The Price of a Garment
“Who the hell are you?”
Dan Yeop glanced at the water jar sitting in the middle of the yard and immediately guessed the man’s identity.
“My name is Dan Yeop. I just moved into the small room at the far end yesterday. Are you, by any chance, the water carrier?”
“That’s right. Name’s Ma Deung. Where’s that old man gone off to?”
“I’m not sure. I arrived just after dusk yesterday, and he wasn’t here then either.”
“Tsk! Must’ve gone to the tavern again.”
Ma Deung muttered to himself, then set the bundle he was carrying down on the table and looked at Dan Yeop.
“Little brother, care to share a drink?”
At the invitation, Dan Yeop gladly sat down across from Ma Deung.
It wasn’t that he particularly craved alcohol. He simply wanted to build a good relationship with the man he now shared a house with.
When Ma Deung pulled a bottle of liquor and some dumplings from his bundle, Dan Yeop quickly ran to the kitchen and brought back two tea cups.
Ma Deung filled the empty cups with grain wine and said, “You must be blessed with good fortune, my friend. What line of work are you in, little brother?”
“I’m doing odd jobs at a fabric shop.”
“East Market? West Market?”
“It’s the Yang Family Fabric Shop in the West Market’s fabric district.”
“Ah, the fabric district. Is the work bearable?”
“It’s all right. That old man said your business brings in quite a bit. Is that true?”
The moment Dan Yeop called him “big brother,” Ma Deung immediately dropped the formal speech.
“You know the saying—‘even grasshoppers only last one season’? That’s exactly what being a water carrier is like. Business is decent in the summer, but after that it dries up. In winter, it’s practically dead.”
Dan Yeop nodded as if he understood.
It seemed the old man had only seen the grass as greener on the other side.
After all, if the profit were truly that good, everyone would be rushing in and no one would make much money.
Ma Deung and Dan Yeop drank together, picking up the dumplings with their hands.
Once the drinking session ended, Ma Deung said he was tired and went to his room. Dan Yeop, with nothing else to do, went out for a night walk.
He circled the house once when he heard the faint sound of a bell in the distance signaling the closing of the city gates.
After curfew, the Imperial Guards patrolled the streets at all hours.
Dan Yeop returned home. With nothing particular to do, he lay down in his small room and tried to sleep.
He had finished a full day’s work, but this was also out of consideration for the ‘Dunce’ Dan Yeop, who would have to live through tomorrow.
Yet perhaps because of the excitement of the new environment, sleep refused to come.
“Sigh… I guess I’ll have to put this body to more use.”
He went back out to the yard and spent the entire night training the Six Gates martial arts and the Taego Sect’s cultivation method.
When morning came, he made millet porridge and cabbage soup, ate, and left the house.
West Market Fabric District.
After finishing the morning cleaning at the Yang Family Fabric Shop, Dan Yeop spent the entire day roaming through every fabric shop in the West Market.
He pretended to be running errands while thoroughly learning the types and prices of every fabric traded there.
He also uncovered the entire distribution chain of raw materials and even the exact production costs involved in making garments.
By dusk, when he returned to the Yang Family Fabric Shop, he hovered around Owner Yang like a persistent shadow.
Feeling his gaze, Yang Bok finally turned his head.
“Stop pacing around like you’re making me nervous. If you have something to say, spit it out.”
“It’s about the clothes those guests I brought yesterday ordered.”
Yesterday, Na Bu-gang had ordered a Dragon Round Robe, and Na Geum-ryeong had ordered a Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt set.
The Dragon Round Robe was a long robe with a round collar made of silk fabric, while the Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt was a set made of fine silk with embroidery.
Since the two were direct members of the Jinbo Trading Company, only the highest-grade materials were to be used.
“You mean the Dragon Round Robe and the Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt?”
“Yes. I was hoping you could set a reasonable price.”
“Didn’t I already tell you not to worry about it? I’ll handle it properly. What business does a kid who can’t even tell piss from shit have poking his nose into this?”
“Come on, I did some market research today. I know enough now.”
“Hmph! As if that head of yours could figure anything out in a single day.”
Yang Bok let out a cold laugh.
His mockery was understandable. After all, he had spent the entire first morning teaching Dan Yeop the basics.
“So how much are you planning to charge?”
“Twenty taels for the Dragon Round Robe, fifteen taels for the Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt.”
One tael of silver was worth a thousand copper coins—an enormous sum.
But considering that the clothing expenses of Chang’an’s wealthy often equaled an ordinary person’s yearly living costs, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
“Goodness! That’s quite greedy. How about fifteen taels for the Dragon Round Robe and ten taels for the Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt?”
“You crazy bastard. You don’t even know how much the materials cost.”
Stung by the word “greedy,” Yang Bok immediately started cursing.
But Dan Yeop didn’t even flinch.
“The market price for the light gauze and satin used in the Dragon Round Robe is twelve taels. Even if you factor in one tael for labor, you’d still make two taels profit. Why are you trying to take seven? As for the Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt…”
“Shut your mouth! Where does this punk get off spouting nonsense…”
Despite his words, Yang Bok’s heart sank.
The numbers were slightly off, but Dan Yeop was exactly right about his plan to pocket seven taels of profit from the Dragon Round Robe.
Chapter 30. So where exactly did you like it so much?
Yang Bok trembled as he frantically racked his brain.
Dan Yeop continued speaking without pause.
“The Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt uses fixed-price silk, so the real variable is the embroidery cost… But Owner Yang, you already know all the embroidery merchants inside and out. You could have it made for seven taels, so let’s settle on ten. That still leaves you with three taels of profit. Combined with the Dragon Round Robe, that’s a total of five taels. Charging fifteen taels is pure gouging.”
Yang Bok bit his lip in frustration before finally speaking.
“You only know one thing and not the other. Rich people think clothes are luxurious only when they’re expensive. If the price is too low, they assume there must be something wrong with the garment.”
“Come on, what are you talking about? Fifteen taels and ten taels are already enormous sums. How could anyone call a single set of clothes that costs over ten taels ‘cheap’?”
“You idiot, other fabric shops charge twenty-two taels for a Dragon Round Robe. Twenty taels is actually on the cheap side.”
“That’s what the expensive shops charge. The cheaper ones sell them for twelve taels. So fifteen taels is perfectly reasonable.”
Having already scouted every fabric shop in the West Market, Dan Yeop spoke without hesitation.
Yang Bok ground his teeth and shouted, “I won’t do it! Absolutely not!”
“Then I’ll honestly tell my customers exactly how much profit Owner Yang is making.”
“You think I’ll let you get away with that?”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Obviously I’ll kick you out. Do you really think a penniless bastard like you can survive this winter?”
“I can just work at another fabric shop. I already know the entire trade. Finding one job won’t be hard.”
“You think Elder Yang will introduce you to another job after you cause a scene and leave my shop? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Even if Elder Yang doesn’t help me, I have my own ways, you know?”
Dan Yeop had no money, yet he stood tall and confident.
If he couldn’t find work at another fabric shop, he planned to follow Ma Deung around and sell water.
When Dan Yeop refused to back down, Yang Bok’s momentum faltered.
“You ungrateful little bastard. How can you do this to me? I gave you money in advance and even let you work freely.”
“I’m grateful you advanced me a hundred coins, but thanks to me you’ll be earning five extra taels of silver. You shouldn’t call that ingratitude.”
“Ugh… Fine, I lose. I’ll throw in one extra tael of silver. Just keep your mouth shut about the clothing prices.”
In the end, Yang Bok decided to try buying Dan Yeop off.
He figured that even if he gave away one tael, he would still pocket nine more.
But Dan Yeop did not fall for Owner Yang’s temptation.
“I can’t do that. I made a promise to Young Master Na. I cannot break it.”
“What promise?”
“That I would help them buy what they want at a reasonable price.”
“You son of a bitch. So you’re going to keep throwing a tantrum?”
“It’s not a tantrum. I’m simply suggesting we conduct honest business.”
Yang Bok finally exploded.
“Get out! Get the hell out of here, you bastard!”
“Does that mean you’re firing me from the fabric shop right now?”
“Who said anything about firing you? Just go do your damn job!”
“Ah, understood. In any case, please do as I asked regarding the clothing prices. For your own customers, you may charge whatever you like, Owner Yang. I can be flexible about that much.”
“Just go. Hurry up.”
“Yes.”
The moment Dan Yeop left, Yang Bok immediately sent someone to call for Yang Hoe.
About half a shichen (one hour) later, Yang Hoe Mun-wi entered the Yang Family Fabric Shop.
“Elder Brother, you called for me?”
The instant he saw Yang Hoe’s face, Yang Bok let out a long groan.
“Yang Mun-wi, I’m going to lose my mind because of that kid you brought me.”
“What? Why? What happened?”
“That Dan Yeop is driving me insane. My head is pounding.”
“Dan Yeop? What exactly did that bastard do?”
Yang Bok then recounted the entire story in meticulous detail.
“…And then he arbitrarily decided the prices himself, telling me to charge only fifteen taels for the Dragon Round Robe and ten taels for the Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt. Who does he think he is, the owner of this shop? Why is an ignorant punk acting so high and mighty?”
“Aigoo! If he doesn’t know his place and keeps acting out, why didn’t you scold him properly? Why are you letting him rot your insides like this?”
“I did scold him, but it didn’t work at all. The kid who couldn’t even look me in the eye on the first day is now talking back without a shred of respect… I feel like I’m going to get an ulcer.”
“Then what would you like me to do? Should I take him back?”
Yang Hoe Mun-wi studied Yang Bok’s expression carefully.
In truth, his own heart wasn’t entirely comfortable hearing Dan Yeop being cursed at.
That was because the Hyangju he served—Dan Bul-wi—had specifically asked him to look after Dan Yeop, since the boy was Dan Bul-wi’s adopted son.
Such words would never have come up back when contact between the Six Gates had been rare.
Yang Bok waved his hand dismissively.
“No, no. We can’t be so heartless. Yang Mun-wi, could you put that kid in his place a little? Make him follow my orders.”
“Understood. I’ll meet with him first and give him a stern talking-to. If he still doesn’t listen, I’ll just take him back…”
“Hey! Yang Mun-wi, why are you trying to make me look like the villain? Just scold him a bit, that’s all I’m asking.”
“And if he still doesn’t listen?”
“Haa… What choice do I have? I’ll just have to keep him and try to make something out of him.”
“Very admirable. By the way, how much is Dan Yeop’s current monthly wage?”
“Two hundred coins.”
Yang Bok, who had been secretly taking fifty coins from that amount as a commission, looked at Yang Hoe with an expression that said, ‘You already know that, so why are you asking?’
“I won’t take the commission this time. Please give Dan Yeop the full two hundred and fifty coins.”
“Give all of it to Dan Yeop? But why?”
“Winter is coming soon. We should let him prepare for it.”
“I see. To be honest, that part had been bothering me a little too. Anyway, go find Dan Yeop and give him a proper scolding.”
At the words “give him a proper scolding,” Yang Hoe tilted his head.
“Isn’t he here?”
“I tried to teach him, but he couldn’t grasp anything. So I sent him out to bring in customers.”
“Understood. I’ll find him and give him a thorough dressing-down.”
After leaving the Yang Family Fabric Shop, Yang Hoe Mun-wi went looking for Dan Yeop.
But finding him turned out to be far more difficult than expected.
After searching the fabric district all morning, he finally headed toward the Hyangman Pavilion when noon arrived.
Sure enough!
There was Dan Yeop, sitting in a prime spot with a scenic view, calmly eating a bowl of noodles.
“Dan Yeop!”
The moment he saw him, Yang Hoe Mun-wi’s pent-up anger burst out in a short shout.
Dan Yeop swallowed the food in his mouth and asked with a perfectly innocent face, “Huh? Who might you be?”
“You shameless—! It’s Yang Hoe!”
“Ah! Elder Yang. You must be here for lunch. Would you like to sit?”
When Dan Yeop pointed to the empty seat across from him, Yang Hoe Mun-wi swallowed his boiling rage and sat down.
The waiter approached and bowed deeply.
“Elder Yang, welcome! What can I get for you?”
Yang Hoe Mun-wi, who happened to be feeling a bit hungry—