After hooking pinkies with Ji Wei, Liu Yimian’s peaceful and stable life gained a new routine. Every evening, he would jump rope for an hour in the backyard, sweating profusely before taking a bath and changing clothes.
To grow up faster, in addition to jumping rope, Liu Yimian followed Ji Wei’s suggestion and started drinking the goat’s milk he had once loathed.
One bowl in the morning after waking up, and one bowl before bed at night, without fail. Ji Wei was secretly amazed at how seriously Liu Yimian took this, even feeling a bit regretful about making this agreement with him.
But a gentleman’s word is as good as his bond, and what’s done is done, so Ji Wei stopped overthinking it.
Not long after, someone from the Zhang family came to invite Ji Wei, saying that Master Zhang had an appointment with the second-in-command of the printing workshop and that the man had already arrived at the Zhang residence, waiting for him.
This visitor had arrived unexpectedly, without any prior warning.
Ji Wei’s carefully designed blueprints were still at the Wénxuān Office and hadn’t been retrieved. He asked the Zhang family servant to head back first while he rushed over to West Street to collect the stack of designs. He then jogged to the Zhang residence, worried about keeping the guest waiting too long.
The second-in-command of the printing workshop, named Nie Junqi, had been assisting the head of the workshop since he came of age. In recent years, the head had gradually retired from the public eye, and aside from overseeing major decisions, most of the daily operations of the printing workshop, including business dealings, were managed by Nie Junqi.
Master Zhang’s friendship with Nie Junqi goes back sixteen years.
Back then, both families’ businesses were much smaller. When Master Zhang decided to establish connections with merchants in Qingcheng, he met Nie Junqi, who was working under the head of the printing workshop.
At that time, the printing workshop was just a small storefront with a backyard, crowded with workers, located next to Zhang’s rice shop. Being neighbors, the two families gradually developed a close relationship.
Later, as Master Zhang’s business expanded, he introduced many customers to the printing workshop, and their friendship deepened through these business interactions.
By the time Ji Wei arrived at the Zhang residence, Nie Junqi and Master Zhang had already been chatting for over half an hour. Several delicate snacks and round-patterned cookies were placed on the table in front of Nie Junqi.
Seeing Ji Wei, Master Zhang beckoned him over.
“Young Nie has been waiting half the day. Why are you so slow on your feet, young man?” Master Zhang teased with a laugh.
“I only just found out that Mr. Nie was coming and had to rush to get the necessary items. Look at me, sweating all over.” Ji Wei apologized good-naturedly. Master Zhang had someone bring him a towel to wipe his sweat and serve him some tea and snacks before they finally began discussing business.
“I’ve already explained your situation to young Nie,” Master Zhang said, calling Nie by his given name, as he was nearly twenty years his senior.
“You should at least leave me some dignity, old master,” Nie Junqi half-jokingly complained.
“Alright, alright, I’ll give you some face,” Master Zhang laughed.
“Let’s get down to business,” Nie Junqi cleared his throat, his curious gaze falling on the stack of blueprints on the table. “Young Master Ji just fetched these. I assume they’re related to the printing work ahead. May I take a look?”
“Of course,” Ji Wei replied, standing up and laying out the blueprints for them to inspect.
“What’s the difference between these?” Nie Junqi held two sheets, comparing them with the two in Master Zhang’s hands. They featured common Mid-Autumn Festival designs like Chang’e, full moons, and lanterns, along with poems, but he couldn’t discern any obvious differences.
Ji Wei took the blueprints from their hands, sorted them into categories on the table, and pointed to the ones on the left. “These simple patterns and short blessings are for the inner packaging. The longer poems and more intricate designs, like the story of Chang’e flying to the moon, are for the outer packaging.”
The concept of inner and outer packaging caught Nie Junqi’s attention.
Although packaging already existed in this era, it typically consisted of a single layer, with variations based mainly on cost.
The idea of separate inner and outer packaging was novel to Nie Junqi, who had traveled far and wide but had never encountered it before.
“And how does the inner packaging differ from the outer? What purpose do they serve?” Nie Junqi inquired, intrigued and waiting for Ji Wei’s explanation.
“Do you have any thick paper here?” Ji Wei asked.
Master Zhang instructed the steward, Zhang Quan, to find some paper. Thick paper was uncommon, so Zhang Quan brought back several different types for Ji Wei to choose from. After picking out a few sheets, Ji Wei folded and tore them, assembling them into a small square box.
“Gentlemen, this small box represents the inner packaging. The mooncakes will be placed inside, and then wrapped in the outer packaging, with printed designs and blessings. It will be perfect for gifting,” Ji Wei explained.
Nie Junqi and Master Zhang exchanged glances. Finally, Nie picked up the small box, inspecting it closely. “How will the box be printed?” he asked.
“It’s simple. First, we print on the paper, and then fold it into the box. Your workshop would only need to handle the printing and cutting, like I just did with the paper so that the cuts are already in place. Afterward, we’ll fold them ourselves.” Ji Wei had thought everything through; all that remained was for the printing workshop to take on the packaging project.
Nie Junqi raised a few concerns, which Ji Wei answered one by one. When it came to printing the images and colors, Nie pointed out that the process would be extensive and challenging. It would require skilled craftsmen to carve the templates and mix the dyes, and any mistakes along the way could ruin the final product.
In other words, it wouldn’t be cheap.
Ji Wei had anticipated this.
The mooncake gift boxes were meant for the high-end market, so it was acceptable for them to be more expensive as long as the quality was top-notch.
As for the cheaper snow skin mooncakes, they could be sold in bulk with simple, convenient packaging that didn’t require elaborate designs.
Ji Wei calculated that for a box of six mooncakes, they would need 1,200 inner packages and 200 outer packages. Accounting for waste, he added 10%, bringing the total to 1,320 inner packages and 220 outer ones.
Since the printing workshop had close ties with the papermakers, Ji Wei was strict about the type of paper used, specifying that it needed to be sturdy, smooth, and white with minimal grain, meaning it would all have to be custom-made.
Even with Master Zhang’s connections, they could only manage a 10% discount, which brought the total cost to 27 taels of silver—a hefty price.
“This is the lowest price I can offer,” Nie Junqi said calmly, taking a sip of tea as he praised the flavor.
Custom work was never cheap. Though Ji Wei had expected a high cost, he was still taken aback.
But the numbers were clear. A box of six mooncakes, with just the packaging, would cost 135 wen per box, not including the ingredients, labor, and other expenses.
This meant that the total cost of one box would be 200 wens, and they’d need to sell each box for at least half a tael of silver to make a profit.
The calculations flashed through Ji Wei’s mind in an instant. He quickly smiled politely, pulled out his money pouch, and counted out several ingots of silver.
In transactions within the city, copper coins are used as the main currency for exchange, since silver is far more valuable. Silver is only commonly used for larger trades between different government offices.
Ji Wei carrying ten taels of silver with him was already quite surprising.
“I wonder if this is enough as a deposit?” he asked. Normally, the deposit should be half of the total transaction amount, but this time, the costs exceeded Ji Wei’s expectations, and he didn’t bring enough money.
This was a bit embarrassing.
Ji Wei thought that if Nie Junqi refused, he’d have to borrow some money from Old Master Zhang to cover the difference.
Fortunately, Nie Junqi was easy to deal with and didn’t quibble over a few taels of silver. With Old Master Zhang as a witness, the two of them signed and stamped the contract in duplicate, each keeping a copy. They agreed that within seven days, samples of each product style would be made for Ji Wei to review and finalize any needed adjustments.
As for the marketing plan Ji Wei had previously discussed with Old Master Zhang, it was left entirely in Old Master Zhang’s hands.
After negotiating the packaging and pricing with Nie Junqi, the conversation shifted to a recent book order received by the printing house.
Besides the usual classical texts, the printing house had also acquired a batch of popular novels, including tales of the supernatural, martial arts, and romance—bestsellers that were creating a buzz in the city. It had taken quite some effort on Nie Junqi’s part, lobbying in various places to secure the manuscripts.
What caught Old Master Zhang’s interest was the front page of these novels.
Placing advertisements in classical texts wouldn’t spark curiosity among scholars; it would only offend them, causing them to reject the product.
But novels were different. They thrived on excitement and novelty. Having an ad for a unique Mid-Autumn snack on the front page would only make readers more intrigued.
Compared to packaging that required special paper and colored printing, a black-and-white ad with a simple mooncake design on the front page was far easier and more cost-effective.
Old Master Zhang rarely made personal requests, so when he brought this up, even a shrewd businessman like Nie Junqi couldn’t refuse the favor.
With just a few words exchanged, they settled on an advertising fee so low that Ji Wei was left dumbfounded.
Ten taels!
To include an ad for mooncakes on the front page of every novel printed before the Mid-Autumn Festival would cost only ten taels of silver!
It was practically giving it away for free.
It was clear that having connections made a difference—one favor was worth double the effort.
Ji Wei couldn’t help but be impressed.
After the business was settled, Old Master Zhang invited Nie Junqi to stay and chat. Sensing the atmosphere, Ji Wei excused himself and politely declined the offer to stay for dinner, bidding farewell to the two as he headed home.
As he passed through West Second Alley, the pungent smell of stinky tofu wafted from a nearby house, lingering in the air even as he left the alley.
Ji Wei chuckled to himself, wondering how the neighbors managed to tolerate such a smell day in and day out. Either everyone had lost their sense of smell, or someone in that house had a thick skin.
But then again, what business was it of his?
Ji Wei had to admire how quickly word spread among businessmen. No sooner had he finalized the deal with Nie Junqi than Lin Yaozu from Daxi Town came knocking, eager to get a share of the mooncake market.
Unfortunately for Lin Yaozu, the Zhang family had already secured their involvement, leaving him with no opportunity to intervene, much to his dismay.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1