Chapter 250: What Do You Need? (Additional Update)

Chapter 250: What Do You Need? (Additional Update)

The various bosses were feeling dizzy, their feet like they were walking on clouds, and their heads were still reeling from the incredible good news.

Xianjin gave them enough time to digest the information, her fingers lightly tapping the table, her mind racing: Jade thumb rings are a deep-water business. It depends on whether she’s after color or water.

Although she earns a high salary, she can’t seem to save any money. There’s still the chubby little Hua to pamper at home. Besides the white one, there’s also a black one—Wang Sansuo, the girl with great strength, eats a lot. A meal with stewed pork knuckle is no problem. Her salary is enough to support them, but there’s not much left.

With limited funds, let’s prioritize color.

The green claw stretched out, looking so rich and noble!

A dead ringer for a green Wolverine!

Xianjin took another serious look at her hand claw, calculating in her mind. Boss Shang has many connections and wide channels; he might have a way to get good materials from Yunnan. If not, her cheap dad should have some connections too. After all, as a seasoned dandy, wouldn’t he rush to the front when his daughter wants to buy stones?

Hehehe, it’s as if the big thumb ring is already on the claw—impressive! Grand! Generous!

Xianjin’s eyes sparkled, her mouth holding a smile, staring steadily with great composure.

Heng Lian, father of Heng Xi, glanced at Xianjin and, seeing this scene, couldn’t help but nod inwardly with admiration: This young girl, with her lowered gaze in contemplation, is probably thinking about the tribute paper matter, right?

Truly steady and magnanimous, willing to devote herself to the Xuancheng paper industry.

Upon further reflection on this girl’s previous tactics: first, she released the sweet date of “Cheng Heng”; second, she presented industry standards to fend off merchants who were already suspicious of her; third, she won over everyone present with an artisan’s heart; finally, she threw out a concession that made everyone grateful—a combination of moves that not only shaped the “Xuancheng Paper Industry Chamber of Commerce” but also secured her a convincing position in just a few words.

In just two hours, this young Miss He demonstrated the generosity of benefiting others and the power to control everyone, cementing her position as the president of the “Xuancheng Paper Industry Chamber of Commerce,” unshakable.

The twenty paper-making workshops present were all well-known merchants in the entire Xuancheng Prefecture. Even though Miss He, the manager of Chen’s, had risen to fame in the past year or two, her identity, age, and gender... were all subjects of discussion and doubt.

Before meeting this girl, these people probably came to Chen’s residence with the mindset of “I want to see what little tricks Boss He will try to pull.”

Well, when he first met He Xianjin, wasn’t he too dismissive of this tall, slender, and delicate-faced girl?

He came with his nose in the air, looking down on her.

Unexpectedly, the girl frowned upon seeing him, as if somewhat disdainful, “Why is it you? Where’s Heng Xi?”

She gave him a show of power right away.

Heng Lian looked again at his eldest daughter, Heng Xi, whose gaze was burning towards He Xianjin, and suddenly felt the impermanence of the world.

He originally kept this daughter by his side, just to occupy the position of the second manager in the shop until his younger son came of age, preventing the brothers from the other branch of the family from inserting their offspring into the business.

The eldest daughter was just a placeholder, a gun barrel, to be married off after use.

Now, it seems that if not for this eldest daughter, the Heng family would either have been completely excluded from the core circle of the Xuancheng paper industry like the Bai family, or they would be like the workshop owners and merchants sitting below, eating whatever scraps Chen’s threw their way.

At least now, the Heng family still had value to be courted.

Heng Lian sighed and, for a moment, his heart was filled with several thoughts as he looked at his eldest daughter’s quiet and graceful side profile.

Let’s wait and see.

Even if He Xianjin can sit firmly in the Chen family, it doesn’t mean Wuniang can too.

Moreover, although He Xianjin has strong external tactics and responsibilities, internally, she has a natural disadvantage—an elder title pressing down on her. She has to comply, even if she doesn’t want to, and has to relinquish power!

The eldest branch of the Chen family is in officialdom, the second son of the Chen family has no offspring, but the third son has two sons. Silang has no reputation, and Sanlang is traveling with his uncle’s family.

Traveling to gain experience, and when he returns, won’t he?

When Chen Sanlang returns, will He Xianjin’s position be stable? Will she be able to sit long? Will she be able to stay?

These are big issues.

Heng Lian raised his head and spoke at the right moment, “Being able to offer tribute paper in the name of the Chamber of Commerce is a great virtue of Chen’s! Heng Kee will follow Boss He’s orders!”

Once Heng Lian started, everyone was pulled back from the clouds, each one talking about how capable they were, how much effort they could contribute, and how big a wave they could make.

Heng Lian leaned back, hiding his merits and fame.

No matter how long this young Miss He could sit in this position or whether she could sit steadily, as long as her words still held weight now, Heng Kee wouldn’t mind lifting the sedan chair for this girl.

He has always been able to bend and extend, assessing the situation.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to use his eldest daughter, who doesn’t have a gender advantage.

Everyone opened their floodgates, their words disorderly, like a group of peacocks displaying their feathers.

Person A said, “The gold-sprinkled paper from my shop is exceptionally well-made, rich and magnificent, it looks expensive!”

Xianjin: ...

This was the first time she had heard of Xuan paper being associated with “rich and magnificent.”

In her mind, she instantly pictured a magnificent Rococo building full of crystal chandeliers, where a robust old man with a white beard was writing with a brush.

It was as incongruous as Tang Seng and Churchill meeting up to play mahjong.

Xianjin shook her head, “Rich and magnificent is good, but please don’t hall just yet.”

Person B said, “The four-layer Xuan from my family is tender and smooth, tsk tsk, it feels like the cheek of Chunzhen, the top courtesan of the House of a Hundred Flowers...”

Xianjin: ...

Dealing with a group of middle-aged men is really troublesome.

You talk to them about business, and they talk to you about foot baths.

In a moment of carelessness, it started to involve prostitution, gambling, and drugs.

Xianjin didn't want to discuss with him whose flesh was more tender, Chunzhen's or Qiubao's from the Hundred Flowers House. She shifted her gaze and looked directly at Ding.

Bing said, "I follow Boss He's arrangements in everything. If Boss He tells me to make cotton-padded Xuan paper, I make cotton-padded Xuan. If Boss He tells me to make processed Xuan paper, I make processed Xuan. I always follow Boss He's instructions."

Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, and Ren glared at Bing furiously.

How could this guy lick boots without any burden at all?!

Xianjin waved her hand, about to speak, when the square-faced illiterate man seated at the lowest position opened his mouth.

"I heard that the purpose of offering tributes changes every year. More than a decade ago, when Xuancheng still had the qualification to present tributes, they made clean-skin raw Xuan paper because the previous emperor... the abdicated emperor, right? They say he loved calligraphy and painting, especially ink landscapes, and needed paper that could naturally blur and spread the ink..."

After the abdicated emperor stepped down and Emperor Zhaode ascended the throne, Xuan paper was no longer offered as tribute from Xuancheng. Instead, they switched to yukou paper.

Yukou paper was more practical for daily use and convenient for transcribing book pages, requiring less meticulous preservation compared to Xuan paper.

The square-faced illiterate man clicked his tongue, "The only thing we don't know is what the court wants now."

Xianjin smiled brightly.

Now that's hitting the nail on the head.

In business, it's not about what I have to sell, but what you need, and I sell that.