Moma Liangshan

Chapter 27 Loans in the Capital, Shishi Offers Advice

Wang Hao smiled and countered, "Sister, don't you think so?" Li Shishi nodded and said, "That seems to be true. Since you're short of money, how do you intend to raise these 70,000 strings of cash?" Wang Hao replied, "I have business dealings with Master Li; he should be able to come up with the money." Li Shishi said, "Merchants like Master Li are the type who won't act until they see a profit. You might not be able to afford the conditions he offers." Wang Hao shook his head and said, "He certainly won't refuse the conditions I offer!" Li Shishi looked puzzled and asked, "What conditions are you going to offer?" Wang Hao replied, "Shares in the Eight Immortals Winery." Li Shishi looked serious and said, "Are you joking, brother? You'd actually use shares in the Eight Immortals Winery to trade for a mere 70,000 strings of cash?" Wang Hao said, "A single wine cellar can produce eight to ten jars of wine a month, with a net profit of one string of cash per jar. A winery with a hundred cellars would only make a net profit of one thousand strings of cash a month. And right now, you only have fifty wine cellars that can actually produce wine."

Li Shishi smiled slightly and said, "The net profit per jar of wine is one string of cash. Brother, you calculated it based on the market price of one tael of silver per jar, right?" Wang Hao replied, "One tael of silver per jar was the price agreed upon by Master Li, Boss Han, and me. Naturally, it should be calculated that way." Li Shishi then asked, "How much did you pay Old Man Li for the wine?" Wang Hao replied, "One and a half strings of cash per jar." Li Shishi understood immediately and said, "Do you know the market price of one jar of wine?" Wang Hao replied without hesitation, "Naturally, one tael of silver per jar, which is two strings of cash." Li Shishi laughed and said, "Silly brother, once the wine is in Old Man Li's hands, the price isn't up to you. In Fanlou, it's six taels of silver per jar; it seems it's not sold anywhere else." Wang Hao asked in confusion, "..." "Nearly five hundred jars of wine arrive in Tokyo every month. Does Fanlou have such a huge appetite?" Li Shishi looked at Wang Hao and said, "Fanlou has five main buildings. The first floor of each building has thirty-six tables, the second floor has eighteen elegant rooms, and the third floor has twelve superior guest rooms for the young ladies. Fanlou is always packed. Do you think it takes many jars of Eight Immortals wine to satisfy Fanlou's appetite? Just this Fanlou alone consumes at least eighty or a hundred jars of wine every day, and Old Man Li makes a profit of ten and a half strings of cash per jar." Wang Hao was shocked and said, "Master Li makes a profit of five thousand two hundred and fifty strings of cash every month from Eight Immortals wine?" Li Shishi replied, "Exactly." Wang Hao muttered to himself, "I already felt that a profit of five hundred strings of cash a month was extremely generous. I never expected this!"

Li Shishi asked, "Brother, do you still want to give Master Li's winery shares?" Wang Hao pondered for a long time before saying, "I have no choice; I still have to give them." Li Shishi understood Wang Hao's predicament and said, "Sister can give you a suggestion. Are you interested, brother?" Wang Hao said, "Please tell me, sister!" Li Shishi gestured for Wang Hao to come closer and slowly said, "One-tenth of the shares is worth 150,000 strings of cash. What do you think of this price, brother?" Wang Hao said, "The newly built winery is not yet completed. Even when it is finally put into use, there will only be one hundred wine cellars in total. I'm afraid they can't agree to this price." Li Shishi shook her head and said, "Brother, how much has the new winery been invested in in total?" "Wang Hao replied, "Nearly ten thousand strings of cash." Li Shishi said, "With another one hundred thousand strings of cash, we could build ten wine cellars with a hundred wineries each. Even if all one thousand cellars only produce ten jars of wine, it would probably be just enough to satisfy the appetite of most of the capital city." After a slight pause, she added, "Of course, a jar of wine would certainly not sell for six taels of silver at that time, but a third of that price would still be possible. Brother, you need to understand that Eight Immortals Wine will definitely be in short supply for several years." Wang Hao already had an idea in mind: "Even if it's all Eight Immortals Wine, I must differentiate it into different grades to cater to different groups of people." He said, "In that case, one-tenth of a share at one hundred and fifty thousand strings of cash would be fair."

Li Shishi suddenly smiled alluringly and said, "Sister has worked so hard for you, and you're just going to let me do all this for nothing?" Wang Hao quickly replied, "It's my fault. After it's done, I'll give you a 10% share." Li Shishi shook her head and said, "You're giving too much, sister doesn't need it. Five years from now, your winery should be more than twenty times its current size. At that time, the winery you're building now can belong to me." Wang Hao asked doubtfully, "The winery at Hulupo in Dongxi Village, two li outside the east gate of Yuncheng County?" Li Shishi replied, "That's right." Wang Hao thought for a moment and said, "Sister, do you have paper and ink? Let's draw up a contract now!" Li Shishi's nose almost touched Wang Hao's nose, and Wang Hao unconsciously looked up at her. At this moment, Li Shishi smiled alluringly and said, "I trust your character, sister doesn't need a contract!" Wang Hao unconsciously broke out in a cold sweat, and his heart was filled with trepidation. Li Shishi suddenly pulled away and said, "Little brother, are you scared?" Wang Hao nodded, then suddenly shook his head violently and said, "No, no!"

Li Shishi stopped teasing Wang Hao and said, "Old Li is cunning, and that Han fellow is slippery. How do you plan to approach him, brother?" Wang Hao said, "There must be more than just Master Li's family who are interested in Eight Immortals Wine and can afford 150,000 strings of cash, right?" Li Shishi nodded and said, "There should be twenty or thirty families in Dongjing City who can come up with that amount of money in a short time, but others may not understand the huge profits involved. Without seeing the hidden benefits, your 10% stake won't fetch the high price of 150,000 strings of cash." Wang Hao said, "What if it's only 70,000 strings of cash? Would anyone be willing to buy it?" Li Shishi said, "At half the price, the number of people who can afford to buy it more than doubles. Surely someone will be willing to buy it." Wang Hao said, "If I use my 10% stake as collateral at a pawnshop, do you think I can raise 70,000 strings of cash?" Li Shishi frowned and said, "Pawning shares is novel, but merchants are profit-driven. As long as you have the ability to repay and are willing to pay the corresponding interest, it should be easy to arrange. In that case, doesn't that mean you don't need to sell your 10% stake to Master Li?"

Wang Hao shook his head and said, "Selling is necessary. The Eight Immortals Wine must be sold to every prefecture and county of the Song Dynasty as soon as possible. I need the assistance of wealthy merchants." Li Shishi asked, "Don't you want to keep this Eight Immortals Wine all to yourself and pass it down to future generations?" Wang Hao replied, "If my children and grandchildren are incompetent and unable to manage our vast wealth, giving them this mountain of gold might not be a good thing! Besides, there are countless people in the world, and many talented individuals. The brewing process of the Eight Immortals Wine isn't particularly complicated; it can't be kept hidden forever. Rather than doing something impossible, it's better to open the doors to customers, follow the trend, and actively share it with those who covet it." Li Shishi nodded and said, "With such vision and magnanimity, I'm relieved."

After leaving Li Shishi's room, Wang Hao found the manager of Fanlou and said, "I have something I'd like to discuss with your master. Could you please convey my request?" The manager, not daring to be negligent, replied, "Young master, could you please tell me what it is?" Wang Hao said, "Telling you is fine. Ask your master if he's interested in the shares of Baxian Winery. If he is, he can come and discuss it with me personally. If not, I'll find someone else!" The manager, not daring to be negligent, said, "It's getting late. Young master, could you please rest at Fanlou for a while? I'll go and discuss it with my master immediately." Wang Hao said, "Staying at Fanlou is perfectly fine. I happen to have some business to attend to in the city these next few days." "Would you like to stay on the second or third floor, young master?" the innkeeper asked. Wang Hao, puzzled, countered, "Isn't the third floor where the ladies live? Why are they being used as guest rooms?" The innkeeper replied, "Young master, your fame is widespread. Every lady on the third floor has long admired you, only to regret that we haven't had the chance to meet. If you wish, I guarantee they will all be waiting for you." Wang Hao shook his head, saying, "The second floor, I'll take it. It's quieter there." The innkeeper called over a waiter and instructed, "Immediately arrange three adjacent empty rooms. Young master, stay in the middle one. Lock all the doors on both sides; no one needs to stay there, so as not to disturb your rest." The waiter dared not delay and quickly agreed. The innkeeper added, "Young master, please rest first. I will go and inform my master now." Wang Hao nodded.

Half an hour later, Master Li arrived at Fanlou. After exchanging greetings, Wang Hao got straight to the point, saying, "A tenth-tenth of the shares in Baxian Winery, priced at 150,000 strings of cash, are you interested, Master Li?" Master Li stroked his beard and asked, "What rights would I gain in the winery with a tenth-tenth share?" Wang Hao replied, "Participation in the daily operations of the winery, year-end dividends, and priority allocation of wine." Master Li smiled calmly and said, "Currently, of the three rights, only the 'priority allocation right' has any value." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Five years from now, both year-end dividends and the winery's operational rights will be crucial." Master Li suddenly asked, "Will you introduce other owners in the future, young master?" Wang Hao replied, "As long as the price is right, I will naturally introduce them." Master Li asked, "Can I continue to buy shares in the winery in the future?" Wang Hao replied, "Nothing is absolute; we'll discuss the future later."

Li Yuanwai thought to himself, "If the Eight Immortals Winery is managed properly, a ten percent stake in five years will certainly be worth more than 150,000 strings of cash. But now, Wang Hao is asking for at least ten times that price for a mere ten percent stake. Wang Hao is on par with the prodigy Li Shishi and has frequently received the Emperor's praise; he is not to be underestimated." He said, "I am willing to buy this ten percent stake, but can we renegotiate the price?" Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "I will give you two days to consider. After that, I will find another buyer. How about it?" Li Yuanwai did not expect Wang Hao to be so assertive and said, "150,000 strings of cash is no small sum. Even in the capital city of Dongjing, there are few people who can acquire it in a short time." "Go!" Wang Hao said. "Others are others, but for Master Li to acquire this 10% stake, it must be 150,000 strings of cash." Master Li said, "Young master, aren't you afraid of ending up with this 10% stake stuck in your hands? Besides, if you weren't in dire need of money, you probably wouldn't be selling your stake in the Eight Immortals Wine Shop, would you?" Wang Hao said, "I am indeed in dire need of money, but Master Li only needs to consider whether this 10% stake is worth 150,000 strings of cash." Master Li couldn't see through Wang Hao, thinking to himself, "Even if this matter involves a conspiracy, at most I'll lose some money, but nine times out of ten, it hides a great opportunity that I can't afford to miss!" He said, "I'll bring the money in three days." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Deal!"