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“This Bai Shi is a shrewd shopper known throughout our section of the East Street. She doesn’t just compare prices at three stores, she probably compares five or six, and in the end, she always picks something that is both good and inexpensive. If you shop with her, you’ll never make a mistake.”
“Absolutely, I saw her carrying two needlework baskets, and when I asked, she said she bought them here. So, I came to buy one as well. You can’t go wrong following her lead,” another person chimed in.
So, this is the most basic form of following the trend? Jiang Mixia blinked in surprise.
However, for business, this was a good thing, and she was pleased to see it. She was busy attending to customers.
By the time this group of people left, there were very few needlework baskets left. After a few more customers, all the baskets had been sold.
Seeing the bulging money bag, Jiang Mixia was quite happy. However, she felt a little worried when she noticed that none of the wooden figurines had sold.
It was her and Jiang Chunshi’s idea to carve the wooden figurines, so not selling any of them would be quite embarrassing.
However, given the current situation, selling them would indeed be difficult.
It wasn’t that the figurines were unattractive or that Jiang Chunshi’s carving was subpar. The crucial issue lay in the market demand and the value of the items.
Although a wooden figurine didn’t cost much in materials, it was labor-intensive. Therefore, pricing a wooden figurine lower than 35 wen wouldn’t be worthwhile.
At 35 wen, the price was almost the same as the needlework baskets.
But while needlework baskets were a household necessity that could last for several years, wooden figurines were just toys for children. In a world where a pound of pork cost only a few wen, such toys were considered extravagant, especially in an economically underdeveloped town.
Initially, they had only considered the scarcity of the items and had forgotten to gauge the market demand. It was clear that the wooden figurines would be hard to sell in the town, so perhaps they would have to try their luck back in the county town.
Jiang Mixia contemplated whether to close her stall early and head to the West Street to find Jiang Youcheng and Jiang Chunshi.
Noticing his wife’s serious expression and furrowed brow, her husband quietly inquired, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I’m just thinking that if these wooden figurines don’t sell…”
“It’ll be fine, they will,” interrupted Song Jingyun. “These wooden figurines will definitely sell.”
He sounded extremely confident.
“Although I hope they do sell, it doesn’t look promising,” sighed Jiang Mixia.
“But these wooden figurines look really nice, especially this rabbit,” Song Jingyun picked up the rabbit figurine and shook it. “Several people were just admiring it, they really liked it.”
Moreover, rabbit meat is delicious. There’s no one who doesn’t like rabbit meat.
“But still, no one ended up buying it,” Jiang Mixia explained. “They liked it a lot, looked at it over and over, but in the end, they didn’t buy it because they felt it was too expensive and not worth it.”
“Let’s put it this way: you have thirty-five wen. You can buy pork to stew or you can buy this wooden rabbit carving. Which would you choose?”
“Well…” Song Jingyun was at a loss for words.
For him, it wasn’t a matter of choice. He would definitely choose the pork.
“However, some people consider the enjoyment more important than food,” Song Jingyun scratched his head.
“That’s true, but in our town, there are very few people like that. Most are farmers who barely earn a few coins a day, so they highly value their food. That’s why I said if we can’t sell them here, we’ll have to try our luck in the county town,” Jiang Mixia explained. “People in the county town generally have relatively more money, and there are also some affluent families who are willing to buy things they don’t necessarily need, but simply like.”
Song Jingyun once again scratched his head. Nonetheless, he had a feeling that someone would buy them. After all, the figurines looked so beautiful. There had to be someone who wouldn’t be as tempted by food as he was.
“Shall we wait a bit longer? It’s still early,” suggested Song Jingyun. “Maybe someone will buy them.”
“Alright, let’s wait a little longer,” Jiang Mixia agreed.
After all, since they weren’t selling now, they might as well wait a bit longer; perhaps a miracle would happen. However, Jiang Mixia didn’t hold out too much hope for a miracle. She quietly manned the stall, neither hawking nor actively seeking customers.
As before, people came by to admire the wooden figurines, showing interest but hesitating or outright leaving upon hearing the price.
There were also children who insisted on buying the figurines, crying and holding onto them tightly, only to be dragged away by adults. After the figurines were returned, the adults would complain, “They’re so money-minded, selling things at such high prices, trying to cheat children out of their money to this extent. They’re not afraid of divine retribution!”
After several rounds of such complaints and several crying children, even the nearby vendors began to look at Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun with less friendly eyes.
Naturally, with children crying and adults scolding, the fair-goers began to avoid the area, especially those with children. Seeing this, they quickly left, no longer interested in making purchases, which naturally affected the surrounding businesses.
Observing the situation, Jiang Mixia decided to give in, “Alright, let’s close the stall.”
If they continued like this, not only would they fail to sell their items, but they would also be driven to distraction by the commotion.
“Oh.”
Although Song Jingyun still believed the figurines would sell, since his wife had spoken, he complied and began to tidy up the figurines.
“Are you still selling these figurines?”
A clear voice.
Jiang Mixia looked up to see a seven or eight-year-old girl with a round face, big eyes, a smile, and two dimples at the corner of her mouth.
“We are, but they’re not cheap. Each one costs thirty-five wen,” Jiang Mixia replied with a smile.
“Thirty-five wen for one,” the little girl pouted. She picked up the small deer that Jiang Mixia was about to put away, then the rabbit, the dog, and the cat, examining each one carefully.
“They’re all so nice, I really like them,” the little girl scratched her head, her small, round face almost wrinkled like a bun, filled with hesitation.
Seeing the adorable and obedient little girl, Jiang Mixia smiled and said, “If you really like them, I’ll give you a discount. Thirty-two wen each.”
“Great, thank you, big sister,” the little girl said. She examined all the figurines once again, still unsure which ones to choose. Finally, she said, “They are all so nice, I really want them all. If one costs thirty-two wen, two will be sixty-four wen, three will be ninety-six wen, four…”
The little girl struggled to calculate for a while, then sheepishly scratched her ear. “I think I can’t figure it out. How much will it be for all of these?”
“Altogether, for ten figurines, it will be three hundred and twenty wen,” Jiang Mixia replied with a smile.
“I have enough money for that,” the little girl took out a small silver coin from her purse and handed it to Jiang Mixia.
It was a tael of silver.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Mixia finally accepted the silver coin.