Chapter 49 — Big Business • Re-signing the Contract
At the crack of dawn, two horse-drawn carriages suddenly rolled in through the crossroads between several villages and entered Lingjia Village. After asking around for Ling Jingxuan’s residence, the carriage in front set off toward the foot of Mount Yuehua, the second following close behind. Along the way, quite a few villagers working in the fields saw them. No one dared step forward to ask questions, but nearly everyone was secretly wondering—just who those two carriages had come to find.
“Whoa—?”
The carriages halted in front of Ling Jingxuan’s gate. Shopkeeper Zhang from Xinyuan Restaurant stepped down from the rear carriage. After signaling one of the coachmen to watch the horses, he brought two assistants forward and knocked on the tightly shut wooden door.
“Who is it?”
Xiao Baozi’s clear, crisp voice rang out. A moment later came a creak as the wooden door was pulled open from inside. The small boy standing behind it tilted his head, eyeing them suspiciously for a brief moment. Before Shopkeeper Zhang could even speak, the child suddenly spun around and dashed off at full speed.
“Daddy! Daddy! That uncle from the restaurant yesterday is here! Da—?”
“Uh…”
Seeing this, Shopkeeper Zhang’s forehead darkened. He stood there stiffly, staring blankly at the jubilant little figure disappearing inside.
Before long, Ling Jingxuan stepped out from the house. Behind him followed Ling Jingpeng, who had just arrived, and the two little buns. Only then did the shopkeeper come back to himself. Smiling somewhat awkwardly, he cupped his fist in greeting.
“You flatter me, Ling Gongzi. Please.”
Ling Jingxuan chuckled lightly. “Let’s not stand on ceremony. Please, after you.”
What sort of host walks ahead of his guest? Besides, he still intended to do business with the man.
“Haha—then I won’t be polite. To be frank, Ling Gongzi, I came today to discuss the matter of the fruit jam. Yesterday— hm? At this season, you managed to catch such a large carp? Ling Gongzi, are these yours as well?”
He had barely stepped into the courtyard when his attention was drawn to several buckets of fish set out within. Seeing the plump, sizable carp swimming inside, Shopkeeper Zhang couldn’t help voicing his surprise. It wasn’t that there were no fishermen in the region—river fish were common enough, and even sea fish made their way inland. But with years of constant fishing and no practical method of raising them artificially, fish of this size were rarely seen at this time of year. That was precisely why fish fetched such high prices.
“Yes. I raise them myself in a nearby stream—medicinal fish. The yield isn’t much, just enough to earn a little money to make ends meet.”
Ling Jingxuan clearly had no intention of elaborating. He brushed the matter aside with a vague explanation. He did not take Shopkeeper Zhang for the sort who could be fooled as easily as market townsfolk. If the man insisted on being shown where the fish were raised, things would become troublesome. Until his own fish pond was completed, he had no plan to harvest too many.
“Medicinal fish? You can raise them yourself?”
Catching the key phrase immediately, Shopkeeper Zhang exclaimed in astonishment. For thousands of years, such a feat had been beyond anyone’s reach.
Ling Jingxuan smiled helplessly. “I was merely fortunate enough to work out a folk method—using herbs in the water.”
He had known it would come to this. If he claimed the fish had simply been caught, a sharp man like Zhang would be even harder to deceive. It was not peak fishing season, and it was barely dawn—where would so many fish conveniently be waiting to be caught?
“Can you provide a fixed quantity daily?”
Perceiving that Ling Jingxuan was withholding something, Shopkeeper Zhang decisively abandoned that line of inquiry. Instead, he made it clear that he had set his sights on the fish. Ling Jingxuan feigned a moment of thought before replying:
“At present, no more than thirty fish a day. Not necessarily carp—silver carp and grass carp as well. If Shopkeeper Zhang wishes to purchase them, you will have to send a carriage to collect the goods. I have no means of delivering to town every day.”
Xinyuan Restaurant had branches throughout the Great Qing Dynasty. The forces behind it were surely formidable. A long-term partnership would only benefit him. For now, lacking his own pond, he could not supply fish in large quantities. But once he did, he would need their network to turn a real profit.
“Very well. Let’s go inside and speak further.”
Casting one last look at the lively fish splashing in the buckets, Shopkeeper Zhang took the initiative to step forward. Ling Jingxuan discreetly threw Ling Jingpeng a glance, signaling him to take the two little buns to the rear courtyard before following. A child’s foremost duties were study and play. The past was one thing, but from now on he did not wish for them to be entangled in matters of trade too soon.
Once seated in the main hall, Shopkeeper Zhang wasted no time.
“Ling Gongzi, I will speak plainly.”
Looking directly at him, he went straight to the point.
“To be honest, after you left yesterday, I immediately introduced that chilled dish. The response exceeded my expectations. Once the midday rush had passed, I personally went into town. The town’s shopkeeper also showed great interest. That very night he wrote to the prefectural head shop, detailing the method for preparing the chilled dish and the matter of procuring fruit jam. Early this morning, I received a handwritten reply from the prefectural shopkeeper. We have decided to launch the dish simultaneously in all branches across the prefecture. Therefore, I wish to ask—can you supply one thousand jars within ten days? Thereafter, can you guarantee at least five thousand jars each month?”
The figures were staggering—almost frightening in scale—and that was only their conservative estimate. That was precisely why he had come in person. Truth be told, even he had not expected the prefectural head shopkeeper to treat the matter with such importance.
“It can be done,” Ling Jingxuan replied after a brief moment of contemplation, his tone steady, as though he had long anticipated this outcome. “But I’m afraid we’ll need to change how the price is calculated.”
“How would you propose we calculate it?”
Hearing there was room for negotiation, Shopkeeper Zhang’s spirits rose at once.
Just then, Ling Jingpeng stepped inside. Ling Jingxuan raised a hand slightly to signal him to wait, then said, “Go to the cellar and bring me a jar of fruit jam.”
Ling Jingpeng nodded and left without a word.
Shopkeeper Zhang looked thoroughly puzzled. When Ling Jingpeng returned, he carried in his arms an earthen jar sealed with a strip of white cloth. Ling Jingxuan took it, lifted off the cloth, and held it out before the shopkeeper.
“Yesterday we agreed on one tael of silver per jar. At the time, I assumed you would only require a few hundred jars a month at most. But now your demand has increased tenfold—and it may well grow further. If we continue using these small jars, I fear we shall soon run out of them. As you can see, I am but a villager with two children in tow. I cannot go traveling about to procure more containers from elsewhere.
“This jar holds only one jin. Why not switch to large earthen vats instead? We can calculate by weight. I will take a slight loss and charge you one tael per jin.”
It was, in truth, a venture that cost him almost nothing—but he managed to speak as though his heart ached at the concession.
“That would be acceptable,” Shopkeeper Zhang nodded. “However, each vat should not exceed one hundred jin. We must distribute them among nearby branches. Too large a quantity would be inconvenient to divide, and if damaged during transport, it would be difficult to account for.”
The request was reasonable. One tael per jin was still more economical than one tael per small jar. There was no cause for objection—though the contract would need to be rewritten.
“You need not worry. I was thinking fifty jin per vat—more than enough for distribution.” Ling Jingxuan paused, then added lightly, “But Shopkeeper Zhang, have you ever considered selling the fruit jam directly to the public?”
Whether the grape wine would sell remained uncertain. If he wished to earn enough silver within three months to buy land and build a house, he could rely only on the jam. Though the quantity Zhang proposed was already astonishing, Ling Jingxuan found it insufficient. After yesterday’s events, he had resolved to prosper as quickly as possible—so swiftly that those who once looked down on them would regret it bitterly.
“Sell it to the public? You mean—?”
A man who could rise to the position of shopkeeper did not lack acuity. The confusion in Zhang’s eyes flickered for no more than a heartbeat before it sharpened into something bright.
Ling Jingxuan met his gaze and nodded. “Yes. That chilled dessert requires little skill. Anyone with experience tasting fine foods could replicate it at a glance. As I understand it, young ladies and madams of great households do not easily appear in public. If they send servants to purchase the dish and carry it home, the ice will likely melt along the way. But if they could buy ready-made fruit jam and prepare it themselves at home, would that not solve the problem?”
In any era, was there coin more readily earned than that which women were willing to spend?
“You have a point,” Shopkeeper Zhang admitted slowly. “But if we are to sell to great households, large vats will not do. We would still require small jars—refined ones at that. And you just said you lack sufficient containers.”
“Well…”
A sly smile crept across Ling Jingxuan’s face.
Shopkeeper Zhang regarded him suspiciously. Then realization dawned, and he burst into laughter, pointing at him. “You little fox. You truly know how to do business.”
Only now did he understand—this young man had planned every step, merely waiting for him to step into the snare.
Ling Jingxuan grinned. “You overpraise me, Shopkeeper. I am only trying to earn my daily bread.”
Ling Jingxuan cupped his fists modestly, the smile fading from his lips as his tone grew more composed.
“Because your demand is large, I suggested using big vats. There is no trickery in it, so you may rest assured, Shopkeeper Zhang. The small jars of jam I will still sell to you at one tael of silver per jar. As for how much you choose to sell them for, that has nothing to do with me. I will not disclose your base price to anyone, nor will I sell to others. All of this may be written into the new contract.”
“That is only proper,” Shopkeeper Zhang replied. “But once we begin selling publicly, the quantity will increase again. Are you certain you can keep up?”
His gaze swept discreetly around the modest house. It was not that he doubted Ling Jingxuan’s integrity—yet the courtyard was small, and before coming he had heard the rumors: a single man raising two children, with parents and brothers lending the occasional hand. The scale they were discussing was enormous. Could such a household truly sustain it?
“Rest easy, Shopkeeper Zhang. Since I dared to propose it, I can guarantee the supply. However, as I said before, the fruit used to make jam is seasonal. No matter how much you require, I will only supply until the end of the ninth month. Once the weather turns cool in the tenth month, production will cease.”
He had long since made his calculations. He could bring Zhao Dalong’s family in to help—not as partners, but as hired hands. If things grew busier still, he could employ long-term laborers. He had even heard that servants could be purchased, though the details remained unclear. For the sake of earning enough silver to buy land and open new fields, he would have to stake everything on this gamble.
“Very well. Since you put it so plainly, what do I have to worry about?”
The shopkeeper was decisive. He turned at once and instructed the assistant beside him to fetch writing materials and the silver from the carriage. No matter how the contract changed, the hundred jars agreed upon today must be taken back without fail.
“Now, about the fish,” he added briskly. “Outside, you sell them for at most ten copper coins per jin. I’ll offer the same price. Let all your fish come to me.”
While they waited, his mind had already begun moving again.
Ling Jingxuan shook his head with a faintly resigned smile. “Agreed. As before—around this hour each morning, you may send someone to collect them. For now, I can only supply thirty fish a day. I plan to dig a two-mu fish pond behind my house and attempt raising them there. If that succeeds and you are interested, we can discuss further.”
The matter of the pond could not be delayed any longer. From the jam business alone it was clear—Xinyuan Restaurant possessed formidable wealth. He would have to be a fool not to profit from it.
“Good. I trust you, little brother. We won’t put the fish supply into the contract for now. Once you begin raising them in larger numbers, we’ll draft a proper agreement.”
As they spoke, the assistant returned carrying a bundle. The shopkeeper took it, removed the writing materials from within, and pushed the remaining weight toward Ling Jingxuan.
“I thought banknotes might prove inconvenient in the village, so I took the liberty of exchanging them for one hundred taels in broken silver. Have a look and see if the amount is correct.”
“My thanks, Shopkeeper Zhang.”
Ling Jingxuan accepted the bundle. Without counting each piece individually, he casually tossed it to Ling Jingpeng standing behind him—calm and assured, as though a hundred taels of silver were no more than an ordinary household sum.
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
