Free Web NovelChapter 463: Chapter 254: Using Your ’Pastries’ to Handle Your Business (Part 2)
Ma Buyi chuckled. "Lord Steward, you’re too kind. I’m not asking you to violate the Commerce Association’s rules. They say the Lord Steward enjoys helping others, so I’ve brazenly come to ask if you might take these two ’pastries’ and handle a small matter for this old man. It won’t break any of the Commerce Association’s rules, nor will it put you in a difficult position.
I’m not asking for much—just to be added to the procurement consideration list, whether or not the higher-ups approve it. If they do, this old man will deliver three more portions of the same ’pastries’ for you to sample. I must trouble you, Lord Steward."
Cheng Zongyang stared at the old man, rather surprised.
’Three portions? That’s forty-five thousand taels. Add the one I have now, and that’s sixty thousand.’
’But... "take these two ’pastries’ and handle a small matter for this old man"? Why does that sound so familiar?’
After staring at Ma Buyi for a long moment, he suddenly broke into a smile.
"Since Clan Leader Ma has put it that way, it would be rude of me to refuse. And just as you said, I’ll be using your ’pastries’ to handle your business. I can’t guarantee success, however. As for the procurement price... let’s set it at seven mace. And how much can you supply per month?"
"What? Seven mace? That’s..."
"Perspective!" Cheng Zongyang shot him a look. ’Does he take me for a fool? Daring to ask for one tael and five mace per portion? He’d still make a profit at seven mace.’
But Ma Buyi was genuinely distressed. His face fell as he stammered in a panic, "Lord Steward, that... that’s impossible! Let me be honest with you. Nine mace is our cost. You get what you pay for. At seven mace, we’d have to use common Medicinal Materials, and the effect would be negligible. Lord Steward, one tael! Just one tael, please. At least let the Ma Family make a small profit."
Seeing the old man’s face flush red with anxiety, Cheng Zongyang worried he might have a stroke. He figured the price was probably close enough. He nodded. "Fine. How much can you supply?"
Ma Buyi instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Fearing Cheng Zongyang might haggle further, he quickly responded, "The main thing is that the Medicinal Materials have to be carefully selected to meet our standards, which takes time. Normally, we can supply three thousand portions per month. If we get the contract, our maximum capacity..."
Ma Buyi trailed off, afraid that a low supply number would get him kicked out of the running. He gritted his teeth and declared, "If we get the contract, however much the Commerce Association wants, we’ll provide!"
This time, Cheng Zongyang was the one who was surprised. Seeing the man’s expression, he seemed to guess something and gave a derisive snort. "Big words are easy to say. If we needed one hundred thousand portions within a month, could the Ma Family supply them?"
"Well..." Ma Buyi fell silent. He shook his head. "We could not."
"Every procurement by the Commerce Association is bound by a contract with a penalty of ten times the value for any breach. If the Ma Family defaults just once or twice, how much of your family do you think will be left?"
"Ten thousand!" Ma Buyi immediately corrected himself, his tone firm. "As long as we’re guaranteed a spot on the Da Yi Commerce Association’s procurement list, the Ma Family will commit to full-scale production. Even if it means taking a loss, we will deliver the monthly order on time. Our output will increase as we expand."
He wouldn’t have made such a promise if he didn’t know that the Commerce Association signs five-year procurement contracts with its selected partners.
If a product has issues three times within those five years, the contract is automatically terminated, and the supplier must pay a penalty equal to ten times the contract’s value. If there are no issues within five years, the contract is extended for another five, and so on.
In other words, as long as they maintained their product’s quality, the Ma Family’s proprietary medicinal pastries would make them a long-term supplier for the Da Yi Commerce Association.
"Done!"
Cheng Zongyang gave a slight nod. He picked up a register to jot it down but, realizing he didn’t have the details, asked, "What are these medicinal pastries called? And what’s the name of the Ma Family’s commerce association?"
Ma Buyi quickly answered, "They’re called Blood-Replenishing Medicinal Pastries. A portion has ten small pieces and weighs four taels. It’s a proprietary recipe of the Ma Clan Commerce Association from Yuxi County."
Cheng Zongyang promptly wrote down the details and said, "Someone will notify you of the result in three days. Is there anything else?"
Ma Buyi took the hint, stood up, and said, "Nothing else. I won’t disturb you any further, Lord Steward."
"Mm," Cheng Zongyang grunted without looking up, continuing to write his notes.
After Ma Buyi left, Zhang Zeyu came in. "Young Master, he’s been seen out."
"Next."
"Yes, Young Master."
「Two hours later」
The remaining six visitors had all departed from the Cheng Residence, looking overjoyed and utterly satisfied.
In the study, Cheng Zongyang stared at the thirteen Da Yi Bank Money Tickets spread across his desk, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
’No wonder everyone says procurement is such a lucrative post,’ Cheng Zongyang thought with a sigh.
Thirteen Money Tickets. The smallest was for three thousand taels, the largest for ten thousand, adding up to a total of eighty-six thousand taels!
"Just for a chance to be considered, I’ve taken in over eighty thousand taels in ’application’ fees today. And I’ll collect over a hundred thousand more once their spots are secured. I have to admit, these families really know how to spend."
Cheng Zongyang didn’t bother hiding any of this from Zhang Zeyu, simply leaning back in his chair with a sigh.
Zhang Zeyu was stunned. It was his first time witnessing something like this, and he couldn’t understand why these people were willing to spend so much.
But he understood there had to be immense benefits involved—benefits that would not only cover their initial investment but also yield far greater profits.
"Sir, are you seeing more people?" Zhang Zeyu asked. He didn’t bring up the potential for an investigation by the Da Yi Commerce Association. If his young master dared to act this way, he surely had a plan to deal with the consequences.
"Of course. Why would I stop? We still owe the Commerce Association over three million taels of silver," Cheng Zongyang said with a smile, though he didn’t explain his methods to Zhang Zeyu.
’As long as I don’t try to keep these kinds of profits all to myself, there generally won’t be any trouble.’
The Cheng Family had plenty of products they could offer for collaboration with the Da Yi Commerce Association. But for now, he wasn’t interested.
First, the Cheng Family could still manage its own production and sales. Second, their operation wasn’t large enough to meet the Commerce Association’s massive demand. Third, their prices would be driven down, so there was no point. And fourth, he wanted to use his family’s unique products to establish the "brand" of the Cheng Family.
In the future, commerce in Jade Peak County would be divided into only two categories: things for mortal needs and things for Cultivation Immortality.
After Zhang Zeyu left, Cheng Zongyang deposited the money into his marketplace hut. He then took out the list with the names of the nine commerce associations he had just met, copied it onto a new sheet, and began adding his own notes and recommendations.
These included product evaluations, assessments of their power and influence, supply capabilities, and finally, a suggested price.
Next to the price for Ma Buyi’s Blood-Replenishing Medicinal Pastries, he wrote three words: "three taels each."
’According to the Da Yi Commerce Association’s rules, a two- to three-fold profit margin is standard. This isn’t something ordinary people can afford anyway, and the rich won’t quibble over a few taels. Besides, it tastes pretty good.’
That evening, Cheng Zongyang took the Money Tickets and the register to Chen Kaishan’s office in the rear courtyard of the Da Yi Commerce Association’s main building.
At that moment, Chen Kaishan was in a discussion with several staff members, looking quite agitated.
Cheng Zongyang didn’t go inside, waiting in the courtyard instead. The Da Yi Commerce Association was scheduled to open the day after tomorrow, and with countless tasks to handle, Chen Kaishan was swamped.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, Chen Kaishan finally emerged with a grim expression. The staff from the other departments quickly scattered.
"Finished with your work?" Chen Kaishan asked with a small sigh, noticing Cheng Zongyang sitting idly in the courtyard.
Cheng Zongyang replied, "Uncle Chen, you know what my position entails. How are the preparations for the opening?"
"There are no major issues, for the most part. We just need to iron out the small details over the next two days. You came all this way, so you must have something on your mind."
He sat down as he spoke.
He felt he had a good grasp of Cheng Zongyang’s character by now. The young man seemed indolent, yet he was incredibly dedicated to his Cultivation. Though he couldn’t pinpoint his exact level of Cultivation, his senses told him Zongyang must be on the verge of breaking into the Middle Third Grades.
What he didn’t know was that Cheng Zongyang had used the Acupoint-Sealing Hand technique to suppress his Meridian True Qi upon arrival, making his Cultivation appear to be only at the Seventh Grade.
Cheng Zongyang placed a register on the table in front of him. "Here are the fourteen suppliers who visited today. I’ve listed all their products. Please, take a look."
Chen Kaishan took the register and began to read.
The Da Yi Commerce Association’s procurement department only had the power to make recommendations, not final decisions. That authority belonged to the Steward responsible for all the Commerce Association’s affairs.
In other words, Chen Kaishan was the one who decided which suppliers to use.
But after looking it over, Chen Kaishan shook his head. "This is all rather ordinary, nothing special. What are your thoughts?"
Cheng Zongyang shrugged, wanting no part in the decision-making. "I wouldn’t know. I’ve never worked in a Commerce Association before, so I’m not familiar with its sales policies."
As he spoke, he took out the Money Tickets and placed them on the table. "This is a token of their respect. My job is simply to make the recommendations. I’ll leave the final decision up to you. As for these Money Tickets... how about I take half, and the other half is for you?"
The "application fees" from the last few families had added another thirty thousand taels to the pot, bringing the total to one hundred sixteen thousand taels. He took fifty-five thousand taels for himself and gave the remainder to Chen Kaishan.
