Chapter 49
On the first day the new shop opened, many people came to buy pig heads. Even some of the town's wealthy families came to inquire after hearing the firecrackers. Once they heard that there was meat for sale, they bought quite a bit. Although it was pork, they found the price reasonable. Ye Wumei, mindful of Ye Jia's rule of buying three pounds and getting two ounces of pig intestines free, gave it to anyone who bought one, without asking if they wanted it.
Some people who don’t know, bought a lot and saw that they were given a small gift but didn’t realize it was pig intestines.
After leaving the shop to the Fifth Sister, Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen hurried to the grocery store on West Street. When they arrived at the shop, Shopkeeper Xu was sitting inside counting the accounts. He looked up when the clerk called Ye Jia's name, and the abacus beads in his hand clicked. He smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Ye, isn't your new shop opening today? How come you have time to come here?"
When Ye Jia heard his tone, the smile on her face faded: "I came here because of the bath beans."
Shopkeeper Xu had a long, thin face with a pale, sallow complexion. He was of pure Han descent. His hair was a bit sparse, held back with a silver hairpin. He wasn't very tall when he stood up, about reaching Zhou Jingchen's shoulders.
His gaze first fell on Ye Jia, and then on Zhou Jingchen who was beside Ye Jia.
Zhou Jingchen had just come out of the garrison, wearing an officer's uniform. Judging from the style, he didn't look like a low-ranking soldier. He was tall and straight as a pine tree, and his appearance was beyond description. His eyes were clear and sharp, as if they could see through people's minds. One glance at him softened Xu Zhanggu's tone. He put down his abacus and asked cautiously, "...Who is this person?"
"My husband." Ye Jia casually acknowledged him and then asked, "What did Shopkeeper Xu mean by not providing bath beans this month?"
Xu Youcai's heart sank with a thud.
In reality, Xu Youcai had deliberately stopped Ye Jia's supply of bath beans. He had accidentally run into Ye Jia delivering scented soap to Lihua Lane two weeks ago, and only then had he learned that the scented soap, so popular among the wealthy families in Dongxiang Town, was supplied by Ye Jia.
Xu Youcai had never had much business talent in his life. He relied on his ancestral fortune to buy a shop and do some grocery business.
Before scented soap became popular, anyone in town or village with a little extra money would use his soap for washing and bathing. Other shops also had soap, but the quality was far inferior. Back then, the profit wasn't as great as supplying Ye Jia now, but he felt good about it.
But after Linglong Rouge Shop started selling scented soap, bath beans gradually fell out of favor.
If he hadn't known the real deal, he'd have envied the Zhou family for making so much money, but not been jealous. But once he learned that the scented soaps used by Linglong Rouge Shop came from Ye Jia, and that the scented soaps used by the prostitutes in Lihua Lane were also supplied by Ye Jia, and that the bath beans Ye Jia used to make the scented soaps came from his family, his feelings changed. He'd secretly observed the Zhou family for a month, and now that he knew his bath beans were used to make the scented soaps, he felt deeply uncomfortable.
A piece of fragrant soap sells for one liang and eight qian of silver, and the more expensive ones can go for two liang. He can't even earn five liang from thirty jin of bath beans—the price difference is huge. Doesn't this Ye Shi feel guilty about embezzling so much during this time?! How can she have the nerve to buy bath beans from him at such a low price every month? And she's even playing tricks on him, signing a five-year contract with him at a fixed price!
Making so much dirty money with such a low cost is like playing him for a fool!
Xu Youcai was unhappy, and this unhappiness suddenly hit him when he heard that Ye Jia had bought the shop. How could he earn enough money to buy the shop in just a few months of running a small stall? And it all came from him!
As soon as he thought about this, he decided to teach Ye Jia a lesson. This month, when Ye Jia came to pick up the goods, he deliberately bit her to death.
"There really is no other way, Shopkeeper Ye."
Xu Youcai was a little intimidated by Zhou Jingchen; the uniformed officer didn't look like someone to be trifled with. But thinking of the money Ye Jia had made from the soap, he forced himself to stare at him without flinching. "You know, we're in a remote, impoverished area, so it's hard to get good goods from the Central Plains here. I used to buy from merchants in the Central Plains by flattering them, and I let them decide the price."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Jingchen and said, "Nowadays, the merchant company has doubled the price with just a few words. The price I set for you is not even as high as the purchase price. You said I am also a businessman who makes a living. How can I do business with you if I don't make a profit and even lose money?"
Ye Jia's brow furrowed. He was being rude, so she naturally responded with a cold shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier? How am I supposed to handle this if you wait until now and don't give me time to find another seller?"
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it." Xu Youcai pretended to be helpless. "I was caught off guard by the sudden price increase by the big trading company."
Having said that, it is obvious that Xu Youcai is cheating.
Ye Jia wanted to say something more, but Zhou Jingchen pulled him back.
He lowered his eyes to look at Xu Youcai and said calmly, "Businessmen don't buy goods by weight. Shopkeeper Xu is a veteran businessman, and his monthly purchases shouldn't just cover the contract. I'm sure you still have some stock on hand."
Zhou Jingchen spoke with certainty, but Xu Youcai could not refute him.
Of course he had stock, and a large amount of it. Xu Youcai was sure that no other shop in town had better quality bath beans than his, so if Ye Jia wanted good quality, she had to buy from him before she could stock up.
He held on to the item and refused to let go, just to renegotiate the price and make a profit: "There are some, but not much."
As he spoke, he glanced at Ye Jia and coughed twice: "I have no choice. I have to support my family. I can't pay for it, right?"
Ye Jia's expression was extremely ugly. It wasn't that she couldn't control herself, but she was really angry.
After all, she wasn't as good as Zhou Jingchen, who had practiced for years to hide his emotions. She took several deep breaths to suppress the pent-up feeling, then calmed her expression and said, "It's not convenient to talk standing in the shop like this. Why don't we find a place to sit and talk?"
Xu Youcai had anticipated her compromise. Linglong Rouge Shop's scented soap was sold out month after month, and Ye Jia was desperately trying to get it delivered. The only option for this anxious shop to deliver was to bow to him and lose a hundred taels of silver. Who could bear to lose so much money?
"Yes, of course there is." Xu Youcai smiled and raised his hand as an invitation. "There's a teahouse in the backyard. Why don't you go over there and have some tea with Manager Ye and the officer?"
Ye Jia smiled and walked into the backyard of the grocery store with Zhou Jingchen.
The back of the grocery store opened onto a courtyard, and Xu Youcai led the couple to a room to sit down. He stopped filling the tea container before it was even served, saying that the original price couldn't meet the demand and would have to be raised by two times. In other words, instead of the original three qian and fifty wen per jin of bath beans, Ye Jia would now have to pay at least one liang of silver per jin. He wouldn't accept anything less.
Ye Jia's expression couldn't be described as ugly anymore, it was ashen. This was simply a lion's mouth!
If the price is low, a regular upward price increase is reasonable to accept. This doesn't mean you have to accept unreasonable extortion just because someone is nice to you. If she agrees to triple the price this time, won't she dare to ask for a fivefold increase next time?
"Shopkeeper Xu doesn't seem to be serious about doing business." Ye Jia was here to stock up on goods, not that he couldn't afford next month's supply of soap. "If that's the way you talk, there's no point in continuing our business. We did sign a contract, though it hasn't been filed with the government. But the signatures and seals from both parties are proof. If you unilaterally break the contract, I can reasonably demand compensation."
Ye Jia has always been a pushover. She helps others, and she helps herself. Harmony brings wealth, and she's happy to give them face. If someone is really shameless, she's not afraid to get angry. "Manager Xu, think it over. Do you really want to break this contract?"
Xu Youcai hadn't expected Ye Jia, despite her youth, to have such a stubborn temper. Her husband, sitting next to her, hadn't said anything yet, and yet she had the audacity to unilaterally say she didn't want to do business with him.
Feeling a little flustered by her attitude, Xu Youcai immediately looked at Zhou Jingchen: "...this person?"
"My last name is Zhou."
"Master Zhou, this business is no small matter. Don't you have any other explanation?" Xu Youcai pondered that men are the head of the family. Since Ye Jia's husband came with him this time, it was natural for him to make the decision.
Zhou Jingchen followed her because he was afraid of a conflict; Ye Jia, a woman, would be vulnerable. He had always refrained from interfering with Ye Jia's business affairs, and now he slowly curled his lips into a smile. He acted as if he was living off her, feeling completely justified: "My wife earns the money to support the family, so naturally, I'll follow her wishes."
Xu Youcai choked and looked at Zhou Jingchen with a strange look.
On the one hand, he was alarmed by Ye Jia's unwavering attitude, showing no sign of compromise or softness. On the other hand, he was genuinely shocked. Shocked that Zhou Jingchen, a tall and strong officer, would listen to his wife in everything. He wanted to say something, but didn't dare to speak in front of the two of them. "Shopkeeper Ye, have you thought it through? In this town, only my bath beans can make good scented soap. No one else can do it as well."
If Ye Jia could be fooled by him, she wouldn't be Ye Jia. She also knows how to make bath beans. If it weren't for the fact that bath beans are too complicated, requiring so many steps and taking so long, she could do it herself. Who needs to talk to others about this!
"It's you, Shopkeeper Xu, who needs to think this through," Ye Jia said coldly. "If you're sincere about doing business with me, the price is negotiable. But you're using this to control me. You're so despicable and dishonest. Even if I had the guts to do business with you, I wouldn't dare to do business with you long-term."
After saying this, Ye Jia didn't bother to try to save the situation. "Regarding your violation of the contract, I won't pursue the matter with the authorities. My husband is a resident officer. If you don't want to cause trouble, just pay the compensation as stated in the contract."
She is not that noble. If she doesn't take advantage of the opportunity, she will be a fool.
Her eyes flicked to Zhou Jingchen, and he nearly burst out laughing the moment she signaled him. But his expression remained stern and cold. He looked gentle when he wasn't in a state of dignified demeanor, but once he took charge, the sharp aura of a man in a high position was truly captivating.
Zhou Jingchen said calmly: "Manager Xu, think it over carefully."
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