Ganli lifted the heavy curtain and walked into the front hall, where she immediately saw Old Sun sitting at the table.
Today, Old Sun was dressed in a royal blue Hangzhou silk robe, his hair was neatly combed, and he was holding a teacup in his hand, sipping tea with a smile. He looked spirited and seemed to have become several years younger.
Old Sun was sitting at the table drinking tea when he saw her arrive. He quickly stood up and greeted her, "Manager Gan, please have a seat."
Gan Li smiled and sat down opposite him, teasingly saying, "Boss Sun, you seem to be in high spirits today. Look at your radiant face; something good must have happened."
Old Sun laughed heartily, neither denying nor denying, and readily said:
"It's all thanks to Manager Gan that I caught a good time and made a fortune."
He had initially wanted to be modest and say he had made a 'small profit'. However, considering the amount he had received this time, saying it was 'small' would be too untrue.
As he spoke, he looked sincerely at Gan Li and remarked with emotion:
"Speaking of which, if it weren't for your reminder, Boss Gan, I'm afraid I would have been just like that Master Zhao, blinded by greed and doing something foolish."
As he spoke, he felt a pang of sorrow as he recalled Master Zhao's current predicament.
This time, it wasn't just Master Zhao who suffered. Other merchants who took the opportunity to sell saltpeter at high prices were also implicated. At best, they were fined; at worst, like Master Zhao, their homes were confiscated and they were exiled!
He had seen the price of saltpeter so high before, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. But he remembered Ganli's words, and how she was always smart and her words always made sense. So he suppressed his greed!
Now it's clear! While most merchants were losing money because of saltpeter, he made a fortune from it and won the favor of the people and a good reputation for honest business practices by insisting on not raising prices!
Don't be fooled by the seemingly ethereal reputation; it actually brings many benefits!
Therefore, he was extremely grateful for Ganli's advice to him.
Gan Li waved her hand and said with a smile, "Mr. Sun, you're joking. It's all because you're upright that you were able to avoid this disaster. I was just saying it casually."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Old Sun finally revealed the purpose of his visit.
It turned out that after Master Zhao was arrested, he was sentenced to exile three thousand miles away, and all of his family's properties were put into the county government's treasury.
The money could be deposited directly into the treasury, but these properties still needed to be managed. So, Magistrate Lu Yuan decided to sell these properties and use the proceeds to compensate the people who had bought saltpeter.
As he spoke, Old Sun pulled a notice from his pocket and handed it to Gan Li, saying:
"I reckon this news will spread throughout Cangxi Town soon, and there will definitely be a lot of people wanting to buy it. If you're really interested, you'd better make plans early!"
Gan Li took the notice, opened it, and saw that it said that in three days, the county government would sell the property under the Zhao family's name at the vegetable market.
Ganli glanced at it briefly and saw that in addition to three or four houses and several hundred acres of fertile land, there were also many shops.
The largest of these is now Wanshunlou.
Seeing where her gaze lingered, Manager Sun smiled and said:
"Manager Gan certainly has a good eye. Many people are eyeing this Wanshun Restaurant. With your relationship with the county magistrate, it shouldn't be difficult to put in a word and have him help you stay."
Gan Li's heart stirred, but she said:
“Wanshunlou is indeed a good location, but Uncle Sun, why don’t you take it over yourself? It’s next to your Baifulai. If you can take over this land, you’ll be the only one in the town.”
"A monopoly? I might have dared to say that before, but I wouldn't dare to even think about it now."
Old Sun shook his head with a wry smile: "Actually, I had already planned to shut down Baifulai as well."
"Close Baifulai?" Gan Li was genuinely surprised that Old Sun had this plan. Upon hearing this, she asked him in astonishment, "Why?"
Old Sun sighed, a hint of emotion in his eyes:
"To be honest, Manager Gan, ever since I ate at your restaurant last time, I've known in my heart that this town will eventually be yours."
Your restaurant's food and taste are unmatched by anyone else. I'm thinking that rather than waiting to be squeezed out, it's better to leave now and find another way out.
He paused, then added, "Moreover, I recently made several trips to other places and discovered some new business opportunities that are much more profitable than running a struggling restaurant."
That is precisely why he is so open-minded.
As Old Sun finished speaking, he looked intently at Gan Li:
"Manager Gan, I can tell you're not one to be content with the status quo. If you want to take things a step further, you should seriously consider Wanshun Restaurant. It's a great opportunity."
Ganli was relieved to hear that he had other plans.
In fact, she had considered this before. It is said that competitors are enemies. If her restaurant wants to expand further, it will inevitably compete with Baifulai sooner or later.
Now that Old Sun is actually going to close Baifulai himself, that's naturally the best thing; at least he's saved a friend.
She carefully considered Old Sun's suggestion, mentally calculating the amount of money she had, but found herself in a dilemma.
"I know this is a good opportunity, but my restaurant, though seemingly bustling, has always been plagued by this and that since it opened. The money I've earned is all spent, and I don't have much left. I'm afraid it won't be enough to take over Wanshun Restaurant..."
Seeing this, Old Sun burst into laughter:
"Manager Gan, you seem to have a bad memory. Have you forgotten that you have a 'deposit' with me?"
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