Chapter 121: Business Deal

Chapter 121: Business Deal

Old Man Liao had initially regretted that it was Lin Laoer, not him, who had bought Zhou Ye with a bag of grain all those years ago. But after today’s meal, that regret vanished entirely.

The lad could really eat—there was no way he could afford to feed him!

Still, Lin Laoer wasn’t raising the boy Zhou Ye for nothing. Zhou Ye ate a lot but worked just as hard. In the future, even if the family bought more farmland, they wouldn’t have to worry about lacking labor to cultivate it.

After the meal, the men, full and content, were in no hurry to return to work. Lin Dashan generously offered his cherished bamboo reclining chair—the one made for him by A Shu and A Ye—to Old Man Liao.

Old Man Liao found it quite novel. Once he lay down to try it, he didn’t want to get up again.

“Brother Lin, this bamboo reclining chair is incredibly comfortable. Did you have Old Gao make it?” Old Man Liao asked.

The Old Gao he referred to was Grandpa Gao. Old Man Liao was called “Old Man” because his hair was mostly white, making him look older than his actual age, which is why Lin Shu and Zhou Ye addressed him as Old Man Liao. But Old Gao was truly advanced in years, and the younger generation respectfully called him Grandpa Gao.

Sweetwater Village had only one bamboo craftsman, Old Gao. Normally, since he had a son, Old Gao, the eldest son should have inherited his skill. Unfortunately, Old Gao’s eldest son wasn’t cut out for bamboo work and could only manage auxiliary tasks. Grandpa Gao was quite set in his ways; since the skill had been passed down through generations, if his own son couldn’t master it, he wouldn’t teach anyone else. As Grandpa Gao grew older, everyone wondered who in the village would handle bamboo work after he passed away.

Old Man Liao had asked casually, already certain that Old Gao was the maker.

To his surprise, Lin Dashan proudly replied, “It wasn’t Old Gao. My eldest daughter saw this bamboo reclining chair in the capital and had A Ye make it.”

“What? Zhou Ye made this?” Old Man Liao was astonished.

He had lost count of how many surprises he’d had since arriving at Lin Laoer’s home today.

The boy Zhou Ye had such skill?

“Did Old Gao have a change of heart and pass on his bamboo craftsmanship to Zhou Ye?” Old Man Liao asked.

Lin Laoer chuckled. “That’s his trade secret. A Ye isn’t just an outsider by surname—he’s not even from here. Why would Old Gao pass his way to make a living to him? A Shu drew up plans, and A Ye worked it out himself based on the drawings. I’m not boasting, but Old Gao has spent his whole life in our Sweetwater Village and has never even been to the county town. My daughter, though, lived in a marquis’s estate—she’s well-educated and worldly. Old Gao couldn’t make something this refined!”

Hearing this, Old Man Liao felt not only envy but a twinge of jealousy.

“And those small bamboo stools—look at them, aren’t they well-crafted? Not inferior to Old Gao’s work, right? A Ye made so many that everyone in our family has one.”

Old Man Liao said irritably, “Wipe that smug look off your face.”

Lin Laoer grinned. “Do you want a bamboo reclining chair like this? When A Ye has time, I’ll have him make one for you too.”

Of course, Old Man Liao wanted one. He’d taken a liking to it after trying it for a while, but he knew making such a chair would be time-consuming and hadn’t dared to ask. To his surprise, Lin Laoer brought it up himself.

“Sure! Later, I’ll ask A Ye whether he wants grain or money for it. I’ll have him make one for me too!”

“Brother Liao, no need to stand on ceremony! We won’t charge you grain or money for the bamboo reclining chair!”

He Guixiang happened to overhear their conversation as she passed by and frowned slightly.

If her husband had made the chair himself, it would be one thing—whether he charged or not was his business. But A Ye was the one putting in the effort. When A Ye made the chair, aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping, he spent all his time on it, and it still took him over a day. Including tasks like cutting bamboo and trimming branches, it took two or three days in total. If he had to do other work in between, it would take even longer.

For her husband to make a decision without even consulting A Ye…

She knew A Ye would never refuse—whenever she or her husband asked him to do something, the boy never said no—but He Guixiang felt uncomfortable about it.

Just then, Lin Shu chimed in cheerfully, “Dad, what are you and Old Man Liao whispering about? I think I heard you mentioning my bamboo reclining chair?”

Lin Dashan, oblivious, said, “Old Man Liao is eyeing my bamboo reclining chair and wants one too!”

He Guixiang, who had been eavesdropping, thought: How is A Shu supposed to respond to that?

But Lin Shu immediately replied readily, “What’s so hard about that? If it were anyone else, maybe, but since it’s Old Man Liao asking, I’ll have A Ye carve out three to five days to make one for him! The first time is always tricky—this chair was A Ye’s first attempt. When he makes one for Old Man Liao, his skill will surely be even better.”

Seeing how readily she agreed, without the slightest hesitation, Old Man Liao was delighted and felt even closer to Lin Laoer’s family.

But as the saying goes, even brothers keep accounts clear. He wouldn’t take advantage of others’ kindness. Besides, Lin Shu said making one chair would take three to five days—wouldn’t that delay the boy Zhou Ye from other work?

“Lin Shu, I won’t let you make it for nothing. How about I give you a bushel of coarse rice in exchange? Would that be enough?” Old Man Liao asked.

It took Old Gao one or two days to weave a basket, but he was experienced. A new hand would need three to five days. Since Old Gao charged a bushel of coarse rice for a basket, Old Man Liao figured the bamboo reclining chair should be roughly equivalent.

As for Zhou Ye’s opinion, he didn’t bother asking. That lad would do whatever Lin Shu said. If Lin Shu agreed, Zhou Ye would surely agree too.

But Lin Shu smiled and said, “Old Man Liao, we really won’t take your money or grain. Consider it a token of respect from me and A Ye.”

Old Man Liao, however, was stubborn and insisted on giving something in return.

Lin Shu had no choice. After a moment’s thought, she suddenly said, “I’ve been thinking about starting a business selling bamboo reclining chairs. But A Ye is still inexperienced—making one chair nonstop would take three to five days. So, I was wondering if we could partner with Grandpa Gao’s family. Right now, there’s no one in Jingxi Town selling such chairs. If we make a batch and sell them in town, we could seize the opportunity and make a tidy profit!”

“I’ve looked into it. In town, slightly refined bamboo chairs at the bamboo craft shops sell for 200 to 300 copper coins. More refined ones go for 500 copper coins to a string of coins. A Ye’s work might not be as refined as the shop ones, but this bamboo reclining chair is unique. It can definitely compete with the slightly refined chairs in shops, so we could price it at 300 copper coins each.”

Everyone present was stunned by Lin Shu’s words.

Lin Dashan’s jaw dropped. He Guixiang and Lin Xiaopu were dumbfounded. Zhou Ye, who had been helping He Guixiang clear the dishes and was about to mix mortar, stopped in his tracks.

Old Man Liao was so shocked he bolted upright from the reclining chair.

He had thought a bushel of coarse rice was a fair exchange for a bamboo reclining chair, but Lin Shu said it could sell for 300 copper coins!

Lin Shu then pivoted, “But Old Man Liao, as you know, I don’t have much contact with Grandpa Gao’s family. Unlike you, who often takes villagers to town by oxcart and knows every household in the village well. So, would you be willing to act as a go-between? You could explain the merits of this bamboo reclining chair to Grandpa Gao and Old Gao, and ask if they’d be interested in this business venture?”

Although bamboo craftsmen generally know how to make various bamboo items, simply looking at Lin Shu’s chair wouldn’t be enough to replicate it. They’d need to follow drawings or disassemble and reassemble the chair. So, to make it, they’d have to ask her for the plans.

After pondering this, Old Man Liao said, “I often visit the bamboo craft shops in Jingxi Town, and I’m sure they don’t sell this kind of bamboo reclining chair. Lin Shu, this idea is workable!”

Lin Shu smiled. “Whether it works depends on you, Old Man Liao. I’ve heard Grandpa Gao is quite old-fashioned. Ping Er usually makes baskets, crates, and winnowing baskets for villagers, only selling extras in town. I’m not sure if he’d be willing to take on this venture.”

Old Man Liao immediately asked, “If I can convince the Gao family, how would you structure this business, Lin Shu?”

Now he was asking not about the price of a single chair, but the business model.

Lin Shu said, “Grandpa Gao is an experienced bamboo craftsman. His bamboo work is surely much better than A Ye’s, and he’d be faster too. If A Ye takes three to five days per chair, Grandpa Gao might need only one or two. I’m thinking we could have Grandpa Gao make the entire batch. Each finished chair would sell for 300 copper coins, and I’d take a 20% cut—that’s 60 copper coins per chair. Since the chairs must not be sold cheaply and must follow my pricing, regardless of the final selling price the Gao family sets, I’ll take 60 copper coins per chair.”

“Of course, if the Gao family lacks a smooth-talker to hawk the chairs or worries about unsold inventory, they could hand the entire batch over to me, and I’ll find a way to sell them. The Gao family wouldn’t bear the risk of the chairs not selling or having to discount them, but in return, they’d have to give me an additional 20% of the selling price. If I sell each chair for 300 copper coins, the Gao family wouldn’t have to worry about a thing—for each chair sold, they’d get 60% of the take, which is 180 copper coins.”

Old Man Liao listened, his head spinning.

So, if the Gao family made and sold the chairs themselves, no matter the selling price, they’d have to give Lin Shu 60 copper coins per chair. But if the Gao family focused solely on making the chairs and left everything else to her, they’d get 180 copper coins for each chair made.

Grandpa Gao took one or two days to weave a basket. A basket could be exchanged for a bushel of coarse rice—equivalent to 70 copper coins on the market.

Even if his own persuasion skills were average, presenting these concrete numbers to Old Gao would surely convince him! After all, even Old Man Liao was tempted.

Old Man Liao immediately said, “Lin Shu, leave this to me. I’ll make sure it’s sorted out properly.”

Lin Shu responded promptly, “Then I’ll trouble you with this, Old Man Liao. If this works out, you’ll have done me a great favor. When it does, A Ye and I will make you a bamboo reclining chair as a gift—please don’t refuse!”

Old Man Liao chuckled. “Deal. If I help you succeed, have A Ye make me a bamboo reclining chair as my reward. I won’t refuse.”

A bamboo reclining chair worth 300 copper coins—heh.

If it were anyone else, he might worry that a bamboo chair priced at 300 copper coins wouldn’t sell. But Lin Shu clearly had a clever mind—she’d surely find a way to sell them. When that happened, he’d be the one who facilitated the deal… yes, the big hero!