Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 521 - 197 Business (Part 1)_2

Zhuang Ruolan asked in confusion, "How do you know all this so clearly?" Anyone who didn’t know better would think Yueyao had lived in the Coastal region before, otherwise how could she be so familiar with matters of the Coastal area.

Yueyao smiled and said, "Cousin-in-law, I heard it from my father before, and later, I also read about these things in books, which left a deep impression on me. Cousin-in-law, maritime business is really dangerous; it’s better to engage in some other business."

Zhuang Ruolan hesitated and then said, "Let me think about it." Initially, she had planned to invest all her ready silver into it, but now, hearing Yueyao describe it as so perilous, she felt uncertain.

Before leaving, Yueyao delivered a strong message, saying, "Cousin-in-law, the books say that only two kinds of people make money this way: one is those who are desperate and have no other paths; the other is those who naturally enjoy taking risks and seek high returns." These words were not from the books but the real situation of those involved in maritime business.

Zhuang Ruolan was very hesitant, not deciding until Ma Peng returned at lunchtime and she discussed the matter with him. Men’s insights were much broader than those in the inner house, and Zhuang Ruolan also hoped Ma Peng would offer her some advice.

Naturally, Ma Peng did not agree to engage in maritime business, saying, "Ruo Lan, foreign trade is not that easy to manage. Even having connections doesn’t help, it’s too complicated." Ma Peng then analyzed the reasons why foreign trade was difficult to manage. His reasons aligned closely with what Yueyao had said. freёwebnoѵel.com

Seeing Zhuang Ruolan deep in thought, Ma Peng said, "Ruo Lan, our family is already doing well; there’s no need to take this risk." The high risk associated with maritime business was one aspect, and it also related to Ma Peng’s cautious and risk-averse nature. Naturally, he was not willing to engage in risky maritime business.

Ma Peng suggested that if Zhuang Ruolan had any extra money, she could buy shops or farmland; these were real estate and ensured an income.

Zhuang Ruolan was not averse to buying shops and farmland; it’s just that good shops and farmland were hard to come by, and the poor ones didn’t yield much profit annually. Moreover, Zhuang Ruolan felt that doing business brought money faster; using all her ready silver to buy shops and farmland would only yield so much income each month.

After much thought, Zhuang Ruolan still ended up discussing the matter with Yueyao. Zhuang Ruolan asked Yueyao, "I have some money on hand and want to do some more business. Yueyao, do you have any good suggestions?" Zhuang Ruolan felt that relying only on farmland and shops could sustain her regular expenses, but to have more financial flexibility, she still needed to do business.

Ever since returning to Lanxi Courtyard, Yueyao had been thinking about this issue. Yueyao shared her thoughts with Zhuang Ruolan, saying, "Cousin-in-law, have you thought about opening a ready-to-wear shop?" The so-called ready-to-wear shop was essentially like a modern clothing store.

Zhuang Ruolan looked at Yueyao and said, "You suggest opening a ready-to-wear shop? But there’s not much money in ready-to-wear shops." Wealthy families all had their own embroidery rooms and seldom outsourced. Even if they did, they went to very famous shops.

However, Yueyao saw potential, saying, "Cousin-in-law, look, we produce our own fabrics. If we make clothes ourselves, bypassing the middleman and saving that money, then we profit. Also, as far as I know, apart from wealthy families, the general public in the Capital City goes to ready-to-wear shops for their clothes. The profit might not be much, but there’s a big gap in the market. As long as we do it well, we won’t worry about sales. Accumulating over time, it could also be a substantial income." Ready-to-wear shops have the advantage of being low-key and not attracting much attention because they are low-profit.

Zhuang Ruolan hesitated.

Yueyao smiled and said, "Cousin-in-law, I don’t know how much we’ll earn, but we definitely won’t take a loss." Compared to maritime business, Yueyao felt that real industry was more reassuring.

Zhuang Ruolan, seeing Yueyao’s confident proposal, weighed it in her mind and then nodded, saying, "Let me think about it a bit more." Zhuang Ruolan felt that targeting the general populace might not yield great profits, yet she also sensed some logic in Yueyao’s words and did not immediately reject the idea.

Yueyao smiled and nodded.

Zhuang Ruolan laughed and said, "The ready-to-wear shop, like the fabric shop, how about I give you a fifty percent share? What do you think?" Since the profit margin in a ready-to-wear shop was not large, Zhuang Ruolan did not plan to invite others to invest and was ready to split it evenly with Yueyao.

Yueyao shook her head, "Cousin-in-law, fifty percent is too much; just give me a thirty percent share, like with the fabric shop." Not having done much herself, merely suggesting an idea, fifty percent was too much.

Zhuang Ruolan nodded.

An idea suddenly struck Yueyao, and she said, "Cousin-in-law, I think opening a Rouge Shop alongside it would be a good idea." Seeing Zhuang Ruolan’s puzzled look, Yueyao hurriedly explained, "Cousin-in-law, I once stayed in Jiangnan, and the rouge and powder there are much better than what’s available in the Capital City, and they have a greater variety. Cousin-in-law, if we also open a Rouge and Powder Shop next to the ready-to-wear shop, as long as our products are good, we definitely won’t worry about being unable to sell them." Women in the Capital City all use rouge and powder, so after buying clothes, they could conveniently browse the Cosmetic Shop as well.

Zhuang Ruolan felt it was not quite right.

Yueyao continued, "Cousin-in-law, if we really open a Rouge and Powder Shop, we could also source goods from Haikou. Westerners’ cosmetics are quite distinctive and selling them in the shop would be a unique feature. Cousin-in-law, since someone invited you to do maritime business, you must also know people on that side, so getting goods would likely be cheaper. Earning a markup would also be nice." Yueyao actually knew several methods for making spices, which would become common in over a decade, but were not yet out. Although the quantities were not large, being exclusive was also an attraction. Additionally, she could design clothing styles, giving a unique edge to the ready-to-wear shop. Doing business with a unique feature could be profitable. However, Yueyao did not mention these ideas to Zhuang Ruolan; discussing clothing designs was still acceptable as her drawing skills were known to Zhuang, but mentioning making spices might frighten people.

Zhuang Ruolan found Yueyao’s ideas appealing but remained very hesitant. Rouge Shops were plentiful in the Capital City, and although it potentially had a large market, without a famous brand, even if it made money, the profit would be very slim.

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