She shook her head, her face full of smiles. Lu Zhaoan was truly "well-thought-out" today; she had turned the tables on her, and this tasted quite good.
"Mr. Lu, this wine is mass-produced, so it won't increase your costs by much."
When she spoke of these things, Gu Yaoniang's eyes became exceptionally bright.
Lu Zhaoan squeezed out a "good" through gritted teeth. Without waiting for another day, he asked Afu to take out the scroll of paper he always carried with him, asked the shop assistant for pen and ink, wrote the contract, and signed it with Gu Yaoniang.
Gu Yaoniang paused for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Lu, are you always in such a hurry when doing business?"
Lu Zhaoan laughed heartily: "Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes."
Without lingering any longer, he took Afu and left, saying that he needed to go to the yamen to get the paperwork done before the matter was considered settled.
Before leaving, they didn't forget to take the remaining snacks from the table with them.
Bitao and the others stared in disbelief: "Young Master Lu, how come you're different from before?"
Bitao was also somewhat gratified: "My lady has changed a lot in the past six months since she came to Shuojing. She is not the same as before."
Gu Yaoniang paused in her fanning, looked at her, and asked, "Is it good or bad?"
Bitao chuckled, "Of course it's a good thing!"
Bi Shuang hesitated for a moment, and Yao Niang noticed her reluctance and asked her a question.
Bi Shuang said, "This servant is stupid. I don't understand why Madam made Zuiyuelou sell pastries at such high prices? Isn't this forcing them to make money?"
"Of course they're afraid that if I sell it too cheaply, Jin Yu Lou's business will be affected. Only if Zui Yue Lou's prices are high enough will Jin Yu Lou be unaffected for the first month. Just you wait and see, by the fifteenth of next month, Jin Yu Lou will probably be sold out every day."
Afu asked Lu Zhaoan the same question, and Lu Zhaoan explained it to him in this way.
Lu Zhaoan walked down the street, his eyes filled with admiration. Gu Yaoniang did seem to have the potential to play dumb while actually being cunning.
Ah Fu couldn't help but exclaim, "Madam Gu is truly amazing!"
But he was still puzzled: "But young master, why did you agree to send so much wine to Madam Gu every month? Aren't we losing out? This wine is probably much more expensive than the little money we earn from the pastries each month!"
Lu Zhaoan shook his head: "You're still so stupid! When customers come to Zuiyuelou for a meal, they can't just order dim sum. Do you think I'm selling them dim sum just for the little money I can make?"
Jin Yu Lou's dim sum was incredibly popular, and many people couldn't buy it even if they wanted to. But now that Jin Yu Lou has stopped selling it, you can still find it at Zui Yue Lou. And since you're already at Zui Yue Lou, how can you not order a table full of food and drinks?
Afu suddenly realized: "The money earned from this meal is what the young master truly desires!"
"Not too stupid."
Lu Zhaoan walked briskly toward the government office.
That night, Gu Yaoniang told Gu Xingzhi everything that had happened that day, and also asked him the questions that had been bothering her.
Gu Xingzhi patted her forehead with his fan and said, "You! That brat Lu Zhaoan is using Jin Yu Lou's pastries to lure customers in!"
Night had fallen, and the Gu residence was completely silent.
From Tinglan Residence came Gu Yaoniang's resentful voice, tinged with a hint of anger: "That cunning merchant Lu Zhaoan!"
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