Zhang seemed to have regained her usual shrewdness, and Old Mrs. Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Her eldest daughter-in-law had always been intelligent, but she had suffered too many blows recently. Not to mention her own mother, even she, an old woman with one foot in the grave, would have been overwhelmed after experiencing half a lifetime of ups and downs! If it weren't for her large family behind her, she probably wouldn't have survived either.
Thankfully, the eldest grandson is back, and he seems to be doing well! The Lu family can stand up again!
On Da Wa's side, he began to negotiate with the madam. After all, the madam had been navigating the world for many years, and she seemed to handle Da Wa, a naive young man, with ease.
Gu Qingshan was a little worried. After all, his nephew and apprentice was too young and his temperament was unpredictable. What if… But looking at the people next to him, well, even the other person's own mother wasn't worried. She even looked like she was watching a good show. So he could only wait quietly.
"Madam, to be honest, that girl was an old acquaintance of my attendant. Could you please be lenient and release her?" the eldest son said respectfully, getting straight to the point.
The madam wasn't particularly surprised, knowing full well that the flimsy excuse for being blocked was just a pretext! She had assumed that Spoon had caught his eye, but it turned out she was an old acquaintance of that little servant? That made her less valuable!
It's common for girls like them to be chosen by patrons. A girl like Shao'er, at best, is bought as a bed warmer, not worth much money! She's nothing like the top courtesans in the brothel. There are quite a few girls who get noticed, and many of those patrons have unusual fetishes. She scoffs at them, but dares not say anything.
So, every now and then, she would buy a batch of pretty young girls from outside at a high price. Spoon did indeed cost her ten taels of silver. Because of the special purchasing channels, the girls' families had no way of finding her. Who would have thought that such a mishap would occur this time? She was even planning to settle accounts with the buyer later! Unexpectedly, this girl wasn't entirely useless; she actually caught the eye of the young master of Ruyi Cake Shop? However, if she sold the girl, it seemed like she was missing out on something…
Da Wa is now very good at reading people's expressions, so he knew exactly what she was thinking. He said at the right time, "Madam, if you can sell that girl to me, I will offer you twenty taels of silver with both hands."
"Oh, what are you saying! The young master's family is very wealthy, with two shops that are extremely profitable. I heard that your tavern is opening today, so consider this spoon my congratulatory gift to the young master. Don't mention money!" the madam said with a smile.
Da Wa feigned surprise and said, "Absolutely not! That would be a huge loss for you! How about this: I'll have someone send you twenty jars of the finest fruit wine tomorrow and give you a VIP membership. You'll get a 5% discount on all your Jieyufang business. What do you think?"
Twenty jars of fine fruit wine?! This time it was the madam's turn to be astonished! She hadn't had time to witness the grand opening of the Ruyi Tavern, but she had heard plenty about it from the patrons who frequented the brothel! Therefore, she knew that a single jar of wine was worth two taels of silver, and twenty jars would cost far more than twenty taels!
Moreover, they also have a new fruit wine, which is said to be the color of amber, looks beautiful when served in a glass, and tastes even better. There are also many flavors available!
Many customers suggested that if Jieyufang could add new fruit wines, it would greatly enhance the drinking games!
How could she not be tempted? But she had also heard that the fruit wine was available in limited quantities.
The customer then said that today, the ladies of wealthy families had bought up all the fruit wine in the shop, leaving them only able to listen and watch, but not to drink. It was truly agonizing. As men, we couldn't very well try to take it from those ladies...
If Jieyufang could buy the fruit wine from Ruyi Tavern, those patrons who couldn't get their hands on the wine would surely flock to them...
The madam pondered the matter for a long time, but quickly figured out the key point. There was nothing to be dissatisfied about; she was extremely satisfied!
If the timing weren't so inappropriate, she would have burst into laughter! However, there was still one question that she couldn't help but ask: "I wonder if the young master is capable of managing the Ruyi Tavern?"
A 5% discount might not seem like much, but what kind of place is Jieyufang? It's the largest entertainment venue in He County, with an astonishing daily consumption of alcohol. Moreover, the fruit wine sold through the girls in the venue definitely fetches more than double the price. So, looking at Da Wa now, with his serious expression, this is a big deal!
Da Wa smiled and said, "Madam, please rest assured, I can handle this matter. Not only Ruyi Tavern, but also Ruyi Pastry Shop, our VIP cards are valid. This is Ruyi Pastry Shop's VIP voucher, please keep it safe." After saying that, Da Wa took out a glass pendant from his sleeve pocket.
The pendant had auspicious cloud patterns and was very clear and clean; it was actually made of the finest glass!
The madam's worldview had been shattered several times by Da Wa today. What was this thing? This piece of glass alone was worth hundreds of taels of silver. Had the young master lost his mind?
"Madam, please keep this glass voucher safe. As long as you present the voucher, you will not only have priority in purchasing at any store with the Ruyi sign, but you will also enjoy a 5% discount."
The eldest son was also heartbroken, but his mother had just said that she had no other keepsakes on her! This thing wasn't expensive; it was a defective item bought from a peddler and wasn't worth much, which calmed him down a bit.
The madam carefully put away the piece of glass, intending to admire it properly when she got back.
She was no longer worried about whether Da Wa would keep his word; the price of this glass could buy ten little girls! This deal of hers was a sure thing!
Besides, with a business as big as Ruyi's, the shop can't just disappear. What the son says, the father has to accept, right?
The madam and the young master chatted happily, while the pimps looked at each other, thinking to themselves, "Luckily we didn't hurt this young master just now, otherwise we would be in a terrible situation!"
"Wang Er, go inside and bring that Spoon Girl out," the madam ordered.
Then he turned to the Lu family, his eyes no longer showing the cunning he had just displayed, and said in a gentle tone, "I really like this girl, Shao'er! Once she's entered my household, she wouldn't leave easily, but this young master is so generous, willing to pay a high price to buy her back. I also thought I should make more good connections, ah, this is truly a blessing for your family!"
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