Chapter 42 Winning Over My Friends' Dads

“Uncles and elders, we’re all family. Isn’t it the same whether we sell or you sell?” Wei Shuyu said with a smile.

How could they be the same?

You earn four strings of cash a day, but we earn hundreds of times more!

"You are still young, so you should prioritize your studies!" the official advised patiently.

"We understand that, which is why we're hiring."

As he spoke, Wei Shuyu beckoned to Luo Dan: "Come here and greet all the esteemed officials."

Luo Dan immediately knelt down: "This humble Luo Dan greets all of you esteemed officials."

Eggs, dog eggs...

Is this what we care about?

Several officials looked impatient, waved their hands, and then ignored them.

"Shuyu, to tell you the truth, you're making too little money from this ice business. If you hand it over to us, you can earn a lot more each day," the official said softly as he approached Wei Shuyu.

“But I think I earn quite a lot.” Wei Shuyu blinked, deliberately showing an innocent face.

“Four strings of cash is a lot for ordinary people, but for us, it’s just a day’s expenses, you understand?” the official whispered again.

"Who said I only sold four strings?"

"Isn't it four strings?"

The official pointed to the four strings of copper coins that Choi Shin-ki was dragging.

"That was just something they were selling for fun; I actually sold that many."

Wei Shuyu held up five fingers.

"Fifty strings of cash is still too little."

"Make a bold guess."

"Five hundred strings of cash? That... is barely enough."

"Be bolder."

"Five thousand strings of cash?"

The group stared wide-eyed, utterly shocked.

"Forget it, I'm not going to pretend anymore." Wei Shuyu shook his head: "A minimum of 50,000 strings of cash!"

hiss……

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.

Choi Shin-ki exclaimed in shock, "What? Fifty thousand kan?"

*Smack*

Wei Shuyu raised his hand and smacked him on the head.

"Why are you making such a fuss? Haven't you ever seen money before?"

Several officials looked at Wei Shuyu with strange expressions.

"Uncles and elders, please don't mind. I don't usually knock people on the head unless I can't help it," Wei Shuyu said with an embarrassed smile.

Do we care that you hit someone on the head?

What we care about is how you earned 50,000 strings of cash!

"You're not lying to us, are you?" The group looked at Wei Shuyu suspiciously.

"Look, those restaurant owners are still here. You can ask them." Wei Shuyu pointed to several owners in the distance.

The group frowned.

Officials often dined together, so they were quite familiar with these shopkeepers.

With just a wave of his hand, the shopkeepers came running over eagerly.

"You want to buy ice?"

Their attitude towards the shopkeeper was much more arrogant.

The two sides are not on the same level.

"Yes, Lord Zheng," the manager of Yanquelou replied with a bow.

How many are you planning to buy?

"At first, we didn't dare to order too much. We ordered 100 jin (50 catties) of ice every day. If it sold well, we would buy more."

How much is 100 jin?

“Our purchase price is 100 jin/70 guan. To prevent melting when selling, we buy 100 jin, and Young Master Wei will give us an extra 20 jin, for a total of 120 jin.”

The officials exchanged glances and then nodded.

"You've all made the purchases?"

"Yes."

"Step down."

Lord Zheng waved his hand.

"There are only a few people in total, and it probably only amounts to a thousand or so strings of cash."

Several officials looked at Wei Shuyu with smiles.

“They make around 1,000 strings of cash a day, but they are long-term, stable customers.”

"There are still more than two months until summer ends, selling 50,000 strings of cash should be no problem, right?"

Wei Shuyu explained with a smile.

The group was taken aback. Could business really be done this way?

But upon closer examination, it makes sense.

"And there are more than just these few restaurants in Chang'an. If we expand further, the money will come in, won't it?"

"We'll promote our products to restaurants, inns, brothels, academies... wherever there are lots of people, that's where we'll go."

"I estimate that if we sell them all summer, we should be able to earn 300,000 strings of cash in Chang'an alone."

Three hundred thousand strings of cash?

The group was completely dumbfounded.

They painstakingly built their fortunes over a lifetime, embezzling with all their might, yet their wealth amounted to only tens of thousands of coins.

"The main reason is that this ice is easy to transport and melt; otherwise, I would sell it all over the Tang Dynasty, that would be real money-making!"

yes.

This is only Chang'an!

If ice were sold throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, it would be faster than robbery.

"Ahem... Nephew, don't you have a recipe for making ice? Why don't you give us your recipe and we can sell it in other prefectures?" the official said somewhat embarrassedly.

Upon hearing this, the others also looked at Wei Shuyu with excitement.

Earning 300,000 yuan in one summer sounds amazing!

"no."

Wei Shuyu shook his head and refused.

"Why?"

The group looked slightly displeased.

"Selling ice in large quantities requires a large workforce to make it."

"The method for making ice is very simple, but what if the recipe is leaked?"

"We still have control in Chang'an."

"But if we leave Chang'an, the formula will be leaked and fall into the hands of the people. If they make it themselves, how will we make money?"

The group nodded in agreement, all agreeing that Wei Shuyu's words made sense.

But they were still not satisfied!

Great opportunities to make money are right in front of them, but they can't get a chance.

"Uncles and elders, this ice-selling business is a collaboration between us kids, do you understand?"

As if he could read their minds, Wei Shuyu coughed lightly.

A collaboration?

Their eyes lit up immediately.

My son's business is my business.

Isn't my son's money my money too?

"Moreover, my uncles and elders are officials in the court. Selling ice would be competing with the people for profit, and it would sound terrible if word got out."

Wei Shuyu then gave another reason.

The men began stroking their beards, listening with smiles on their faces.

"And this is another matter. If you get involved, will you include my father and Yi'ai's father in the mix?"

"Go ahead and bring them, but they might disagree because of their reputation."

"If we don't bring them, they'll feel uncomfortable about losing so much money for no reason."

“It’s different when we step in.”

“I’m not an official. I earn money through my own abilities, and my dad can’t scold me for it.”

Wei Shuyu recounted the story with a smile...

In fact, these words were already a warning.

The names of the two prime ministers were used to warn the group not to think about taking all the benefits for themselves.

“My dear nephew, your foresight is truly remarkable; it was we who were rash.”

"Indeed, I heard that you defeated General Qin yesterday? You are truly a man of both literary and military talent."

"Nephew, are you engaged yet? How about your uncle introduces you to someone?"

With everyone boasting, the matter was finally settled.

The time to go home was filled with trepidation for everyone.

Because they skipped school.

On their way home, their father not only didn't beat them, but also showed them concern and care.

This phenomenon further solidified one of their ideas...

Follow the big brother and you'll live a life of luxury!

And so the next day arrived.

While Wei Shuyu was still instructing Qin Shandao in military boxing, Cui Shenji rushed in again...

"Big brother, something terrible has happened! Our Ice Pavilion has been vandalized!"