Chapter 547 Raising Prices on the Spot
Because of the plague in the city, Yuwen Yuan ordered that people in the various wards and markets should not move around at will. As a result, restaurants and street stalls were deserted. The restaurant in front of us was not big, with only one waiter leaning against the door yawning.
Seeing Pei Xingyuan step down from the carriage, the waiter greeted him as if he had seen a god of wealth. He swallowed his yawn halfway through and happily asked, "Young master, would you like some wine or food?"
The figure flashed past the second-floor window and then disappeared.
Pei Xingyuan withdrew his gaze and smiled at the waiter, saying, "Let's drink."
"Alright, please come in!"
The waiter immediately bent down and led him inside. As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw that although there were several tables in the lobby on the first floor, it was empty and completely silent. The waiter immediately smiled and said, "Young master, it is no longer allowed to eat and drink in the lobby in the city. You can only go up to the second floor."
Pei Xingyuan waved his hand dismissively: "I've been to every restaurant in the city these past few days, and I still don't know this rule? Lead the way."
The waiter was somewhat surprised—since the plague broke out in the city, their restaurants had been unable to attract customers and were almost all about to close down. Only a few of them, those with connections, dared to open their doors, but ordinary people were afraid of catching the disease and dared not come in. He never expected that this young master would visit all the restaurants in the city in the past few days.
Isn't he afraid of catching a disease?
Although he had doubts, the waiter was too afraid to hesitate since the guest was a distinguished person and looked wealthy. He quickly led him upstairs.
As they climbed the stairs, Pei Xingyuan asked again, "By the way, how many guests do you have on the second floor today?"
The waiter hurriedly replied, "Besides you, young master, only one other distinguished guest has just arrived."
Then he immediately added, "But don't worry, young master, I will make sure you are far away from others and not disturbed."
Pei Xingyuan waved his hand: "I'm not afraid of being disturbed. I just like to enjoy the scenery, so just find me a place facing the street."
The waiter said, "Oh, no problem!"
As they spoke, the two of them went up to the second floor. There were eight private rooms on three sides, all of which were quiet. The curtains at the doors of seven of the private rooms were rolled up, but the curtain at the door of the only private room facing the street was down. The beaded curtain swayed slightly, and a dark and thin figure could be seen in and out of sight.
The waiter looked around and saw that the only private room facing the street was the one next to the one that was occupied.
He then led Pei Xingyuan over to sit down. Pei Xingyuan casually ordered a few dishes and drinks, and he immediately agreed to serve them. Before leaving, he even lowered the beaded curtain at the door.
As the waiter's footsteps faded into the distance, the clattering sound of the beaded curtain gradually subsided, and the entire second floor became as quiet as an empty box. Only when one was concentrating intently could one barely hear the breathing of two people.
After a long pause, Pei Xingyuan smiled and said, "Brother Jin, haven't you made a decision yet?"
"..."
No one answered.
Pei Xingyuan picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea. As he sipped it, he said, "I know that when you administer medicine at Yanzuofang, each dose of medicine is made with herbs costing about ten coins. It is administered three times a day. In order to avoid shortages, you would brew hundreds of extra doses of medicine every day, and all of these medicines would be thrown away."
"..."
"If these medicinal soups were brought to Chang Le Fang, they could feed at least three hundred people for two or three days."
"..."
“I sell medicine in Chang Le Fang. One dose of herbal medicine costs one qian of silver. You do the math, how much money are you wasting every day?”
"..."
"Brother Jin, wasting such a precious resource is not only a sin against the heavens, but you yourself can't live with it, can you? Otherwise—you wouldn't have been arguing with me for so many days, would you?"
When he said these words, there was still no response from the entire second floor.
Only after the last word was uttered did a sharp, cunning voice come from the private room behind, sneering, "I won't let it bother me."
"..."
"I only care about money."
"Looking at money, isn't that simple?"
Pei Xingyuan was overjoyed and immediately said, "I'll give you five hundred taels of silver. You can supply me with the remaining five days' worth of medicine. This is just the amount you would have wasted in a day or two. You're keeping your money clean!"
After he finished speaking, the other person suddenly fell silent.
This silence, this second floor, and even the entire restaurant, seemed to fall into a state of absolute stillness, which inexplicably made people feel a little uneasy.
Pei Xingyuan frowned slightly, about to say something more, when the voice suddenly rang out again, stiffly saying, "It's one thousand taels."
"What!?"
Pei Xingyuan's eyes widened suddenly, and he abruptly turned around.
Although he was separated by a screen and couldn't see the person in the private room behind him, the sound of him standing up and bumping into the chair behind him immediately echoed throughout the second floor, rumbling like muffled thunder, making people tremble slightly.
Just then, the waiter came upstairs.
He was carrying a tray with a wine pot and cups, as well as a side dish. He must have heard the loud noise earlier and thought Pei Xingyuan was getting impatient and angry. He hurriedly entered the private room, bowing and scraping, and said with a smile, "Young master, please calm down. The stove was cold today, so the kitchen staff were a little slow. I'm already urging them. Please drink the wine first, and the side dish was a gift from the manager."
Pei Xingyuan came from a prestigious family and was always easygoing. He never lost his temper with his servants. Although there was still a hint of anxiety on his face, he quickly calmed down and said with a smile, "You guys know how to do business. Put it down."
"Why!"
The waiter responded in a pretentious tone, deliberately amusing him. He put down the wine and dishes and then asked solicitously, "Is there anything else you need, sir?"
Pei Xingyuan waved his hand: "Go and urge the kitchen again."
"yes."
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly left the private room, soon descending the stairs.
As soon as he left, the entire second floor fell silent again. Pei Xingyuan gradually calmed down and his breathing returned to normal. Looking at the food and wine on the table, he poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip. The wine in the restaurant wasn't very good, but its slightly spicy taste actually calmed him down.
Pei Xingyuan smiled faintly and said, "Brother Jin, you're really trying to raise the price on the spot."
"That's right, I'm just raising the price on the spot."
"..."
"After I give you these medicines, in a few days you will be able to completely eradicate all the patients in Chang Le Fang. By then, I will have no way to make money anymore. I might as well take advantage of this time and make as much money as I can at once."
"..."
"Besides, I'm risking my life to sell you these medicines."
Upon hearing this, a glint of light suddenly appeared in Pei Xingyuan's smiling eyes. He said, "I'd also like to know just how much risk Brother Jin took."
"..."
Who exactly is behind you?
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