Jin Yu Lou's business started to pick up again. Gu Yaoniang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She almost thought that Jin Yulou was bound to lose money at the cheap kitchen this time.
However, upon closer examination, because the income from the cheap kitchen was exempt from taxes, there was a miraculous reduction in losses, barely enough to break even.
The Gu family's daily-paying short-term labor system was very appealing to the workers. They received money without having to sell themselves and remained legal citizens. However, for those hiring, many jobs weren't available every day, and maintaining a group of long-term laborers seemed wasteful. This short-term labor system effectively addressed this shortcoming.
Furthermore, the daily payment method eliminates the need for recruiters to pay large sums of money upfront, making it ideal for the city's current economically strained population.
In Shuojing City, the practice of paying workers daily quietly became popular. Not only families, but many businesses also started using short-term workers to save costs and increase cash flow. And it wasn't just businesses; many households that had released some servants during the chaos and were now better off also began using short-term workers.
There were many refugees in Shuojing City before, and some troubles had occurred. Now that they have work and food, things have settled down a bit.
Because the cheap kitchen was indeed very inexpensive, and there was no need to hire extra cooks for the day laborers, ordering meals from the cheap kitchen was not more expensive than setting up an additional kitchen in the house for the day laborers. Word spread, and many families employing day laborers began ordering meals from the cheap kitchen.
Because the cheap kitchen was part of Jin Yu Lou, the day laborers were very happy with their meals. Jin Yu Lou was one of the top restaurants in Shuojing City, so how could they not be happy!
Jin Yu Lou's business, which was originally on the verge of collapse, actually improved thanks to the cheap kitchen. The cheap kitchen also changed its meals from individual portions to communal cooking, with customers distributing the food to the day laborers themselves. This saved on dishwashing and recycling, reducing the cheap kitchen's expenses and even making a profit.
“You’re quite easygoing. If one job doesn’t work out, you just hire another. But the money that was originally intended to be given to the laborers is instead saved by the employers who hire them. And you don’t seem to care.”
Inside the private room at Zuiyue Tower, Lu Zhaoan's voice was as clear as ever.
Gu Yaoniang gazed at the shimmering waves of the Lotus Fragrance Pond outside the window, not looking at the person beside her. Just when Lu Zhaoan thought she wouldn't speak, Gu Yaoniang said softly, "In the end, it's for those unfortunate people. They only want jobs that provide meals; they don't want to cook separately for themselves, so they can only come to me. Now I can earn money, and they can eat. Isn't that good?"
Lu Zhaoan, however, was somewhat exasperated: "Don't you love money the most? Why don't you take this opportunity to raise prices? It's not like the workers are paying you themselves, so what can't you accept?"
Gu Yaoniang turned to look at him: "I don't believe you don't know! The money comes from the consumer; if I raise the price, they'll get less money. Boss Gu..."
Gu Yaoniang stopped speaking, only looking at Lu Zhaoan with an ambiguous, half-smiling expression. Lu Zhaoan gave an awkward smile: "I know, I know."
But then he seemed to suddenly remember something: "Recently, some people have come to ask me about..."
"What?"
"They're craving the food at Zuiyuelou. But if they come to the restaurant now, they're worried about being accused of extravagance, so they asked me if they could learn from your cheap kitchen and secretly send the food and wine from Zuiyuelou to their residence."
Gu Yaoniang chuckled upon hearing this, yet also felt a pang of sadness.
The common people suffer from hunger, while those in power still crave delicacies—this is lamentable. Those in power have done nothing wrong; given their status, even if they haven't done anything wrong, wanting to eat better food isn't wrong, yet they can only do so with such caution—this too is lamentable.
Lu Zhaoan asked, "Has no one gone to your Jin Yu Lou to ask?"
Gu Yaoniang then vaguely remembered that someone had also gone to Jin Yu Lou to inquire whether their food could be delivered to her residence. The price would remain the same.
But at the time, she devoted all her energy to the cheap kitchen. There were just too many people ordering food from the cheap kitchen, and the people she had hired to run out of business were simply not enough. The kitchen staff was also very short-handed. She was almost ready to work in the kitchen herself. Where would she find the time to spare for people to run out of food for Jin Yu Lou?
At the time, I thought that if people wanted to eat at Jinyulou, they wouldn't be like those day laborers who spent all their time earning hard-earned money. If they really wanted to eat, they could naturally come to the restaurant to eat.
So I didn't take it to heart.
Unexpectedly, I received this news from Lu Zhaoan today.
"Yes, there are some. But Jin Yu Lou is too busy. I declined."
Lu Zhaoan paused, raising his hand as if to point at her, but then chuckled, "Then I'll take this job. Don't say I stole your idea and made money without you."
Gu Yaoniang hadn't thought much about it at first, but when she heard Lu Zhaoan's seemingly teasing remark, her eyes lit up and she laughed, "If you really want to say that, then it's true. You have to give me a share of this business, because it's all thanks to my ideas that this business came about."
Lu Zhaoan chuckled upon hearing this, but his expression turned serious as he looked at Gu Yaoniang earnestly. He said gently, "How about I keep all the money earned by Zuiyue Tower for you?"
As he spoke, he moved slightly closer to Gu Yaoniang.
A blush immediately spread across Gu Yaoniang's face. She turned her head away and clenched her fingers.
"You... that's not necessary. Giving us a share is enough; there's no reason to take everything."
Gu Yaoniang murmured softly, but dared not look Lu Zhaoan in the eye.
Lu Zhaoan's voice remained low: "But what if I'm willing?"
She was willing to give her everything he had.
He was tongue-tied and couldn't say pretty words. But he was willing; she said she loved money, so he gave her all the money he had.
Gu Yaoniang immediately panicked. She keenly sensed that something between the two of them had changed, a difference she had always refused to confront.
She didn't want to think about it too much.
I'm leaving now!
Gu Yaoniang turned and walked towards the door. Without waiting for Lu Zhaoan to speak, she opened the door herself and went downstairs, almost as if she were fleeing in panic.
Bizhu and Bishuang, who were guarding the door, were somewhat surprised and looked inside, only to meet Lu Zhaoan's gaze.
The two quickly looked away and followed Gu Yaoniang downstairs.
Lu Zhaoan faced the direction where Gu Yaoniang had disappeared, and it took him a while to turn around.
Actually, he was very nervous, his palms were sweaty. Although he had been in business for so many years and had long since developed the habit of speaking to people in a way that suited them, he felt nervous, especially in such a sincere moment.
Suddenly, he noticed a plain dough fan lying quietly on the table near the window, and vaguely remembered that Gu Yaoniang must have left it in the private room when she left in a hurry.
Lu Zhaoan tried to pick it up, but it felt as if the fan was burning his hand, and his face turned red all the way from his fingers to his ears.
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