Chapter 6 Contract Preparation for Opening
She had so many things on her mind that Feng Xin only saw her buried in her writing. Lu Tingwan replied, "We'll leave early the day after tomorrow. We need to discuss the details with Uncle Zhang tomorrow. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll buy all our goods from the farm from now on. This will save us a lot of money."
"Feng Xin just thought that the Second Madam was acting on a whim, but she didn't expect that you would be more decisive and efficient in doing things than Feng Xin expected." Admiration flashed in Feng Xin's eyes. Now she really admired Lu Tingwan as a person.
Lu Tingwan put down the pen with a smile, "Feng Xin, you will have to stay by my side in the future. There are many things you need to learn."
"There will definitely be no problem for me to take care of Second Madam's daily meals and daily life." Feng Xin was full of confidence. Originally, she thought that she would have no future if she followed Lu Tingwan to the Cheng family as a concubine. She had no intention of competing for favor in the harem, and her days would end in a blink of an eye.
That's why she had to go out to do business and save a lot of money. Even if Lu Tingwan wanted to leave, what did it have to do with her, a maid?
"Feng Xin," Lu Tingwan said, looking serious for once. She was usually gentle and approachable. "Do you want to learn how to do the math?"
"Abacus?" Feng Xin was stunned. He put down the object in his hand and leaned over to say seriously, "Abacus is too difficult. I can't learn it."
"To say you don't know something before you've even learned it, isn't that giving up on yourself?" Lu Tingwan said.
"I'm just a little maid, so what if I learn to count?"
"Nowadays, if you want to make a name for yourself, you have to have a skill. What's wrong with being a maid? Women aren't necessarily inferior to men, but careers and business are all divided by gender. As a woman, do I have to rely on men and become their appendage?" Lu Tingwan said earnestly, "But I don't want to. I want to do what I want to do. So what if I'm a woman? I want to build a career."
"My mother said that I am no worse than men, so if they can do it, I can do it too. One day, people will no longer look down on me because I am a woman."
Feng Xin was bewildered. She had never thought of such a rebellious thing. She only knew to serve her master well every day, and when she was old enough, she would leave the house and find a reliable man to marry, have children, and spend the rest of her life taking care of her husband and children.
"Second Madam and Feng Xin see people differently," Feng Xin was shocked. "It would be a blessing for Feng Xin to receive your guidance. As long as you don't despise my stupidity, that's all."
"Diligence can make up for lack of talent. You are not lazy. Don't worry, I will be your teacher," Lu Tingwan propped up his head, "but the tuition fee is not enough."
"Do you want to pay more?" Feng Xin hesitated.
"There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. If you want to learn, you naturally need tuition fees. I won't do business at a loss." Lu Tingwan smiled, her playful face was beautiful and charming.
"Then, how will Second Madam pay for the tuition?"
She pretended to think, then said in silence for a moment, "Make me a delicious snack every day, and that will count as your tuition."
After saying that, Lu Tingwan got up to wash her face and prepared to go to bed to rest. Feng Xin then started to shudder and thought that he was playing a trick on her.
But Lu Tingwan was not joking. She claimed that she would not be too kind. Everything she did was definitely beneficial, but she had a measure in her heart to measure the balance between the effort and the reward.
As for Feng Xin, when he opens a new shop, Lu Tingwan will need someone available by his side, and Feng Xin is one of them.
Late at night, Lu Tingwan lay on the straw couch. The fragrance of flowers wafted through the window, like the divine light under the bright moon, brushing against his face, refreshing his heart.
She became increasingly sleepy, turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
Cicadas chirped outside the house all night long. In her dream, she returned to Jiangling. Her mother pinned flowers on her head. The fragrance of the wreath on her head became stronger and stronger. She suddenly opened her eyes and it was daylight.
The morning light shone into the thatched hut. Feng Xin prepared hot water. Lu Tingwan got up, put on her boots, and sat in front of the window, letting the cool breeze caress her face, feeling refreshed.
She slept well last night, and even her dreams were sweet.
"Feng Xin, change your clothes and let's go out for a walk." After Lu Tingwan cleaned his face, he tidied himself up and returned to his outfit from yesterday.
As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw a little girl standing not far from the door, holding a bouquet of freshly picked flowers in her hand.
"Brother." The child handed over the bouquet of flowers in his hand when he saw Lu Tingwan. "These flowers are for you."
Lu Tingwan squatted down, looked at her at eye level, and asked softly, "Why are you here?"
"Dad asked me to invite my two brothers to dinner at home."
Lu Tingwan originally wanted to go there later and ask if the village chief had returned.
Outside, smoke curled up. After dinner, Lu Tingwan took advantage of the morning light to walk in the fields for a while. As the sun rose, he returned to the guesthouse to rest. Not long after, Uncle Zhang and the village chief arrived at the residence, and Feng Xin invited them in.
The village chief was older than Uncle Zhang. Lu Tingwan was very polite and said bluntly, "My surname is Jiang. I heard from Uncle Zhang that the village chief went into the city to find merchants to discuss buying flowers. If I'm not mistaken, this trip won't be smooth sailing."
When the village chief came, Uncle Zhang told him the whole story. Seeing that this young man had a handsome face and was still young, he was completely different from those merchants who came to bargain with him and looked at him with a frown. Only then did he feel relieved.
A heavy voice followed, "Young Master Jiang is absolutely right. The merchants in the city are colluding to lower prices, and we flower farmers are suffering terribly."
"Uncle Zhang told me that this matter is actually not difficult to guess. If the farm wants to sell the flowers at previous years' prices through merchants this year, the village chief's idea will probably fail." Lu Tingwan observed his expression, and the man who had just let down his guard frowned again.
Lu Tingwan continued, "Merchants in Jingdu City are colluding to lower prices. This must be an order from the Chamber of Commerce. How could the Chamber of Commerce dare to disrupt the market without the approval of officials?"
"Isn't this collusion between officials and businessmen?" Everyone present was quite shocked to hear Lu Tingwan's remarks. Lu Tingwan knew that without evidence, he couldn't publicize such a bold guess.
"Uncle Zhang, Village Chief, this is just my guess, not enough to prove it. But if I'm right, then the villagers have no choice but to accept the price offered by the merchant."
"They are violent at home and bully others, they flatter the superiors and bully the inferiors. They are bullying good people like us." The village chief pressed his palms heavily on the wooden table, and the child moved closer to Lu Tingwan's side.
Lu Tingwan stated her purpose. She had to negotiate the price today and return to the city tomorrow to supervise the renovations. The store needed to open as soon as possible because the monthly rent was pouring out like a flood, and her dowry was not enough to support it.
"Village Chief, I'm here to discuss cooperation with farmers. I run a flower shop in the city and need to stock up on fresh flowers every day. To be honest, the prices charged by merchants in the city are too high. I want to buy flowers directly from farmers and have them shipped to the city. As for the price, it will definitely not be lower than what these merchants offer you."
Upon hearing this, the village chief's eyes flashed with hope: "Sir, please speak."
"If we can cooperate, I'll buy two dan of flowers a day for the first month. Just use the seasonal flower varieties you supply. From the second month onwards, I'll buy three dan a day, and increase that to five dan a day in the third month..."
"Five dan?" The village chief was incredulous. "Mr. Jiang just said it was from a flower shop. Isn't five dan a day too much?"
"Don't worry, Village Chief. I have my own uses. You just need to supply me on time every day. If the shop is doing well, I will increase the quantity."
"However, for every additional load, the village chief will reduce the market price by 10%." Lu Tingwan was counting on the beads, like a veteran in the mall.
In fact, she was not that confident, she was just pretending to be calm. When negotiating with others, one must not be stage-frightened, as once stage-frightened, others will take advantage of her. Lu Tingwan has been able to handle all kinds of businessmen with ease since she was a child.
"If you can deliver one dan a day as per the contract, a 10% reduction wouldn't be a problem. According to last year's market prices, a dan of the most common roses cost about 20 taels. The prices of more expensive varieties vary. This year, flower farmers are facing market pressure to lower prices. Since you are sincere in doing business, we can discuss it."
Lu Tingwan used abacus to calculate, and he made one load of money every day. The most common goods cost twenty taels per load, plus the transportation and labor costs, so he would make thirty taels a day.
"I need the village chief to send someone to deliver flowers to the shop for me every day."
"Yes, you have helped us a lot. The village will take care of the transportation, so you don't need to pay any extra wages."
"Okay," Lu Tingwan raised his abacus, "Feng Xin, bring me some paper and pen."
Lu Tingwan drafted a contract based on the matters agreed upon by both parties.
The contract was complete, and Lu Tingwan felt relieved. She stood by the window, the sunlight falling on her silhouette, gazing out at the flower fields in the distance. The shop was about to open, and everything needed to be prepared quickly.
Feng Xin stood beside her and asked softly, "Second Madam, are you going back to the city?"
Lu Tingwan opened her arms and embraced the wind blowing from the flower fields. "Go back to the city and prepare for the opening."
She had to choose the flowers needed for the opening ceremony. Different types of flowers had different prices, and the village chief would mix the appropriate amount in each load based on the value of the flowers.
Lu Tingwan personally went to the fields to select the products she needed, and didn't return to the city until the next day. After entering the city, she went around to Fenglin Lane in the west. During her absence, the shop renovations were left unsupervised, and she was very worried.
The carpenter worked step by step according to the drawings. Lu Tingwan supervised the work in the shop for half a day. He rushed back to Cheng's house after dark and still entered quietly through the back door.
Passing Yansheng Hall from the back door, there was a road that happened to overlap with the study. She was turning the corner and stepping into Yansheng Hall from the corridor when she saw Cheng Xianzhi seeing off Han Zhou. He was standing under the courtyard wall in deep thought. The night wind carried the remaining warmth of the day. As the corner of her eye passed by, she vaguely saw a figure entering Yansheng Hall.
The person beneath the moon was lost in thought. The Empress Dowager's eyes had been fixed on the matter for nearly ten days, yet there had been no movement. Her patience was remarkable, yet it was somewhat puzzling. He had already developed a plan for dealing with the situation since accepting the Lu family girl into his mansion. Compared to Lu Tingwan, such an apparently uneasy relationship required no further consideration. However, with Gongsun Xue, leaving it unresolved for too long was not a good idea.
Cang Zhu himself broke his contemplation. Cheng Xianzhi, dressed in a plain robe, stood upright, like a clear light covering the blue sky. Everyone who saw him sighed at his brightness and brightness.
"Master, the pen and ink are ready, please."
Cheng Fuzhi turned around, his sleeves fluttering lightly, as if sweeping away the ups and downs of the day, and the clear light sprinkled on the Cheng Mansion. Lu Tingwan sat in the Yansheng Hall to enjoy the cool air, planning the matters before opening. Feng Xin locked the contract in her dowry box.
Lu Tingwan smelled the cool breeze, which carried a hint of the strong fragrance of white orchids.
The night gradually darkened, the full moon passed over the eaves and hung obliquely in front of the window. Under the bright moon, she picked up her pen and wrote quickly. Three large and elegant characters with silvery strokes came down on the rice paper - Zhichunli!
This is the name of the new store, Zhichunli.
She was very satisfied, and then she picked up the rice paper and looked at the full moon outside the window. It seemed as if she saw the dim light rolling in from the dome. That was the fire she had lit in Fenglin Lane, and it would shine brightly in the future due to her efforts.
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