noffsinger Chapter 243 Wealthy Families Appear in the County Town
Chapter 243 Wealthy Families Appear in the County Town
The two from Dongcheng had been here before, but it had been a long time since they last visited.
The two were somewhat alarmed to discover that there were now quite a few wealthy people living in this area.
Yes, they were wealthy families.
After all, in the past, only Qian Yuncai in Pingyao wore silk clothes.
In the eastern part of the city now, you can see carriages, servants, and wealthy people everywhere you look!
"When did the weather in Pingyao become so nice?"
Hearing Lin Xi's words, Zhao Chen continued, "I heard they're from Kyoto."
"Kyoto?"
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi exchanged a glance, neither of them quite understanding.
"What are people from Kyoto doing in Pingyao?"
"I don't know, they said they came to visit relatives and friends in their hometown."
Visiting relatives and friends in the county or township?
The two of them even doubted the toes; that's a ridiculous excuse.
Everyone knows that Pingyao County used to be a desolate, godforsaken place.
Although development has been rapid in the past six months, it has not yet reached the point where it can attract other wealthy people to come one after another.
Leaving aside the economy, the lack of water and land transportation makes transportation a major problem.
Pingyao is mostly mountainous and hilly, and bandits were as numerous as ants.
After all, bandits' dens are built on mountains, making it extremely difficult to suppress them. It's true that bandits thrive in remote and impoverished areas.
There were many bandits in the mountains, and these people risked their lives to come to Pingyao.
It seems we've encountered something even more troublesome, something far more terrifying than being robbed or kidnapped by bandits.
Throughout the journey, the two watched the passing young men and women with great interest through the carriage window.
After all, they had never seen silk ribbons, gold and silver hairpins, sachets and jade pendants before.
Now that we have the opportunity, we can't miss it to broaden our horizons!
The carriage swayed and wobbled until it arrived at the entrance of the Golden Pavilion.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi got off the carriage.
Upon seeing the two men dressed in cotton clothing, the waiter at the door took off running into the Golden Pavilion.
"Shopkeeper, finally some locals have come to our shop!!"
Lin Xi stood there, stunned.
What does he mean???
"I don't know."
Within two breaths, the manager of Jinlou rushed out, his face beaming with smiles.
"Gentlemen, please come in! What kind of jewelry would you like to see today? We only have the finest pieces here."
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi followed the shopkeeper into the Golden Pavilion.
The first floor displays simple gold and silver jewelry, which is suitable for adding to one's makeup, and none of it is expensive.
The shopkeeper of Jinlou brought out all the styles and placed them in front of the two of them. He didn't seem to mind the effort and introduced them with great enthusiasm!
The shopkeeper's enthusiasm left the two of them bewildered.
In the end, they bought a silver hairpin weighing half an ounce, which cost eight hundred coins, but the shopkeeper's service was as if it were worth eight million ounces.
After buying the silver hairpin, Lin Xi wanted to buy Meng Li a jade hairpin.
"Shopkeeper, I see that you only have gold and silver jewelry here, but no jade ornaments?"
"Jade ornaments? Yes, yes, come with me, I'll take you to the second floor!"
"Come this way, let's go upstairs!"
There was no one in the lobby, so the two assumed the shopkeeper was having a bad day and were therefore being overly welcoming to them.
But when I got to the second floor, I realized that their business was booming!
The second floor was filled with young ladies from wealthy families trying on jewelry.
The second floor has no silver ornaments, but is full of gold, jade, agate, emeralds, and pearls.
As soon as Gao Mengli and Lin Xi went upstairs, they were immediately struck by the dazzling display of jewelry, which shone brilliantly in the candlelight.
The wealthy young ladies around them, each served by a maid, were trying on jewelry in front of the mirror, their sweet laughter never ceasing.
The shopkeeper led them to a display case and introduced with a big smile: "The jade hairpins here are all made of top-quality Hetian jade, with a warm and smooth texture and exquisite carving."
Look at this hairpin; the peony flower on the tip is carved so lifelike. Wearing it will surely make you look elegant and noble.
Lin Xi took a look and saw that it was beautiful, but not her favorite.
"Shopkeeper, I don't want peonies, do you have orchids?"
His daughter Mengli likes orchids.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, yes, you have such good taste. Orchids are noble and elegant, and they are the perfect match for our jade hairpins."
As he spoke, he turned around and rummaged through the cabinet for a while before carefully taking out a jade hairpin shaped like an orchid.
Lin Xi took it and saw that the hairpin was translucent, and the orchid on the hairpin head seemed to be emitting a light fragrance. The petals were delicate and dewy, and it was indeed a rare and fine item.
He turned to look at Gao Mengli, his eyes full of anticipation: "Mengli, look at this one, how about it? I think it's perfect for you."
"Hey? It's you guys. What brings you here?"
Qian Yun heard the voice and recognized it, so she quickly squeezed through the group of maids.
It really was two people!
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi were also pleasantly surprised to see Qian Yun.
The last time we met was when she mentioned Tang Guangjun's engagement.
Gao Mengli quickly greeted her, "You haven't been to the village in a long time. I thought you weren't in Pingyao."
"Yes, I wasn't in Pingyao because I was picking up my girlfriends."
After Qian Yun finished speaking, he pointed to a wealthy young lady sitting not far away, trying on jewelry.
"Is she also here to visit friends and relatives?"
Hearing Lin Xi's words, Qian Yun's smile faded slightly, and he sighed, "This matter is a long story, difficult to tell, and best left unsaid..."
"Oh."
Seeing Qian Yun like this, the two didn't ask any further questions.
At this moment, the smiling shopkeeper wrapped up the magnolia hairpin and handed it over:
"Gentlemen, these are the things you requested. They've been wrapped up for you. They're from the first floor. If you need anything else, I can give you a discount!"
Seeing the overly enthusiastic shopkeeper, Lin Xi quickly waved her hand and said, "Thank you, shopkeeper, but no need!"
"Haha, shopkeeper, even if you offer your first-floor items at half price, you probably won't be able to sell them all in six months!"
Qian Yun covered her mouth and laughed, looking at the shopkeeper, she couldn't stop laughing even with tears in her eyes.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi felt a chill run down their spines when they heard Qian Yun say that.
Could it be that the goods on the first floor are counterfeit?
But to his surprise, the shopkeeper's smile vanished, replaced by a bitter sigh.
"Manager Qian, this is a miscalculation on the part of the owner..."
He said that Pingyao's purchasing power was limited, so he ordered us to make gold and silver jewelry that suited the local market. We made simple and affordable jewelry worth over 200,000 taels of silver. Who knew..."
To everyone's surprise, local residents didn't come at all; instead, it was the young masters and ladies of Kyoto who preferred to visit their Golden Pavilion.
However, wealthy families look down on the gold and silver jewelry on the first floor, which has no weight whatsoever.
As a result, sales are sluggish, and we're losing a lot of money.
The shopkeeper wiped his face with his hand, his expression full of bitterness:
"Every day when I open my eyes, I see a cabinet full of goods, and I'm so worried that several strands of my hair have turned white."
I was hoping to recoup some of my losses when the peak season came, but so far, I haven't even made a ripple.
That damned grain tax!
The surplus grain was confiscated, and every household was short of food. All the money was used to buy grain, so the people didn't have much money left. Where would they find the spare money to buy jewelry?
Jewelry is not a necessity; they can only sell a little bit for weddings.
They could only sell some of their stock, which was a far cry from selling off their entire stockpile. They had hoped to make a big splash, but ended up selling only a drop in the ocean.