The restaurant caused quite a stir, of course. Almost everyone praised it highly and exclaimed that it was worth it. The news spread in less than half a day, and before the sun had even set, the restaurant was packed again, including many returning customers from lunchtime.
Not only that, but many high-ranking officials also appeared at the restaurant that night. Not to mention Yan Lide and Li Chunfeng, who were invited by Qin Mu; Changsun Wuji also appeared on the top floor, accompanied by about a dozen civil officials.
These people weren't there because of the families' reputation; they were just curious and wanted to experience it, while also doing business—killing two birds with one stone.
In the evening, Qin Mu, Yuchi Baolin, and Cheng Huaimo went to five private rooms for higher-status guests to offer toasts and waive the bill before the event was considered over.
"Thank you all for your hard work today! Nothing much to say, eat and drink well!" After curfew and the restaurant closed, Qin Mu gathered everyone for a meal. The 163 employees, plus his group, filled most of the first floor.
"Thank you (young master)!" The food was exactly the same as what the guests ate, and everyone was very happy. The day's hard work seemed to be well worth it.
The three Cheng brothers, the three Yuchi brothers, Qin Mu, Qin Huaiyu, Li Dejiang, Xiangli Yanran, and Princess Changning filled a large table.
"Young Master! I've figured it out!" Qiu Ju happily carried the account book to the table.
"Give it to me, go eat!" Qin Mu said, taking the ledger.
"Yes, young master!" Qiu Ju replied, then put down the account book and left. The little girl had been learning arithmetic for more than a month, and she had no problem with addition and subtraction.
"Hehe! I have some good news for you. Today's turnover is 150,000 strings of cash!" Qin Mu said with a smile after glancing at the table.
"What!"
"Ah!" Everyone looked at Qin Mu in surprise.
"Ahem! Today's actual turnover is 10,060 guan, the rest is from member top-ups! That is to say, this 140,000 guan is just temporarily deposited with us by customers, and will be deducted from future consumption!" Qin Mu explained.
"Oh!" Everyone finally understood.
"We got five private rooms for free today, each with a revenue of 10,000 guan. That's 300,000 guan a month! We're rich!" Cheng Huaimo calculated, counting on his fingers.
"You're overthinking it. This is just the revenue; you still have to deduct costs—the wages of over three hundred people, the cost of the food—and what's left is the profit!" Qin Mu reminded him. Of course! He wouldn't tell anyone that the prepaid top-ups were the real money. This not only bound a large number of customers to the restaurant, but over time, a significant portion of the accounts would become bad debts, which also belonged to the restaurant. Most importantly, it was cash. This way, he would have over 100,000 guan in cash flow, which he could use for other things.
"How much is that? Is it 100,000 strings of cash a month?" Cheng Huaimo asked anxiously, grabbing his hair. He knew absolutely nothing about cost accounting.
"The gross profit should be around 100,000 guan. After deducting 20,000 guan for hidden expenses, there should still be 80,000 guan!" he said after a quick mental calculation.
"That's enough! That's enough! I'm more than satisfied with receiving 10,000 strings of cash a month!" Cheng Huaimo grinned.
"Let's leave it at that for now! Huailiang, you and Baoqing keep an eye on the restaurant to prevent any trouble. We need to focus on the Six Doors area. Starting tomorrow, there will be nearly a thousand people there, and we definitely won't be able to leave," Qin Mu instructed.
"Okay! No problem!"
"Don't worry, Brother Qin!" the two hurriedly agreed. Although they wouldn't receive a share of the restaurant's profits, their people would supply the food, which would generate considerable profits.
To be honest, Qin Mu was somewhat surprised that the turnover exceeded 10,000 guan. In his estimation, exceeding 5,000 would have been quite good.
Actually, Qin Mu underestimated the situation. Half of the guests were cultivators, the vast majority of whom were martial artists. Martial artists, by their very nature, had enormous appetites. As for the strong liquor, although it had a high alcohol content, its effects could be neutralized by blood-fiend energy or spiritual energy. Those who came to eat were usually in groups of three or four, and no one wanted to admit defeat, so quite a bit of drinking occurred.
Another reason is that the restaurant's food was delicious, and everyone ate their fill. All things considered, it's no wonder that the revenue exceeded expectations.
After enjoying a delicious meal, everyone rested at the restaurant. Of course, Qin Mu and his group didn't stay in the staff dormitory in the back, but in one of the ten guest rooms.
Qin Mu and the others quickly fell asleep, but Princess Changning lay on the soft bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She felt a lingering pressure on her chest from where she had been gripped, making her feel hot and flushed.
She had seen many outstanding and capable people, but few had built such a large business entirely on their own initiative, without relying on family, and with a group of brothers of similar age. It wasn't that Princess Changning was greedy; she simply knew that 150,000 strings of cash had fallen into Qin Mu's pocket today, and that the money had been earned honestly.
He is recognized as a member of the younger generation, excelling in both poetry and prose. His only shortcoming is that his cultivation level is a bit low. However, considering that Qin Mu has only been cultivating for three or four months, it is clear that his cultivation level is not low, but rather that he has been cultivating too fast!
It was almost dawn when Princess Changning finally drifted off to sleep, but she only managed a short nap before her biological clock woke her up. She didn't go back to sleep and simply got up; after all, for her, going a day without sleep had absolutely no effect.
After lunch, they went to the construction site together. The excavation was still going on, and the sound of forging iron echoed rhythmically. One after another, men arrived and were settled in by Cheng Huaimo and Yuchi Baolin.
These men, though not short, had one notable characteristic: they lacked muscle mass, suggesting they led modest lives. They were all former Imperial Guards who had only been farming for a year; some were likely their descendants, as they appeared quite young.
As expected of someone who served in the Imperial Guard, he still had a good spirit, sharp eyes, surging blood, and a faint smell of blood on his body.
"Everyone's here!" Cheng Huaimo found Qin Mu when the sun was halfway up the sky. He summoned Princess Changning, and the four of them walked up to the soldiers.
Five hundred and sixty people stared silently ahead. To be honest, the pressure was considerable. Qin Mu activated his mental technique, circulating his spiritual energy to dispel his discomfort, and said loudly, "You are all people recruited to join the new government agency, the Six Doors! I'm afraid many of you only know that it's a new agency, but don't know what it does!"
You all arrived without fail upon receiving the order, which I am very pleased with! Before introducing the new government office, let me first introduce the leaders of the Six Doors!
Currently, the Chief Constable, Duke Qin Qiong of Yi, is not in Chang'an! The Chief Clerk is this Princess Changning! The Registrar is General Guo Xiaoke of the Left Valiant Guard! Then there are four Patrol Officers, and I, Qin Mu, am one of them, and also one of your instructors!
Many people have probably heard of Yuchi Baolin and Cheng Huaimo. If you haven't, that's fine too. All you need to remember is to obey orders!
Do you understand?
"Understood!" Although the response wasn't very uniform, it was clear, which satisfied Qin Mu. It showed that they were all good soldiers who understood the importance of obeying orders.
"Next, let me tell you what the Six Doors do! We, the Six Doors, are the government office that investigates cases and arrests criminals! As long as someone has violated the laws of the Tang Dynasty, they are within our jurisdiction! Whether they are high-ranking officials or martial arts masters! Wherever there is a crime scene, there we are! Combating criminals and protecting the safety of the people is our duty!" Qin Mu shouted sternly.
As Qin Mu shouted, many people below turned to him with lively eyes, and some even quickened their breathing. Although they didn't know what their superiors were like, this government office was at least decent. And Duke Qin Qiong of Yi was someone they trusted.
Qin Mu had been observing them closely. He was already quite satisfied to see the soldiers' excited expressions. As long as they weren't the slick, indifferent types, there wouldn't be any problems. These soldiers were just soldiers, perhaps elite, but as members of the Six Doors, nine out of ten could only be used as combat personnel. Qin Mu was more interested in the dozens of young men.
"Next, you will each nominate six captains to form five 100-man squads and one 60-man squad. Your specific positions will be finalized after the government office is completed and training is finished!" Qin Mu said, then led Yuchi Baolin and the others away to wait for their decision.
In fact, it didn't take long. They were comrades-in-arms and knew each other well. Not only were the six battalion commanders selected, but the battalion commanders also assigned personnel to each other.
"Greetings, Chief Secretary! Police Commissioner! The personnel have been assigned!" A particularly strong man stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Let's cook first! Set up the tents!" Qin Mu ordered, waving his hand.
We'll be staying here for a long time, so tents are essential, and we've already gotten them from the Ministry of Works. As for cooking, that's even simpler—the pots are large iron pots, forged by the blacksmiths of the Yuchi family! And the food! It startled the soldiers, because there were a full ten baskets of meat and bones! Skulls, bone marrow, ribs! All kinds of sizes, everything imaginable.
These were sent from Rugui Restaurant. There was no other way; Rugui Restaurant couldn't handle that many bones, and since they were needed here, Qin Mu was too lazy to have the restaurant turn them into dishes and sent them directly here for the soldiers and craftsmen to consume.
It wasn't just bones, but also skin and a few inexpensive tonics. Since Ru Gui Lou purchased in large quantities, taking out a portion of the cheaper items was a minor issue.
A group of people rinsed the bones, took knives, roughly chopped them, and threw them into a large pot to cook. This time, upon entering the new government office, they didn't need to bring their own weapons and armor, and their first meal included meat, which was much better than before. They were especially excited when the cook took out tonics and threw them into the pot, and then brought out basins of snow-white flour.
The people are simple and honest. After the tents were set up, they started helping the construction site dig the foundation and move soil!
When the sun was high in the sky and it got really hot, everyone stopped working and took shelter under the tents to cool off! A meaty aroma with the scent of herbs wafted through the construction site, making people unable to resist turning their eyes to it.
Each person was given a large earthenware bowl, about the size of a human head, and then they lined up to get their food. A full bowl of thick rice, two meaty bones, a few pieces of dried pickled vegetables, and two large flatbreads. That was their meal. More rice was always available, and meat broth was unlimited! That's what they shouted while serving the food.
The flatbread was made from flour ground by a stone mill. Although it was a bit rough, Qin Mu had specially made it with fermented dough, which not only improved the texture but also added a sweet flavor from the fermentation.
"I wonder if I can have a bowl too!" Qin Mu was eating a flatbread with meat soup when someone walked up to him and asked.
The newcomer was a handsome middle-aged man with a well-proportioned build, striking eyebrows, and bright eyes. He looked to be only in his early thirties, with a neatly groomed mustache around his upper lip.
"General Guo?" Qin Mu called out tentatively.
"Hehe! It is indeed Guo!"
"Greetings, General!"
"No need for formalities, please sit! Everyone, please sit!" Guo Xiaoke smiled and gestured for Qin Mu and the others to sit down. He then plopped down next to them as well.
"Why aren't you bringing General Guo his meal yet! Don't you have any sense of propriety?" Qin Mu said, lightly kicking Yuchi Baolin.
Yuchi Baolin quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks and got up to get his food.
"A bowl of meat soup and two flatbreads!" Guo Xiaoke called out, raising his hand.
"Hehe! Huai Dao, you're too good to them. In the past, we only got to experience this kind of life the next day before going to the battlefield," Guo Xiaoke said with a smile as he looked at them.
"Since we have the means, we might as well live a little better. These bones are leftovers from the restaurant, so the cost isn't high!" Qin Mu explained.
"Hoo hoo! I didn't mean anything by it, but there's a problem. The Six Doors will have a monthly budget from now on. Whether you can live a good life will depend on your own abilities!" Guo Xiaoke said after taking a couple of sips of soup.
Every government office has its own way of generating revenue. As long as it is reasonable and legal, the imperial court will not interfere. But Chang'an is different. Various departments are already full, and there are even overlapping duties. If the Six Doors interferes, you can imagine how many difficulties it will be!
"General Guo, aren't you in charge of managing money and supplies?" Qin Mu asked, blinking his eyes.
“Yes! I’m in charge, but I don’t generate any revenue! If you’re not making money, what am I in charge of? The salary allocated by the court isn’t enough to cover our daily meals, even if they’re cheap!” Guo Xiaoke nodded.
Watching Guo Xiaoke take a big bite of the pancake, Qin Mu began to think to himself, "That's true. Although the Six Doors is a law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies also have missions in another world, and there are rewards for completing missions. The Six Doors doesn't have missions, but if you want to live a good life, you have to find a way to make money, right?" As for how to make money, Qin Mu had a vague idea in his mind.
You can't exploit ordinary people, as that goes against your conscience and principles. So you can only target the rich, which is both plentiful and quick.
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