ebookland Chapter 120 Self-rescue, Li Yuer sells oil lamps at the market
Chapter 120 Self-rescue, Li Yuer sells oil lamps at the market
Li Yuer showed the oil lamp to Shopkeeper Qian, "Uncle Qian, look, this is a colorful painting and poem. My paintings are different from other paintings. They don't fade or get wet."
"Oh?" Shopkeeper Qian became interested. He took the oil lamp and looked at it carefully. He rubbed it with his hands, and then wiped it with a handkerchief dipped in tea. Surprisingly, it did not fade and was not afraid of water.
Shopkeeper Qian said happily, "Yes, your special pigment is good, the color is bright, and you can achieve such a craftsmanship. It is unique and different."
Although Li Yuer's oil lamps are not as exquisite and traditional as those made by the Wan family, they are novel, especially the painted paintings and inscriptions, which are very good, with exquisite painting skills and grand and imposing fonts.
Shopkeeper Qian knew what was going on and said, "We have reserved this oil lamp for Nongchao Building. Please give us an estimate of the price."
Before, he wanted to buy Li Yuer and the others’ oil lamp out of guilt, but this time, he really wanted to buy it.
Li Erlang and Li Laosan were immediately happy, but Li Yuer knew very well that the market for oil lamps had already been occupied and this was a one-time deal.
Even if I can sell it this time, I won’t be able to do this business in the future.
Li Erlang recently learned some simple arithmetic from his cousin Cai Junyi. He took out an abacus and started to calculate. Although he calculated slowly, he was very serious.
Li Yuer had already figured out the answer in her head, but she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she hoped to leave more opportunities for her eldest brother and third uncle to train them.
The Wan family’s oil lamps had already been priced, so Li Yuer and his friends could not sell their oil lamps at the expected price. They could only sell the premium oil lamps at the price of 500 wen, but no longer gave away whale oil.
After a while, Li Erlang announced the result of his calculation: "Twenty-two special-grade oil lamps, five hundred coins each, a total of eleven taels of silver."
"That's right." Manager Qian nodded, and then asked Lai Fu to get the silver.
After the Whale Tasting Banquet, the reputation and status of Nongchaolou rose invisibly, business became better, and people who made banquet reservations lined up until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
It was not convenient for Li Yuer and the others to continue disturbing Manager Qian, so they left.
Their next task was how to sell the remaining oil lamps at the market.
A few days later, the stall fee in the market went up again. Li Yuer and his group were charged ten cents for a small stall.
Li Yuer did not choose to go to the area selling daily necessities, but instead chose a stall selling accessories and couplets.
Li Erlang took a small square table from the cart, Li Laosan spread a clean new cotton cloth on it, and Datou and the others began to carefully place the oil lamps.
Facing the bustling crowd, Li Yuer shouted directly: "If you pass by, don't miss it! We are selling oil lamps with paintings and inscriptions!
It’s cheap and easy to use, with colorful patterns and inscriptions that won’t fade or get water-resistant, so we guarantee you won’t be cheated or taken advantage of!
With a lamp in hand, thousands of families will be bright, good luck and everything will go well! "
The clear and sweet girl's voice spread clearly, immediately attracting many passers-by to watch.
An old lady came up with a basket on her shoulder and said with a smile, "You are a very eloquent girl. Is your oil lamp as good as you say?"
Li Yuer immediately smiled and said, "Auntie, you are a connoisseur of goods. How could anyone deceive your discerning eyes?"
Then, Li Yuer asked tentatively: "Aunt, who did you buy the oil lamp for?"
The old lady was delighted by Li Yuer's soft and tender voice and replied with a smile: "My son will be studying next year, so I bought this for him to study. The oil lamp at home is too dim. Is your oil lamp bright?"
Li Yuer picked out a double-lampstand oil lamp from the crowd of oil lamps and handed it to the aunt. "Aunt, look, there is a magpie painted on this lampstand. It is colorful and will not fade or get wet. It also says: Magpie on the branch. My cousin told me this. My cousin is a student at Zhulu Academy.
My cousin said, "This magpie on the branch represents success in the imperial examination, the meaning of being the top scorer in the imperial examination."
When she heard that someone had passed the imperial examination and that he was a relative of a student at Zhulu Academy, the old lady's eyes smiled into crescent shapes.
"Then how do you sell this oil lamp?"
"It's not expensive, only two hundred copper coins."
"Hiss!" The old lady took a breath and said hesitantly, "This is much more expensive than the ones in the grocery store."
Li Yu'er was not angry. It is human nature to compare prices from different stores. She patiently explained, "The ones in the grocery store are not as good as ours. Look, this is a double-lampole oil lamp, one high and one low. It is not only beautiful, but also convenient. When you get up at night to light up, just light the low lamp and it will be enough.
If your son is reading, just light this tall lamp when it is light. If it is dark, light both lamps at the same time. In short, no matter what you need, you can find a matching method of lighting, which is convenient and saves fuel. "
Li Yuer took out a small bundle of wicks made from rush pith from the basket under the table.
"Aunt, you are our first customer. We have a promotion right now. Buy an oil lamp and get a wick for free. Take a look at our wicks. They are many times better than the cotton wicks in the grocery store. They don't break easily and they save oil. I will give you five wicks at a time. You can use them until next year and you don't have to buy any more."
The old lady took the wick, looked at it, twisted it with her hands, and found that it was indeed a good wick.
Thinking of her son who was studying hard at home, the old lady gritted her teeth and said, "Okay! You wrap it up for me."
Li Yuer tugged at the stunned Li Laosan and urged him, "Uncle San, Auntie is our first customer. Please give her a wicker box."
There were plenty of wicker boxes, so Li Dalang would make them when he had free time. He made hundreds of them.
Moreover, the wicker boxes are basically a cost-free business. Even if you ask Datou and his men to make them, it only costs one cent for labor. Compared with the oil lamp that costs two hundred cents, it is nothing. Since it is their first time opening a business, the most important thing is to attract more customers.
Li Laosan quickly took out a wicker box of the right size, put the oil lamp that the old lady liked in it, and handed it over respectfully.
Li Erlang also said a few auspicious words: "Aunt, since you bought our oil lamp, your son will definitely be on the list next year and have a happy marriage."
"Good, good, good!" The old lady happily took the wicker box. "This box is really well woven. It not only has a lid, but also handles. Not bad."
The old lady left happily.
With the first customer, there is no need to worry about the following business. People tend to follow the herd mentality, and the more people buy, the more they will buy.
Li Yuer would choose oil lamps according to the different needs of different customers. For example, the uncle in front of him was buying dowry for his daughter who was getting married next year.
Li Yuer picked out a lamp with a big red wedding character on it and said, "Uncle, look, this lamp is specially prepared for the newlyweds. My cousin said that it says "May you have a happy marriage for a hundred years and have a son soon."
When the uncle saw the red painted oil lamp, he felt happy. After hearing Li Yuer's auspicious words, he immediately smiled from ear to ear.
“Do you still give away boxes?”
Li Erlang quickly took out a wicker box and said, "Send it, of course you should send it, this is your daughter's dowry, so it should be packaged in a grand and classy way."
As he spoke, he took the initiative to install the oil lamp and handed it over.
Li Yuer picked up another pair of couplets, rolled them up, and put them together in the wicker box.
"Uncle, we not only give you a wicker box, but also a pair of couplets."
The uncle asked in surprise: "Aren't you giving away wicks?"
Li Yuer explained: "Both are fine, just choose your own."
The uncle finally chose couplets, which were a little more expensive than wicks, and he had some unused wicks at home.
Li Yuer also chooses the right gift based on the person. For example, the old lady mentioned above, her son is a scholar, and he was worried about not having couplets.
Besides, in the eyes of a mother, whose handwriting can compare with her son's.
The uncle paid the money happily, walked away with the oil lamp, the smile on his face still there.
Jia Queer gave Li Yuer a thumbs up and said, "Sister Xiao Yuer, you are really amazing!"
Jia Que'er is older than Li Yu'er, but he likes to call her Sister Xiao Yu'er, making her sound like the big sister of some gang.
Li Yuer shook her head and said, "I'll just show you how to do it. It's up to you guys to do it. After all, she's just a child, and a girl at that."
The expressions of the several people were different. Li Laosan's face turned a little red, Li Erlang was eager to try, Jia Que'er had already begun to imitate what Li Yu'er had said, Shitou touched the back of his head and smiled foolishly, and Datou was counting the oil lamps, wicker boxes, couplets, etc.