Chapter Sixteen: A Delightful Conversation
Hua Ling lifted her head with a smile, looked at Jin Junxi, and said, “I have one condition. As long as you agree to it, I guarantee I’ll make you rich.”
“Oh? You’re that confident you can make money? This prince is rather curious.” Jin Junxi could not understand why, in a place where even men found it difficult to do business, she would have such confidence. His curiosity toward her deepened. “Go on. As long as it isn’t excessive, this prince will agree.”
“I provide the product concepts and model, while you handle sales and promotion. We split the profits forty-sixty. What do you think?” Hua Ling said unhurriedly. This was already letting him off cheaply; in the modern era, innovation was the most valuable thing. But in order to make a strong first impression, she could only take a small loss.
A forty-sixty split? What nerve. This woman truly dared to ask. Still, he very much wanted to know what sort of product she could provide that made her dare to put forward such harsh terms. “Tell me about your product first. I have no desire to do a money-losing business.” At this moment, Jin Junxi had taken on the air of a shrewd, unscrupulous merchant.
That was more like it. Hua Ling had known he would ask this. With a slight smile, she said, “You’ve been in business for many years, so you should know which trades make money and which don’t. Let me ask you—do you think women’s money is easy to earn? For example, rouge and powder, clothing and jewelry, household textiles.”
Jin Junxi shook his head and said, “Those are all small businesses, with little capital and thin profits. There isn’t much to be made.” At this point, he felt somewhat disappointed. He had thought she might have some ingenious idea, but in the end, it was only these things.
Hua Ling naturally heard the disappointment in his tone, but she did not mind and continued, “If you go by your current products and way of thinking, then of course there isn’t much to be made, nor much profit. But if you do it my way, I can at least increase your earnings tenfold. Let’s set aside the others for now and just take bedding as an example. Right now, you only sell each item separately. But if you combine bedsheets, quilt covers, pillowcases, and pillow towels into one set, then bundle and sell them in the same color scheme and pattern, tell me—which woman wouldn’t like to make her own bedroom beautifully decorated?”
Hearing this, Jin Junxi’s eyes lit up. This idea was not bad. He could not help but look at her in a new light. “How exactly is this set to be made? Explain it more clearly.”
Hua Ling knew she had already succeeded halfway; at the very least, he was interested in her idea now. Smiling, she said, “This product will be called a four-piece bedding set. Then, according to different patterns and materials, you give them different names. For instance, if you want to target commoners, then you can’t choose fabric that’s too fine, otherwise ordinary people won’t be able to afford it. The styles and patterns also need plenty of variation. If you want to take the high-end route, then the designs must be luxurious, the fabrics must be precious, and most importantly, each style must be limited in quantity.”
By this point, Jin Junxi’s blood was already boiling with excitement. That was right—this idea was truly brilliant. Why had no one thought of it before? Excitedly, he said, “Good. I’ve decided to cooperate with you.”
Hearing that he was willing to cooperate, Hua Ling could not help but grow happy as well. Smiling, she said, “To show my sincerity, how about this: I’ll first give you a set of drawings for free. You can make a few samples first and test the market’s reaction. What do you think?”
“Good. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t let you suffer a loss,” Jin Junxi said with a smile. This woman did not covet small advantages, and had even offered him free drawings first. Such breadth of mind was admirable.
“How about this—tomorrow, come to the Prime Minister’s estate to get the drawings. After all, I can’t go out every day,” Hua Ling said. In truth, tomorrow she wanted to buy those few houses. This was a matter of utmost importance, so naturally she could not tell him. After all, he was close to Mu Yelei; if Mu Yelei found out, he would probably confine her to the estate.
“Tomorrow? That quickly? Can you draw them in time?” Jin Junxi asked in surprise.
“A piece of cake.”
“Then all right. I’ll go get them tomorrow.”
“The meal is finished, and the business has been discussed. I should take my leave as well,” Hua Ling said with a smile. She took five taels of silver from her embroidered pouch and placed them on the table, then said to Yuechun, “Let’s go. It’s time to return.”
“Wait. Take the silver back. Consider this meal my treat,” Jin Junxi said. A single meal was nothing to him.
“Thanks, but I still prefer to pay my own bill. I don’t want to owe anyone a favor. Besides, I can still afford the cost of a meal. Remember, don’t tell Mu Yelei about what happened today. Otherwise, there’s no need for us to cooperate.” After saying this, she turned and left, giving Jin Junxi no room to refute her.
Watching her departing figure, a thoughtful look appeared in Jin Junxi’s eyes. This woman was far too different from the rest. Why did Mu Yelei not know how to cherish her?
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