"Steward Zhong, we want to keep four jars of this grape wine for our house, but the rest can be sold. May I ask how many jars you would like to purchase?" Lian Manman hurriedly said.
"Right," Lian Shouxin nodded.
"When I left, the lords at the mansion instructed to get as much as possible. Since that’s the case, I’ll take all forty-six jars of the grape wine from Fourth Master Lian," Steward Zhong said.
Selling everything in one go and so decisively, Lian Manman was very pleased, as it would save her from much trouble.
"Good, very good," Lian Shouxin was of course pleased and stood up to invite Steward Zhong to inspect the wine.
Steward Zhong had brought along two servants, and together with Lian Shouxin, they opened all forty-six jars to check the wine. Only after expressing satisfaction did they reseal the jars and affix the Shen Family’s mark. This so-called mark was a piece of red paper, which Lian Manman briefly glanced at and it seed to indicate the date of purchase from the Thirty Mile Camp Lian Family, among other things.
After returning to the house, Steward Zhong then asked about the price of the grape wine.
The question of price had been discussed by the Lian Manman family in advance.
"Since Steward Zhong is purchasing forty-six jars at once, we’ll offer a ten percent discount on the market price. What do you think?" Lian Shouxin said.
"The lords at the mansion instructed that as long as the wine is good, the price is negotiable," Steward Zhong said, "Fourth Master Lian is a very fair man, and I respect him for that. As for the price, we can just go by the market rate."
Usually, it’s the seller who sets the price and the buyer who tries to haggle down, but Steward Zhong’s approach was rare. Even for courtesy’s sake, it wasn’t the usual thod.
After a bit of laughter and chatter, with Shopkeeper Wang assisting on the side, the price was agreed upon.
The forty-six jars of grape wine, each jar weighing twenty catties, amounted to a total of nine hundred and twenty catties. At a market rate of two wen of silver per catty, the total price was one hundred eighty-four taels of silver.
Steward Zhong called over a servent and took out nine sealed packets of silver, totaling one hundred and eighty taels, along with four all in one tael pieces of silver, not a penny less.
"This is the paynt," Steward Zhong said, then sent a servant into town to find a cart to transport the grape wine back to Prefecture City today.
With a swift purchase and prompt paynt, Lian Manman’s favorable impression of Steward Zhong rose rapidly. Lady Zhang collected the silver as usual and handed it to Lian Manman to put away. Lian Manman quickly took out the separate four-tael piece and quietly instructed Lady Zhang to give it to the two servants who accompanied Steward Zhong.
"It’s only right," Lady Zhang said with a smile.
Lady Zhang imdiately went out and gave the silver to the two servants. Seeing that Steward Zhong treated the Lian family with great courtesy, they were reluctant to accept the silver. But Lady Zhang insisted and stuffed the silver into one servant’s hand.
"We don’t have much to offer out here in the countryside; this is for you two lads to buy a cup of tea," Lady Zhang said with a smile.
After so back and forth, the servants finally accepted the silver, thanking Lady Zhang and feeling that the Lian family was understanding and efficient.
Lian Manman delightedly calculated in her heart. The cost of making grape wine included only seventy jars at seven hundred wen money, and with the addition of sugar on three separate occasions, the total sugar used was about seventy catties, costing one thousand and fifty wen money. As they made the wine themselves, there were no labor costs involved, and the grapes were picked for free from the mountains. Having sold all the wine in one go saved a lot of marketing costs, even transportation expenses were spared. Thus, the total cost of the wine ca to one thousand seven hundred fifty wen money.
Subtracting the costs and the silver given to the two servants (which should be included in the marketing expenses), the profit from this year’s grape wine production was a surplus of one hundred seventy-eight taels.
Feeling the heft of the bag of silver in her hands, Lian Manman felt exceptionally secure. The weight of the silver bag made her feel completely relaxed from head to toe.
Lian Manman was slightly intoxicated by her success, oblivious to the fact that at this mont, she looked every inch the little money-grubber.
After arranging everything, Steward Zhong got up to say his goodbyes.
Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang naturally tried to persuade him to stay, while Lian Manman took out another sealed packet of silver for Lian Shouxin to hand to Steward Zhong.
"... This is for smoothing things over with Steward Zhong," Lian Shouxin said.
Although they did not often conduct business, after their recent interactions with Shopkeeper Wu, Wu Yugui, and others, and hearing Wu Yugui talk about various business matters, they knew that when a steward from a big household went out to procure items, it was customary to receive a commission.
Twenty taels of silver was a significant sum for the Lian Family, and although Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang were not accustod to great wealth, they understood that so money had to be spent when necessary, and so they did not begrudge the expense.
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