Chapter 577: Chapter 564: A Losing Business Deal

With Zhong Yingcai’s personality, which pushes him to always be ahead in his dealings, he should have already had everything prepared, there shouldn’t be any delays.

“Manager Zhong, did you encounter any trouble?” Zhuang Qingning asked.

“Not really trouble. A site that I had already prepared was almost ready. Yesterday, Manager Cao came to tell me that his good friend, Manager Li, had a larger place available. I went to take a look, and indeed, it was much bigger and better, so I’m planning to rent it out and move everything over there. However, it will take an additional two days to prepare the site.”

Zhong Yingcai said, “But rest assured, Manager Zhuang, that everything will be sorted out within these two days.”

“Are you saying that the place you plan to rent belongs to Manager Li?” Zhuang Qingning asked with a frown.

“That’s right. This Manager Li apparently also owns a bookstore in the county town,” Zhong Yingcai pointed out to the side. “There, not far from here.”

Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Yutian exchanged looks before Zhuang Qingning asked, “So, how much is Manager Li charging you in rent?”

“It’s a five-year lease, and the annual rent is twenty taels,” Zhong Yingcai said. “Actually, I was initially interested in buying the place, but the other party did not want to sell. I thought I would rent it first and discuss buying it later.”

“I previously negotiated with Manager Li for a price of twenty-five taels per year,” Zhuang Yutian said.

At this point, even Zhong Yingcai was surprised. After having a thorough conversation with Zhuang Yutian, he understood the entire situation.

It was abundantly clear that Cao Jiande had intentionally interfered, paid off the others, and disrupted Zhuang Yutian’s business.

“This Cao Jiande needs to be taught a lesson, he’s too shameless!” Zhuang Yutian seethed.

“If we want to teach him a lesson, it’s actually quite simple.” Zhong Yingcai narrowed his eyes. “My stuff hasn’t been moved in yet as I’ve just finished making arrangements. If Manager Zhuang hasn’t found a suitable place yet, why not let him use this one?”

“The rent at my place would be cheaper, so you can pay me instead. Since Manager Cao is willing to pay from his pocket, let him do so.”

Zhong Yingcai enjoyed doing business, but he believed in making money honestly and in dignified ways. There were many things that he despised and would not stoop to doing.

What Cao Jiande was doing was something that Zhong Yingcai truly disapproved of.

Zhuang Yutian immediately understood Zhong Yingcai’s intentions.

At this moment, Cao Jiande only imagined that after spending money, he could create problems for Zhuang Yutian. However, if he found out that he had spent money only to give Zhuang Yutian a benefit, he would definitely regret it later and live in constant frustration, thereby turning the tables on himself.

“Many thanks to Manager Zhong,” Zhuang Yutian said gratefully.

“Manager Zhuang, there’s no need to be so formal. Since we’re all doing business with Miss Zhuang, we should help each other,” Zhong Yingcai smiled. “I’ll arrange for people to tidy up the site with Manager Zhuang and prepare it for your use.”

“Once everything’s in place, the soap workshop won’t need to be moved around anymore. Miss Zhuang and I can go check it out. If there are no issues, we can start teaching people how to make soap.”

“Mm-hmm.” Zhuang Qingning nodded in agreement.

Having settled the matter, the three of them got busy with their own plans.

Zhong Yingcai was quite dedicated. He had all the necessary materials and tools for the soap production well prepared, leaving almost nothing to adjust. Seeing this, Zhuang Qingning briefly explained the principles of soap making and the general procedures. It was agreed that she would come daily to teach the workers how to make soap until they could independently produce qualified soap.

Because she had to teach the workers how to make soap, Zhuang Qingning had to head to the county town every day and return late in the evening.

After working hard for about ten days, the workers at the soap workshop had basically mastered the process of soap making and were able to make soap independently.

The first batch of soap they produced included two types: the basic soap and peach blossom soap; the latter was made according to the season’s abundant peach blossoms.

The basic soap needs no introduction, but the peach blossom soap is infused with peach blossom juice. The color looks tender and fresh, and the addition of the peach petals makes it look full of blossoms with a fragrant scent.

“Not bad.” Zhuang Qingning looked at the finished soaps and nodded with approval. “They have now gotten the hang of the soap-making process; going forward, no matter what they add to the recipe, they should be able to handle it proficiently.”

Bulk production is just around the corner.

“I will have eighty percent of these delivered to the capital city overnight for sale at the Linglong Pavilion. The remaining twenty percent will be sold here in the county town,” Zhong Yingcai said.

“To sell these soaps in the county town…” Zhuang Qingning smiled, “Manager Zhong, have you found a suitable shop yet?”

“The Linglong Pavilion branch on East Street has been prepared for its grand opening. It’s located at the center of East Street where there was previously a rouge shop,” Zhong Yingcai replied.

Zhuang Qingning gave it some thought and remembered the place.

She had been to that rouge shop before. It was well-stocked and popular due to its combination of high-quality goods and good prices. A few days ago, when she passed by, she saw that the shop was closed and the sign taken down. Zhuang Qingning assumed they were renovating, so she did not give it much thought.

As it turned out, it wasn’t because it was being renovated, but because the shop had changed hands.

“Didn’t that rouge shop have a good business? Were they really willing to hand it over to Manager Zhong?” Zhuang Qingning asked.

“Actually, it was because they were doing well that I had to pay them thirty percent above market value to buy it.” Zhong Yingcai laughed.

Zhuang Qingning, “…”

For the past few days, Zhong Yingcai seemed to be communicating to Zhuang Qingning with one word: wealthy! Snapping up shops without a second thought, and buying properties…with such a flamboyantly affluent manner…

She admits it, she wanted to have that too.

“Manager Zhong is indeed lavish,” Zhuang Qingning said with a smile.

“This location is excellent. It’s ideal for selling soap. If the location is good then it’s best to secure it as soon as possible, even if it means spending a bit more money. In the long run, it does save a lot of trouble,”

Zhong Yingcai said, “The time saved can be used to do other things. The money earned from that will be much more than what was spent on this. That’s why I never like to waste too much time on these sorts of things.”

Very wise indeed.

Zhuang Qingning nodded slightly.