Chapter 67

Li Qi taught earnestly, and the group of children learned just as diligently. The onlookers watched even more intently, and the entire courtyard could only hear Li Qi's voice.

Time quietly slipped by.

Before they knew it, the sun had already begun to set.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Qi stopped teaching, gave the children a few instructions, told them to practice more in the evening, and said he would come back the next day to check on them. Then, he took Tian Mujiang and the others back to the city with Bai Qianruo.

Li Qi had been busy all day, and Wu Furong hadn't been idle either. He had taken Wu Xiaoliu and a few others and almost ran through the entire Bianjing city, finally gathering carpenters, masons, lacquerers, and other workers for the renovation.

They started working in the afternoon and didn't stop until dusk.

Not long after the workers left, Li Qi arrived.

Li Qi returned to Zui Xianju and first explained to Wu Furong the background of Tian Mujiang and the others, as well as the reason he had brought them.

Wu Furong was immediately excited. Zui Xianju was in dire need of help, and more people would certainly be a good thing. Moreover, most of these people were experienced and could start working right away, which was perfect.

After having dinner together, Li Qi asked Wu Xiaoliu and the others to clean out a few empty rooms to accommodate Tian Mujiang and the others.

After everything was settled, Li Qi told Wu Furong about his plan to select refugees to work as waiters at Zui Xianju.

Wu Furong was both pleased and worried. He had been troubled by the recruitment issue for several days, and now hearing that Li Qi had already found the people, he couldn't help but be happy.

However, Li Qi had brought in about thirty to forty people, which he thought was too many, and there wasn't enough space for them.

Li Qi also thought it was a bit too many, but since things had come to this point, they could only make do. After discussing it, they decided to select five younger, more agile women to clean at Zui Xianju, and five older women to do housework at the Qin residence. As for the rooms, Li Qi planned to have Tian Mujiang and the other men stay in the back courtyard of Zui Xianju, and some of the children would stay at Wu Furong's house, since Wu Furong lived alone and his wife had died from childbirth complications long ago.

After settling this matter, Wu Furong suddenly said, "Right, Master Li, there's something I almost forgot to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Madam came to the shop today. If you had returned an hour earlier, you would have seen her."

"Oh, really?" Li Qi said in pleasant surprise. This seemed to be the first time Madam Qin had come to Zui Xianju. He was both excited and regretful, wishing he had returned earlier.

Wu Furong nodded and said, "Madam came today mainly to discuss the Yanglou matter. Mr. Zhang visited the Qin residence early this morning."

"Ah, I almost forgot about that."

Li Qi slapped his forehead and asked, "How did the discussion go?"

Wu Furong said, "It was roughly as you expected, but Mr. Zhang wants to lower the price to 150 coins per catty."

Li Qi frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "How much does he plan to sell it for?"

Wu Furong's eyes flashed with surprise, and he laughed, "It seems nothing can escape your notice. Yes, Mr. Zhang is using the low price to compete with Feicui Xuan. He plans to sell it for 200 coins."

This price was fifty coins lower than Feicui Xuan's.

Li Qi pondered for a moment and said, "What does Madam think?"

Wu Furong said, "Madam hasn't given a response yet. She came today to discuss this with you. What do you think we should do?"

Li Qi thought for a while and nodded, "I think we should agree. The price of stinky tofu is still too high. I believe it will come down in time, and I think it will be around 100 coins. Since we don't plan to sell stinky tofu anymore, it's better to lower the price sooner rather than later. Once Yanglou lowers the price, Feicui Xuan will have to follow. We'll earn less, but neither of them will have it easy. If we do this business, 150 coins it is. But when you talk to Madam, act hesitant and difficult, and talk more about feelings than money. Don't let Mr. Zhang know about the huge profit in stinky tofu, as it wouldn't be good for us or Feicui Xuan."

Wu Furong nodded and said, "I understand. I'll go to the Qin residence early tomorrow. Oh, and when Madam came today, she saw the renovation and gave some suggestions."

"Oh? That's great."

Li Qi's face lit up, "What did she say?"

Wu Furong stroked his beard and told Li Qi all the suggestions Madam Qin had made.

Although Madam Qin didn't understand business, she was from a scholarly family and of noble birth, so her taste was naturally very high. When she heard that Li Qi planned to turn the third floor into VIP rooms, she gave them some suggestions on the layout.

After listening, Li Qi nodded vigorously, "Let's do it as Madam suggested. Also, since she's interested, why don't we get her more involved?"

The renovation plan was just a rough idea from Li Qi. He didn't know the specifics, as the tastes of the people here were different from his time. If he followed his own ideas, it might backfire. He originally planned to let Wu Furong handle it, but Madam Qin's involvement excited him. Her taste was far superior to Wu Furong's.

Wu Furong was taken aback, "Get her more involved?"

"Uh... I mean, why don't we take this opportunity to entrust the entire renovation to Madam? Since she gave suggestions, she should be responsible for it. Besides, I have a lot to do these days and can't manage it. It's time for Madam to step in." Li Qi said with a sly smile.

"This... I'm afraid Madam won't agree," Wu Furong said hesitantly.

Li Qi's eyes twinkled, "Uncle Wu, tell Madam that the opening is approaching, and we both have a lot to do. We need more help, and ask her to oversee the renovation. Remember to act overwhelmed when you talk to her. She will understand."

"That doesn't seem right," Wu Furong said worriedly.

"What's not right? Madam spends all day at home and will eventually get bored. It's not a bad thing for her to get out and move around. Anyway, it's settled. If you don't want to say it, I'll do it myself," Li Qi said with a stubborn tone.

"No, I'll do it," Wu Furong quickly stopped him, fearing what Li Qi might do if he went to talk to Madam.

"Remember, you said it. I didn't force you. But if you can't convince her, I'll have to do it myself. I don't believe I can't persuade her," Li Qi said disdainfully.

Wu Furong nodded with a bitter smile and added, "I estimated that the renovation will take about a month. Should we set a date for the opening?"

Li Qi said casually, "You and Madam can discuss that. Also, I noticed we don't have much wine in the cellar. We need to prepare more so that we don't run out when customers come."

Although Li Qi hated alcohol and had sworn not to drink, he wasn't about to give up on the huge profits from it.

He remembered that when he first arrived in the Northern Song Dynasty, he spent his days drinking.

What he remembered most about the wine in the Northern Song Dynasty was that it was hard to get drunk.

The alcohol content was at most 11-12 degrees, similar to beer, which is why Wu Song could drink eighteen large bowls at Jingyang Ridge. However, the wine drinkers of the Northern Song Dynasty preferred the smooth, low-alcohol wine.

With low alcohol content, people could drink more, and the more they drank, the more the taverns earned. It would be against nature not to make this money.

Wu Furong nodded and said, "Do you plan to buy wine from the wine shop or buy yeast from the Quyuan?"

Yeast? Wine?

Li Qi frowned and said, "I haven't thought about that. Tell me about the market situation."