The 14th day of the eighth month in the 19th year of Zhenlong's reign is an auspicious day for marriage, opening a business, breaking ground, and receiving wealth. It is a day of great fortune for all activities.
The city of Shuojing was bustling with activity that day.
The people in the city were talking about two things: the marriage between the top scholar who passed the imperial examination this spring and the lady of the Xie family, which had finally been completed today.
A crowd of onlookers lined the road, all eager to witness the lively scene of the top scholar dressed in red, riding a tall horse to welcome his bride.
The scene was just as lively as when Qin Yuxiu announced the list of successful candidates and paraded the top scholar through the streets.
Another thing is that the famous restaurant in the city, Jin Yu Lou, has now changed to a female owner and has reopened after being closed for a month!
"Hey brother! Have you heard? Jin Yu Lou has reopened today!"
Someone in the crowd raised their voice and spoke loudly to the man next to them who appeared to be his brother.
The crowd was bustling, and those around them secretly scoffed at their simple clothes.
Everyone knows that Jin Yu Lou and Zui Yue Lou are the top restaurants in Shuojing City. Judging from their clothes, these two don't look like they can afford to eat there!
I have no idea what the reopening of Jinyulou has to do with them!
The man's older brother, standing beside him, also spoke loudly: "How could I not know! I heard their boss said he'd try his best to ensure everyone can eat out!"
Upon hearing this, someone in the surrounding crowd immediately scoffed in disbelief, "Everyone eats out? They're so expensive, do you think the new owner will treat me to a free meal?"
The speaker blushed when he saw that his words had been contradicted: "The new owner of Jin Yu Lou said that there will be special dishes every day! It's to make sure everyone can afford to eat there!"
Special offer dishes?
Upon hearing this good news, especially since it happened every day, the people around who had initially looked down on the two loud-voiced brothers quietly perked up their ears.
The younger brother who had asked the question first spread his hands, slapping the back of his right hand onto his left palm with a crisp sound, attracting more people to look at him.
"Absolutely!"
As he slapped his hands together, he smugly glanced around, making sure everyone was listening intently, before slowly continuing:
"I heard that the new owner has launched many new dishes at Jinyulou! Today is the first day of opening, and they say that every table of customers who comes in will receive a free dish!"
It was as if water droplets had fallen into a boiling oil pan, and the crowd instantly became chaotic.
Special offers and free dishes? Could there be such a good deal in the world?
That doesn't make sense!
Some people questioned, "These businessmen are only after profit; how could they be so kind? Are they just trying to lure us in with a cheap deal so they can rip us off elsewhere?"
Everyone around nodded.
"Yes, yes! What restaurant wouldn't make money if it offered discounts and even gave away freebies!"
"Yes, yes! They must have raised the price of other vegetables, otherwise they would be losing money!"
The two brothers who had mentioned Jin Yulou earlier were unhappy: "Jin Yulou has already said that they will never raise prices!"
"Your family owns Jin Yu Lou? And now you know about it!"
"I knew it! Jin Yu Lou has already posted a notice at the entrance! No price increase!"
The younger brother, who started the conversation, was a bit agitated. Seeing that the people around him didn't believe him and looked at the two brothers as if they were two swindlers, their faces were full of suspicion.
He stamped his foot and said, "Why don't you go and see for yourselves? Instead of saying that we brothers are swindling people, why don't you go to Jin Yu Lou and see for yourselves? You won't lose anything by going! At worst, you can just eat a discounted dish and get a free dish!"
The people around immediately perked up upon hearing this.
Yeah! If other dishes go up in price, we can just not order them and only order the cheaper ones!
No one is slow to act when it comes to getting a bargain. Before long, the once noisy street was almost deserted.
In a roadside writing implement shop, a handsome man watched the entire play, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Looking at Lu Zhaoan with a small smile on his lips, Afu felt it was all a bit unreal.
Ever since he started doing business with Madam Gu, the second young master's smile has become increasingly sinister.
Seeing that most of the people around had dispersed, Afu glanced at Lu Zhaoan's still kind and gentle face and boldly asked, "What do you think Madam Gu is after! With special offers and freebies, she's only attracting ordinary people. How much money can she make?"
Lu Zhaoan glanced at him sideways: "What do you know! The more people go, the more money you'll make."
It's easy to make money from high-ranking officials and nobles, but it's also hard to do so. You have to be careful every day, because if the nobles are unhappy, the business is over.
Besides, how many royal relatives and nobles are there really? No matter how wealthy the capital city is, there are still far more ordinary people!
Lu Zhaoan recalled what he had just seen and muttered, "These two brothers are quite interesting. At first they were talking about going over to take a look, but in the end it turned into just going into the shop to look around and only eating the discounted dishes."
I have a feeling that this is not simple.
Inside a private room on the third floor of Jin Yu Lou, Gu Yaoniang was surrounded by three maids.
Also in the private room was Manager Su, the long-time manager of Jinyulou.
Yao Niang sat by the window on the street-facing side, and looking down from the window, she could see Le Bao Street.
The three maids looked worried, while Yao Niang and Manager Su remained calm and composed.
Bitao, being the boldest, spoke first: "Madam! You've spent money on plates, re-separated the private rooms, and introduced new menus and dishes—all of which cost money! Now you're even lowering prices, offering discounts and freebies. These noble people, with their pride, won't come! Aren't you just pushing away the God of Wealth?"
As she spoke, she looked at Manager Su, hoping he could say a few words as well.
Manager Su kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, and remained silent.
What can he say? He's just a laborer; he's already said what Miss Bitao said before. If the employer won't listen, can he keep talking? Wouldn't that just make him annoying?
She had said everything she needed to say. As long as she could pay him on time, she would stop talking about anything the employer didn't want to hear.
Gu Yaoniang still smiled and said, "Good Bitao, the more people come, the more we'll earn."
Bitao didn't understand: "If we make less profit on each dish, the more people come, the more we'll lose, right?"
Yao Niang feigned surprise, covering her mouth as she looked Bi Tao up and down: "I never realized before that our Bi Tao had the potential to be a shrewd businesswoman. Earning less is considered a loss?"
Bizhu and Bishuang covered their mouths and chuckled, while Bitao glared at them angrily.
Yao Niang patted Bi Tao reassuringly.
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