Chapter 56: Do You Really Think You're Rich?

Not only Cheng Chumo, Qin Huaidao, Yu Chi Bao Lin and Li Lizhi were equally stunned.

You should know the restaurant only opened today; it's probably just past the hour of Chen, not even noon yet.

And it has already taken in seven to eight hundred guan?

"How could that be?"

Li Lizhi couldn't help but murmur.

She had run a restaurant before; although it closed shortly after opening, at least she had experience.

Thinking back to the same location, the same restaurant, how much did she earn in a whole day of opening?

Li Lizhi clearly remembered that figure: one thousand four hundred twenty-three wen.

One guan and one thousand wen.

On the day she opened, she earned one guan plus four hundred twenty-three wen, not even subtracting costs.

Now that Chen Yan has taken over the restaurant, even if the hot pot is tasty and the wine good, there shouldn't be such a huge discrepancy, right?

How long has it been open?

A little over an hour?

Li Lizhi suddenly began to doubt life.

"How could it be impossible?"

Xiao Shunzi boasted, "Seven to eight hundred guan is already an understatement; in a little while, it'll probably be a thousand guan!"

"That's not..." Cheng Chumo said with a doubtful face, "Xiao Shunzi, you can't joke about this. If you falsify the earnings, you might get beaten later."

He still couldn't believe that the restaurant had taken in seven to eight hundred guan in such a short time.

Never mind what seven to eight hundred guan means, it's enough to buy a sizable courtyard in Chang'an City.

Just the location of the restaurant, it's not even that big.

Having been open a little over an hour, it's just enough to finish two meals; how much space do the three floors total up to?

After everyone finishes a round and settles the bill, fifty guan would be more than enough.

Where did the seven to eight hundred guan come from?

Xiao Shunzi slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, Master Cheng, even if you gave me a hundred doses of courage, I still wouldn't dare deceive you all."

The others thought about it and agreed.

As a servant of Bo Mansion, Xiao Shunzi knew their status, and he seemed just as clever.

He didn't have the nerve to lie to them.

Yu Chi Bao Lin asked, "Then tell us, how did the restaurant manage to earn so much money in such a short time?"

Xiao Shunzi hesitated briefly, then turned his gaze toward Chen Yan.

Chen Yan sipped his tea and said calmly, "Since they want to know, just tell them. After all, I called you up to have you answer their questions."

"Ah, I understand now."

Seeing Chen Yan say that, Xiao Shunzi stopped hesitating, paused briefly, and began to explain to everyone, "Lord Bo told me that in business, you need 'giving' to have 'gaining'."

"First, for a newly opened restaurant, the most important thing is to attract customers, so at this stage you must 'give'."

"Lord Bo had me set up a raffle; any customer who spends money in our restaurant can take part in the draw..."

Before Xiao Shunzi could finish, Cheng Chumo impatiently asked, "What exactly is a raffle?"

Earlier, when he was outside the restaurant, he had heard those two aunties mention the terms, and that someone had won fifty guan.

He really didn't understand.

Xiao Shunzi said, "A raffle means preparing a sealed wooden box with a hole the size of an arm, so people can stick their hand inside."

"Inside the box are many pre‑prepared slips of paper. The slips indicate whether one has won, and if so, which prize tier."

"First prize is three hundred guan cash, second prize one hundred guan, third prize fifty guan, plus a participation prize."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood.

Yu Chi Bao Lin asked in confusion, "Doesn't that just give money away for free?"

"Are we not losing out then?"

"Exactly," Cheng Chumo agreed, "That's several hundred guan, enough for us to open another restaurant. Why give it away for free?"

Chen Yan, seething, said, "Can't you think of anything besides women all day?"

"Why are you only fixated on that little money?"

"I ask you, if I didn't give away that money, would the restaurant still attract so many people?"

"Would that many people come to our restaurant early in the morning to eat and drink?"

"Can Zui Xian Lou's reputation spread that quickly?"

"That's way too much generosity," Yu Chi Bao Lin muttered, "Giving one or two guan would suffice; why give away so much money?"

"The three of us haven't even invested as much as you have given away."

Yu Chi Bao Lin and Cheng Chumo weren't foolish; they understood that Chen Yan's move was to attract customers.

But they thought that even to attract patrons, there was no need to give away that much money, right?

Several hundred guan, indeed.

That's enough for how many trips to Pingkang Lane?

Chen Yan, his forehead dark with stress, said, "Our Zui Xian Lou's 'Jade Dew Golden Goblet' sells for one guan. Do you think if I only gave away one or two guan, people would still come to eat and drink?"

When he finished speaking, everyone except Xiao Shunzi stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

Yu Chi Bao Lin was stunned, "Your wine sells for one guan? Is your wine made of gold?"

Cheng Chumo echoed, "Right, one guan is too much, isn't it? How is this different from robbery?"

"Of course there's a difference," Chen Yan said calmly. "Who can snatch as fast as I can?"

The crowd: "......"

Good fellow.

You could have gone to snatch, yet you insist on using the pretense of selling.

You're really a nice person.

Qin Huaidao suddenly said at this moment: "Actually, I think Brother Chen's pricing is quite reasonable; a one‑guan coin is neither too much nor too little, landing at just the right spot."

"Why do you say that?" Li Lizhi whispered softly.

Qin Huaidao explained: "The reason you think the price of a one‑guan coin is high is simply because one‑guan coin already suffices for a family of three to live in Chang'an City for a month; spending a one‑guan coin on altar wine is not worthwhile."

"It's just that you seem to have overlooked a problem."

Cheng Chumo: "What problem?"

"Our wine is good," Qin Huaidao said with a smile. "To be honest, after all these years of drinking, I've never tasted wine better than the Jade Dew Golden Goblet."

"Isn't it worth a one‑guan coin?"

"It truly is worth it," Yu Chi Bao Lin nodded, then shifted tone, "But the price is indeed expensive."

"Not to mention others, even for us, the household only receives a few guan per month."

"Even I feel a pang of guilt drinking wine that costs a one‑guan coin, let alone others; they probably can't even afford to drink it."

His words left Qin Huaidao momentarily at a loss for how to rebut.

It sounds as if it's not wrong.

Even they think it's pricey; can a wine that makes you feel guilty actually sell well?

Cheng Chumo and Li Lizhi silently nodded in agreement.

A one‑guan coin, indeed expensive.

Chen Yan, seeing this, sneered, "Do you really think your status is high, that in Chang'an City you're even considered wealthy?"

"Let me tell you, the things you deem expensive might actually be considered cheap by others."

"To put it bluntly, regarding wealth, even combined, you two are no different from beggars in the eyes of the rich."

"Otherwise, where do you think today's restaurant's seven to eight hundred guan came from?"

"......"