Chapter 92 Exaggerated Price
It’s in the cold winter days, and the wine gla.s.s was steaming. The osmanthus fragrance spread slowly in the building. The senior drinkers nearby couldn’t help but swallow saliva and eagerly watched the wealthy childe drinking it.
Yin Xu did not expect that such a good thing would occur to him on the first day of his work. Although it had a higher demand for acting, that’s not a problem for him, because he used to be a liar in the Nanjiang Country. Afterwards, he was captured by feudal officials. Then he was forced to be a soldier and became cannon fodder on battlefields.
When the wine reached his throat, the pungency in imagination didn’t suffuse inside him. Instead, he felt a taste of mellowness and smoothness as if it was silk not wine that he swallowed. The strong osmanthus fragrance spread in his body and made all his pores open, which was extremely comfortable.
“It is not wine. It is clearly a kind of addictive poison!”
Yin Xu had a whole gla.s.s of wine and became a little drunk. He had forgotten that he was still acting at that moment. He optionally took a lump of osmanthus cake into his mouth. His whole mouth was immediately full of another completely different sweet taste.
He chewed it carefully, and felt it was smooth, soft and sweet but not greasy. The aroma of rice was wrapped in osmanthus fragrance, and the taste was well arranged. The sweetness mixed with fresh flavor was memorable.
Yin Xu was totally intoxicated. It did not need any pretentious acting because his expression had already explained everything. Many people couldn’t help but place orders. They wanted to know why Yin Xu became like that after he just drank a gla.s.s of wine and ate a lump of osmanthus cake.
Many pots of osmanthus wine were served on tables, and the osmanthus fragrance was richer in the whole winery. Real good wine never needed any publicity. Those chronic drunkards were mad with joy and seemed to get a treasure after they had the first taste. When they finished off the wine, they excitedly went out the restaurant. It was apparent that they were going to show off the wine to their drinking buddies. Yin Xuetong could imagine how hilarious it would be at the Linli Building tomorrow.
“Good, I want to drink more!”
Yin Xu screamed with a red face. It was clear that he forgot his ident.i.ty. Yin Xuetong shook her head and asked people to help him go away in a hurry. The corner of her mouth couldn’t help but slightly tilt up. For the sake of his success in making a good start for the Linli Building, she wouldn’t blame him for drinking.
“Relying on the osmanthus wine, it is sufficient to make the Linli Building famous in the Qinghe Town. However, the dish is monotonous. I don’t know if Ms. Li has other ideas.”
The lantern show at night was very lively. People in some streets near the Linli Building could faintly smell the osmanthus fragrance. Thus, more and more people followed the smell and came to these streets, which helped vendors on the streets earn more and lighted them up with pleasure.
Su Li stood on the roof and were watching the lively scene downstairs. Her calmly face also flashed a smile.
Yin Xuetong had good abilities, so she didn’t need to worry about the Linli Building in common days. It was a surprise. However…
She looked at the south of the Qinghe Town. After a few days, some intended people would make some movements.
Next day, because of drinkers’ word of mouth, people who came to taste the wine in the Linli Building nearly doubled those came yesterday. Waiters kept receiving, and even the second floor of the winery was full soon.
Drinkers who had come yesterday saw signs on the wall, and their faces changed slightly. They seemed to have forgotten a very important thing.
“Osmanthus wine, 10 taels/pot.”
“Osmanthus cake, 5 taels/plate.”
Yes, the shopkeeper said yesterday that it was 90% off to sale the wine. Today… it restored the original price!
“What the h.e.l.l? Lao Li, 10 taels for one pot? It is sufficient for me to go to the Laifu Inn and have ten bottles of bamboo wine!”
“Lao Li, I come here just because of your idle boast. I didn’t expect that you set me up!”
“Tell me! How much money did you get from the winery?”
“We all think we are friends. Do you even treat us like this?”
In a short time, the crowd burst into complaints in the building. Many people like Lao Li were very awkward. Anyone who kindly took friends to share good things but was misunderstood wouldn’t feel good.
However, the more Lao Li was misunderstood, the more he wanted to prove that he was right!
“Are you kidding me? Am I like that kind of person?” Lao Li looked angry and waved his hand, “Waiter, three pots of osmanthus wine! Today I will show you what the real wine is! The bamboo wine of the Laifu Inn is bulls.h.i.+t. Compared with the osmanthus wine of the Linli Building, it even can’t be called wine!”
Seeing their old friend was so angry, and he didn’t seem to pretend, many of drinking buddies who were about to leave stopped going out at once and went back to sit down again.
“Alright! Lao Li, I will taste it and see how magical the osmanthus wine that you said is. It even makes you praise so highly!”
As early as the time when they were in the yard, Heidan and other people had made a lot of osmanthus wine. After diluting the original wine, it could be directly served to the wine tables quickly. Lao Li and others didn’t wait for a long time. A waiter put three hot and steaming pots of wine and one plate of osmanthus cake on the table.
Lao Li was curious and he said, “Wait, I didn’t order the osmanthus cake.”
The waiter immediately smiled, “Our owner said that you are a person who loves wine, so the plate of osmanthus cake is complimentary.”
Lao Li’s eyes instantly became wet after he heard that. He looked at the osmanthus cake and had a feeling of tearing, “Tell your shopkeeper many thanks for me.”
The waiter heard him and didn’t make clear the difference between the “shopkeeper” and the “owner”. He nodded and went away.
Su Li stood on the top floor and watched the scene with a meaningful smile.
When a person was suspected and negated, even if he was only given petty favors, he would remember it deeply and immediately regarded the person who gave him favors as a confidant.
Sure enough, the human heart was so fragile.
The power of wine had no upper limit for those who love wine. When a group of chronic drunkards drank the osmanthus wine, the scene of yesterday repeated immediately and was even crazier.
“Lao Li, I was wrong!”
“The wine should come from the heaven and how can ordinary people smell it a lot!”
“Lao Li, you set me up! After I drank the osmanthus wine, I can’t even bear to drink the bamboo wine when I think of it!”
“The vintage wine is so mellow, and it has strong aftertaste. A pot of it costs ten taels. It is really inexpensive!”
“Oh! Linli Building. I want to live here!”
“I still like the spicy taste. Hope the Linli Building will have new wine soon!”
“Waiter, two more plates of osmanthus cake to go. I will take them back and let my wife have a taste!”
“…”
In a short time, the restaurant was acclaimed constantly, and it started a shopping frenzy. Hundreds of pots of osmanthus wine and thousands of plates of osmanthus cake were sold in a merely half day. Yin Xuetong was scared by that so she announced at once that the wine and the cake were out of stock today and the Linli Building would open again tomorrow.
Although the winery’s inventory was sufficient, and they also collected several warehouses of dry osmanthus flowers last fall, they couldn’t withstand such crazy buying. Moreover, she also knew that there were profiteers hiding among customers. Otherwise, even if the public praise spread so well, it would not sell so much in just one day.
“But I should tell Su Li the matter.”
Yin Xuetong thought about it and went to the attic on the top floor. Before she knocked at the door, she heard a sound coming out from inside.
“I have known the specific things. In the future, the osmanthus wine and osmanthus cake are limited and cannot be purchased in large quant.i.ties. The exact amounts are up to you.”
Yin Xuetong was shocked, and immediately her scalp tingled slightly. The winery’s status quo was already seen by Su Li, but she did not speak frankly. Would the shopkeeper have changed to another person tomorrow if Yin Xuetong didn’t come today?
“OK, I see.”
Yin Xuetong did not open the door. She answered outside the door and turned away to go downstairs. At the same time, she secretly decided to do better than before in heart.
At that night, Qu Qingning, Yin Xuetong, Fang Yuan and Fang Mu were all in the underground adytum.
“Xuetong, tell us quickly how much money we earned in total these days!”
Qu Qingning’s eyes were s.h.i.+ning like a miser. Yin Xuetong rolled her eyes and said slowly, “The osmanthus wine we are selling now is the centuple dilution of the original osmanthus wine. The net profit is nine taels for one pot. The profit of the osmanthus cake is lower and is about three taels for one plate. Today, we sold more than 500 pots of Osmanthus wine and more than 1,200 plates of osmanthus cake. In addition to the small amounts, the income of the Linli Building is at least 8,000 taels!”
Yin Xuetong couldn’t help but take a deep breath when she got the result. The profit of osmanthus wine was so considerable!
Furthermore, wine was not like dishes. Even if people drank it all the time, they wouldn’t be tired of it. People who liked to drink even needed to get some wine every day and comfort themselves from hearts. It was not like the dishes that if people had them every day and they must be tired of them one day.
In this case, the Linli Building just started business, and it became a money tree with 8,000 taels earned in one day.
Fang Mu listened to her and couldn’t help but drool with wide opened eyes. It turned out that his eldest brother was on the coattails of Su Li. No wonder his cultivation rose sharply. They had not seen each other for half a year, but he reached the acquired eighth hurdle, which was even faster than when he was in their family.
However, Fang Yuan and Qu Qingning had common responses. They had known Su Li’s ability of making money, so they were not surprised at this little bit money. After all, Su Li didn’t even spend a penny to blackmail Su Huanli giving her 400,000 taels before. And that’s the origin of the Linli Building. Compared with that, the daily profit of 8,000 taels was a mere trifle.
“How clever Su Li is. She not only cooks delicious dishes, but also makes good wine.”
Qu Qingning laughed and couldn’t help but pat Fang Yuan on his back, “Thus, following her, we will not suffer losses.”
Fang Yuan rolled his eyes. Yin Xuetong and Fang Mu were all muddled.
What did that “suffer losses” mean? What riddles were they talking about?
…
At the moment, it’s in a study of a magnificent residence in the south of the Qinghe Town.
“Master, many of the restaurants that you chose have agreed to transfer.”
The middle-aged man who looked like a butler were groveling and he said with respect. There was a desk in front of him. A handsome young man, who dressed in a golden costume but with a cold face, was staring at an ancient scroll in his hands. It could be faintly recognized that it’s a martial-art ill.u.s.trated book from the back of the book.
After hearing the butler’s words, the young man snorted and said slowly, “Tell me about the restaurants that have responded.”
The butler replied quickly, “There are three restaurants in total. One is the Laifu Inn in the center of the town. Its owner doesn’t have powerful background, so he naturally dares not offend you. The other two restaurants are the Yuelai Inn in the east of the town and the Huaman Inn in the west. These two old inns have operated for many years. Even if their locations are little remote, they both have stable visitors.”
The young man listened to him and slightly nodded. It seemed that he was a little satisfied. He looked up and said, “What about their income?”
“The Laifu Inn’s income is the highest! It can have three thousand taels profit every day.” The butler answered fluently, “The other two have 2,500 taels and 2,700 taels daily respectively.”
The young man frowned slightly and put down the scroll from his hands. He slowly stood up and said with cold eyes, “You have inquired for a long time, but you just find out three pieces of rubbish for me?!”
The butler was immediately shocked and knelt down, “Master! I have tried my best. Some of the other restaurants have aristocratic family as their backgrounds, just like us. And some are backed by high officials. We can’t offend them!”
The young man sneered, “I promised my father that I would make an achievement in business, so I can’t start in a small way. The inns you said can’t have five thousand taels daily. How can these match my ident.i.ty?”
The butler was fearful. He remembered the means that the young man usually tortured people. His hands and feet trembled. Suddenly, he thought of something and immediately shouted, “Master! Master! I know! There is another winery. The winery just started business today. I estimate that it can earn 7,000 taels daily. Besides, whether its decoration or wine is in the highest grade. It matches your ident.i.ty absolutely!”