After transmigrating,The Female Supporting Character Became Darling of The Five

Chapter 132: Met a Tough Guy

At this time, another person interrupted, saying that he knew the young girl who made sha qima; she was from the village of one of his relatives. However, he hadn’t seen her selling sha qima for a long time and didn’t know when he would see her again.

These ladies were self-taught and performed even better than Su Wan. They mentioned that if Liufangzhai had sha qima for sale every day, their neighbors would all love to buy it. If it was available here, they would purchase it daily.

The shopkeeper of Liufangzhai had been thinking about sha qima for a long time. He had initially wanted to wait and see, and he even asked someone to buy it several times, hoping to study how to make it himself. However, he tried many methods and failed; he simply couldn't replicate that unique taste. Compared to authentic sha qima, his attempts were much worse.

Unable to recreate it, he had to give up. By the end of the year, he continued to search for the vendor selling sha qima, wanting to buy their recipe, but the vendor hadn’t returned to the county.

Now that they heard someone mention it, how could they miss this opportunity? The clerk immediately went to the shopkeeper and informed him that someone knew where the hawker selling sha qima lived.

The several ladies had been waiting, pretending to select cakes, anticipating someone to approach them. One of the ladies mentioned that they would definitely come to find them, and when that time came, they would tell the person the address she provided.

Su Wan thought it was almost time, so she went home first to wait for good news. It didn’t take long, and the next morning, the person she was waiting for arrived.

The shopkeeper of Liufangzhai’s branch in Qinghe County came to Yangao’ao in a carriage and went directly to the Su family. Just like last time, a small table was set up outside the yard, and then the snacks and tea that Mr. Gu had brought were placed on the table for entertainment.

When Mr. Gu left, he only took the deed with him, leaving the food and drinks untouched. Since they could not be thrown away and wasted, the Su family kept them. Now it was just the right time to borrow flowers to offer to Buddha.

Liufangzhai in Qinghe County is managed by a female shopkeeper. She looks to be about 27 or 28 years old, with regular and delicate features and a slender figure, but her eyebrows and eyes reveal her shrewdness.

The female shopkeeper’s surname is Li. Shopkeeper Li noticed that the Su family was represented by a little girl who seemed inexperienced and wondered if such a young girl could understand these matters. However, since she took the initiative to come to their door, she directly explained her purpose:

"I am the shopkeeper of Liufangzhai in Qinghe County, and my surname is Li. To be honest, I came here today to discuss the recipe for sha qima with your family. Miss, if you cannot make the decision, please ask your parents to come and talk to me. I don’t want to be accused of taking advantage of you, a little girl." Shopkeeper Li felt that Su Wan was too young to make such a decision, so it was normal for her to have concerns.

Here's a fluent translation of the provided passage:

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Su Wan just smiled faintly and said, “Shopkeeper Li, I have heard your name for a long time. To be honest, the sha qima you are talking about is a pastry I created. I didn't expect it to become quite popular in Qinghe County, appealing to people of all ages. If you want the recipe for sha qima, you can only discuss it with me. But rest assured, Shopkeeper Li, I can make the decision on this matter. My parents and brothers have no objections.”

After she spoke, a trace of imperceptible surprise flashed in Shopkeeper Li's eyes. She hadn’t expected that this pastry was actually devised by such a young girl; she had underestimated her. Moreover, in the face of her confident demeanor, Su Wan was not timid at all. She was able to engage in a calm conversation while smiling. Such temperament and courage were truly rare.

“In that case, I won’t beat around the bush, Miss Su. I came here today to ask if you would be willing to sell the sha qima recipe,” Shopkeeper Li said.

“Sell!” Su Wan replied with full confidence and without any hesitation, catching Shopkeeper Li off guard.

Seeing her smiling face and sincere demeanor, it was clear she wasn’t a shy person.

“Then Miss Su, have you thought about how much silver this recipe would cost? Please tell me a number so I can see if it is within my expectations.”

An experienced person is indeed experienced. He wouldn’t block his own path; on one hand, he lets her make an offer, and on the other hand, he asks if it falls within his expectations, leaving himself enough room to prevent her from asking for too much.

“Five thousand taels, no bargaining.” Su Wan had considered this amount long ago.

When Shopkeeper Li heard this figure, the smile on her face faded slightly. She raised her eyes to scrutinize Su Wan, maintaining a gentle yet sophisticated demeanor.

“Miss Su, the price I had in mind is four thousand taels. The price we offer must be reasonable. The pastry business is a small market; for four thousand taels, any pastry shop would only be able to offer at most three thousand taels. However, Liufangzhai is different. We have many branches throughout Xiangzhou Prefecture, and the price we are offering is already the highest. Are you truly unwilling to concede?”

“Yes, Liufangzhai is well-known and has a great reputation. It is the industry leader in Xiangzhou Prefecture. My five thousand taels is already the lowest price. You took the initiative to come to me today, so you must have recognized the commercial value of sha qima, which can bring substantial profits to Liufangzhai. I am just running a small business here in Qinghe County, yet in just two months, I’ve made a profit of over one hundred taels.

If you were to market it across your many branches at Liufangzhai, you would recoup the investment in no more than two years, after which it would be pure profit. I am also a lazy person; if I didn’t want to struggle, I would not be willing to sell this recipe!” After Su Wan finished speaking, she lowered her head and smiled shyly, but her proud expression couldn’t be hidden.

She was indeed correct. If sha qima were sold at Liufangzhai, the investment would be recouped in no more than two years. Furthermore, this Shopkeeper Li could present such a recipe, earning her significant face and praise from their boss.

If she succeeded, she might be transferred to manage the Xiangzhou Prefecture branch. Wouldn’t that be unparalleled? And what she said was also very reasonable when considered carefully. Su Wan was completely in control of the situation.

“Four thousand five hundred taels, Miss Su, please consider it again?”

Shopkeeper Li attempted to lower the price, but Su Wan shook her head, raised her hand to show five fingers, and smiled innocently, “Shopkeeper Li, I told you, five thousand taels, not a penny less.”

You shouldn’t strike a smiling face, and since she was the one in need of assistance, she could only maintain a pleasant demeanor.

This girl from the Su family seemed innocent, but she was actually competing with her. She acted so effortlessly that it felt like hitting a wall of cotton—very ineffective.

Today, Shopkeeper Li had encountered a tough opponent. This girl, though young, had not only calculated everything clearly but had also perfectly weighed the pros and cons.

“However, Shopkeeper Li was also a shrewd person. She reported the five thousand taels to her boss, intending to take kickbacks. Yet, as she looked at Su Wan, she realized that although Wan was young and not taken seriously, today she had encountered a formidable opponent.”