CHAPTER 164: CHAPTER 89 BUYING A SHOP

Originally, Yu Tuanzi worked for Gu Chengyu with effort, but Gu Chengyu knew it was primarily because of the constraint of poison; genuine loyalty was minimal. Now, having cleared things up, Gu Chengyu saw that Yu Tuanzi seemed to be more diligent than before, and he was satisfied. If he could pass the scholar examinations, Yu Tuanzi would probably be even more devoted.

"Did you find any suitable shops on West Street like I asked?" Gu Chengyu remembered asking Yu Tuanzi to keep an eye out for a shop. He wanted to open a pastry shop.

"I went to have a look a few days ago, and there was only one shop for sale in that area. It was originally a small teahouse, with just one floor and a small yard in the back, along with two rooms: one with a heated kang bed, and the other for storing sundries. The owner is asking for two hundred liang. Do you want me to take you to see it?"

Yu Tuanzi thought that little shop was more than enough for a pastry shop, and it was conveniently located next to a store selling rouge and powders. The location was good, and the yard in the back could house people, but two hundred liang was indeed quite pricey.

Gu Chengyu nodded, indicating for Yu Tuanzi to lead the way. For the past two years, Gu Chengyu’s silver had come from his secret space, but even though he had fabricated a story about a master, he couldn’t just squander away his wealth. He decided to start with a small business.

The Gu Family, everyone had their own motives, and he didn’t want to have to rely on them for silver in the future, always having to be cautious.

Yu Tuanzi found a broker from a brokerage to guide them. The shop was noticeable at the entrance of West Street. From the outside, the shopfront wasn’t large, just two small sections. Chen Yazi unlocked the shop and removed three door panels before the three of them entered.

There was nothing much to observe in the shop’s front display; the original teahouse tables and chairs had been moved out, making it feel empty. The shop wasn’t large, but now it seemed spacious. The floor was paved with blue bricks, looking somewhat dusty, but there was a counter. After a brief look, Gu Chengyu followed the two into the small courtyard at the back.

Chen Yazi thought that the decision-maker between the two was Yu Tuanzi. In the past, Yu Tuanzi had bought twenty children and two women in one go from the brokerage, needing even more from the county to fulfill the order. From then he knew Mr. Yu, though dressed in simple cotton clothes, had silver! Even if he didn’t, the person behind Mr. Yu did.

Therefore, seeing Yu Tuanzi there to buy a shop, his enthusiasm soared. As for the side-standing Gu Chengyu, he dismissed him, thinking of him as nothing more than a relative of Mr. Yu.

"Mr. Yu! Rest assured! The price for this shop is not expensive; look! It’s such a prime location. If you open a shop here, business will surely flourish! And see this courtyard? It may be small, but isn’t it well-equipped? Don’t you worry! Someone else was interested in the shop a few days ago! If you don’t decide soon, someone else might get it. However, I’ve already offered you the lowest price because we hope to do more business with you in the future."

Yu Tuanzi, hearing Chen Yazi addressing the wrong person, wanted to correct him, as he wasn’t the decision-maker. However, before he could speak, Gu Chengyu signaled him with his eyes not to reveal it. Yu Tuanzi understood the nonverbal cue perfectly.

"Brother Chen! Surely, you’re not sincerely doing business with me! For such a rundown little courtyard, you want two hundred liang of silver? Are you trying to rob me? It’s too expensive." Gu Chengyu didn’t nod or turn to leave, signaling to Yu Tuanzi that he was satisfied with the shop, but not with the price.

It’s common to negotiate down from an inflated price, so they definitely needed to cut some costs!

"Oh dear! How could I dare to overcharge Mr. Yu for silver? We truly want to befriend you. How about this—I’ll speak with the owner and see if he can take off five liang of silver." Chen Yazi put on a strained expression, but the discount was only five liang.

Gu Chengyu didn’t have the patience to listen to their wrangling any longer, so he signaled to Yu Tuanzi for a price of 150 liang.

After much haggling, they settled on the price of 160 liang, which, with an addition of ten extra, was still within Gu Chengyu’s budget.

The three then went to a designated office to transfer the shop’s ownership to Gu Chengyu’s name. When Chen Yazi saw the paper, he realized who the actual buyer was. Yu Tuanzi quickly explained that this was his nephew, whom he’d be managing the shop for.

Chen Yazi didn’t doubt it, thinking no way could this young boy be the actual owner. Subsequently, Gu Chengyu personally selected two simple women and a man who had served as a shopkeeper from the brokerage. These women would primarily be responsible for making pastries in the shop; the man had been skilled and specially trained by the previous owner but was falsely accused of embezzlement and was thus up for sale.

Though Gu Chengyu couldn’t verify the man’s story, buying him for temporary use should suffice. Besides, he planned to have another accountant in the shop to check on monthly accounts, and Yu Tuanzi would regularly inspect the books. Over the years, Yu Tuanzi had learned simple arithmetic while teaching the children, and as long as the accounts weren’t too complicated, he should manage. This way, when funds are squeezed out, there’s a record.

Gu Chengyu couldn’t handle everything himself and had to trust others. Buying such a capable shopkeeper was a stroke of luck, for the original owner intended to sell people further away, making it rare to find someone suitable in this remote town.

By the time Gu Chengyu had handled all matters, it was already late afternoon. Looking at the ashen sky, it seemed like snow was imminent.

"Young Master! Let me take you back! It looks like snow is coming; I’ll fetch a carriage to get you back faster." Yu Tuanzi, noticing the dimming sky, felt concerned. He wasn’t planning to return himself; Gu Chengyu had just taught the two cooks some pastry recipes, and with the shop opening in two days, he needed to keep an eye on things in town. Before the year ends, they could earn quite a bit of silver.

"No need; for these few days, keep a watch over the shop for me. If anyone slacks off or disobeys orders, just come and inform me. If I can buy them, I can surely sell them. And when sold, where they end up is, of course, up to me." Gu Chengyu had sternly instructed before, fearing noncompliance in his absence. He preferred buying people over hiring because holding their deeds eased his mind.

In the Dayan Dynasty, penalties for runaway slaves were particularly severe; once caught, there was no escape—neither alive nor by death. Without a travel permit, where could one escape to?

While teaching the recipes, Gu Chengyu held back a key ingredient, sharing only the recipes for Fuling Cake, Sugar-Coated Yam Cake, and Seasonal Flower Cake. Although those didn’t require sophisticated techniques, his methods differed from those around, making the pastries hopefully tastier. The Nine Nine Reunification Beneficial Yuan Cake required several herbs, pre-ground in a pharmacy, but actually sourced from his space using a mill grinder.

He merely wished to keep the cake’s ingredients secret from the pharmacy and stored a large amount since they won’t spoil in the winter. He intended to restock intermittently. The Beneficial Yuan Cake had advantages such as spleen strengthening, damp dispelling, heart nourishing, and kidney boosting, written down as hype for the shop’s opening.

As for packaging, he couldn’t be careless; with all those herbal ingredients, selling cheaply would yield no profit, so he could only opt for high prices. Regular folks wouldn’t buy often; the priority was business with the wealthy. Fortunately, there was a small dock in town, meaning business shouldn’t be too bad. Thus, he decided to use wooden boxes to give a more upscale appearance.

He would later observe the shop’s profits before considering introducing cake recipes. Shanhe Town was just a small town, so unless demand expanded, those few recipes should suffice.