"Boss, those pieces of cloth we have downstairs are all moldy!"
The waiter took out two pieces of indigo-colored cotton cloth with flowing patterns from under the cabinet. There were black stars on it, which was impossible to ignore even if you wanted to.
The shopkeeper sighed helplessly, took the cloth, and ran her fingers over it. This was Jiangnan cloth she had specially purchased, and it was not cheap.
But now, there are too many moldy spots and I can’t get rid of them. I can’t keep them at all!
She had done her best to wrap the cloth in oilcloth to prevent the house from leaking, but the rain was incessant and the humidity was too great to be stopped.
"Look around and see if there are any more moldy ones. Bring them all out and we'll see if we can sell them at a low price."
"Yes." The guy responded quickly and efficiently.
It is the shopkeeper's kindness that allows him to keep his current job, so he must do his best.
But they all knew that everyone in the city was holding on to their money tightly, so who would be willing to spend money to buy such waste cloth?
Unexpectedly, as soon as the moldy cloth was put out, customers came to the store.
"Hello, guests. What kind of cloth would you like to see?" The clerk greeted them attentively. The shop would not be able to survive without customers.
Jiang Yue looked at the new pieces of cloth on the counter. She touched them, and they weren't as soft as new cloth. They were even a little stiff, probably from the moisture. But the colors were evenly dyed, and the patterns were suitable for both young and old.
"How much is this cloth?"
The waiter guessed that the customer might be short of money. Oh no, being able to come out to buy cloth instead of hoarding food was already a sign of being well-off.
He unfolded the cloth for the customer to see. "Good taste, sir. This cloth is a fashionable material from Jiangnan. It's just a little damp and has some mold on it. It used to be 38 wen a foot, but now it's 20 wen."
Jiang Yue shook her head, her emotions unrecognizable, and she looked indifferent. "There are too many mold spots to remove. Ten cents."
The man took a deep breath. This, this is too cruel! Cut it in half!
Jiang Yue: This is the normal way of bargaining in modern times.
The guy looked hesitant but didn't refuse outright, so she knew there was still room for improvement.
"If possible, I'll take all three pieces of cloth."
"This price is too low. We're going to lose money—" He trailed off, as if reluctant, then continued, "But you want a lot, sir. I'll go talk to the shopkeeper. Please wait a moment."
The acting skills of doing business are all good. Even though the young man's eyes were smiling, he forced his mouth to suppress the corners of his mouth and said he was going to find the shopkeeper. Jiang Yue did not expose his little trick and just wandered around the store.
The cloth in her space was enough for two people, but there wasn't much thread left, and it was a waste of needles.
The key point is that there are no good shoes. She can learn the skills, but there is nothing she can do if the materials are not up to par.
The shop was quite large, selling not only cloth but also fabric-related items like hats, shoes, handkerchiefs, and so on, like a large clothing store. She had her eye on two pairs of cloth shoes with thick, soft soles. The uppers were embroidered with elegant orchids; the owner had good taste.
When the shopkeeper came out, she was already selecting rabbit skins. She had rabbits at home, but how to nitrate them was a science.
The shopkeeper looked at the items chosen by the customer on the counter and raised his eyebrows. It didn't look like they had no money.
"My dear guests, is there anything I can help you choose?"
Jiang Yue turned around and saw that the shopkeeper was about thirty years old, wearing a light yellow dress, with smile lines at the corners of her eyes. She smiled before she spoke and was very friendly.
"Do you have any rabbit fur shoes ready now?"
Although it is only August now, which is still the hottest time of the year in previous years, it has been raining continuously this year and the weather has become slightly cooler, so it is normal to prepare for winter in advance.
Therefore, the shopkeeper did not show any surprise. "Yes, I'll ask the clerk to find it for you."
Jiang Yue didn't mind that it was an old model from last year, and chose her own size, but she couldn't find Jiang Nian's size. The largest size was only about 38. After all, men rarely wear rabbit fur shoes.
The shopkeeper was envious of the harmonious relationship between the two guests and said, "We have sheepskin shoes. Would you like to see them, sir?"
A pair of rabbit fur shoes costs half a tael of silver, and a pair of sheepskin shoes costs two taels of silver. They will become more expensive in winter.
In fact, they always have some unsold inventory every year, but as a businessman, they would rather have more inventory than less. If a customer comes and asks about the stock and it is out of stock, they may not come next time.
The sheepskin shoes in the store were actually sheepskin boots, with higher uppers than the rabbit fur shoes. Jiang Yue waved her hand generously and ordered two pairs each, including two pairs of rabbit fur shoes. She took five rabbit skins back to make hats.
I no longer wanted the two pairs of cloth shoes that I liked at first, and only bought 10 pairs of each size of the same style with thick insoles.
A big investor!
The shopkeeper was very happy, perhaps this was the only income he had in the past half month.
She looked back at the pieces of cloth with moldy spots on them and thought, "10 wen is 10 wen! No one will buy them if I keep them hidden any longer."
Including all the odds and ends like scraps of cloth, it cost 10 taels of silver.
Jiang Yue asked as usual if he wanted to exchange for food and vegetables. The shopkeeper was surprised at first, then quickly replied, of course he wanted to!
But the price of grain has changed again today, and 10 taels of silver can only exchange for half of what the bookstore owner had before.
After changing their things, they took advantage of the moderate rain turning into drizzle and drove a mule cart to the countryside closest to the city.
The two men were wearing straw hats and straw raincoats, wrapped tightly, and drove the mule cart swaying around. At that moment, they did not dare to shout loudly like the peddlers to exchange things, as that would be seeking death.
I asked for directions to the village chief's house first.
The village chief held the 10 copper coins in disbelief. Were they really given them for free?
"Village chief, please help inform all households that anyone with chickens, ducks, geese, fish, meat, or pork can exchange them for copper coins, good cloth, old cloth, rags, and grains."
"And eggs." Jiang Nian added.
Jiang Yue held her forehead with her hand and said, "Yes, we want as many eggs as we can get."
Give the big cubs something to replenish their body, cough, no, give them nutrition.
The village chief looked at the young lady's husband, who was more than a head taller than him, like a mountain. He did not dare to act rudely and hurriedly called his wife to go and call for help.
Then he went to the chicken coop to grab the chickens. There was no other way, people had nothing to eat, and if he kept raising chickens, they would become thin.
The only two chickens and 10 eggs were exchanged for two buckets of soybeans. The village chief was so happy that tears came to his eyes and he hurried to hide the grain.
The price Jiang Yue charged was a few cents higher than that in the provincial capital, but she didn't lose anything. It was a good deed, giving the lower-class people more opportunities to make a living.
As she expected, many villagers came after hearing the noise and formed a long queue.
Because Jiang Nian was standing nearby, the villagers did not dare to speak loudly. They just took their things to exchange and left.
Some people with dirty hands reached into the car, but Jiang Nian grabbed their wrists and threw them to the ground.
"Oh my, oh my, I just wanted to see why you hurt someone! That's too much!"
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