Chapter 1328: Chapter 1306 Borrowing Money I
They didn’t head to the dining hall for their meal but instead went to Bai Erlang’s study to brew tea while waiting for the food, all the while quarreling.
When Bai Erlang’s cousin, Chen Bo, came looking for him, Bai Erlang had his head turned to the side, sulking.
Chen Bo stepped into the room and, seeing a young lady sitting by the table, hesitated for a moment, debating whether he should leave. Bai Erlang had already softened his expression, stood up, and greeted him, “Cousin, what brings you here?”
He turned to Bai Shan and Manbao and said, “This is my cousin, Chen Bo. Cousin, this is…”
After pausing briefly, he added a bit begrudgingly, “… this is my Senior Sister and Senior Brother.”
Chen Bo suddenly understood. No wonder a young lady was in his cousin’s study. The three exchanged formal greetings, and Chen Bo also sat down by the table.
Noticing that Bai Erlang seemed a little upset, he asked with a smile, “What’s wrong, Little Cousin?”
Bai Erlang shook his head. “Nothing.”
He rubbed his belly and said, “It’s just that I haven’t had lunch yet, and I’m feeling a bit hungry.”
Bai Shan and Manbao were hungry too, so they had already poured themselves two cups of tea. Bai Shan casually picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Bai Erlang, then poured another for Chen Bo. He smiled and said, “We returned late yesterday and didn’t know Cousin Chen was visiting. We should have come to greet you sooner—how rude of us.”
Setting aside the fact that Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were fellow disciples, the two were also distantly related, so Chen Bo quickly replied with a smile, “Not at all! It’s on us to come and pay our respects first.”
At this point, he chuckled and said, “By the way, my mother already brought my sister to visit the Old Madam this morning. You…”
Bai Shan had to apologize and explain that they weren’t home in the morning because they’d gone to inspect their estate.
Chen Bo laughed and said, “I heard about it from Little Cousin earlier. The three of you own a small farm—only about a hundred acres—but the annual revenue is quite substantial. In peak years, it even exceeds a thousand taels. Ten taels of silver per acre! If I didn’t know my cousin to be honest, I wouldn’t believe it.”
Bai Shan and Manbao: …
The two turned to Bai Erlang in unison, their eyes filled with doubt. Him? Honest?
Bai Erlang slightly raised his chin, glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, and puffed out his chest even more proudly.
Bai Shan had no choice but to nod in agreement and offered Bai Erlang a few compliments before changing the subject, “We heard from Junior Brother that Cousin Chen is considering going into business?”
Chen Bo hadn’t expected that what he told Bai Erlang last night was already known to Bai Shan and Manbao. He nodded and sighed, “Unlike Cousin Shan and Little Cousin, the two of you study and will eventually hold official positions as government officials. As for me, I only hope to become a local gentry in the future—buying more land and running estates like Uncle, just living comfortably.”
This used to be Bai Erlang’s dream as well.
“But we have a large family. My parents haven’t split their household yet, let alone us siblings.”
Bai Erlang explained in a low voice, “I have three uncles who are still living together with my grandparents.”
Bai Shan and Manbao expressed their understanding.
“So it’s hard to touch the family’s money. I want to start a business but lack the capital—so I’m hoping to borrow some money from Little Cousin.” Chen Bo’s gaze fell on Bai Shan and Manbao, his tone pointed as he said, “I heard Little Cousin Shan and Miss Manbao split the profits from the estate with my Little Cousin, so I imagine you both must have some spare money on hand?”
He smiled and said, “If you have extra funds, you could join Little Cousin in investing in my business. Once we make profits, we can split them just like how you split the estate’s revenue. We could split the shop’s profits too.”
Bai Erlang immediately said, “They have no money.”
Chen Bo’s expression turned skeptical, prompting Bai Erlang to explain, “All their money was spent in the capital. Bai Shan even owes me money.”
Bai Shan chuckled awkwardly and explained, “We tend to spend quite liberally, so it’s hard to save any money. Even if we were inclined to invest, we wouldn’t have the means to do so.”
After a pause, he asked, “May I ask, Cousin Chen, what kind of business you’re planning on doing?”
When Chen Bo heard that Bai Shan still owed Bai Erlang money, he believed their claim a little more. He smiled and said, “I’m thinking of starting a cloth business.”
He added, “Among the basic necessities—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—food is dirty and labor-intensive, shelter requires significant capital, and transportation is arduous. After weighing all the options, clothing seems the most manageable—elegant, straightforward, and with relatively smaller upfront costs.”
Pointing at the three of them, he said, “Just look at your garments. Fine cotton cloth, silks, brocades—each type of fabric serves its own purpose. No one can avoid needing clothing, right?”
The three of them thought it over and agreed, nodding.
“We have Shu brocade here, which is highly sought after in the capital and Jiangnan. But Jiangnan has fine cotton cloth, the Central Plains have silks, and the north has leather goods—all excellent commodities. In short, the clothing business is unlikely to lose money.”
Manbao asked, “Are you planning to be a traveling merchant, or would you open a shop of your own?”
“Traveling merchants have it tough, and the roads are dangerous. What if we run into bandits?” Chen Bo replied. “The risks are too high. It’s better to open a shop. Although the returns are lower, it’s much more stable.”
Bai Shan and Manbao nodded in agreement, finding his plan fairly sensible. With a smile, they asked, “Where do you plan to open the shop?”
“In Mianzhou. There are more wealthy families there—it’s better than opening one in a county.”
The Chen family was originally from Shenquan County in Mianzhou. Shenquan County wasn’t close to Mianzhou City but was considered a middle-tier county with an economy better than Luojiang County’s.
Worried that Bai Erlang might be taken advantage of, Bai Shan and Manbao began questioning Chen Bo about the details of opening his shop, hoping to gather more information.
Chen Bo revealed that he had already scouted out a shop in Mianzhou, located in the most bustling area of the city. He said, “I’m planning to buy it. Renting a shop is too risky—if the business thrives, the landlord might raise the rent, which would negatively affect our operations.”
Bai Shan asked, “How much does the shop cost?”
“Not too much—850 taels.”
Manbao nearly spit out her tea. 850 taels was enough to buy a shop in a fairly decent location in Yizhou City.
Bai Erlang was stunned as well. Last night, their discussion had only touched on borrowing money and the type of business; the price of the shop hadn’t come up.
This was… way too expensive…
Bai Erlang glanced at Manbao and was about to ask how much her family’s shop had cost when Bai Shan asked, “If shops are already so expensive, how much do you expect the inventory to cost?”
“That’s not much. I’ve calculated—it’ll only take about 200 taels to purchase the initial inventory.”
Bai Shan and Manbao exchanged a look and smiled as they asked, “How much money does Cousin Chen already have, and how much is still needed?”
Chen Bo smiled and said, “I have part of it sorted—some is from my own savings, and my mother gave me some as well. I’m just short the remainder, so I was hoping to partner up with Little Cousin.”
Bai Shan was relieved upon hearing this. He figured Chen Bo had likely been swindled by the shop seller and was about to offer him some advice when Bai Erlang unexpectedly said, “But Cousin, didn’t you say last night that you were short 800 taels? You were hoping to borrow 800 taels from me.”
Bai Shan and Manbao: …