Chapter 49: Is it acceptable? Please allow me to guarantee it first...
The waiter discreetly sized up Fu Yun and the Empress, noticing that although their attire was ordinary, their appearance and demeanor were above average.
The waiter, who serves guests from all over the world every day, has long been a shrewd operator. He knows that some important figures from all over the country will disguise themselves to keep a low profile, making it impossible for others to guess their true identities.
The waiter, having already made up his mind, smiled and nodded: "Yes, there are. The private rooms are on the second floor. Please follow me, esteemed guests."
The waiter led Fu Yun and the Empress up the stairs and into the third room on the second floor.
Fu Yun quickly glanced around the private room and found that the interior was decorated quite elegantly.
The room is bright and airy, with a classic and charming decor. In addition to the dining table and chairs by the window, there are also a small table, books, a chessboard, the Four Treasures of the Study, and a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) placed against the wall.
This is what people call having all the skills of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Once the two were seated at the square table, the waiter stepped forward and respectfully poured a cup of tea for Fu Yun and the Empress: "Please have a cup of hot tea to quench your thirst."
He then stepped aside and asked with a smile, "What would you two like to eat?"
Fu Yun looked up at the Empress and said without any guilt, "You order! I'm not picky, I'll eat anything."
In fact, he is very picky about food. He doesn't eat animal organs, wild game, or livestock that are not from the usual breeds. He also doesn't eat shellfish.
He is very concerned about whether food carries parasites and bacteria, not because he is afraid of being poisoned, but because he has a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder about food that is hard for ordinary people to understand.
He himself didn't know why this happened; it seemed like it was something he was born with.
When I was little, I rarely ate meat. It wasn't until I entered puberty that my nutritional needs increased, and I had to eat some meat.
The Empress had no doubt about what Fu Yun said and immediately told the waiter, "Bring us one of your signature dishes."
The waiter's eyes lit up upon hearing this, realizing he had encountered a scion of a prominent family. He immediately smiled broadly, saying, "Alright, please wait a moment, esteemed guests, while I prepare the dishes."
The waiter quickly left the private room and even closed the door behind him.
The Empress casually glanced around the room, her gaze landing on the chessboard: "Do you know how to play chess?"
Fu Jun was startled and quickly shook her head: "No."
He then put on a serious expression of regret: "The head of the Su family is unwilling to waste money on me."
In fact, Fu Yun himself knows how to play chess, including Chinese chess, Go, international chess, and Roman chess, but as the least favored young master of the Su family, it is obviously impossible for him to do so.
As Xiao Ba mentioned before, Su Tan had hired tutors for both the eldest daughter and the second young master of the Su family, but was unwilling to waste time and money on Su Fuyun.
However, the original owner, Su Fuyun, was not an innocent little white lotus who knew nothing. She had witnessed the coldness of the world and the indifference of human nature at a young age. Naturally, she was unwilling to become an illiterate person. She humbly begged Su Tan to let her read and write, and promised to obey the head of the family's arrangements in everything when she grew up, even if it meant becoming a stepping stone for the Su family to become a powerful and noble family.
Su Tan reluctantly agreed to let him study and learn to read, but instead of spending a lot of money to hire a tutor for him, he simply enrolled him in a private school for half a year, and that was all.
Therefore, the original owner of Su Fuyun was only good at reading and writing, but did not have any outstanding literary talent.
Fortunately, this country values martial arts over literature, so even though he was not very knowledgeable, it did not prevent him from being given the undeserved title of the most handsome man in Lingzhou City.
The Empress looked at Fu Jun with a hint of sympathy in her eyes: "I'm afraid no one would believe it if I told them, but the Su family, which was once a wealthy and powerful family, raised a mediocre young master who was not good at any of the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
Fu Yun shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "There's nothing I can do. It's just that my blockhead father isn't liked by Su Tan."
The Empress gently shook her head, her gaze falling on the paper, ink, brush, and inkstone on the table, and she let out a barely audible sigh.
To be honest, Fu Yun also felt sorry for the original owner. He was handsome and intelligent, but unfortunately he didn't meet parents who truly cared for him, and in the end he turned into a villain.
According to Xiao Ba, Su Fuyun's father was also a great man, otherwise Su Tan would not have been able to fall for him. However, the great man had a personality flaw; he was naturally cold and dull. Apart from his good looks, he never knew how to fawn over his wife. He would just stand there stiffly, like a puppet without joy or sorrow.
Fu Yun didn't want to discuss the original owner of the body too much. He was a pitiful person, but he also had his hateful aspects.
He wouldn't judge right or wrong, after all, he wasn't Su Fuyun and hadn't experienced the other's hardships and tribulations, so he had no right to point fingers.
There's a saying: "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering."
Do your own thing, stay true to your original aspirations, uphold your principles, and be true to yourself—that's enough.
There's no need to pay too much attention to other people's affairs.
He looked out the window at the street, his gaze sweeping over the various shops and vendors. Thinking about the goals he needed to achieve in the future, he joked, "Luckily, I have a good business sense, otherwise I would have lived a mediocre life."
These words, to the Empress, sounded somewhat like self-amusement and self-consolation, while also revealing a spirit of self-reliance and perseverance.
The Empress looked calmly at Fu Yun and said gently, "Perhaps this is the only advantage Su Tan has given you."
Fu Yun twitched the corner of her mouth but did not refute.
The Empress probably thought that his business acumen was inherited from Su Tan.
Fu Jun changed the subject at the right time: "Before the food is served, let me tell you about the current progress on my end!"
The Empress nodded, her expression becoming more solemn: "Speak."
Fu Yun explained in detail: "Originally, Lu Zhisheng and I just set up a stall to sell tea drinks, but the sales volume was too low and it was time-consuming and laborious. So I asked Lu's mother and Su Mang to go to various restaurants, inns and taverns to promote our drinks. Because they are drinks suitable for all ages, the effect was better than I expected. They would sell out in less than half a day. I have now rented a shop and plan to let customers come directly to order or buy on the spot. If the response is good, I will open chain stores in other towns and even open up business channels in other countries. Of course, trade is still a long way off, so we can put it aside for now."
A hint of shock flashed across the Empress's eyes, then, as if she had thought of something, she asked hesitantly, "Running multiple shops at the same time, where do you get the money to purchase goods?"
Fu Yun said, "You don't need to worry about that. The catering industry has a relatively fast return on investment, so there won't be a situation where you don't have enough funds for activities or you're strapped for cash. Besides, the tea drinks I sell are not cheap, so using a portion of the revenue to purchase materials is more than enough."
The Empress nodded, signaling Fu Jun to continue.
"Tea drinks are just a channel I use to obtain operating funds. Once I have more money on hand, I will launch more projects."
Just as the Empress was about to speak, there was a knock at the door. The waiter outside said, "Distinguished guests, excuse us. The dishes are ready. May we serve them?"
The Empress said calmly, "Come in."
Alright!
The waiter held a wine jug in one hand and gently pushed open the door with the other, followed by two people carrying trays.
When the food was placed on the table, Fu Yun was taken aback. She hadn't expected that "one table" would actually mean a huge table of dishes. The food was plentiful, with everything imaginable, and the dishes looked delicious and fragrant. It was clearly a luxurious feast.
Once all the dishes were on the table, the waiter put down the wine jug he was holding.
The Empress frowned slightly and said coldly, "I did not order any wine."
The waiter gestured slightly and patiently explained to the jade wine pot, "This is a new tea drink that our shop has recently launched. It is a very popular beverage among our customers. Since this is your first time dining at our shop, the manager said he would give you a pot to try. If you are satisfied, we hope you will come back to patronize us often in the future."
The Empress paused, then glanced at Fu Yun.
Fu Yun was also stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and mouthed to the Empress, "This is the tea I was talking about."
When the waiter described it, he knew that this was the drink he had been promoting to various restaurants.
I never expected this restaurant to be so good at marketing, actually using its own tea drinks to maintain both new and old customers.
That's fine too. Although we can't build brand awareness, sales have already increased.
Moreover, after they sell out, they will still need to source the goods from us. As for brand promotion, it's not impossible to focus on retail promotion after the packaging design for the lotus leaf cups is finalized.
The Empress understood and said to the waiter, "Then thank you for your kindness, sir."
"You're too kind, it's my pleasure," the waiter replied with a smile, then politely inquired, "Is there anything else you two need?"
Fu Yun said, "That's all. You can go back to your work. There's no need for anyone to stay here."
"Alright, then please enjoy your meal, distinguished guests."
The waiter and his men left together, and he closed the door behind him again.
Fu Yun smiled as he looked at the jade wine pot, picked it up and poured a cup for the Empress: "Try it and see how it tastes."
The shop gave us the original flavor milk tea as a complimentary drink, which was expected.
Coca-Cola and soft drinks are more expensive to buy, and they are not exactly suitable for all ages and genders.
The Empress picked up the cup, took a small sip, and then nodded: "The flavor is mellow and the texture is smooth. It's a good experience."
Fu Yun was very happy to have gained the Empress's approval.
"Your positive evaluation proves that I'm on the right track."
The Empress nodded: "Not bad, you can continue."
Fu Yun continued enthusiastically from what she hadn't finished saying earlier: "I just mentioned that I would be launching other projects. The tea shop is the first project, and the gym will be my second. As for the purpose of opening the gym, one is to improve physical fitness, and the other is to reduce the mortality rate of soldiers who join the army. Of course, there is also a more important purpose, which is to improve men's resistance and improve their poor health. If their physical fitness is improved, they can also join the army and replenish the strength of the military."
The Empress had been listening quietly, but when she heard about men joining the army, her delicate brows furrowed: "Nonsense! How can men join the army?"
Fu Yun said calmly, "I know you will have doubts. I think it would be more appropriate for General Qian to report the specific details of this matter to you later. It is not very convincing for me to just say a few words. Therefore, I hope you can keep my suggestion to yourself and decide whether to implement it after General Qian reports the details of the plan and the countermeasures to you. What do you think?"
After a moment of contemplation, the Empress finally agreed: "I can give Qian Qingling a chance to persuade me, but this is a completely new policy, and whether it can be implemented still needs to be considered in the long run."
Fu Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Once these two matters are settled, I will replenish the national treasury for you. The exact amount depends on my luck."
The Empress raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? How do you want it filled?"
Fu Yun smiled mysteriously: "Please allow me to keep this a secret for now. You just need to be responsible for receiving it later."
Are you about to start eating?
Xiao Ba suddenly spoke up, clearly a little excited.
Fu Yun: "Don't rush, I'll discuss it with you later."
【oh! 】
Hearing Fu Yun say this, the Empress did not force the issue. A slight smile appeared on her lips, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes: "Then I'll wait and see."
Fu Yun straightened her expression and asked, "So, was my report satisfactory this time?"
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