Chapter 136 Li Xiao gives the news
All the fish in the Jun family's rice fields were finally cleaned out and buried in a big pit. Su Hanchu and Jun Moye came to the town to look for a suitable shop.
The two were strolling on the street and when they arrived near Yuelai Tower, they found that Yuelai Tower was doing a booming business with a constant stream of guests.
In contrast, a tavern not far away was doing very poor business and few people went there.
Su Hanchu pulled Jun Moye towards the tavern.
As soon as we entered the tavern, the owner greeted us warmly.
"Please come in, my two guests. What can I eat?"
Su Hanchu and Jun Moye found a table and sat down casually.
"Please serve some of the restaurant's signature dishes."
The shop owner's face was full of smiles when he heard this.
"Okay, wait a moment, I'll ask the kitchen to make it."
Soon after Su Hanchu and Jun Moye finished their cup of tea, the restaurant owner brought up a dish.
"My two guests, this is our signature dish, drunken spareribs. Please try it."
Jun Moye picked up a piece of pork ribs for Su Hanchu.
"If the store owner is not busy, why don't you sit down and chat for a while."
Then he picked up a piece of pork ribs and put it to his mouth.
The shopkeeper smiled and sat down aside.
"Do you two guests want to know something?"
Jun Moye glanced outside the door.
"Shopkeeper, how long have you been running this restaurant?"
The shopkeeper said with a wry smile upon hearing this.
"For many years, the restaurant passed down from generation to generation has been renovated many times. However, when it came into my hands, I lost the face of my ancestors. In recent years, business has become increasingly bleak."
Su Hanchu ate a piece of pork ribs, and the taste was just so-so.
"Shopkeeper, I'm being frank. If I'm offended, please don't be angry. The food here is pretty good, so why are all the people going to the Yue Lai Lou next door?"
When the shopkeeper heard the name Yuelailou, his expression changed slightly.
"Well, to be honest with you two, the business of Yuelailou and my restaurant used to be equally successful, but a few years ago a new owner came in and business took off. The population of this town is limited, so Yuelailou's business is booming, so mine is naturally struggling. If it weren't for the fact that this is my own house, I would have been unable to keep it going these past two years."
Su Hanchu's interest piqued upon hearing this. Wasn't this a ready-made restaurant? It really was like someone giving you a pillow when you're sleepy.
"Shopkeeper, can you still make money in a month now?"
The shopkeeper sighed.
"It's barely enough to cover expenses. I think it would be better to rent out the house, but I'm afraid of letting down my ancestors. They've been running restaurants for generations, but now they can't keep it going."
Su Hanchu's eyes lit up when he heard this.
"Shopkeeper, why don't you consider selling it to me? You are still the shopkeeper here."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper looked at the two of them and spoke.
"You two want to buy my restaurant? But my business isn't doing well, I can't make any money!"
Su Hanchu smiled and spoke when he heard this.
"I don't know if I can make money with this restaurant in the future, but the main thing is I want to make money with Yue Lai Lou."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up with interest when he heard this.
"Do you two have any grudges against Yuelai Tower?"
Jun Moye spoke.
"There's a little grudge. I don't know if the store owner is interested in selling the store."
The shop owner's face became conflicted when he heard this. This was the house that had been passed down through generations, but he wouldn't make much money if he continued to run the business, and it might even go bankrupt.
Su Hanchu continued.
"It's understandable that the shop owner is reluctant to give up the ancestral house, but are they willing to be oppressed by Yuelai Building forever?"
The shopkeeper heard this and spoke.
"You two, please don't try to fool me. This Yuelailou is not a simple place. It's not just in town, there are also Yuelailou in the county and in North City. This is just a branch of Yuelailou."
It seems that the Beiyi people have deep roots in the northwest, Jun Moye spoke slowly.
"The more this happens, the more interested we become."
Seeing that the two did not seem to be lying, the shop owner became more and more confused.
At this time, the kitchen brought up a few more dishes.
Su Hanchu and Jun Moye ate slowly without urging the store owner, but they had almost finished eating and the store owner had not yet come up with a conclusion.
Su Hanchu spoke with a smile.
"Shopkeeper, if you really don't want to sell, that's fine. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be friends. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If you're not willing to be oppressed by Yuelai Tower your whole life, then you should consider our proposal carefully.
We'll have someone here to cook the food, and you, the owner, will be responsible for greeting customers and managing the accounts. If we make money, we'll give you dividends. As long as we beat Yue Lai Lou, you, the owner, will win, too."
Jun Moye stood up and took Su Hanchu's hand.
"We have other things to do. Shopkeeper, please think carefully about it. We will come back in two days. If you are not willing, we will find a suitable shop."
The shopkeeper spoke hurriedly when he heard it.
"Gentlemen, it's not that I don't want to sell it, but this is a house passed down from our ancestors. Please give me some time to think about it. I will give you an answer when you come to me in a couple of days. My last name is Xu."
Su Hanchu smiled and nodded slightly.
"Okay, then we'll wait for the store owner's reply. We won't look at other shops for the next two days."
Shopkeeper Xu personally escorted the two to the door.
"Take care, both of you."
Jun Moye and Su Hanchu continued walking on the street.
Suddenly, Jun Moye looked at Li Xiao, who was seeing off a customer at Yuelai Building.
Suddenly stopped.
"Chu Chu, Yue Lai Lou is doing so well, let's go and try it."
Didn't they just eat? Su Hanchu suddenly saw Li Xiao's back as he walked into Yuelai Tower, and immediately understood.
"Well, that's good. It's a good opportunity to see what the difference is between this restaurant and the one we just ate at. The difference in business between the two restaurants is quite large indeed."
The two of them entered Yuelai Tower.
Li Xiao came forward to meet him.
"My two guests, please come in. Judging from your appearance, this seems like your first time here. Do you need a private room?"
Jun Moye spoke with a smile.
"My wife likes quietness, and a private room would be perfect."
Li Xiao took the two of them to the second floor.
"There's just one more private room available. Please come this way."
Jun Moye held Su Hanchu's hand and walked upstairs.
"Thank you for your help."
As soon as he entered the private room on the second floor, Li Xiao quickly glanced outside the door, then closed the door with his backhand and spoke loudly.
"My two guests, what do you need?"
Then he whispered beside Jun Moye.
"Sir, the Fang and Yan families had dinner here last night. They talked about Guanping Village and said there was a mine there that they had to get. I overheard it outside the door when I was serving the food, but I didn't dare to listen any further for fear of being exposed. Oh, they also seemed to mention some medicine, but their voices were lowered, so I didn't hear it clearly."
Jun Moye nodded slightly when he heard this.
“Just serve a few dishes.”
Li Xiao spoke loudly upon hearing this.
"Okay, steamed pork with lotus leaf flour, a serving of beggar's chicken, and Huangshan stewed pigeon..."
After Li Xiao left, Su Hanchu leaned close to Jun Moye and spoke in a low voice.
"No wonder some people insisted on buying Guanping Village. It turns out there is a mine there."
Jun Moye leaned over and whispered in Su Hanchu's ear.
"We'll discuss this later when we get back."
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