Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Shop Opens

He thought it was a good opportunity to purchase the place at a low price.

However, the others objected.

They all felt the place was unlucky, especially after a murder had taken place there. For merchants, nothing is more important than auspiciousness; sometimes, it can even affect the prosperity of their business. If the place had bad luck, it might drive away customers.

“Brother Han, this place has been up for sale for days, but not a single merchant has dared to take it over,” Lin Fei kindly reminded him.

“There’s no other property this large in North County City right now. My incense business needs extensive promotion and management. How could I not need a place like this?” Han Qing shook his head.

He had his own plans, and they were rarely shaken. Though these people meant well, their thinking was too conservative.

“All right,” he nodded.

But for the incense shop’s grand opening, there had to be some sort of gimmick; otherwise, how could he attract people to buy?

That’s it—an advertisement.

He called Er Zhuang over at once.

The small storybook shop had now been running for half a year, and its coming and going customers made up almost half the city’s population. Now was the perfect chance.

“For this quarter’s manuscripts, add some text and illustrations to the covers.”

“Huh?” Er Zhuang was instantly confused. He couldn’t figure out what this was about, or why Han Qing wanted to do it.

“Big brother, what’s the use of these pictures?”

“To promote my new shop,” Han Qing replied calmly.

Er Zhuang nodded, though the illustrations on the manuscripts were baffling, and he truly couldn’t see their purpose.

“What exactly is this incense for?”

“Haven’t you noticed more mosquitoes in the shop lately? This keeps them away. Take a few boxes and give them as gifts to our valued members who’ve bought before.”

In this way, they could broaden their customer base much more quickly than with previous time-consuming methods.

When the new shop opened, it instantly attracted crowds.

“Madam Sun, what are you still doing here? Hurry to the Incense Pavilion, or you might miss out!”

“I haven’t heard what this thing is even for!”

“You’re a bit out of touch,” a burly fellow said slowly. “My wife mentioned the other day that it kills every last mosquito.”

Everyone gathered at the Incense Pavilion. They’d seen the promotional goods, and though they hadn’t experienced them firsthand, curiosity brought them in droves.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our product is unique in the entire market. To celebrate our opening, you can buy five boxes for only three taels of silver, or ten boxes for five taels!”

A single box cost only a few coins, but bundling them increased the profit.

“Let us see them first. We’ve only seen the pictures, never the real thing.”

No one wanted to take home something ineffective.

But Han Qing was generous.

“I understand your doubts. You can take a small amount home to try first.”

His words excited the crowd.

A few wealthy patrons bought several boxes, but most people took only half a coil.

At the end of the day, though the crowd was large, actual sales were meager.

They’d spent considerable effort with little gain.

“Young Master Han, losing so much on the first day—isn’t that a bit reckless?” Lin Fei asked impatiently. He’d invested money, and now the outlook seemed bleak. It was hard not to feel disappointed.

“What’s the rush? We’ll win customers with reputation alone. Only if they experience it for themselves will the incense business truly take off.”

Han Qing explained calmly.

Sure enough, after three or four days, the Incense Pavilion was packed with customers, and many orders had already been booked for the next quarter.

The incense was an instant hit.

Most households now kept it as an essential item.

But as Han Qing’s business flourished, some merchants grew envious—especially Old Master Zhao, who had once tried to recruit Han Qing. After getting what he wanted, Han Qing refused to work with him again, and Zhao’s feelings of resentment grew.

Now, with incense the talk of the town, his complaints only grew louder.

“How much revenue did each of our Zhao family’s businesses make this quarter?” Uncle Zhao calculated carefully. “Two or three times more than last quarter."

“Our clothing shop is now famous across North County City, and business has been booming for months.”

“The only downside is that we have to share some of our monthly profits with Han Qing,” they said coldly.

Uncle Zhao nodded, a trace of disdain in his eyes.

“I’m aware. What about the other businesses?”

“Since the Bai family’s gambling house got into trouble, all the other gambling halls are deserted, utterly quiet.”

It appeared they’d lost a competitor, but because the capital had sent officials, certain noble families forbade their sons from visiting gambling houses. Everyone wanted to curry favor with Lin Fei and seize a chance for rapid advancement.

“Leave me.”

Old Master Zhao’s expression was extremely grim. He felt his current position was precarious. He had wanted to oust the Bai family, but now Han Qing’s actions had made him wary—they might become the next Bai family.

He had to find a solution.

Lin Fei sent incense to the capital, where it quickly won favor among the local gentry, especially the wives of high officials, who cared deeply about their skin. In summer, they’d often get bitten, but now that danger was gone, and they eagerly sent their household staff to purchase the product.

Business was booming.

But after just two weeks, one morning, a woman arrived at the shop wailing, her daughter in tow, pleading for help.

“Honorable magistrate, who will stand up for us?”

“Aunt Zhang, what’s happened? Why are you making a scene outside this shop?”

Some people, eager for excitement, gathered to watch.

“Let me tell you—some days ago, I saw my neighbor buy incense and place it at home. There wasn’t a single mosquito to be found in their house, so I thought I’d do the same...”