Chapter 29
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 29
Chapter 29. More Than Expected (6)
Eun Gil-sang clasped his hands together and said, “Actually, what you received from Chairman Song before was sent in a hurry, so it was incomplete. I apologize for my mistake.”
“No, no! Thanks to you, I was able to save face in front of my wife. How can I blame you?”
“No! Thanks to you, I was able to save face in front of my wife. How can I blame you?”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Eun Gil-sang bowed deeply and continued.
“This is a top-quality martial artist doll. It works just as you know.”
Hearing this, Po Jeong-sa immediately turned the handle and wound the wheel.
When he released the wheel, the doll began to move.
“Oh! Oh!”
Perhaps because of the clothes of the martial artist, the sleeves fluttered and looked even more beautiful.
After a moment, the doll stopped moving.
Eungil-sang once again spoke politely.
“I have prepared ten more of these, which are of a slightly lower grade but look the same. I hope they will be of help to you.”
There was a reason why he prepared one of the highest quality dolls and ten dolls that were one grade lower but looked the same.
People are driven by desire.
It is natural to want the best for oneself, so he gave the best to the head of the police.
However, this would obviously be used for oiling, and if it became known that he had something better, it would be embarrassing.
The Eunhae Trading Company could end up bearing the brunt of their resentment.
So, he prepared these to prevent that from happening.
“I really like you. Hahahaha!”
“I don't know what to do with myself.”
Eun Gil-sang bowed his head with clasped hands and then raised his head and said, "I'm sorry to report this, but our company has made exactly 1,000 of these dolls. To be precise, there are 1,011. Each doll has a small number engraved on its back.
“I apologize for asking, but our trading company has made exactly 1,000 of these martial artist dolls. To be precise, there are 1,011. And each doll has a small number engraved on its back.”
“Really, only that many?”
“Yes. It's not easy to make these dolls, so we decided to make only that many.”
“I see.”
“And this isn't the only one we're making. We will make each one with a different story, and we will visit you again when they are finished.”
Po-jeong laughed heartily at Eun-gil-sang's words.
“Then I will be able to have all the stories in all the dolls.”
“I am glad that you are pleased, Your Highness.”
“By the way, how much are you planning to sell these for?”
“Ten nyang.”
Po Jeong-sa nodded at his answer.
It was expensive for a single doll, but it wasn't a large amount for someone of his status.
“That's a reasonable price.”
Eun Gil-sang took a piece of paper out of the box. It was palm-sized and made of fairly thick paper.
“What is that?”
“This is a product warranty. It means that this wooden doll was properly made and sold by our Eunhae Trading Company.”
“So, it proves that it is genuine.”
“Yes. And if you bring this product warranty to the store, you can have it repaired for free at any time.”
“It would be quite upsetting if it broke by mistake, so this is good to know.”
A smile lingered on the lips of the broker, and Eun Gil-sang and Yeon Da-mi exchanged a few words before leaving.
Inside the carriage heading for the Eunhae Trading Company branch.
Yeon-da-mi chuckled.
“Did you see that? The nobleman's expression was quite something.”
“I was surprised at first, but what can you expect?”
“I'm glad you like it. I have a good feeling about it.”
“Me too.”
Eun Gil-sang's eyes narrowed.
“How is the surveillance of the other trading companies?”
“It is ongoing.”
“That is how it should be.”
When a trading company releases a new product, the biggest obstacle is none other than its competitors.
There was nothing more troublesome than them interfering with the release.
“It seems that they are still watching and waiting.”
“That's probably true. They probably haven't figured out our plans yet.”
“Still, thanks to our connection with the Minister of Finance, we don't have to worry too much about pressure from the government.”
“Nevertheless, let's keep our guard up and watch them closely.”
“Of course.”
Eun Gil-sang looked at the street where the other trading companies were located, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Even though he was a kind and gentle man, he was still a merchant.
Before that, he was also a father.
That meant Eun Gil-sang was not an easy man to deal with.
“If my youngest son ruined something I worked so hard for, I wouldn't just stand by and do nothing.”
* * *
It was morning.
I woke up earlier than usual.
It was because I had a nightmare again last night.
It lasted much longer than I expected, but I was still grateful for it.
It kept my determination to become the world's best trading company from fading.
Before I knew it, spring was just around the corner.
A month and a half had passed since the Lunar New Year.
Come to think of it, yesterday was the opening day of the store in Chengdu, Hubei Province, and the first day of the Jiamu doll exhibition.
According to my father, the upper class is very interested in Jiamu dolls.
Still, it will take about a month for them to sell out.
After finishing my training, I headed to the dining hall to eat.
My family members were in a cheerful mood again today, which calmed my restless heart.
.
.
.
After lunch, it was already afternoon.
In Chief Administrator Yu's office, the only sounds were the turning of pages and the scratching of a brush on paper.
It seemed that Chief Administrator Yu had learned how to keep me busy until it was time to go home.
Dada!
At that moment, I heard someone running.
“Chief Administrator! The Captain of the Trading Company is calling for you.”
The door opened, and Assistant Captain Cho Young-young shouted with a serious look on his face.
“The martial artist has sold everything.”
“...!”
What?
They started selling yesterday, and everything is already sold out?
It seemed that it was a bigger hit than I had expected.
* * *
The capital of Hubei Province.
A red cloth covering the front of a shop located slightly away from the center of the city was removed.
The shop's signboard, which was now revealed, had its name written in elegant gold letters.
[Hongha Luxury Goods Store]
Something was different from ordinary shops.
First of all, armed warriors were standing guard around the shop.
The shop was decorated in red and gold.
And there were no items displayed on the shelves.
There was only a sign in front of the door that said, “Martial Artist Dolls Now on Sale.”
Even so, people were lining up in front of the shop, waiting for it to open.
“Where are you from?”
“I'm from Zhejiang. Where are you from?”
“I'm from Anhui.”
“It seems you are here on someone's orders.”
“That's right. Is that the case for you as well?”
“Yes.”
“Huh? Me too...”
At that moment, a man with a sword at his waist spoke up.
“All of you standing in line here must have been sent to purchase martial artist dolls.”
“That makes sense. People who can readily pay ten taels of silver wouldn't want to lose face by standing in line themselves.”
“By the way, ten taels of silver for a doll! Why is it so expensive?”
“Even if it dances at a certain time...”
“No matter how expensive it is, it must be worth that much, or else you wouldn't have ordered us to get it.”
About a month ago, a strange atmosphere began to form in Beijing and Kaifeng.
It was said that true members of the upper class must have a Zamu doll.
That was why so many people were lining up in front of shops that weren't even open yet in the morning.
A samurai glanced behind him and looked surprised.
“The line is already so long.”
“That's because there are only 1,000 available.”
“And they're limiting sales to one per family...”
He pointed to the notice posted in front of the store.
They had posted the number of inquiries they had received right in front of the store.
At that moment, several men and women wearing red robes came out of the store.
Then, a man with three silver waves embroidered on his robe stepped forward and said, "We apologize for keeping you waiting for so long.
“We apologize for keeping you waiting for so long. I am Seo Ji-pyeong, the owner of Hongha Luxury Goods Store, a place that only sells the highest quality products newly introduced by Eunha Trading Company!”
After finishing his greeting, he bowed his head, and those behind him also bowed their heads.
“Now, we will open the store. However, in order to ensure a pleasant shopping experience for those who entered first, we will allow five people to enter at a time.”
Thus, the sale of the martial artist dolls began, and in just one day, all of the stock was sold out.
It took a long time because only five people were allowed to enter at a time, but if there had been no restrictions on the number of people entering, they would have sold out within an hour.
This news was immediately relayed to the headquarters of the Eunhae Trading Company, and Eun Gil-sang called a meeting.
* * *
I am currently at Eunwol Pavilion.
My father heard from a messenger that all the martial artist figurines had been sold out, so he called Chief Administrator Yu and me.
Everyone at Eunwolgak looks excited.
Of course they would.
We only had vague hopes that it would do well, but we weren't sure.
But now, everything sold out in just one day.
“First of all, this achievement was made possible by everyone's efforts. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone.”
Everyone bowed their heads slightly at my father's words.
Yoo So-ak said,
“The profit from the sale of the martial artist dolls is 7,000 nyang. This is the amount after deducting the cost of purchasing the shop, materials, and labor.”
“That's quite a lot.”
“If we deduct the wages of the craftsmen who made the dolls according to the contract...”
“That's 200 nang of Sichuan silver.”
“Huh...”
Everyone blinked at Yeon Gak-ju's words.
They had only sold a thousand dolls, but the profit was greater than they had expected.
Chief Administrator Yu looked at me with admiration.
“Young master, you have earned 2,800 nyang.”
“It's not all mine.”
I said with a smile.
“The share of the craftsmen is included in that amount.”
“Then what about the rest...?”
“That's my personal business.”
In response to my words, Chief Administrator Yu said subtly.
“Would you consider investing in the Silver Sea Trading Company?”
Huh?
That's a good idea.
But right now, I have to work hard and save up.
So I just smiled and brushed it off.
Then Chief Administrator Go said,
“If we can make this much money, we should make 10,000 of them and sell them.”
“That's fine, but we're not just going to sell the martial artist dolls this once, are we?”
“That's right.”
“It'll just make us tired for no reason.”
My father asked me.
“So, when are you planning to release the martial artist dolls with the stories you told us? The rich people said they would collect them, but I don't think it will work if they lose interest.”
Everyone looked at me with curiosity at my father's question.
I smiled and replied.
“As you say, Father. I plan to release them during the next Dragon Boat Festival. I don't think people will lose interest by then.”
“Four months... That should be fine.”
My father nodded.
“We'll talk about the martial artist dolls next time, but Seoho…”
My father looked at me for a moment and continued.
“It doesn't matter if you're there. As you all know, next month is my eldest son's 20th birthday.”
Come to think of it, next month was the day Jungho would officially become the head of the martial arts school!
Wait a minute...
While I was thinking, my father continued.
“I want to officially give Jung-ho the position of Captain. What do you think?”
Yeon Gak-ju said.
“Master Jung-ho has completed all the practical training with excellent results, so of course you should do that.”
Chief administrator Go responded with a hearty laugh.
“Our Jung-ho will officially become a captain! I feel so secure. Hahaha.”
“I feel very secure.”
At the end of last year, Yeon Gak-ju declared that Hyung-nim Jung-ho had completed his practical training, so Hyung-nim Jung-ho was qualified to become a captain.
In other words, he would officially become a captain on his birthday.
My father and the other captains were laughing and chatting happily about Jung-ho's announcement ceremony.
But I couldn't laugh.
That was because I remembered that a major incident had occurred at Eunhae Trading Company that day, and at the same time, the most regrettable thing in Jung-ho's life had happened.
He regretted it so much that every time he got drunk, he talked about “that incident.”
Dae-ho could have been jealous of my outstanding abilities, but he wasn't.
On the contrary, he wanted to give up his position as captain of the Trading Company.
I didn't want to see him regret it again.
I clenched my fists under the table and made a promise to myself.
I would never let Dae-ho regret his decision.