flstandardbreds Chapter 124 Throwing out bait again!
Chapter 124 Throwing out bait again!
Mu Xin Nuan knew she couldn't hide her thoughts from her cousin. In fact, she hadn't intended to hide them from him. "A restaurant is a place where people come and go, unlike clothing shops or jewelry shops, where most customers are women. Even some noble ladies send their maids or servants to the shop and rarely come out themselves. But a restaurant is very different."
Li Haozheng also realized what was going on. "So that's how it is? You were planning to use this Taihe Restaurant to gather information for yourself?"
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head. "It's true that I'm gathering information, but it's not just for myself! As I said before, I'm a woman, and the restaurant is mine, but for some specific external affairs, I naturally have to rely more on my two cousins and my uncle. I don't give much in return to the Li family, but if the business is run well, I'll naturally offer this information free of charge."
Li Haozheng didn't quite understand, but Li Haoran did.
Mu Xin Nuan meant that if Taihe Tower prospered in the future, her information gathering wouldn't just be for the Mu family; she would also fully cooperate if the Li family wanted to extract any information from her. Furthermore, if anything truly detrimental to the Li family happened, she would likely be the first to inform them.
"My cousin is indeed very meticulous! But, are you really not going to take action against Mu Xinyao's clothing shop?"
"How could I? Let her make a fortune? And then try to build her own power to deal with me and my mother? I'm not that stupid. Of course, I won't give her that chance! She is my sister after all, and she has our father's blood in her veins. I can't bring myself to kill her outright. But at least, I have to find a way to stop her from causing trouble!"
As Mu Xin Nuan was speaking, she looked up at the sky and saw several wild geese flying by in the blue sky!
Mu Xin Nuan said meaningfully, "Look, spring has finally arrived. The geese have already started flying back. Do you think they could survive the winter in the north if they lost their wings and could no longer fly high?"
Li Haozheng also looked up at the sky and could vaguely see a few wild geese. However, he seemed not to have fully understood the meaning behind Mu Xinnuan's words.
“Anuan, you must remember that you are not only a young lady of the Mu family. In everything, your maternal grandfather and father will protect you! Even my second brother and I will not stand by and watch you be in danger. So, don’t push yourself too hard, don’t tire yourself out! You are still young, and there are some things we can do for you.”
"Thank you so much, cousin. I understand your kindness. Don't worry, if anything happens, I certainly won't hesitate to help. Like this time, when I stepped in to sell the shop, wasn't that the case?"
"Great! That way we'll feel like a family."
Hearing Li Haoran's words, Mu Xinnuan was naturally deeply moved! As the eldest daughter of the Mu family, she was constantly under the watchful eyes of countless people! Especially now that the old lady had realized that she and her mother were of one mind, she disliked her even more! If anyone were to find even the slightest fault with her, it would cause an uproar!
She had to be extremely careful. Even though she was only eleven, she couldn't live a life of luxury like the other young ladies. As the eldest daughter, she had to protect her mother from mistreatment and ensure her younger brother's safety. If she made a wrong move and lost the favor of her grandfather and father, the consequences wouldn't just be her own!
Mu Xin Nuan knew very well that her grandfather and father valued her because she was the eldest daughter of the main wife, and also because she was generous and dignified in her conduct, leaving no room for criticism and displaying the demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family!
If I were like Mu Xinyao, acting rashly and speaking without tact, I would also be hard to please them. Although they wouldn't abandon me, at least they wouldn't have hired several famous teachers to teach me like they do now.
Mu Xin Nuan didn't think her father and grandfather valued fame and fortune too much; rather, everyone in this large family was like that! The Mu family wasn't exactly a prestigious family in the capital, but as her father's official position rose higher and higher, the Mu family members had to act cautiously.
Several days passed in a flash, and Mu Xin Nuan's Taihe Restaurant was doing exceptionally well, perhaps because of the Fourth Prince's personal visit! It was unclear whether it was deliberately arranged, but on the third day after its opening, His Highness the Grandson also visited Taihe Restaurant!
In no time, Taihelou became famous, and high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital all praised the delicious and unique dishes of Taihelou.
Meanwhile, Mu Xinyao's business was also doing quite well; however, the return on investment wasn't as fast as with her jewelry business. Seeing that she had netted a hundred taels of silver in the past month, Mu Xinyao was overjoyed!
One hundred taels of silver? And that's pure profit! This is just the beginning! If things go well, the profits will be far more than this.
While Mu Xinyao racked her brains to draw some patterns, she also personally taught Qiaohui how to do it. The two of them were busy and happy!
"Miss, Manager Liu is waiting to see you at the back door. He said it's urgent," Qiaohui reported.
Upon hearing this, Mu Xinyao knew it must be something to do at the shop, so she quickly put down her paintbrush and carefully went to the back door.
"Second Miss, one of my fellow villagers, Liu Er, has been dealing in a batch of fine brocade, but a sudden family emergency has arisen. His elderly mother is seriously ill, and he urgently needs to return home. He wants to sell the brocade to get cash to pay for his mother's treatment. The price is 70% of the normal market value! What do you think?"
Mu Xinyao understood; they were going to sell it at a low price?
70%? That's a very tempting price!
"Miss, this is a sample he personally delivered. And he guarantees that it's exactly the same as the bulk order."
Mu Xinyao took the small sample in her hand and examined it carefully. It was clear and bright in color, soft to the touch, and the pattern was quite exquisite and delicate. It didn't seem to have any problems.
However, having been ripped off at that jewelry shop last time, Mu Xinyao was more cautious this time. "Those brocades—I'm talking about the ones stored in his storeroom—have you looked at them? Are there any problems?"
“Miss, I have inspected it and there are no problems. I was just worried that there might be flaws in the material, so I told him that he needed to see the goods first. If he liked them, he would pay 20% as a deposit, and after the goods arrived here and were inspected again, he would pay the remaining 80%.”
Mu Xinyao nodded, "That's how it should be! Let's do it your way. You're a veteran in this industry, so don't make a mistake."
"Don't worry, Miss, I certainly won't let you down. I'll go talk to him about the price again. If I can get it down a bit more, that would be best. I can see he's extremely anxious right now. If it weren't for the fact that we have some relationship, he probably wouldn't have come to me this time."