The man blinked slightly, and then leaned forward a little to uncover the basket on the table, revealing a basketful of densely blooming Manjing seeds, each cluster of purple-red flowers radiant and stunning, adorned with crystal-clear dewdrops, the flowers large in size, with an intense fragrance, far superior to the Green Manzis they had planted in their nursery!
He held one of the precious Manjing seeds, looked at it in astonishment for a while, then turned to Cai Wei, "My surname is Wen. May I ask for your esteemed name, lady?"
Cai Wei replied, "I dare not. My name is Mu Caiwei, at your service, Manager Wen."
Manager Wen asked, "May I be so bold as to inquire where Miss Mu cultivates these Manjing seeds? Who plants and nurtures them?"
In the business field, probing into a business partner’s divine methods is a grave taboo; perhaps it was because Manager Wen saw Cai Wei’s youth or maybe those Manjing seeds were too tempting that he set aside his commercial reservations and asked outright.
Cai Wei did not answer his question, but instead laughed meaningfully and said, "If I were to ask Manager Wen about the secret methods of rouge production in your shop, would you tell me?"
Manager Wen’s smile stiffened on his face; he hadn’t expected this young girl to be so astute. He managed a smile and said, "I don’t know how many Manjing seeds you have, Miss Mu, but I plan to buy them all. Sixty taels of pattern silver per Jin, cash on delivery; what do you think, miss?"
The price he offered was certainly not low; before coming here, she had set a mental price of fifty taels, so hearing the price of sixty taels was indeed a pleasant surprise to her.
However, she couldn’t accept. Before coming here, she had planned to regularly sell flowers here, but seeing how thriving Mi Fangzhai’s business was, she began to entertain the idea of becoming a shareholder. Therefore, she smiled and said, "No money needed!"
Manager Wen was startled, "Then what does Miss Mu want?"
Cai Wei answered crisply, "Three months later, I can provide Mi Fangzhai with one hundred Jin of Manjing seeds every month, but in return, I want a share in Mi Fangzhai!"
Fearing Manager Wen might refuse, Cai Wei offered another tempting proposition. "I also have a few Rare Flowers not found in the Great Jin Nation in my possession. If Manager Wen is willing to collaborate with me, I am willing to give you those flowers for cultivation. Perhaps you could make a windfall from them!"
Manager Wen did not immediately agree; he stroked his chin and pondered for a long time before saying, "Mi Fangzhai has been a family business passed down through generations for over a century; it has already passed down through exactly four generations in my hands. How can I share the family business with someone else just for a few flowers?"
Cai Wei laughed and said, "If that is the case, then I will just look for another stockist to cooperate with. I believe, with my supply of one hundred Jin of Manjing seeds each month, I could get at least a thirty-percent share elsewhere!"
Saying this, she picked up the basket on the table and bent her knees to bid farewell to Manager Wen.
Manager Wen was extremely conflicted!
Manjing seeds are the best raw material for making rouge, and whoever could secure a large supply would easily command the rouge market. Although Mi Fangzhai was currently the most renowned rouge shop in the capital, several emerging rouge shops were eagerly eyeing their position and were eager to rival them. A slight misstep could see Mi Fangzhai’s reputation as the number one in the Great Jin Nation change hands. If the young girl took these Manjing seeds to another shop, Mi Fangzhai’s status as the foremost in the Great Jin would definitely be at risk; moreover, the girl had mentioned she possessed a few rare flowers not available in the Great Jin Nation. If she added these rare flowers as a selling point, she could completely overshadow his shop!
Cai Wei moved gracefully towards the door. Just as she was about to leave, Manager Wen suddenly called out, "All right, I agree!"