allonlinenovel Chapter 128 We've boarded the big ship, ready to take off!
Chapter 128 We've boarded the big ship, ready to take off!
But harmony brings wealth, so let's avoid further complications. How about we split the cost of this hand cream business equally among the three of us, and divide the profits 40/60?
"You came up with the recipe, so you get 40% of the profits, while Ying-jie and I get 60% together."
Cheng Ruoan smiled and shook his head: "I'll provide all the capital, and we'll split the profits 50/50, with me taking 50%."
"You!" Madam Guo's eyes widened. "Do you know who I am? In the entire North, no one dares to talk to me about a 50/50 split."
This Cheng Er Niangzi is really quite ungrateful!
So many people in the north wanted to partner with her in business, but she never gave them the chance. She only agreed to meet Cheng Ruoan because of Zhao Xuejin.
Cheng Ruoan is indeed quite capable, but he is far too arrogant.
Madam Guo's face fell, her expression turning ashen, as if she were about to order her maid to slap Cheng Ruo'an.
Cheng Ruoan remained unfazed, still smiling faintly. "Madam Guo, please calm down. You are the mistress of the General's Mansion, a second-rank imperial consort of the Great Xia Dynasty. How could I dare to offend you so casually?"
Madam Guo and Zhao Xuejin were both taken aback upon hearing this, and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Mrs. Guo: Did you tell her my identity?
Zhao Dongjia: I didn't.
Mrs. Guo: How did she know that?!
Zhao Dongjia: I don't know either.
Seeing the two exchanging knowing glances, Cheng Ruoan guessed what was going on. She simply took a sip of her tea and didn't explain how she knew.
How can this be explained?
Si Shaoheng explained it all to her.
The general guarding the border in the north is surnamed Guo. Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, General Guo's family has been stationed in the north, with three generations of the family guarding the northern frontier.
Not to mention the entire family of loyal martyrs, from the old lady to the young ladies of the mansion, they were all people of loyalty and righteousness.
According to Si Shaoheng, General Guo is a Grand General Who Protects the Nation, a first-rank military officer.
General Guo is currently a Weiyuan General, a second-rank military officer.
The letter that Xu, the registrar, sent said that Guo's wife was his second wife, the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan, more than ten years younger than Guo, and now in her early thirties.
Before General Guo's first wife passed away, he had already requested an imperial title for her. Now, there is no way that Madam Guo can have an imperial title again, unless her son earns one for her.
But when Madam Guo married into the northern region with a dowry of 100,000, it was already quite a sensation. The following year, when the northern border was in turmoil and the army was short of funds, she used all of her dowry to buy food and supplies to send to the northern army.
The emperor, moved by her loyalty and righteousness, granted General Guo permission to petition for her to be granted an imperial title again.
If Cheng Ruoan had only heard Zhao Dongjia call her "Madam Guo," she still wouldn't have dared to make any connection between the two.
But the gifts Madam Guo just gave her were all famous products from Jiangnan, and given the imposing manner with which she was discussing business with her, it's hard not to equate the two.
With these thoughts in mind, Cheng Ruoan sincerely flattered Madam Guo.
I admire her loyalty and righteousness, and I admire even more her ability to manage her household and her talent for business.
In short, he showered Madam Guo with compliments, which completely overwhelmed her.
In addition, Zhao Xuejin really valued Cheng Ruoan's abilities and kept mediating between them. "Sister Ying, I told you Ruoan is a wonderful person. Look at her, she's so quick-witted and clever."
Doesn't this remind you of us back then? What a wonderful coincidence! Let's split it 50/50, just consider it adding another sister.
Madam Guo quickly calmed down, only humming in feigned displeasure, "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation that must be split 50/50."
Cheng Ruoan also had a sweet tongue and directly begged for mercy with a smile: "Don't think that I'm being domineering and insisting on taking the lion's share, ladies."
I really have to personally oversee every aspect of production and can't delegate anything to others. It wouldn't be right for you to pay for it and then all the workers in the workshop would just listen to me, would it?
Wouldn't that further diminish the dignity and status of the two elder sisters?
“That’s true, after all, we don’t know medicine or pharmacology… Sister Ying, don’t you think so?” Zhao Xuejin asked Madam Guo, but gave Cheng Ruoan a wink.
Cheng Ruoan's ears turned red immediately.
He buried his head in his tea, remaining silent and waiting for Madam Guo to nod in agreement.
“That makes sense. A 50/50 split is fine too.” Madam Guo raised an eyebrow at Cheng Ruoan: “As you said, you will be in charge of all production matters, but how to sell them is up to Xuejin and me.”
Cheng Ruoan nodded in agreement, "Of course."
"Then we'll set the price."
Cheng Ruoan frowned. "The cloud cream and the whitening hand cream that will follow can be ordered by the two elder sisters, but can the bamboo cream maintain its current price? Two hundred coins a jar?"
Madam Guo looked at the bamboo tube of hand cream that Cheng Ruo'an had placed on the table. Not only was it not as good, but its smell, texture, and color were also inferior to Cloud Cream.
I don't quite understand why Cheng Ruoan would bother making this kind of hand cream that looks like it wouldn't sell for a high price.
"Instead of wasting time, why not make more cloud cream? To be honest, you only have three hundred jars in stock right now. Xuejin and I could sell them all as soon as we open the store."
"My original intention was to do business that benefits people's livelihoods. I might earn less from the bamboo ointment, but it would benefit the general public more."
Whenever Cheng Ruoan thought about how he had boarded a big ship and was ready to take off at any time, he couldn't help but smile.
But to Madam Guo, that smile seemed pure and kind.
These words also made Madam Guo think more highly of her, "The price of two hundred coins is not low, so how can it be considered to benefit the people?"
Cheng Ruoan gestured with her hand towards the bamboo tube, "This is just a sample. I was thinking of using a larger bamboo tube to hold 50% more of the ointment. That amount would be just enough for a family of three or four for the whole winter."
Two hundred coins seemed expensive, but if the family of four split the cost, it would only be fifty coins per person.
But those fifty coins would save me the pain of frostbite and the cost of ointment, so it was a good deal no matter how you looked at it.
Madam Guo nodded. "That is indeed a very good idea."
Zhao Xuejin covered her mouth and laughed, "Then Ruo'an, you didn't only earn three or five coins out of those two hundred coins, did you? After all, it costs money to transport the bamboo from other places, and it also costs money to brew this hand cream."
Cheng Ruoan smiled and waved his hand: "It's alright. I am originally from Bachuan Prefecture, and I know best how to grow bamboo."
"Oh, you have this skill too? I bet you'll have even more great business ideas in the future, Ruo'an. I don't care, whatever good stuff you come up with, you have to let me and Sister Ying see it first before showing it to anyone else."
"Natural nature."
The three then sat together and chatted about other things, such as local customs, family, and marriage. After a few cups of tea, Manager Luo brought out the contract, which the three signed, and the gathering came to an end.
As for Cheng's mother and Cheng Ruotong, they chose tea and then went to Madam Guo's cloth shop on the street to choose fabrics. The four of them had both hands full of things, so they simply went home.
When Cheng Ruoan left Youjian Inn with Xiao Mian'er, it was almost noon.
Originally, she had planned to order porcelain jars of cloud ointment from the kiln, but both Zhao Dongjia and Madam Guo said they would take care of it, so Cheng Ruoan wouldn't have to go herself.
After leaving the inn, Xiaomian asked, "Second Miss, shall we go straight back to the Cheng residence?"
Cheng Ruoan pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then shook her head: "No, let's go to Wang the blacksmith's shop!"
Little Mian'er exclaimed "Ah?" and said timidly, "You were so frightened by him last time you went there that you fell ill. You shouldn't go again..."
"It's okay, you'll get used to it after a while, and you won't be afraid anymore. Let's go."
Little Mian'er: "..."
You get used to it after being scared for a while, you know?