Chapter 18: East Market? West Market?
Xu Mingyuan arrived at the entrance of the Chen family mansion.
The gatekeeper, seeing him, immediately bowed and said, "Second Young Master Xu, are you here to see Da gongzi or the Master?"
These house servants all knew that the Xu Family and the Chen family had an unbreakable relationship and were very close.
"I'm looking for Second Gou Uncle."
"Second Young Master Xu, please follow me."
The Chen family, in cooperation with the Xu Family, had, after five years of development, become one of the prominent landlords in Dongxi Village.
Compared to his elder brother, a second-rate Martial Artist, his life was clearly more comfortable.
His elder brother, Chen Daming, married a rich merchant's daughter, but he himself was not strong at earning money and was not skilled in business.
Two years ago, he even borrowed a good amount of silver from his Father and Father-in-law, and through connections, he joined the Qingjiang County yamen as a yamen runner.
Although he could often get some perks, it was just average.
Sometimes, he would also borrow money from Chen Ergou.
Chen Ergou finally stopped being deferential in front of his elder brother and straightened his back.
Of course, if Chen Daming could become a first-rate Martial Artist, that would be another matter entirely.
But he was now in his forties, his potential long exhausted, and a second-rate Martial Artist was his limit.
It was for this reason that he found a way to enter the Qingjiang County yamen.
A stable job was at least secure.
Now, the Chen family courtyard had long been renovated, and a new large compound had been built.
Its area was half again as large as the Xu Family's.
They also hired accountants, house servants, and maids.
It was the demeanor of a true landlord.
Xu Mingyuan followed them into the Chen family, looking around, and thought, "Second Gou Uncle really knows how to enjoy life; I haven't been here for a month or two, and there's another osmanthus tree and a rock garden."
Front courtyard.
Chen Da Niu was practicing martial arts at home; seeing Xu Mingyuan, he immediately stopped his movements and stepped forward, smiling as he asked, "Why are you here?"
After Xu Mingyuan began practicing martial arts, Chen Da Niu also brought it up to his Father.
Chen Ergou saw that everyone in the Xu Family practiced martial arts, so he also sent him to a martial arts hall.
The Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall had acquaintances of Chen Daming, and Chen Da Niu was Chen Daming's nephew, so he would at least receive some care.
But whether one succeeded in martial arts depended on oneself.
Fortunately, Chen Da Niu was different from Chen Ergou; he had perseverance.
He would wake up at cock-crow to practice martial arts and not rest until midnight.
With the family's unreserved cultivation, Chen Da Niu's strength was also close to Xu Mingyuan's; it would be no problem for him to become a third-rate Martial Artist in two or three years, and he was expected to become a second-rate Martial Artist before the age of thirty.
"Come, A Yuan." Chen Da Niu said, "It's rare for me to see you when I'm back. Let's spar a bit."
"Now I won't lose to you anymore."
"Next time, I have important business with Second Gou Uncle this time."
Xu Mingyuan smiled. He didn't mention his distant cousin, but the temperaments of the Chen family Father and son were quite to his liking.
One thing was one thing; Xu Mingyuan distinguished clearly.
Because Xu Chuan also set an example for them in this way.
"Looking for my Father, huh? Alright then, but if you keep getting distracted like this, I'll surpass you sooner or later."
"Haha, what's the point of comparing yourself to me? Practicing martial arts was originally forced upon me by Father. If you want to compare, go compare with my elder brother. In terms of martial Dao talent, I'm far worse than him."
"I'm not stupid, I'll just compare with you!"
Looking at Chen Da Niu's seemingly clever expression, Xu Mingyuan was a bit speechless, waving his hand, "I won't disturb your practice anymore, let's talk later."
Then, he followed the house servant to the inner courtyard.
"A Yuan, why have you come?"
Chen Ergou's face lit up with pleasant surprise when he saw him, and he waved his hand at the house servant beside him, signaling him to leave.
The house servant bowed, exited the inner courtyard, and returned to stand at the main gate.
"You have something to discuss, right? Come, come, let's go to the study to talk."
Inside the study, a row of bookshelves was filled with books.
Seeing Xu Mingyuan look over, Chen Ergou smiled and explained, "Just for show. You know Second Gou Uncle doesn't have much education. I can only make an effort on appearances."
"I'm increasingly realizing that Chuan Ge's decision to have you all study and practice calligraphy from a young age was absolutely correct, and you never gave it up even when you started practicing martial arts."
"Unlike my Da Niu, who is now completely dedicated to the Martial Dao."
"He's probably forgotten most of what he learned in school a few years ago."
"A Yuan, sit."
Chen Ergou motioned for Xu Mingyuan to sit down, then asked, "Would you like some tea?"
"No, I just finished breakfast."
Xu Mingyuan smiled and said, "Second Gou Uncle, it's not that bad. Da Niu is actually quite good. His future achievements in the Martial Dao will certainly be stronger than his uncle's."
"That's right." Chen Ergou said with a proud look, "I've spent a lot of silver on him, haven't I? If there were no results, wouldn't it be a waste?"
"No more small talk. What do you need me for? Tell me."
Chen Ergou poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.
"Second Gou Uncle mentioned opening a shop in the county town to my Father before, right?"
"That's right, did your Father agree?"
Xu Mingyuan nodded, "My Father also agrees with opening a shop. Development in Dongxi Village is ultimately limited, and the future center of my Xu Family will also be in Qingjiang County town."
"Is that so?" Chen Ergou's face lit up with joy. "Then let's, uncle and nephew, discuss how to open this shop."
"No need, Second Gou Uncle."
"What do you mean?" Chen Ergou was slightly stunned, looking at Xu Mingyuan in surprise.
At thirteen, the childishness on his face was gradually disappearing, replaced by a hint of heroism and confidence in his brows.
"Qingjiang County is different from the countryside; it's mostly populated by high officials and nobles. If both families were to work together, any incident could wipe out years of effort from both families."
"Therefore, your humble nephew suggests that we still separate."
"You mean, both families open their own shops and operate independently?"
Xu Mingyuan nodded.
Chen Ergou began to ponder.
After these past few years of tempering, he was no longer a novice; he had his own calculations in business.
"It's not impossible. Qingjiang County is the wealthiest and largest among the nearby counties. The market for fruits and vegetables is huge. As long as we don't open too close to each other, it won't affect each other's business, and it can also maximize profits."
Seeing Chen Ergou's interest, Xu Mingyuan said, "Second Gou Uncle, then let's decide on that. Father has already put me in full charge of the Xu Family's fruit and vegetable shop in Qingjiang County, and I still have to go deal with it."
"Qingjiang County is full of hidden Dragons, and I need to plan carefully."
Xu Mingyuan bid farewell and left. As he exited the inner courtyard, he was seen by Xu Yan, who had just stepped out of her room.
Her brows slightly furrowed, she walked to the study and asked, "Was that A Yuan just now? What did he come for? Was it to discuss the cooperation for the Qingjiang County fruit and vegetable shop?"
"That's right." Chen Ergou said, "However, after much consideration, I still decided to separate."
"Each family opens its own shop."
"We can't always use the Xu Family's name for everything we do in the future, can we?"
"That's true, but right now..."
Xu Yan was about to say something but was stopped by Chen Ergou raising his hand. "Alright, let's leave it at that. You and I should also discuss the shop's affairs."
She sighed inwardly, "It seems the Xu Family no longer wants to cooperate."
"Forget it, this way I don't have to worry about anything anymore and can act freely."
"Wife, do you think our shop should be opened in the East Market or the West Market?" Chen Ergou said, "The East Market has many high officials and nobles, while the West Market has more common folk."
"Naturally, the East Market. The East Market is prosperous, and we'll earn more."
Xu Family.
"Father, do you think our family's shop should be opened in the East Market or the West Market? It should still be the East Market. We've always sold there before, so we already have a foundation."
Xu Mingyuan said to Xu Chuan after deep thought.
Xu Chuan smiled faintly, "A Yuan, selling from a stall is, after all, different from opening a shop."
"Once a shop is opened, it's like taking root. The East Market is prosperous, and prices can be set higher, leading to greater profits, but behind the prosperity are complex intertwined interests."
"Father, are you leaning towards the West Market?"
Xu Chuan nodded, "Today, Father will talk to you about what a 'supermarket' is."
He began to explain, and Xu Mingyuan, being clever and quick-witted, instantly understood Xu Chuan's meaning and drew inferences from it.
"In the West Market, our Xu Family can acquire fruits and vegetables from individual fruit farmers and then sell them under the Xu Family's name. Furthermore, the fruits and vegetables produced by the Xu Family itself can be designated as premium goods, priced much higher to differentiate them."
"Some individual farmers who are unwilling to sell can also enter into a cooperative relationship, where our Xu Family provides the venue and collects some rent."
"With the qingyu pear as our golden signboard, our Xu Family can easily establish a reputation.
With reputation comes popularity.
This will drive the sales of fruits and vegetables acquired from ordinary fruit farmers, increasing their sales and attracting more individual farmers."
"It's like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger."
After being enlightened by Xu Chuan, Xu Mingyuan seemed to have a breakthrough, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if he had discovered a new continent.
"Father, I'm going to Qingjiang County town right away to discuss cooperation and choose a shop location. I won't be back for the next few days."
"Go." Xu Chuan smiled faintly, "Take Zhou Ming, Zhao Dalong, and the others with you. Remember to prioritize stability and prefer to have nothing than something inferior."
"Yes, Father."
Xu Mingyuan retrieved several thousand taels of silver notes from Bai Jing, then took his people and hurried towards Qingjiang County town.