Chapter 24

After a day of hard work, Mu Wanqing went to bed early.
But the officials couldn't sleep, half thrilled, half worried, both eager and anxious about tomorrow.
Deputy Captain Li turned over in bed. "Brother Zeng, do you trust her?"
"What else can we do but trust her?" Officer Zeng thought of the mountain of soap and couldn't help wondering how he'd lost his head and been coaxed onto such a risky venture.
They'd made so much at once, spent so much money; if none of it sold, the loss would fall entirely on them.
At the thought of it his head ached. Was he simply too stupid, or was Third Miss Mu just that persuasive?
"We can't just throw all the goods away, can we?"
Deputy Captain Li heard the unease in his voice. "Then I'll go with her tomorrow to have a look."
"No. You stay and watch the place; I'll go." Officer Zeng couldn't rest until he saw it with his own eyes.
The next morning Mu Wanqing rose early, grabbed a quick bite, and set out.
Officer Zeng and five of his men loaded several wagons of goods and, guided by a villager, reached Ten-Li Slope.
Although it was early, many stalls were already up.
There were stalls selling homegrown melons and fruits, stalls with chickens, ducks and fish, food sellers, cloth merchants, pottery and cookware vendors, shoe sellers, everything imaginable, lively and bustling.
Not only local villagers set up stalls; peddlers roaming the lanes and shopkeepers from nearby towns all came to the fair, no one wanted to miss such a lucrative chance.
So with all kinds of goods on offer, it formed a very large market.
They arrived early and found plenty of space. Mu Wanqing directed everyone to pile the goods into a neat little mountain, it looked impressive.
She took out two signs. One read: "Selling at a loss, Soap. Original price: 100 wen. Now: 50 wen."
The other read: "Scented soap. Original price: 200 wen. Now: 100 wen."
Once the two signs were hung and the soap mound set up, many people came over, pointing and staring in curiosity.
She also set a table in front of the stall and lined the samples up in a neat row. The scented soaps were gorgeously shaped and exquisitely finished, many women couldn't take their eyes off them.
As time passed, more and more people poured into the market. The bustle never ceased: hawkers calling, crowds chattering, a steady stream of customers.
"Third Miss Mu, what now?" Officer Zeng, inexperienced in trade, felt a little uneasy.
Mu Wanqing wore a simple man's outfit and tied her hair into a ponytail, looking every bit a lively young fellow.
She nimbly jumped onto the table, struck a gong, and immediately drew countless eyes.
"Folks, hello! We are itinerant merchants traveling the provinces. This time we've specially brought in a batch of rare goods from the capital to sell up north, but by misfortune several of our companions fell ill en route and need money for treatment, so we must sell at a loss."
"Selling cheap, for one day only, while supplies last, first come, first served!"
Who doesn't love a bargain? At once a crowd surged over.
Mu Wanqing showed no stage fright; she confidently picked up samples and began to demonstrate.
"This soap is for washing clothes and hands, one use and it's clean; you'll see for yourself."
"This scented soap is for washing your face and body; it leaves skin silky smooth. It's favored by the capital's noble ladies, everyone who uses it praises it."
She had a warm charm and a sweet smile that put people at ease and made them inclined to trust her.
The capital's noble ladies' favorite? That sounds fancy, and expensive, right?
Mu Wanqing waved a hand while Officer Zeng held a basin of water and some grimy rags. "Who wants to try it for themselves? We'll give a small gift to anyone who does."
People looked at each other, try it in person? None of them had seen this before; they were a little bewildered.
Mu Wanqing scanned the crowd and gave a signal with her eyes.
A woman in hemp clothing pushed through the crowd, shy and hesitant. "What's the gift?"
"A steamed bun."
The hemp-clad woman's eyes lit up; excited, she said, "I'll try."
For the sake of a bun she went for it, in full view of everyone she scrubbed the dirty rag with the soap, and it came clean at once. She couldn't stop praising it: "It saves so much trouble compared with wood ash, cleans better, and it's so convenient, stuff from the capital really is good."
She kept praising it, and since everyone saw it with their own eyes they couldn't help but click their tongues in wonder. Tempted, some stepped forward to try it themselves.
"How much is this piece?"
Most people couldn't read; even if it was written down, they wouldn't understand.
Mu Wanqing put on a face of simulated reluctance, as if it pained her to part with them. "Original price 100 wen, now 50 wen, effectively half off."
Half off! Even more people were tempted; many felt they'd be foolish not to buy at least one.
Mu Wanqing smiled warmly, her manner unusually gentle and her words clear. "This is very durable, a family of four could make use of it for a whole year."
Everyone did the math in their heads: fifty wen for a year's use sounded reasonable; it was like skipping one meat meal.
The woman in the plain hemp dress picked up a scented soap and liked it at once. She held it to her nose and sniffed, and when she heard she could try it out, she happily used the soap to wash her face.
She stroked her cheek, beaming. "So fragrant, and my skin's so smooth and soft, it feels wonderful."
The vanity-loving women all gathered round, poking and prodding her face. "Really? It's quite smooth. How much is it?"
"The scented soap was originally two hundred wen; it's one hundred now."
The women hesitated, but the woman in hemp grew more and more fond of it. Biting her lip, trembling, she took a little purse from her bosom, though she was reluctant, she didn't want to miss out. "I'll take one bar of plain soap and one scented bar. My daughter is getting married; I want to care for her skin."
Once the first sale was made, another followed. Those who had a little extra money bought a bar, but few purchased the scented soap, after all, it was rather pricey.
Just then an ecstatic voice rang out, "Eh, is this the most popular scented soap from the capital? How did it turn up in a place like this? Incredible."
A few men dressed like traveling merchants pushed through, faces filled with disbelief. "What? Only a hundred wen? So cheap? Half the price in the capital, what's going on?"
Mu Wanqing repeated the earlier explanation, and the merchants' eyes gleamed with excitement.
"In the capital you can't buy even if you line up, and here it is! I'll take twenty scented soaps."
"I'll take fifty."
"Give me a hundred."
The onlookers were stunned. Was it really that good?
"You don't need that many, do you?" Mu Wanqing, instead of hurrying to hand over stock, gently advised, "You'll be set for ages, better to buy less."
The crowd decided she was a rare, good-hearted person; young but honest and fair in her dealings.
The merchants looked like they'd struck it rich, thrilled beyond measure but trying to stay composed.
"It's a rare opportunity. Use it at home, it's a classy gift, you can buy it to dress up your girls so the in-laws think more of you. It's not an everyday purchase, maybe once a year."
"Right, right, giving it as a festival gift brings face."
"We could resell them..." The merchant seemed to realize his slip and hurriedly corrected himself, "Ah, no no no, I mean, give them out as gifts everywhere."
They waved silver notes and clamored to buy, each eager and afraid the goods would be snapped up by others.
Seeing this, Mu Wanqing was moved. "All right, buy twenty and get one free, consider it thanks for your support."
The merchants were as happy as on New Year's and bought even more.
The sight ignited everyone's desire to buy; they rushed to join the scramble, such a bargain couldn't be ignored.
A rare item, discounted and with freebies, who could withstand that?
"I don't have that much, Brother Chen, let's pool our money and buy together. Buy twenty, get one free; anyone who doesn't seize this is a fool."
"Good idea, let's do that. Get us twenty too."
Both the plain soap and the scented soap were snatched up in a frenzy.
People follow the crowd; once some started grabbing, others quickly followed. Even the small hawkers and a few town stallkeepers came to scoop up stock.
They bought in bulk, planning to hoard and sell slowly.
Word spread fast, one told ten, ten told a hundred, a hundred told a thousand, people from miles around came to buy.
Officer Zeng and his men handled the selling while Mu Wanqing collected the money. Quick-handed and sharp at mental arithmetic, she did the work of several people.
They were so busy their feet scarcely touched the ground, and you could hardly imagine how pleased they were.
Before noon the goods were nearly gone. Mu Wanqing hurriedly arranged for people to go back and fetch more.
"Bring out all the finished products, move faster."
"Right." The officers ran off at speed; they had to make more, what they had wasn't nearly enough to sell.
Officer Zeng wiped his brow, his eyes full of smiles, they'd struck it rich!
He couldn't help glancing at the radiant girl, feeling a surge of respect. She was truly capable, with miraculous skills.
They took turns eating a few buns at lunch, then kept working until every last item was sold.
Some people arrived too late and were full of regret. Mu Wanqing said with a smile, "We're staying temporarily in Xiaoxi Village. We still have a little stock left, but not much."
As the sun sank, several carts sped down the road, laughter and cheerful voices all around; every face wore a pleased smile.
Back in the village, the eager Deputy Captain Li dashed over to meet them. "How did it go? Tell me everything."
"We'll talk tonight." Officer Zeng pulled him aside and gestured for his men to carry the money chest from the cart into the house.
Mu Wanqing didn't go in. She stopped and pointed to a few people. "Aunt Liu, Brother Ji, you did your tasks very well today."
"Officer Zeng, give them a small reward."
The woman in hemp who stepped forward as the first to buy soap, she was Aunt Liu, Xiao Ya's grandmother.
The traveling merchants who'd come from afar were chosen from among the Mu clan.
They were all plants, set up by Mu Wanqing!
Officer Zeng had never realized selling something could involve so many tricks, one scheme after another, it opened his eyes and filled him with awe.
Mu Wanqing wasn't boasting; she was a genius, not just a marketing genius but a powerful leader.
"Then, give each of them twenty wen."
To Mu Wanqing these sales tactics were commonplace in later times, but to these people they were novel and mysterious, leaving them deeply impressed.
They thought she was some kind of miracle worker!
Aunt Liu and the others beamed. "Thank you, Officer Zeng." Twenty wen could buy several buns.
Second Master Mu and his wife, having heard the news, rushed out and clung to their daughter's arm, fussing over her. "Qing'er, you're finally back. Are you tired? Thirsty? Hungry? Come in and rest, there's meat for dinner tonight."
Today they made a killing, and Officer Zeng was in especially good spirits. He had people spread the word early: tonight they were slaughtering a pig and eating meat, a treat for everyone.
Happiness hung in the air everywhere; the convicts were wildly eager for this meal, it had been so long since any of them had tasted meat.
Second Master Mu and his wife shepherded their daughter into the room, bringing tea and water, and carrying in dishes.
Braised pork with eggs, the cook had followed her recipe, though only at twenty percent of her skill.
Where others had a single slab of meat, she had a whole large bowl, and a small pot of spare-rib soup with a little verdant mint in it, fragrant and fresh.
She had been starving for some time and wasn’t picky; she ate two bowls of rice.
After the meal she took a hot bath. Madam Mu wiped her hair dry with a towel, and then a constable came to fetch her. “Third Miss Mu, Officer Zeng requests your presence.”
Second Master Mu accompanied his daughter. The instant they entered the room they were stunned by box after box of silver.
The sight was overwhelming.
The constables were clustered around the money chests, beside themselves with excitement. When Third Miss Mu and her father came in they all stood up to greet them. “Third Miss.”
One simple address, “Third Miss”, said with full respect.
Officer Zeng turned his head; a rare smile softened his usually stern face. “Third Miss, this is what we earned today. Guess how much.”