The road to wealth of a peasant widow

"Mrs. Liu, I wonder how often your charcoal can be delivered and how much can be delivered each time?" Shopkeeper Xu asked leisurely after taking a sip of tea.

Although he was quite satisfied with the quality of the charcoal, there were many types of goods in the store and he had a lot to worry about. Charcoal was not a particularly profitable product, so he usually didn't pay much attention to it.

If this winter had not been colder than in previous years, the demand for charcoal had increased, and the supply had not been a bit insufficient, he would not have paid any attention to this unofficial supplier who came to his door.

Chen Cui had already thought about this question before and had a rough estimate in her mind, so she answered very quickly: "Boss, you also know that we are from Yinping County. It is not easy to come to the capital city, and the road is quite troublesome. Therefore, we can deliver goods once every half a month, and each time we can supply 20,000 kilograms. I just don't know if our store can consume it? And the price..."

Shopkeeper Xu laughed and said, "Don't worry. Our Huipintang is the largest grocery store in the city. The amount of goods we bring in and out every day is unimaginable. Many small stores buy goods from us. This little bit of charcoal is nothing to us. As for the price, how about six cents per catty?"

Chen Cui also smiled: "Shopkeeper Xu, this price is a bit low, my charcoal is not worse than the black steel charcoal in our store, it shouldn't be worth only this price!"

Shopkeeper Xu sighed and said with a wry smile, "Mrs. Liu, you don't know this. The selling price and the purchase price are two different things. We run such a big shop, and every month we have to spend a lot on rent and the salaries of our employees. Besides, charcoal takes up a lot of space, can't get wet, and we have to find a special room to store it. If customers buy a lot, we have to deliver the goods. If you calculate it, we don't make much money. I really gave you six cents a pound."

Chen Cui listened to him complaining and crying poor, and cursed in her heart, "Old fox!"

She also sighed: "Alas, we are a country family in Yinping County. It's not easy to come to the capital. If you hadn't told me, I really didn't know that our shop is so difficult. In this case, I will go to other shops to have a look. It's so cold, my charcoal will not be piled up at home and can't be sold!"

As she spoke, Chen Cui picked up the rope of the backpack and put it on her back, then turned around and was about to go out.

"Oh, Mrs. Liu, why are you leaving just like that? I haven't finished talking yet, look at this..." When Shopkeeper Xu saw that the woman didn't even bargain and was about to leave, he quickly stood up from his chair and said hastily.

As she was talking, Chen Cui had already walked to the door and turned around and said, "Thank you, Manager Xu, for your hospitality. I'll take my leave now!"

"Oh, it's just the price, we can talk about it again, everything can be negotiated!" Shopkeeper Xu took two quick steps, walked up to Chen Cui, and said in a low voice.

"Can we really discuss it?" Chen Cui stopped and asked.

"Yes, please come back first, we can talk inside." Shopkeeper Xu said helplessly.

This time, Chen Cui was invited into a small compartment at the back of the store, which was similar to a reception room. The waiter served her tea again and she took a sip without hesitation.

Although she didn't know much about tea, she felt that the tea this time seemed to be better than the one she had tasted in the previous shop, and there was a sweet aftertaste in her mouth after drinking it.

Shopkeeper Xu spoke again: "Mrs. Liu, how about six and a half cents per catty? If you were in Yinping County, you would never be able to sell it at this price!"

Chen Cui smiled and said, "Charcoal burning is hard work. It's not easy for us to come to the city. It's more than 200 miles. It's not pleasant to travel in winter. I don't ask for much. Seven and a half cents a pound. If it's okay, I won't ask other families. Just send the charcoal to us."

Shopkeeper Xu sighed, "Six and a half coins is not a low price. If it's any higher, I'll lose money. I'm just the shopkeeper, not the boss. This is all I can decide. I can't give more."

Chen Cui stood up and made a move to leave: "Forget it, I can't embarrass you, I'd better ask somewhere else!"

Shopkeeper Xu quickly stretched out his hand to stop her, and then a look of deep sorrow flashed across his face: "Forget it, considering that it is not easy for you to come all the way here, Mrs. Liu, I will make the decision today and give you seven cents per catty. If you still don't agree, I can also send you off respectfully!"

Chen Cui breathed a sigh of relief, it worked!

She was actually quite worried that the shopkeeper would not stop her, so she could only go to another store to ask.

But Huipintang is the largest grocery store in the city, with guaranteed traffic and sales volume. Other stores may not be able to absorb her goods.

The goods were delivered once every two weeks, each time carrying 20,000 kilograms of charcoal and costing 140 taels of silver. Although it was not a big business, Shopkeeper Xu still signed a contract according to the rules.

The contract was made in duplicate, specifying the type of charcoal, price, delivery time and quantity, as well as the compensation for breach of contract.

The contract period is one and a half months, during which time three deliveries are required, each time weighing 20,000 kilograms, for a total of 60,000 kilograms of charcoal.

Chen Cui calculated that today is the eighth day of the eleventh lunar month, and the last delivery time will be the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month. By then, it will be almost the Chinese New Year, and the cold weather will not last much longer.

She looked at it carefully and found that the contract was fair and binding on both parties. No matter which party breached the contract, they would have to pay the corresponding price.

Shopkeeper Xu already knew that Mrs. Liu was illiterate, so after he finished writing, he read it to her again and made sure she had no problems understanding it before letting her put her fingerprint on it.

From this point of view, Shopkeeper Xu was quite particular in his work. He did not fool around just because she was an illiterate peasant woman. No wonder he could run such a big shop.

The contract has been signed, and Chen Cui did not stay here for long. The mountain goods store's convoy will return to Yinping tomorrow. She has to seize the time today to go shopping and buy some things that are not available in the county town, as well as things that are not convenient for her to buy in the county town.

After the supply issue was settled, she felt relieved. Although there were still many things to be arranged later, she felt confident as long as the contract was in place.

Although how to transport the charcoal, how to explain it to the Chen family, and how to let them learn to make charcoal as soon as possible, these all need to be resolved within this half month.

But she was not afraid. In fact, she had already made some plans for the transportation of the goods. All that was needed was further communication and negotiation. She was about 60% to 70% sure about it.

And there is the Chen family. Their care and love for Chen is the best protector for Chen Cui. She believes that with this filter in place, no matter what she says, the Chen family will not have any doubts about her.

They only feel sorry for her and pity her, thinking that their daughter, who had been doing well, was forced by life to shoulder the burden of supporting the family and work outside in public to make a living!

This is what family is like. They always think about the difficulties their children have and never consider anything else!