Chapter 368: The Shop
Chapter 368: Chapter 368: The Shop
Gu Kaiyuan could never take the imperial examinations. Even given a second life, he simply lacked the talent for studying. Nor would he risk his life like he did in his previous life, earning the title of General at the cost of a body riddled with scars.
Now, they only wanted to build their own faction, staying far away from the imperial court, as well as the male and female leads. As for revenge, as long as they held enough bargaining chips, there would be plenty of people willing to help them.
"These two shops would be top choices if they were in the capital," Nanny Pang said. Having spent so much time with Bai Suihe, she knew the young woman wasn’t overly sensitive, so she spoke her mind directly. "After all, the purchasing power in this place is limited. An ordinary household rarely makes a new set of clothes even once a year."
Bai Suihe naturally understood this. People made their clothes last for years through endless patching and mending. Even in the county town, many people walked around in heavily patched garments. Ordinary families only stepped into a fabric shop and bit the bullet to buy new clothes when they had a joyous occasion to celebrate.
Not to mention ready-made clothes—people would rather sew something ugly themselves to save a few Silver Coins. Of course, there were wealthy households here, but the better-off families had their own sewing rooms and were entirely self-sufficient. As for the middle-class families, the women of the inner household were all skilled at needlework. The clothes they made themselves might even be better than those from a ready-to-wear shop. Though this county town wasn’t large, there were already two fabric shops. There really wasn’t much of a competitive edge to be found.
"Nanny, you know the Third Prince came here on imperial orders to eradicate the bandits. Although he’s just going through the motions, the soldiers under his command are the real deal. I heard they’ve almost entirely cleared out the bandits along the way. With such a massive market opening up, don’t you think anyone would be tempted?"
Although Nanny Pang was obsessed with medicine and poisons, she had followed Mrs. Bai for many years and possessed a certain degree of business acumen.
"The location we’re at right now is a major thoroughfare along this route. Do you think this place will become prosperous or not?" Bai Suihe continued.
Nanny Pang looked at Bai Suihe with genuine respect. She truly was a daughter of the Bai Family. Even without formal training, she was a natural-born businesswoman.
"Should we open an inn too?" Nanny Pang asked, eyeing the stack of deeds on the table as if she were looking at an endless stream of Silver.
Bai Suihe shook her head. "Some ventures aren’t suitable for us. Don’t forget, there are merchants here who have been operating for years. If we quietly take a slice of the pie while they aren’t paying attention, it won’t draw their ire.
"But if we truly threaten their core interests, I’m afraid we’ll be ostracized very quickly."
Gu Kaiyuan had left some of his men here as soon as he arrived. Although the town was small, he had learned that many of the local merchants had long-established unspoken agreements and intertwined interests. It was incredibly difficult for an outsider to break in.
They were lucky that Rong Ruiyuan’s recent actions had given them a loophole to exploit! Otherwise, storefronts, houses, and land were the lifeblood of these people. How could they ever part with them so easily?
Merchants were bold; as long as there was profit to be made, they would risk anything. However, they harbored a natural reverence and fear toward the government. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would scramble to save their own skins. For merchants without power or influence, this was the best way to preserve their strength. Since the situation was unstable, they would simply move somewhere else to lay low. As long as they had their lives and their money, there was still a future. The bold ones were still holding out here, but the timid ones had already sold off their family properties and moved away to start over.
By the time Gu Kaiyuan returned, Bai Suihe had already taken out the blueprints she had drawn. "We’ll reorganize the storefront according to this. Do you have any ideas for your side? I can draw a layout for you too."
Gu Kaiyuan looked at the blueprint. The display arrangement was clear at a glance. He didn’t even need to see the finished product to know that this layout was excellent. He immediately said, "Then help me design mine too. I’ll have someone handle the renovations for your two shops first."
With the storefronts settled, Bai Suihe’s next priority was manpower. She needed women with outstanding needlework skills to keep the business afloat. She simply wrote a few hiring notices and had Gu Kaiyuan post them at the city gates and the shop entrances. They also contacted a few servant brokers. Buying servants would be ideal, but if that failed, they would just have to hire from the outside.
News from the brokers came swiftly. They soon sent over a few women and maids skilled in needlework. After a brief assessment, Bai Suihe decided to keep them all. However, this handful of people was far from enough. She hired a few more, settled them in, and gave them some basic training just as the storefront renovations were completed.
In just a few days’ time, the once-empty shops had taken on a completely new look. The interior was filled with bolts of fabric and a selection of ready-made clothes. Because the two large storefronts had been knocked into one, combined with some clever visual design choices by Bai Suihe, people felt an exceptional sense of warmth before they even stepped inside. Passersby couldn’t resist coming in for a look around. In this way, business gradually began to pick up.
At first, the other two fabric shops paid it no mind. Opening such a massive fabric shop in such a small place was a clear sign of someone who didn’t know how to do business. They figured the new shop would go under before long without them even needing to lift a finger.
But instead of their rival folding, their own business began to steadily decline. Upon inquiring, they discovered that even though the prices were exactly the same, everyone preferred to buy from the new shop.
The two Shopkeepers refused to accept defeat. After all, they were established, time-honored brands. How could they lose to a newcomer? By sheer coincidence, they both decided to pay the new shop a visit.
The moment they stepped inside, they immediately felt the difference. As soon as they crossed the threshold, they were greeted with enthusiastic hospitality. Regardless of whether a customer was male or female, old or young, rich or poor, the clerks and the girls inside welcomed them with smiling faces. Moreover, the way they introduced their fabrics was entirely different.
In their own shops, the clerks simply fetched whatever the customer asked for. But here, the staff started a friendly chat to understand the customer’s needs, then presented a few tailored recommendations for them to choose from. By the time the two Shopkeepers left, they were each clutching a few bolts of fabric, their expressions exceptionally grim.
Even they hadn’t been able to resist making a purchase, completely forgetting their own stance as competitors—let alone ordinary customers. As veteran Shopkeepers with decades of experience, they could naturally see the differences at play, but copying them would be incredibly difficult. The clerks currently working in their shops were all various relatives of their employers. They usually walked around with their noses in the air; how could they ever stoop to provide such attentive service? Unless they could persuade their employers to fire those relatives and hire new staff, they feared that wouldn’t be so easy.
Bai Suihe knew none of this. Looking at the account book that had been sent over today, she couldn’t help but scoop Gu Xingyang into her arms and shower her with kisses.
Gu Xingyang covered her little face with her hands in silent protest. Her mother was wonderful in every way, except for this habit of kissing her constantly. She kissed her when she was happy, and she kissed her when she had free time. Though, truth be told, it did feel rather nice.
Gu Kaiyuan had also been keeping an eye on the shop over the past few days. He naturally knew they had gotten off to a fantastic start. Bai Suihe’s recent training had yielded instant results.
It was just a pity that her methods couldn’t be directly copied over to his bookstore and wine shop. After all, a bookstore required peace and quiet. The wine shop, however, could definitely learn a thing or two from that service attitude.