Chapter 69: A Successful Sale

Chapter 69: A Successful Sale

The shopkeeper didn't hesitate.

" Fur is for warmth, so naturally, it's more valuable in winter."

He Zhiran looked at Peng Wang.

"Brother Peng, these furs won't spoil before winter. Let's sell them then."

Peng Wang readily agreed, "Sure, I'll follow Sister-in-law's advice."

With that, he called out to the bailiffs and they prepared to leave.

Seeing the potential sale slip away, the shopkeeper quickly put on a friendly smile and blocked their path.

"Gentlemen, please don't rush off just yet. Let's discuss this further."

"There's nothing more to discuss. We've worked hard to get these wolf skins, so we'll sell them when they're most valuable."

Peng Wang, seeing the shopkeeper attempting to dissuade them, was secretly amused but still pretended to be about to leave.

The shopkeeper, flustered, cried out, "How about this, I'll add one hundred wen for each pelt? That's already quite a high price."

He Zhiran turned and held up a palm towards the shopkeeper.

"I'll take the deal if you add five hundred wen."

"That's too much, even in winter, wolf pelts aren't worth that value," the shopkeeper lamented, as adding five hundred wen would halve his profit.

"Then never mind. Anyway, we have business to attend to in the capital in a few days. We can sell these pelts there for a good price," He Zhiran said, preparing to depart.

This time, the shopkeeper was genuinely anxious.

"Alright, I'll give you one and a half taels of silver for each pelt, I'll take all of them."

Though the profit margin was smaller, it was better than making no profit at all.

Peng Wang was now thoroughly impressed. With just a few words, He Zhiran had managed to secure an additional twenty-five taels of silver for the wolf pelts.

He discreetly gave He Zhiran a thumbs-up.

The furs on the wooden cart were swiftly cleared, revealing the dried wolf meat stored in large iron pots.

The shopkeeper, curious, asked, "Brother, what is this?"

With an extra twenty-five taels in his pocket, Peng Wang was in a cheerful mood and generously offered a piece of the dried meat to the shopkeeper.

"You can try it, this is dried wolf meat."

"Dried wolf meat?" The shopkeeper, with years of business experience, had never heard of such a product.

He took the piece of meat from Peng Wang and cautiously took a bite.

To his surprise, he couldn't stop eating.

"It's delicious, chewy, and the flavor gets better the more you chew..."

On their way there, He Zhiran had suggested that they couldn't possibly sell all the dried meat piece by piece at the market. It would be best to find a teahouse or a pleasure house like Qin Hall or Chu Hall and negotiate with the proprietors to purchase it in bulk.

Thus, despite the merchant's persistent praise for its taste, they had no intention of selling him any. Seeing how much the merchant enjoyed it, Peng Wang generously offered him a few more pieces.

With the silver in hand, Peng Wang was about to leave with his group when the merchant rushed out after them.

"Please wait a moment, sirs."

Peng Wang turned around. "Is there something else?"

The merchant approached them with a beaming smile.

"Brother, would you consider selling this dried wolf meat?"

"I do sell it, but only as a whole, not in smaller quantities," Peng Wang replied.

As he spoke, a man in his thirties, dressed in a silk robe, emerged from the leather goods shop. He carried a folding fan and sauntered toward the group, believing himself quite the charming figure.

"My name is Cui, and I'm hosting a poetry gathering in three days. Esteemed scholars and connoisseurs from neighboring counties will attend. Upon seeing this dried wolf meat, I believe it would make an excellent snack. If possible, I'd like to purchase some."

Peng Wang, seeing business approach, instinctively looked to He Zhiran.

He Zhiran was well aware that there was no need to worry about selling wolf jerky.

"Mr. Cui, we don't sell our jerky in small quantities. If you can purchase all of these, let's discuss the price."

Mr. Cui first glanced at the amount of wolf jerky on the wooden cart before responding, "No problem."

Upon hearing this, He Zhiran didn't beat around the bush and directly stated her asking price. "I'll sell all of this jerky for 300 wen per pound."

"300 wen per pound? Young lady, are you trying to rob me?" The fur trader's shopkeeper found the price utterly unbelievable.

Not only was the shopkeeper stunned by this quote, but even Peng Wang was taken aback.

If it weren't for the deliciousness of their jerky, these wolves' meat, even properly prepared, would likely not fetch a high price at the market.

This girl was indeed asking for the moon, demanding 300 wen with just one mention.

There was some exaggeration in He Zhiran's pricing, as it was unlikely to be a fixed deal. The buyer would certainly try to haggle.

However, she would never be the one to initiate concessions.

"One pound of jerky requires five pounds of wolf meat. Our family risks our lives to hunt these wolves and goes through numerous processes to prepare them. I believe this price is entirely reasonable."

"Even if it takes five pounds of wolf meat to make one pound of jerky, it's not worth 300 wen per pound!" the shopkeeper countered.

Mr. Cui concurred, "Yes, 300 wen per pound is indeed too steep."

Seeing that both men found the price exorbitant, Peng Wang feared the deal was about to fall through. In a desperate attempt, he discreetly nudged He Zhiran, gesturing for her to lower the price.

But He Zhiran ignored Peng Wang and addressed the shopkeeper and Mr. Cui instead.

"I assume that after tasting the jerky, you both found its flavor pleasing, hence your interest in purchasing it."

Noticing no objections from the duo, He Zhiran continued, "The recipe for making this jerky has been passed down in my family for generations. I'm confident that nowhere else can you find such delicious jerky except here."

Mr. Cui, with your poetry gathering, I imagine that only esteemed individuals of high standing would attend such an event. By serving your guests with such distinctive and unique jerky, it will certainly create an unforgettable impression."

He Zhiran's words struck a chord with Mr. Cui. After much contemplation, he finally said, "I'll take the whole lot at 200 wen per pound."

In He Zhiran's estimation, the lowest acceptable price for these jerky was 150 wen per pound. The offer of 200 wen brought her immense satisfaction. However, to conceal her delight, she hesitated momentarily.

Seeing her hesitation, Mr. Cui spoke up again. "I can add another 20 wen, but no more than that."

He Zhiran pretended to be unsure and turned to Peng Wang. "Brother Peng, is this price reasonable?"

Peng Wang played along, his expression a mix of pain and reluctance as he said, "Well, if it's 220 copper coins, then it is! Let's sell the jerky and head back sooner."

Only then did He Zhiran look at Mr. Cui with reluctance.

"Since my elder brother has agreed, there's nothing more to be said. The deal is settled at 220 copper coins per catty."

The shopkeeper called for an apprentice to assist in weighing the jerky.

There were a total of 168 catties of wolf jerky, amounting to 36 taels and 980 copper coins.

Mr. Cui promptly handed over 40 taels of silver to He Zhiran.

For Peng Wang, the fact that these unwanted wolf meats could fetch 40 taels was like stumbling upon free silver.