Chapter 55 Opening a Store
The servants who had sent Gu Jiayue to the southwest had all gone back, and only Hua Chao, Cai Ma, Hu Zi and Kang Zi remained in the southwest.
But now that Kangzi was a rich young man who came from Kyoto to gain experience, he could not do without servants to serve him, so he bought two maids, two nannies, and two servants to take care of the yard.
"No, I'm just here to check out the shop today. I still have to go back to Taohua Village in the evening."
This small courtyard was quite to her liking. Madam Cai and Huzi could tell at first sight that they had put a lot of thought into it.
But she still wanted to live in Taohua Village, even though it was shabby and small. But for some reason, she always felt that her mind would be more open wherever she lived.
"Okay, shall we go look at the shop now?"
"Let's go."
As soon as he got in the car, he began to introduce several shops that he had his eyes on.
"Miss, I've chosen three shops in the county, but I suggest you only open one. After these few days of investigation, I've discovered that this county is truly too poor. Many shops on the street close down and sell off after a short period of operation, and few can stay in business for a long time. For the others, you can open a few in the state capital. This will both spread the risk and expand your business."
Kangzi spoke sincerely, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
He suggested this because he took into account that Gu Jiayue planned to live here permanently, and opening a shop in the county town would be convenient for her. Otherwise, in his opinion, it would be better to open all the shops in the state capital.
There are many people there who know the Marquis, and with their support, the business will at least not lose money.
Even without any acquaintances to look after him, he could still run the store successfully with his abilities.
But they are servants, they just have to do what they are told and cannot question their master's decisions.
Along the way, Gu Jiayue also noticed the situation in the county town. What Kangzi said was true. If they opened three stores in this small county town at once, they would probably be dragged down. The safest way was to open a store in the provincial capital.
"Let's go and take a look first." Gu Jiayue said after thinking for a moment.
Kangzi quickly pointed the way and the carriage slowly drove towards the nearest shop.
"This shop is on West Street. It was originally a candy shop, but it lost hundreds of taels of silver after just three months of operation. The owner couldn't hold on any longer, so he wanted to transfer the business," Kangzi introduced, with a hint of regret in his eyes.
Gu Jiayue and the others did not go in, but could see the shop clearly just by standing on the side of the road.
The shop is not big, about 20 square meters, and the location is pretty good, but the surrounding shops don’t seem to be doing well, with few customers. The clerks sit in the shop bored, watching the few pedestrians on the street.
"Let's go to the next one." Gu Jiayue said decisively after taking a look around.
"This was originally a cloth shop, and the location was pretty good. The owner transferred the business because he opened a store in the state capital. If we take over, we can continue the cloth shop business." Kangzi said as he brought Gu Jiayue to East Street.
This cloth shop was located on East Street, considered the heart of the county town. The people living nearby were all wealthy and had a certain level of purchasing power. Otherwise, the previous owner wouldn't have earned enough money to open a shop in the provincial capital.
Gu Jiayue walked into the store and carefully looked at the store's layout and surrounding environment.
The area of this cloth shop is more than twice the size of the candy shop we just saw, and there is a small yard at the back for the embroiderers to use for their daily work.
It's spacious in terms of area and has a good location.
If I could take it over, make some minor modifications, and run both the fabric and clothing businesses at the same time, I might be able to make some money.
"What about the last one?" Gu Jiayue asked.
"The last one is on North Street. It's a restaurant. I don't recommend it very much. Few people here come out to eat." Kangzi frowned and said truthfully.
The people here are so poor that the people in the county town may not live as well as those in the countryside. At least the people in the countryside have land to farm.
But the people in the county town basically had no farmland, and many families relied on doing odd jobs to earn a few coins to make a living. Where would they have extra money to eat?
Even Zuixianlou, the restaurant with the best reputation in the county, only looks good from the outside; the interior has been completely filled with money.
Gu Jiayue thought about it and felt that Kangzi's words made sense. "Then let's go with this one. You can discuss the details. I'll have Huzi send you the design later. You can just modify the store layout according to my ideas and we can open for business."
"If we can take it over, we will continue to sell cloth. You have seen a lot of the world with my eldest brother before, and you have also learned how to do business with the manager of our family. Now that this cloth shop is handed over to you, do you have the confidence to make it profitable?" Gu Jiayue asked.
Upon hearing this, Kangzi straightened his back, a confident smile on his face, and without hesitation, he bowed and replied, "Don't worry, young lady! I am grateful for your trust in handing this cloth shop to me. I will do my best to live up to your trust. Previously, at the Marquis' Mansion, I studied with the shopkeepers for some time and have learned a thing or two about business. I know how to understand the market and how to deal with merchants. Although this county is small now, cloth is in great demand. And there is no shortage of wealthy people everywhere. I believe that as long as I operate with integrity, find high-quality sources, launch fashionable styles, and cleverly promote them, I will have no worries about business not prospering."
Gu Jiayue nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth rose as she said softly, "Well, I believe you. But we still need to be cautious about the source of goods. First, contact the cloth merchants in Kyoto to see if you can find the most fashionable cloth. But remember, don't use the name of the Marquis' Mansion to avoid unnecessary trouble. Let's rely on our own abilities to make a name for ourselves in this county."
Kangzi nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry, miss. I will take good care of it."
In fact, if he cooperated with merchants in Kyoto but could not use the name of the Marquis' Mansion, he would most likely not be able to get the best price. But since his master had made an arrangement, he had to do it. At most, he would have to make a few more trips to find the source of goods himself.
"After things stabilize, you can go to the provincial capital to have a look. I plan to open another restaurant and bookstore. You should pay more attention. If you find a suitable one, you can take it." Gu Jiayue looked at Kangzi and said seriously.
"Okay, I got it." Kangzi responded quickly, with a firm look on his face.
"Well, if my identity makes it difficult for me to step forward, let's stick to what we agreed on. We're brother and sister. I'll leave all these external businesses to you. Just do it boldly according to your own ideas. If you lose money, it's okay. That's how business works."
"If I make money, I won't treat you unfairly. I plan to give you 10% of the store's income. Do you think that's feasible?"
Kangzi hadn't expected such a good thing to happen. No matter how capable he was, he was just a servant in the Marquis's mansion. The Marquis's mansion held his indenture, which was his lifeblood. He would help the young lady get things done even without such a reward.
But the lady was so generous that she was willing to give him 10% of the profit!
Don’t even mention that the store hasn’t been opened yet and may not make money.
None of that matters. What matters is that in the young lady's eyes, he, Gu Kangyang, is a talent!
"Don't worry, young lady. I will definitely make your business flourish."
"That's great, let's get rich together."
After all the arrangements were made, Gu Jiayue felt relieved. She gave the money to Kangzi and asked him to go do the work while she wandered around the county town.
She first went to the farmers' market to buy some meat, intending to take it back and ask Aunt Cai to make a delicious meal.
I also bought some needles and thread for my sisters. The girls worked very hard every day to supplement the family income. When the cloth shop was open, I could hire two embroiderers to specialize in making fashionable designs, using clothes to boost the cloth business. Then I could let my sisters learn a craft, so that if they wanted to get married in the future, they would have some confidence.
"Let's go back." Gu Jiayue looked at the sky and thought to herself, if she didn't go back, Aunt Cai would not have time to make braised pork for her.
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