The old lady left dejectedly.

Xiao Qingyin asked Ruan Lanruo, "How much is a bundle of 'Golden Jade Abundance'?"

Five hundred taels.

Five hundred taels?

Xiao Qingyin was astonished.

Although there are many teas that cost more than this, the old lady doesn't seem like someone who can afford such expensive tea.

Ruan Lanruo seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled:

"Actually, it was only sold for 100 taels at the beginning, but in the past few months, there have been too many customers, and the supply cannot meet the demand, which has driven up the price. Some people buy it, store it for a period of time, and then resell it to make a profit from the price difference."

Xiao Qingyin suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."

Zhilanxuan's business is so good that scalpers have appeared.

"Did the waiter deliberately refuse to sell to her just now?"

"Half and half."

Ruan Lanruo took a sip of tea.

"I did tell them to close up shop, but we rarely sell to individual customers like that."

Xiao Qingyin asked curiously, "Do wealthy families hoard goods for speculation?"

“Of course,” Ruan Lanruo chuckled. “The price of our tea was driven up by them.”

Xiao Qingyin's heart skipped a beat.

When the price and value of something are too far apart, a bubble is created.

The price of Zhilanxuan Pu'er tea has already increased several times over, and if it continues to rise, it could easily collapse.

Once it collapses...

The person who takes the last baton will become the one who gets harvested.

Zhilanxuan's reputation will plummet, and then no one will buy tea anymore.

Did Ruan Lanruo anticipate this?

She said calmly, "If this continues, the price of tea will probably skyrocket."

Ruan Lanruo sighed.

"Yes, not many people will be able to afford it then, but there are too few calm people."

Have you taken any measures?

"Yes, we have purchase restrictions. But it seems to have the opposite effect. The more restrictions we impose, the higher the resale price becomes, so we have to raise prices, and that's how it has become what it is now."

Ruan Lanruo shrugged, looking helpless.

“I don’t want this to happen either, but I have no choice. Our competitors envy our booming sales, but they have no idea what we’re going through.”

Xiao Qingyin detected a hint of smugness in her words.

She keenly realized that Ruan Lanruo did not genuinely want prices to stop rising; she actually welcomed the speculation by large investors in the tea market.

Indeed, if a bundle of tea weighing one hundred taels can be sold for five hundred taels or even more, which merchant wouldn't be tempted?

In the end, when the market crashed, it was those who speculated on it who lost money.

If a brand's reputation is ruined, then close the store and open a new one.

This is a way to make quick money.

She felt a little upset.

I wanted to advise Ruan Lanruo to think more long-term, but then I remembered how exhausted she was when she brought her son to the hospital for treatment because the wet nurse disliked her and she had to take care of the child herself.

The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

Do not advise others to do good if you have never experienced their suffering.

She has never experienced the pain of falling from a high place to a low place, being looked down upon and having no one to help her, so what right does she have to advise others not to make a quick buck and to cut back on exploitation?

So he nodded and said, "Doing business is indeed not easy."

Ruan Lanruo then talked about the setbacks and troubles she encountered in running Zhilanxuan.

Xiao Qingyin listened while drinking tea, but because of the knot in her heart, she couldn't really empathize with the conversation.

She had encountered setbacks and troubles in doing business before. When she and Ji Yunhua founded Baibaozhai in Yizhou, they also faced many difficulties.

Competition from competitors, extortion by scoundrels, difficult customers, leaked prescriptions...

At that time, Ji Yunhua was hiding her identity. She was just a little girl abandoned in the countryside by her family. She had no power, no background, and fought against the local tyrants with her bare hands.

Even during the most difficult times, she never had any crooked thoughts, such as cutting corners, using inferior materials, or selling sulfur-fumigated medicinal herbs like everyone else.

In comparison, Ruan Lanruo had the title of Princess Consort of Ping, which made things much easier for her.

Even just because of her reputation, there are still plenty of people who come to buy her tea.

Running a tea shop properly and winning customers through quality can also secure a place in the tea industry.

Now it's like this...

After finishing her second cup of tea, Xiao Qingyin glanced at the sky outside and said goodbye, "I should go back to my residence now. Let's end our conversation here."

Ruan Lanruo earnestly urged her to stay, saying, "Have a meal before you leave. It's not easy for us to meet."

Xiao Qingyin shook her head: "Next time, I have something to do tonight."

"Then it's settled, we'll have dinner together next time."

Ruan Lanruo smiled and saw her downstairs.

As she walked to the carriage, she handed Xiao Qingyin the two bundles of tea that the waiter had given her.

"These two are new products, try them and see if you like them."

Xiao Qingyin didn't want to accept it, but she couldn't back down and had no choice but to accept it.

"I'm leaving now."

She waved to Ruan Lanruo.

The carriage immediately drove away.

Ruan Lanruo watched her car disappear around the corner before going upstairs.

An old woman sat in the spot where Xiao Qingyin had just been sitting.

"You talked too much just now."

The old woman said expressionlessly.

"She's a smart woman; she's probably already guessed our intentions."

An unnatural look flashed across Ruan Lanruo's face.

"I didn't expect an old woman to come after everyone had been dismissed. I was afraid she would take offense, so I said a few more words."

The old woman looked out the window.

"You know what you're thinking. The longer we stay here, the more things might go wrong; it's time to close the net."

Ruan Lanruo exclaimed in surprise: "Should we wait a little longer? Perhaps we could expand to another level..."

The old woman sneered, "If we wait any longer, the government will come."

Ruan Lanruo's face turned ugly.

"It was my rashness. I will give the order right away."

...

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!