Read Novel Full Chapter 263
Chapter 263: Establishing a Merchant Team
Is there anyone willing to do this?
Absolutely!
Isn’t the Shi family’s farming not busy? Isn’t Shi Daniu a good laborer? Why did the Gan family send their son to work at Sang Luo’s shop in the East Market? Not the mother herself, but her eldest son.
One reason was to train her son, and the other was to strengthen the relationship with Sang Luo. Everyone knew the future of the Shen family and Sang Luo’s abilities. Besides Lu Dalang, who wasn’t the brightest, everyone was aware of this.
Even when Sang Luo was just selling tofu, they followed closely. Now, seeing the prosperity of the family, everyone knew it was due to Shen Lie and Sang Luo.
Sang Luo informed everyone in the village as she returned, skipping the Lu family’s main branch. It wasn’t that the Lu family’s main branch was bad; it was just that no one wanted to get too close to someone like Lu Dalang.
She briefly explained her plans and mentioned expanding the business. Hearing that Sang Luo wanted to branch out, everyone was eager and excited, especially during the New Year when most were at home. They surrounded her to discuss the specifics and how many people to hire.
“I haven’t had time to think about it,” Sang Luo chuckled. “It was only after someone came from the capital to buy goods that I had this idea. How about this: come to my place after dinner? Discuss it with your families, and I’ll think through the details as well.”
There was no reason to refuse. Xu Wenyin even told her mother, “Mother, call big brother back. I think he’ll definitely want to go.”
Xu Wenqing was someone who enjoyed traveling. He was currently working at the Dongfu Building with his father and learning various things from him.
As a younger sister, she knew her brother well.
No one knows a child’s character better than their mother. Wei Lingzhen knew her son’s personality very well and instinctively looked to her mother-in-law.
Mrs. Xu didn’t hesitate: “Go. This will be a better training opportunity than working in the store. Talk to Yuan Chang about it. He’ll know what to do.”
She thought for a moment, then stopped her daughter-in-law, who was preparing to leave: “Actually, you don’t need to go. Wenbo should go instead. Don’t make a fuss in the restaurant; have him speak with your father privately.”
This was to avoid drawing unwanted attention from others at the Dongfu Building. A young person handling the matter would be less conspicuous.
Xu Wenbo agreed and quickly went outside.
—
When Shen Lie returned home with the lease contract, Sang Luo was inside calming the children to sleep.
The two babies had woken up and hadn’t seen their mother for a while. At first, Shen An and Shen Ning were manageable, but Sang Luo had been gone too long. After a quarter of an hour with no sign of Sang Luo, Ayao started crying.
The little girl, usually lively and smiling, cried loudly and desperately. Qian Bao, who rarely cried, also pouted with tears welling up in his eyes, possibly influenced by his twin sister.
When Shen Lie arrived home, the children’s eyes were still red. He helped by holding one while soothing them. After feeding and burping the four-month-old baby, he finally put them to bed.
Once the children were asleep, the couple quietly left the room to talk outside.
“How did it go? How much is the annual rent?”
“The estate covers fifty-seven acres, and the buildings are relatively new. Because it’s close to the city, the government was asking for thirty taels a year. I managed to negotiate it down to twenty-five taels. We signed a ten-year lease, with rent paid annually.”
Sang Luo imagined Shen Lie negotiating with the former governor and chuckled: “Not bad. We’ll be earning as much as half a money collector in a year.”
A money collector for the court earned forty-eight thousand coins annually. Converted to copper coins, their earnings were quite substantial.
Shen Ning, who had come over, heard her elder brother and sister-in-law talking and asked softly, “Is it just for renting the space?”
She was stunned.
Sang Luo smiled, “Yes, it’s rented, and it’s not too far from the village. You can visit it with the little girl tomorrow.”
They examined the contract Shen Lie brought back and discussed hiring people for sales. With several experienced family members, they debated the specifics: offering a fixed salary with a commission for each sale made, and also handling delivery and payment.
This is essentially a base salary plus commission.
They needed to consider how many people to hire. Sang Luo was open-minded: “Let’s see how many are willing tonight. For the delivery, we’ll need a team of about three or four. If there are more people, we can split them into two teams.”
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard. Xu Wenqing peeked through the second gate and, seeing Shen Lie and Sang Luo, looked pleased. He hurried into the main hall, knowing the children were likely asleep, and said quietly, “Master and Mistress, count me in.”
Xu Wenyin, understanding her brother, jumped back to her family home, not even entering the door before heading straight to the Shen house.
Shen Lie found it amusing: “What are you volunteering for? We haven’t even determined the salary yet, and you’re eager to join?”
Xu Wenqing grinned: “I’m an apprentice and don’t earn any wages. Besides, I’d be happy to work for you even without pay.”
Sang Luo knew this was just banter, but thought such enthusiasm would be useful in sales: “If you’re okay with the hard work, then it’s a deal. I’m just glad to have you.”
“Are you agreeing? I’m not afraid of hard work. I feel restless staying in one place. It’s settled then. I’ll come back with everyone later.”
—
That evening, every household in the village had an early dinner. By the time it was not even dusk, groups of people began heading to the Shen house.
As Mrs. Chen said, the villagers had all benefited from working with the Shen family this year. Who wouldn’t be happy? Almost every household sent several people.
Xu Wenqing was going, and Wang Yunzheng, who usually stayed at the Xu home, was also eager to join, saying he wanted to be part of the excitement. Xu Wenyin was a frequent guest at the Shen house, and Wei Qinghe, who had just married in, decided to go as well, bringing her husband Wei Lingzhen along to accompany her.
The Shen family’s home was bustling. When the Xu family arrived, the main hall was nearly full, and the courtyard was packed with children. Ayao and her siblings were happily being rocked in their cradle by Shen Tie.
Lin Jiuniang had heard Sang Luo’s name many times but was visiting the Shen house for the first time. She felt somewhat uneasy but was warmly welcomed by Sang Luo, who made her feel comfortable quickly. The atmosphere was different from her family’s, but it soon became familiar.
The other new bride, Feng Liuniang’s cousin, had married into the Daxing Village at the end of last year and was now Lu Sanlang’s wife. The villagers paid extra attention to these two new brides.
Shen Ning had prepared plenty of snacks for the guests. Lin Jiuniang noticed a variety of treats from Daxing Village and some unfamiliar ones. Sang Luo encouraged everyone to try them, turning the discussion into a pleasant New Year’s gathering.
After some food and chatter, Sang Luo finally got to the point: “You all know why I called you here, right?”
Zhou Sanlang smiled and responded, “Yes, yes. We know. We just don’t know how many people you need. If there’s a spot, count me in.”
Shen Lie remarked, “Another one not asking about the salary.”
Seeing Xu Wenqing run to the Shen house in the afternoon, everyone laughed. Zhou Cunzheng said, “When have you and your wife ever made people lose out? Sanlang is right. If you want to help, we’re happy to have you. We still have enough people for farming.”
Sang Luo added, “As long as it’s not a special situation, we’ll keep enough people for farming during busy seasons. For slack seasons, we’ll have them do sales. But don’t just volunteer without considering the pay. Let me explain first.”
“We discussed this in the afternoon. Since we’re just starting out and don’t know how it will go, running sales outside is hard work. There may be long stretches between counties and states with no people, and transporting goods involves risks. So, the pay will be structured as a fixed salary plus travel, accommodation, and meal allowances, and a commission based on sales.”
“The fixed salary will be 800 wen per month. There will be an additional 20 wen per day for travel, accommodation, and meals. For each sale, you’ll receive a 3% commission based on the dealer’s selling price. For example, if a tin of pork jerky costs seven wen silver from us, and you sell it, you’ll get 21 wen commission for completing the whole process from selling to collecting payment. Of course, there are thresholds to become a dealer; it’s not feasible to deal with single tins. We’ll evaluate the shop’s reputation and set a minimum order quantity.”
Xu Wenqing understood: “If a dealer requires a minimum of 100 cans of pork jerky, and I handle sales, delivery, and collection, I would earn 2100 wen in commission?”
Sang Luo nodded: “Yes, that’s the idea. Additionally, the cost of transportation is included in the purchase price, which the dealer will cover. This can be agreed upon during the negotiation.”
So, the commission is their net earnings.
There was no hesitation now. Making one sale would earn more than two taels, plus the fixed salary and allowances. The compensation was quite generous!
But then, realizing how generous it was, people hesitated to volunteer as confidently as before.
Chen Dashan asked Sang Luo, “How many people are you planning to hire?”
“Two teams, four people per team. It’s safer that way.”
This statement left everyone silent.
“Isn’t that too expensive?” Lu Erlang said, “How much does just the salary and allowances come to per month?”
He instinctively looked at his son.
Ah Xu hadn’t calculated it yet, but two voices simultaneously announced the figure.
“11,200 wen.”
“11,200 wen.”
It was Shen Ning and Shen Jin, who were listening.
Mrs. Chen was surprised: “Since when could Xiao Jin calculate so quickly?”
Shen Ning was always quick with numbers. She had been setting up stalls with Sang Luo since she was nine and was taught by Sang Luo from a young age. After leaving the mountains, she managed the family’s two shops and all the accounts with the village households. While others might not know, Mrs. Chen and others knew that Shen Ning often handled payments.
But when did Shen Jin become such a fast calculator?
Shen Jin scratched his head: “I’m teaching everyone, so I need to be proficient myself. I practice every day at home.”
Moreover, as the eldest, he also managed the family’s small accounts.
Sang Luo was pleased. It was good for a teacher to see their students improving. She praised Shen Jin and then told Lu Erlang, “We don’t need that many. One team of four consists of two adults and two half-grown boys. For someone like Xiao Jin, if he’s willing, I’m planning to let him join and learn from you. If he encounters trouble, he can handle it with his skills. It’ll be good experience, and he can learn a lot. Consider it an apprenticeship. He’ll only receive 800 wen per month with no extras. When he’s ready to handle things independently, he’ll start earning a formal salary, allowances, and commission.”
Shen Jin was stunned and looked at Sang Luo with wide eyes: “Sister-in-law, can I go?”
He was only thirteen.
Sang Luo nodded: “Yes, you can. You need to mature faster than others. As long as you’re not afraid of hard work and are fine with the salary, it’s fine.”
Shen Jin quickly shook his head: “I’m not afraid of hard work, and the salary is good. Sister-in-law, even if you didn’t pay me, I’d still be happy to go.”
Shen Ning laughed and patted him on the back of the head: “If she didn’t pay you, what would Little Yin and Little Tie do at home? Sister-in-law is good to you; just be happy.”
Shen Jin scratched his head and smiled: “I know sister-in-law is good to me.”
He had been well cared for by his brother and sister-in-law, and hadn’t felt that conflicted, emotional feeling for a long time. But hearing his sister-in-law say he would be stepping up, those feelings resurfaced.
This time, however, Shen Jin didn’t feel any sadness, only great happiness. He felt a warm glow inside.