In the end, Ruyi and Ruxue lost so much that they almost had no clothes left.
The two looked at Yan Qingqing pitifully. Yan Qingqing threw the clothes to them and then looked at them and said, "I earned these through my own abilities."
And do you understand the psychology of gamblers now?
If you could stay true to yourselves and resist external temptations, you wouldn't have lost so badly.
If you had been adamant about not gambling with me from the beginning, you wouldn't have lost so badly.
The same applies to doing things; you will encounter all sorts of temptations in the future. If you can't hold onto your original aspirations, you'll end up in the same situation.
Ruyi and Ruxue were both filled with shame upon hearing this.
Although Yan Qingqing intended to use this opportunity to give them a warning, she mostly tried to reason with them.
Seeing their expressions, Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "I was just saying, but you two shouldn't make those faces. People who don't know better might think I'm bullying you."
After Yan Qingqing finished speaking, she saw that the two girls still looked like they had lost all will to live, so she returned the money they had won to them, and only then did the two girls cheer up.
They vowed never to gamble again, especially never to gamble with the lady of the house again.
Somehow the news got out, and Ruyi and Ruxue were ridiculed by the servants in their household for a long time.
The key issue is that when Yan Qingqing wanted to find someone to play Dou Dizhu (a card game), no one was willing to play with her.
Even Yuan Huiniang refused to play with Yan Qingqing. When pressed, she told Yan Qingqing that she had to stay true to her original intentions and that gambling was too harmful, so she absolutely could not get involved.
She was gambling with her own words, so what could Yan Qingqing say? She could only say that her family had such a good tradition.
Therefore, the entertainment activities brought about by Yan Qingqing never became popular and died out prematurely.
Fortunately, Yan Qingqing wasn't depressed for long, because the Li family's buffet restaurant was renovated and she was about to get busy again.
No one else could do this except her, because there is no such thing as a buffet in this era.
The snow had just stopped that day, and Yan Qingqing was working on the restaurant's promotional plan when Manager Xue came to her door.
Yan Qingqing was somewhat surprised to hear that Manager Xue had come to her door. Although they had business dealings, Manager Xue only came to ask her for recipes and to give her gifts during holidays.
What is he doing here when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?
Yan Qingqing asked Ruyi to invite him in.
As soon as Manager Xue entered, he had his attendants unload the gifts from the carriage, and then he bowed to Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing looked at him so eagerly and asked with a smile, "Nephew Xue, what brings you here?"
Shopkeeper Xue replied with a smile, "It's been a long time since I've visited you, Auntie. I've finally found some free time today, so I came to see you. I hope you've been doing well lately."
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and smiled, "Very well, thank you for remembering."
After sitting down, Manager Xue chatted with Yan Qingqing about everyday things.
Shopkeeper Xue asked with a smile, "I heard that your family is starting a new business soon?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "It's just making a living, it's hardly a new business."
I've heard that Yuelaiju is doing very well lately.
My dear nephew, you've been making a fortune lately!
When Yue Lai Ju's manager Xue was mentioned, he smiled. He had indeed made a lot of money recently, thanks to Yan Qingqing, who had given him a few decent dishes.
Manager Xue had no choice but to thank Yan Qingqing repeatedly.
Seeing that he was reluctant to explain his purpose, Yan Qingqing decided to see him off.
Shopkeeper Xue immediately became anxious and said, "Auntie, actually, I came here today because I have something I want to discuss with you."
Seeing that he had finally gotten to the point, Yan Qingqing gave him a serious look and gestured for him to continue.
Manager Xue knew that Yan Qingqing must have seen through his intentions long ago, so he didn't hide anything and said directly, "I heard that Auntie's family is going to open some kind of buffet restaurant."
My nephew has experience in this area; I wonder if I'd have the honor of working with you, Auntie.
Yan Qingqing understood; they were afraid that she would open a restaurant and steal Yuelaiju's business.
However, Manager Xue was different from others. Even when the Li family was poor, he never looked down on them.
Moreover, she had taken good care of Li Xiang'an back then, so Yan Qingqing was willing to give him a few pointers.
So she explained, "Nephew, we're all business people. Your aunt understands your concerns. You're worried that if I open a restaurant, we'll become competitors."
Actually, you don't need to worry about that at all. The restaurant your aunt runs is completely different from your Yuelaiju restaurant.
Then I explained the self-service restaurant's business model to Manager Xue.
Manager Xue was relieved to hear this and realized that restaurants could be run in this way.
Because they target different customer groups, Yan Qingqing's buffet restaurant mainly targets moderately wealthy families who want to eat well but are not rich enough.
Yuelaiju primarily targets wealthy individuals, so the possibility of overlapping clientele cannot be ruled out. However, for now, Yan Qingqing's buffet restaurant has made every effort to avoid clashing with Yuelaiju's clientele.
Shopkeeper Xue bowed to Yan Qingqing again and said, "Thank you for your frankness, Aunt. I was being petty."
I've run a restaurant in the county town for many years. If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Yan Qingqing naturally agreed with a smile.
After Manager Xue left, Yan Qingqing began to seriously plan all the matters related to the buffet restaurant.
Publicity is one aspect, but Yan Qingqing is experienced in this area, after all, her family has opened quite a few workshops and shops.
Pricing is another aspect. If the price is too high, the customer traffic will definitely be less; if it is too low, there will be no profit.
After careful calculation, Yan Qingqing set the price at forty-nine coins per person.
Children under 1.3 meters tall can be considered children and will be charged half price.
With this, even more people bring their families and children to eat out.
Yan Qingqing calculated that products like radishes and greens were definitely worthless; a large bunch could be bought for just one coin.
Meat and noodles are the main expensive items, but Yan Qingqing has calculated that even if they eat as much as they want, each person will only spend a maximum of twenty coins.
Add in labor costs and various losses, which amount to about 25 coins, leaving a net profit of 24 coins.
Moreover, customers who come to eat at the buffet are usually not alone; they bring their families. Even if we calculate based on three people, there is still a profit of more than seventy coins per table.
They can make a lot of money even if they only operate at noon and in the evening.
Of course, the profit margin of this buffet restaurant is relatively low compared to the other businesses Yan Qingqing's family runs.
After finalizing the marketing plan and pricing, Yan Qingqing's next step was to launch a major promotional campaign.
Since there wasn't much to do in the fields during winter, Yan Qingqing entrusted the task to Li Xiangping, with A'da assisting her.
The publicity effect was also very obvious. Many wealthy people in the county and towns were eager to open such a buffet restaurant when they heard that the county was going to open one, thinking that they would eat their fill.
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