Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 171 Purchasing Tableware

He Zhijun looked at her with deep emotion: "Jingyan, thank you. You are so good to my family, even more so than to your own children. I know you love them because of them."

Jingyan didn't know where his self-pity came from, but she didn't explain. She just coaxed him, "You've been good to my family too. When my fourth sister and brother-in-law sent me to the Great Northern Wilderness, you covered all my food, expenses, and transportation costs. It's just a matter of treating others as you would like to be treated."

The couple's heart-to-heart talk is best left unmentioned, as it involves scenes unsuitable for children. However, from this day forward, He Zhijun showed Jingyan not only thoughtfulness, care, and respect, but also a greater sense of reverence. This puzzled Jingyan herself; after all, it was just some clothes and daily necessities, and buying new ones wouldn't cost much. Why was he so moved?

If you can't figure it out, don't think about it. That's the right way to live. She didn't have much energy to think about it too much. Even when business was good before, she would never fill the store at the same time. This was the first time. She was short of bowls and plates, especially for such a large banquet. It's best to have uniform plates, bowls, cups, chopsticks, etc., so that it looks classy.

Jingyan took Dou Zhixiao to the supply and marketing cooperative to choose tableware. They finally found a pattern that matched the plates and bowls, and there were also ceramic cups with similar patterns.

When asked about the price, wow, it was supposed to be Jingdezhen porcelain, 180 deep plates, 180 bowls, plus 180 cups, which came to 400 yuan. Jingyan touched her pocket, her heart trembling: "Why is it so expensive?"

Dou Zhixiao thought for a moment and said, "Sister Yan, how about we go to the commodity market in Haishi? I heard that many things there are sold by private shops, so we can try to bargain. It's easier to negotiate with them than with the supply and marketing cooperative, since it's a public institution."

Jingyan thought about it and agreed. The two left and went straight back to the shop. Everyone could tell from their expressions that the shopping hadn't gone smoothly. Sister Feng advised, "Jingyan, why don't we bring all the bowls and plates we have at home and see how many we need? Buying the missing ones will always save some money. Otherwise, we'll have to pay more for this, not to mention whether we can use them later."

Jing Yan shook her head: "As long as we manage to put on this graduation banquet, we'll have made a name for ourselves. Regardless of whether there are any more banquets like this this summer, at least we'll definitely have people coming to us next year at this time."

If we serve the food with messy, disorganized tableware, and the diners find it unsightly and are dissatisfied with such details, then it would be counterproductive.

Even if we only host this once, and no more banquets come our way, I can store the dishes and utensils in the basement. They're fine except for taking up space, and at least they won't expire. If we need them later, we can just grab a few, and they'll wear out eventually. Everyone breaks a few dishes every year.”

Everyone was just trying to help her because she was unhappy, but since she seemed to be taking it easy, they suggested she go to the market and ask around at private shops. It would be best if the prices were cheaper, and if not, the supply and marketing cooperatives would be there to cover the costs.

When she got home that evening, Jingyan told He Zhijun about it: "Actually, I suddenly thought of buying tableware when they were tasting the dishes. I didn't expect the tableware to be so expensive, especially if I wanted a complete set."

He Zhijun patted her head and comforted her, "It's okay, if you want to buy it, we'll buy it. I've earned more than a thousand yuan in the past six months, I'll give it all to you, that should be enough."

Jingyan was amused by his words: "No need. Your salary, apart from your allowance, is still deposited into your savings account. I have some here, but I don't need it for now. Just come over at the end of the year and show me the balance."

He Zhijun nodded: "You haven't used my money in the past four or five years. You've saved more than six thousand yuan in your savings account now. Once you've saved up ten thousand yuan, I'll transfer it to you, and then we'll open a new savings account and start saving again."

"Why don't you keep a secret stash of money? I've heard that many married men like to secretly keep a secret stash of money." Jingyan looked at him intently.

He Zhijun coughed lightly: "Well, other people who keep a secret stash of money hand over their entire monthly salary. If their wives can leave them five or six yuan for spending money, they can brag about it for days. Most people have to discuss spending money with their wives."

As you know, men have a sweet tooth, and sometimes they might want to get together with their buddies and treat themselves to something nice. If they all ask their wives for money, they'll inevitably get questioned. Over time, everyone starts to secretly save a little for a rainy day.

"I don't need to keep any because you used to give me pocket money when we were short of cash. Now I just report my salary and you don't even check it, so why would I need to keep a secret stash? In the end, it's because my wife is good to me and generous."

Jingyan glared at him: "Alright, don't brag to others. If someone you're on good terms with asks to borrow money and you don't lend it to them, it'll hurt your relationship. If you lend it and can't get it back, it'll cost you money. It's not worth it either way. It's better not to participate in those comparisons. There's no need for it."

He Zhijun agreed with a smile, and Jing Yan's mood improved a lot after he talked to her for a while: "Tomorrow morning I will take Xiao Dou to the city center of Haishi to check out the prices in private shops and try to find something that is both economical and good-looking."

“Well, if they can’t deliver it to the store, you should go to Liu Qiang. Their decoration company is doing very well now. Many newly opened shops on our island have hired them for decoration. We should be able to get our tableware on a ride with them.” He Zhijun suggested to her.

Jingyan nodded in agreement, but seeing that he still looked worried, she couldn't help but push him into the house: "Don't worry, it's just a shopping trip. At most, it'll just cost some money. There's nothing to worry about. You used to trust me to run errands. What, are you getting more and more worried as you get older? Do you think I'm that unreliable?"

He Zhijun shook his head helplessly and followed her lead into the bedroom: "I used to think you could be me, but I didn't understand feelings back then. Now I can't let go because I really care about you. It's different."

Jing Yan nodded perfunctorily: "Yes, yes, you're right, but you really don't need to be so paranoid. Besides, Xiao Dou is with you. That kid is smart and has a steady personality. He's capable. If I hadn't wanted to choose the pattern, he could have gone by himself without any problems."

The two went back to their room, tidied up, and went to sleep. The next morning, after Jingyan saw He Zhijun off to work, she took the dividend savings book that Yuan Xiaoling's decoration company had given her, along with 500 yuan in cash, and went to the shop to pick up Dou Zhixiao. The two then took the early morning ferry to Haishi.

After getting ashore, Dou Zhixiao became the guide. And you know what? Maybe boys generally have a good sense of direction? Anyway, Jingyan couldn't tell east from west when she went out; she only knew left and right.

The most common way she memorized routes was by observing the buildings along the street, whether shops or residences. These buildings always followed certain patterns, which is why she often got lost in the alleyways, except for the main streets, when she first arrived in Haishi.

Fortunately, Dou Zhixiao was there to guide them. The two of them took a bus and walked, and finally arrived at the so-called 'commercial street'.

Although it's called a street, it's actually not very big. It's mainly a cluster of shops. The two of them took a quick stroll around the street and found that there were only two shops selling kitchenware like bowls, plates, and chopsticks.

Upon entering, she saw that all the items were large white porcelain plates, or intricately patterned blue and white porcelain, or large floral designs. They weren't exactly ugly, but they were definitely tacky, and Jingyan genuinely disliked them.

The shopkeeper watched her wander around the shop, leave, and then return to continue wandering around. Confused, he finally approached her and said, "Hey sir, I see you've come in twice already. What are you looking for? Shall I help you?"

Jing Yan sighed: "My family runs a catering business, and we want to buy a batch of plates, cups, and bowls and chopsticks, about two hundred of each. But after looking around, the patterns are too busy. Are there any simpler or cleaner ones? Ideally, the bowls, plates, and cups would be a matching set. I'm not picky about the chopsticks, as long as they're uniform."

The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "The prices of these displayed items are quite reasonable. I do have one of those you mentioned, with gold trim and auspicious cloud patterns. It's quite beautiful, but it's more expensive. Also, it's not ordinary ceramic; it's bone china, a new type of porcelain. The white glaze is even better, giving it a translucent quality."

Jing Yan's eyes lit up: "Could you take out a set for me to see?"

The shopkeeper was naturally willing and quickly sent someone to fetch it from the warehouse, while he stayed behind to talk to Jingyan: "To be honest, this kind of bone china was developed and produced by a porcelain factory in Tangshan last year. It's quite rare."

However, due to high production costs, although the items are beautiful, not many people actually buy them. A relative of mine works as a small manager at that porcelain factory, and when he heard that I had opened this tableware shop here, he asked me to help sell them on his behalf.

This is why I don't need to tie up any money; otherwise, I wouldn't have brought it back. At first, quite a few people asked about it in the store, but after hearing the good price, no one was willing to buy it, and it's just been gathering dust here.

My wife came to the store a while ago and saw that no one was asking about the item, so she decided to put it in the warehouse. We were originally planning to have someone come and take it back before the end of the year, so it wouldn't take up space here.

"Well, since you're looking for good tableware, I'll try to recommend some. If we make a purchase, that's fate. If you don't like it, no problem, I have other options. If all else fails, this all-white kind is more cost-effective, and it's actually quite nice for a shop."

Jing Yan smiled and nodded. She didn't know what bone china was. In her previous life, her family had always used ordinary ceramic tableware, which was just prettier in pattern. Bone china was also unfamiliar to her, but since she was here, she might as well take a look.

Before long, the shop assistant brought back a box of items and placed it on the cashier's counter. She carefully took out the items one by one and placed them on the table. There were three different colors: one with gold trim, one with a few small orchids, and one that was actually pure white with relief.

Jingyan took out each one to look at, and liked them more and more as she looked at them. After listening to the shopkeeper's introduction, she picked up a plate and looked at it in the sunlight outside. Sure enough, it could transmit light, and the plate was thinner and lighter than ordinary ceramic plates. After asking the shopkeeper, she tapped the plate lightly against the edge of the table a few times, and it really didn't break.

"Bone china is harder than ceramic. Of course, it will still break if you drop it directly on a cement or brick floor, but it can withstand minor everyday bumps and knocks," the shopkeeper explained.

Jingyan was indeed quite satisfied. Her favorite was the one with gold trim, as the color looked high-end. After all, gold is a symbol of wealth. She pointed to it and said, "How much is this one? I want to buy two hundred. You need to give me a discount."

The shopkeeper gave a quote: plate four yuan, bowl three yuan, cup two yuan. Jingyan did a quick calculation and exclaimed, "My goodness, 1,800 yuan! That's the price of tableware for the dinner table!"

He grinned, looking a little distressed. "Boss, this price is really expensive. You can buy three ceramic ones for two yuan. This is just the price of one bowl. My investment is too big."

The shop owner knows the price is high, otherwise the items wouldn't have been sitting in the store for almost a year without a single sale. If they were any cheaper, there wouldn't be zero sales.

"How about I give you the two hundred pairs of chopsticks you wanted for free? I also have bone china chopstick rests. I heard that government leaders at state banquets use these rests specifically to support their chopsticks, saying they look clean and classy. I can give away some of these little things. Otherwise, if you're selling them, I won't say much, five cents each is definitely worth it." After saying that, the shopkeeper took out a tiny little thing from the box. Hmm, it was quite exquisite.

Jingyan was truly struggling with her choices. The shop refused to refund the price of the bowls and plates, saying it was the price set by the manufacturer and that they had agreed on a certain percentage of the sales commission, so there was no hidden price and it couldn't be lowered. The chopsticks were something he had saved from his own commission.

Of course, Jingyan didn't believe the claim that she could save money from her commission. They were all in business, just playing along with some charlatan's charade; it was all just talk.

Although it's called a free gift, that's what he sells. Over the years, various manufacturers have randomly given away freebies, so he's probably accumulated these two hundred pairs of chopsticks. Of course, you'd still have to pay for them if you wanted to buy them, so saving some money is a good thing.

Jing Yan glanced at the ordinary porcelain plates and bowls again. She hadn't liked the patterns before, but now that there were better comparisons, she was even less interested. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Do you have enough of two hundred of each in your warehouse?"

The shopkeeper beamed with joy: "That's enough, that's enough."

“My shop is on Changxing Island. Do you know this place?” Jingyan asked again.

The shopkeeper nodded again: "I know, although I've never been there, I've heard of it and know the approximate location."

"If you can deliver to the store, plus the free chopsticks and chopstick rest, I can settle the payment after I receive and confirm receipt. We only brought 500 yuan today, which we thought would be enough, but now it's only 30%. However, it should be fine as a deposit, right?" Jingyan started to bargain. Didn't they say there was no price discount? Well, home delivery isn't too much to ask for, is it?