Chapter 31: It Was Nothing More Than a Gimmick

"Who is the manager now?" Xu Mu asked.

"Ever since Li Baofu went missing, Jinhua Pavilion hasn't had a manager," the shop assistant replied.

"What is your name?" Xu Mu asked.

"I am Zhang Kui, and I have been working at Jinhua Pavilion for two and a half years."

Xu Mu patted Zhang Kui on the shoulder. "From now on, you are the manager of Jinhua Pavilion. Everyone in the shop must follow your orders."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kui was so excited he nearly jumped for joy. At his best, he could only earn three or four hundred copper coins a month, but a manager's salary was a full two taels of silver! And that didn't even include the extra perks; how could he not be thrilled?

"Take some men and dig out all the inventory in the shop. For every single item, double the original price and attach a tag," Xu Mu instructed.

"Ah?" The manager didn't quite understand Xu Mu's intention. Business at Jinhua Pavilion was currently poor, relying mainly on the patronage of high-ranking officials and nobles. It hadn't seen a single sale in seven or eight days, yet Xu Mu wanted to sell at double the original price? Business was never that easy. When Li Baofu was manager, he hadn't operated that way.

"What do you mean 'ah'? If you can't do it, I'll find someone else to be the manager," Xu Mu said impatiently.

"I'll do it right away!" Zhang Kui immediately snapped to attention and shouted, "Listen up, you, you, and you—go dig out all the stock! And you two, come with me to make the price tags."

While the concept of clearly marked prices wasn't unheard of, Jinhua Pavilion dealt in jewelry, ornaments, and antiques. In this business, to maximize profits, one usually had to tailor the price to the customer. Clearly marked prices? Zhang Kui truly didn't think this tactic would save the shop. Xu Mu had once been a notorious good-for-nothing; he was likely just trying to show off in front of Xu Shuangyi, now that he had found such a powerful backer. As for whether they would actually make any sales, that wasn't something a shop assistant needed to worry about.

They worked until the early hours of the morning before finally finishing the inventory. Jinhua Pavilion held goods worth over five thousand taels of silver. Following Xu Mu's instructions to double the prices, the total value had effectively doubled to nearly twelve thousand taels.

Xu Mu carefully reviewed the list. Apparently, when Xu Shuangyi and Ye Eleven had fought there a few days prior, many items were damaged, resulting in a loss of about one thousand taels. However, the impact wasn't significant. Among the existing stock, the vast majority were "affordable luxury" items worth between one and a dozen taels. The truly valuable antiques numbered only three: a sword with a classic design, a landscape painting, and a piece of calligraphy, each worth about five hundred taels on average. After doubling, their average value rose to over a thousand taels each.

Xu Mu specifically found a counter and placed it in the center of the shop, dedicated to displaying these three treasures of the house.

"Young Master Xu, looking at this setup, are you planning a grand promotion?" Zhang Kui asked while busy at work.

"That's right. Not just a grand promotion—I want everything sold within tomorrow, if possible," Xu Mu laughed.

"How is that even possible?" Zhang Kui was shocked.

"Listen, everyone. Tomorrow, I want you all to work hard to attract customers. I will give you a commission of ten percent of the revenue from your individual sales," Xu Mu said, clapping his hands.

Upon hearing this, the staff felt a flicker of joy, but their spirits quickly dampened. Xu Mu’s prices were too high; even at the original price, things were hard to sell, let alone at double. They feared they wouldn't see any of that commission.

Xu Mu turned to Zhang Kui: "As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, take everyone and run a lap around the neighborhood. Shout as you go: 'Jinhua Pavilion is holding a grand promotion today! Don't miss it while you're passing by!' Do you understand?"

"Understood."

"You’ve all worked hard all night. Once we collect the money tomorrow, I’ll give each of you an extra tael of silver as a bonus," Xu Mu added.

"Young Master Xu, what if we don't collect any money?" Zhang Kui asked.

"Then I will pay it out of my own pocket, one tael for everyone," Xu Mu said generously.

"Wow, Young Master Xu is generous!"
"Thank you, Young Master Xu!"
"Following Young Master Xu means we’ll have meat to eat!"

...

The staff had been exhausted from working all night, but hearing about the reward of one tael of silver instantly revitalized them. They might not be able to land the commission, but that single tael was a sure thing. As expected of Young Master Xu; he was far more generous than Li Baofu.

Soon, dawn broke. The staff rushed out, shouting just as Xu Mu had instructed.

"Jinhua Pavilion is having a store-wide grand promotion! Don't miss it while you're passing by!"
"You won't lose out, and you won't be cheated!"
"If you have money, come support the business; if you don't, come and join the fun!"
"There's free tea and snacks too!"

"Where is the free tea and snacks? Young Master Xu didn't say anything about that!"
"Who cares? Just lure them in first; catch as many as we can!"

...

Their collective shouting actually had some effect. Early in the morning, quite a few well-dressed, wealthy individuals began to wander into Jinhua Pavilion. Once the first group entered, more followed. Soon, the main hall on the first floor was bustling. Jinhua Pavilion had a prestigious reputation in the Great Xia, so people were curious to see what this "grand promotion" was all about. If they could snag a bargain, that would be even better.

All the goods were on display, each clearly labeled with a price. It was the first time anyone had seen jewelry and trinkets sold with fixed, marked prices. Many looked out of novelty, but those with a bit of savvy noticed something amiss.

"What kind of grand promotion is this? Isn't this price set way too high?"
"Exactly. Isn't this Firefly Folding Fan usually fifteen taels? Why is it thirty now?"
"It's expensive, yes, but those fans are relics from the previous dynasty. Rumor has it that Jinhua Pavilion has monopolized the entire supply."
"Even so, it shouldn't cost thirty taels! I bought one the year before last for only eight taels."
"Then you made a profit of seven taels! What if Jinhua Pavilion never lowers the price again and the base price stays at thirty? I suspect it will only get more expensive in the future."
"And these walnuts for playing—I remember they only cost one tael a pair! Why are they two now?"
"True. If the folding fans went up, I could understand, since they have the supply. But these walnuts are everywhere, aren't they? Too expensive, far too expensive."
"I thought it was a real sale; it turns out it’s just a gimmick to trick children."