Chapter 102: Regional Agent

Early the next morning, Xu Mo took Chen Miaoyi and Qin Moutou to the bustling market. Chen Miaoyi hadn’t experienced the joy of shopping in ages; all morning, she was like a child, her laughter never ceasing. By noon, as they returned home, their hands were overflowing with goods—food, clothes, toys, and trinkets, too many to count.

Perhaps tired from the outing, Chen Miaoyi stayed at home to rest after lunch. Xu Mo, wanting to inspect the promotional event planned by Ning Yaxin, took Qin Moutou and headed straight toward the main city tower.

The closer they drew to the city tower, the more numerous the advertisements for the Fragrant Skin specialty shop became. Especially around the main tower, banners were everywhere, at least several times more than before. People carrying promotional flags marched up and down the streets, loudly proclaiming slogans like, “For Peony brand soap, come to the Fragrant Skin specialty shop!”

Most striking was the shop adjacent to the city tower, which had transformed into a temporary branch of the Fragrant Skin specialty shop for the day. The entrance was lively, with drums and gongs, inside piled high with soap, and clerks energetically hawking their wares, trying their utmost to attract customers.

Though the crowd at the door was packed tight, order was maintained. This was thanks to Xiong Youli, who, along with a group of constables, worked diligently to keep things orderly. Today, they wore civilian clothes, but most recognized Xiong Youli’s face and dared not cause trouble.

Xu Mo had only just stood at the back of the crowd when Xiong Youli noticed him and hurried over with a cheerful greeting. They exchanged a few words before Xiong Youli had to rush back to his duties.

Not wishing to disturb him, Xu Mo moved to a spot further away to observe. He noted that, although most visitors were merely curious, the soap sales were quite impressive. People who did not seem like high-spending customers, driven by curiosity, were buying soap—even pooling together to buy a bar and immediately splitting it in half.

Xu Mo understood that if the price were lower, even more people would buy, and the sales figures would be even more impressive.

Just then, he heard a voice behind him: “Young Master Xu, I’ve been waiting for you all morning. Why are you only arriving now?”

Turning, Xu Mo saw it was Ning Yaxin. He immediately clasped his hands in greeting. “Miss Ning, I spent the morning accompanying my wife around town, so I couldn’t come earlier. My apologies!”

Ning Yaxin wasn’t truly upset, merely speaking casually upon seeing him. She smiled, “Young Master Xu, since your wife can go shopping, I take it she has fully recovered?”

Xu Mo nodded, smiling, “Yes, she’s fine now, lively as ever all morning.”

“Why didn’t she come along?” Ning Yaxin asked.

“She was tired and stayed home to rest,” Xu Mo replied.

Ning Yaxin nodded, then gestured toward a tea stall at the entrance of a nearby alley. “Young Master Xu, shall we sit there and chat?”

“Certainly,” Xu Mo agreed readily, and, with Qin Moutou, joined Ning Yaxin and Ling’er at the tea stall.

Soon after they sat, the stall owner brought over tea. Xu Mo pointed to the temporary branch across the street. “By the way, Miss Ning, how long did you rent that shop?”

Ning Yaxin sipped her tea, replying calmly, “I didn’t rent it; I bought it.”

Xu Mo was surprised. “You bought it?”

She nodded, setting her cup aside. “The owner originally wasn’t selling, but I offered thirty percent above the asking price, and he agreed.”

Xu Mo pondered briefly, then asked, “Miss Ning, wouldn’t renting be more cost-effective? Why buy, and at a premium?”

Ning Yaxin laughed, “Young Master Xu, you’re asking what you already know!”

Xu Mo only smiled.

Ning Yaxin continued, “The shop may be small, but its location is superb. Everyone passing through the city gates sees it… So I felt it was perfect for a Fragrant Skin branch.”

Xu Mo nodded in agreement.

She went on, “Even if we no longer use it for the specialty shop, it can serve other businesses or be rented out. In other words, it’s a guaranteed profit!”

“You truly have a business mind, Miss Ning. I admire that!” Xu Mo praised.

Ning Yaxin modestly waved her hand, then said, “If all goes well, I plan to open Fragrant Skin shops near the main city gates of Heyang, Kaixian, and Fuchun counties. What do you think?”

Xu Mo considered for a moment. “Miss Ning, opening branches in Heyang and Kaixian is feasible, but I firmly oppose Fuchun County.”

“Why?” Ning Yaxin asked, puzzled.

Xu Mo explained, “Heyang is less than five hundred li from Xinzhou, and Kaixian is only six hundred li. Fully loaded, a wagon can travel about one hundred thirty or forty li per day, assuming good weather and roads. So, it takes at least three days to transport goods from Xinzhou to Heyang, and at least four days to Kaixian—round-trip, that’s double the time. The transport costs for soap, including food and fodder, are manageable, but Fuchun County is different!”

“Fuchun is over a thousand li away, separated by a major river. Shipping goods there takes ten days to half a month, making the transport and time costs too high. It’s simply not worthwhile, Miss Ning!”

Ning Yaxin hadn’t considered this in detail. Listening to Xu Mo’s analysis, her brow furrowed.

Xu Mo continued, “Furthermore, the longer the transport, the greater the risk. If the journey is safe, all is well, but what if bandits strike? Losing goods is minor—personal safety is paramount!”

Ning Yaxin nodded at once. “You’re right, Young Master Xu. I hadn’t thought it through—thank you for the reminder! I’ll reconsider…”

She immediately fell into contemplation, searching for better solutions.

Xu Mo couldn’t help but tease, “Miss Ning, it seems you haven’t fully understood the contract we signed!”

“What do you mean?” Ning Yaxin asked, confused.

Xu Mo kept her in suspense, “Miss Ning, you’ll have to figure it out yourself!”

Ning Yaxin’s expression became especially serious as she pondered.

Soon, she stood up, saying earnestly, “Sorry, Young Master Xu, I need to go check the contract. I’ll find you later!”

She prepared to leave, but Xu Mo quickly called her back, smiling, “Miss Ning, I was teasing you. No need for such trouble—I’ll tell you directly…”

Ning Yaxin sat back down, her gaze full of anticipation.

Xu Mo smiled, “Miss Ning, you’re the general distributor for the Peony brand, so you have the authority to recruit regional agents!”