Chapter 83
There are a total of six main streets in the county town. The four Wen Streets radiate from the government office as the center, and the other two are straight, that is, the main traffic roads running through the four city gates. One is called Zhengqian Street and the other is called Zhenghou Street. Due to the large flow of people, they are not suitable for living and are mostly inhabited by businessmen.
It’s not that you can’t do business on Wensi Street. You can do business on Wensi Street. There are shops in front and courtyards of houses in the back.
But those two streets are full of big shops with two or three floors, including big restaurants, big inns, big teahouses, cloth shops, gold shops, etc. There are houses behind such big shops, but most of these houses are for workers to come and go, for guests to use the toilet, etc., and no one lives there.
If you want to buy a house like this, forget it if you don't have a thousand taels of silver.
Gu Xinxin drew a rough map of the county town on the ground and showed it to Gu Daniu: "Our current goal is to buy this house on Wenbei Street first. Later, we will buy a shop on Main Street. I want to open the largest snack shop on Main Street."
Gu Daniu looked at her as if she was a fool. More than a thousand taels of silver. He had never dared to think that he could earn so much silver in his life.
After a pause, he said to Gu Xinxin, "I've sold out what I brought today. When the oxcart comes tomorrow, how much will be delivered?"
"Bring the rest here tomorrow. I'll sell it for another day, then I'll go back with the ox cart. We need everyone in the village to participate in the meat flossing, otherwise we might not be able to catch up. Also, Dad, if you can hunt wild boars in the mountains, I'll buy them for a high price. How about that?"
We also have to find something for Gu Daniu to do.
He is not suitable for selling goods. The goods are easy to sell. Gu Xinxin can sell them all in half a day, but Gu Daniu has dragged it on until now.
Gu Daniu was silent for a moment and urged Gu Xinxin: "What are we having for dinner? I'm hungry."
Gu Xinxin's mouth twitched, and she took Gu Daniu to the house to eat. She bought two sesame cakes for one penny, and ate them with pickles. Although she had a very unpleasant quarrel with the He family, it did not stop her from buying pickles from the He family's shop.
Well, knowing yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.
The next morning, two young men from the village came driving an ox cart. Gu Xinxin didn't let them go back. She parked the ox cart in the rented yard. Then she and Gu Daniu each took one. She had to take them to do business today. After all, starting tomorrow, the snack cart would be handed over to them.
There will be no grand opening promotion, today is just normal business.
Gu Xinxin also had to explain to the people: "If you come here often and you know them, you can give them one or two extra sticks each time as a reward for your old customers. Don't be stingy. Starting tomorrow, I will send an extra kilogram or two when I have people deliver the goods, enough for you to give them for free. If there are those who want to try the flavor, you can give a little, but don't give too much. It's this big, just a taste is enough. If you give too much, they will think you are being taken advantage of..."
When it comes to sales, talent comes first, and learning outcomes come second.
She doesn't have time for training now. When she returns to the village, she will definitely ask the village chief for a few young men who are eloquent and flexible in work.
As for the aunties - it’s not that they are bad, it’s just that some of them are too nagging and have been stingy all their lives, and I’m afraid they won’t be able to change.
Besides, the ladies were very efficient and meticulous in their work, so she wanted to keep them in the village to fry pork floss for her.
Only by knowing how to use people well can you become a leader.
Wear this in the morning and switch to the other one in the afternoon, to prevent Gu Daniu from not knowing how to wear it and leading others astray.
Today's business is even more prosperous than yesterday's, because many people who didn't buy anything yesterday heard from those who bought it that it tasted good, so they are willing to join in the fun.
Anyway, the goods we brought today were sold out very quickly.
Gu Xinxin didn't even bother to pay the bill. She called Gu Daniu and prepared to hurry back to the village. She also said to the two boys, "You guys clean up the kitchen. If you want to cook, you can do it. If you don't want to, I'll tell your parents and bring you food early."
Anyway, the weather is neither too cold nor too hot, so I can eat three meals a day on time.
There are ox carts delivering goods into the city every day, so they won’t starve.
There is a well in the yard, so water supply is guaranteed.
However, the county town needed someone to collect manure, unlike in the village, where the manure was saved and used as fertilizer for the fields. Gu Xinxin would have to find someone else to do this work, and she would have to pay for it once a month. Of course, the cost wasn't huge, otherwise people in the county town wouldn't even be able to afford to take a shit. At most, it would cost three or five copper coins each time—there were also fields around the county town, so the manure wouldn't be thrown away in vain; it could be sold for another profit.
After explaining everything that needed to be explained, she urged Gu Daniu to leave the city quickly. If he didn't leave, it would be dark and the city gates would be locked.
No matter how hard I tried, I got home in the middle of the night.
Gu Xinxin didn't even bother to wash up. She was so sleepy that she went into the house and fell asleep.
The next morning, I went to the village chief and said, "Call all the skilled chefs in our village. I plan to teach the villagers how to make this pork floss, but the method must be kept secret. So, village chief, you have to help me decide. If you want to learn, you need to put your fingerprints on it and promise not to pass it on to others. Only our village can make it. After all, if we make too much, I won't be able to sell it, and everyone will have no income."
The village chief was very excited: "Are you really willing to hand it over to the villagers? Without money? I heard your second aunt say before that if you earn one ounce of silver, you will get ten copper coins?"
Gu Xinxin waved her hand and said, "Let's change the method this time. I will buy the meat floss for eleven copper coins, and then I will take it to the county town and sell it for fifteen copper coins."
The selling price of fifteen copper coins is not worth keeping secret, because people in the village will also go to the county town, and they will know the price once they ask. If you keep it secret now, they will find out when the time comes and think you have made a lot of money. By then, there will be resentment and anger in their hearts, so it is better to make it clear now. Gu Xinxin counted on her fingers: "First of all, I need money for my wages. I pay the two sellers their wages. I have to pay them six hundred copper coins a month. The two of them together make more than one or two taels of silver. Secondly, it costs money to make the car. One car costs eight hundred copper coins. And the rent for the house is more than one or two taels of silver a month. So if I sell it for fifteen copper coins, at most I can just break even. I won't make much."
The village chief nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Yes, what business doesn’t require capital?
If doing business doesn’t require any capital, then everyone should just go into business.
Even if you're selling your own eggs, don't you have to spend time delivering them to town? You might even get a few damaged along the way, and that's all part of the cost, isn't it?
Gu Xinxin smiled and said, "As for me, I also want to lead our entire village to make money. When we make enough money, every household will build a blue brick and tile house. That will be yours then."
She gave a thumbs up and said, "Maybe you can compete for the position of village head in the future, or if the court wants to commend the elderly, you might get a spot."
She vaguely remembered that in every dynasty, wise rulers would personally meet with the elders of the people? Or perhaps, they would have the local regions elect some local sages? Although she wasn't sure if this dynasty had done so, it didn't stop her from making such promises to the village chief.
The village chief was quite excited, but after a moment he reacted: "There are so many people in our village. Even if each household can only make ten pounds of meat floss a day, that would add up to two thousand pounds. With so much, who are we going to sell it to?"
Don't drop it on your hands.
If Gu Xinxin can't sell it, then there's no way to pay the villagers. Wouldn't that mean the villagers are working for nothing? Then there'll be a pile of meat floss stored at home. Even if I eat it, I'll be reluctant to part with it. Eating meat once a month is a luxury. Who would eat three or five pounds of it?
Gu Xinxin smiled and said, "Sell it to the provincial capital. I'll tell you about this first. You can start asking tomorrow to see who is willing to learn. Then we'll sign a confidentiality agreement. I'll go to the provincial capital in the next few days."
The county town was the He family's territory. They had fallen out with her because she had refused to marry them, and even refused to sell her meat floss and spicy strips. Therefore, selling meat floss in the county town was not a good idea.
Of course, she had no intention of giving up the county market.
She would then select clever young men from the village and spread them out to sell their wares. There were several more in the surrounding counties, and at least three nearby. Then she would go to the provincial capital alone. Doing business was like fighting a war; you had to be quick and seize the initiative.
If you get the Gu Family meat floss brand out there first, the market will recognize the Gu Family brand. If you take your time and try to take it slow, someone will likely snatch the recipe away, just like Shopkeeper Qian did before.
Who wouldn't want to get involved when a child gets rich?
So she had to occupy a large area of the market first. If someone who knew the goods came to buy, Gu Xinxin would just have the goods.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Don't be in a hurry at the beginning. Three pounds for each family, I can make it in half a day when I have time. When I need more in the future, I can add more slowly."
Anyway, this method is to be taught to everyone, and we all do it together.
The village chief nodded and said, "Okay, as long as you know what's going on, I'll go door to door and tell them."
Now, there are two aunts, Gu Chen, and three sisters-in-law, a total of five people making meat floss.
Gu Xinxin selected a few young men who were good at speaking to train: "When the time comes, you will carry your loads and go hawking. The advertising slogans are just a few sentences. You should memorize them and then just shout them one by one."
She knocked on the blackboard and had everyone read aloud: "We're selling pork floss. Gu's pork floss, made with pure pork, savory and delicious, suitable for all ages. You can eat it with rice or steamed buns. It's nutritious, easy to digest, and good for your health. A mouthful of pork floss is equivalent to two eggs! Fifteen copper coins per ounce!"
It’s not good to use too high-level language, as others may not understand it. You have to use plain language.
But it can’t be too long, otherwise the street will be finished before I finish talking about it.
The young men were shy and hesitant. Gu Xinxin knocked on the blackboard. Of course, the blackboard was just a blue brick, and she didn't write on it. She just used it as a gavel.
"Why are you shy? How can you be shy about making money? If you are shy, won't others make the money? You will get a commission on this trip. What is a commission? It means that if you sell one tael of silver, I will give you ten copper coins as a commission! How many pieces of meat floss can I sell for one tael of silver?"
She asked, and the boys counted on their fingers, but couldn't figure it out.
Gu Xinxin said helplessly: "We have to sell more than six pounds of meat floss. Six pounds is probably this much." She stretched out her hand to gesture, but it was actually not a lot.
"Besides that, you get paid. Six hundred copper coins a month. If you earn ten more a day, that's almost one tael of silver a month. Marrying a wife nowadays costs five taels of silver, right? You can get married in five months, and after a year you can even build a house. Do you think you should sell more?"
Gu Xinxin asked, and the young men looked at each other and winked at each other - Gu Xinxin was still a grown-up girl, and a grown-up girl was talking to them about getting married.
Gu Xinxin was furious and hit the bricks with a stick: "Don't look down on me. If it weren't for me, would you have this opportunity to make money? Don't forget that your wages are still in my hands."
These days, the one who pays is the boss.
Even Gu Daniu had to bow to Gu Xinxin for money. He was her father, one of the three great powers of the time, so shouldn't he still succumb to money? Besides, who among these young men who were chosen wasn't a smart person?
Someone immediately turned serious, "Don't worry, Miss Xinxin. I'll definitely sell more. I'll start hawking as soon as I get to the county town. I heard Tiezhu say before that if you buy a lot, you can try it."
Gu Xinxin nodded: "You can let people taste it as you see fit. After all, it's a rare thing and no one has eaten it before, so they are a little hesitant. Just give a little. Consider our capital. If we give too much, the money you take back won't add up, and I will deduct your wages. How about this, when I give the goods every day, I will give an extra pound, just as a free tasting share, you can give as you see fit."
Someone else asked, "What if I can't make it back in one day..."
"You can decide for yourself. You can bring more at a time, about ten pounds. You can go for two days and make a round trip every two days." If you calculate it this way, it means that it will take three days to go out.
Gu Xinxin added, "Each family should prepare their own dry food. I will only subsidize the cost of staying at the inn, fifteen copper coins at a time."
Eight copper coins were for a large bunk bed, and fifteen copper coins added dinner. As for bath water, it was up to you. A grown man like you could easily wait two days and come home to bathe. When it was hot, you could just find some cold water outside and wipe yourself down. There was no need to be too particular.
Of course, if you bring your own dry food and are willing to stay out all night to save the fifteen copper coins, that's fine. She doesn't force everyone to follow her requirements.
After training these young men, she went directly to the provincial capital, and Gu Daniu accompanied her.
She'd also be worried about someone else. What if they were out to steal her money or kill her? Or what if some guy simply wanted to take advantage of her and marry her? While she certainly wouldn't marry, she couldn't help but fantasize about it. The idea that because she had lost her innocence, she couldn't marry anyone else, and could only marry a perpetrator... This wasn't uncommon in modern times.
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