However, the system refused, saying it did not provide delivery services.
If you don't want to deliver, then so be it. The noodle shop is located near the capital, and it wouldn't take the butler more than a day to travel there himself. In fact, the two places are only half a day apart. If it really doesn't work out, he can take care of both shops and go to whichever one has a problem to handle it.
Mo Bei and Sister Xuan were both brought along, so it wouldn't be right not to bring Xiao Han. Ye Xu looked at Shuangshuang, who waved her hand wearily: "I can stay as the acting store manager, but if any problems arise that require the store manager to step in, don't count on me."
Body shape is the biggest weakness.
"Speaking of which, I haven't drawn any cards since I arrived in this world. Sweetie's lucky charm skill can still be used once. Why don't I give it a try? Maybe I can get a butler?" Ye Xu suddenly remembered this.
Mo Bei looked at him with dead fish eyes: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You already have a butler, why do you care whether I've drawn cards or not?" Ye Xu retorted.
Mo Bei thought about it and agreed. "Alright then, I'll forgive him this once, for the sake of the housekeeper."
After breakfast, Ye Xu called Tian Tian out. As soon as the little baby came out, she softly hugged Ye Xu's wrist and made cute "mmm" sounds.
Ah, so cute! Ye Xu happily rubbed it for a long time before letting go and getting down to business.
The same familiar tactic: a flash of light, and a UR card appeared. Perhaps because Mo Bei had been constantly mentioning wanting a butler while drawing cards, this time it was still a butler.
Jiang Yuexuan looked on in surprise: "The system told me before that a store manager can only draw one butler robot at most."
She wanted to open several more branches so she could have more people to help her open them. The reason she managed to accumulate one billion points in each dimension within a month was simply because she had a large number of UR employees.
Unfortunately, UR employees could only be a maximum of twenty people, so she set her sights on butler robots. That didn't work out, but she quickly found another way: contracting SSR or UR humanoid pets of normal size and sufficient intelligence—there was no limit to the number of such pets.
Ye Xu thought for a moment: "Maybe it's because it wasn't me who drew the card."
The store manager can only draw one, what does that have to do with Sweetie? Sweetie isn't the store manager, she can draw as many as she wants.
"Speaking of which, Sister Xuan, do you have a robot butler?" Ye Xu asked.
Jiang Yuexuan nodded generously, then added, "But they can't be used. The system won't allow it because they are my employees, not yours."
Now, the system is opening a branch for Ye Xu, and no matter how much Jiang Yuexuan pleaded, she couldn't get it to budge. Otherwise, with the butler overseeing things, she could have gone out and had a blast without any worries.
"Is that alright?" Ye Xu asked worriedly. "Your restaurant has a lot of problems; are you really sure you can leave?"
Jiang Yuexuan pondered for a moment: "Then how about this, I'll come up with a compromise."
Jiang Yuexuan's so-called compromise was that she would disguise herself when she went out with everyone, so that the others wouldn't know that the person out there was the owner of the First Restaurant. And if any problems arose at the restaurant, Jiang Yuexuan would immediately set off back, also by flying.
I never expected that Sister Xuan could fly. Ye Xu was a little curious. What kind of bloodline did Sister Xuan have? Judging from her appearance, she seemed to fly faster than Mo Bei. She could probably fly back to the restaurant in an hour.
"She should be a soul cultivator, right?" Mo Bei said casually. As a natural-born divine beast, he was very good at distinguishing these auras, unlike Ye Xu, who was a halfway cultivator and had not yet mastered this skill.
The so-called soul cultivator is a type of cultivator in the cultivation world similar to the ghost cultivator, who abandons the physical body and only cultivates the soul.
So strictly speaking, Jiang Yuexuan didn't change her bloodline; she directly modified her soul. Her current body appears to be a physical entity, but it's actually just the result of her soul power solidifying. If she wanted, she could become a ghost, naturally able to travel thousands of miles a day.
"Wouldn't that be awesome...?"
Ye Xu was filled with envy. He recalled what Shuangshuang had told him before, that the bloodline of the divine dragon was attractive to Chinese people and could make customers feel good about the shop and come to visit on their own initiative. It turned out to be all a lie. He didn't enjoy many benefits, but he lost face many times. The cub stage really affected his intelligence.
Shuangshuang retorted, "That's because you're too slow to awaken; the relevant aura hasn't awakened yet!"
The dragon could indeed subtly attract the Chinese people, but the key issue was that Ye Xu hadn't been a dragon for long enough for that aura to fully develop. And since everyone else was just an ordinary mortal, not so perceptive, how could they possibly sense such a faint presence?
Ye Xu looked indifferent. He felt that according to Shuangshuang, he would probably have to wait until he reached adulthood several hundred years later to enjoy that benefit.
"It's not that bad." Jiang Yuexuan couldn't help but chuckle. "At most, your dragon bloodline will be fully awakened in three years."
By then, Ye Xu would likely have become a freelance shop manager and might not need the dragon's aura as much anymore. That's why it's better to change your bloodline early; if Ye Xu hadn't been making money so quickly, he could have actually enjoyed the benefits of changing his bloodline earlier.
Ye Xu felt frustrated and didn't want to bring up this unpleasant topic anymore.
"Now that everyone's here, let's start buying New Year's goods. I've always just casually celebrated the New Year before, never really preparing anything, so I don't know what to buy. Do you guys know?"
Because many shops are short-staffed during the Lunar New Year period, wages are higher, so Ye Xu basically shuttles between different shops, busy serving customers, and has no time to prepare for the New Year. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he is either busy chopping vegetables in the hotel kitchen or eating a simple New Year's Eve dinner alone in his rented room.
In the past, we would go back to the orphanage to celebrate the New Year, but the orphanage wasn't very well prepared. The aunties were too busy to take the children out to buy New Year's goods, so we would just have some fun on our own in the orphanage.
In short, shopping for New Year's goods was still a novel experience for Ye Xu. He held Zhenzhen's hand and walked through the market, both of them showing the same kind of curiosity in their eyes.
"You two really do look like father and daughter," Jiang Yuexuan remarked.
Ye Xu ignored her and looked at the fried radish balls sold on the street. She said to her daughter with great interest, "I really liked these when I was little, but I didn't have money to buy them, so I only ate them once. After I grew up, I could hardly see them being sold on the street anymore. I heard that they are only sold in small villages and towns."
Zhenzhen swallowed and said, "Daddy, it smells so good."
Seeing the father and daughter looking so greedy, Jiang Yuexuan couldn't stand it anymore. She quickly stepped forward to the old lady selling fried meatballs, took out some coins, and bought a large bag. It was wrapped in oil paper, quite extravagant.
In the small village market, things are usually wrapped in freshly picked and washed large leaves, which have no cost, unlike oil paper, which isn't cheap. However, considering that frying meatballs uses a lot of oil, and ordinary farmers are reluctant to waste oil like that, it's clear that fried meatballs are a relatively expensive snack here, worthy of being packaged in oil paper.
Ye Xu looked around and noticed that the stalls nearby were significantly better than those in the village market, and the people there were dressed much more respectably. He figured the scholars at the academy were indeed wealthy, which had also enriched the surrounding vendors.
Aside from the "luxury" food of fried meatballs, there are many other street snacks that are not cheap. Ye Xu even saw crispy fried snails that looked like buttercream frosting, which are said to be a traditional snack that tastes great, but are also very expensive.
They came to buy New Year's goods, but somehow the group turned into a snack tasting party, eating their way from one end to the other. They didn't buy many New Year's goods, but they bought a huge pile of various snacks and desserts. Ye Xu had a big appetite, and he would pack up ten or so portions of the good ones to take home and eat slowly. After walking around like this, everyone else was already full, but Ye Xu and Mo Bei were still as if nothing had happened.
"Isn't it almost the New Year? The students of the academy aren't going home to rest, but are still studying at the academy. They're really diligent." Looking at the many scholars in long gowns around him, the academically challenged Mo Bei couldn't help but sigh.
The Phoenix Clan also has its own clan school where students attend cultural classes, so that if they happen to acquire any cultivation manuals in the future, they won't be unable to understand them. However, just by looking at Mo Bei's scribbles, one can guess that his academic performance isn't very good, so it's understandable that he admires top students.
Han Yingchen explained, "Some students travel thousands of miles to study here, and it takes them a lot of time to go back, which delays their studies. Moreover, the academy only has five days off at the end of the year, which is not enough for them to travel back and forth."
Many students in the academy haven't yet obtained their official titles and will have to take the county and prefectural examinations for the title of Xiucai next February. They don't have time to waste traveling. They'll have to go back to their hometowns to take the exams anyway. After the New Year, when it's almost time, they can set off to return home and see their families later. For now, they should stay in the academy and diligently learn more from the teachers.
Since the students haven't had a holiday yet, the academy's visitor flow hasn't been affected much and it remains very bustling. The festive atmosphere adds to the lively atmosphere, making it truly joyous.
After everyone had tried all the snacks, they returned and strolled through the market again from the back to the front. This time, they were really going to buy New Year's goods, mainly non-food items like Spring Festival couplets and firecrackers. They could buy some specialty candies and smoked meats as needed, and they would mainly buy the ingredients from the system. Buying from outside would only give them a unique flavor.
When they had almost finished buying their New Year's goods, they returned to the vicinity of the fried meatball stall they had previously visited. The stall next to the old lady's, which used to sell vegetables, had already closed up shop and left, and had been replaced by a wine stall.
The stall owner, a rather wealthy-looking man, was followed by a servant who was unloading wine jars. He called out in a booming voice, "The finest wine from the number one restaurant in the world, ten taels of silver a jug, only ten jars available, while supplies last!"
Ye Xu almost choked on his own saliva. So the wine from the First Restaurant was being sold here? Reselling her wine right in front of Sister Xuan was incredibly audacious; he would call him the number one scalper in history.
"Sister Xuan, is your family's 'Number One Wine in the World' really this cheap?" Ye Xu couldn't help but ask.
A pot costs ten taels of silver, and although it only yields a dozen or so sips, it's still a bit pricey considering its reputation as the best in the world. On average, one tael of silver per cup—high-ranking officials and nobles would never even consider such a price.
Jiang Yuexuan slowly raised her eyebrows: "Our restaurant has more than ten kinds of fine wines. The cheapest is five ounces a pot, and the expensive ones... well, that requires bidding."
"So this person bought the cheapest one and came here to make a profit from the price difference?" Mo Bei became interested.
Master Ji Ling, who had remained silent the entire time, also looked over, seemingly quite interested. She had only just learned that this young lady was the recently rising star owner of the First Restaurant, and she was also interested in those fine wines, wanting to try them herself.
Jiang Yuexuan smiled: "That's not necessarily true. Maybe he just bought some random wine and is using my name to sell it. Why don't you buy a pot and try it? But I noticed that his pot is much smaller than the ones in the building. If it really is my wine, the profit from this trip will more than double."
After what happened last time, Ye Xu declined to drink and was unwilling to participate. Ji Ling, on the other hand, took the initiative to talk to the shopkeeper and bought a pot of wine.
As soon as the lid was lifted, a refreshing aroma of wine wafted out. Ye Xu covered his own nose with one hand and his daughter's nose with the other, backing away repeatedly.
Chapter 43 Salted Fish
Jiang Yuexuan pulled out several clean cups from somewhere, and poured a cup for everyone who could drink to taste.
Others hadn't tasted the wines sold in Sister Xuan's shop and couldn't be sure if they came from the First Restaurant. Sister Xuan herself, however, nodded after tasting it, giving it official approval.
"It's definitely the cheapest one in the store, and it shouldn't be diluted with water."
Reselling smaller pots at double the price and then diluting them with water would be incredibly unethical and damage her restaurant's reputation. Now that she's certain the man is a morally upright businessman, Jiang Yuexuan decides not to interfere.
Strictly speaking, this kind of vendor doesn't count as scalping. If he gets the goods and then sells them at the entrance of the First Restaurant, allowing customers who couldn't get in to dine due to limited seating to buy the expensive wines directly from him, then he would be considered a scalper.
But if the other party is simply transporting the goods to a distant location for sale, then that's normal business practice. Isn't that what merchants are essentially like? If the local area doesn't have the goods, they go to the place of origin to buy them and sell them to the locals.
"Let's go, we should head back," Jiang Yuexuan said.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a group of scholars arrived. One of them was clearly dressed in fine clothes, probably a young master from a wealthy family. He didn't seem to have the air of someone diligently studying, suggesting that his family had forced him into the academy to learn properly.
The wealthy young master was surrounded by several obsequious scholars. As they passed by, they heard the hawking of fine wine and smelled its aroma, and they were immediately captivated.
"Is this the fine wine from the First Restaurant? I've heard so much about it, but I never expected to find it for sale here," one man exclaimed, only to realize he was short of money and couldn't afford it.
Another person, eager to flatter the wealthy young master, immediately chimed in: "I heard that Brother Lu came from Lingcheng. You must have visited the First Restaurant and tasted its fine wines."
Young Master Lu proudly waved his folding fan, completely disregarding the fact that it was the dead of winter: "Of course, I have tasted all the wines in the building."
"What do you mean? Does the First Restaurant have many different kinds of fine wine?" someone asked.
My companion scoffed, "Isn't that obvious? What restaurant only sells one type of liquor? Even in ordinary restaurants, there are different kinds of spirits, some with a rich flavor and others with a refreshing taste. It's just that most restaurants only have one type of liquor that is famous throughout the world."
The scholar who asked the question hesitated, unable to speak. He came from a poor family and had indeed never been to a restaurant. People always used this to ridicule him for being poor, and although he was indignant, he could not refute it.
"Alright." Young Master Lu glared at the person who had spoken so harshly. "We're all on the same side, no attacking each other. Otherwise, you can forget about following me. So what if you've never been to a restaurant before? When I treat, everyone has to come."
Now it was the scholar's turn to shut up, and he even had to reluctantly apologize to the poor scholar. Young Master Lu ignored him, and instead walked gracefully to the wine seller, asking him a couple of questions.
"Which wine from the First Restaurant are you selling here?" Young Master Lu asked.
The portly merchant bowed and scraped, saying, "Young master, I sell peach blossom wine."
"Peach blossom wine?" Young Master Lu glanced at the palm-sized pot and raised an eyebrow. "I seem to remember that a pot of peach blossom wine at the First Restaurant only costs five taels of silver, and it's twice the size of your pot?"
The vendor's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected to run into someone knowledgeable after traveling so far. Luckily, he was selling genuine peach blossom wine, not counterfeit, and he had a legitimate reason to raise the price; otherwise, he might have been punished by this young nobleman.
Young Master Lu was well aware that merchants were adept at buying low and selling high; he simply asked on purpose, incidentally informing those around him of the original price of the wine. He wanted to prevent others from buying the overpriced wine and then feeling it wasn't worth the price, and instead criticizing the First Restaurant.
You see, he's a loyal fan of the First Restaurant, but his parents, disregarding the approaching New Year, have forced him to study there. He probably won't be able to enjoy the restaurant's fine wines and delicacies for a long time. Thinking of this, he's unhappy, and even more unhappy that the merchant is raising prices so drastically. He has to defend his favorite restaurant.
The vendor was at his wits' end. He knew he was overcharging, but aren't all merchants like that? He was the only one selling this product here, so making three times the profit was understandable. It was just that his behavior was too unseemly, and he would probably be cursed by the people around him.
Jiang Yuexuan was happy to watch the show, so she stood not far away with her arms crossed and didn't mention leaving again.
Ye Xu shook his head and sighed, "What price a reseller can sell at is a matter of skill. However, if the premium is too high, one must be prepared to be criticized. Everyone should rely on their own abilities." It's not good to make money dishonestly and not want to be criticized.
“Not bad.” Jiang Yuexuan nodded with a smile. “This person’s skills are not up to par. If it were me, I would definitely whine about how difficult it is to buy this wine, how much manpower and resources it took to transport it here, and try my best to prove that the four-fold price is justified and that I don’t earn much.”
However, the merchant seemed to be intimidated by Young Master Lu's wealthy family background and dared not play the victim too much. His words were rather guilty, making onlookers feel that he was making money against his conscience.
Despite his seemingly foolish and wealthy appearance, Young Master Lu managed to persuade the vendor to agree to a 50% price reduction with just a few words. Although half the price was still twice the original price, Young Master Lu was satisfied. He couldn't let the vendor make a trip only to end up losing money and having to pay for shipping.
However……
“He shouldn’t have made that move,” Jiang Yuexuan calmly pointed out.
Now that the price has dropped, those who bought the wine at a higher price before will be unhappy and demand a refund. If they only ask for a refund of the extra money, that would be fine. The real worry is that some of the buyers will be unreasonable and keep pestering the seller. Even if the full amount is refunded and the wine is taken back, the other party may still refuse to let it go.
Young Master Lu didn't care about any of that. After getting the wine, he asked someone to buy a wine cup from the surrounding area and drank a cup on the spot. He wanted to taste the wine to see if it was correct, lest this merchant with a criminal record try to cheat people again.
Fortunately, the wine was indeed the same wine, but unfortunately it was the lowest quality peach blossom wine. Young Master Lu sighed, feeling both happy and unhappy.