“Miss Xiaobei, I offer my respects.”
Young Master Wenyuan, with a beaming smile, said, “I have heard of your legendary tales, Miss, and I am full of admiration. I hope you will not take offence at my intrusion.”
As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Tang Xiaobei harboured resentment towards Zhou Changlin, but she did not know Young Master Wenyuan. Since he had courteously greeted her, Tang Xiaobei could not act aloof.
She returned a slight bow with a smile, “This humble lady greets Young Master Wenyuan.”
Then, turning to Zhou Changlin, she asked, “What brings Lord Zhou here today?”
“Firstly, to pay my respects to you, Miss, and secondly, to discuss a potential collaboration,” Zhou Changlin replied.
“Collaboration?” Tang Xiaobei asked knowingly, “What kind of collaboration?”
“I wish to purchase a large batch of soap from you, Miss. I hope you can offer a discount.”
Since ancient times, buyers often hold the upper hand over sellers. As a seasoned merchant, Zhou Changlin was well-versed in this tactic.
Even though he needed Tang Xiaobei’s help, he adopted the air of a major client.
Unfortunately, Tang Xiaobei was not swayed by his approach.
“I’m sorry, Lord Zhou, the soap is all gone,” Tang Xiaobei said, shaking her head.
“Miss Xiaobei, we are both businesspeople. I know you must have stock. Don’t try to fool me,” Zhou Changlin said.
“How could Xiaobei dare to fool Lord Zhou? The soap is truly gone.”
“Fine, if you can’t offer a discount, I’ll buy at the original price of five taels. Is that acceptable?” Zhou Changlin said, “Miss Xiaobei, please speak to Mr Jin. I need six hundred bars.”
“Lord Zhou, why won’t you believe me?” Tang Xiaobei said, “Soap-making is an extremely complex process. The stock sold recently was accumulated over the past six months. Now, Jinchuan has at most a few dozen bars, far from the six hundred you need.”
“This…” Zhou Changlin glanced at Tang Xiaobei but could not detect any hint of deception.
Left with no choice, he said, “Very well, I’ll take whatever dozens you have. Please send someone to fetch them, Miss Xiaobei.”
“I’m sorry, Lord Zhou, someone has already reserved over a thousand bars. If you want any, you’ll have to wait,” Tang Xiaobei continued, shaking her head.
In truth, there were no reservations or deposits. Tang Xiaobei simply saw Zhou Changlin’s urgency for the soap and chose not to sell to him.
After all, soap was never in short supply of buyers.
Seeing Tang Xiaobei’s firm stance, Zhou Changlin could no longer maintain his composure. His tone grew urgent, “Miss Xiaobei, let’s be frank. I have an urgent matter and desperately need soap to resolve it. Could you make an exception and provide me with a batch? If not six hundred, two hundred would do.”
Seeing his hard approach fail, Zhou Changlin quickly changed tactics, clasping his hands, “I beg you, Miss Xiaobei, please help me this once. I will be deeply grateful afterwards.”
“I’m sorry, Lord Zhou. If it were any other time, I would give you face no matter what. But now, with deposits already paid, I truly cannot help,” Tang Xiaobei replied. Hearing Zhou Changlin’s plea only hardened her resolve, “My master always said, without trust, a person cannot stand, and without trust, a business cannot thrive. Having promised others, I cannot break my word, or I wouldn’t know how to face my master later.”
“Then tell me, Miss Xiaobei, who placed the deposit? I’ll go talk to them,” Zhou Changlin said helplessly.
Since he could not get through to Tang Xiaobei, he would approach the buyer instead.
Having operated in Guangyuan for years, he had some influence. Unless it was one of the top noble families, most wealthy households would give him some respect.
“I’m sorry, Lord Zhou, the buyer requested confidentiality,” Tang Xiaobei said, still shaking her head. Then she added, “However, my master instructed that we must maintain good relations with major clients and not neglect smaller ones. So, apart from reserved orders, we send a few dozen bars of soap to the county town every few days for sale at our stall. If Lord Zhou is truly in a hurry, you can send someone to purchase there.”
In business, there was no need to turn away money. Let Zhou Changlin compete with the brothel madams for it.
Zhou Changlin gave Tang Xiaobei a long look, pondered for a moment, then shook his head helplessly and clasped his hands, “In that case, I won’t trouble you further, Miss.”
“Take care, Lord Zhou. I won’t see you out,” Tang Xiaobei said, still smiling.
“Farewell, Miss Xiaobei,” Young Master Wenyuan said with a scholar’s bow and a smile.
“Safe travels,” Tang Xiaobei nodded slightly.
Without waiting for them to leave, she turned and went back inside.
As for Zhou Changlin’s youngest son, Zhou Dewu, he remained silent throughout, like a servant trailing his father.
But as they turned to leave, Zhou Dewu squinted and stole a glance at Tang Xiaobei.
Outside the inn, Zhou Changlin said helplessly, “Young Master Wenyuan, you saw it. Soap is truly hard to come by.”
His earlier mix of firmness and flattery was largely for Young Master Wenyuan’s benefit.
“Is there really no other way?” Young Master Wenyuan asked, somewhat frustrated.
He could see that it wasn’t Zhou Changlin’s lack of effort, but that soap was genuinely in high demand.
“Recently, several families and brothels have bought soap. I can only try to see if I can get some from them,” Zhou Changlin said, “But that will take time, and I cannot guarantee how much I’ll secure.”
“Then I’ll trouble you, Uncle Changlin,” Young Master Wenyuan said.
“No trouble at all,” Zhou Changlin waved his hand, then called his youngest son, “Dewu, while Young Master Wenyuan is in Guangyuan, you must entertain him well. If I hear you’ve neglected him, I’ll have your hide.”
Though his son was unreliable, he excelled at wining and dining, making him perfect for hosting Young Master Wenyuan.
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll ensure Young Master Wenyuan enjoys himself and eats well,” Zhou Dewu said excitedly, patting his chest.
Now he could openly take money from the family coffers to have fun.
As he watched his son leave with Young Master Wenyuan, the smile on Zhou Changlin’s face faded.
How did he become Guangyuan’s top cloth merchant?
Years ago, at a festival, Zhou Changlin met the Duke. With his masterful flattery, a few words made the Duke laugh heartily, and he casually granted Zhou a share of the tribute cloth procurement.
Zhou Changlin built his fortune on that opportunity, growing his business and securing larger shares from the capital.
But a few years ago, that growth stalled. The Zhou clan in the capital was large, and supporting its members was costly. To generate income, the main family selected a few direct descendants to set up textile mills near the capital, processing their own goods.
Zhou Changlin’s share dwindled over the years. Now, with a rare chance to curry favour with the capital, he was determined to seize it.
