Chapter 91 Business Beginning
Both Fang Yuan and Qu Qingning felt helpless when they heard what Su Li said. They didn’t know what she wanted to do. But since Su Li let them go out, she must have something to tell Fang Mu and Yin Xuetong alone.
Qu Qingning stood up first, scratched his head, and gave Yin Xuetong a reassuring look. Then he immediately went out of the underground secret room with Fang Yuan, and closed the door.
Fang Mu and Yin Xuetong looked at each other and both felt stupefied at Su Li who looked younger than them.
According to what she just said…she was Mr. Li?
Mr. Li actually was a girl at 13 or 14?
Yin Xuetong couldn’t help but compare the height. She found that Mr. Li she saw during the day was a little higher than Su Li. It’s weird…
Su Li looked at Fang Mu and Yin Xuetong with a smile after she sipped her tea. She said first, “For Fang Yuan and Qu Qingning’s sake, I will cure you both and the Linli Building will take you in. However, there are conditions!”
Fang Mu and Yin Xuetong looked nervous and said, “What are the conditions?”
They didn’t know that Qu Qingning and Fang Yuan had agreed to meet Su Li’s unreasonable demand for them. Having walked from the battlefield to the prisoner camp, they were anxious at the moment. They knew that there was no free lunch in the world.
“It’s very simple!”
Su Li pointed to Fang Mu and said, “When you recover from your injury, I will dispense medicine to make you regain your cultivation as soon as possible. Then you will work yourself to death for me like Fang Yuan! You will be responsible for safety in the Linli Building in usual days, do you have any questions?”
Fang Mu was shocked when he heard what she said. He excitedly stuttered, “Can…can I continue to practice?”
Coldness flashed in Su Li’s eyes. She said lightly, “Do you think I’ll take in a useless person?”
Fang Mu shrank his neck and instantly shook his head. He could not help but fear Su Li. The girl in front of him looked in the same age as him, but the inexplicable energy she showed made people unconsciously feel frightened.
Seeing Fang Mu’s reaction, Su Li turned to be kind instantly. She laughed warmly and said, “Then I take that as a promise. Fang Mu, work hard in the future.”
Fang Mu agreed with Su Li in a befuddled way. Although he thought something was wrong, he felt at ease because his eldest brother Fang Yuan was here. Moreover, his life was saved by Ms. Li. Even if he died for the Linli Building, so what?
“Then it’s your turn.” Su Li looked at Yin Xuetong fiercely. This made the latter turned pale at once. She just got ruddy complexion. “In a month, I will help you and Fang Mu recover. You will be the shopkeeper of the Linli Building in the future. Do you have any questions?”
“What? I will be the shopkeeper?”
Yin Xuetong exclaimed and didn’t understand instantly. She just came for one day and she was a servant. Why did the girl let her be the shopkeeper?
“What? Don’t you want to be?” Su Li tilted her head and said weirdly, “Qu Qingning assured me that you have shown your talent for coordinating before. You are absolutely capable of being the shopkeeper of Linli Building. Did he tell me something false? I will talk to him later.”
Yin Xuetong trembled and shook her head quickly to deny. She fiercely nodded with full of determination, “I must manage the Linli Building well. I won’t let you down.”
Su Li smiled and stood up. She swept them who were still confused and said, “I’m Su Li. You two remember that.”
Then Su Li left lightly. They had not come to their sense from a series of surprises.
After a long time, Fang Mu said with difficultly with a deep sigh, “What terrible energy, but she is only our peer. Is she Ms. Li?”
Yin Xuetong had same feelings and nodded repeatedly. But a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
Because Su Li did not deny or admit that she was Ms. Li from the beginning to the end.
Was Su Li and Ms. Li the same person? She and Fang Mu still needed time to find out.
After today, Fang Mu and Yin Xuetong did not appear in front of the other thirty-one people. Everyone thought that these two people had been killed secretly by people of the Linli Building. So, they worked more actively because they feared that they would be killed like them.
Under such stimulation, in less than half a month, a row of black-brick houses was built behind the Linli Building, which looked neat and tidy.
After the houses were built, everyone was so tired that they fell to the ground. However, nourished by the food provided by the Linli Building, they have much better physical quality. They didn’t feel very tired even if they were asked to work one day in an ordinary restaurant.
Heidan appeared in the backyard on time and clapped his hands. He said aloud, “Very good! Congratulations, all of you have passed the first round of tests. According to the speed of the house construction, I will give each of you a number. You will work in the winery with the number instead of your name.”
Several people who still had some strength struggled to sit up with full of joy.
“Three days later, the Linli Building will be open on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month! You don’t have time to rest and need to familiarize yourself with the winery business in these three days. Now, all of you, go to the bathroom to take a bath and start training immediately!”
Everyone stood up with their tired body when they heard Heidan’s order. They stared at the new clothes in the hands of the people behind Heidan. They were so excited because they didn’t remember that how long they hadn’t taken a bath and changed into new clothes.
Even if the clothes were for waiters, they felt happy.
The bathhouse was divided into two parts, one part for men and the other for women. Less than half of the thirty-one people were women. They didn’t make chaos. The first teenager who finished his bath climbed out of the bathroom and dried himself. He touched the clothes aside prepared for them and was stunned.
“The clothes…are not made of linen but silk!”
The teenager was in shock. What on earth was the origin of the Linli Building? It was so rich that the lowest class of servants in it wore silk clothes! It was clear that the waiter was busy working in the winery and must dirty the clothes. It was such a waste to make clothes for waiters in such good cloth.
On the other side, the women also finished their baths and were happy to change into new clothes. They didn’t think too much about it and they just felt that the silk clothes were really comfortable to wear.
After all the people changed their clothes, they stood in front of Heidan again, looked like different people.
Heidan nodded his head. The bosses had good eyes and the people they chose had good looks. And they had got through the test with strong wills. Men were left to take their tasks. All the women went to the kitchen with Fang Ling. Fang Ling taught them the basic procedures of processing ingredients.
Learning was a process that couldn’t be accomplished overnight. Su Li planned that these people were enough to cope with the chaos when starting the business. As for their abilities, she would help them cultivate slowly in the future. As long as they were not idiots, she had so many ways to tap their potential and let these people make rapid progress.
After all, she had been the Hierarch of a cult for some time in her previous life.
As a group of people busily adapting themselves to the work of the winery, the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month came.
As the first full-moon night of the New Year, the Lantern Festival was naturally one of the most important festivals in Dahan Country. The entire Qinghe Town had been buzzing early. Every street was decorated with lanterns and colored hangings. Lanterns for lantern show were set up and various folk performances were also being prepared.
The door of the Linli Building was decorated with lanterns and colored hangings. A group of teenagers wearing new clothes wiped the inside and outside of the door again and again. More and more people came to the street to have fun. Qu Qingning and Fang Yuan with masks had lion dance in front of the door. Their performance was vivid due to their body movement of practicing martial arts. Many people were attracted and stopped to watch with applause.
“Crack, crack!!”
A series of firecrackers suddenly cracked out the door. Then, the door of the Linli Building was opened wide, and three maids walked out from each side and waited with their body bended. Then Yin Xuetong in a white woolen skirt came out of the door with a smile and said aloud,
“Everyone in the Qinghe Town, I’m the shopkeeper of the Linli Building. It’s my pleasure to meet all of you! Today is the Lantern Festival, which is also the opening day of the Linli Building. All drinks are ninety percent off. There are also free refreshments and snacks for a taste. All people who love drinking and delicacies, welcome to the Linli Building!”
People who were watching the lion dance were immediately attracted to Yin Xuetong. Many people secretly praised what a beautiful girl she was when they saw Yin Xuetong’s pretty face. They were surprised at once when they heard that she was actually the shopkeeper.
The girl looked only 15 or 16 years old and she was the shopkeeper of the Linli Building?
They also found that all the shopkeeper and servants were young people with full of energy.
“It turned out that the Linli Building is a winery and the name is so elegant!”
“Today’s drinks are ninety percent off and there are good wines for free. I’ll go in and have a taste.”
“Go! Go! Go! Let’s go together!”
“I have a lot of friends, and we usually drink together. I’ll go back and call them over!”
For a while, a large number of people who love drinking flocked into the winery. They marveled at the unique and beautiful decorations inside the winery. They had never seen such a delicately decorated winery. It would bring them enjoyment just sitting in it even without drinking.
They noticed two simple plates hanging behind the counter after looking around.
“Osmanthus wine, 1 tael/pot (discount price)”
“Osmanthus cake, 0.5 tael/plate (one lump for free taste)”
Only two items?
All customers coming into the winery were stupefied. Such a large winery only served two items. Was that a joke?
“Can’t it be that one of pampered son of a wealthy or influential family has nothing to do but play with us?”
“The discounted wine is one tael for one pot, which is more expensive than common restaurant. Then is the original price ten taels a pot?”
“What is osmanthus wine? Why haven’t I heard of that wine before?”
For a while, all the people who came to watch what’s going on were confused. Sitting in the winery, they didn’t know what to do, and no one ordered the dish.
There was an awkward silence.
Yin Xuetong kept calm when seeing that. She gave the person she arranged a wink. Immediately a man who dressed like a wealthy childe shouted, “Whatever it is, let’s have a taste and then we will know it. Waiter, give me a pot of osmanthus wine and a plate of osmanthus cake. Don’t forget the free osmanthus cake!”
Then there was a burst of laughter in the winery and the awkward situation was eased down. Many people started ordering.
However, most people only wanted to taste the free osmanthus cake. As for the osmanthus wine at one tael for one pot, they might have to wait for others to have a taste before they ordered it themselves.
Soon, the osmanthus cake and osmanthus wine ordered by the arranged man were offered. The “wealthy childe” acted by a servant poured himself a cup of osmanthus wine. The clear and sticky liquor which was a little golden gently rippled in the glass.
The osmanthus cake was even more beautiful. The whole cake was as clear as glaze. The golden osmanthus flower on the surface made the whole osmanthus cake look like an artwork in an antique shop, which was hard for people to put it down.