Chapter 285
Chapter 285
The porcelain shop was named Verdant Jade, while the wine shop was called Purple Jade.
Both stood two stories tall and side by side, presenting an imposing sight.
The merchants in the restaurant rushed toward them in a swarm.
“Brother, you buy wine at Purple Jade while I go to Verdant Jade. We’ll split up and purchase as much as possible.”
There was no need to say it: both products would sell easily back home.
Everyone else thought the same. They wanted to visit both stores but feared the goods would sell out, so members of each caravan divided between them.
The two new shops became packed at once.
Ordinary residents drawn by the firecrackers had not yet learned what the stores sold when the frantic scene stunned them.
“Good heavens! What’s sold in there? Why are all those rich people charging inside like lunatics?”
“No idea. I only came because I heard the noise.”
Some commoners were swept into the shops by the crowd and heard people asking the prices.
A tableware set cost ten taels, a wine set eight, and a vase as tall as an arm fifty taels. They thought they had misheard.
“Merciful heavens.”
After confirming the prices, they gasped.
“Does this shop eat silver?”
The porcelain was beautiful and unlike anything they had seen, but it was far too expensive.
Yet while ordinary people considered it costly, merchants crowded forward clutching silver.
“Give me thirty tableware sets, twenty wine sets, and as for the vases…”
The wine shop next door was much the same. When commoners heard that a small jar cost one hundred taels, they felt impoverished and hopelessly unsophisticated.
They left in a daze and were immediately surrounded by people craning their necks to see inside.
Once they described the products and prices, everyone gasped.
“That expensive? Will anyone buy it?”
“Of course! I saw those wealthy masters practically throwing silver at the staff. They ordered dozens of sets at once.”
“The wine shop is the same. Everyone wants dozens of jars.”
“I heard there isn’t much wine, so each person can buy only ten jars. That made them even more frantic.”
“What kind of wine is it? I’d love a taste.”
“Forget it. One sip isn’t drinking wine-it’s drinking silver!”
“How much will these two stores earn in one day?”
The spectators grew increasingly envious.
Jiang Yunsui and the others watched from the restaurant opposite.
“Wow. It feels like all the wine will sell today,” Jiang Yunsui said.
Yelü Can grew anxious.
“Young Master Ji, you promised to reserve some for me. Don’t sell it all.”
“There is only one vat of wine, enough for one hundred jars. There are three hundred porcelain sets,” Ji Yan’an said.
“That isn’t nearly enough!”
Ji Yan’an no longer wanted to speak, so he pulled Nanshu over.
His spokesman immediately came online.
Nanshu wore a standardized smile. “This is our first batch of Purple Jade Dew. At present, we have only one grapevine, and its fruit produced this small quantity. Reserving an entire vat for you is already a concession because we’re cooperating. Don’t be greedy and demand more. If you anger our Young Master, you won’t receive a drop.”
Ji Yan’an stared at him.
Yelü Can asked, “Is that what you wanted to say?”
Ji Yan’an did not answer.
Nanshu sidled closer with a grin.
“Get lost,” Ji Yan’an said.
“Right away.”
“But why, Young Master? I didn’t say anything wrong.”
Yelü Can laughed, then looked thoughtful. “So this wine is made from grapes.”
Ji Yan’an remained unruffled. “Try making it yourself.”
Even if Yelü Can succeeded, his wine would never taste as good. Its greatest secret was Jiang Yunsui.
Yelü Can genuinely wanted to try.
Still, although Nanshu’s words contained personal embellishments, they were probably accurate.
At least Yelü Can had an entire vat reserved exclusively for him.
There was plenty of porcelain accumulated over time.
The wine, however, was truly scarce. Once sold, it was gone.
More than five hundred jars sold out in a single day.
Those who arrived late or had not attended the gathering returned the next morning to find the shop closed and were bitterly disappointed.
“Gone? How did everything disappear in one day?”
“Is this how you sell wine? You don’t know how to do business. People are offering silver, and you can’t take it!”
Li Yunniang came forward to explain. “The brewing ingredients are difficult to obtain. Please rest assured that we have expanded their cultivation. We will certainly have more Purple Jade Dew next year. If you want some, please return then.”
Some merchants looked down on her because she was a woman.
“What does a woman know about business? Call your master. I want to discuss cooperation with him.”
Li Yunniang did not grow angry. She had heard such remarks constantly since appearing in public. If she were fragile, she would never have come this far.
“Gentlemen, even if my master came, there would still be no more wine. Purple Jade Dew has no shortage of buyers; otherwise, purchases would not be limited. My master has entrusted all porcelain and wine business to me. If this honored merchant is dissatisfied, you need not buy. We are not lacking people who wish to cooperate with my master.”
Her words were both courteous and uncompromising. She smiled and spoke gently, but her tone carried strength.
That confidence came from her master’s trust.
Afraid she might truly refuse to sell him wine, the man did not dare say more.
Those still hoping to buy could only leave disappointed.
Meanwhile, at the Ji Mansion…
Ji Yan’an prepared Yelü Can’s wine and celadon and ordered them delivered.
“I didn’t bring that much silver,” Yelü Can said.
“Take it back,” Ji Yan’an told Nanshu.
“Wait! Wait… Don’t be so heartless.”
“I may not have enough silver, but I can trade cattle and sheep.”
Ji Yan’an sipped his tea. “I want horses.”
“That… is impossible.”
Just as private trade in salt and iron was forbidden in the Central Plains, the grasslands restricted horses.
They were strategic resources. Sending horses south would be aiding an enemy.
“Besides wine and celadon, I can offer something else,” Ji Yan’an said. “But I accept only healthy, high-quality horses.”
Yelü Can frowned.
“What is it? I must see it first.”
Ji Yan’an pushed a porcelain bottle toward him.
“Pills for colds. They treat both fever and persistent coughing.”
Interest flashed in Yelü Can’s eyes.
“Oh? Are they truly so effective?”
“Take this bottle home and test it. For this shipment, you may pay with silver, cattle, or sheep. But next time, if you want wine, porcelain, and medicine, you must trade horses.”
The grasslands had few true physicians, relying mostly on shamans. Whether a sick person survived depended on fate.
Medicine capable of treating colds was genuinely tempting to Yelü Can.