Chapter 381 (1/2)

t.i.tle: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Chapter 381 - Competing to death (2)

Shopkeeper Rong couldn't continue to sit still. After considering the matter over, he took out banknotes and went to Ji Store.

Smiling, Shopkeeper Rong asked, ”I want to buy 25,000 bushels of rice from you. Are you willing to sell it to me, Owner Ji?”

Ji Man was slowly hanging up a signboard that said the unit price was now fourteen silver coins. Looking at him, she said, ”Shopkeeper Rong, are you buying this as a direct customer? The price won't be cheap then.”

”That's alright!” Shopkeeper Rong clenched his jaw. Purchasing this rice would only bring him profit. He had already seen how the price of rice had rapidly increased day after day. Even the commoners knew by now that they had to store up on rice. As a merchant, how could he not be aware of this importance?

”Okay.” Ji Man was smiling as she clapped her hands. ”Shopkeeper Yan, lead the way for Shopkeeper Rong to pick up the goods.”

Yan Buba had been fiddling with his abacus. A hint of a smile finally appeared on his face. ”Shopkeeper Rong, please follow me.”

This time, the shopkeepers had come here separately. After Shopkeeper Rong had come over, Shopkeeper Liu was the next one to arrive. One after another, the remaining shopkeepers also came here. It seemed that the alliance between the other shopkeepers was very fragile.

Ji Man didn't bother asking them if they would hand over their tenant farmer contracts in order to get the discounted price. Instead, she sold the rice to them at the higher market price.

She had originally brought this rice from them at unit price of seven silver coins. Now, she was selling off that same rice at a unit price of fourteen silver coins along with the rice she had gotten from Zhangjun Prince

When Yan Buba looked at the money, he was smiling so widely that his eyes were closed. A sign was finally hung outside Ji Store that they had sold out.

The various rice stores now had rice of their own. Seeing that Ji Store had no rice of its own, the shopkeepers confidently raised their prices. The unit price of rice jumped straight to sixteen silver coins. The commoners complained about their hards.h.i.+ps, but they had no way to change the ways of the world. They only had the option of buying this rice.

After a week of this, the capital was starting to become an abyss of suffering. Looking at the rice prices of the other stores, Ji Man smiled and said, ”It's about time. Let's reopen the store.”

Ji Store was restocked with rice. On the opening day, a sign was hung up that the rice would be sold at unit price of thirteen silver coins.

Seeing the cheaper price, the other shopkeepers were dumbfounded. Was Ji Store planning on competing to death with them?

Fine, let's compete then. Who's scared of who? No one believed that Ji Store had enough stock to continue competing with them.

However, even when the end of summer had arrived, Ji Store was still selling rice at the lower price. As autumn approached, not only did Ji Store not run of rice, it lowered its unit price to twelve silver coins.

By now, a few rice shops were on the verge of bankruptcy. They had no other choice, they could only decrease their prices to match Ji Man's store. At the very least, they would be able to sell their rice again.