GBP Chapter 295 Selling Turmeric
Chapter 295 Selling Turmeric
If he had that much turmeric, wouldn't he be laughing in his sleep?
However, if the manager finds out that he has met such a big seller of turmeric, he will surely praise him. This can be considered a big deal for the opening day.
Before Uncle Shuisheng could speak, Lin Xiaotang said with a smile, "Don't ask us how we got so much. First, find your manager and negotiate the price with us. Then we'll tell you where this turmeric came from. Don't worry, we didn't steal or rob it. We got it all through our own abilities."
The waiter was slightly taken aback and looked the three of them up and down.
The man was tall and strong. Although he wore a coarse cotton coat, his clothes were clean and tidy. He was not particularly handsome, but he had a spirited appearance. The boy next to him was a little older than the girl. Although he was dressed plainly, the boy had an innate air of nobility and did not look like a country bumpkin. The girl next to him had bright eyes and was clearly clever. She did not have the naivety that a six or seven-year-old should have.
An adult and two children, driving two horse-drawn carriages, and carrying so much turmeric, seemed unremarkable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they didn't seem like ordinary country folk.
He had overlooked these things just now; perhaps they really do have some skills.
The waiter realized what was happening and immediately changed his attitude, saying politely, "Gentlemen, standing outside must be tiring. Why don't we go inside and talk? I'll arrange for someone to notify the manager to come and discuss the price with you properly."
Shui Sheng nodded in agreement, "Okay, we still have things to take care of back home. If we can reach an agreement on the price today, we'll sell the car to you first. If we can't reach an agreement, we'll just have to take it back and deal with it later."
what?
If the negotiations fail, are we going to have to take it back?
If we can't buy all of this turmeric and let them take it elsewhere to sell, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Such high-quality, large, and fresh turmeric could surely make a fortune for a pharmacy if it were sold elsewhere.
The shopkeeper hurriedly said, "Oh dear, don't worry, everyone. Our manager is the most honest and fair person. Your turmeric is so good, the manager will definitely give you a good price. Since you've come to our Baicaotang, you must know that there are several pharmacies, big and small, in the whole Pingding County. Only our Baicaotang has the most complete selection of medicinal herbs and the fairest prices. If you take this turmeric to other pharmacies, let alone two and a half coins per ounce, you'll probably only get two coins per ounce. Even if you raise the price, it won't be higher than ours. I'll give you two and a half coins right away. If you talk to the manager, you might be able to get a higher price. Think about it yourselves. Am I trying to cheat you?"
The man wasn't wrong; he hadn't lied to them. After all, Lin Xiaotang and her father had come here to inquire about prices last year, and a few days ago she had also asked at a pharmacy in Dushui County, where the prices weren't as high as in Pingding County.
Actually, she was quite puzzled.
Dushui County is located near a ferry crossing, attracting a large number of merchants and traders. Business is booming regardless of the type of trade. However, the prices offered by the herbal medicine shops in Dushui County are not as good as those in Pingding County.
She suppressed her confusion and followed Uncle Shuisheng into the pharmacy with Xiao Jiu. The shop assistant led them into a small private room, where the waiter served each of them a cup of tea and immediately told another shop assistant to run out and find the manager.
The manager's house wasn't far away, and they arrived at the pharmacy in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. They followed the clerk who had just served them into a private room.
The shop assistant introduced to the manager, "Manager Xu, these are the people who came to sell turmeric. The two carts outside are loaded with turmeric, probably several hundred to a thousand catties."
What?
Hundreds or thousands of kilograms of turmeric?
Are you kidding me?
No one can gather so much turmeric all at once. Even if you go up the mountain to dig, you can't dig up this much in one go.
He scolded, "How have I taught you to make such a fuss in front of guests? If you're selling turmeric, just say you're selling turmeric. How could you possibly have two carts full of turmeric? You're just bragging."
The waiter was reprimanded by the manager and felt wronged.
"Manager, there really are two carriages of ginger. If you don't believe me, come with me and you'll see if I'm bragging."
The manager naturally didn't believe it. He had lived to such an old age and had managed the pharmacy for his employer for many years. He had seen countless medicinal herbs in the world, but he had never seen such a large quantity of herbs before.
He first smiled at Shui Sheng, then turned stern to his servant, "Since you say you're not bragging, then take me to see it now. If you're lying to me, watch out..."
Manager Xu is always strict and likes to make harsh remarks, but he is always polite to everyone and will not cause trouble when something happens. The employees are not afraid of his sharp tongue but soft heart.
Shui Sheng stood up, clasped his hands in a salute to Manager Xu, and said with a smile, "Manager Xu, I've long heard that you're a fair person. I brought turmeric here today specifically to discuss the price with you. Your servant wasn't lying; I did bring two cartloads of turmeric. Take a look at the quality first, and we'll agree on the price and weigh it. There will be a large quantity to follow."
Manager Xu was shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Is the turmeric in the two carriages real?"
Shui Sheng nodded confidently, "It's true, come and see for yourself."
After saying that, he led the steward out of the private room and towards the carriage outside the pharmacy so that Steward Xu could see for himself.
Manager Xu only glanced at it before he immediately gasped, as if he had been frightened.
He exclaimed, “Heavens, is this really true? I’ve never seen anything like it before. Today I’ve truly broadened my horizons. How are you so capable that you managed to get so much turmeric all at once? I’ve lived half my life and never heard of any mountain in the surrounding counties where medicinal herbs could be dug up in such large quantities.”
Shui Sheng smiled but didn't say anything. Before coming, Xiao Tang had repeatedly told him not to tell the pharmacy that they could grow medicinal herbs in large quantities before they reached an agreement on the price, because she was afraid that if the pharmacy knew that they had a large quantity, they would not be able to sell it all and would lower the price.
"Manager Xu, let's talk about the price first. Once we've agreed on the price, you'll naturally understand how we managed to get so much turmeric."
Manager Xu's eyes darted around, and he readily agreed, "Alright, let's talk about the price first!"
A waiter whispered to the manager that he had just told Shuisheng that the turmeric had been sold for two and a half coins. The manager's expression remained normal and he waved his hand, telling the waiter to get back to work.
"Young man, my buddy has already told you the truth. Turmeric from outside sells for two and a half coins at our pharmacy. But today, because your turmeric is large, uniform in size, and has a bright and vibrant color, I'll give you two coins and sixty cents a tael. How about that?"
Two coins for sixty-one taels?
That definitely won’t work!
So, they were working so hard, wasting time and energy, and even losing money selling seeds in the early stages. They only earned six taels of silver for a thousand catties of turmeric. What was the point of all that work?
It would be better to braise another pot of pig's trotters and negotiate a new restaurant partnership.
Lin Xiaotang immediately whispered to Uncle Shuisheng, "Uncle Shuisheng, two coins and sixty cents is not a good deal. The lowest price is two coins and ninety cents."
Although Shuisheng is outgoing and not afraid of challenges, he is ultimately just an ordinary countryman and is not good at negotiating prices.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Xiao Tang, you're good with words. Why don't you negotiate the price? I'm afraid we might not reach an agreement and things will go wrong."
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Lin Xiaotang smiled faintly as she took out a few stalks of turmeric and said, “Manager Xu, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for us to be doing business right at the entrance of the pharmacy? It’s getting late, and everyone should have finished breakfast and be heading to the market soon. It wouldn’t be good if people heard us doing this. Why don’t we go back to a private room and talk in detail?”
Manager Xu slapped his forehead in frustration and said, "Look how confused I was! How can we talk here? When the guests come up, there will be a lot of people coming and going. If they hear that our purchase price is really not good, it will be a disaster."
He couldn't hide his excitement and led Shui Sheng and Lin Xiaotang into the pharmacy with a smile. Just then, a customer came in to get medicine, and the shop assistants got busy.
This time, Manager Xu personally poured tea for everyone.
Shui Sheng said politely, "Manager Xu, please don't bother. We're not thirsty as we've just come from home. The young man at the pharmacy has already poured us some tea."
Lin Xiaotang thought to herself, "Uncle Shuisheng is too honest. Serving tea is just his way of showing hospitality; if you're not thirsty, you can simply leave it as is. Bringing it up specifically seems a bit awkward."
Xiao Jiu picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying, "Thank you for the tea, Steward Xu." He immediately added, "Uncle Shuisheng, this tea is quite delicious. Would you like to try some?"
Just as Shui Sheng was about to refuse, Lin Xiaotang quickly gave him a wink, signaling him to keep quiet. So he picked up the tea and drank it little by little, just like Xiao Jiu had done.
To be honest, this teacup is so small that even half a cup isn't enough for him to drink in just a few sips. It's neither thirst-quenching nor satisfying. He doesn't understand how rich people are so particular about things. He just doesn't get it!
Manager Xu poured himself a cup of tea and slowly savored it. The private room was so quiet it was almost awkward. Seeing that no one was mentioning the price of turmeric, Manager Xu started to get impatient.
After a long silence, he finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke first, asking, "Have any of you inquired about the current price of turmeric?"
"Three coins per ounce."
Manager Xu nodded and said, "That's right. These days, turmeric sells for three copper coins per tael to customers. I'm offering you two copper coins and six taels to buy it, which is already quite a good price. Our pharmacy doesn't make much money after deducting rent and labor costs. We should be understanding of each other in business, shouldn't we?"
Lin Xiaotang smiled and said, "Manager Xu makes sense, but he's not entirely right. Whether we sell turmeric to you or not, your shops still need rent and labor costs. But it's different if we sell turmeric to you. Our turmeric is top-notch in both size and quality. The key is that we have a large quantity. As long as you can consume it, we can get even more. You don't need to worry about anything; we'll deliver it directly to your door. You can just resell it and make money. It's very cost-effective."
Manager Xu's smile faded. He was surprised for a moment, thinking to himself that this little girl was really something else. At such a young age, she knew more than adults and could talk about business with great expertise. She was truly impressive.
Could she be the legendary old child who only grows older but not taller?
However, looking at her small, innocent-looking face, she didn't seem like someone with a problem.
Manager Xu sighed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll raise the price a bit more, two copper coins and seven taels a tael, so we can all make a profit, okay?"
Lin Xiaotang thought to herself, the pharmacy sells to customers for three copper coins per ounce, but the quality of the ones they grow is different, so the price they sell to customers will definitely be different. Since the selling price is different, there must be room for negotiation.
The manager was only willing to offer 2.71 wen, which was not a high price. They had bought it for 2 wen, and it wouldn't be worthwhile if the profit was too low.
She asked, "Manager Xu, what do you think of our turmeric?"
Manager Xu held the turmeric and sighed, "These turmerics are large, uniform, and juicy. They were also dug out intact. Excellent!"
"Since Manager Xu also thinks our turmeric is good, isn't it a bit low to offer two or seven coins for one or two?"
Manager Xu paused, looking somewhat embarrassed.
He looked troubled and said, "Your turmeric is indeed very good, but I can't afford such a high price. Our pharmacy only sells it for three coins per ounce."
If the price is higher, then the employer will have to make the decision.
Seeing that Manager Xu was unwilling to budge, Lin Xiaotang rolled her eyes and continued, "Manager Xu, we are all business people. You have a wide network of connections and don't necessarily have to sell in pharmacies. You can sell to places where you can make more money. We have channels to get more turmeric, and we will definitely guarantee large quantities and high quality. At that time, you can make a profit by selling more at a lower profit margin."
As the saying goes, even a fly's leg is meat. You open a pharmacy to make money, so whether you earn a little more or a little less doesn't matter. The important thing is to have another way to make money, right?
Upon hearing this, Manager Xu felt a slight sense of relief.
He said in surprise, "You little girl, how do you know so much at such a young age? You are so eloquent. I have really learned something today. I have to admit defeat when it comes to eloquence."
Lin Xiaotang smiled and said, "Manager Xu, you are too modest. In terms of vision, knowledge, and eloquence, I am far inferior to you. I am a novice and do not know much. I will have to rely on Manager Xu's generous guidance in the future."
Manager Xu beamed at Lin Xiaotang's words, shaking his head and saying with a smile, "You little girl, you really have a silver tongue. I don't know how lucky your parents are to have such a clever and quick-witted daughter. It's truly enviable."
Well, although this little girl is young, what she said is indeed true. They brought in so much turmeric all at once. Judging from what they said, if the price is agreed upon, there will be more in the future. Moreover, the quality of the turmeric they brought in is indeed the best. Even if sold in a pharmacy, it would not be as cheap as ordinary turmeric, which only sells for three coins per ounce.
In his opinion, even an ounce could sell for three or four coins.
However, there was no precedent for this, and he was unsure what to do.
He made up his mind and said, "How about this, you wait patiently for a while, I will send a waiter to call the boss and let him talk to you about the price. If the boss is willing to raise the price for you, that would be good luck. If the boss is not willing to raise the price, then I will raise it to two and a half coins at most, no more than that."
Lin Xiaotang and Uncle Shuisheng exchanged a glance and agreed.