Chapter 98
"Medium-grade charcoal is fifteen copper coins per catty, and the higher-grade, which produces less smoke, costs fifty copper coins more. What kind would you like?"
When Zhang Fangyuan arrived in the city, he first went to the largest charcoal shop. At this time, there were some customers in the shop.
Although charcoal wasn’t as popular in the city during summer and autumn as it was in winter, the shop still managed to stay in business. The shop didn’t just sell charcoal but also firewood. Many households in the city relied on charcoal and firewood for cooking and daily life, making it as essential as salt.
The charcoal shop’s business was average, not as bustling as the grain shops, so the clerks could attend to customers promptly. As soon as Zhang Fangyuan entered, two clerks approached him eagerly.
Zhang Fangyuan noticed that the prices were indeed reasonable. He bought good-quality charcoal from the villagers for ten copper coins per catty, and if he sold it in the city, he could get fifteen to twenty copper coins per catty.
"Can the price of medium-grade charcoal be lower if I buy in bulk?"
Seeing that the business was quite big, the clerk was afraid that he couldn't make the decision, so he went to call the manager. Since this wasn’t a small transaction, Zhang Fangyuan was invited into a private room and served tea.
"If you’re buying in large quantities, we can certainly offer a discount, but it would have to be at least a thousand catties."
Seeing that the manager was polite and straightforward, Zhang Fangyuan didn’t beat around the bush: "That’s exactly what I want."
Without explicitly stating the numbers, the two exchanged a few gestures, and Zhang Fangyuan eventually purchased ten thousand catties of medium-grade charcoal at ten copper coins per catty. He paid half upfront and arranged to pick up the charcoal in three days.
After seeing Zhang Fangyuan off, the charcoal shop owner stood at the doorway with his hands behind his back, squinting thoughtfully.
The clerk quickly calculated on the abacus, the smooth beads clicking pleasantly: "Sir, this is a huge order!"
"Of course it's not small."
"But why would someone buy so much charcoal? Is he hosting a big banquet? Even then, he wouldn’t need this much charcoal."
Not only was the clerk puzzled, but the manager was also confused. However, since they had already made a profit, he didn’t want to lose face in front of his subordinates, so he simply said, "He must have his reasons for buying so much. Now that the warehouse is almost empty, we need to restock quickly. It’s mid-autumn, and although it’s not cold yet, many people in the city like to stock up on winter charcoal early. Prices will rise when demand increases."
The clerk nodded in agreement. The charcoal business was not good during the warm winter last year, and if this year was the same, business would be tough. With grain prices so high, many businesses were envious of the grain business and wished they could switch to grain business.
The manager couldn’t help but mutter to himself as he returned to his office: "If we had big orders like this every day, we wouldn’t have to worry about business."
After securing the charcoal, Zhang Fangyuan didn’t rush back. Instead, he went to the southwest part of the city, where he rented a large warehouse at a low price. The Linglong Shop was too small to store much, and even if he used the entire shop, it wouldn’t hold much.
While there was plenty of space in the village to store charcoal, transporting such a large amount from the city to the village would require significant manpower and resources. Moreover, he would have to bring it back to the city to sell in winter, which would be a hassle.
Instead, renting a large warehouse in the city made more sense, saving both time and effort.
After securing the warehouse, Zhang Fangyuan visited several other large charcoal shops in the city, purchasing tens of thousands of catties of charcoal. The warehouse was constantly being filled with charcoals. Since the area had many warehouses and frequent shipments, and with grain being the hottest commodity, no one paid much attention to his charcoal stockpile.
Once the warehouse was fully stocked, Zhang Fangyuan finally returned to the village, where his home was practically surrounded by villagers coming to sell charcoal.
Between the city and the village, Zhang Fangyuan could confidently say that no other charcoal shop had as much stock as he did.
Xu He watched as the family’s money box grew emptier and emptier, replaced by towering piles of firewood and charcoal. He felt like a mute person eating bitter herbs, unable to speak of the bitterness. He had no idea Zhang Fangyuan would go all out like this. If he had known, he wouldn’t have suggested buying charcoal in the first place. Now, it seemed like Zhang Fangyuan had gone overboard, pouring all their money into charcoal.
[[哑巴吃黄连，有苦说不出 (yǎ ba chī huáng lián, yǒu kǔ shuō bù chū): lit. A mute person eating bitter herbs, unable to speak of the bitterness; fig. To suffer in silence, unable to express one’s grievances.]
Hearing the sound of hooves in the yard, Xu He quickly put down the money box and went out. He saw Zhang Fangyuan, who had been busy for over half a month, returning from the city with bags of goods. Xu He hurried over to help: "What did you buy this time?"
"These are all medicinal herbs. They’ll come in handy at home."
Xu He flipped through the items, undoubtedly, they were all things to strengthen the body and prevent illness. He was puzzled but thought that as late autumn approached and winter set in, the body would indeed become weaker than in summer and autumn. Taking some tonics would help keep the body warm. He could use some of the herbs to make chicken or lamb soup for the children.
"Are you still going to the city to stockpile charcoal?"
Xu He asked cautiously.
Zhang Fangyuan waved his hand: "No more buying."
Xu He breathed a sigh of relief. If they kept buying, their family savings would be completely drained.
Then Zhang Fangyuan added, "Tomorrow, let’s tell the villagers that we won’t be buying charcoal anymore."
"So suddenly?" Xu He quickly handed the medicinal herbs to Gancao to take inside. "The villagers are still enthusiastically making and chopping charcoal. If we stop buying all of a sudden, won’t many families be stuck with their charcoal?"
Zhang Fangyuan said, "We’re not buying anymore. Tell everyone to keep the extra charcoal for their own use. Winter is coming, and they’ll need it anyway."
Xu He could already imagine the villagers’ frustration. However, the Zhang family were now landowners, and even if the villagers were upset, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble. Over the past two years, the Zhang family had helped the villagers earn a lot of money, through raising silkworm, fish ponds, livestock, and hiring them to work in the fields. Now, with the charcoal business, they had provided work during the off-season. The Zhang family had considerable prestige in the village.
Thinking this, Xu He felt much more at ease.
"Alright, I’ll notify them."
As Xu He expected, when the villagers heard that the Zhang family would no longer buy charcoal, they grumbled and complained. But ultimately, whether or not to buy was up to the Zhang family, and there was no way to force them. Despite their dissatisfaction, the villagers knew they still relied on the Zhang family. If they offended them, they might not get hired for future work, which would be a greater loss.
So, they only vented their frustrations in private, not daring to confront the Zhang family directly. Besides, Zhang Fangyuan wasn’t wrong, winter was coming, and they would need the charcoal eventually. In the past, they had been too lazy or focused on other tasks instead of preparing charcoal, but this year, thanks to the Zhang family’s initiative, every family had some charcoal stored for personal use.
Thank you for the update!
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