novelFox Ears And Spices, Continuation
| ← Ch.68 | Ch.70 → |
-Rine, innkeeper's daughter's POV-
I'm from an old innkeeper family.
It is both our tradition and prestige but because it's so old, there are a lot of strings attached.... it makes us hard to move.
Recently, there have been more and more inn that are cheap and competitive only lacking in interior decoration and services.
—taken. Yes, they were the ones who've been taking our guests.
Our old-fashioned attentive service and carefully prepared luxurious meals.
That's how we do things but we couldn't keep up with.... time.
Our management is on fire.
Right now, we are even struggling to purchase enough food for tomorrow's dinner....
My father, who is also a chef, doesn't care about management. He only cares about serving the best ingredients and carefully preparing the food using the best techniques for his customers.
Of course, our prices are also the best.
That's why there are no customers.
Every day, as the person in charge of accounting and purchasing consumable goods, including ingredients, I always say to myself "Nothing good will come from being stingy!" But what's with these ingredients? It only brings us closer to doom.
And now, I'm visiting the market...the biggest problem I have is purchasing spices.
They are so expensive that they are said to be traded with their same weight in gold. And of course, it's a painful expense...especially in a falling business.
「Ano.... aren't you asking too much?」
「If you think so, then don't buy it. 」
My favorite ingredient store asked me for a 40 percent increase in the price of red powder.
「No, but.... 」
「Let me tell you this, the peddlers were attacked by bandits so the purchase price has gone up. 」
「With all due respect, sir—」I said.
I'm a merchant's daughter too.
If I don't say what I have to say, I will be tricked and kicked into the dust in the world of business.
「You seemed to have sold with only 20% price increase to the customer earlier. 」
「Oh, is that so?」
The grocer said so without taking offense.
「I change the price depending on the customer. We are at a critical time because of the soaring purchase price after all. 」
「.... Eh?」
「Let me explain it to you. That customer is a regular customer so I decided to split the increase in the purchase price to 50-50 between us and the customer.... he's been a regular customer for a long time. 」
「Then, if you can sell me that much too.... we've been your customer for a since generations ago.... we can even be called partners. 」
The grocer chuckled.
「I've heard about that otaku's inn.... it won't last long, right?」
He also changed his tone, sending his mocking gaze to me.
「.... what about it?」
「I'm saying that you should give up and we don't plan on being partners with you. 」
「..... !?」
I heard that my grandfather's and great grandfather's generation.... have given big loans for this ingredient store.
In addition, when the other side was struggling, there was a time that we even bought ingredients from them with added price....
I thought that we have a long trusting relationship but....
Then, the grocer said with a smile.
「I don't mind if you don't buy from us. We're the only ones who sell spices in this market. If you have any complaints, please go to the next town. However, since there is a soaring purchase price.... you probably buy it at the price I said earlier. 」
I was so frustrated that I began to cry.
It's not that I'm asking you to give me preferential treatment over others and lower the price.
If there is such a thing as a price for regular customers, then treat me as a regular customer...that's all I want....
However, without spices, we can't entertain tomorrow's guests.
I opened my wallet and was about to pay with the little gold I had left then, I heard—-
「Then, let's get down to business! We'll sell our peppers at half price compared to others! And What's more, since it will be your first purchase from us, you'll get 75% off instead of 50%!」
A fox eared girl spread a carpet beside her and on the carpet are all sorts of spices.
Starting with red powder, peppers, turmeric.... and a huge variety of other spices that she had never seen before.
All of them are piled up in a huge pile.
The amount of red powder alone was probably several times the amount of what was on display at the ingredients store she's currently negotiating with.
With a smiling face, the fox-eared girl continued.
「Take it or leave it! The upper purchase limit per person is 5 gold coins...what are you waiting for? Buy now!」
「50% less than the others?」
「How can she sell it at that price!?」
「So basically, the 75% discount is only for today!?」
Maa, those are normal reactions. It goes without saying that people flocked to her in a blink of an eye.
-0-
—everyone did alright.
Less than a month later, the ingredient store that my inn had been buying too stopped selling spices.
There is a rumor that the grocer has also withdrawn from the sugar business.
It is said that they have a large amount of bad inventory of spices and sugar and have a large amount of debt....
Furthermore, rare monster ingredients, which is the main business of the ingredient store.... has recently been sold at low prices by the company that the fox eared girl belongs to.
The company seems to hunt, dismantle, transport, and sell them by themselves.
Everything was handled in a first-class manner but they are very cheap.
Aren't they amazing?
-0-
And this is not a rumor but I heard directly but I heard it from the financial company. They are already judging their business partners that are no longer feasible to continue and will stop them personally.
In other words, the financier has already been preparing for debt collection. That includes coercive measures including seizure of the ingredient store that our inn has been trading with for generations.... and that's it.
| ← Ch. 68 | Ch. 70 → |