Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 185: Leaving the near for the distant
Since returning to Zhangye County, Tan Huaike has felt that she has never had a moment's rest. However, while busy with the expansion of her own business and dealing with the owners of various shops, she also feels that she has broadened her horizons considerably.

I was tired, but also very fulfilled.

Thanks to the new policies implemented by the King of Qin, she directly opened the flagship store of Wangchen Fragrance Shop on Huaqi Street, occupying two of her own shops. Compared to the expensive An Du market, the individual shops in Hexi are much more spacious. Moreover, the two shops have been connected, and the number of fragrance testing rooms alone has doubled compared to the An Du store. She has also set aside a more exquisite and complete self-made workshop, allowing customers to try making and blending fragrances themselves.

However, Tan Huaike still followed the rules of the Andu branch, limiting the sale of rare and precious spices. Customers needed to purchase a sufficient amount of common spices and collect the embossed flowers on specially made sachets to qualify for the purchase of rare and precious spices. However, Hexi was not as wealthy and extravagant as Andu, and the variety of spices traded between the western regions was greater, leading to more intense competition. Therefore, after investigation and experimentation, Tan Huaike set the minimum purchase amount at only half that of Andu.

Even so, she still managed to create a buzz around the scarcity of the incense, and with rumors circulating that Wangchen Incense Shop was highly favored by the powerful and wealthy in Andu, the local tycoons were even more eager to follow suit. Wouldn't it be incredibly prestigious to use the same incense as the high-ranking officials?
And so, Wangchen Fragrance Shop gained a foothold on Huaqi Street.

After that, she still had to consider how to manage her remaining shops, as well as the shops that Tao Ying had handed over to her.

She plans to open another branch for Zhiyun Cloth Shop and another for Yanzhisi. Considering the future plans for Huaqi Street, both of these branches will cater more to the preferences of the people of the Western Region. She also plans to open a clinic so that Fufeng can have a stable place to stay here… The rest will be rented out to other businesses; given the current market momentum, she can definitely get a high rent.

When she was advertising the shop for rent, something interesting happened.

Tao Ying had initially instructed her that she could rent out her five shops to run her own business without paying rent, but she would have to report her accounts every three months, and the profits would be distributed to her as a bonus. Alternatively, she could act as her agent and rent out the shops to others, in which case she would have to pay rent, but Tan Huai Ke could take a 20% management fee.

After figuring out how to allocate the ten shops, Tan Huaike put one of his own shops and two of Tao Ying's shops up for rent. Soon, people came to inquire about prices, each offering a higher price than the last.

Tan Huaike thought that Tan Li would definitely get restless and come to him to ask for the shop back.

Actually, she didn't have any deep-seated hatred for the Tan family. In business, it's all about profit, not old grudges. If they wanted it, she could just pay a rent close to the market price. However, she guessed that Tan Li was probably regretting it to the core right now and wouldn't be willing to pay the market price. Knowing his personality, he would at most be willing to add a little bit to the price Tan Huai Ke originally paid.

However, to her surprise, the Tan family went to great lengths, asking someone to inquire about Tao Ying's two shops.
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In the Forgotten Dust Incense Shop, Tan Huaike discussed this matter with Shen Tu Zhuo: "Why do you think he did this? Tao Yingyuan is in Andu, and he's a stranger to him. Why would he be willing to go through such a long detour instead of asking me?"

Shen Tu Zhuo tried the incense with great interest and explained to her, "It is precisely because Tao Yingyuan is in Andu and is a stranger to the merchant that Tan Li took a liking to the shop she owns."

"How to say?"

"First of all, the transformation of Huaqi Street was a huge blow to Tan Li. He had a great hand, but he played it terribly. It was something he didn't want to look back on."

"Secondly, he knows he has a lot of issues with you. He half-coerced and half-coaxed you into taking over five shops, which almost cost him his eligibility to be selected as a royal merchant. So how could he possibly come to you now? You know he'll definitely try to drive down the price, and he knows you'll never let him get away with it."

"Finally, he didn't know Tao Ying, but he knew very well that this foolish, rich owner couldn't personally manage the shops. He had sold those five shops to Tao Ying, and he was willing to swallow his pride and negotiate with this stranger. He could use excuses like looking after the shops or partnering with him to lower the price. If he was lucky, he could even take advantage of Tao Ying's lack of knowledge about Zhangye and, with a few sweet words, rent the shops at a very low price." Tan Huai Ke understood: "That's right, no wonder he only sent the broker to inquire about those two shops."

Shen Tu Zhuo closed the small incense burner, waved it in front of her a couple of times, and watched as the wisps of smoke blurred her features. He laughed and said, "What a pity. Tan Li has poor judgment and bad luck. He never expected that Tao Ying is a daughter of an official with a great business mind, and that you and she were in cahoots."

“How can you say they’re in cahoots? It should be described as a perfect match,” Tan Huaike corrected.

"Tao Ying entrusted all these matters to you, right? He certainly didn't expect that he would ultimately turn to you for help. So what are you planning to do? Rent it to him? Or partner with him?"

“The Tan family is a quagmire, and they are only holding on by the glory of their ancestors. Partnership is impossible,” Tan Huai Ke said. “Renting to them is possible, but Tao Ying is not easy to fool. I’ll say it again: pay the market price, and at most, I won’t raise it. It depends on whether he is willing to pay that much money.”

“It’s probably going to be tough for the Tan family right now,” Shen Tu Zhuo said leisurely. “I heard they’ve accumulated too much debt, and the money shops are refusing to lend them any more money.”

“They brought it on themselves, it’s not my place to pity them. Anyway, I won’t go in person, I’ll just have the broker talk to him, so he won’t be too embarrassed… cough cough,” Tan Huai Ke waved his long-handled bamboo fan, “just say you put in too much sandalwood, quickly move the incense burner further away, it’s making my eyes unable to open.”

"This incense was personally blended by me, and you're already so disgusted with it?" Shentu Zhuo frowned and sighed, saying sarcastically, "Oh dear, these days Steward Tan is the county's biggest benefactor; ordinary people can't even get close to him..."

"Not at all, Lord Shentu is no ordinary person." Tan Huaike coaxed him with a smile, "It is truly a blessing from the God of Monroe to have your delicate hands blend perfume for me. Therefore, I should teach you how to blend this perfume myself."

As he spoke, Tan Huaike pulled him into the perfumery, intending to recreate a perfume pill according to his own formula.

However, the two were unaware that a ghostly figure was watching them closely inside the incense shop that day.

Tan Anfu originally came to find Tan Huaike, but as soon as she passed the screen of Wangchen Fragrance Shop, she saw her and Shen Tuzhuo enter a secluded fragrance testing room, which made her have other ideas.

There was nothing wrong with the two trying out the fragrance, but Tan Anfu always felt that there was an inexplicable intimacy between the uncle and sister-in-law.

The fragrance testing room consists of individual cubicles, which are relatively enclosed. There are also many staff members coming and going to fetch fragrances for customers. So, in order not to arouse suspicion, Tan Anfu could only keep watch from a distance, pretending to be selecting fragrance pills. She couldn't see or hear clearly, and had no idea what the two were doing inside.

However, the perfumery is a public space, and customers can enter at their own discretion once they have paid.

Right there, hiding behind the openwork wooden fence in the corner, she heard Shen Tu Zhuo say to Tan Huai Ke, "I found you a box of Se Se beads, will that please you now?"
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Next chapter: A hidden affair?