Chapter 247: Making Money

Chapter 247: Making Money

On the nineteenth day of the fourth month, they entered Chang’an. Outside the city, flowers were in full bloom, and bees and butterflies fluttered about. Inside the city, people were densely packed, but there was no sound of revelry or celebration. Sui Yu couldn’t help but wonder why. After settling her caravan in Lingyi, she inquired locally and learned that the Grand Marshal had fallen seriously ill. Officials in the city all wore heavy expressions, and even the common people dared not indulge in merrymaking.

"The Grand Marshal is the younger brother of the Champion Marquis. The Champion Marquis drove away the Xiongnu. His younger brother is the Grand Marshal and General. Both brothers are incredibly capable," Song Xian remarked with admiration.

Sui Yu nodded. She was busy organizing blankets, and matters of the court seemed too distant. Though she appreciated the comment, her mind was more focused on business.

"Let’s rest for two days. During that time, we’ll visit the Western Market to inquire about the prices of spices and blankets," Sui Yu suggested.

Song Xian had no objections. She took out a box of agate and began polishing each piece. "Should we sell the agate and jade to jewel merchants? If we could sell them directly to the wives of officials, we'd certainly get a higher price than selling to shops."

Sui Yu didn’t respond. Kneeling on the ground, she frowned, pondering how to smooth out the creases on the blankets.

Zhang Shun and Li Wu returned carrying a log they had found somewhere. They cleaned the log at the riverbank and then carried it back to dry over a grain storage bin.

By evening, the log had dried. Xiao Chunhong and Liuya washed their feet, slipped on clean socks, and stepped onto the carpet. They pushed the log over the blue-and-white interwoven carpet, pressing it repeatedly until the creases faded significantly, showing some effect.

The next day, Sui Yu and Song Xian took Li Wu and Zhang Shun into the city, leaving Gan Da, Gan Er, Qingshan, and Xiao Chunhong in charge of organizing the carpets and blankets.

Entering through the Xuanping Gate, Sui Yu and Song Xian headed straight for the Western Market. They encountered a team of Hu merchants leaving and moved to the wall to make way for the camel caravan.

"Do you know them?" Song Xian asked in a low voice.

Sui Yu nodded, but when the Hu merchants saw her, their eyes showed no recognition. She understood that this team of Hu merchants didn’t wish to interact with her much, so she didn’t approach them for conversation.

After the Hu merchants' caravan left, Sui Yu and Song Xian, covering their mouths and noses, continued their journey. They first went to a silk shop to inquire about silk prices. The shop was bustling, and the clerks were busy. Noticing Song Xian’s out-of-town accent and plain clothes, the clerk quickly quoted a price before rushing back to work.

"It’s even a hundred cash more expensive than the silk I bought last year," Song Xian murmured. "I wonder if the prices will drop in a few days. It’s spring, and the young ladies of official families are busy making new clothes."

Sui Yu didn’t think that was the reason. She looked back at the shop and noticed that the maids and older women leaving were carrying mostly plain silks, primarily in blue and grey. She realized these people were likely preparing for the Grand Marshal’s funeral, suggesting that the Grand Marshal’s condition was worsening.

"Are we going to Taiyuan again this year?" Song Xian asked. "Maybe after selling the spices and blankets, we could go to Taiyuan to buy hemp and silk fabrics, and on the way back, stop by Chang’an to buy silk again."

"Alright," Sui Yu agreed, taking Song Xian’s hand. "Come, let’s find out the price of these blankets."

There were three shops selling blankets in the Western Market, two of which were run by Hu merchants. In one shop, Sui Yu spotted a blue-and-white interwoven carpet that matched the one she was holding, with a similar weaving technique.

"How much is this?" she asked.

"2,800 cash."

"And the purchase price?" Sui Yu inquired further.

The Hu-looking clerk sized her up and then looked at Zhang Shun and Li Wu. "Are you with a caravan?"

Sui Yu nodded.

"What are the dimensions of the carpet? I price by the square foot, at 300 cash per square foot."

Sui Yu estimated that according to his quote, her smallest piece of carpet would be worth around 2,000 cash, allowing for a decent profit margin.

"We don’t accept carpets with loose fibers or deep creases," the clerk added.

"Alright. In five or six days, I’ll bring the caravan to deliver the blankets," Sui Yu said.

Leaving the shop, the four of them went to a jewelry store. The store was filled with various exquisite pieces, including agate bracelets, gold and jade hair ornaments, jade rings, glass pendants, and delicate earrings. Sui Yu and Song Xian spent a large part of the day there, only leaving the city at dusk.

The next day, Sui Yu and Song Xian again took four servants into the city. This time, they went to the Eastern Market to sell two wooden zithers, where older musicians often gathered. Some set up stalls to play the pipa and huqin, earning tips, while others performed acrobatic acts and passed around trays for donations. After watching for a bit, Sui Yu and Song Xian were asked for a tip.

"Let's go, we'll sell the wooden zithers first." Sui Yu pulled Song Xian away, saying, "We traded a bolt of cloth for these two wooden zithers. Let's see how much we can sell them for."

"The base of the zither isn't made from any precious wood, but the leather strings are quite good, producing a crisp sound. If you're willing to sell, I can offer 1,800 coins," said the shop owner.

"1,800 coins for one zither?" Song Xian asked deliberately.

The shop owner gave her a dismissive look and didn't bother to reply.

"Make it an even 2,000," Sui Yu said. "I got these from Kuqa. You know, people from Kuqa are good at singing and dancing, so their instruments are top-notch."

The owner plucked the leather string again and gently stroked it, letting the pleasant sound of the zither flow out.

"Alright, I'll make a little less profit," he relented.

The 2,000 coins were packed into a wooden box, carried by servants, while Sui Yu and Song Xian left the shop empty-handed. As they stepped out, they saw a merchant caravan turning onto the opposite street. They looked at each other and, with silent understanding, lifted their feet to follow.

This caravan had come from the east, carrying mainly silk and satin. They entered a silk shop and went straight into the backyard of the store.

Sui Yu and Song Xian spent a little over half an hour browsing. When they left, each of them had three or four sets of clothes, some for themselves and some for their family members, to be brought back by the caravan. By the time they received them, it would be the peak of summer, perfect for wearing.

Afterward, the two women, along with their servants, went to a brush shop and an iron shop. There was even a donkey rental shop, where a row of fences held donkeys.

"It seems the business of renting livestock has been around for a while. I thought renting camels was unique," Sui Yu said, picking up a stray grass stem from the ground and offering it to a donkey to eat. "The border towns are still pretty isolated and underdeveloped. I thought your camel rental business was one of a kind."

Song Xian nodded. "If it weren't for your idea, I wouldn't have thought to rent camels to merchant caravans."

Just as she finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps came in. A middle-aged man wearing a wooden crown looked tense. He spoke to the old man feeding the donkeys in the fence, "Father, I just heard the news. The Grand Marshal has passed away."

"Clang!" The old man spilled his water bucket and stood up. "Who did you hear it from?"

"The servants from the Grand Marshal's residence were buying white hemp cloth and other things."

Upon hearing this, the other people in the donkey rental shop started discussing, and many went out to inquire about the news.

Sui Yu and Song Xian looked at each other. The affairs of Chang'an were too distant for them, and they knew little about the happenings in the court. Unlike the people living near the imperial palace, who knew a bit of everything and could discuss it casually when gathered, the two women listened attentively.

After this incident, wherever Sui Yu and Song Xian went in the city, they heard people discussing the Grand Marshal's death. Some were even weeping loudly in the streets. They immediately decided to leave the city; it was too emotionally overwhelming.

The next time they entered the city, Sui Yu heard that the emperor had posthumously ennobled the Grand Marshal as the Marquis of Xuan Cheng. The emperor and empress had personally gone to the mourning hall to pay their respects. The street vendors were slapping their thighs, talking about how great the Grand Marshal was and how the emperor honored him.

Walking into the West Market, the melancholic tunes of the entertainment quarters were gone. The silk shops were empty, and the jewelry stores barely had any customers. The clerks were idly sitting by the walls, catching lice.

"Young brother, I'm here to deliver the carpets," Sui Yu walked in, seeing the owner talking to a man in a blue-green robe wearing white hemp cloth. She stopped and didn't approach to avoid disturbing them.

A clerk came close to the owner and whispered a few words. The owner looked at Sui Yu a few more times, his expression relaxing. He spoke a few words in a low voice and quickly walked out, gesturing to Sui Yu to follow him outside.

"How many carpets do you have? The ones with blue and white interwoven patterns, darker tones?" he asked.

"Ten. Six of them are seven feet long and six feet wide, and four are ten feet long and seven feet wide," Sui Yu answered.

"I'll take all of them. Help me out, and we can negotiate the price. Use your camel caravan to help me deliver the carpets to the Grand Marshal's residence."

Sui Yu quickly nodded. "That's no problem."

The owner went inside to speak with the manager, and after a short while, he came back out, asking Sui Yu to spare ten camels. Meanwhile, the clerks in the shop were making multiple trips to move the goods out.

"Can you send someone along with me?" the owner said.

"Can I go?" Sui Yu asked, pointing to Zhang Shun. "Or should he go with you?"

The owner signaled to Zhang Shun and then hurriedly left with the camel caravan, following the steward.

At that moment, a shop assistant came out of the shop and said, "The madam owner invites you to come inside. Our owner has instructed that if you plan to sell your remaining blankets, we are willing to buy all of them at a fair price."

Without hesitation, Sui Yu and Song Xian sold all the blankets and carpets of various sizes they had purchased in Loulan.

To load the copper coins, Qing Shan and Gan Da led the camels to the Eastern Market to purchase fourteen wooden crates, and when they left, the crates were filled with copper coins.

Over the next two days, Sui Yu and Song Xian also sold their spices and agate stones. With the help of a familiar merchant, the silver and bronze wares they had brought back from beyond the pass were bought by purchasers from the Grand Marshal's mansion.

"Where are you heading next?" the merchant asked. "Back to Dunhuang?"

"To Taiyuan County, and perhaps a trip to Handan County," Sui Yu replied. "What about you?"

"As it happens, we're also heading to Taiyuan County," the merchant smiled. "Shall we travel together?"

Sui Yu readily agreed. This group of merchants had traveled together with them before. They had entered Chang'an three days earlier and had sold most of their goods to the Grand Marshal's mansion, so they had spare time for a trip to Taiyuan County.

The funeral was indeed lavish, bringing windfall profits to many merchants. Sui Yu heard that several fabric stores in the West Market had sold out of white hemp cloth, and vegetables and meat in the Eastern Market were in short supply, while carpenters were also hired away.

However, this had little to do with the foreign merchants. After selling their goods and resting, the merchant caravan left Chang'an with plenty of news.

On the first night after departing from Chang'an, Sui Yu addressed the servants. "The goods we brought to Chang'an sold for nearly 80,000 coins. Including the 5,000 coins from selling medicinal herbs last winter, we calculate it as 85,000 coins. After deducting 18,000 coins for purchasing the goods, we made a profit of 67,000 coins. I will give you 20% of the profit, which comes to 610 coins per person. I will distribute the money when we reach Taiyuan County."

The servants were excited and delighted. After the initial excitement, Xiao Chunhong said, "Master, how about not giving us the money yet? You can use all of it to buy more goods, such as fabrics and silk, so we can make more profit."

"Yes, yes, yes," Gan Da agreed. "I don't have much use for the money anyway."

Zhang Shun thought for a moment and said, "A round trip takes two years. It's better to buy more goods and make more money before distributing it to us."

Sui Yu looked at the others and asked, "What do you all think?"

The others had no objections. Since the profits were clearly visible, no one had any objections.