Manager Liu said with a fawning expression, "Madam Lu, look at what you're saying. Of course, I really want to make this deal, but we also need to make costs to fire ceramic jars. You have to let me make a little profit!"
Xu Han slowly said, "How about this, let's not talk about giving you five coins now. The price will be the same before and after. As long as the quality is good, I will order from you again next time."
I'll order 500 this time to see how it goes. If they turn out well after firing, I'll place a larger order.
Manager Liu was in a dilemma. The price he offered was indeed quite low, but if the quantity was large, he could make a lot of money. The key was that Xu Han didn't want a large quantity right now, and if he didn't agree, he was afraid that this hard-won order would slip away.
Since the war, the number of orders has been decreasing. If we don't take this order now, we don't know when we'll be able to get another one.
Moreover, if the couple really do cooperate long-term as they say, then it will be another stable client for me.
Although we're earning less now, the amount will be substantial once the volume increases.
Having understood this, Manager Liu nodded in agreement. However, he also made a request: "But you need to pay 60% as a deposit first. This batch of ceramic jars is custom-made. If you don't want them after I finish firing them, I won't be able to sell them, and then they'll all be tied up in my hands. I hope you can understand."
Lu Chuan thought about it and realized that was indeed the case, so he readily agreed, "Okay, no problem."
One catty costs 12 coins each, and two hundred catties in total cost 2 liang and 400 coins.
Two catties each cost 22 coins, and there are two hundred of them, which cost a total of 4 taels and 400 coins.
One pack of three catties costs 32 coins each, and a total of one hundred packs cost 3 liang (approximately 150 grams) and 200 coins.
The three items together cost 10 taels of silver, and a 60% deposit is required, which is 6 taels of silver.
After handing the money to Manager Liu, Lu Chuan asked, "Approximately how long will it take to collect it?"
"It will all be burned in five days, then you can come and collect it."
Xu Han asked, "Can you find someone to deliver it? I'm willing to pay extra."
"Okay, you can send it there."
Lu Chuan gave an address, and the two agreed to have the delivery made five days later in the morning.
After leaving Manager Liu's house, the two felt they had resolved a major issue, and Xu Han's mood improved considerably.
Xu Han suggested, "Why don't we go directly to the brick and tile shop and order all the bricks and tiles today? We can have them delivered to the same place tomorrow morning. That way, we won't have to get up too early tomorrow."
“Okay, they’re all outside the city anyway, so it’s on the way.” Lu Chuan said, then turned around and headed towards the brick kiln outside the city.
They had recently bought a batch of bricks and tiles, and the shopkeeper remembered the two of them. Upon seeing them arrive, he quickly went up to greet them.
"Gentlemen, what would you like to order today?"
Lu Chuan cupped his hands in greeting and said, "The bricks and tiles I bought last time weren't enough, so I've come to bother you again, shopkeeper."
"Haha, not at all, it's me who should thank you both for patronizing my business."
Lu Chuan got straight to the point, saying, "Same as last time, same quantity. Deliver it to the same location for us tomorrow morning. Here's the deposit, please keep it safe."
The shopkeeper took the money Lu Chuan handed over, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Alright, alright, don't worry. It will be delivered first thing tomorrow morning."
After deciding on the bricks and tiles, the two didn't delay and went straight back to the house.
After resting for a while, it was already completely dark, so Lu Chuan took Xu Han to the night market.
The night market had only recently reopened, so there weren't many vendors selling food at the moment; they were just gathered in twos and threes.
However, quite a few people came out to stroll around the night market. It's too hot to stay at home in this weather, so it's better to come out for a walk and enjoy the breeze.
Lu Chuan, being tall, had a better view and said to Xu Han, "What would you like to eat? There's a roast chicken over there, would you like one?"
Xu Han tiptoed and glanced at it. "Sure, it's been a long time since we've had roast chicken. Let's go buy two. We can take one back for the two kids tomorrow. Ze'er loves roast chicken the most."
"Okay, let's buy two more to take back with us."
After Lu Chuan finished speaking, he pulled Xu Han into the crowd. There were many people buying roast chicken, and the two of them waited in line for a while before it was their turn.
Lu Chuan ordered four roast chickens in one go. After taking the roast chickens from the seller, he pulled Xu Han aside, tore off a leg, and tried to stuff it into Xu Han's hands.
Xu Han took the chicken, took a bite, and said, "I think the best roast chicken I've ever had is still the one I always bought from before the disaster. It's a pity we can't have it now because of the rain."
Lu Chuan tore off a piece of meat for himself, and the two squatted down by the roadside to start eating. "It's not as good as that place's. We have plenty of chicken at home. Why don't you try making it yourself sometime?"
"Okay, I only know the general method. I'll study it another day."
Lu Chuan ate half of the roast chicken in a few bites, and said with lingering satisfaction, "Well, it's not enough for just the two of us to eat roast chicken. There's a noodle shop over there, how about we go and have a bowl of noodles?"
"Okay, let's go."
Xu Han helped Lu Chuan stand up. His legs were already numb from squatting for only a short while. It seemed he couldn't do this again.
In the evening, the couple ate noodles, roast chicken, and some other snacks. After they were full, they packed some food to take home.
In the end, Xu Han had to walk while supporting her back, and Lu Chuan wasn't much better off.
Back at the house in the evening, it was a rare occasion for just the couple to be alone, so they inevitably spent some more time together...
The next day, when Xu Han got up with a sore back, Lu Chuan had already packed all the luggage and was waiting for her to get up so they could go home.
Xu Han glared at him, took the towel Lu Chuan handed her, and began to wash up on her own.
Lu Chuan asked, "Would you like to eat something first? It's getting late, and if we don't eat now, we'll probably have to wait until we're on the ship to have breakfast."
"Let's eat before we leave, there's food ready anyway."
After Xu Han finished speaking, she took out some steamed buns and porridge from her spatial storage, and the two of them sat down in the room and began to eat.
When Xu Han and Lu Chuan finished tidying up their home and arrived at the agreed-upon place, the people who transported the bricks and tiles were already waiting there.
The person who came was the same one as last time. There was no need for much talk between the two sides. After the handover, the person left quickly with his men.
When Lu Chuan and Xu Han arrived home, the Taoist priest was already waiting with his men at the dock.
As soon as Xu Han jumped off the boat, the Taoist priest asked, "You're back. How did things go?"
Xu Han patted off non-existent dust from her clothes and said, "It's alright, everything's been resolved. Once it's fired in a few days, we can go and bring it back."
"It's done, and the road back has been cleared. Now let them unload the bricks and tiles and start transporting them home."
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