Chapter 33 Selling Brushes
With the Jiang brothers and sisters taking care of her, Guan Li had no reason to worry.
She no longer hesitated and followed Shen Qing, but she found that the shop she was about to enter was not the small shop that Jiang Xiangbei suggested, but a large shop that looked very expensive and luxurious.
Jiang Xiangbei called out in a stammering voice: "Mom?"
Shen Qing glanced at his son and whispered to teach him on the spot: "I asked Xiang Zhong, there are only a few hundred scholars in the entire Xingcheng, less than a thousand;
Among these hundreds of people, there are rich people as well as poor students like Xiang Zhong. If each person pays three pens per year, the maximum amount per year will not exceed 3,000.
Our family can now produce thirty or forty guns a day. By the time your second brother finishes his labor service, fifty guns won't be a problem, right? Xingcheng can't handle that much! "
The rainstorm occurred in the hot summer, and there were still more than two months before the flood. In these two months, they could produce at least 3,000 more;
Even if all the scholars in Xingcheng gathered together to buy brushes within these two months, it would not work. They would have to buy all their brushes for the year in order to barely sell them all.
That's obviously impossible.
Jiang Xiangbei reacted immediately. He had only sold a few fish and a dozen pounds of eels in the past and had never encountered or thought about these problems.
He looked at his mother, thinking to himself that he should think more and inquire more in the future, so that he could know in advance like his mother!
Guan Li also took notes silently.
As soon as the three of them entered Jiya Zhai, a waiter immediately came up to greet them: "Hello, what kind of calligraphy would you like to buy?"
The three men's attire clearly showed they were not scholars, but since they were guests, the waiter still asked them politely.
Shen Qing was very satisfied. No wonder Jiang Xiangzhong said that Jiya Zhai’s business was not only the most prosperous in Xingcheng, but also had branches in other places and even in the capital.
She took the bamboo basket off Jiang Xiangbei's back, opened the cloth covering it, revealing the neatly arranged brushes inside, and asked politely, "Little Second Brother, is your shopkeeper here? I want him to see if these brushes are ok."
The clerk's eyes widened as he looked at the neatly arranged brushes. He had never imagined that the three men were here to buy and sell brushes. He nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes! Wait a moment, I'll go to the backyard and ask Shopkeeper Lin to come out."
After a while, a chubby middle-aged man in a long gown came out jogging and was obviously stunned when he saw the three people.
Then he reacted, bowed and said with a smile: "Please come in, it's quiet inside, let's talk inside."
The group entered the west wing in the backyard.
Shopkeeper Lin waited for the waiter to serve tea and cakes, then stood up, closed the door tightly, and said with a smile, "Can I inspect the goods first?"
"Okay, it's my duty." Shen Qing gestured to the fourth brother, and Jiang Xiangbei swiftly handed the bamboo basket forward.
No matter what kind of goods, inspection is the most critical step. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of money to buy a batch of goods, but end up with nothing left to wear.
Shen Qing had checked the goods at home and was confident in the brushes she made. She sat comfortably in a chair, picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea and waited slowly.
The rich aroma of tea in her mouth made her squint her eyes happily.
Wow, tea, which used to be common in China, is now a rare luxury in Qili Village!
Due to the dense population, there are no tea trees or fruit trees. Even if they were planted, no one knows who will eat them in the end. This vicious cycle means that no one in any household plants any tea trees.
After all, you won’t die if you don’t eat these two things. It’s better to catch some fish to satisfy your hunger with the time and energy.
Jiang Xiangbei and Guan Li looked at Shopkeeper Lin nervously. They saw him bending the pen shaft, pulling the pen tip, and sweeping the pen tip back and forth with his fingers... He tried several pens in a row with a slight smile on his face.
Does this mean he's pleased with it? Their hearts lightened slightly.
Shopkeeper Lin looked up and said to Shen Qing politely, "The goods are indeed good, but to be honest, the main store of Jiyazhai is in the capital, and we have a cooperative brush workshop. If the price you provide is not too high, I can help you make the final decision.
If your supply price is too high, then, then I can only consult the head office before making a decision."
Shen Qing understood that this was asking her about the supply price.
She didn't answer directly, but asked first: "Since Manager Lin has seen the goods, what is your lowest price?
If the difference is not too big, we can naturally decide now. If the difference is too big, then we can only look for another company."
Shen Qing has calculated the cost in the past few days. The bamboo used to make the pen holder of a brush is free. The most expensive parts are the wool, silk thread, cloth and labor. The cost of the first three items per brush does not exceed eight cents, while the labor cost is six or seven cents.
In other words, the cost price of a brush is at most fifteen cents, so selling it for fifty cents is actually a pretty good profit.
But Shen Qing didn't think of selling it too cheaply. Her target price was eighty cents per stick.
One reason is that making brushes is a technical skill, and there are very few people who can make them. They are also not likely to pass on their skills easily, so the demand for brushes in the market is far from enough. Jiang Xiangzhong said that it is often difficult to get a batch of brushes with good materials.
The second reason is that making a brush requires extreme care and no mistakes can be made. Although the labor is not valuable, what is actually being sold is the technology and craftsmanship, and this technology and craftsmanship is valuable!
Shen Qing had no intention of disrupting the market for brushes. Engaging in a price war would only result in losses for both himself and his peers.
Shopkeeper Lin looked at the brushes again, frowned, thought for a moment, and said through gritted teeth, "The most I can offer is ninety coins each. If it's possible, I'll take all 150 of yours today."
In fact, the price can be as low as 92 wen per brush, because the brush shop that cooperates with Jiya Zhai supplies it at 93 wen per brush. It is only one wen cheaper, which is not a big advantage compared to the main shop.
If he buys the product for 90 wen per stick, the head shop will not blame him if it finds out. If the quality is acceptable and the product sells well, they may even let him buy more and send it to surrounding shops.
Alas, he would never do such a thankless job. It would be good for him if his own shop sold well and made high profits, but what did the performance of other shops have to do with him?
After all, the brush Shen Qing brought wasn't a rare, high-quality piece. Hers was clearly a reasonably priced, common item. The better the Ji Ya Zhai nearby sold, the more tired he'd be, right? He wouldn't do anything stupid.
Shen Qing: "Yes, but it's a promotion."
Shopkeeper Lin asked curiously, "What's the promotion?"
"One thousand sticks are eighty-seven coins each, two thousand sticks are eighty-four coins each, and if we can get to three thousand, we'll lower it all the way down to eighty coins each!"
Shopkeeper Lin swallowed hard and almost jumped up from his chair.
Eighty cents a stick?! Did he hear right?
Shen Qing shook his head and sighed, "Hey, I've already inquired before coming here. The entire Xingcheng may not sell 3,000 sticks a year, not to mention there are several shops."
Shopkeeper Lin's brain started working quickly, and after a while he said cheerfully, "No, no, I can't sell it in Xingcheng Ji Ya Zhai, but I can sell it in other Ji Ya Zhais."
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