novelhk Chapter 184 The Chosen Partner
Chapter 184 The Chosen Partner
"Is what my sister said true?" Qin Suyue was delighted. This was the idea she had in mind when she thought about buying the soap formula.
"Of course." Cheng Shuang picked up a bottle of rose water and asked, "How much does this bottle of rose water cost in your store?"
There were so many items in the store that Qin Suyue couldn't remember the exact amount. She answered, "It should be more than two taels of silver."
Cheng Shuang silently said to herself, "It's so expensive!" Then she said, "A bottle of floral dew like this can make twenty or thirty bars of soap. How about we set the price at one or two ounces of silver and split the profits fifty-fifty?"
Qin Suyue calculated in her mind that a bottle of floral dew weighing more than two taels could be made into soap and sold for twenty or thirty taels. A 50-50 split would be several times the previous profit. Only a fool would disagree.
Adding the profits from soap, her bet of doubling her profits in a year might actually be fulfilled.
Thinking of this, Qin Suyue looked at Cheng Shuang as if she was looking at a savior. It must be that God took pity on her because she was ostracized and targeted by her family, and sent someone to help her.
She held Cheng Shuang's hand and said, "Sister, let's do as you said and cooperate."
"Sister Qin, take a look at this." Cheng Shuang put the basket of shampoo soap on the table. "This is the shampoo soap I made with soapberry and honey locust."
Qin Suyue took a piece of opened oil paper and found it was a piece of soap in the shape of a flower, which smelled faintly fragrant.
Cheng Shuang said, "This shampoo soap not only cleanses but also nourishes the scalp. However, if we want to produce it in large quantities, we need to find someone who grows soapberries and honey locusts. Sister Qin should know someone who grows these things. Could you help introduce them to someone?"
Qin Suyue chuckled with delight, "What a coincidence! My farm outside the city has a whole mountain of soapberries and honey locusts planted on it. Since the profit from these two crops in the store is very meager, I was thinking about cutting them down and planting flowers."
"We're a perfect match." Cheng Shuang was stunned for a moment before she smiled. "It's just like the soap. Sister Qin will provide the soapberries and honey locusts, and I'll be responsible for making the shampoo soap. How about setting the price for the shampoo soap at 800 wen, and still splitting the profits 50-50?"
Qin Suyue picked up the teapot and poured tea for Cheng Shuang herself. "I'll do as you say."
The children couldn't sit still, so Qin Suyue asked two maids to take them to the first floor for a stroll and chat with Cheng Shuang about some details of the cooperation and the issue of delivering materials.
Not long after, the guy downstairs came up and knocked on the door, asking if the newly delivered soap could be sold directly at the counter.
Cheng Shuang and Qin Suyue opened the door together and asked the clerk to take out three hundred yuan. They specifically reminded everyone to limit purchases to two yuan each to prevent other shops from hoarding goods and raising prices for profit.
Then the two of them stood on the second floor and looked downstairs.
Fu Ya Zhai was very famous, and any good thing it produced would quickly become a trend in the city. The soap could be used to wash clothes, hands, and bathe, and it only cost five hundred coins. This was nothing to the wealthy people in the city, and even if it was just to follow the trend or to use it as a topic of conversation, they all wanted to buy a piece.
As soon as the clerk carried the box out, a large group of customers rushed over, clamoring to buy it.
"Don't push, don't push, everyone gets a share!" The guys shouted loudly to maintain order.
"Leave me ten bars of soap. My wife wants the best!"
"I came here first, I want twenty dollars!"
"Hey, don't squeeze in the back, I want ten dollars, give it to me first."
"Who stepped on my foot?"
The scene was in chaos. The waiter shouted, "Everyone line up and come one by one, otherwise we won't sell it today. Our boss said we don't have much stock, so each person can only buy two pieces at most!"
This shout did have some effect, and the crowd began to become a little more orderly.
It was only three hundred yuan, and it was sold out in no time.
A middle-aged man with a square face and well-dressed finally snatched a piece. After opening it and studying it for a while, he went to ask the waiter about it.
Qin Suyue was also shocked by the hot scene, "Sister, it looks like your supply will have to increase."
"No rush, the hunger marketing trend will last longer." Cheng Shuang said, "I'm building a workshop now. When the shampoo soap and various soaps are available, we can further refine the functions of each type and reclassify the unscented soap as laundry soap. Two hundred yuan a day will be enough."
Qin Suyue smiled and said, "My sister seems to be quite knowledgeable about business, and doesn't seem to come from a farming background."
Cheng Shuang blinked. "Maybe this is what we call a gifted talent. My brain works really fast to make money."
As the two were talking, the waiter led someone upstairs and came to their side.
"This is our boss. That's Madam Wei. She makes the soap."
The man was surprised to see two beautiful young ladies and quickly bowed. "My name is He. I'm a businessman from Nanzhou Prefecture. I'm here looking for business opportunities. I'd like to discuss the purchase of soap with you two ladies."
The two exchanged glances, and Cheng Shuang spoke up, "A merchant from Nanzhou? You want to buy soap from me and ship it back to Nanzhou to sell?"
"That's right." Boss He produced his identification. "I promise I won't sell the goods within Dongzhou. Could you elaborate?"
Cheng Shuang saw that the identity document was stamped with an official seal, so it should not be a fake, but she didn't understand these things, so she asked Qin Suyue to take a look as well. The two whispered for a while, and after verifying the identity, they invited the person to the inner room for tea.
When someone came to purchase goods, they naturally wouldn't just sell unscented soap. After the two of them tried to sell it, Boss He finally placed an order for 3,000 yuan worth of unscented soap and 2,000 yuan worth of shampoo soap.
The purchase price is one hundred wen lower than the store selling price, and as for how much they sell it for when they ship it back, that is not their concern.
Cheng Shuang quickly wrote a pick-up order and attached the pick-up address, asking him to pick up the goods at Chengjia Village ten days later.
Cheng Pan took the abacus and calculated quickly, and soon he figured out the price of the goods. The 10% deposit was 260 taels.
After paying the deposit, Boss He received the pick-up slip and left.
Cheng Shuang still had to take her two younger brothers shopping. After Cheng Pan calculated the payment for today's and previous deliveries, he took 70% of the profit, which was 197 taels and 7 cents, and then said goodbye.
There are many fun places in the city, and children love lively places, so Cheng Shuang took them to the busiest Jinhua Street.
It wasn't far, they could just walk to the end and turn a corner, so they didn't get in the carriage and just walked there, letting the carriage follow behind them.
As you step into the street, noisy sounds come into your ears. The streets are lined with a variety of stalls, and your ears are filled with the shouts of snack vendors.
Cheng Shuang was in a good mood, throwing the first money she earned from soap in her hands, and said to her younger brothers and sisters, "Buy whatever you like."
But having said that, the two younger brothers and Cheng Pan just looked and didn't buy anything. They didn't want this or that, and only asked for a string of candied haws each.
Cheng Shuang was helpless, and she could understand it. They were used to being poor, and their family's good life didn't last long.
She didn't ask any questions and started shopping. She bought all kinds of snacks, handicrafts, small ornaments, needlework, shoes and socks, rice paper, inkstone, books, calligraphy and paintings, pearl hairpins, jewelry, etc., one by one and put them in the carriage.
There were also family members who didn’t come, and each of them bought something.
After finishing shopping and figuring there was still some time, Cheng Shuang bought two boxes of snacks and a box of fine tea, planning to go to the Lu Mansion.
I haven't been to the Lu Mansion for so long since I moved here. After all, they are old acquaintances. Moreover, I happened to bring my two younger brothers with me today. They are about the same age as Yuanbao, so it is just right to visit them.