Zhuye brought in tea and pastries. She handed the tea to Wu Gao and said, "Please drink the tea, Gongzi[1]" After saying this, she took the tray and retreated.
Shiliu brought Yuxi a cup of grape juice. It was time for Yuxi to have grapes, and she would drink a cup daily.
Wu Gao did not drink the tea and waited for Yuxi to finish half a cup of her juice before saying, "Madam, this Wu has taken the liberty of coming here to discuss the business of military provisions."
No one else was in the room then, so Yuxi didn't play games with Wu Kuo as she asked directly, "It's not difficult to get this job, but I want to know, what price are you willing to offer?" Since Wu Kuo could come to her door, he must have reached some kind of agreement with Han Jianming. Although Han Jianming was also in it for the profit and didn't discuss it with his meimei[2], she still had to give him some face.
Wu Gao asked, "What does Madam Yun think about reducing the price by 10% from the original?" The price offered by the Xu family was four wen[3], so a reduction of 10% would be equivalent to three point six wen[3] per jin[4] of grain.
Yuxi proposed, "One dan[5] of old grain is two hundred and sixteen wen[3]; one dan[5] of new grain is three hundred and thirty-six. What does Wu Gongzi[1] think?" In the barracks, everything was all measured in dan[5].
Wu Kuo shook his head and said, "Madam Yun, if you lower the price by 30%, I won't be able to earn a single profit, and I can't do this business anymore."
Yuxi pointed out, "A jin[4] of grain in the capital is only three wen[3]. Do you think it is credible for you to say that two point eight wen[3] for a jin[4] is not profitable when Jiangnan is known as the land of fish and rice[6]?"
Wu Gao placed the ivory folding fan in his hand on the table and said, "It's only profitable in terms of price. But the problem is the journey from Jiangnan to Yu City, which is not only a long distance away but also infested with bandits; in addition, we have to bring orders back and forth. Madam Yun, the cost of safely transporting the grain and fodder to Yu City will not be a small amount. If you cut the price by 30% all at once, I will have no profit at all."
When it came to making a deal, the idea was to set a starting price and then let everyone haggle over it. "What is the most appropriate price, according to Wu Gongzi[1]?"
Wu Kuo replied, "I'll take a step back as well. Fifteen per cent, that's my bottom line." That was still a considerable amount of money, even if the percentage was cut in half.
Yuxi pondered momentarily before deciding, "The price will be reduced by 20%, and I want to take 20% of the shares on top of that." It was already very generous of her not to even ask for thirty per cent.
When Wu Kuo heard this decision, he almost vomited blood. Not only did she lower the price of grain and fodder, but she also wanted to take up some shares, which would give Yun Qing a good name and benefit herself. She was such a calculating person! Wu Guo shook his head. "Madam Yun, your appetite is too great."
Yuxi chuckled, drank the remaining half cup of grape juice, wiped her lips with a handkerchief and smiled, "I'm only asking for 20% for my big brother's sake. Otherwise......" Otherwise, it would have been a different number. It was just that some words didn't need to be said so directly.
After weighing the situation in his heart, Wu Kuo said, "I can give Madam 20% of the shares, but the price can only be reduced by 15%."
Yuxi shook her head. "This is not negotiable. Otherwise, my husband would disagree. If you feel that the price is too low for you to accept, then there is nothing I can do." In other words, if he couldn't accept it, he was not up to the job.
Wu Kuo looked at Yuxi, who didn't care about him at all, and said, "Madam, our Wu family not only deals in rice and grain but also in medicinal herbs. If Madam......"
Yuxi shook her head, interrupting Wu Kuo's words. "There is no need to discuss this matter any further. I can't interfere with the medicinal herb business." She planned to bring down the price of the herbs, but she didn't want to offend the Zhao family.
Wu Kuo was a little disappointed. After all, trading medicinal herbs was the most profitable. However, he also knew that Yun Qing had a close relationship with the Zhao family, which would make it difficult for him to get this deal. Just by seeing how deep the connection between Yun Qing and the Zhao family was, he couldn't make Yun Qing turn against them for this benefit. "Madam Yun, in addition to your brother's shares in this business, my cousin also has some. If you take another 20%, I won't be able to pay enough to run these errands." The meaning of Wu Kuo's words was very clear. Either Yuxi would not lower the price, or she would reduce her share.
Yuxi leaned back in her chair and spoke after contemplating, "Since Wu Gongzi[1] has taken a step back, I will do the same. I only need 15% of the shares. If you still think that's too much, there's no need to discuss it further." Originally, she wanted 30% of the shares, but now it had been reduced to 15%, which was already her bottom line.
Wu Kuo was stunned. He had thought that Yuxi would make concessions on the price, but he hadn't expected her to compromise her own interests rather than raise the price any further. "Madam Yun, please allow me to think about this first."
Yuxi agreed to his request. "I'll give you three days to think about it." This sentence was already clear enough, even without using the word 'deadline'.
After leaving the Yun Mansion, Wu Shun asked in a hushed voice, "Eldest Master, are you sure you want to reduce the price by 20%?" That was a hell of a price reduction.[T/C]
Wu Kuo said, "One bite won't make you a big fat man[8]. Let's take it one step at a time." He had always known that Han Shi was difficult to deal with, but only today did he realise that she was not like that but a person who had already made up her mind.
Wu Shun muttered, "Eldest Master, if this matter gets spread back to Jiangnan, someone will surely say something again." With the price reduced to such a low level, those people would surely say it was due to the Eldest Master's incompetence. If the Second Master had personally stepped in, it certainly wouldn't have ended like this. Every time Wu Shun heard such mockery, he would become furious.[T/C]
Wu Kuo said nonchalantly, "Since their mouths are on themselves, they are free to say whatever they want. It's not like we'll lose a piece of flesh." From childhood to adulthood, his Er Di[10] had been his constant source of pressure. When Wu Kuo was little, he was very resentful of him, but he finally figured it out as he got older. There was nothing his Er Di[10] could do in their current situation. Since their father wasn't muddleheaded, he would never hand over the family business to his Er Di[10]. So, there was actually nothing for Wu Kuo to be offended about.[T/C]
Wu Shun lowered his head and said nothing.
Wu Kuo didn't think about it for long and replied the same evening that he accepted the terms offered by Yuxi.
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
With this news, Yuxi called Han Dong and said, "Let the Zhao family know that the Wu family also wants to do the medicinal herb business, and the price they are offering is much lower than that of the Zhao family."
Han Dong nodded. "Yes."
The people of the Zhao family soon found out about this piece of news and immediately reported it to Madam Zhao. "Madam, this matter is troublesome."
Madam Zhao kept her composure as she ordered, "Send this news to Xinping City. They will know what to do."
Da Nainai[12] Zhao asked anxiously, "Mom, if this is true, what should we do?" General Zhao's house also owned half of the shares. One shouldn't be fooled by the fact that they owned half of it, the annual shared profits were not only to feed their family, but it was also a part of their savings. If they lost this business, their lives would not be as generous as now.
Madam Zhao couldn't help but sigh. She had such an impatient daughter-in-law. How would this daughter-in-law of hers be able to raise the status of their house in the future if she was like this? "Yun Qing won't give the medicinal herb business to the Wu family." Even if the Wu family was financially strong, Yun Qing couldn't hand over the task of providing military provisions and medicinal herbs to one family. Besides, the Zhao family was Yun Qing's ally, so if he had a dispute with his ally over a small benefit, it would send a chill through other people's hearts. Therefore, Yun Qing would not do something like smashing his own feet with a stone.
Da Nainai[12] Zhao wondered, "Then what's with this piece of news about? It couldn't have come out of thin air!" Speaking of which, her eyes suddenly lit up as she exclaimed, "Mother, is it possible that Han Shi wants a share of the profits?" Yun Qing was terrible with money, but Han Shi was different.
Madam Zhao made a sound of agreement. "Han Shi also wants a piece of the pie." The medicinal herb business wasn't something the Zhao family kept to themselves. In the past, they had also sent 20% of the dividends to the Qin family. It was just that when Yuxi rejected Er Nainai[13] Zhao's proposal last time, the Zhao family deliberately didn't mention the dividend, just to see how Yun Qing and Yuxi would react.
Da Nainai[12] Zhao said, ''Mom, is it possible for me to visit Han Shi tomorrow and talk to her about this matter? The longer this thing drags on, the worse it will get. That Han Shi is not exactly a vegetarian[14]!"
Madam Zhao thought for a moment before saying, ''Tomorrow, tell your Dimei[15] to go over and let her probe to see what Han Shi means. If she responds willingly, this matter will naturally go away. If she has other requests, we'll see what your Dabo[16] wants then."
Da Nainai[12] Zhao replied, "That's fair enough. I just hope Han Shi doesn't ask for too much." She felt that Yuxi hadn't agreed to take the shares that day because she thought it was too little.
Madam Zhao said, "It's not necessarily that she will be opening her mouth wide like a lion[17]. I'm just worried that she's going to force the price down." The news would not have been released for no reason, so Madam Zhao suspected Yuxi was trying to drive down the price. It would be more problematic than Yuxi asking for more shares if that were true. If Yuxi lowered the price by 10%, they would have 10% less profit.
After thinking about it, she told Da Nainai[12] Zhao, "Have someone send a message back now, saying that Yun Qing and Han Shi want to lower the price so they can send someone over to discuss this matter."
Da Nainai[12] Zhao replied, "Mom, I'm on my way."
That afternoon, Yuxi received a visitation notice from the Zhao family. When she saw the notice in big red letters, Yuxi smiled because she hadn't expected the Zhao family to be so eager. The more eager they were, the more it showed that this business was significant to them. "Tell the people of the Zhao family that I won't be free these two days and ask them to come back in three days."
In the evening, Yuxi told Yun Qing the conditions she had discussed with Wu Kuo: "We only managed to reduce the price by 20%. It couldn't go further than that."
Yun Qing said with a smile, ''It is already excellent to lower the price by 20%. We can save a lot of money by next year. We can use that money to purchase other things." He was thinking of buying new quilts and cotton-padded clothes for the soldiers.
After hearing Yun Qing's plan, Yuxi suggested, "This matter can be handed to the Wu family. The area around Jiangnan is rich in cotton. We can give this job to the Wu family. I believe they will be more than happy to do this business." Of course, it would have to be at a preferential price.
Yun Qing thought this was a good idea and nodded, "Yes."
Yuxi did not want to discuss the medicinal herb business with Yun Qing right now: "He Rui, didn't you say you want to marry Yan Shi out? I already have a candidate. He is a seventh-grade general surnamed Zeng......" Although Huo Changqing told her to find a commoner, for a person like Yan Shi, Yuxi also didn't have the heart to marry her out to a commoner.
Without waiting for Yuxi to finish her sentence, Yun Qing said, "This is your decision. There's no need to discuss it with me." He really wasn't interested in knowing what kind of person Yan Shi would marry. Instead of focusing his interest on this matter, it would be much more interesting to amuse his precious daughter a little more.
Seeing his reaction, Yuxi said nothing more.
Footnotes Full List
- a son of nobility
- younger sister
- I'd used the term 'copper coin' in the previous chapter, but I've decided to change it to its original Pinyin term, which is wen, an old classifier term for coins.
- a traditional unit of weight, each containing 10 liang (市两) or 16 old liang (旧市两) and equivalent to 0.5 kilogram or 1.102 pounds
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to ten dou 斗 or 100 jin. https://www.chinasage.info/measures.htm
- Chinese idiom: fertile region
- The author wrote Guo Shun here, but she named Wu Kuo’s aide as Wu Shun in the previous chapter. 🤦🏻♀️ And the following paragraphs, she used Wu Shun. So, I decided to change his name to Wu Shun.
- Chinese idiom: goals cannot be achieved instantly
- But why do I feel Second Master Wu will reach the same result as his brother? 🤔
- er=second, di=younger brother, short form for Didi
- Can I call Wu Kuo a naive man? If his Er Di was a greedy one, he could stage his older brother's death and get his hands on the family business since he was the next in line to inherit it anyway. Who knows, right?
- da=eldest, nainai=a young mistress of a family
- er=second, nainai=a young mistress of a family
- an easy person to deal with
- younger brother's wife; sister-in-law
- eldest brother-in-law. I think she was referring to Yun Qing?
- fig. to demand an unfairly large amount of money or/and goods
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi