0p0 Chapter 26 Cooperation
Chapter 26 Cooperation
When the two arrived at the entrance of the rouge shop, Lin's father was a little timid and dared not go in.
In ancient times, rural men rarely went into such places because it was mostly women who bought things there, making it very inconvenient for men.
Yun Dan looked at the name of the rouge and powder shop: Xueyan Rouge and Powder Shop
When Yun Dan was about to go in, she saw her father standing at the door in a daze and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin's father shook his head, mustered his courage, and followed Yun Dan inside.
When the shop owner saw Lin's father bring Yun Dan in, she assumed it was a father bringing his daughter to buy rouge and asked directly:
"Little girl, what kind of rouge do you want? Tell me and I'll get it for you."
Yun Dan looked at the older sister in front of her. She was about 17 or 18 years old and about 1.7 meters tall. She was almost as tall as her father when she stood there.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her bright eyes sparkled like two dazzling gems, her features were clearly defined, her skin was like cream, her lips were like cherries and vermilion, and her exquisite clothes made her look noble and elegant, adding to her charm, like a fairy from heaven.
"Strange, after being in ancient times for so long, there is actually a fairy in this remote place, and no one has come to snatch her away. Her identity must be extraordinary," Yun Dan thought to herself.
"Sister, we're not here to buy rouge, we're here to talk business with your boss."
When the proprietress heard Yun Dan say she wanted to discuss business, she smiled and said, "Oh, little sister, you actually know how to do business, that's really impressive."
The proprietress then looked at Lin's father.
"What kind of business do you wish to discuss with the shopkeeper? Please come inside."
The proprietress asked the shop's maid to mind the shop and led the two of them up to the reception room on the second floor.
"Please have a seat, both of you. May I ask your names?"
When Mr. Lin heard the landlady ask this question, he replied directly:
"Young lady, my surname is Lin, and this is my daughter."
"Hello, sister. My name is Lin Yundan. You can call me Xiaoya."
After they finished speaking, the proprietress continued.
"My surname is Liu, and I'm the proprietress here. I just overheard you two talking about discussing business with me. May I ask what kind of business you'd like to discuss?"
Yun Dan was quite surprised to see that the 17 or 8-year-old woman in front of her was actually the proprietress.
"Sister Liu, you're actually the proprietress, you..."
When Boss Liu saw Yun Dan ask such a surprised question, she knew that Yun Dan thought she looked too young.
"Yes, do you think my sister is too young to be the boss's wife?" Boss Liu replied to Yun Dan with a smile.
"I was quite surprised; I didn't expect the proprietress to be so young."
"Don't be surprised. Although you look younger than your age, you are already twenty-eight."
Hearing her say that, Yun Dan and Lin's father were even more surprised, their mouths agape.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that for now. Didn't you come here to talk business? What are you planning to discuss, and how are you going to discuss it?"
When Mr. Lin saw the sudden change in the landlady's demeanor, he felt uneasy and even a little scared.
"Boss lady, we have a product called soap that we're planning to collaborate with you on."
"Oh, did you bring anything? Is the soap also made of rouge powder?"
Yun Dan spoke up: "Sister Liu, no, soap is something that can clean. It can wash all kinds of clothes and fabrics, and it can also be used to wash the body."
Yun Dan took out a bar of soap and then showed the proprietress its uses.
Boss Liu watched the whole thing from Yun Dan's first appearance to the last, listening to Yun Dan's explanations as he watched.
"Not bad, although there are still some stains on the rag, it's much better than soap pods."
Mr. Liu tried it himself and found it to be quite good.
In such a remote place, there are actually such amazing things. The world is truly full of hidden talents.
"Okay, this soap is good, it works very well. Now let's talk. How do you plan to cooperate with me?"
Yun Dan and her father exchanged glances. Yun Dan hadn't actually expected the landlady to be so direct.
"Sister Liu, this soap is made through many processes. Our soap sells for twelve coins a piece."
"But we want to cooperate, and I know I can't quote you twelve coins per piece."
"How about this: we'll offer you a minimum price of six coins per bar. Then we'll only sell these soaps to you; anyone else who wants to buy them will have to come to you. Whether you sell them for ten or twelve coins is none of our business. What do you think of this plan?"
When Boss Liu heard Yun Dan say that, he laughed and scolded, "Haha... You little brat, I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about business at such a young age."
"What if I find this plan unacceptable? What should you do then? Tell your sister your second plan as well."
"Sister Liu, I don't have a second option."
"Oh, really? Don't try to fool me just because I don't know anything."
Judging from your eyes, you definitely have a second plan. Tell me about it.
"Sister Liu is really amazing. Actually, there really wasn't a second option just now."
But since my sister wanted to hear it, I'll explain. This second plan is also simple: we'll give you a cost price of 8 coins, but I can also cooperate with other merchants, so I can't give you the exclusive deal.
"Haha... You little rascal, I'm growing to like you more and more, and I'd like to bring you to my side to help me with my work."
Then, looking at the Lin family members, he said, "Fine, I'll cooperate with you. However, you can't cooperate with me on any other shops besides these soaps."
"Also, we need to sign a contract regarding how much goods you have each month and how much quantity you can give me. One contract for each of us. If either party breaches the contract, they will have to compensate the other party with five thousand taels of silver. What do you think?"
Upon hearing the price of five thousand taels of silver, Lin's father was so frightened that he stood up abruptly and hurriedly waved his hand.
"No, no, five thousand taels is too much. We simply don't have that much money to pay back."
Yun Dan smiled and said, "Father, you didn't understand what Sister Liu meant."
She meant that we would have to provide her with a certain amount to sell each month, and if she was worried about contractual compensation, we could discuss it further.
"Dad, don't be nervous. I'm here. Your daughter will definitely not let us suffer."
Yun Dan said these words directly to Boss Liu's face, but she just watched quietly with no expression on her face.
“Sister Liu, we can sign the contract, and I can agree to your conditions. However, we can only provide you with two thousand bars of soap per month because this kind of soap is too difficult to make. Also, regarding the contract, we will sign it for a three-year term.”
Throughout the entire process, Boss Liu remained as calm as a mountain, without the slightest sign of panic.
“Okay, the quantity is two thousand bars of soap per month. We will settle the bill every three months, and settle the previous quarter’s bill on the first day of each third month.”
Each month, villagers make two thousand bars of soap. Besides farming, they also make charcoal, produce straw paper, and now they make soap.
With all the work arrangements completed, the village of Sujia has just over two hundred residents, excluding the elderly and children, and everyone is busy.
After the landlady finished writing the contract, Yun Dan took a look. She noticed that the handwriting on the contract was neat and tidy, although it was in traditional Chinese characters and there were a few characters she couldn't recognize.
However, as long as you silently read the sentence aloud, you can still understand the general meaning and identify the words.
To her surprise, the proprietress's handwriting was so beautiful, as if each character was alive. Yun Dan couldn't help but exclaim in envy, "Beautiful handwriting, beautiful handwriting!"
After Yun Dan and the other two signed the contract, Lin's father pressed his fingerprint on the document, and Yun Dan barely managed to write a crooked name with a brush before pressing her fingerprint on the document as well.
The two left the rouge shop and went back to the east of the city to see how much soap was left.
After counting, there were still more than thirty bars left. He took the remaining soaps back to the rouge shop and gave them to Mrs. Liu.
After Yun Dan and her group had been gone for a while, the door to Boss Liu's room was opened, and a young woman entered and immediately knelt on one knee.
All I heard was Manager Liu say, "Go and find out where this group of people is from, and what has happened in the last few decades. Give me the information within five days."
"Yes." The young woman slowly retreated and closed the door.
Shopkeeper Liu looked out the window into the distance, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking, but worry and concern were evident in her eyes.
He sighed and muttered to himself, "In just a few decades, the world is about to be plunged into war again. How are ordinary people supposed to survive in this chaos?"
"Brother, it's been ten years, and you still haven't found a way to crack it?"