Chapter 555: Chapter 542 Honest Person

The value of the fabrics in the two carriage carts was actually not that substantial.

Considering Cheng Ruize’s apparent worry that these fabrics might not sell and remain in her hands, she thought it best not to immediately accept the payment for them.

She’d wait until all the fabrics were sold and she had the income in silver before discussing the matter further with Cheng Ruize. It’d be easier to convince him then, and there wouldn’t be any need to rush the discussion.

Zhuang Qingning didn’t continue to discuss this and only mentioned arranging for the fabrics to be sent, before hurrying off to Zhuang’s Cloth Shop.

Coincidentally, she and Zhuang Yutian, Uncle Yutian, arrived at the shop almost simultaneously.

From Uncle Yutian’s rush, it was evident that he had been out trying his luck, but it seemed that it hadn’t been particularly good.

“Miss Ning, when did you get back?” Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng were both surprised to see Zhuang Qingning.

“I went to find some products.” Zhuang Qingning gave a small smile.

“You found some?” Mrs. Meng’s voice tightened in anticipation as she looked at Zhuang Qingning.

“I found some.” Zhuang Qingning nodded, continuing with a smile, “Although, the goods might be different from what you are imagining.”

Upon hearing that the goods had been found, Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng were overjoyed. However, they were curious to know what was different about these goods. “What kind of ‘different’ are we talking about here?”

Certainly, the goods weren’t in full bolts, and instead loose pieces?

Loose fabric wouldn’t be a problem. Most customers came to pull fabric, and not many bought full bolts. So, whether it was in pieces or not, it wouldn’t affect sales.

“You’ll know when it gets here.” Zhuang Qingning smiled, her eyes dancing, “Uncle Yutian, Aunt Meng, please wait for a moment.”

As she was speaking, Zhuang Qingning saw two carriage carts slowly approaching. Recognizing them as the ones Cheng Ruize had ridden before, she hurriedly signalled for them to stop at the shop’s entrance and called for Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng to come see.

“See for yourselves, what do you think of these fabrics?” Zhuang Qingning untied the hemp rope on top and pulled out the cloth to show Mrs. Meng. “Aunt Meng, tell me what you think of the quality.”

“This, is fabric from Songjiang City, isn’t it?” Mrs. Meng lit up the moment she saw it, “This is the patterned cloth that was quite popular a few years ago. Based on the texture, it might have some silk in it. It’s durable, soft and attractive.”

“Such fabric, although it’s not as trendy in the capital nowadays, it’s still selling very well in the county because of its set price.”

Mrs. Meng lowered her head to smell the cloth, “There seems to be a slight musty smell to it, has it been stored for too long?”

“Yes, it has been stored for a while. And due to improper storage conditions, it has developed a musty smell and there are even some mold spots on some parts. However, the majority of the fabric is untouched, and the smell is the primary issue.” Zhuang Qingning explained, “Because of the condition, the main house doesn’t want this batch of fabric anymore and wants to dispose of it. The question is whether we are willing to take it.”

“Why not?” Mrs. Meng quickly agreed, “The mildew smell isn’t a huge issue. As long as the price is right, customers will still come.”

“We’ll just be honest about the situation, not hiding anything. If such good fabrics are being sold at a discount due to this reason, considering it does not affect the wear and use afterwards, customers wouldn’t mind at all.”

“We only need to know how much we can offer for these fabrics to be able to set a fair price.” Zhuang Yutian inquired.

“The supplier didn’t mention a specific price, they said we could decide. I don’t know much about fabric, so I didn’t respond on the spot.” Zhuang Qingning asked with a smile, “So, Uncle Yutian, Aunt Meng, what do you think the price should be?”

“Well…” Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng carefully examined each cart of fabric and after some deliberation, suggested, “For these fabrics, we believe we can sell them for around twenty percent of the original price. We’ll offer fifteen percent as the purchasing price, and if sales go well and we manage to sell it all, we’ll settle at eighteen percent.”

“We are in desperate need of fabric. Without goods to sell, our shop can only be left idle. With these fabrics, we’d be able to continue selling for some time, and also have time to slowly source new goods. This will enable us to keep the shop running.”

“It feels like we’re profiting from someone else. We’ll take a small fee for our efforts and consider it as thanks for the tea, but we certainly aren’t expecting to make profits. We also need to thank the supplier for agreeing to give us the goods.”

Once Zhuang Yutian said this, Mrs. Meng nodded, “That’s right. Miss Ning, please discuss this with them, and if agreed, we’ll start unloading.”

Zhuang Qingning nodded slightly, full of approval for Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng.

This couple was honest, did honest work, and most importantly, they were proficient business people. They didn’t need much persuasion to see the business opportunity and knew exactly what to do.

Dealing with such people was truly effortless.

“Alright, you can start selling. Once you’ve made some money, we can discuss payment to the supplier.” Zhuang Qingning replied, “There’s no rush.”

Upon hearing Zhuang Qingning say this, Zhuang Yutian nodded, “Okay, we’ll begin selling. If we can sell at a higher price, we’ll try our best to make more money, and wait until we have money to discuss payment.”

Since the supplier didn’t have a fixed expectation and Zhuang Yutian didn’t have a clear plan at this point, it would be beneficial to both sides to discuss the payment after final results.

“Alright.” Zhuang Qingning nodded and smiled, “Uncle Yutian, Aunt Meng, please start arranging these products. We should figure out how to start selling quickly. Meanwhile, I’ll go find Qingsui and the others. I’m not sure where everyone is after all this time. I need to locate them.”

“Alright.” Mrs. Meng watched Zhuang Qingning go a little way before expressing her gratitude several times.

“I just connected the dots. There were goods that needed disposal here and Aunt Meng needed them. I simply brought them together. It was just a matter of speaking up, please don’t be so polite.”

Zhuang Qingning laughed, “Aunt Meng, please go back quickly. With so much fabric, there is quite a bit to get sorted out. I know the way, you needn’t walk me.”

“Alright, then you take your time. When you get a chance, come over to our house for a meal. I’ll make you Braised Fish.” Mrs. Meng smiled.

Mrs. Meng’s culinary skills were mediocre. However, her Braised Fish was a signature dish and quite delicious, something Zhuang Qingning had previously praised highly.

“Okay.” Zhuang Qingning grinned and continued on her way.

After seeing Zhuang Qingning off into the distance, Mrs. Meng quickly returned to the shop to join Zhuang Yutian in moving the fabrics inside.