?"
Wan Laoer was still somewhat complacent.
Unexpectedly, Jia Yanbing burst into laughter after hearing this. He felt that something was wrong with Wan Laoer just now, but he didn't think about it in that direction. It turned out that Wan Laoer thought he had taken a huge advantage and was afraid that others would find out, so he ran away quickly.
As Jia Yanbing was laughing, he felt a pain in his chest. He quickly coughed and stopped.
Wan Laoer was a little confused, "Mr. Yan, why are you laughing? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Fubao was speechless to her father, "Dad, do you think Uncle Chen is a fool?"
Wan Lao Er shook his head. "That's not the case, but he did something stupid."
"Dad, you're overthinking it. This price must have been negotiated between Mr. and him. Uncle Chen is a very smart man. He has such a big business, how could he make such a mistake? Think about it carefully."
Fubao almost wanted to hold her forehead with her hand. What would her stupid and naive father do without her?
Fubao decided to take her father with her wherever she went, otherwise she might be cheated away someday.
Wan Lao Er was awakened by his daughter's words and began to reflect seriously, but he still didn't understand why Chen Zhen would do this business, which was obviously a losing business? Was it for friendship?
Jia Yanbing spoke up at this time to explain: "Brother Wan, this price is the highest price I can negotiate. The price of mutton inside the Great Wall is twice as high as outside the Great Wall, and the quality of mutton is far inferior to that outside the Great Wall. This is why I want to do this business outside the Great Wall."
"That's just one aspect. On the other hand, Chen Zhen's mutton sales are different from others. He mainly delivers meat to wealthy families. Moreover, he personally goes outside the Great Wall every year to select sheep and is responsible for shipping them back himself. We have saved him a lot of shipping costs."
"He sells every part of the sheep he collects separately, and his mutton has become famous. The price is 20% higher than that of other brands. Even the rich and powerful are vying to buy it. The more ordinary people cannot afford to eat something, the more the rich and powerful feel superior. This is the secret of their business."
Wan Laoer seemed to understand, but also seemed to understand nothing. Fubao, on the other hand, remained silent, as if he was thinking about something.
Jia Yanbing didn't disturb Fubao and let the girl digest it herself.
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