Qin Qiong had been gone for a month and had not yet returned. He only learned from Cheng Zhijie that they had hunted down two ferocious beasts and were investigating the reason.
"Total revenue for this month is 637,400 guan, of which 380,000 guan are from prepaid cards and 257,000 guan are from operating income. After deducting costs, such as 50,000 guan for dishes and various seasonings, 50,000 guan for labor expenses, and the purchase of plants, and after deducting taxes, the final profit is 150,000 guan. Everyone, please take a look. If there are no problems, then we will distribute the money to everyone today!" Qin Mu said, taking out a stack of account books.
This was the second day after the restaurant's first month of operation ended, and Qin Mu convened a shareholders' meeting on time.
“I don’t understand this stuff, and besides, it’s our own brother, don’t you trust him? Just tell me how much we’ll get!” Yu Chi Baolin said excitedly without even looking at it.
“Yeah! Brother, let’s just split the money!” Cheng Huaimo nodded vigorously.
"Alright then! Rugui Tower belongs to the four of us. According to our investment ratio, the Cheng family will take 20%, and the Yuchi and Li families will each take 10%. You can take this money yourselves later!" Qin Mu stood up and opened several boxes next to him.
"Haha! I'm rich! I'm rich!" Looking at the several boxes full of money, Yuchi Baolin laughed excitedly.
"Baoqing and Huailiang have been helping with the management, so we paid them extra wages." Qin Mu smiled and picked up two more boxes, pushing them in front of Yuchi Baoqing and Cheng Huailiang.
"Do we have any more?" the two asked happily, hugging the box.
The two of them supplied vegetables, and their monthly profit was over a thousand strings of cash. The box contained one hundred strings of copper coins, so the two of them were very excited.
Cash is always the most exciting thing, especially since Qin Mu had people deliberately pile silver on top of copper coins, making it look like boxes of silver.
With a "bang," the box was slammed shut.
"What!" Yuchi Baolin shouted, looking up in annoyance.
“This is mine!” Yuchi Gong said expressionlessly.
"Old man, are you being reasonable? This is money I earned!" Yu Chi Baolin roared, his eyes red. He usually had to ask his mother for money, and even at his age, he still felt a little embarrassed, so he lived a very frugal life. Now that he finally had a large sum of money, and it was about to be taken away, he was naturally anxious.
"Fine! I'll reason with you!" Yuchi Gong said, plopping down on the box.
"You... what's your reasoning?" Yu Chi Baolin asked, taking two steps back somewhat guiltily.
"Hehe! Don't worry, I won't hit you today. Just ask you, you invested in this restaurant using your family's iron mine, right? And the workers are mine too, right? Tell me, is this yours or mine!" Yuchi Gong patted the box and said. He was joking; money he had his eye on wouldn't just disappear.
Yu Chi Baolin's lips twitched, but he couldn't find a reason to refute it, because his father was right, since he had contributed his shares in the restaurant with physical assets.
"Even if I didn't do anything right, I still put in the effort, right? I deserve a share of the money!" Yu Chi Baolin said resentfully.
“That makes sense. Here, it’s yours!” Yuchi Gong nodded, then pulled out a copper coin from somewhere and flicked it at Yuchi Baolin.
"Clang clang clang!" Yuchi Baolin didn't take the money. He watched the copper coin fall to the ground and couldn't help but wonder how he could have the nerve to take out such a small coin.
"Haha! Hahahaha!" Cheng Huaimo slapped his thigh and laughed wildly!
"Uh!" Cheng Huaimo, who was laughing loudly, felt someone behind him. He turned around and saw his father. His smile froze instantly. Then, as if he had realized something, his expression changed, and he hurriedly walked to the box.
"You want to reason with me too?" Cheng Zhijie asked with a smile.
"Father, when have you ever been reasonable?" Cheng Huaimo asked with a mournful face.
“Yes! I’m used to reasoning with my fists. If you don’t mind, you can talk to me about it too,” Cheng Zhijie said, clenching his fist.
"No! No need! This money is for you, Father!" Cheng Huaimo shook his head repeatedly.
"Good son! You've finally grown up!" Cheng Zhijie said with a look of satisfaction. After saying that, he sat back down contentedly.
"Huai Dao, you didn't call us here today just to divide the money, did you?" Yuchi Gong asked.
"Uncle Yuchi, Uncle Cheng, as you can see, the restaurant business is so good. Why don't we take advantage of this success and open a few more branches in Chang'an?" Qin Mu said, cupping his hands in greeting.
“That makes sense! There have been quite a few more people getting pots made at the blacksmith’s shop lately!” Yuchi Gong nodded.
"Huai Dao, didn't you say you were going to sell tables and chairs? Why haven't you started yet? You've already opened a few furniture stores recently, all made to look like the style of the restaurant!" Cheng Zhijie asked.
"Uncle Cheng, don't worry. We've been working non-stop for the past month to produce a large batch of furniture, which will be delivered to our stores in the East and West markets tomorrow," Qin Mu explained.
This was a deal agreed upon with the Cheng family; the Cheng family provided the carpentry and the shop, while Qin Mu provided the design and blueprints. After more than a month without any progress, and seeing others making money instead, Cheng Zhijie began to worry. The main reason was the booming business of the counterfeit restaurant's tables, chairs, and sofas.
"That's good, but quite a few people bring their family craftsmen directly to restaurants to watch and then copy what they see. When our furniture store opens, others will definitely do the same. How can we prevent this from happening?" Cheng Zhijie asked, stroking his beard.
"There's no way around it. After all, furniture isn't that difficult to make. But we also have an advantage. If others want to learn, it's not something they can master in a short time, and their craftsmanship certainly won't be as good as ours! So truly wealthy people don't bother to have others make it for them."
"The key is still creativity. If we can lead the trend and build a reputation, consumers will naturally recognize us! The main thing is to control the quality. Whether it's the workmanship or the wood and leather, we must use the best," Qin Mu explained.
Although he didn't understand some of the words, Cheng Zhijie understood the meaning, so he nodded and said, "No problem, we must use the best materials, the Cui family will help."
"Young Qin, how much money do you think we'll need to open a few more stores?" Yuchi Gong asked, sounding a bit pained.
"The more the better! I plan to open three more stores, one in each of the four directions of Chang'an City! The rules will remain the same, with shares calculated based on investment! However, I need your help with the locations, as you two are more familiar with Chang'an City." Qin Mu tapped the table and said.
How much money you make is one thing, but since business is so good, it would be a complete waste of resources not to open more stores.
“Location isn’t a problem, but opening a few more stores might offend more people. It’s best to bring in more families,” Cheng Zhijie advised.
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu realized that there were limits to high-end consumption. Although the restaurant's prices weren't considered expensive, they were still beyond the reach of ordinary people. If he opened three more restaurants, many of his competitors in Chang'an would likely have to close down. This would indeed offend too many people, and there would be more than just one troublemaker. The worst thing in business is such troublemakers; the impact would be too great.
"Uncle Cheng, you're right, I completely overlooked that! How about we bring two families from each of the three restaurants?" Qin Mu said solemnly, bowing with his hands clasped.
“Two families are about right, that makes ten families in total. That way, we won’t be afraid of offending anyone.” Seeing that Qin Mu had figured it out so quickly, Cheng Zhijie couldn’t help but admire his skill, and then nodded in agreement.
"Then, Uncle Cheng, how about you arrange things for the remaining six families?"
"Alright! I'll accept this favor and guarantee to select the six most suitable families," Cheng Zhijie said with a smile. Qin Mu entrusted him with the power of selection, essentially letting him curry favor. After all, with Ruguilou's current reputation, if they said they wanted to open a branch and needed partners, people carrying money would practically break down the door.
"Leave this money here as an investment!" Yuchi Gong said with a pained expression.
"Hehe! You old stingy man! You're really something! You got something for nothing!" Cheng Zhijie shook his head and laughed.
"Nonsense! Doesn't a new shop need pots and pans? Those also have costs!" Yuchi Gong said, glaring at her.
"You shameless bastard! You even take advantage of the younger generation! Those few broken pots, what are they worth! If we're talking about shamelessness, I admire you the most in my life!" Cheng Zhijie said, pointing at Yuchi Gong with a mixture of laughter and tears.
“Unlike you, I don’t have a rich wife! My kids only know how to spend money! If we don’t save, they’ll squander it all sooner or later!” Yuchi Gong said righteously.
Cheng Zhijie rolled his eyes at his words. As a longtime friend, he knew that it was never wise to haggle with Yuchi Gong over money; it was always a recipe for trouble. This guy was notoriously stingy; his clothes consisted only of court robes and armor, and he'd wear the same set of casual clothes for years—he was nothing like a nobleman. Luckily, he had two generous wives; otherwise, who knows how stingy he'd become.
"Uncles, there's no need to argue. We're all family, so it doesn't matter how much we compete. The restaurant's success is just temporary. Once others catch up, things will become much less exciting," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"I'll get the address and the people to join as soon as possible. Huai Dao, you can go ahead and prepare. Just ask if you need anything. We have people and money." Cheng Zhijie turned away from Yuchi Gong in anger and said to Qin Mu.
"Yes! The blueprints are all ready. Brother Cheng can order the materials tomorrow. I'll make a rough list. However, there's still one problem that needs to be solved!"
"What's the problem?"
"Uncle Cheng, as you know, the waitresses in the restaurant are all former prostitutes. If we open three more stores, the manpower shortage will be huge."
“Hmm, not bad, not bad! I heard there are quite a few people redeeming brothel women lately. If we go and do it in large numbers, I’m afraid Pingkang Ward will lose half of its brothel.” Cheng Zhijie said with a smile.
“Whether there are more or fewer people in Pingkangfang is one thing, but if we go and redeem a large number of people, firstly, the price will definitely be higher, and secondly, not everyone is suitable. After all, the people we need are those who are willing to change careers in a down-to-earth manner,” Qin Mu analyzed.
"Then let's look in the nearby cities, and if that's not enough, we can go to Luoyang! I'll have someone take care of it!" Cheng Zhijie immediately understood and took on the task.
Frankly speaking, these girls redeemed from the brothel were only average-looking within the brothel community. Qin Mu didn't require them to be exceptionally beautiful; as long as their features were decent, that was enough. The key was their mindset. He had asked them beforehand if they could accept changing professions. Qin Mu promised them that they could redeem their contracts after five years, or at most ten years if they didn't have enough money. If they worked for ten years, they wouldn't need to redeem themselves and would be freed.
Moreover, this job doesn't prevent them from starting a family, unlike in brothels where you can't get married. As long as they're willing to settle down, the restaurant will agree. Qin Mu has already arranged the subsequent benefits and compensation, since the restaurant is doing well and they're busy.
At this time, there is no concept of "five social insurances and one housing fund," but there are two days off per month. If you have worked for more than a year, the number of days off will gradually increase. There are also marriage leave and paid maternity leave. Such benefits are sure to win people's hearts.
With Cheng Zhijie's help, things became much simpler, and Qin Mu was much more relaxed. After formulating the plan, everyone dispersed, and the money from the profit sharing returned to Qin Mu's hands.
"Brother Qin, you've given me too much, I'm embarrassed to accept it." Li Dejiang stayed last and said apologetically to Qin Mu. Li Jing was very strict with his family and didn't spoil his son, so this was the first time Li Dejiang had received such a large sum of money, and he had been excited, but he had now completely calmed down.
"It's alright, whether it's a little more or a little less, it doesn't matter. We're all friends." Qin Mu patted Li Dejiang, who was a head shorter than him, and said with a smile.
"But…"
"No buts! There will be even more money in the future. If you feel bad about it, just help Brother Qin more when you grow up."
"Um!"
"That's more like it!"
“I won’t take this money; I’ll use it as an investment for the next time. But Brother Qin, for the next restaurant, I can only take shares in one.” Li Dejiang raised his head and said.
"Okay! We'll do it your way!" Respecting the boy's self-esteem, Qin Mu smiled and nodded in agreement.
………
"Ahem! Second brother, your elder brother has always treated you well, hasn't he?"
"What do you want to do!" Just as he was relieved that the old man hadn't confiscated his money, Yu Chi Baoqing was startled by his older brother's question. He quickly tucked the box under his arm and looked at him warily.
"Look at my brother's money, it's all gone. Can you lend me some?" Yuchi Baolin said with a forced smile.
"Don't even think about it! When are you going to pay it back? You've already borrowed two hundred strings of cash this month!" Yuchi Baoqing took a step back and shook his head violently.
"Brother, I'm short of money, aren't I? I'll definitely pay you back when I have the money!" Yuchi Baolin said, patting his chest.
Yu Chi Baoqing thought his elder brother was right. It wasn't that he didn't want to pay, but that he didn't have the money. He was about to open the box when he pulled his hand back and said, "Brother, you're lying. Father took all the restaurant's profits, and he definitely won't let it go in the future. In other words, you don't have the money to pay at all!"
“How could that be! Tomorrow I’ll tell Huai Dao that from now on all the dividends will go directly to me, and we shouldn’t have to invite the old man over anymore. How could we not save money like that?” Yu Chi Baolin reminded him.
"Alright! I'll trust you one more time!" Yuchi Baoqing secretly opened the box, took out a string of copper coins, and handed them over.
Yuchi Baolin never expected that he would be dismissed with just a string of copper coins, and he was speechless as he held the coins.
"Don't get so worked up. We're brothers, after all! If we don't help you, who will we help?" Yuchi Baoqing comforted him.
Yuchi Baolin glanced at his younger brother, too embarrassed to ask for more money.
"Big brother, I'm leaving first!" Yuchi Baoqing's eyes darted around, and without waiting for his older brother to speak again, he grabbed the box and ran off in a flash.
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