Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

When the ox carriage stopped, Ye Jiao pushed open the curtain, intending to get down.

Liu pozi slightly straightened her back and reached out to help her, “Second Young Mistress, is there anything you want to buy? I can go for you while you take a rest in the carriage. ”

Shaking her head, Ye Jiao nimbly got down from the carriage, without replying to her.

Liu pozi quickly followed behind her, while instructing the carriage driver to wait patiently and not wander off too far. Upon turning her head, she saw that Ye Jiao had already entered a shop.

Though the Liu pozi hadn’t learned many characters, looking at the two display clothing pieces hanging just outside of the shop, she could discern that this was a ready-to-wear clothing shop.

She hurriedly entered the shop and silently kept pace with Ye Jiao.

Ye Jiao was scrutinising around, seemingly looking for something.

The shopkeeper was a sharp-eyed one. It was common for the shopkeepers to have acute observation skills. From a first glance, he was sure that Ye Jiao was a mistress of a rich household.

Just the hairpin adorning her hair was enough to affirm his guess and her status.

Swiftly putting on a big smile, he cupped his hands and respectfully greeted her, ‘“Furen, are you looking to buy new clothes for winter? The shopfront of our shop might not be big, nevertheless the craftsmanship at our shop has been passed down from our ancestors. I have been working here my entire life. Whether it is our embroidery or knitting work, I assure you that they would be to your satisfaction, furen.“

When Ye Jiao heard such a long and enthusiastic introduction of the shopkeeper in one breath, half of the words went straight out of her other ear. Anyways, she wasn’t planning to buy for herself, thus she directly stated her interest, “I am looking for fur coats.”

Fur coat? This is surely going to be a big deal!

Beside himself with enthusiasm, the shopkeeper trotted to pull open the curtain, revealing an array of fur coats with elegant designs. Furen, take a look at these. These fashionable and elegant pieces are on trend at the moment. Even the young ladies and furen(s) in the capital are following this style. “

Without even giving as much as a glance at them, Ye Jiao lightly shook her head, “I am not buying for myself, it’s for my husband.”

Upon hearing her, Liu pozi gazed at Ye Jiao in astonishment.

It wasn’t that she was sceptical about the relationship between Qi Yun and his wife. Instead, over the past few years, having witnessed Fang-shi spending everything on herself every time, Liu Pozi found it novel when suddenly faced with Ye Jia, who was buying clothes for her husband.

On the other hand, the big smile on the shopkeeper’s face remained the same. He had been doing this business for a long time, and had a way with his words, “Just from a glance, one can discern that the furen is a virtuous one. Whoever married you is truly a fortunate person.” Walking to the other side, he opened another curtain, displaying a row of fur coats for men.

As the winter has just arrived, winter-wear was selling fast.

Recently, with the imperial court having expanded the trading domain, the common people found themselves with more disposable income in their hands. And, winter clothes are usually difficult for ordinary folks to make by themselves. Thus with the increasing foot traffic in the apparel stores and growing demand for the clothes, the assortment of ready-to-wear garments have increased in the market.

The shopkeeper, however, was fond of gauging his customers’ preferences. When his customers were common people, he would introduce them to a variety of heavy and thick robes in the shop. And if his customers were wealthy ones, he would show them the expensive embroidered brocade cloaks.
Having said that, he seldom showed fur coats to the customers for obvious reasons. Firstly, because the fur was hard to maintain. Even a slight dust or small tear would render it unusable. Second, the price of this fur coat was not cheap. Even with a year’s worth of savings, common people may not be able to afford this coat. Even wealthy households would use this for about a decade once they bought them. Thus, usually he wouldn’t show these coats.

However, seeing Ye Jiao specifically ask for one, a smile bloomed on the shopkeeper’s face, as he enthusiastically showed her all the pieces.

In the end, Ye Jiao settled on the black fur coat. The texture of the coat was extremely good, giving a pleasurable textile experience. Ye Jiao had personally tried it on and immediately felt warm and cosy. Not only that, it was large enough for Qi Yuan to wear.

Seeing that she was satisfied with this piece, Liu pozi asked the shopkeeper, “How much is this fur coat?”

With an even more brilliant smile on his face, the shopkeeper stretched out three fingers, “Three silver tales. Nonetheless, the price I offered is quite low for this. Also, if the fitting is not right, our shop will help you with adjustments. If the adjustments are minor, we won’t charge you even a copper coin. ”

Three silver taels were equivalent to three thousand copper coins, an amount that ordinary people would be unable to save in a year.

However, with a handful of savings, Ye Jiao can afford these three silver teals.

Just then, Liu pozi leaned closer to Ye Jio, and whispered in her ear, “Second Young Madam, should I negotiate the price down? ”

Ye Jiao was, thus, exposed to the concept of ‘negotiating the price down’ for the first time.

Fortunately, one of Ye Jiao’s greatest merits was that she was receptive to others’ suggestions. She nodded her head. Brimming with curiosity, she spectated from the sidelines as Liu pozi stepped forward and negotiated with the shopkeeper.

Although Liu pozi tended to be inconspicuous in the presence of her master, and wasn’t fond of showing off, she has always been efficient and decisive when in action.

Usually, the products were much pricier in the shops than outside, inflating the final retail price. Even though the imperial court regulated the prices, in business, who wasn’t fond of increasing their profits even by little?

Having observed the shopkeeper’s eloquence and glib-tongue, that exuded shrewdness, Liu pozi was convinced that the three silver taels was not the actual price of the coat.

Nonetheless, negotiating a price was also a skill. One can’t begin by aggressively quoting the lowest prices. And above all, you can’t let the other person catch your eagerness to buy. Rather, one ought to strategically guide the negotiation with a mix of reality and exaggerated claims, where one party claims to not buy and the other party refuses to sell at the quoted price. Ultimately, it is a battle of endurance, boiling down to see who gives in first, leaving the spectating Ye Jiao stunned.

Finally, the negotiation was settled at the final price of 1 silver teal and 8 qian. Ye Jiao looked at Liu pozi with newfound admiration.

Bringing Liu pozi along was the best decision, she truly saved money!

With a modest smile, Liu pozi moved and silently stood behind Ye Jiao again.

Although the shopkeeper had cut down the price by almost half, and feigned to be distressed, he wasn’t that troubled at all in his heart. Even with this price, he believed he had enough profit margin.

Ye Jiao paid him with a few silver ingots, requiring the shopkeeper to weigh the silver and exchange the balance with lower denominations, which was also a procedure.

Thus, he had someone escort Ye Jiao and Liu pozi to drink tea in the side room. Glancing at the served top-quality Longjing tea, Liu pozi felt a pang of regret in her heart. It seemed she hadn’t bargained enough. However, she didn’t let her inner feelings show in her face. Having earned praise from her master already, and didn’t have to further dig troubles for herself.

Ye Jiao held the teacup but didn’t drink it. She simply clasped them in her hands, warming them.

Chater 24 Part 2 Teaser

As the two were waiting in the side room, two people stepped into the store from outside. They seemed to be from a nearby academy as their attire resembled that of the common scholars. They were soon received by the young attendants in the shop.  

The two were chatting while looking around the store, when the sounds of gong echoed twice from the outside. 

The deafening sounds were loud and clear, making everyone around impossible to ignore. 

A sharp voice followed the gong sounds, “The battle at the border witnessed triumphant victory. Extremely pleased, the Emperor has granted amnesty across the nation, reducing the taxes by 20% for all!”