Small supermarket welcomes visitors from all directions

Chapter 14: Vegetable Sales in the Ming Dynasty

Princess Fu mentioned that the Fu Palace had found a way to sell a batch of vegetables from a faraway place, but the price was a bit high due to the long distance. They would start selling them outside the side door of the palace tomorrow morning, so anyone who needed them could go and have a look.

As for the rest, they didn't know anything. Then overnight, many people in Chang'an City knew about it. Some came to see it directly and planned to buy it, while others waited and watched. After all, the Princess of Fu said it was a bit expensive, but she didn't say how expensive it was. You can't bargain with the Fu Palace! If other families can't keep this business, how dare they charge? You wish! But isn't this the Fu Palace that is being sold? Who is behind the Fu Palace? Of course, it's His Majesty the Emperor. It's possible that this is His Majesty's business, and the Fu Prince is the one who was pushed to the front.

So everyone who knew about it came, whether they wanted to buy or not. The chief steward, Gui, stood in front of the table and shouted, "I have three things to say. First, all vegetables are one tael of silver per pound, no bargaining. Second, these are samples. If you like them, go in and pay for them. If you don't like them, don't go in. Of course, it's cash transactions, no credit. Third, once the vegetables leave the palace gate, they cannot be returned or exchanged."

Then the stewards lined up, and one of them went forward to look at the vegetables. Where were the vegetables? Of course, they were wrapped in a quilt, with only one of each vegetable, such as an eggplant and a loofah. They were covered after one look.

The original plan was to sell the vegetables at the side door and not allow anyone to enter the palace. But then, as the weather was too cold, and we were afraid that the vegetables would freeze, we came up with this idea.

As a result, more than 1,000 kilograms were sold in the morning. Tang Qiao was a little anxious to find Prince Fu. Prince Fu had taken medicine yesterday, and except for a little stuffy nose, he was almost well.

Tang Qiao said, "Father, we want 5,000 kilograms of vegetables. Isn't that too much? Chang'an City has not had vegetables for a long time. Why aren't there so many people here today? Are we selling them too expensively?"

Prince Fu shook his head calmly and said, "Don't be anxious, young man. This is just the beginning. The peak period will be this afternoon and tomorrow."

Tang Qiao understood immediately: "Many people didn't know in the morning. Those who came now are just testing the waters. They will really buy in the afternoon. Those small officials may not show up until the evening. The real peak will be tomorrow, but there will be no food tomorrow."

Prince Fu said: "If there is no food, let them pay first and get the goods next time."

Tang Qiao said: "Maybe if you don't ask those merchants to pay tomorrow, they will still be unwilling to do so!"

As expected by Prince Fu, all the goods were sold out before nightfall, and the total cash was 4300 taels. Five hundred catties were given to the palace, and the prince's palace kept two hundred catties for himself.

On that day, many people still hadn't bought vegetables, and most chose to pay a deposit. However, the amount of the deposit was not large, the most was 50 kilograms, and many people ordered 10 or 20 kilograms, after all, the price was too high.

The next day was different. The vegetables that had been sold out almost set the whole city on fire. Yesterday morning, it was all the rich and powerful in Chang'an City. In the afternoon, it was all the officials. In the evening, it was all the petty officials. The economy was not good, so there were not many people.

Those who came today were all businessmen of all sizes, wealthy families, and those big restaurants in Chang'an City. These people consumed the most, and as long as the butler said there would be more follow-up, the deposit would be unstoppable.

On that day, the chief steward collected tens of thousands of taels of silver. So much silver can't supply the goods! They agreed with these people that a batch of goods would arrive every two days, in the morning to the powerful families, and the others would come to pick up the vegetables in the afternoon with the deposit slip. This is also the matter handled by the Fuwang Mansion, and the other families must fight.

Back to the supermarket, Chinese people are still very quick in doing things. The demolition started in just two days.

Just after breakfast this morning, Aunt Zhang, who lived not far from home, came to visit. As soon as she entered the door, she shouted, "Xiao Yue'er, they said our village is going to be demolished. Have you signed the contract?"

Wang Yue thought to herself, it's so fast! The day before yesterday, the decision to demolish the house was made, so she asked, "Aunt Zhang, have you signed the agreement?" Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "Yes, we have. It takes half an hour to drive from the city to a place like ours, and I never thought we would be demolished in my life. The village chief said that if we are slow, the project will be signed in another village, so I came to see who hasn't signed yet. We can't let one family affect the whole village."

Wang Yue understood Aunt Zhang very well and said, "I will sign in a moment. I must not affect others. You see, so many people in my family are here to help me move things."

Aunt Zhang was very pleased: "That's good, that's good! I was just worried that you, a girl, are young and ignorant. In our place, if nothing good happens, it will take a hundred years to demolish the house." This is true.

After saying that, she turned around and left, saying as she walked: "I'll go see Uncle Li in the village. He is the only one at home, and I'll need his help to collect things." Aunt Zhang was quite enthusiastic.

Wang Yue asked Song Jiyang: "Why is it so fast? Then the construction team will be able to enter the village tomorrow?"

Song Jiyang said: "We don't have to wait until tomorrow. We will go in tonight and build the fence first. The supermarket will mainly be built on the ground, and the rest will be made of steel frame structure and new materials. It is very fireproof, moisture-proof and earthquake-proof, and it is warm in winter and cool in summer. You will know it after it is built."

Wang Yue knew that this kind of technology existed but had never understood it. After all, Wang Yue didn't need to build the house herself.

In the afternoon, Tang Qiao came over in a hurry and said, "Miss Xiaoyue, Captain Song, the quantity of vegetables we ordered last time is not enough. We need to increase the quantity."

Song Jiyang asked, "How much more? Are you planning to lower the price?"

Tang Qiao said, "How can I lower the price? The merchants in Chang'an City are eager for me to raise the price! I have already received tens of thousands of taels in deposit. Do you think it is possible to raise it to 20,000 jin?"

Song Jiyang said, "20,000 kilograms is not enough. The supermarket is under construction these days and we are in a mess. I will give you 10,000 kilograms a day. You can add as much as you want when the supermarket is built."

Tang Qiao said, "Thank you very much. Please prepare 10,000 kilograms for me tomorrow. One more thing. You said that the step-out bed can be sold at a high price. Do you want a new one or an old one? An old one is easy to deal with, but a new one is difficult. This bed was made as a dowry and has been used for several years. You can still look for a used one."

Wang Yue asked Mr. Jiang: "Mr. Jiang, what do you mean by this?"

Mr. Jiang said: "If I use it myself, of course new ones are better. I can sell them as antiques! Of course, the older the better. It would be even better if it can be passed down for several generations. Young men are not afraid of old things. As long as all the parts are complete, it is a good thing. There are also old windows taken down from old houses and those made of precious wood with carvings. These can be sold at a high price."

Tang Qiao said: "Oh! Then I know!"

In the next few days, 10,000 kilograms of vegetables were delivered to the Ming Dynasty, and basically all the vegetables that Prince Fu received as a deposit were delivered. Meanwhile, the construction team was busy building a modern supermarket.

(End of this chapter)