Chapter 143 There Are Things to Pay Attention to when Selling Things (Please Vote for Me!!!)
Then Mrs. Qin Liu brought Qin Hao to the study room and dismissed the servants. Mrs. Qin Liu couldn't wait to say.
"Where did Brother Hao learn this soap method?"
Qin Hao casually said: "I once saw it in a remaining ancient book, but unfortunately it was lost later."
Qin Liu's face suddenly looked disappointed, as if she saw countless copper coins flying away from her eyes.
Qin Hao couldn't help but laugh, pointing to his temple: "Mother, have you forgotten that children have photographic memory, and those ancient prescriptions are all here."
"That's great." Mrs. Qin Liu clasped her hands together, bowed repeatedly, and muttered: "With the blessing of the true God, the Dongchang Hou Mansion is saved."
Qin Hao said seriously: "How does mother plan to sell soap?"
Qin Liushi blinked in confusion: "Isn't it just sold in a shop? How else can it be sold?"
Qin Hao shook his head. Fortunately, he asked.
"Mother, what do you think of the efficacy of this soap?"
Qin Liushi said without hesitation: "It is naturally excellent and has many uses. Once this product comes out, no one in Huanyi will use soap locust anymore."
Qin Hao nodded and guided: "Such a good thing, if it is just to make hard money, wouldn't it be a waste of nature?"
"This" Mrs. Qin Liu sat down and looked at Qin Hao: "My mother is a fool. Since Brother Hao has already made up his mind, he shouldn't play riddles anymore."
At this time, Qin Liu no longer treated Qin Hao as a child.
Qin Hao smiled and handed Qin Liu a list: "Actually, in addition to soap, the child also has a secret recipe that can make soap into a more beautiful and fragrant soap. Mother feels that if this Xun in Bianjing City If all your homes use this kind of soap, will the public follow suit?"
Extravagance was prevalent in the Song Dynasty, and the popularity of many things came from the top down, from the emperor to the nobles, then to officials, then to the merchants, and finally to ordinary people.
If it were the other way around, it would break down at most when it comes to merchants. Nobles and nobles don't look down on folk things. These noble gentlemen think about how to be luxurious and how to be different all day long.
Seeing Mrs. Qin Liu's astonished expression, Qin Hao continued to follow the instructions: "Mother might as well make a batch of soap first, and then a batch of exquisite gift boxes to give to some nobles in Bianjing City. One or two pieces will be given to each family. But, and tell them that this kind of soap is not easy to make. When the name of the soap naturally spreads throughout Bianjing City, then we will sell it. How to set the price is not up to us?"
Qin Liu's eyes lit up: "Wonderful, this method is very wonderful."
Mrs. Qin Liu had already imagined in her mind the appearance of those rich and noble family members trying to curry favor with her for a piece of soap. Thinking of this, Mrs. Qin Liu felt proud and proud. She wanted to show those who looked down on her before that she, Qin Liu, Shi also has a day to turn around!
"Mother, this soap and the method of making soap must be kept properly. I have broken down the production process. It is best for mother to arrange for trustworthy people to master one of the processes. In this way, even if someone can bribe one of them, they will not be able to reproduce it. All processes." Qin Hao reminded.
In ancient times, there was no intellectual property protection. As long as the secret recipe was known, it could be copied immediately. Secrecy was the key.
Although there is a lot of chemical knowledge involved in the process of making soap, don't underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. As long as you get the secret recipe and continue experimenting, you can still imitate it even if you don't know the principle.
Qin Liushi solemnly put the secret recipe close to her body: "Brother Hao is very thoughtful. This secret recipe is the heirloom of our Dongchang Hou Mansion. No one can steal it!"
On that day, the Qin Liu family secretly summoned a group of servants from the Hou Mansion and cleared a small courtyard directly in the backyard. There were also guards from the Hou Mansion keeping a tight handle on the door.
Three days later, Mrs. Qin Liu handed a piece of light red soap to Qin Hao and looked at him expectantly.
Qin Hao lowered his head and smelled it. There was a faint peach blossom aroma. The taste was a bit bland. Since there was no essence, plant spices could only be used to provide the source of the aroma. The advantage was that the smell was relatively light and elegant and not too overpowering. The disadvantage was that if such an aroma persisted, It cannot be stored for too long if exposed to the air, so Qin Hao asked Qin Liu to prepare a beautifully sealed box for sale.
"Not bad." Qin Hao washed his hands with soap and nodded with satisfaction.
Mrs. Qin Liu was overjoyed when she heard this: "Does that mean we can build a workshop for production?"
"Well, everything is decided by mother." Qin Hao, the dog-headed strategist, can also abdicate. After all, he is a scholar, so it is better not to get involved in this kind of thing.
Qin Liu was very motivated and quickly bought a workshop and built a soap workshop with some modifications. At the beginning, because the workers were not familiar with the operation, a lot of materials and time were wasted. On the first day, only one soap was produced. Hundreds of dollars.
By the third day, the benefits of the assembly line operation were evident. The output increased tenfold, and a thousand soaps could be produced in a day. The only trouble was that there was a shortage of raw materials for spices, which required large-scale purchases.
After receiving the first batch of soap, Qin Liu used this batch of soap as gifts. The first person to enjoy this treatment was Xiao Qin.
Xiao Qin was very satisfied with the gift and sent someone to return a generous gift.
Soon the news spread among the noble family members in Bianjing City. According to Qin Liu's propaganda, this soap can not only remove stains, but also make the skin smoother. It is basically the same as taking a bath with milk. , there is no scientific basis for it, but women firmly believe it.
Women are afraid of ugliness, which has been a truth since ancient times. What's more, in ancient times, there were many wives and concubines of nobles, and the pressure of competition on women was also great.
As a result, the Dongchang Hou Mansion began to become lively, and the Qin Liu family suddenly became a hot favorite from a marginal figure among the noble women in Bianjing City. Every day, they received many invitations to banquets with various names. , what she wants is naturally the soap in her hand.
Qin Liu's mood has been so comfortable recently. How long ago could she have been treated like this?
However, besides this, Mrs. Qin Liu was a little worried, because according to Qin Hao's instructions, the soap workshop had been producing, but there was no sales. She spent a lot of money and had no income. She was always unsure.
Qin Hao smiled and said: "It's not the time yet, and we can't open it for sale at the beginning. We only sell five hundred soaps every day, don't sell more than one! Just set the price of each soap at ten dollars, and tell the outside world that it is made." It’s not easy, things are more valuable when they are rare.”
"It makes sense, but if that's the case, why do we produce less?" Qin Liu asked in confusion.
Qin Hao shook his head: "This situation will only last for a while. Once the novelty is over, it will be impossible to sell it at such a high price. At this time, we need to increase our volume and quickly occupy the market."
"The cost of making soap is still too high. Once soap is almost popular in Bianjing, we can start making soap to seize the lower-end civilian market."
Qin Liu was shocked and paid more and more attention to her son. She even believed that her son was really the reincarnation of Wen Quxing. Otherwise, how could he know so much?
"By the way, mother brought me some soap. Classes will start tomorrow. I will also give some to the Sheng family and Zhuang Xuexue." Qin Hao said.
Qin Liu immediately sent someone to pick out the best quality batch and send it to her. She was more concerned about her son's studies than making money. It was related to the future of the entire Dongchang Hou Mansion, so naturally she couldn't be careless.
The next day, Qin Hao came to Sheng Mansion in a car and brought gifts.
When he arrived at the school, Sheng Changbai was already busy doing his morning reading. With his outstanding talent and hard work, it was no wonder that Sheng Changbai was able to pass the Jinshi examination in one fell swoop.
Not long after, Ru Lan, Mo Lan, and Ming Lan also came, and Qin Hao gave them a delicate small box.
Rulan exclaimed in shock: "Yeah, it's soap."
Mo Lan and Ming Lan both looked at her with puzzled expressions.
Ru Lan raised her chin proudly: "This is a novel object, which is rare for ordinary people to see. The day before yesterday, my mother and I went to the Yongcheng uncle's house to attend a birthday banquet. The eldest lady of Yongcheng uncle's house brought such a piece of soap as a treat. As long as it is dipped in it, Add some water and the soap will become extremely lubricated. If there is oil on your hands, it can be wiped off with a gentle rub, and the washed skin will become tender and smooth."
"It's a pity that this soap is not easy to make. The Dongchang Hou Mansion only made some for gifts. It is rare for ordinary people to see it. Am I right, brother Zihan?" Ru Lan looked at Qin Hao eagerly.
Qin Hao was delighted. As expected, imagination was the most deadly. In order to show their status, these noble family members praised the soap so highly. It seemed that the effect of hunger marketing was even better than imagined.
After hearing this, Mo Lan hugged the box and was reluctant to let go. At the same time, she looked at Ru Lan with jealous eyes. She had looked down on Ru Lan since she was a child. In terms of appearance and intelligence, Ru Lan was not as good as her in everything, but she was born to a eldest lady. , occupying the title of legitimate daughter, any good lady in the family will stick to Ru Lan, and she can only get some benefits by relying on Lin Xiaoniang to cry to her father.
Why is she unwilling? She is her father's daughter, so she should be inferior?
Minglan also looked at the soap in the box with some surprise, smelling the faint fragrance. She thought that she would take it back to her grandmother later, and she would be very happy.
When Qin Hao saw that Minglan was so surprised by a piece of soap, he became even more sure that she was not a "fellow countryman".
While they were talking, Qi Heng also came: "Hey, why is it so lively today?"
Like an orchid offering a treasure, Qi Heng displays soap.
Qi Heng said to Qin Hao in surprise: "Does my dear brother Zihan have any surplus? Let me take it back to please my mother."
"Haha, if someone asks, there won't be any. If Yuan Ruo wants it, just go to the carriage and get two pieces of soap." Qin Hao laughed and ordered.
Qi Heng was overjoyed and raised his hands in salute: "Thank you so much, dear brother Zihan."
At this time Zhuang Xuexu also came, and Qin Hao also gave him two pieces of soap. Zhuang Xuexu thought it was very novel and smiled at Qin Hao.
"Zihan is thoughtful. From now on, you won't have to worry about ink stains on your hands when writing."
After chatting, Xuexue Zhuang began to attend class. However, Ru Lan and Mo Lan were obviously not focused on the class. Their eyes drifted to the soap box in the hand of the maid from time to time, and from time to time they drifted to Qin Hao.
After class was over and Qin Hao and Qi Heng left, Ru Lan, Mo Lan, and Ming Lan couldn't wait to return to their respective courtyards.
Ru Lan was holding the soap and wanted to show off to her mother, but as soon as she entered the room, she heard Wang Ruofu playing with a piece of soap lovingly.
"Mom, how come you have this?" Rulan Nunu asked.
Wang Ruofu rolled his eyes at her: "Of course it was sent by the young Marquis, otherwise what?"
"Ah." Rulan suddenly felt that the soap she was holding was no longer so fragrant.
Wang Ruofu also saw through her thoughts: "You, it's better to give up as soon as possible. It's not like the little Marquis gave it to you alone, so it doesn't count."
Rulan Nunu pursed her lips and said unconvinced: "That didn't leave me behind."
Wang Ruofu felt tired for a while, but then he thought about it, if he was a girl, he would also like a talent like Qin Hao, right?
He had no choice but to sigh and ignore Ru Lanfa.
At the same time, in Linqi Pavilion.
Lin Xiaoniang listened in amazement to Mo Lan's description of the efficacy of the soap, and wanted to grab it directly, but Mo Lan hugged it tightly and only wanted to show it to her, not letting her touch it.
Lin Xiaoniang said a little depressed: "Poor grandma is not a real lady, she can't show her face, and she has never even heard of such novel items."
Mo Lan also said angrily: "It's really unfair, Madam. We are both daughters of the Sheng Mansion. Why can Ru Lan participate but I can't? My dear, you have to tell your father carefully. You haven't seen Ru Lan today." Lan's arrogance makes me angry to death."
Lin Xiaoniang nodded: "Well, I want to talk to your father. How can you gain knowledge when you stay at home all day? How can you marry into a wealthy family in the future?"
After saying that, Lin Xiaoniang suddenly took Mo Lan's hand and said softly: "Mo Lan, how do you usually treat me?"
"Of course it's good." Mo Lan didn't react yet.
Lin Xiaoniang said with a sweet smile: "That's good. You are still young and this soap has no effect on you. You should give it to me. With it, I will be more favored by your father and can speak for you." !”
Mo Lan was dumbfounded. The soap she finally got was snatched away by Miss Lin before it was warmed up. She immediately rushed out of the yard crying.
Lady Zhou, the maid on the side, said worriedly: "Young lady can't."
Lin Xiaoniang played with the soap and said nonchalantly: "It's okay, this girl crawled out of my belly, how can she deny me as a little girl for a piece of soap? Besides, besides me, who else can she rely on in this family? Do you expect the eldest lady to raise her as her own daughter?"
On the other side, Minglan also came to Shou'antang holding the soap box.
But when she was about to hand the soap box to Mrs. Sheng like a treasure, Fang's mother beside her said with a smile.
"Girl, the young Marquis brought two bars of soap to the old lady early in the morning. You should keep this bar for yourself."
Minglan licked her cheeks and looked very shocked: "Ah, that's it."
Mrs. Sheng and Fang's mother looked at each other and smiled, and they were also moved by Minglan's filial piety.
The Duke's Mansion of Qi.
As soon as Qi Heng got home, he couldn't wait to go to the backyard.
"Mother, look what I brought back to you."
Qi Heng's mother, Princess Pingning, was the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang before she got married. The Marquis of Xiangyang and the Gu family of Ningyuan both contributed to the founding of the country. The two brothers were jointly awarded the title of Marquis of the founding of the country. They are hereditary. This is why Qi Heng wants to call Gu Tingye his second uncle. origin.
The previous generation of the Marquis of Xiangyang had outstanding achievements, but unfortunately he had no heirs. In order to commend his achievements, the late emperor took his daughter into the palace and raised him for a period of time. With Qi Heng.
However, the Duke of Qi's palace only had a superficial appearance. In order to avoid being overshadowed by his great achievements, the first Duke of Qi took the initiative to relinquish military power and let the family's children transition to Xiwen. At this time, only Qi Heng's father was leading the Salt Envoy's errand. Although It's a fat vacancy, but since the noble man doesn't have military power, he has no confidence.
Therefore, Princess Pingning placed all her hopes on her son. Fortunately, his son was also successful. He was not only talented but also filial to her.
"You kid, you're so old and you're still so reckless." Princess Pingning said this, but she felt very happy in her heart.
Qi Heng handed the two pieces of soap to Princess Pingning like a treasure.
"This is the soap I specially asked for from Zihan. Has mother ever heard of it?"
Princess Pingning took it over with some surprise: "Not only have I heard about it, but the noble families in Bianjing City are talking about it recently. Unfortunately, it is said that the output is too small, and there are very few people who can get it."
"Brother Heng is very thoughtful, and my mother likes it very much." Princess Pingning played with the soap with a smile. The faint peach blossom fragrance was refreshing, and she liked this elegant smell.
"It's fine if mother likes it." Qi Heng was also very happy to see his mother being so interested in something.
Princess Pingning suddenly asked: "Brother Heng, I always hear you mention this young prince of Dongchang Hou Mansion. Is he really as outstanding as the outside world reports?"
"That's natural. Zihan not only has good conduct, but his knowledge is far superior to that of Hao'er. Even Zhuang Xuexue was impressed by his strategies. He also has his Yan style calligraphy. Hao'er is even more ashamed. Together with him The child feels much better at studying and has benefited a lot." Qi Heng praised him full of praise.
Princess Pingning was a little surprised. She knew her son's character and would not flatter others at will.
"So I'm afraid Dongchang Hou Mansion is really going to rise." Princess Pingning murmured to herself, and then said to Qi Heng.
"Since someone gave such an expensive gift, we have to prepare a gift in return, so as not to make people laugh at us for not knowing the rules."
Qi Heng nodded: "But it depends on mother's arrangement."
That night, Princess Pingning took Qi Heng to visit Dongchang Hou Mansion.
Naturally, Mrs. Qin Liu received her warmly: "Princess Pingning is too polite. It's just two pieces of soap. It's not worth anything."
Princess Pingning said with a smile: "I came here today not just to repay the gift, but mainly because I have been listening to Brother Heng talking about your young master, so I thought I would take advantage of today to meet him. He is indeed a very talented person with a magnificent appearance."
Mrs. Qin Liu was happy. What parent doesn't like to hear people praise her children? Besides, the status of the Duke's Palace of Qi is higher than that of the Marquis of Dongchang.
Qin Hao slightly cupped his hands and said, "The princess is so complimentary. I feel ashamed to deserve it."
Then it was time for Princess Pingning and Qin Liu to compliment each other and exchange educational experiences. Qin Hao and Qi Heng hid aside and chatted, leaving the stage to them.
What Qin Hao didn't expect was that Princess Pingning, who was always known for her arrogance, would become good friends with the Qin Liu family.
The friendship between women is really unpredictable.
In the blink of an eye, another two months have passed, and the time has come to early summer. The free trial phase of the soap has also come to an end, and it is time to start officially selling it.