Chapter 956: Inquiring about the Shop (Additional chapter for the reward from the book friend “遥悠游2017”)
The letter was given to Liu Gui to deliver. Mr. Zhuang only asked a question, and when he heard that it was sent to County Magistrate Tang, he did not ask any more questions.
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang officially enrolled in the Imperial College, and began their daily routine of going out to class at noon and returning home at noon.
Manbao's life also became regular. Every day, he and Bai Shan and others would ride on Daji's carriage and set off at noon. They would first go to the pharmacy and then go to the Imperial College.
At noon, sometimes she ate in the pharmacy, and sometimes she went straight home to eat. Daji would pick her up every day at noon.
She has more and more patients. Although she is still not as good as the other three doctors, she is no longer the case where there are patients lining up like dogs in front of other doctors' doors while there is no one in front of her door.
Her relationship with the shopkeeper Zheng and the three doctors became more and more harmonious, and their communication of medical skills became smoother.
Each doctor would teach Manbao some experience and give her some advice on her medical skills. Manbao would also discuss with them the cases and prescriptions that she and Teacher Mo did not understand well. She would also write down their questions, and then go home to look up information with Teacher Mo and work together to give them some advice.
Everyone helped each other and the atmosphere became more harmonious. Every day when Manbao entered the pharmacy, the three doctors greeted her with smiles and warm greetings.
Among the enthusiastic crowd today was the shopkeeper Zheng. He handed Manbao three pieces of paper and said with a smile, "This is the shop you want to inquire about. I've asked someone to find out for you. I also sent someone to inquire about the price. The first part is their quoted price, and the second part is the price I asked the broker to estimate."
Manbao glanced at the contents on the paper and was deeply moved by the detailed information he had obtained. "Boss Zheng, thank you so much! When my family buys the shop, I'll treat you to a nice meal."
Shopkeeper Zheng laughed and said, "No need, no need. You're the doctor in our pharmacy, and I should be the one to worry about your family and career. But you're not willing to pay for your appointment, and you're just hanging around here for nothing. I'd be ashamed if you thanked me for such a small favor."
Shopkeeper Zheng had become familiar with Manbao by now, and his conversation became more casual. He asked with a smile, "You really don't want our pharmacy's sitting fee? Actually, if you do, you can also learn from Doctor Ding and the others like you are doing now."
Because Manbao is also sharing her knowledge, why are Dr. Ding and others so enthusiastic about her recently?
Isn't it because I can learn a lot from her?
It was obvious that Manbao had more things on him than Manager Zheng had expected, so he wanted to keep him.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to sign a contract. You can take the money first, cultivate the relationship, and then talk about it later.
Manbao refused again. She had already said no, and it would be bad to repeat it, and her husband would not agree.
However, when she took the three pieces of paper again, she felt much better and decided to wait until the shop was booked and then treat the manager Zheng to a slightly more expensive meal.
Manbao collected the paper and went to the front yard to look for his fifth and sixth brothers when he returned home at noon.
Recently, they are no longer so anxious to find shops. Instead, they go out to the market every day to ask about the prices of vegetables and meat. Now the vegetables they eat at home are all bought from the market early in the morning.
Zhou Lizhong and the other three kids had even less trouble, and Mr. Zhuang couldn't stand it, so he simply arrested them and continued his studies.
Every morning, the three of them were forced to study at home, and they were only allowed to go in the afternoon when Manbao came back for class.
Zhou Lizhong and Zhou Liwei hadn't read in years, and the past couple of days had been dazed by their studies. Even Zhou Lijun felt uncomfortable, finding the articles the teacher was teaching them difficult.
Manbao handed them the paper and said, "This is what Manager Zheng found out. Take a look."
This is what Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang were waiting for. They looked carefully and were stunned when they saw that the price of their once favorite house was only 3,200 taels, while the broker's estimate was 2,800 taels.
Zhou Wulang couldn't help but exclaimed: "Isn't this a huge difference?"
Zhou Liulang was not happy. "Are you bullying us because we are outsiders?"
Manbao pointed at the label at the back and said, "It's said that the owner owes a lot of money, so he's in a hurry to get rid of it, which is why the price is so low. The location is also average, and the prices of dishes there are not too high. They didn't make much money as a restaurant before."
Manbao asked, "Sixth Brother, do you think you can make this shop viable?"
Zhou Liulang pondered for a moment and said hesitantly, "I, I don't know how the business is going there. I went to see it recently, and there weren't many customers in that restaurant."
"How's business at the nearby restaurants?"
"It's okay, but the housing prices here are too high, far less than in our county town."
Zhou Wulang crossed one leg and thought, then said, "That street's location is pretty good. Behind the wall is the inner city, and it's only about thirty feet away from the gate. There are quite a few shops on the street, and many people are shopping. It's just that the food in the restaurants on that street is so-so, so everyone habitually goes to the next street to eat."
Zhou Wulang said, "I think Lao Liu's cooking skills are no worse than those of other restaurants. It will definitely be difficult at the beginning, but as time goes by, business will definitely pick up."
Zhou Wulang pointed at the price on the paper and said, "Originally, I didn't want to buy this shop. It's too expensive. But if we can buy it for 2,800 taels, we can make a loss for a few months, or even a year or two, and it won't be a big deal. We don't need to hire a bookkeeper, our own family can do it, and that way we can save on labor costs."
Zhou Wulang calculated for them, "I've seen that, except for Li Jun, we can all live in the shop. We can eat and sleep there, which will save us a lot. The shop is also ours, so we don't have to worry about monthly rent or anything like that. We should be able to get better in a year or two."
Zhou Liulang also nodded and said, "We've eaten at all the restaurants on that street recently, and I feel that the food there can't compare to what I cook."
Manbao touched his chin and said, "One more good wine and the restaurant will be up and running."
"Don't even think about it," Zhou Wulang said. "I've asked about the wine in the capital, and even ordinary sorghum wine is very expensive. If we buy it and sell it to customers, it's fine. If the customers like it, we can make some profit. But if they don't, all the wine will be a waste. Good wine is too expensive, we can't afford it."
Manbao said, "Let's brew it ourselves."
Zhou Wulang looked at Zhou Liulang.
Zhou Liulang said, "I don't know how to make wine. My sister-in-law doesn't know how either. She only taught me how to make sweet wine. I can make this. Fifth brother, do you want some?"
Zhou Wulang said angrily: "No, that's for women."
Manbao said happily: "None of you can make wine, but I can."
Everyone looked at her, "When will you be able to do it?"
"I'll read the book and tell you when I learn it."
Everyone: ...
(End of this chapter)
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