Chapitre 85: Promotion
"Alas, it's a pity that I cannot openly use my abilities to earn money..."
Exiting Zhao Hongtao's office, Fang Yi shook his head in resignation. Just moments ago, Zhao Hongtao had lavished high praise on the string of beads empowered by the passage of time, uttering the word "perfect" a dozen times within just a few minutes.
According to Zhao, this small string of golden Bodhi seeds, also a spiritual artifact, would require at least twenty years of blessing from a virtuous monk if placed within the Buddhist community. He had traversed numerous temples in the Tibetan regions and had never encountered such a flawless artifact.
Zhao Hongtao's words instilled a firm resolve in Fang Yi. He decided that unless he could provide a credible explanation for the origin of these items, he would never display them again. While a few items might raise little suspicion, an abundance would inevitably lead to doubts.
Modern society is vastly different from ancient times, when extraordinary individuals were revered, much like Dongfang Shuo during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and Chen Tuan in the early Song Dynasty, both held in high esteem by emperors and regarded as living deities by the populace.
In today's enlightened society, should Fang Yi reveal any extraordinary traits, it would undoubtedly invite disaster, perhaps even leading to him being captured by a research institution for dissection. Therefore, he understood that his abilities must remain concealed from public view.
"Fatty, how's business?" Returning to his stall, Fang Yi still felt a tinge of frustration. He noticed Fatty, engrossed in showcasing something on his phone, and promptly pulled him over.
"Not bad; I've sold four or five strings of beads since this morning..." Despite it not being the weekend, Fatty was quite satisfied with the sales volume, having already pocketed five hundred yuan. Even without the weekend's earnings, that would amount to over ten thousand yuan a month.
"Since you and San Pao are idling about, why not add some adornments to the beads?" Fang Yi remarked, eyeing the two slackers.
"Hey, Yi Ge, it's not that we don't want to work; it's just that we don't know how to tie knots..." San Pao replied, pointing to a cardboard box on the stall containing a string of disassembled beads.
"Fatty, why don't you start calling out to customers..."
An idea struck Fang Yi, and he suggested, "Let's offer to string beads for customers on the spot. They can choose any combination they like, and we'll tell them the adornments are complimentary. By the way, the beads that used to cost 220 yuan will now be sold for 300..."
"Oh, that's a brilliant idea..." Fatty's eyes lit up at the suggestion. Earlier that day, two girls had approached him, asking if he could string them each a star and moon Bodhi, but unfortunately, Fatty lacked the skill, resulting in lost sales.
"Hey, everyone, come take a look! We're offering on-site bead stringing; you can choose any adornment you desire..."
With Fatty's boldness, he leaped to the front of the stall and began to shout without hesitation. True to form, the tendency of people to gather around during such occasions quickly manifested, and within moments, seven or eight tourists had surrounded their stall.
"How much for this string of beads? Do you have any that can wrap around the wrist?"
"I want a string to hang around my neck. Is that white thing made of ivory? Please string one for me..."
"Ma'am, we have one that can wrap around your wrist. This 8x6 bead would fit you perfectly. And sir, I assure you, that white one is called ivory fruit, not actual ivory. However, many counterfeit ivories on the market use this as a substitute. Our adornments are complimentary, so you won't spend a single penny..."
There were simply too many inquiries. As Fatty responded, he gave Fang Yi a thumbs-up, realizing that this idea was indeed effective. The number of people asking for prices today far surpassed those who had approached previously.
As a renowned tourist attraction in Jinling City, the antique market at Chaotian Palace never lacked visitors. Those who ventured out to enjoy themselves typically weren't short on money, and while they might hesitate to spend a thousand or eight hundred on antiques for fear of being cheated, a string of beads costing two or three hundred posed no pressure for them.
Thus, after confirming the price of the beads, several individuals promptly decided to purchase, and upon hearing that the adornments were free, even more joined in. In the blink of an eye, they had already sold over a dozen strings, with some eager customers even tossing down money to expedite the stringing process.
Suddenly, Fang Yi and his companions found themselves busy. Not only were Fatty and San Pao stringing beads, but even Old Ma came over to help. The group focused solely on stringing, with Fang Yi handling the knotting afterward.
For over an hour, the four of them worked tirelessly to complete the orders. Fang Yi managed well, but Fatty and San Pao's fingers began to tremble from the effort.
"You've done well, brother! Did we sell quite a few strings?" Old Ma remarked with a hint of envy. Being in the same market, he was well aware of the profit margins, estimating that they could have earned several thousand in just that hour.
"I haven't checked; let me ask San Pao..." Fang Yi had been too focused on stringing and knotting to notice how many had sold, but since San Pao was in charge of handling the money, he could easily calculate it.
"Yi Ge, we... we sold twenty-two strings..." After a moment, San Pao, having counted the money, spoke up, his voice slightly trembling.
It was important to note that each string of beads with adornments was sold for three hundred yuan. Thus, even after deducting the ten yuan cost for the adornments, they netted about one hundred eighty yuan per string, totaling around four thousand yuan for those twenty-two strings. In such a short time, they had nearly recouped the money spent on the phone yesterday.
Not to mention that during the typically quiet weekdays, even on weekends, the three of them had never made this much. Upon hearing the figures from San Pao, Fang Yi and Fatty couldn't help but gasp in astonishment, a thought emerging in their minds: selling requires a loud voice.
"Yi Ge, I think I'll just start calling you a con artist from now on; you're quite the charmer! Who gave you the idea about the complimentary adornments?"
Fatty was eager to delve into Fang Yi's mind, curious how a young Taoist who had lived on the mountain for over a decade could come up with such a clever idea. To Fatty and San Pao, Fang Yi had clearly outsmarted them.
"You taught me this; isn't it called promotion?" Fang Yi replied, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Fatty.
"I know what promotion is, but... when did I ever teach you?" Fatty paused, unable to recall when he had imparted such knowledge to Fang Yi. If he had known, he would have utilized it long ago.
"Have you forgotten our trip to the supermarket?" Fang Yi reminded him. "The toothpaste we bought was a buy-one-get-one-free deal, and you explained that it was a promotional tactic used by merchants..."
As Fang Yi brought it up, Fatty indeed recalled that day, which had occurred on their first day staying with Man Jun. The group had gone to the supermarket together to buy daily necessities, opting for the more affordable items due to budget constraints.
While selecting toothpaste, Fatty had chosen a brand that offered a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. When Fang Yi inquired about the reasoning behind his choice, Fatty had explained that it was a marketing strategy, where the unit price was slightly inflated, making it seem like a gift while effectively selling two items.
"Alright, Fang Yi, I must concede, you've truly impressed me..." Reflecting on that incident, Fatty felt genuine admiration for Fang Yi. He often prided himself on being a natural businessman, but in comparison to Fang Yi, he realized he was lacking in the business acumen department.
"Fatty, give it another shout..."
San Pao chimed in, "If we can sell just ten more strings today, we'll have recouped yesterday's expenses. Goodness, this money is too easy to earn! Fang Yi, Man Jun hasn't provided us with much stock; you need to think of a plan quickly..."
Even though their fingers were nearly cramping from stringing beads, the prospect of making money was irresistible. If San Pao were to string the remaining two hundred beads, he would undoubtedly be willing.
Nodding at San Pao's words, Fang Yi replied, "I've already spoken to Man Jun about restocking. He said he'd take me to get some this Saturday. We'll pick up a few items from Jinling to sell first, and when he has time, he'll take me to the wholesale market in the capital..."
The underground auction on Saturday was scheduled for the morning, and in the afternoon, Man Jun planned to drive Fang Yi to acquire some cultural artifacts. Most of his previous stock had been beads, and this time he intended to let Fang Yi select some other items to enrich their stall's offerings.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
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