Wen Xuan and Ji Baoshan didn’t go back; instead, they made do with a bath in the academy’s washroom and squeezed onto a small bed to sleep for the night. The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wen Xuan got up early to pack his things and hurry back to Changliu Town.
When he arrived at North Street, it was still quite deserted, with almost all the shops closed.
Of course, Ji Wei’s shop was among them.
But Wen Xuan didn’t dare go back, fearing he would miss the opening time. So he sat on the stone steps in front of the shop, waiting.
After a tiring day yesterday, he hadn’t recovered from the night’s sleep and woke up early again. He sat there, hugging his arms tightly around himself and holding the money pouch close to his chest, dozing off in a daze.
It wasn’t until a worker arrived to start his shift and found him that he was roughly shaken awake.
“What are you doing sleeping out here? Didn’t you go home last night?” The first person to arrive was Brother Tian.
He had earned ninety wen last night and, given the distance he traveled, Ji Wei had generously given him an extra ten wen as a tip, rounding it off nicely.
Having earned more, Brother Tian was in a good mood going home, and he woke up early the next day motivated to work. He thought he’d come early to see if he could find some extra work, but instead, he found Wen Xuan sleeping there.
Wen Xuan drowsily opened his eyes, confused for a moment. When he finally recognized Brother Tian’s face, he jumped up in surprise but forgot he was sitting on the steps. He almost fell backward when one of his feet slipped off.
Fortunately, Brother Tian caught him, and Wen Xuan was able to steady himself.
Feeling embarrassed, Wen Xuan’s face flushed red, and he repeatedly thanked him.
“You didn’t wait all night, did you?”
“No, I just got here this morning and accidentally dozed off while sitting,” Wen Xuan replied.
“That’s good. You didn’t lose any money, right?”
Wen Xuan patted his bulging chest and shook his head.
They waited for a while, and as more workers trickled in, they chatted with each other until Ji Wei came over to open the shop.
“Did you make it?” Ji Wei said, looking at Wen Xuan. He didn’t seem surprised, his expression neutral, showing no sign of emotion.
Wen Xuan felt guilty and nodded, following Ji Wei into the shop.
“Come with me.” After instructing a skilled worker to tidy up the shop and replace the oiled paper on the wooden racks, Ji Wei led Wen Xuan to the room at the back of the courtyard to do the accounts.
Without waiting for Ji Wei to speak, Wen Xuan held out the warm money pouch in his hands. The moment Ji Wei turned around, Wen Xuan thrust it right under his nose, startling him.
“What are you doing?” Ji Wei asked, taking the money pouch from him.
“I’ve counted it; it’s all there,” Wen Xuan said nervously, glancing at Ji Wei repeatedly. “I felt a bit faint yesterday, and Lin Tai told me not to walk back at night. It wouldn’t be good if I ran into any trouble.”
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to take it from you.” Ji Wei chuckled lightly, pouring the money out on the table to count it, then took out the order list to tally up the details.
The amounts were correct.
“You both did well. There are a total of thirty-eight orders, so I’ll round it off for you two: that’s two wen each, just right,” Ji Wei said.
Wen Xuan could hardly believe it.
He hadn’t returned at the agreed-upon time and thought Ji Wei might deduct his pay. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he hadn’t lost a single wen and had received more.
Even though Ji Wei didn’t say it outright, Wen Xuan knew he was taking good care of him.
“Thank you, Mr. Ji. I really… really don’t know how to express my gratitude,” he said.
“What’s there to thank? You earned it yourself,” Ji Wei replied, weighing the silver in his hand. With the remaining payments collected from Brother Tian and the others, he already had sixty-eight taels of silver.
This meant that just from the mooncake gift boxes, they had already made one hundred thirty-six taels of silver. Even after deducting all the costs, the net profit was about one hundred taels of silver.
Each day, they could produce four to five hundred pieces of snow-skin mooncakes, but the profits were less than ideal. The snow skin mooncakes were sold for four wens each to the Zhang family and with the shop’s promotion of “buy ten, get one free” yesterday, they had earned less than eight taels of silver in total.
It would be challenging to improve the profit margin in the short term: the market wasn’t fully opened yet, and the selling price of the snow skin mooncakes was low while the labor costs were high, compressing the potential profits significantly.
Of course, this was just Ji Wei’s personal view.
If he were the shopkeeper of another store, he would probably be envious, thinking that just relying on snow skin mooncakes could yield two to three taels of silver a day. Few would be dissatisfied, as Ji Wei was.
Although they were in the pastry business, the shop only sold mooncakes and cookies. The variety was limited, and the quality was low, primarily targeting ordinary customers. For this demographic, the best approach was to offer large quantities at low prices to quickly penetrate the market.
At the same time, the success of the mooncake gift boxes made Ji Wei realize the importance of the high-end market.
If they could firmly capture this group’s appetite, then just a hundred or so orders could match hundreds from ordinary customers.
He wanted both the mass market and the high-end market, striving to grasp both ends. Ji Wei immediately recalled the birthday banquet from a few days ago.
The cream cakes that made their debut received a lot of positive feedback. While some people did approach him to order cakes, many were focused on the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. Plus, Ji Wei was busy managing orders and couldn’t devote time to cakes.
Now, thinking about it, wouldn’t this be a great choice?
Birthdays come only once a year, and every affluent family places great importance on this special day, willing to spend lavishly on celebrations.
As long as he could instill the concept of birthday cakes in this group of people, they would easily come to order cakes whenever a birthday approached, turning these wealthy customers into regulars at the shop.
In Ji Wei’s mind, many luxury brands in later generations followed this approach: when launching new products, they would first offer them to top-tier customers before reaching out to the broader base.
This not only prevents losing customers but also builds a core consumer group with high purchasing power. Their influence could then attract a new batch of consumers.
That day, Ji Wei didn’t go out to the streets; instead, he had the resting workers take turns holding a white-painted sign to draw in customers. He sat in the back courtyard, spreading out several sheets of paper on the table to carefully consider every step he needed to take in the future.
First, he had to establish a core consumer group.
Second, he needed to create a brand concept in their minds to enhance customer loyalty and ensure their continuous repeat purchases.
Finally, he planned to develop new products at different price points to continually expand the market, using “Wei Jue” as the central brand to radiate out to other towns.
With a clear plan in mind, developing a strategy became much easier.
In addition to the cream cakes, Ji Wei selected two other simple pastries that wouldn’t significantly increase labor costs to diversify the types of pastries in the shop.
With a clearer idea in mind, he no longer remained idle in the room. After giving Zhao Hu a few instructions, he left the shop.
Speaking of the four streets in every direction, although they had different focuses, a grocery store was a necessity on each one.
Whether it was for mooncakes, cookies, or other pastries, there was a huge demand for eggs, cane sugar, flour, and milk. Since labor costs couldn’t be lowered, minimizing material costs was a crucial method to increase profits.
Thus, Ji Wei’s goal for this trip to the grocery store was to negotiate prices.
“Master Ji, what can I do for you?” The shop assistant greeted Ji Wei with a respectful smile as soon as he saw him.
This wasn’t just because of his fierce reputation but also because after he moved to North Street, he had accounted for more than half of the grocery store’s revenue. The shopkeeper adored Ji Wei, and the assistants dared not disrespect him.
Even if Ji Wei didn’t mind, if the shopkeeper found out, the assistant would be in serious trouble.
“Is the shopkeeper not around?” Ji Wei asked.
The grocery store was significantly larger than those on East and West Streets. It had a complete range of products and a substantial stock. However, after looking around, Ji Wei didn’t see the shopkeeper’s familiar, plump figure.
“The shopkeeper has gone to restock. If you need anything, Master Ji, just let me know, and I can help you find it,” the assistant said enthusiastically, following Ji Wei around the shop.
“The things I need, you can’t provide. I’ll have to discuss them with your shopkeeper. Since he’s not here, I’ll come back another day,” Ji Wei replied, turning to leave. The assistant hurriedly called him back.
“Master Ji, it’s like this…”
Fearing Ji Wei would leave, the assistant forced a smile. “You’ve been purchasing a lot of flour, sugar, and eggs lately, and our stock is running low. The shopkeeper must be negotiating with suppliers.”
Seeing Ji Wei frown, the assistant quickly added, “But he’s been gone for an hour now, so he should be back soon. Why don’t you wait in the shop?”
“He’s been gone for so long. Where could he have gone?”
Different grocery stores have varying purchasing prices, which leads to differences in profit margins.
This was a well-kept secret among grocery stores, and even if the assistant knew, he wouldn’t dare share it with Ji Wei. Moreover, when the shopkeeper left, he didn’t mention where he was going or who he was meeting.
Hearing Ji Wei’s question, the assistant couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Master Ji, please don’t make it difficult for me. If I knew, would I still be working here?”
“Alright, I won’t press you further. I’ll take my leave for now. You know where my shop is. Once the shopkeeper returns, send him my way,” Ji Wei said, waving his hand. Just a few steps out, he ran into the shopkeeper Zheng Xing, who approached briskly as if he had just closed a few good deals.
“Oh, Master Ji, why are you leaving?” Zheng Xing glanced at the assistant who had just seen Ji Wei at the door and immediately understood the situation. He clapped his forehead and said enthusiastically, “Come back in! I’m glad I caught you; it saves you from running back and forth.”
“Good to see you, Shopkeeper Zheng.”
After exchanging greetings, Ji Wei followed Zheng Xing back into the store.
There was a storage room behind the grocery store for extra stock, used to replenish items when they ran low. The shelves were filled with categorized goods, leaving only a narrow aisle to walk through.
This wasn’t an ideal place for conversation, but since Ji Wei always came to discuss large orders with Zheng Xing, it was better than standing in the bustling shop.
“I heard you went to negotiate new suppliers today, Shopkeeper Zheng?” As soon as Zheng Xing heard this, he knew the assistant had let something slip and jokingly scolded him for his loose lips, confirming Ji Wei’s inquiry.
“Since that’s the case, I’d like to discuss this with you as well.”
“Oh?” Zheng Xing quickly grasped Ji Wei’s intention and couldn’t help but sigh.
When Ji Wei asked why he was sighing, Zheng Xing told him the truth.
“I just closed a few good deals this morning and hadn’t even had the chance to celebrate before you showed up. No doubt, you’re here to talk about the prices of those items, right?”
When he ordered supplies before, Ji Wei had already discussed this issue with Zheng Xing. However, at that time, the purchasing prices were high, and Ji Wei could see that it was challenging to negotiate further, so he didn’t press Zheng Xing.
But this time, it was too coincidental, and given Ji Wei’s astuteness, Zheng Xing couldn’t hide it anymore. It felt like he had worked hard but ended up benefiting Ji Wei instead.
“Don’t be disheartened, Shopkeeper Zheng. After all, not every shop can send hundreds of wen your way every day like I do.” This was the plain truth; since opening in North Street, Ji Wei had spent two taels of silver at this grocery store. Selling only to ordinary folks wouldn’t even come close to matching the amount Ji Wei spent in a single order.
“You make a fair point, Master Ji,” Zheng Xing replied with a bitter smile.
“I have some good news for you.”
“What is it?”
“In a few days, I’ll be buying flour, sugar, and eggs in large quantities.”
Zheng Xing’s first reaction was one of alarm.
He had already visited several suppliers that morning and secured a few deals. If he supplied Ji Wei’s demand, he might not have enough left for others.
However, thinking it over, he realized that even if he made a bit less profit, keeping Ji Wei as a major customer was worth it.
“How much do you think is reasonable, Master Ji?” Zheng Xing asked cautiously.
“Ten percent lower.”
“Ten percent!”
Don’t underestimate that ten percent. For example, if eggs were selling at about twelve wen per pound, lowering the price by ten percent would mean that if he sold Ji Wei twenty pounds each day, he’d earn thirty to forty wen less.
At the originally set price, Zheng Xing would only earn about fifty wens from those twenty pounds, effectively cutting his profits in half.
Zheng Xing felt the pain of this decision.
“So, what do you think, Shopkeeper Zheng? Of course, I don’t want to pressure you. If you disagree, I’ll have to check South Street instead,” Ji Wei said, feigning regret.
Zheng Xing sighed. “Don’t put me in a tight spot, Master Ji. You know I can’t possibly refuse you.”
“Then you must listen carefully: after the Mid-Autumn Festival, I’ll need everything I ordered to be doubled.”
Zheng Xing was taken aback, thinking he must have misheard. He confirmed with Ji Wei several times.
As they stepped out of the storage room, Zheng Xing couldn’t help but express his envy. “Master Ji, your shop is just starting, yet it’s already thriving so much. How are we long-established shops on North Street supposed to compete?”
“Just stand on your own two feet,” Ji Wei joked, then said seriously, “Take it step by step. No one’s money comes easily; there has to be a process, don’t you think?”
If it weren’t for his thirty-plus years of hard work in his previous life, how could he be so comfortable in Changliu Town?
It was just a matter of reaping what one sows.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1