CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 63: NO BUSINESS WITHOUT DECEIT

Once she decided to move forward, the next morning, Yu Xiaolian hastily had some breakfast and headed out with a few dessert samples.

The items she had brought were those she had removed the outer packaging from the previous night.

Sigh, if the wholesale deal succeeds, she’ll spend hours every day just tearing packaging bags.

She thought it over all night and decided to take a different path, not the conventional route.

She wouldn’t be wholesaling her desserts to bakers; instead, she would take them to brothels and storytelling tea houses.

These two places, one a den of luxury for the wealthy, the other a gathering spot for scholars, literati, and flamboyant students.

As long as her items are unique and tasty, the success rate of taking off is still very high.

The brothel wouldn’t open during the day, so Yu Xiaolian decided to first go to the city’s largest teahouse—Mingxiang Pavilion.

She was wearing new clothes now, allowing her to go anywhere without being stopped.

Upon entering Mingxiang Pavilion, Yu Xiaolian didn’t immediately start her sales pitch; instead, she asked the waiter for a private room and ordered a pot of good tea.

The waiter thought Yu Xiaolian must be a maid sent by some household to reserve a room for their master’s guests, and enthusiastically led her to a room on the second floor.

As soon as Yu Xiaolian settled in, she said, "Get your shopkeeper for me."

The waiter was unsure of Yu Xiaolian’s identity but, seeing her calm demeanor, didn’t dare to offend her and agreed to get their shopkeeper.

Yu Xiaolian took out a few sample items and arranged them neatly, waiting for Mingxiang Pavilion’s shopkeeper to come up.

Today, she brought along lemon cream rolls, honey-glazed pork jerky, meat floss waffles, and snow skin cakes.

For preserved fruits, she brought cranberries, dried mangoes, dried peaches, and dried plums.

She couldn’t believe that seeing these items wouldn’t make the shopkeeper of Mingxiang Pavilion tempted.

No sooner had Yu Xiaolian arranged these items out of the lunchbox when the room door was knocked from outside.

Yu Xiaolian got up to open the door; after all, since she was doing business with someone, it didn’t seem right to sit there waiting for others to enter. Now wasn’t the time for her to put on airs.

"Little girl, were you looking for me?"

The shopkeeper of Mingxiang Pavilion was a middle-aged man of medium height, chubby with a small moustache on his face, symmetrically and neatly placed on each side.

He played with a pair of ornamental walnuts in his hands, but his fingers had an extra thumb, marking him as a six-fingered person.

Yu Xiaolian hadn’t had time to introduce herself before she saw the six-fingered shopkeeper open his eyes wide and head straight for the tea table.

These food items clearly weren’t from his pavilion, yet appeared both exquisite and enticingly appetizing.

Since when did Yangcheng have such styled desserts and preserved fruits?

"Shopkeeper, let me first introduce myself, I’m Yu Xiaolian.

I come from a family with ancestral skills, capable of making various kinds of desserts, preserved fruits, and snack foods, unavailable in ordinary confectionery stores.

Today, I came to Mingxiang Pavilion wanting to discuss a business deal with you; I wonder if the shopkeeper is interested?"

The shopkeeper saw the table full of items and already knew Yu Xiaolian’s intent. He never expected such a young lady to dare to come to the largest teahouse in Yangcheng alone to talk business.

Moreover, he carefully observed Yu Xiaolian’s expression, finding it extraordinarily calm, showing not a hint of fear, while she introduced each dessert and its ingredients in detail, inviting him to taste them as she did.

This little girl was quite intriguing!

While Yu Xiaolian spoke eloquently, the shopkeeper also tasted these items one by one.

Every item made his eyes light up, as though a new world had opened before him.

The lemon cream roll melted in the mouth, with a sweet flavor carrying a hint of refreshing lemon tartness, the texture smooth and silky.

The honey-glazed pork jerky was vivid in color, richly fragrant, bursting with a meaty aroma upon tasting, salty with a slight sweetness, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

The waffles had distinct edges, resembling a chessboard, square after square, with a soft texture and a milky fragrance. The fluffy, salty meat floss inside made them irresistible.

The snow skin mooncake had a chewy, soft exterior with sweet yet not cloying cream inside, available in strawberry, vanilla, and mango flavors.

The preserved fruits subverted the shopkeeper’s traditional understanding; what he had tasted before was either excessively sweet or overly sour.

The preserved fruits Yu Xiaolian brought not only had a perfectly balanced sweet-sour taste but also looked crystal clear without heavy sugar frost.

Seeing the shopkeeper nodding repeatedly while tasting, Yu Xiaolian knew this deal was promising.

Once she wholesales her items to Mingxiang Pavilion, she wouldn’t have to endure the blazing sun selling outside anymore. Moreover, with autumn coming soon, the weather would get colder, and the bustling market district would soon face the off-season.

The shopkeeper smiled slightly, first inquired about Yu Xiaolian’s background, and then began discussing the cost price of the desserts.

Yu Xiaolian had already calculated the selling price of these items yesterday, but she suddenly changed her mind just now.

Seeing the shopkeeper’s inquiry, she thought for a moment, then bravely stated, "These desserts can only be made by my mother. I’ll supply the desserts while Mingxiang Pavilion sells them. The profit from the dessert sales we split evenly. It’s often said rarity increases value, and I believe these desserts, once launched, will definitely receive praise from scholars and esteemed folks."

"Half?" The shopkeeper’s face changed for a moment, paused, but still laughed, "Ordinary pastries sell for just sixty or seventy wen a pound, isn’t your demand too much, young lady?"

"Shopkeeper, look at the size of this cream roll, isn’t it big? It’s bigger than my hand, weighing at least a pound. As far as I know, a small plate of ordinary Osmanthus cake at Mingxiang Pavilion sells for five hundred wen a plate. Selling this cream roll for one or two taels wouldn’t be a problem for you.

Moreover, you get what you pay for. This cream roll uses highly complex ingredients and is very difficult to make, so you should allow me to earn a bit of money. After all, only mutually beneficial cooperation can last long."

If these items had a cost price, I wouldn’t even agree to half the profit share with costs added in.

The shopkeeper heard the underlying meaning in Yu Xiaolian’s words. If her proposal wasn’t agreed upon, she might cut off supplies should other places offer better profits.

This sly young girl was subtly threatening him.

The shopkeeper frowned, "Mingxiang Pavilion has never cooperated with others in this way before. How about I offer you twice the market price for desserts?"

Yu Xiaolian shook her head.

The shopkeeper extended three fingers, "Three times?"

"No way. If Mingxiang Pavilion can’t split half the dessert profits with me, then I’ll just have to go elsewhere, perhaps make a trip to Gourmet House." Yu Xiaolian never thought that negotiating a dessert profit share would require cunning strategies.

She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; indeed, businessmen are as crafty as foxes!

Seeing Yu Xiaolian’s unwavering attitude, the shopkeeper knew there was no room for bargaining on the price issue.

"I’ll have to discuss this with our master. Come back to Mingxiang Pavilion tomorrow at noon for a reply, young girl."

"Then I will head home first. I’ll leave these items for your master to taste a little. I’m confident if the shopkeeper helps establish our cooperation, there will be no regrets in the future."