Chapter Thirty-Four: What to Buy After Earning Money

Chapter Thirty-Four: What to Buy After Making Money

“Stop fooling around!” Zhang Qian was both exasperated and amused. He raised his hand and gave Guo Nu a playful headlock, chiding him offhandedly: “Kidnapping for ransom in the bustling heart of Chang’an? Who do you think you are, a Celestial Dragon?!”

“Hey, hey!” Guo Nu finally received the same playful treatment as Ren Cong. No longer feigning mischief or calling Zhang Qian “Thirteenth Brother,” he covered his reddened neck with his hand, grinning sheepishly. “I knew you didn’t mean that, Brother Zhang. Sure, strong-arm tactics can bring quick profit, but that’s never a lasting business. At best, you trick someone once; they’ll never come back. Besides, this is Chang’an, the very heart of the empire. If we ever extort the wrong person—someone connected to the imperial family—we’d lose our heads, no matter how many we have…”

Mentioning the imperial family reminded him of a strange term Zhang Qian had just used. He paused, then asked with earnest curiosity, “Brother Zhang, what are ‘Celestial Dragons’? Are they enemies of your sect?”

“They’re legendary figures, nothing to do with my sect’s foes!” Zhang Qian was unexpectedly swept with homesickness, but forced a wry smile and shook his head, explaining softly, “It refers to a certain type of person—one who believes the whole world owes them. They demand respect, yet give none, expecting everyone to cater to their every whim. The term comes from a story about a young man named Lu who encountered them at sea. But that’s a long tale; let’s focus on business for now.”

If he were to recount the story of “One Piece,” it would take him days and nights—and then no one would bother making money with perfume. Shaking off nostalgia, Zhang Qian composed himself and continued in a serious tone, “I asked you to hire burly men as doormen, not for intimidation, but to give customers a sense of security and make them feel special. Do you understand? Security—meaning a feeling of absolute safety. And because our shop will sell only perfume and women’s clothing, all the shop assistants must be young women. Ideally, girls of seventeen or eighteen: pretty, lively, and sweet-talking. Customers should look at them and imagine that, after buying our products, they too will be just as beautiful!”

“That won’t be easy,” Guo Nu shook his head after some thought. “Even though women can hold office in the Great Tang, it’s still rarer to see women working as shop assistants than it is to see Persian dancers.”

“Then pay more and offer higher wages. I refuse to believe no one will be willing!” Zhang Qian, despite repeated knocks from reality, still had great faith in the open-mindedness of the Tang era. In a time when even a woman could become emperor, surely they could hire female sales clerks!

“Wages?” Guo Nu, however, was focused on something else. He frowned and whispered his doubts, “We even have to pay them? Isn’t room, board, and clothing enough? In Chang’an, wages are only given to senior assistants who’ve worked at least five years!”

“What did you say? They have to work for free for five years before getting paid?!” This time, it was Zhang Qian’s turn to be astounded; his eyes opened wide in disbelief. No wonder there were no female shop assistants in this feudal age—who would waste five years of youth working for nothing, only to marry and manage a household afterward? Only a fool would do it.

“Of course! If they don’t work for five years, how can the boss judge their character and trustworthiness?” Guo Nu and the chubby Ren Cong both found the practice of unpaid apprenticeships perfectly reasonable and justified their stance with confidence.

“Then pay them what the senior assistants get. If you’re worried about breaking tradition, hire from among your own stewards, servants, or poorer distant relatives,” Zhang Qian decided not to argue about whether the rules were fair—he had neither the strength to change them nor the patience to debate. “Surely the Guo family has some poor relations? As the saying goes, teach a man to fish rather than give him a fish. Letting a relative’s daughter work is better than just handing out money every year.”

“That’s true,” Guo Nu blinked, pondering quietly. “When a servant rises to the rank of steward, even a minor one, their daughters can no longer be treated as mere household maids. Yet the parents always want to send their daughters to the main house to learn proper manners, hoping for a good marriage later.” He sighed, a trace of helplessness in his voice. “Parents mean well, but our house is large, and among my brothers, there are always a few who can’t keep their hands to themselves. Not every steward or foreman is well-behaved either. Every year, trouble breaks out and my mother ends up choosing only the plainest girls as maids. If we could send the prettier ones to the shop as assistants and pay them a monthly wage, it would save her a lot of worry! Yes, let’s do that. Brother Zhang, this is an excellent idea—two birds with one stone!”

‘So your brothers can’t control themselves, and you blame it on the maids for being pretty? If they behaved themselves, the maids couldn’t assault them!’ Zhang Qian silently mocked him but had no interest in meddling in others’ family affairs. He smiled and moved the discussion forward. “I don’t care who you hire, as long as you find the right people. Make it clear to them: besides their salary, for every item they sell, they get a commission of twenty coins. The more they sell, the more they earn!”

“Such a good deal—I almost want to be a shop assistant myself!” Ren Cong couldn’t help but mutter, feeling the pain of generosity.

“Don’t be so shortsighted! Think about how much you earn every time they sell a bottle of Six Spirits Floral Water!” Zhang Qian shot him a look, then continued methodically, “Have a batch of tokens made from the best wood. Every customer who buys Six Spirits gets one. The shop will keep a ledger, tracking purchases not by name, but by token number. Each purchase is recorded, and once a customer with the same number buys ten times, she gets a free sample of a new product—before less frequent buyers. And there’s more…”

Though Zhang Qian had never owned a luxury brand in the twenty-first century, he’d read plenty of marketing books. Now, parroting their contents, he dazzled his companions. Guo Nu and Ren Cong, both familiar with business thanks to their families, contributed by questioning, supplementing, and refining his plans according to local reality.

The three young men discussed for a full hour and a half, finally formulating a practical plan. Guo Nu and Ren Cong were eager to set things in motion, but Zhang Qian suddenly shook his head. “Not so fast. Xiao Wu, you’ll personally take some samples of Six Spirits to the Duke of Bao’s estate and present them to Young Lord Duan. Erlang, you’ll deliver your samples to your father. Besides asking them to distribute samples to the ladies in their friends’ households, ask each to approach two wealthy families and see if they’d like to invest in the second round.”

“The second round? But we still have plenty of capital. If it’s not enough, we can chip in more!” Ren Cong and Guo Nu both protested, clutching their purses as if someone were about to rob them.

“I know we have enough capital, but if Six Spirits takes off as I expect, the profits will be enormous.” Zhang Qian sighed deeply, explaining seriously, “You both know exactly how much it costs to make a batch. If we sell it for a string of coins per jug, do you really think just the three of us can hold on to this business? Better to share some of the gold than to walk through the market with a brick of it in your arms, like a helpless child. Spread the risk, let others shelter us from the storms.”

Ren Cong and Guo Nu, though they knew he was right, still hesitated. The Ren family had the support of the Duke of Bao’s estate—hardly a small name in Tang society. The Guo family was among the top hundred households in Chang’an, with Guo Xingxian, a master of both civil and martial arts, at its head, and the second master a real, powerful regional governor.

If these two families together couldn’t protect a business selling perfume, then their adversaries must have truly impressive backgrounds—at least among the Five Great Surnames and Seven Clans.

“I know your fathers are both capable, but they are their own men, and we are ourselves. We can’t rely on them for everything!” Zhang Qian, a few years older and a trained teacher, quickly discerned their thoughts. He smiled and changed tack, speaking gently, “If you want to give your fathers a pleasant surprise, to show them you’ve grown up and can help lighten their burdens, then don’t wait for trouble to come before seeking their help. Plan ahead. My method is just such a precaution. On the surface, we’re giving up some profit, but in truth, we’re enlisting investors to shield us. The more money this business makes, the more the investors will value it, and the less likely they’ll tolerate others muscling in.”

“True enough, let’s do as you say, Brother Zhang.”

“Brother Zhang sees further than we do. We’ll follow your lead!”

Though reluctant, Ren Cong and Guo Nu were finally convinced.

“Don’t worry, I won’t just hand them a chance to make money for nothing!” Amused by their constipated expressions, Zhang Qian laughed and promised loudly: “Just tell Young Lord Duan and Elder Guo that we’re only offering twenty percent of the shares, divided into ten parts each. Each part is priced at one thousand strings of coins. If they want in, they buy; if not, they’ll miss the opportunity!”

“That means each ten percent stake costs ten thousand strings? And that only gets you a tenth of the shares? Brother Zhang, are you seriously inviting people to invest?”

“Brother Zhang, ten thousand strings! Have you lost your mind? Who would buy that? These are dry shares, not government positions!”

Ren Cong and Guo Nu exclaimed in shock, as if someone had stolen their money.

“Just do as I say. Once they’ve tried the samples, someone will recognize their worth!” Zhang Qian punched the air, exuding an air of absolute confidence. “After selling off twenty percent dry shares, we three will split the money. Then, each of us will take three thousand strings and buy an official post! At least start with the rank of regional governor, priced at three thousand strings, and go higher if you wish!”

If this isn’t adapting to local customs, what is?

Since you sell offices, I’ll buy a big one.

I didn’t come to Tang just to bow and scrape, nor to be at anyone’s mercy.

Let’s see if, as a fourth-rank regional governor, someone will come bully me for no reason! If that happens, the Empress’s sale of offices will lose all value—what was once in high demand will become worthless overnight!

Anyone can push around a rootless Zhang Qian, but who would dare wreck the Empress’s market? Let’s see who’s so bold!