Chapter 331

The Jiuzhen Store was filled with joy and excitement just moments ago, but now a silence descended, in contrast to the hubbub outside where Jiang San and Jiang Si were stomping their feet and beating their chests.

It was so close, just a little bit more time, that's all.

"How could this happen?" Zhang Xianglian's anxious voice came from inside the store. "What can we do now that the Liao Family is doing this?"

The master chef's figure grew increasingly lonely and desolate. The courage he had just drummed up disappeared into thin air. He turned around wretchedly and fled before he could be discovered.

"What can we do? They've lowered their prices so we have to lower ours too," Zheng Ruqian said, still relatively calm.

Earlier, lychees were monopolized by the Liao Family. They raised the price to 50 taels of silver per jin, an outrageous price.

The Jiuzhen Store had no qualms about pegging their price to this exorbitant level, profiting handsomely from a wave.

In all honesty, even halving the price would still leave the profit very plentiful.

"I thought the Liao Family would have some tricks up their sleeves. Turns out they just lowered their prices," Jiang Sheng smacked his lips. "Couldn't they be a bit more cunning?"

Zheng Ruqian chuckled lightly.

In truth, business competition boiled down to just a few tactics: compressing profits, smear campaigns, and causing trouble.

Since the Liao Family didn't dare make a move, lowering prices was their only recourse. This happened to align with the tactics of their rival cake shop selling cheap candy and chestnuts.

"If they lower their prices, we lower ours too," Zhang Xianglan said worriedly. "What if the Liao Family sells at a loss? Do we sell at a loss too?"

Transporting lychees came at a cost. With the Liao Family's vast wealth, they could afford to sell at a loss for two years if needed.

On the other hand, the Jiuzhen Store might not withstand that. If they went out of business, the lychee trade would fall back under the Liao Family's control, free for them to set any price they wished.

No matter how you looked at it, the Liao Family had the financial leeway to discount or even sell at a loss. "We can too. We'll also sell cheap lychees," Zheng Ruqian gave a sly smile. "But not now. Let's wait until the third batch arrives. No rush, no rush."

Zhang Xianglian could only acquiesce.

"Auntie, don't worry," Zheng Ruqian went to comfort her. "You just focus on making those lychee desserts. Leave the rest to me."

He was no longer that boy who had pawned his eight copper coins only to get swindled by the pawn shop owner.

Life had taught him countless lessons. Those years spent wandering hadn't been for sightseeing and experiencing local cultures. Rather, they involved rubbing shoulders with all sorts of crafty folk, getting duped as often as he duped others.

Nearly five years had flowed by. That bawling young master had transformed into a shrewd businessman.

"That's right Auntie, second brother is the smartest," Jiang Sheng placed absolute trust in him as always, and remained easygoing as ever. "If he says it's fine then it must be fine."

Zheng Ruqian was just about to burst out laughing smugly when Jiang Sheng added, "Even if he sells lychees at a loss, we still have the cake shop and the workshop. We'll always have enough to eat."

Zheng Ruqian nearly choked at his words.

So it wasn't trust after all, just the same lack of ambition as always. As long as his belly was full he was satisfied.

"Just you watch, we absolutely won't lose money on this lychee business," he poked the little dumpling's belly. "Your second brother will show you."

Zheng Ruqian waved his arm grandly and brought Wang Xiaosong out with him to run around making deals.

That left Zhang Xianglian and Jiang Sheng to continue researching various lychee flavored desserts and optimizing their recipes.

Another ten days flew by.

The Liao Family's price war did prove unusually effective. Apart from a few distinguished households who continued placing orders out of consideration for the Jiang Family's prestige, almost all other families switched their orders to the Liao Family. Word was they had already received reservations for 300 jin.

Zhang Xianglian was so anxious she was breaking out in hives. Several times she pulled Zheng Ruqian aside and asked, "My dear Qian, whatever shall we do? Things can't go on like this. What's your plan?"

Yet Zheng Ruqian only smiled mysteriously every time.

Fortunately Auntie Zhang had an amiable temperament. If it were Prefect Pang, he probably would have backhanded the boy long ago.

At the end of the sixth lunar month, Gao Yan and another shop assistant drove up with two carts brimming full of lychees, stopping right outside the Jiuzhen Store's doors. They immediately started unloading and hauling the fruits inside.

Zhang Xianglian got a shock and hurriedly brought over ice buckets while calling Miao Zhaoying and her mother over to help sort.

Only then did they notice something very different about this batch of lychees. The fruits were slightly smaller and had fewer branches. Usually a single cart from Lingnan could hold no more than 30 jin at most. Yet one cart here easily exceeded 100 jin.

Jiang Sheng had just finished a trial run of lychee desserts. Curious, he picked one to try. When he bit down he nearly cracked his teeth. Only after spitting out the pit did he realize, "The flesh of these lychees is thinner than before."

Not only smaller, but bigger pits too, naturally meaning less fruit by comparison.

It could be said this lychee variety was a tier below those shipped from Lingnan.

In fact they weren't even as nice as the red and green lychees the Liao Family had gifted Jiang Sheng.

"Who's going to want to buy these?" Zhang Xianglian started fretting again, her brows furrowing with worry.

Fortunately Zheng Ruqian sauntered in just then waving his fan. "Don't worry Auntie. I won't sell these expensive, just five taels of silver per jin."

What?

Fifty taels per jin dropped straight to five?

This was an even steeper discount than the Liao Family's. Truly a dramatic move.

"Don't be scared Auntie. These are lychees from Sichuan," Zheng Ruqian pointed with his fan. "It's only a three day journey from Yongjing, so of course the branches get trimmed shorter for transport and the haul size increases. Forget selling at five taels, even one tael would still be profitable for me."

As for why he wasn't selling at one tael...

Who turns their nose up at more money?

Thanks to having a remarkably knowledgeable older brother at home, Zheng Ruqian had only just learned that the "feizi xiao" lychees mentioned in the line "A beauty smiles atop a galloping steed" actually did not refer to lychees from Lingnan.

The imperial consort had grown up in Sichuan so her childhood would have imprinted on Sichuan flavors. How could she have possibly tried lychees from faraway Lingnan? This implied that Sichuan must also produce lychees.

Further reading of ancient texts confirmed that people did in fact consume Sichuan lychees a hundred years ago. This only stopped after Lingnan developed lychee preservation methods lasting ten days. Unable to compete, Sichuan lychees faded from popularity.

When comparing fifty-tael thin-fleshed large-pitted tart-sweet lychees to five-tael thick-fleshed small-pitted sweet lychees, consumer preference was obvious.

But once the price of lychees dropped to five taels per jin, dispelling the allure of luxury, cheapness became king.

Sichuan lychees aimed to fill exactly this market void, to earn money from such folk.

Zheng Ruqian spoke passionately and eloquently. As his voice trailed off, the entire Jiuzhen Store fell silent.

While everyone else worried over the Liao Family's price cuts, this brat had secretly gone off to source lychees from another region. He really was terribly cunning.

"But...but won't the Liao Family find out about this? Why didn't they ship from there too?" Da Ya timidly asked amidst the silence.