HLnovel Chapter 15 really can't go any higher!
Chapter 15 really can't go any higher!
Manager Feng's face turned pale and then red, feeling extremely embarrassed. He was so angry that his chest heaved, but he didn't know what to say.
He has been running a pharmacy for many years, but this is the first time he has ever made a mistake!
If this poor father and daughter were to go out and make a scene, it would definitely damage the reputation of their pharmacy. He had worked so hard to make the pharmacy the biggest and strongest in town. If their reputation were ruined, what would happen if customers stopped coming?
Shen Xiaotang sneered inwardly, recalling the arrogant manner of the shop assistant when she first came in. She figured that this kind of deception of poor people selling medicinal herbs was nothing new, which was why he hadn't taken her and her father seriously.
Manager Feng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and was pondering how to deal with the father and daughter in front of him when his assistant spoke first.
"Little girl, didn't our shopkeeper say that he's giving you face so you'll come back again? One coin per pound is already very fair, why are you so ungrateful and still haggling?"
Manager Feng abruptly turned his head and glared at the shop assistant with a sharp look. "Who gave you the right to meddle here? You brainless idiot, get back to organizing the medicinal herbs!"
The waiter was suddenly scolded by his boss and was momentarily confused as to what he had said or done wrong to provoke such a sudden outburst of anger from the boss.
He immediately turned pale and bowed deeply in apology, "Manager, please calm down. It was all my fault. I'll go and prepare the medicinal herbs right away."
So the shop assistant slunk away to the back, where he bent over and diligently began arranging the medicinal herbs.
After scolding the waiter, Manager Feng gave Shen Qingchuan and his daughter Shen Xiaotang an awkward smile, the contempt in his eyes disappearing.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, gentlemen. It turns out that our Feng family hasn't been buying turmeric for so long that we suddenly forgot the price. Turmeric should be one copper coin per tael, not one jin. Please forgive us. How much do you have? Shall we weigh it first?"
Shen Xiaotang put the green leaf package in her hand into her father's bamboo basket on his carrying pole, clapped her hands and said, "Since Manager Feng can't remember for a moment, let's go ask somewhere else. Although this turmeric is not worth much, it is still something we risked our lives to dig out of the mountains. We are not greedy and hope to sell it at a high price, but we also don't want to sell it at the wrong price and waste all our efforts."
When Manager Feng heard that she was going to sell elsewhere, he immediately became anxious.
Firstly, it's rare to find turmeric of such a large size and good quality. Secondly, he was afraid that if the business failed, the father and daughter would expose his deception of customers and ruin his reputation, which would be a loss.
He immediately tried to persuade her to stay, saying, "Brave man, young lady, please stay. This is our first time doing business together. The price is negotiable. Let's not ruin our relationship so we can cooperate again in the future."
Shen Xiaotang remained silent, secretly observing Manager Feng's expression, trying to discern his sincerity.
Shen Qingchuan, who was only immersed in the grief of his father having lost his family fortune and letting down his maternal grandfather and mother, only came to his senses when he saw Manager Feng stop them again.
What on earth was he doing, letting his little daughter, a mere girl, negotiate prices with a shrewd and experienced shopkeeper? He was such a useless and incompetent father!
"Tang'er, although our Qinghe Town is small, there are several medicine shops. Since the prices here are not suitable, I will take you to ask elsewhere."
When Manager Feng saw that the man insisted on leaving, he panicked even more. With a pained expression, he said, "Two coins a tael, I really can't go any higher!"
Two coins per tael?
Shen Qingchuan was stunned. They had brought about four or five catties of turmeric, nearly fifty taels. If one tael could sell for two coins, wouldn't that be nearly one hundred coins?
Their family delivers eggs and tofu to the restaurant every day, and they only earned 374 coins last month, January.
Shen Qingchuan forcibly suppressed his excitement, immediately put down the carrying pole, pulled his daughter aside, and lowered his voice.
"Tang'er, so turmeric can really be sold. I wonder if Manager Feng's price this time is fair. Should we go ask somewhere else? But how do you know about the medicinal effects of turmeric?"
Shen Xiaotang scratched her head and immediately made up a lie, "A few days ago, Shuanzhu came back a little late from working in the fields. He was attacked by a wild boar that ran down the mountain. His mother called a doctor for him, and it seems that he used turmeric and said a lot of things. I went to join in the fun and happened to overhear it."
Actually, all that was used to stop the bleeding was some hemostatic powder. The doctor only told me not to get the wound wet for half a month to prevent infection, and didn't say anything else.
But it's simply unbelievable that a village girl who has never been to town suddenly knows more than her father.
After hearing his daughter's explanation, Shen Qingchuan dispelled his doubts and nodded with a simple and honest expression.
"I heard it from the doctor. That Tang'er has a really good memory, even better than her father."
“Shall we go ask somewhere else now? You risked your life to dig this out of the mountains, and it only weighs a few pounds. We absolutely cannot sell it at a loss.”
Shen Xiaotang smiled faintly and whispered, "Dad, Manager Feng just tricked us. Look how quickly his attitude changed. He must be afraid we'll make a fuss about it. Maybe the price he offered was already the highest."
She suddenly had an idea: if these few pounds of turmeric could only be sold for a few coins or an ounce after comparing prices at three different stores, then the few pounds in the bamboo basket would at most sell for a few hundred coins, not even an ounce of silver.
She left half of it undigging beside the mountain stream. Even if she risked her life to go back and dig it out, it would only be worth a few hundred coins, which was really not worth it.
But she can dig them up as seeds and plant them on a large scale, which will definitely make more money than growing rice!
Right now, the most urgent thing is to inquire about prices and ask if the herbal medicine shops can buy in large quantities. Although Manager Feng is too shrewd, he is still quite amiable and flexible, and he is not entirely bad!
"Father, since we're already here, why don't we sell half to Manager Feng first, and then ask around for the rest?"
After all, the turmeric was dug up by his daughter in the mountains, so he had no objection to the price or who he sold it to. Shen Qingchuan immediately nodded in agreement.
"Whatever Tang'er says, we'll do."
With her father's support, Shen Xiaotang could act with ease. The father and daughter turned to look at Manager Feng.
"Gentlemen, we've reached an agreement. Two coins is truly the highest price I can offer. If you come again next time, I won't dare to offer two coins per tael again. Really, if you don't believe me, feel free to inquire elsewhere. If you find a place that offers you more than two coins per tael, feel free to bring your men back and smash up the signboard of our Feng's Pharmacy."
Shen Xiaotang took out the largest green leaf packet from the bamboo basket and handed it to Manager Feng.
“We believe that Manager Feng has come with the utmost sincerity this time. But if you look closely at our turmeric, you’ll see that it’s not only plump and uniform in size, but it was also harvested with great care, without damaging the skin at all. Where else can you find such quality?”