Beijing is bustling with shops lined up in rows. New stores open and some close every day.
Therefore, when the sugar shop was being renovated, a few nearby neighbors were curious and came to inquire about it.
The rouge gouache was selling well, but why did it suddenly switch to selling candy?
These are clearly two completely unrelated things.
Those days, Liu Er, the shopkeeper, welcomed people in with a smile. After doing some Tai Chi, he sent people out with a smile on his face.
Anyone who asks is the owner. How can he know so much as a shopkeeper?
But when I get home at night and lie in bed. Liu Er had to think about it late at night every night before he could fall asleep, and he was not as relaxed as he was in front of outsiders.
Especially a few days before the opening, I received a message from the empress in the palace. The guide price on the list, as well as the arrangements for publicity and publicity.
Liu Er was full of praise for Concubine Cheng's boldness. The aroma of wine is also feared because the alleys are deep, and the people living in the outer city are Han Chinese, Hui people, etc.
The inner city was divided into plots according to the Eight Banners, and the people living there were all the children of the Eight Banners, most of whom were princes, nobles, and relatives of the emperor.
The owners behind each of the shops on Dongzhimen Street are not ordinary people.
Although the Sun family occupies a good position, it can barely be regarded as a middle-class family in Beijing.
So I could only choose a place in the outer city and bought two small shops that were not bad in location, but not the best.
There is no way. Throughout the ages, housing prices in the capital have never been cheap. Especially this kind of street-facing shop with a shop in the front and a yard in the back, where people can live.
Liu Er can already think of a good-looking sign hanging under the sign.
It has these big characters written on it: "The emperor has agreed to eat it", which means that guests must be coming like clouds.
As for whether the emperor would have any objections, isn't it because his wife is here? Nowadays, no one in Beijing knows that their mother-in-law is deeply loved by the emperor.
Within a year of entering the palace, she was promoted to the throne and raised the fifth elder brother. No other concubine could compare with her!
But along with the joy, there is also great pressure. The owner's family invested so much money in the toffee business.
The empress trusted him and let him be the great shopkeeper. If the business is not completed, it will be a small matter for him to be exposed, but the empress in the palace will lose a lot of face.
He must watch carefully and not make the slightest mistake!
Firecrackers were crackling, and many people had gathered outside the store, which was already on the third floor. The whole street was blocked.
Fortunately, according to the order of the empress, a dozen officers and soldiers came over to help maintain order.
Otherwise, if something unexpected happens and a good day turns into bad luck, how can the business go smoothly in the future?
Passerby A: "The emperor has agreed to eat it?", Hiss, this store has such a great atmosphere!
Passerby B: You don’t know, right? This store is the property of the Sun family, and they have people in the palace!
I heard that this recipe for making sweets was given by the empress in the palace. If the emperor doesn't like it and the empress dares to hang it under the sign, that would be the crime of deceiving the emperor!
Passerby A: Real or fake? Who are you to know this?
The empress in the palace doesn't want anything, but she still cares about this little money!
Passerby C: I testify that what he said is true. Our family also has a queen in the palace.
A few days ago, I was sent back a box of these toffee. The young master, the young master, the wife, and the ancestors all liked it.
I heard that this store opened today, so we specially asked the two of us to come and buy some to help make it more popular and warm up the place.
Passerby A: This is the most popular place on the whole street, and there is no need for heating!
Passerby: Hey, I’m here to increase my popularity, and I’ll buy some back...
Passerby Wu: So are we. Where are you two...?
Passerby: Not the two of us. Our master heard that the toffee from this shop is good for your health, so he asked you to buy some.
Passerby Renji: We heard that there is a candy shop that sells some toffee, and the emperor liked it after eating it, so we came here to have a look.
...
Liu Er listened to the comments around him and looked at the people in the crowd who were dressed like servants and stewards of various governments.
The slaps became more and more vigorous. With these people here, it must be a good business day.
At an auspicious hour, shopkeeper Liu Er, wearing a bright red dress embroidered with the word "Fu", stood at the door of the shop and shouted loudly,
"Thank you all, fellow villagers, masters, wives, sons and daughters for supporting us. Honey Restaurant is opening today, with a 20% discount for the first three days of the opening."
"Everyone who has money is here to support you, and those who have no money are here to support you. You are welcome to come into the store."
After Liu Er finished speaking, he pulled the red silk hanging under the plaque, revealing a signboard with red characters on a black background.
Then he stood aside and walked out the door to greet the guests with a smile. More than two thousand kilograms of toffee were prepared, and they were sold out in less than two hours.
The customers who came from behind to buy candy didn't even see the shadow of the candy.
By the time it closed, the production for the next half month had already been determined, making the neighboring shops envious.
Liu Er excitedly calculated today's accounts three or four times. After ensuring that everything was safe, he happily put down the abacus.
Crossing her legs, she said to her wife Su who was equally excited next to her,
"Your Majesty is truly a genius in the business world. The profits from this toffee business are far beyond our imagination."
"Today, the spot price alone was sold for 17,254 taels of silver. The loss was more than 100 kilograms. Although it is a bit excessive, it is still expected."
"For the remaining half month, the share of two hundred kilograms per day has been booked. Since it was booked within three days of opening, it is still considered a 20% discount, and the total is twenty-four thousand taels."
"The deposit is calculated as half, and today we collected twelve thousand taels of silver. In just a few hours, not only the cost was recovered, but we also made a huge profit. It is equivalent to the profits of Rouge Shop for several years."
"Let me tell you, after so many years of abacus calculation, this is the first time that so much cash has passed through my hands."
Mrs. Su rubbed her sore waist and sighed, "Isn't it true? After being with my wife for so many years, I have seen a lot of the world."
"Not to mention anything else, the empress was selected into the palace, and many of the dowries that were originally prepared were discounted into cash."
"In those days, I watched from the side and helped with the disposal. Although the amount was large, it was not as good as today. In just a few hours, tens of thousands of taels were made, which is commendable."
"But the head of the house is paying eighty taels of silver and a pound of candy, and those people don't even blink an eyelid."
"You can buy dozens or hundreds of taels at a time. They say Jiangnan is a prosperous town, but it is still outclassed by the capital city."
Su thought that when she was in Suzhou, a meal for the masters was not a small sum.
Sometimes, a slightly more elaborate dish requires ten chickens and various fruits.
You never get tired of fine food, and you never get tired of fine food. There is no better place to eat than this.
Some people care about appearance the most, and the color of their clothes will become darker every time they are washed. The delicate embroidery on it will also fluff and change shape.
Therefore, these people will only wear their clothes once, and will never wear washed clothes. They are extremely extravagant.
But are there many such families?
A lot, but not that much. Most families can afford to have twenty or thirty servants to serve them. But I am absolutely reluctant to spend dozens or hundreds of taels on candy.
After all, ten taels of silver can now buy a small ox!
Liu Er said, "You must be short-sighted. This is the capital, at the feet of the emperor! If you lack anything, you will not lack dignitaries."
"You think it's more, but I think it's less. If I had known this was the case, I should have advised you to give me something else as a gift when you open your business."
"One pound is twenty taels cheaper. How much less money have we made? I can't think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the more my heart aches."
"Put the accounts away and bring them to the palace tomorrow for your Majesty to see. This is really good business."
