After lunch, Shen Xuan wasn't in a hurry to return. Instead, he went to Zhinjin Street again. Compared to the refined atmosphere of Zhuangyuan Bridge, Zhinjin Street seemed more vibrant and lively, with more pedestrians and a generally bustling scene.
Shen Xuan noticed that while Zhinjin Street had many entertainment venues like brothels and operas, there were more women and ger on its streets than on other commercial areas.
The courtesans and performers from brothels and opera houses loved beauty and often dressed exquisitely and alluringly.
To attract customers, these top courtesans and actors frequently paraded the streets in elaborate attire.
Although their status was low, their taste was not. Women and ger in the capital secretly looked to them as fashion trendsetters.
Because of this, besides ordinary restaurants, eateries, embroidery shops, and tailors, Zhinjin Street also had many shops specializing in hairstyling, makeup, and cosmetics.
These shops employed numerous professional women who excelled at hairstyling and makeup application, especially skilled in using false hairpieces (hair extension).
Many noble families' members would specifically come here to hire people to style their hair and apply their makeup for banquets.
For instance, there was a hairstyling shop called Changcui Workshop on this street, employing over a dozen hairstylists.
The owner, Madam Zhao, was a former imperial hairstylist released from the palace. Madam Zhao not only ran this shop but was also frequently invited by various official families to style hair.
Hiring her for a single day cost thirty taels of silver, and even then, she was often unavailable.
Therefore, sometimes customers had to settle for her shop's Madam Li or Madam Wang.
Although their status wasn't as prestigious as Madam Zhao's, who came from the palace, their hairstyling skills were excellent, and they charged one to two tens of taels of silver per day.
Although Shen Xuan wasn't personally fond of elaborate hairstyling and makeup, he was very interested in these shops run by women and ger.
Not many women and ger ran businesses in Great Jin. Most were limited to embroidery workshops, tailor shops, or beauty salons, and their owners were typically skilled craftspeople.
He observed that Changcui Workshop had a thriving flow of customers. The mirrors inside were lined with people, and there were even customers waiting in chairs outside the door.
Besides the stylists who were booked out, the remaining ones were all styling the hair of incoming customers.
Getting one's hair done at Changcui Workshop, even by a lesser-known stylist, cost at least one hundred wen to two taels of silver in labor fees, depending on the complexity of the hairstyle.
Customers could bring their own false hairpieces and hairpins, but if they didn't have them, they could also buy them at Changcui Workshop.
Shen Xuan casually looked around and found that a simple false hairpiece made of silk threads cost one taels of silver.
If made from real hair, it was even more expensive. Some very elaborate false hairpieces even cost ten taels of silver each.
In addition, various silk flowers, hairpins, and other small items, though not as precious as those sold in proper jewelry stores, attracted many customers to buy them on impulse due to their good quality and affordable price of one or two hundred wen per piece, generating a considerable income.
A hairstyling shop like this could have a daily turnover of at least several tens of taels of silver, earning over a thousand taels per month after deducting costs.
This was considered a substantial sum in the capital. Shen Xuan couldn't help but think to himself that this hairstyling business, with only about ten hairstylists and minimal costs, relied solely on skill.
Opening such a hairstyling shop on Zhinjin Street was comparable to the profits of running a restaurant on Zhuangyuan Bridge.
Moreover, a restaurant involved many more affairs and required more staff, making it harder to manage.
After visiting the hairstyling shop, Shen Xuan went to look at the nearby makeup shop. The situation there was similar.
Although the business wasn't as good as Changcui Workshop, it was still very profitable. After touring the entire Zhinjin Street, Shen Xuan realized that, apart from operas and brothels, the businesses catering to women and ger were likely the most profitable.
Shen Xuan's heart stirred, feeling that he too could enter this market and make a fortune. Although he knew nothing about needlework or hairstyling, he could go into the beauty and skincare business, couldn't he?
It was important to note that Great Jin currently had no concept of "skincare products" as such. While there were some cosmetic shops, they only sold a few basic items, which were quite limited compared to the dazzling array of skincare and makeup products available in the modern world.
Shen Xuan felt that the beauty and skincare business was a blue ocean in the Great Jin market, well worth venturing into.
However, this business wouldn't be easy to start. First, it required a large storefront, and then, appealing products. All of this would take time and effort. It wasn't something that could be set up in a short while.
With this idea in mind, Shen Xuan left Zhinjin Street and went to find the broker he had consulted earlier.
He first inquired about shops for sale on Zhinjin Street. He soon discovered that the popular shops in the capital were not affordable for ordinary people.
Not only were there few shops for sale, but the prices were extraordinarily high. A small, single-bay shop with a mere six chi (about 2 meters) wide facade cost five thousand taels of silver.
And this wasn't even in the busiest area, but next to smaller eateries. Popular shops near operas or Changcui Workshop, with a three chi (about 1 meter) facade, cost ten thousand taels of silver. If the space was larger, it would start from at least thirty to fifty thousand taels. With Shen Xuan's current savings, he couldn't even afford a single shop front...
Shen Xuan was helpless and could only ask, "Are there any shops for rent here? If so, how much is the rent?"
"There are a few available for rent," the broker replied to Shen Xuan. "However, rentals require at least a one-year lease. That five-thousand-taels shop I mentioned earlier has a rent of eight hundred taels per year."
He added, "Shops in better locations are more expensive to rent. A small shop would be over two thousand taels a year, and larger ones even more."
"It's that expensive?" Shen Xuan gasped, taking a cold breath.
He only had a little over three thousand taels on hand. Even if he spent it all, he could only rent a small shop in a good location, which wasn't ideal.
But if he wanted to rent a larger shop, the location wouldn't be good. If it was at the edge of the street or inside an alley, the foot traffic wouldn't be significant.
Seeing Shen Xuan's hesitation, the broker commented, "Shops on Zhinjin Street are the most expensive in the entire capital. If ger doesn't have that much money and still wants to rent a shop for business, why not rent somewhere else?"
"For example, at Zhuangyuan Bridge, you can rent a two-bay shop with a six chi facade for around five hundred taels per year. The location is also near the Imperial Academy, making it more cost-effective than Zhinjin Street."
"I'll think about it some more," Shen Xuan said, then took a carriage back to his residence.
Upon returning home, as Shen Xuan alighted from the carriage, he saw Mama You standing at the entrance.
She approached him with a displeased expression and said, "Shen Ger, where have you been? You left this morning and didn't return all day. You only came home after shenshi (3-5 PM)!"
"It's my first time in the capital, so everything looks fresh to me. I just spent a bit more time wandering outside," Shen Xuan explained.
Mama You seemed unconvinced. She glanced at Jinzhi and Jingui and then deliberately reprimanded them,
"Shen Ger is from the countryside and doesn't know the rules, but don't you two? How can a ger or a woman in the capital be out all day and not return home? I almost thought something happened to Shen Ger and was about to report it to Madam."
Jinzhi and Jingui had already been won over by Shen Xuan. When Mama You questioned them, they naturally helped Shen Xuan cover.
Jingui quickly spoke up, "Mama You is right to scold us. It's our fault for not reminding Shen Ger. We saw he was enjoying himself and just forgot about it."
Jinzhi chimed in, "We don't go out much on regular days either. Today, accompanying Shen Ger, we also forgot ourselves. Please scold us, Mama You."
Mama You heard that Jinzhi and Jingui's explanations were similar to Shen Xuan's, which made her think that Shen Xuan might be telling the truth.
So, she coughed and said, "I'll let it slide this time. If there's a next time, I'll report it to Madam and cut your monthly allowances, understand?"
Jinzhi and Jingui quickly agreed, and only then did Mama You turn and leave.
***
After she left, Shen Xuan returned to his room and asked Jinzhi and Jingui, "How much is your monthly allowance from the Xue family?"
"As third-rank attendants, it's one hundred wen of cash per month," Jingui replied.
"Alright, I won't concern myself with the money from the Xue family anymore. From now on, for working for me, I'll give you two hundred wen monthly allowance separately," Shen Xuan said.
Jinzhi and Jingui were overjoyed, immediately kowtowing to Shen Xuan in gratitude. They thought to themselves that Shen Xuan was indeed much more generous than the Xue family.
Besides the extra rewards he often gave, he was now offering double their monthly allowance. Even if they no longer received their allowance from the Xue family, they would still serve Shen Xuan well.
After all, if they are following Madam in the Xue family, they would at most remain minor third-rank attendants, whereas following Shen Xuan held promise for their future.
***
Later, after dinner, Shen Xuan lay on his bed and began to ponder his entrepreneurial plans. His initial idea had stalled before it even began due to a lack of funds.
He had to temporarily set aside the idea of opening a beauty shop on Zhinjin Street and switch to a low-cost business.
When it came to low cost, a small snack and tea business was the simplest. The shop facade didn't need to be too large. All it needed was a backyard with a well, where they could draw water and make a fire.
Shen Xuan carefully considered it and decided that this snack business still needed to be on Zhinjin Street.
He couldn't possibly sell his honey scholar tea, but snacks were often oily, and scholars might worry about staining their books, so they wouldn't sell as well near the Imperial Academy as tea.
While the restaurants and teahouses on Zhuangyuan Bridge had a more refined atmosphere, they didn't allow small vendors to hawk their wares inside. Relying only on customers coming out to buy wouldn't earn much.
However, Zhinjin Street's brothels and operas had many customers. Furthermore, these places weren't concerned with maintaining a high-class image and allowed small vendors to enter and sell door-to-door.
Relatively speaking, business on Zhinjin Street would definitely be better than on Zhuangyuan Bridge.
This kind of small business was like this: although the cost was low, because prices couldn't be set high, the profit ceiling was also low.
What Shen Xuan most wanted to do now was still the beauty shop business. Selling snacks would just be a temporary measure.
On Zhinjin Street, there were countless snack stalls and shops, many of them selling similar items. There were already three wonton stalls and two selling steamed buns.
Shen Xuan carefully thought about various modern-world street foods and realized there were many things he hadn't yet seen on Zhinjin Street.
Any one of them, if brought out for sale, should be able to attract customers.
After some careful selection, Shen Xuan decided to choose two types of snacks that paired well with alcohol.
After all, there were many drinking customers in the nearby brothels and operas, and they were typically the ones who loved to buy various snacks to go with their drinks.
Comments Box