42 Cui Liang Branch Zhuochunlou
◎Branch Opening◎
Although Yan Yunzhao didn't know Bai Fangzhu well, he had witnessed Bai Fangzhu's character firsthand. Bai Fangzhu had often tripped up his business, so for her to suddenly be a good person and offer her the head of the business was simply unbelievable.
Yan Yunzhao was wary of any underhanded tricks she might have and dared not agree easily. However, Bai Fangzhu seemed to see through her concerns and her eyes flickered: "Lixi Town is a good place, but it is just a border town. Right now, I'm going to the capital to do business after selling Guiyue Tower, so this head of the brothel is useless to me. You may have it."
No wonder Guiyuelou looks so desolate now, and business seems to be bad. It turns out they're selling it off and moving away.
Yan Yunzhao surveyed the interior of Guiyue Tower: it was beautiful, but a bit too extravagant.
Most of her customers were ordinary people. If she bought the building, those old folks would probably stop coming. So she gave up the idea of taking the opportunity to buy Guiyue Building.
"I'm not familiar with the affairs of the guild. Before Master Bai goes to the capital, could you please give me some tips?"
Master Bai glanced at Miss Luo and gestured with his chin, saying, "Look. Miss Luo used to handle everything, but now that she doesn't want to come back to the capital with me, you can ask her."
Then, with a wave of her hand, she gracefully returned to her inner room to rest, surrounded by several maids.
Bai Fangzhu's temperament is such that the business owners only respect her because she is the head of the guild; otherwise, how could they do business with her? Yan Yunzhao shook his head with a sigh.
Miss Luo stepped forward with a beaming smile and took her hand: "That's wonderful, Miss Yun Zhao. Now that Master Bai has gone to the capital, I happen to be short of work. How about you take me on as a job?"
Yan Yunzhao was delighted: "Of course. Miss Luo is efficient, and it would be even better if you could assist her."
The two went outside and booked a private room at a tea and snack shop, where they ate and chatted about guild matters.
"The guild leader must inspect all the ingredients, salt, and other seasonings for each item to select high-quality suppliers and negotiate a reasonable price. From now on, the guild members will pick up their goods here, which is much better than buying them from outside. I usually handle these things myself, and everything is carefully registered and considered, so Miss Yun Zhao can rest assured."
"Another matter is some miscellaneous tasks related to purchasing from pawnshops, which require a few meticulous and shrewd old ladies to manage. They will bring the documents to you in the middle of each month for your review; you only need to give them a general overview."
"The most trivial and troublesome matter is commercial tax. The government handles the taxes outside the guild, while we handle the taxes inside the guild. There are often bosses who cheat and manipulate the accounts, so we have to pay a lot of attention to this matter."
Miss Luo listed out some important matters concerning the head of the restaurant, and Yan Yunzhao had a general idea of these matters. On the way back to Cuiliang, he and Miss Luo went to the street to pick out a few shops.
The leader was a lean old man who owned dozens of shops. When he heard that Yan Yunzhao had taken out about twenty taels of gold to buy shops, he quickly showed the two of them some of the best ones.
At the end of the narrow alley with blue bricks and red tiles, there is a huge courtyard. Pushing open the door, a cold wind hits you first, and the view is desolate and overgrown with weeds.
"My lord, don't let the coolness of this courtyard fool you; the house's layout and location are first-rate. This kitchen can accommodate more than a dozen cooks at the same time, and the hall is even more spacious. It would be wonderful to set up a pavilion and chairs in this courtyard for tea and snacks..."
Yan Yunzhao glanced at the crooked roof and decisively refused: "Although this shop is large, it's too dilapidated. Moreover, the alleyway in front of the shop is crooked and narrow, making it inconvenient for people to come and go."
The old man sighed, “The owner has a discerning eye. You’ve had your reasons for not being satisfied with each of these dozen or so shops. There’s only one left now, but it’s also the most expensive, around thirty-five taels. Come with me and you’ll see.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Yunzhao and Miss Luo exchanged a glance and whispered, "Thirty-five taels! Even a good shop in the capital wouldn't cost that much, how can it be so expensive?"
However, this piqued Yan Yunzhao's curiosity. If the shop was of good quality, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
The old man led the two to the shop. Yan Yunzhao and Miss Luo had already discussed their tactics in the carriage: "When we get to the shop, no matter how satisfied we are, we must pretend to be dissatisfied and disgusted. It would be best if we could find some faults to bargain down the price."
Miss Luo covered her mouth and chuckled, then nodded.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the shop. Yan Yunzhao and Miss Luo lifted the curtain and got off the carriage one after the other. A three-story building suddenly appeared in front of them.
The small building had an antique appearance, with silver bells hanging from the eaves and birds and beasts on the eaves. Yan Yunzhao was very satisfied with it at first glance.
Following the old man inside, the courtyard was filled with pebbled steps and winding paths leading to secluded spots. If some flowers, grasses, bamboo, and cypress trees were planted to provide shade when it got hot, it would surely be a beautiful sight.
The two looked around, then remembered the instructions on the carriage, and continued walking inside with stern faces.
In the center of the small building is a round, hollow platform. If one were to play the zither and dance here, one could be seen from the second and third floors. The inner hall is also spacious enough to accommodate many tables and chairs, and Yan Yunzhao was increasingly pleased with what she saw.
"I don't need to elaborate on the merits of this shop, but it's been sitting unsold for years because of its high price. Since Master Yan is wealthy, why not just buy it and save face?"
Flattery had no effect on Yan Yunzhao. She pretended to frown and looked around with displeasure.
"There are many markets here, and it gets a bit noisy during the day."
The old man exclaimed, "This is a very popular place; how can it be quiet? With so many people, there are bound to be many customers."
Yan Yunzhao strolled around and picked up a layer of dust from the railing with his fingers, saying critically, "This place hasn't been cleaned for years. I'm afraid it might be haunted at night."
The old man hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then chuckled dryly, "This, how could this be? Haha... This place is not far from the Heavenly Emperor's Palace. With the Heavenly Emperor's protection, how dare ghosts and gods come here?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Yunzhao feigned fear, saying, "This place has been desolate for so long, it must be inhabited by many wandering ghosts. How dare we women live here?"
Yan Yunzhao gave Miss Luo a wink, and Miss Luo understood. She immediately covered her face and said, "If it's a haunted house, why is the price so high? Forget it, Miss Yunzhao, let's go back to Cuiliang and build another small shop rather than take over this house."
With that, the two of them took each other's hands and prepared to leave.
The old man had followed the two customers around silently all day because he saw that they were wealthy customers. He was so tired that his legs were weak, and now he didn't want to buy anything!
Thinking that no one had inquired about the small building for more than ten years, and that if it was delayed any longer, not only would the repairs be expensive, but it would also really become a haunted house in other people's mouths, and then no one would come to buy it, he hurriedly called the two to a stop.
"Gentlemen, give me a straight answer! How much are you willing to pay?"
Seeing the old man's anxiety, the two exchanged a knowing smile: "Twenty-five taels."
Although the old man was reluctant, he realized that the thirty-five taels he had initially asked for was indeed unfair and an inflated price. His bottom line was probably around eighteen or nineteen taels, and the twenty-five taels they offered was an excellent price. After some thought, the old man immediately agreed.
After the three signed the agreement and paid the money, they only needed to hire craftsmen to repair and decorate it the next day, and then the business would be considered complete.
The three grass demons were naturally delighted upon hearing this news, and dragged Lou Su to the small building every day, wanting to see it hundreds of times a day. Seeing this, Lou Su chose a spot and drew a teleportation array to make it easier for them to travel back and forth.
The craftsmen who repaired the building were often puzzled. The owners walked silently, and sometimes they would suddenly come out of their rooms on the second floor, leaving people scratching their heads.
Yan Yunzhao, along with Lou Su and the Three Grass Demons, urged the workers to rush the purchase of materials day and night. The renovation of the small building was completed quickly, in about half a month.
On an auspicious day, "Zhuochunlou" quietly opened for business.
There were no red ribbons adorning the building, nor firecrackers filling the air. Passersby glanced over and discovered that the usually drab old house had been transformed into a bright and elegant place, complete with a menu illustration. Curious, they went in to try it.
Perhaps because it was their opening day, the place was bustling with activity. The maids and servants were all very enthusiastic, quickly serving dishes. Even before people were fully seated at the door, they were already being ushered inside by smiling maids.
I found out after asking around that this was the shop owned by the owner of Cuiliang Mountain! Needless to say, the taste was as good as ever.
"Isn't this boss some kind of mountain demon? How dare he come to eat here?" one of the drinkers joked to his companion.
"Oh dear, those are just rumors spread by the former owner of Guiyue Tower. What a monster, how can it even cook?"
The group burst into laughter, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
However, given the recent cold weather, the vegetables on the table, such as the Jade Green Clouds and the Shrimp and Mushroom Stew, were still fresh, which surprised everyone. Normally, in winter, ordinary restaurants would have already removed these dishes, and you wouldn't be able to order them even if you wanted to.
In the entire town of Lixi, perhaps only the vegetables at Zhuochunlou are still fresh.
If you look closely, you'll notice that many of the diners sitting at the round tables around you are dressed in fine clothes. They order a large spread of dishes but don't eat any of them, instead picking out small portions to savor.
"Mr. Qian, what do you think?" a weasel-faced diner asked the man across from him.
"These are all home-style dishes. I don't know what seasonings were used, but the taste is good. It's a pity that they lack some originality."
The owner of the Qian workshop had a rosy face from eating, and after a few cups of wine, he was quite tipsy. He spoke bluntly: "I wonder if our business will be any better now that Master Yan has become the head of the guild. Master Liao, what do you think?"
"Even at its worst, it's still better than Boss Bai. She's always cutting corners. She's always finding fault with us, saying we paid too little business tax last month or that we didn't pay enough this month. Our little eatery already makes very little profit, how can we withstand her tormenting us like that? Luckily, she's gone."
The man called Liao Dongjia downed his drink in one gulp, thoroughly enjoying it. "This wine is good. It has a pleasant aroma and isn't too strong."
The two chatted idly upstairs, which was overheard by Yan Yunzhao. She peered down, recognized the two men, and then went back to the kitchen to instruct the cooks.
Many people in the restaurant guild were eyeing the position of head guild leader, and Yan Yunzhao felt that he should take this opportunity to befriend the various owners.
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