bookrandom Chapter 243 It’s not easy
Chapter 243 It’s not easy
The two walked and asked around, and found two more blacksmith shops. One shop charged nine taels of silver, which was about the same price as the previous one. Lin Xiaotang and her fourth uncle still thought it was expensive, so they inquired about a blacksmith shop that was located in a more secluded area.
They walked through two or three alleys and found a secluded and inconspicuous house. If it weren't for the wooden sign with carved words standing outside the door, they wouldn't have believed that there was a blacksmith shop there.
The shops in the market were bustling with customers, while this blacksmith shop in the alley was deserted, creating a stark contrast.
She thought to herself, "This blacksmith is really bold. Doesn't he care that customers don't know they make blacksmiths or can't find their shop?"
So Buddhist-like!
The two walked to the gate, which was wide open. A large shed had been set up in the yard, and it was filled to the brim with iron, including a large furnace for firing iron, hammers of all sizes, and forging tools...
Lin Xiaotang was secretly amazed. The place had everything, and the tools were no less than those in the blacksmith shops on the street. It even looked more professional than those shops.
A blacksmith, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, came out of the house carrying a lump of iron, with some gray hair in his bun.
Shen Qianchuan thought to himself, "This old man is still forging iron at such an advanced age; it must be really hard work."
People are getting old and are still trying to make money, so what reason does he have to back down?
Xiaotang is right. We must try and face it bravely. As long as we are down-to-earth and hardworking, we will surely reap the rewards. Even if we don't reap big rewards, we can still reap small rewards.
So he secretly cheered himself up, trying to appear confident rather than timid, took the blueprints from his niece, and handed them to the old man.
"Excuse me, can you make the iron car shown in the blueprints?"
The old man took the blueprints, frowned, squinted, and examined them carefully. He nodded and said, "It can be made, but the process is a bit complicated... It might take a few more days to finish. Can you wait?"
When Shen Qianchuan heard the first part of the story, his heart jumped into his throat, and he only breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the whole thing.
He said somewhat helplessly, "Old man, why are you talking so dramatically? I was worried you were complaining about the trouble and wanted to charge more. What's a little longer? As long as your price is reasonable, we don't mind waiting."
Lin Xiaotang nodded hurriedly and asked, "Grandpa, can you really make it according to the blueprints?"
The old man nodded and said, "Yes, if I say I can make it, I definitely can. You don't need to worry about that. I've been blacksmithing all my life. What haven't I made? I've even forged the finest black iron swords."
Goodness gracious! He's even made Xuan Tie swords. With such high skill, he must charge an even higher price, right?
Lin Xiaotang and her fourth uncle exchanged a glance, both feeling even more uncertain.
I asked many people and inquired my way here, thinking that since the location was remote, the price would be cheaper. I never expected that this old man would be such an expert.
Lin Xiaotang's lips twitched, and she asked, "Grandpa, how much would it cost to order a metal car like this according to the blueprints?" Her voice trailed off as she spoke.
The old man held up five fingers. "I won't ask for much, just five taels of silver. I guarantee I'll make you an iron cart exactly like the one in the blueprints, and I'll make sure you're completely satisfied."
Only five taels of silver?
Lin Xiaotang and her fourth uncle were stunned for a moment, then became excited. The old man only asked them for five taels of silver, which was half the price of the first shop. This was really great!
Just now, when the old man said he had made Xuan Tie swords, they thought he would definitely ask for a high price, but they didn't expect him to just take a deep breath.
Suppressing his joy, Shen Qianchuan asked, "Old man, could you give us a discount? We really don't have much money. It's because we're poor that we wanted to make this iron cart so we could do some small business by the roadside."
The old man sighed and said, “Everyone has their own difficulties. Your family is poor and you want to do business to make some money. My family is also poor, and I have a mentally challenged wife. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have opened my shop in this deep alley.”
He was afraid that if he opened the shop in a busy area, he would neglect his wife when he got busy. If his mentally challenged wife got lost, that would be terrible.
Upon hearing the old man's words, Lin Xiaotang immediately guessed why he had opened his shop in the alley. She comforted him, saying, "Grandpa's skills are excellent. No matter where you open your shop, anyone who has been to your shop will definitely come back if they need anything in the future. As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush."
The old man smiled and said frankly, "You little girl, you're quite the talker at such a young age. There's a saying that good wine needs no bush, but even so, many people are unwilling to walk a few more steps to my place."
They are willing to walk more; most of them come to him because they think the prices at the blacksmith shops in the market are too high.
Sure enough, he only asked for five taels of silver, and these two even tried to bargain with him.
He sighed slightly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the shops outside are several taels of silver more expensive than mine."
Lin Xiaotang thought to herself, "This old man is really good at guessing. He guessed right every time. It's true that it's a few taels of silver more expensive, and by half."
Seeing that the old man hadn't agreed, Shen Qianchuan became anxious and immediately tried to negotiate, "It's just an iron cart, and it doesn't even need to be made of pure iron. Use iron for the important parts, and you can use other things for the less important parts. Why does it have to cost five taels of silver? Give us a discount, and we'll decide to have it made here as soon as possible."
The old man hesitated for a moment, "Iron is very expensive these days. Five taels of silver is already a good price. I only asked because I thought you were young and probably didn't have much money.
"Old man, everyone has their difficulties. You're a businessman too, so you must understand my current situation. I haven't earned a single penny yet, and I have to lay the groundwork first. What if I lose everything in the future? I'll have nowhere to cry and what will I do then?"
The old man glanced at Shen Qianchuan, then at Lin Xiaotang, and thought to himself that this father and daughter had it tough. The man looked to be under twenty, while his daughter was already six or seven. They got married early and had taken on responsibilities early.
Actually, he didn't know that Lin Xiaotang and Fourth Uncle were just uncle and niece.
He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and decided, "I'll give you a discount of half a tael of silver, four and a half taels, which is equivalent to me not asking you for any wages. I can't offer any more discounts than that."
Shen Qianchuan turned to look at his niece, his eyes asking if the price was acceptable.
Lin Xiaotang nodded, "Let's make it four and a half ounces. Let's decide quickly so we can finish making it sooner."
To be honest, aside from feeling sorry for the money, Shen Qianchuan had no other reason to hesitate.
So Lin Xiaotang took out two taels of silver as a deposit and decided to ask the old man to help make a wheeled iron car.
They went home and bought flour, oil, seasonings, a sharp kitchen knife, a jar for storing sesame oil, and a jar for holding porridge. They even made their own rolling pin and tongs...