Chapter 31 Business Done
Third Uncle Ye opened his mouth to ask when Ye Mingzhu would learn to draw, but Ye Mingzhu shook her head at him: "Third Uncle, are you thirsty? Have some tea."
Uncle Ye could only pick up the cup and take a sip of tea, while Ye Mingzhu had already picked up a piece of the dessert and ate it.
At this moment, a woman's clear voice came from outside the door: "Excuse me for waiting, distinguished guest."
Ye Mingzhu had finished her snacks. She calmly took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands clean, then stood up with a smile on her face.
Sister Chunhong introduced the two to each other: "Boss, this is Sister Ye. The picture just now was given to me by Sister Ye. Sister Ye, this is our boss, the surname is Lin."
Lin Dongjia originally thought that the person being drawn was a lady from a wealthy family, so he would have expected her to be a beautiful girl from a small family. He never expected that it was a country girl.
How could an ordinary village girl, who had never even held a pen, draw such an exquisite picture, with such fine lines that it didn't look like it was drawn with a brush.
"Miss Ye, do you want to sell the picture you just drew?" Lin Dongjia asked directly.
Ye Mingzhu didn't answer immediately. She took out a few pearls from her backpack and arranged them on the table. "The size and color of these pearls are most suitable for the picture just now. What do you think, Mr. Lin?"
Lin Dongjia had seen countless pieces of jewelry, and he could tell at a glance that Ye Mingzhu was right. The size of these pearls was very suitable for the picture she drew.
Pearls that are too big appear out of place, while pearls that are too small appear flimsy.
"Miss Ye, do you want me to buy these pearls as well? No problem, Chunhong, next time Miss Ye comes to sell pearls, I will increase the price by 10% based on our usual purchase price." Mr. Lin smiled.
Ye Mingzhu also had a smile on her face, but shook her head.
The purchase price of pearls is low. Even if it increases by 10%, it is just a few cents more. She doesn't want to sell her hard work at a low price.
"Mr. Lin, take a look at this picture." Ye Mingzhu took out another picture and handed it to Mr. Lin. After she finished looking at it, she took out a few flat pearls and arranged them into the shape of the picture.
"Great! This way, you can't tell that this is a flat pearl, and the price of the jewelry can be increased." Lin Dongjia's words almost blurted out.
Ye Mingzhu took a sip of the slightly cold tea and just looked at her.
Lin Dongjia then realized that the little village girl opposite had quite a few drawings in her hands. She tentatively asked, "Were these all drawn by Sister Ye?"
Ye Mingzhu noticed the change in address and asked instead, "It doesn't matter who drew it. What matters is how these pictures look like."
Mrs. Lin nodded. She had been selling jewelry for many years and naturally knew that these pearl jewelry were very exquisitely made. They would definitely take Linglong Pavilion to a higher level and solve her problem.
"These pictures are all good. How about I give you two taels of silver for each one and accept Miss Ye's pictures?" Mr. Lin smiled kindly and asked Sister Chunhong to go outside to bring the teapot and pour hot tea for the two of them.
Uncle Ye was already dumbfounded. Even if the price of pearls increased by 10%, he wanted to agree on behalf of Ye Mingzhu to two taels of silver for a picture.
Ye Mingzhu still looked calm and composed: "Boss Lin only wants to buy these two pictures."
Lin Dongjia certainly wanted Ye Mingzhu to continue providing pictures in the future. She hesitated for a moment and said, "If Sister Ye can provide five pictures every month, the price of this picture can be increased a little bit."
Ye Mingzhu shook her head and said, "I'm not selling the picture. I'm giving it to Mr. Lin."
When Mr. Lin heard this, the smile on his face disappeared.
Sure enough, Ye Mingzhu's next words were: "I want 50% of the profit from all the jewelry sold using my drawings."
Mr. Lin frowned. This was not a one-time deal. They would not sell only one of the same picture. If they gave it to Ye Mingzhu, her profit would be much less.
"We have to buy pearls and pay the craftsmen wages, so we can't make any money at all." Mr. Lin thought for a moment and shook his head.
"I guess Mr. Lin didn't hear clearly just now. I said the profit is 50-50. The purchase of pearls and the wages of the craftsmen are naturally not considered profit. Moreover, I will design different shapes based on the pearls, so that all the pearls you collect can be used and not wasted."
The original owner had been a pearl diver for many years, and the Ye family made a living by diving pearls. Ye Mingzhu had seen all kinds of pearls in the original owner's memory. Of course, not all pearls were suitable for making jewelry. There were always some pearls with bad colors and shapes that were not suitable for making jewelry.
Even though Linglong Pavilion has a dedicated master responsible for checking pearls, there is no guarantee that all the collected pearls can be made into jewelry. Some are not suitable in shape, and some are damaged during the production process.
Mr. Lin was a little moved, but he didn't say anything for a long time.
Ye Mingzhu continued, "I can provide five drawings of pearls every month, and two drawings of gold and silver jewelry."
Lin Dongjia was completely tempted. With seven new pieces of jewelry every month, could her Linglong Pavilion become the largest jewelry store in town in the future?
"But, with so many jewels, I wonder if Linglong Pavilion can sell them all?" Ye Mingzhu suddenly looked worried.
"No problem. Our Lin family has jewelry stores in the county and the provincial capital. As long as it is exquisite jewelry, it can definitely be sold." Mrs. Lin waved her hand, but paused. She told him about her family's financial situation.
Ye Mingzhu didn't show a smug smile, but instead had a face full of admiration: "I didn't expect the Lin family to have a store in the capital. But I just want to ask, do you only sell pearls, gold and silver jewelry, or do you also have jade and coral jewelry?"
She didn’t know if it was Lin Dongjia’s illusion, but she always felt that Ye Mingzhu’s voice sounded heavier when she heard the word “coral”.
"Since Miss Ye asked, it's okay to tell you. The Lin family's jewelry store in the capital is very large. They have all kinds of jewelry, mostly gold and silver, jade as well, but less coral."
Lin Dongjia looked at Ye Mingzhu's expression carefully, but Ye Mingzhu had already lowered her head and started drinking water.
There was silence in the room for a while. Uncle Ye held his breath, for fear that any noise he made would disturb Ye Mingzhu's conversation.
"How about this? We split the profits of this store in Pinggu Town 40% to 60%. I'll take 40% and you'll take 60%. I'll be in charge of purchasing the pearls, and I'll have my uncle deliver them directly to you. The purchase price of the pearls will be increased by 10%, which will be considered as my uncle's wages."
Uncle Ye’s eyes widened. Would he be able to earn money in the future without going into business?
Lin Dongjia's expression brightened noticeably: "Okay, since Miss Ye is so straightforward, let's make it a deal."
Ye Mingzhu then said, "If Mr. Lin sells these jewelry somewhere else, I want 10% of the profit."
Lin Dongjia's face was full of embarrassment: "I am only the owner of this store, but I can't be the boss of the county or the prefecture."
Ye Mingzhu smiled like a cat stealing fish: "I promise that the drawings I submit will only be given to Linglong Pavilion, and if we find coral and hawksbill turtle, we will definitely sell them to Linglong Pavilion first."
The embarrassment on Lin Dongjia's face disappeared immediately: "Isn't it just 10% profit? We are all family, I believe they will give me this favor."
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